Chapter 6(I Ruin A Perfectly Good Bus)

It didn't take me long to pack, grabbed all the essentials from my cabin. I grabbed my Yankees cap, a book on famous classical architecture, and my bronze knife. After packing I headed back to the Big House to wait for Grover and Percy. Chiron gave Percy and I a canteen of nectar each and a Ziploc full of ambrosia squares, only to be used in emergencies, if we were seriously hurt. It was god food Chiron reminded us. It would cure us of almost any injury, but it was lethal to mortals. Too much of it would make a half-blood very, very feverish. An overdose would burn us up, literally.

We waved good-bye to the other campers, took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, then hiked up Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus.

Chiron was waiting for us in his wheelchair, and standing next to him was Argus.

"This is Argus," he told Percy, "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things."

I heard footsteps behind us. Luke came running up the hill with a pair of basketball shoes in his hands, and my breath caught. I was so excited over finally getting a quest, I'd forgotten to say goodbye to Luke. I blushed.

"Hey!" he panted. "Glad I caught you. Just wanted to say good luck. And I thought ... um, maybe you could use these."

Luke handed Percy the sneakers he was carrying, which looked normal to me, but I knew they had to be magic.

"Maia!" Luke said.

White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels, startling Percy so much that he dropped them. The shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared.

"Awesome!" Grover said.

Luke smiled, my face felt hot again. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days..." My heart dropped when Luke's expression turned sad and wistful.

Percy was at a lost of words. "Hey, man. Thanks."

"Listen, Percy..." Luke looked uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just just... kill some monsters for me, okay?"

They shook hands, Luke patted Grover on the head, and he locked me in a good-bye hug. I felt like I was about to pass out from the show of emotion from Luke.

After Luke was gone, Percy said. "You're hyperventilating."

I bristled. "Am not."

"You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?"

Now he'd done it, just when we were starting to get along Percy had to go say something to ruin it. "Oh... why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?"

I stomped down the other side of the hill to the SUV that waited for us. Argus followed me, jingling his car keys. I sat down in the car and waiting. Thinking about how annoying Percy was, and how sincere and nice Luke was.

Argus drove us out of the countryside and into western Long Island. It felt kind of weird to be in the SUV, on the highway with Percy and Grover. The real world always seemed like a fantasy to me, ever since I made Camp Half-Blood my home. I had only left for brief periods of time, and never on a quest. I was starting to get a little nervous.

"So far so good," Percy said. "Ten miles and not a single monster."

I shot him an irritated look, he wasn't helping my nerves. "It's bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain."

"Remind me again- why do you hate me so much?"

I had a lot of feelings about Percy, some I wasn't even sure about yet, but I know I didn't hate him. I replied, lamely,"I don't hate you."

"Could've fooled me."

I fiddled with my Yankees cap before answering, I guess it was time for another lesson in Greek history. "Look... we're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals."

"Why?"

I sighed. "How many reasons do you want? One time my mom caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena's temp, which is hugely disrespectful. ANother time, Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron god for the city of Athens. Your dad created some stupid saltwater spring for his gift. My mom created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her."

"They must have really liked olives."

"Oh, forget it." I huffed. Maybe I did hate Percy.

"Now if she'd invented pizza- that I could understand."

"I said forget it!" I kept my eyes outside on the passing scenery, ignoring Percy.

Traffic slowed us down in Queens. By the time we got into Manhattan it was sunset and starting to rain. Argus dropped us off at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side. Argus unloaded our bags, made sure we got our bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch us as he pulled out of the parking lot.

I could tell Percy was thinking about something, and I gave him and Grover a bit of room. I heard them talking to each other, I overheard snippets of their conversation "Gabe...smelly... your mom...protect you.. loved you." I tuned out their conversation and closed my eyes.

The rain kept coming down. We got restless waiting for the bus and decided to play some Hacky Sack with one of Grover's apples. I was great at Hacky Sack, I could bounce the apple off my knee, elbow, shoulder, pretty much where ever. Percy wasn't too bad either.

