Disclaimer: I don't own PJO.
7. Soundtrack of yet Another Teen Movie
The metal detectors didn't make a peep when he passed them. People were running around in a confused panic, directionless. The security guards who usually checked guests at the entrance were busy looking around, shouting nonsensical, contradictory orders to each other with in voices. It was a scene straight from a disaster movie, Percy would say.
The air carried a jumbled cadence of shrieks from some ungodly instrument. When the noise hit his ears, it nearly bowled him over. In the span of a second, he'd forgotten what he came to do, discovered the meaning of life, and invented the perfect recipe for sardine and sour cream risotto. Then, the next second brought clarity back to his mind.
Sardine and sour cream risotto? Sounds like heresy. I bet Bianca would strangle me for even suggesting it.
Percy blinked at the odd derailment of his focus. His eyes stopped around the room, sharp, so as to cut through the next bout of mish-mashed thoughts.
To his left were a pair of upright rockets, one maybe twenty feet tall and the other almost double that height. Strung up from the ceiling were small crafts of all kinds: an old biplane, a couple of World War II-era fighters, and several sleeker prototype designs of jets. Closer to his right was a lunar landing module, fixed so that a plaster astronaut was climbing up its stairs.
Unlike the National Museum of Natural History, these floors were covered by gray carpet, and the walls looked to be metallic. The immediate entrance area was larger than the other museum's rotunda, regarding width and length. This building, however, only had two floors.
Another deep roar shook Percy's organs. He looked at the upper-level and saw Bianca leaping from the railing onto the biplane's wing. She landed gracefully. Even from a distance, Percy swore he saw a faint silvery glow coming from her body, bathing her in mystic moonlight. He noted the determination on her face, the way her movements seemed to come naturally as she crossed the biplane, and the few strands of her braided hair falling on her forehead.
Admire her as he might, something else caught his eye. It jumped onto the plane as well, bringing the whole craft to shake and teeter from side to side.
I love you, Mufasa, but you can't be doing that, c'mon, Percy took a nervous step away as he heard groaning emanate from the strings. He licked his lips at seeing the massive lion. It was the size of a pickup truck and had fur that shined under the artificial lights.
A few arrows hit the lion's side. Percy watched with fascination as they bounced off, falling to the ground without so much as making the monster flinch. Zoë was on the second floor, leaning over the railing with her bow. A few more arrows were sent flying, all amounting to getting the lion's attention for a split second.
Bianca made the most of the distraction. She turned and ran, jumping from the biplane onto a nearby fighter. The lion snarled and gave chase, but Bianca was already off the plane and soaring toward a suspended satellite.
The speed at which she was moving, combined with her weight, caused some thinner cables on the satellite to snap. Her fingers held fast as the display swung like a pendulum. It hit the wall hard enough to shake Bianca loose. She fell onto the lunar module, no doubt cracking a few of her ribs in the process when she bounced off the angled side—her landing on the ground level probably broke a few more bones.
Percy ran to her. Somehow, she was getting to her feet. He saw her parka had caught and torn on some protruding part of the module.
"Bianca!"
"Percy, move!"
He felt a chill of dread sink into his spine and turned. The lion was flying toward him, gleaming silver teeth complimenting its flowing mane. Both of its paws were outstretched, the sharp claws on each digit fully extended to latch onto Percy's skin. He barely had time to shield his face with both arms when something knocked him to the ground.
Ribs pounding with solid pain, he gasped as a weight settled atop his body. His eyes cracked open to find Bianca looking down at him.
"T-thanks," Percy mumbled. He felt blood in his throat again and swallowed thickly.
"Sure… no problem." Bianca rolled off of him and splayed herself on the carpet, wheezing. "I'm just gonna take a nap. Wake me up when you win, okay?"
Percy shot to his feet. He looked at the lion's lowered form. It had flown above Bianca and him, but now it prepared for another attack, sticking close to the ground. He'd seen enough safari videos to know what was coming next.
It bounded at him, the muscles in its legs visibly contracting and expanding under skin and fur. The lion opened its mouth wide to take a chunk of Percy's face. They were only a foot apart when Percy released the splint from his arm. Every branch shot out and, with newly sharpened tips, stabbed the lion wherever they could reach.
But as pressure was applied, all of them snapped. None broke through the fur. His attack had only pushed the beast away from him by a scant margin. Percy hadn't been sure before, but now he was sure this was the Nemean Lion.
The branches retracted and wrapped around each other in his hand. They made a club at his command, strong and sturdy enough to hopefully keep the monster at bay while Percy thought of a plan.
The mouth. He slapped the Nemean Lion's probing paws away with his club. The two circled each other. Its mouth and eyes can't be invulnerable either, right? Or the inside of its ears. Or its nose. Okay, we've got options.
Thinking hard, he barely caught sight of Zoë pulling Bianca away. He saw Thalia and Grover coming down the escalator.
"Wait until it opens its mouth!" Percy called to them, stopping to cough. The taste of iron lingered on his tongue. He looked at Zoë, who nodded, her mouth and eyes set with grim fatigue. "I'm counting on you."
