Tyson fixed the car, and we were back on the road after a very tearful goodbye. Only Tyson cried…but he has some really big tears.
We were driving through Missouri. The air conditioning had failed an hour ago, so we had the windows rolled down, and I had my head sticking out the window like a dog, trying to catch a cool breeze. It wasn't exactly warm outside…it was just so humid that without the air conditioner it was like sitting in a hot tub fully clothed.
We stopped at a gas station to get gas, drinks and maybe one of those mini fans.
Annabeth came up to Percy as he was loading drinks into his arms. "Look at this."
"The Gateway Arch?" I asked, looking at the brochure she was holding.
"Oh, ha, ha." Percy said tonelessly.
"Can we go there?" Aristos asked.
"No!" Percy and Annabeth said at the same time, making us both jump.
"There's a particularly nasty monster there." Percy said darkly. "Now, come on, we still have to find Jamie King."
"Hopefully he's nicer than big-head here." I said just loudly enough for Aristos to hear me.
"Hey!" Aristos complained, chucking a pack of gum at the back of my head.
I threw it back at him and he ducked. It soared across the store and hit a very big biker guy in the ear. He stiffened and turned. "Who threw that?" he asked in a threatening voice.
"Ares." Percy grumbled.
Okay, I knew that wasn't good. Ares was the war god, and I had just hit him in the ear with berry Stride.
"Ah, if it isn't the little hero of Olympus." Ares said with a crooked, evil smile. "And, by what I've heard, the hero's little girlfriend and the mini messengers."
"What are you doing here?" Percy asked. I could practically see his temper boiling up past his ears.
"Ah. Just came to check up on my favorite little hero." Ares said sarcastically.
Percy looked like he wanted to punch him, which I didn't think was advisable. Ares looked pretty mean, especially when he took off his glasses, and instead of eyeballs there was angry, hateful fire in his sockets. Aristos fainted.
"He's a tough one." Ares said, nodding at Aristos as I tugged the skinny idiot to his feet.
"What are you doing here?" Percy repeated.
"None of your business, Achilles boy. But if you must know, I have some…personal business here in Missouri." He grinned. "However, you can do me another favor."
Percy looked like he was about to refuse, but Annabeth elbowed him in the rib cage. "Yes, sir." Percy said reluctantly.
"Good boy. I need you to take one of my kids to Camp Half-Blood…like you're doing for Hermes. I tried to request a Satyr but they're all booked. Luckily I've got Achilles boy, here, to help me." Ares said, skimming through the magazines.
Annabeth pulled out her notebook.
"His name is Seth. He lives here, in Missouri…just a mile up the road. He's already fourteen, and beginning to run into some big trouble. I was too busy to claim him while the war was going on." Ares said with a shrug.
Ares told us his address.
"Keep my boy safe, Achilles boy. Not that he'll need much help." Ares flashed us a wicked smile and left.
"I really don't like him." Percy growled. "Achilles boy. I have a name."
"You sure do, Achilles boy." Annabeth grinned.
"What does that mean? What war? What was he talking about?" Aristos demanded.
Percy ignored him and paid for the drinks before we loaded back into the hot car and began to drive to Seth Macarthur's house.
Aristos cracked open a Coke and slurped it down in one go.
"Oh, that's healthy." I commented. Aristos shrugged and capped the bottle.
I stuck my head back out of the window and watched the trees whip past. I caught a glimpse of a wide, open grassy area occupied by a…
A giant cat?
I tapped Annabeth on the shoulder. "Did something escape from the zoo?"
"Oh gods it's a Nemean Lion!"
"I thought I killed him." Percy said in shock.
"Well obviously he came back! What are we going to do?"
"Do we have to do anything?" Aristos asked, his voice shaking. "That's a really big cat."
The Nemean Lion turned its head to us and roared. It shook the car and Aristos screamed and jumped out of the slowed car.
"Come back, big-head!" I yelled as Aristos jumped behind a bush.
Percy stopped and got out of the car with his sword in his hand as the lion approached us, snarling.
"How'd you get rid of him last time?" Annabeth asked him.
"Zoë, Bianca, Thalia and Grover distracted him and I threw space food down its throat."
"That's helpful." Annabeth asked sarcastically.
Percy didn't reply.
"ROOOOAAAR."
I realized then that I was still in my seat in the car.
"Macy, hide!" Annabeth said.
"No, I want to help." I heard myself say. Huh, an odd thing for someone whose insides are screaming 'Run! Run!' to say.
The lion jumped toward us and landed with a force that shook the ground.
"It has to have a weak spot." Annabeth said. "Macy and I will distract the lion while you try to find it."
Annabeth didn't wait for Percy's okay…she ran toward the lion. Oh, no. I wasn't running toward the thing. It was huge.
Annabeth was slashing at the lion, stabbing it in the toe (the blade bounced off), then running around in the back of him to get him to turn around.
Percy ran toward the back of the lion and climbed up its leg. What, was he crazy?
I couldn't get myself to move. I am not a fan of cats.
I could see the three people down there fighting the lion, but it was like my brain couldn't process it.
Wait…three people?
I looked closer to see a huge, buff boy with spiked black hair and a massive sword. He was effortlessly fighting the lion as Percy scrambled up its head and poked it in the eye.
"ROOOOOOOOAAAAARR!" The sound was so horrible that I fell back into the grass. The lion began flailing around. The big guy and Annabeth were trying to stay out of its way as Percy clung to its mane for dear life.
The lion's tail swung through the air and hit Annabeth, flinging her off across the grass. Percy didn't seem to have noticed, and the big guy was now picking up heavy rocks and chucking it at it.
I ran to Annabeth, who was laying spread out on the ground. She looked like she was unconscious. I fell to my knees and checked her pulse. At least she was still alive.
I pulled her out of the way, over to a sandy play area with slides. Suddenly I had an idea. Percy had said he had thrown things into the lion's mouth to kill it last time. I began to slice chunks of plastic off the slide in chunks. The sword cut through the plastic easily. I gathered it all in my arms and ran up to the big guy, who was still chucking rocks. There was no way I could throw this stuff by myself, but he could.
"Throw these into its mouth." I told him, handing him a piece of plastic. He looked at me like I was insane, but took the chunk and hurled it at the beasts open mouth. He threw more and more until the lion began to gag and its eyes opened wide.
In a puff of smoke it disappeared. Percy fell through thin air and landed on the beast's remaining pelt.
The big guy and I ran up to him and helped him up.
"Good job, Macy." Percy said with a grin, looking at her. "And who are you?" he asked the big guy.
"Seth Macarthur."
"Good, just the guy we wanted to see."
It all seemed calm and peaceful until suddenly I remembered something pretty important. "Percy…Annabeth…she…" I pointed toward the mangled slides.
Percy's face went pale.
….
Okay, I know I've cried cliff hanger before, but if this isn't a cliffie, I don't know what is.
No, seriously. If this isn't a cliffie I really don't know what is.
:3 kiaralilly