The game abruptly ended when Percy tossed the apple toward Grover and it got too close to his mouth. In one big bite, our Hacky Sack disappeared- core, stem, and all.

Grover blushed. He tried apologizing, but Percy and I were too busy cracking up.

Finally, the bus came. As we stood in line to board. Grover started looking around, sniffing the air he smelled his something off. I was starting to get worried. Satyrs could smell monsters like monsters could smell half-bloods.

"What is it?" Percy said.

"I don't know," he said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing."

Percy looked at me, and we both knew it wasn't nothing.

I was relieved when we finally got on board and found seats together in the back of the bus. We stowed our backpacks. But, for some reason I felt like I should keep my Yankees cap with me. I kept slapping it nervously against my thigh. I caught sight of the last passengers getting on board, the first was an old lady in a crumpled dress. She was followed by two more old ladies dressed in the same crumpled fashion with handbags.

"Percy." I clamped my hand on Percy's knee.

They sat in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, making an X. It was causal enough, but it sent a clear message: nobody leaves.

The bus pulled out of the station, and we were headed through the slick streets of Manhattan. Percy finally spoke up, "She didn't stay dead for very long." I could tell he was trying to keep his voice steady. "I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime."

"I said if you're lucky. You're obviously not."

"All three of them," Grover whimpered. "Di immortales!"

"It's okay." I said, thinking of the best way to handle the situation and keep a level head. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows."

"They don't open," Grover moaned.

"A back exit?" I suggested.

There wasn't one. Even if there had been, it wouldn't have helped us. By that time, we were already on Ninth Avenue, heading for the Lincolnn Tunnel. We were stuck.

"They won't attack us with witnesses around," Percy said. "Will they?"

"Mortals don't have good eyes," I reminded him. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist."

"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?"

I had to think about that for a second. It was hard to predict what the mortals would see through the Mist. "Hard to say. But we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit on the roof...?" I trailed off as we hit the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus was plunged into darkness except for the running lights down the aisle. It was eerily quiet without the sound of the rain on the roof.

The Fury that Percy called Mrs. Dodds got up. In a flat voice, as if she'd rehearsed it, she announced to the whole bus: "I need to use the rest room."

"So do I," said the second sister.

"So do I." said the third sister.

They all started coming down the aisle.

Finally, like a flash of lightning going off, I had an idea. "I've got it," I said. "Percy, take my hat."

"What?"

"You're the one they want. Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away."

"But you guys-"

"There's an outside chance they might not notice us." I told him, trying to convince myself too. "You're a son of one of the Big Three. Your smell might be overpowering."

"I can't just leave you." he said.

"Don't worry about us," Grover told him. "Go!"

Percy's hands trembled as he took my hat, a pained look crossed his face, like he really didn't want to leave Grover and me behind. He put the hat on and vanished.

I had to hope that Percy could sneak past them without them realizing he was no longer on the bus. Everything was going fine until the Kindly Ones got to us, and of course that was when all Hades broke loose.

The old ladies were not old ladies anymore. Their faces were still the same, but their bodies had shriveled into leathry brown hag bodies with bat's wings and hads and feet like gargoyle claws. Their handbags had turned into fiery whips. They surrounded me and Grover, lashingout with their fire whips, hissing: "Where is it? Where?"

The other people on the bus were screaming, cowering in their seats. They saw something, all right. But I knew better than to think they were going to be any help.

"He's not here!" I yelled. "He's gone!"

The Furies raised their whips. I drew my bronze knife. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Grover grab a tin can from his snack bag and prepared to throw it.

All of the sudden as soon as I thought it was over, the bus jerked to the left. Everybody howled as they were thrown to the hight, even the Furies weren't spared and they slammed against the window.

"Hey!" I heard the driver yelled. "Hey-woah!"

