So...here's another chapter. Lot's of fighting involved, sorry if the scenes aren't very descriptive :P

And the airplane thing is totally my own hunch, don't quote me on it.

Disclaimer: Percy doesn't belong to me... :(

Chapter 3: In which strawberries save my life.

That night, I took the bare necessities with me. Two weeks worth of laundry, toiletries, a photo of my Dad, and my bamboo sprig. For some reason, I just couldn't leave it to wilt away.

Right as I finished zipping up the final suitcase, Dad walked over and stood in the doorway. "How are you doing, sweet pea?"
"Just finishing up," I sighed, straightening my back and leaning against the bedpost. I could smell the lilies downstairs.

He gave me another hug, like he knew I needed it. Somehow, it felt as if it would be the last for a long time. "No worries, right?"

"Right."

If that was true, I was a flying unicorn in disguise.

The plane ride from Illinois to New York was quite possibly the worst experience ever. Other than the whole Cindy trying to pulverize me thing…that still ranked first.

As I sat in my seat, I desperately tried to ignore the guy next to me, who smelled oddly of fish, and was snoring loudly. Behind me, a boy was squealing for some pie, while his older sister tried to appease him with some Mythomagic cards.

But nothing beat the lady sitting in front of me, who had the most obnoxious voice ever, and was showcasing it with her impressive talent of talking on the phone for 2 hours.

Sighing, I leaned back and tried to enjoy the pack of pretzels the stewardess had given me. But it was hard to anything with that voice ringing in my ears.

Finally, I couldn't handle it any more. Putting on my nice girl face, I tapped the lady on the shoulder. "Excuse me, but my friend is trying to sleep," I said, gesturing to fish-smell man. "Could you please take your conversation elsewhere? Or tone it down a bit? That would be greatly appreciated."

She shot me a glare that could have tranquilized a bull. "Excuse me. Can't you see I'm talking to someone here?" She pointed to her cell phone for further emphasis, then kept her conversation going.

I decided that her behavior could not be tolerated. I debated between calling a stewardess over and getting her to close her phone, or doing it myself.

I settled with the latter option.

"Did you know," I said knowledgeably, gaining her attention although she was still talking, "that your cell phone is currently disturbing signals from the airport to the plane? You're messing up the navigation by using your phone. This means," I paused for dramatic effect, "that we might land in a river, or on top of a house, and this plane will explode into a million pieces and we'll all die. And it will all be because you used your phone."

The lady's face turned sickeningly white.

I smiled sweetly. "Just food for thought."

She stopped talking after that.

When the plane finally touched ground (I was so relieved I could cry, fish-man smelled so bad) I grabbed my luggage and set off to find a taxi. I had only ever seen it done in movies, so I was grateful when a cab driver picked me up. "Where to, miss?" he grunted as I hauled my luggage in.

"Half-Blood Hill would be nice," I replied. He raised his eyebrows. "You sure about that? There's really nothing there, just a patch of strawberries and such."

"Uh, yeah, I'm sure."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself."

I only realized something was seriously wrong ten minutes into the cab ride.

Not wrong, like "dude, we just busted the tire five miles back" but more like "dude, a skyscraper is about to fall on us."

The driver didn't seem to notice, but I certainly did. Something was following us. Something big, angry, and unhappy.

I couldn't help but figure it was after me.

I decided to hold off panicking for a while and think of what to do. I had no weapons. There was an innocent guy driving me, and I couldn't get him involved. I could call the police, but they wouldn't be here until after we got chopped into mincemeat.

Great—all the options were void.

I felt the presence growing nearer, and I snuck a quick look back. I instantly regretted it.

The monster looked like a dragon. Full size, hungry, fire breathing dragon. It had sharp spikes dotted on its spine, and its scales gleamed maliciously. It was staring at the taxi like it was a burger on wheels, globs of spit flying out of its mouth and hitting the pavement as well as some unfortunate windshields.

My fingers clutched the edge of the fabric seat. This was really bad. No exaggeration this time. I promised myself that if I survived this, I would never take another piece of Dad's obnoxious science lectures for granted ever again. The taxi driver grunted like he noticed my discomfort. "Hey, you okay? If you're carsick, roll down the window. Happens all the time."

"Uh, it's alright, I'm not carsick." It was a lie. I felt like I was going to barf from fear.

The monster was still following us, its footsteps shaking the ground with every heave and ho. The car rumbled along, bumping once in a while in time with the dragon's steps. "Road's really bumpy for some reason," commented the driver.

I looked out the window in front and could see a faint line of strawberry fields up ahead. There it was! Half-Blood Hill. Just like Lars and the taxi driver had said, it looked relatively empty. It was a perfect place to get away from innocent people so I could fight.

…To my death.

"You can drop me off here," I said urgently. The driver gave me a look. "Now see here miss, I pride myself as a cabbie, and—"

I didn't get to hear the rest of his speech as the dragon decided to take a swipe at the car. We were sent careening off the road as the cars behind us screeched and honked at the monster. How could they not see a dragon right in front of them?

I pulled out some cash, and stuffed it in the driver's hand. "Thanks so much. Drive back safely, okay?" He looked at me, stunned. Then I opened the door and ran for dear life, hoping to distract the dragon.

"I am drakon," it hissed, holding up a claw. "You cannot escape me." Roaring and batting away cars like pieces of tissue paper, it lunged toward me, teeth bared. I dodged it through some sort of miracle, and then kept sprinting toward the strawberry fields that were getting closer by the second.