It took me a minute to realize what was going on. Percy must have made it to the front of the bus, and instead of saving himself he stayed to help. I was mad and extremely relieved at the same time.

The bus was slammed against the side of the tunnel, grinding metal, throwing sparks a mile behind us. We careened out of the LInchln Tunnel and back into the rainstorm, people and monsters tossed around the bus, cars plowed aside like bowling pins.

It felt like Percy was losing his battle with the driver when we pulled off an exit. We shot off the highway, through half a dozen traffic lights, and ended up barreling down one of those New Jersey rural roads were you can't believe there's so much nothing right across the river from New York. There were woods to our left, the Hudson River to our right, and the bus seemed to be veering toward the river.

There was a slam, and the bus wailed and spun in a full circle on the wet asphalt, crashing into the trees. The emergency lights came on. The door to the bus few open, the bus driver was the first one out, passengers yelling as they stampeded after him.

The Furies regained their balance now that the bus was stopped and I braced myself. They lashed their whips while I waved my knife and yelled at them in Greek to back off, Grover was trying to help me by throwing tin cans.

"Hey!" I heard a shout from the front of the bus, and the Furies turned toward the person who yelled. It was Percy.

Mrs. Dodds forgot all about Grover and me and stalked up the aisle. Every time she flicked her whip, red flames danced along the barbed leather.

Her sisters hopped onto the top of the seats on either side of her and crawled toward Percy like huge nasty lizards.

"Perseus Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said. "You have offended the gods. You shall die."

"I like you better as a math teacher," Percy told her.

She growled. Grover and I took that as our window of opportunity, we moved up behind the Furies while their attention was on Percy, looking for an opening.

I saw Percy take a ballpoint pen out of his pocket and uncap it. The pen suddenly grew into a longer doubled-edged blade. It had a leather-wrapped grip and a flat hilt that looked like it was riveted with gold studs.

The Furies hesitated.

"Submit now," said Mrs. Dodds. "And you will not suffer eternal torment."

"Nice try," Percy told her. But he didn't see what was happening. Mrs. Dodds was getting ready to lash out with her whip and her sisters were going to strike.

"Percy, look out!" I cried. I was too late. Mrs. Dodds lashed her whip around Percy's sword hand while the Furies on either side of her lunged. Somehow Percy managed not to drop his sword. He struck the Fury on his left with its hilt, sending her toppling backward into a seat. He turned, slicing into the Fury on the right. As soon as the blade touched her neck, she screamed and exploded into dust.

During all the commotion I managed to get Mrs. Dodds in a wrestler's hold, yanking her backward while Grover ripped the whip out of her hands.

"Ow!" he helled. "Ow! Hot! Hot!"

While Grover and I were struggling with Mrs. Dodds, I caught sight of Percy slicing into the second Fury, trying her to dust. Mrs. Dodds was clawing and hissing, but I did my best to hold on. If Percy could take on two Furies by himself, I could hold on to this one just a little bit longer, while Grover was trying to get her tied down.

Finally, Grover managed to tie her legs with her own whip. Together, we shoved her backward.

"Zeus will destroy you!" she promised. "Hades will have your soul!"

Percy yelled back defiantly, "Braccas meas vescimini!"

Thunder shook the bus. The hair rose on the back of my neck, realizing that we were about to be stuck I yelled. "Get out! Now!

Together we rushed outside and found the other passengers wandering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around in circles yelled in, "We're going to die!" A Hawaiian-shirted tourist with a camera snapped a picture of Percy before we could move out of the way.

"Our bags!" Grover realized. "We left our-"

BOOOOOOM!

The windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof, but an angry wait from inside told me that Mrs. Dodds was not yet dead.

"Run!" I said. "She's calling for reinforcements! We have to get out of here!"

We plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind us, and nothing but darkness ahead.

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Thank you all so much for reading! I really appreciate it. And a special thank you to those of you who reviewed, you know who you are! :3

-xox Kirstie