Just a little bit further, I thought. Just a bit…

The drakon didn't think so though, and unleashed a plume of fire. The heat almost singed my hair, but I ran even harder. I really wished I had participated in gym more.

Suddenly, I felt its shadow tower over me, and the road was instantly covered in darkness. It had caught up in an instant. "Good bye little one," it snarled. "You shall make a delicious snack for me. Be honored!"

Then it let out a strangled gasp, and fell with a thump. I realized that it had been run over by the taxi cab I had been in moments before, surely scratching the yellow paint off the car and denting the hood in several places. The driver was scowling. "No one goes after my customers like that, not even a rabid moose!"

Okay, the monster was the farthest thing from a moose, but I was not about to argue after he had saved my life.

"You okay there missie?" he called, giving me a grin.

I decided to cut to the chase before the monster gained consciousness. "Listen, thanks for your help, but you're in danger here," I said. "Hope you drive safe. I'll be fine."

"Hey, I'm not the type to leave a little girl like you stranded here," he grunted, motioning me to get back in the car. "The hospitals not too far from here, don't worry, free of charge."

I was instantly grateful to the world for creating good people like the driver. I gave him another smile. "No thanks, you better get on your way."

He raised an eyebrow. "You're not kidding?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Catch you later."

He sighed reluctantly, turning on the ignition. "If you insist. See you later then girly, better get that moose dispatched."

A commotion was starting with the dragon at the center. Cars were creating a traffic block, but I couldn't afford to waste time. I picked up the pace again, heading toward Half-Blood Hill, my eyes trained on the prize.

I just managed to set foot on the acres of strawberry when the drakon's voice snarled from behind me. "And where do you think you're going?"

It had gotten up faster than expected.

Let me tell you, drakons have the worst breath ever. Like a mix of old laundry, stables, pickle juice, and a hint of eucalyptus leaves. It could make anyone barf.

But now was not the time to upchuck pretzels on the ground.

I inwardly prayed to any deity out there to make the plants do some crazy stuff and attack the dragon, but nothing happened.

I was on my own.

The drakon hissed, its yellow eyes focusing on me.

I was fearful for my life. If I died alone out here, my dad would be devasted. I had to avoid being hit by the razor sharp claws. Or by the millions of teeth. Or by the spikes on its back.

Easier said than done. But as if I could sense it before it happened, I leapt to the side as soon as it attacked. It stabbed the area were I was a moment before.

"Stop running!" it roared, attacking again. This time, I couldn't get up to dodge, and its body hit me full force. I heard my left arm make a sickeningly crunch, and pain was imminent.

My eyes were brimming with tears, from pain or from fear I couldn't tell. My head hurt as if it was being pounded by anvils.

But I had to get up. If I didn't, there was really no hope for me.

To make matters worse, the sky darkened and it began to rain. I was instantly drenched, the cold seeping through my clothes and shaking me from my painful stupor. "And so ends the little heroine," laughed the drakon in a voice older than time itself. Its golden eyes mocked me as its tongue flickered out, then back in. "All alone, with no one to hear her cry."

Despite my injuries, I stood up, fighting my aching head and my left arm which couldn't move anymore.

"I admire your bravery, little one. But this will be your last stand!" With a deafening roar, the monster unleashed a stream of fire, burning hotter than the stoves themselves.

With a quick spurt of energy, I dug my heels into the ground. The world seemed to slow for a moment, and the flames came closer. My knees bent, I sprung away at the last possible moment, avoiding the hit by mere inches.

I landed on the ground, my knees hitting the earth and fingers smushed in red strawberry juice. It was an odd feeling, but the sensation returned. The moment of instant clarity seemed to give me power. The drakon, realizing I was not yet dead, screeched in anger. I reached out my right hand, almost as if I was drawing strength from the very ground. Roots, millions of them, sprouted out from the ground, and began weaving in between the scales, turning the drakon into a mummified plant. It tried to break free, hissing and spouting fire, but the root were stronger.

But they had not yet covered its entire body. So with sudden accuracy, the it lashed out a dangerously spiked tail. I barely managed to dodge, and it tore through my good arm.

I yelped in pain. It felt like fire was shooting up into my shoulders. Nevertheless, the strawberry plants kept attaching on, completely smothering the drakon with roots, leaves, and budding fruit. Finally, it stopped squirming, and there was a poof.

Nothing was left but some dust that was quickly born away by the wind.

The scene it had left behind was chaotic. The strawberry plants had been destroyed by the fire it had unleashed, leaving spots of charred leaves and berries. Drivers were panicking, yelling and honking furiously as if it would solve the problem. Cars were jammed on the roadside, and the faint sound of police sirens was approaching.

Groaning, I pulled myself off the ground, dragging myself uphill. My body weighed as much as lead, and I desperately tried to ignore the burning sensation in my arm. The police car sirens grew louder, only adding to my pain.

The hill was really long. The strawberries smelled so nice, but they weren't aiding me anymore. I was completely spent, and my head was pounding. The rain continued to beat down in sheets. My body, cold, wet, and injured, trudged to the light at the top of the hill.

I didn't know how much longer I was going to last.

Just then, I saw a gleaming shroud of sheepskin hanging from a tree before I collapsed, breathing in the scent of dirt.

The ground felt so nice.

I closed my eyes, relishing the darkness, and feeling myself drifting off to sleep. I heard the soft motion of footsteps on land, and felt them stop before me.

"Well, well," drawled a pompous voice from above. "What do we have here? Did you really have to destroy my strawberry plants?"

It was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.

Next chapter will involve a mystery...

R&R, constructive criticism is appreciated. :)