The lassitude he'd seen reminded him of how tired he felt. He hadn't used his power this much for a long, long time. The last must have been when he created Ranavalona, but that wasn't the same as this. All those years ago, before she came into being, he was much stronger. Now, he relied on her for more.
And here I told that little fire-girl I was trying to put more effort into things.
Percy reworked the physiology of his club. Since the branches were disconnected from the ground and any outside source of nature, this would be the last he could do before they died. Small butterwort plants grew from the club, immediately beginning their secretions.
The monster, most likely unaware of how dangerous enough modified mucilage could be, tried to get closer again. Swinging the club around, Percy felt claws rake against his thigh at the same time he struck the Nemean Lion's nose.
Both recoiled at the simultaneous impact, stumbling away from the other. Fire tore at Percy's left side as if a hundred heated coals had been placed on his skin.
The Nemean Lion waddled back while pawing at its nose. The monster shook its head vigorously, swiping at both of its nostrils, continuing to back away from Percy and Thalia, who had stepped forward with her shield at the ready.
"What did you do to it?" Thalia asked, not sparing Percy a glance.
"Imagine someone rubbing a handful of Krazy Glue over and in your nose," said Percy, losing the battle to hold himself upright. His chest felt tight, his head light. He used the club as a cane, catching the weight of his left side when that leg started to collapse. "Now it has no choice but to breathe through its mouth… I hope."
"Reassuring."
"If it didn't work I'm gonna go sit this one out. I've had a hell of a day."
"Where's your daughter?"
"Germinating." He felt like each breath gave him just barely enough air to keep conscious.
"She's German?"
Percy laughed through his nose. "Imagine if she were built like a Mercedes. You know the… the Germans always make good stuff."
"Do they really?"
"That's what… people tend to say. I dunno. One of my teachers… said it… was all the manufacturing companies' propaganda. But he's a conspiracy theorist anyway."
"Are you okay? You're chopping your sentences."
"If I pass out, could you make sure I don't get eaten?"
As they spoke back and forth, the Nemean Lion finally took a breath from its mouth. It roared but was silenced when two arrows hit their mark inside its mouth. The monster gagged, shuddered, then toppled over, landing with a meaty thud on the ground.
Around the museum, people still ran in circles. The guards were dancing by the metal detectors, most of them doing The Worm while a few went with the classic Robot.
Zoë and Bianca approached, their bows out, scanning the museum for more threats. Grover was playing away on his pipes, looking the worse for wear without a scratch on him.
"Just like Hercules," Thalia muttered.
Percy glanced at the Nemean Lion's carcass. All that remained was a mass of stretched, glittering fur. It even had the mane attached, though stopped short of having paws.
"Reminds me of the Golden Fleece," said Percy. He'd fought monsters in the forest for training before—hellhounds mostly, though he was once attacked by a stray spirit of manslaughter after venturing too far—but hadn't seen something left behind after they died.
"You should take it." Thalia put her equipment away, staring at the fur with a distant expression. "The spoils of war should go to the victor of any battle."
"Indeed." Zoë came up behind them. She looked at Percy with the corner of her eye. Even though the crown of her head only came to his hairline, he thought she was staring down at him. "Thou did well. Take it, and let us be off before mortal law enforcement arrives."
Percy leaned down to grab the pelt and almost fell face-first into the carpet. Zoë pulled him back to stand.
"By the gods!" She was staring at his bloodied leg. "Speak when thou are injured, boy!"
"Holy crap, Percy," Bianca covered her mouth.
"Oh! Right, I almost forgot to ask. You wouldn't happen to have any ambrosia or nectar, would you? The General gave me a good walloping."
«White Cut»
Percy rested his head, taking another sip of nectar from the thermos Grover had given him. The flavor was different from ambrosia, as instead of carne asada and ginger ale, nectar tasted distinctly of cioppino. And of course, it wasn't just run-of-the-mill cioppino. This was some of the best he'd ever had.
"How are you feeling?" Thalia asked, taking the nectar from him.
"Warm."
"Normal side-effect. If you start feeling a bit hot under the collar, you know it's time to stop. Too much nectar or ambrosia and you'll literally burn up."
Percy hummed. The van turned and pulled onto I-66 heading west, shifting him in his seat. They crossed the Potomac via the Theodore Roosevelt bridge. Clouds like thick blankets covered the sky, so even less sunlight made its way through, obscuring D.C. in a dreary gray atmosphere.
"Thou mentioned the General." Zoë's knuckles were white as she clutched the wheel. Her shoulders had tensed, and she stared straight ahead at the road when addressing him.
"Yeah. Met him in the Museum of Natural History," Percy replied after a short breath.
Bianca raised her eyebrows and, after shooting her lieutenant a furtive glance, asked, "Who is he?"
"Atlas."
"The Titan?!" Grover pulled his curly hair, revealing a pair of horns, and gave Percy an alarmed bleat.
Thalia sank further into herself. "No way."
Bianca let out a long whistle. "The one who held up the sky?"
Percy nodded, his face solemn. "That one."
"What…" Zoë paused in her words, momentarily lost for what she would ask. Her tone was thick with emotion too difficult for Percy to discern. "What did he look like?"
"Tall. Muscular. Slicked back black hair and these cold, black eyes. He's like a statue that started walking, talking, and punching things. He kinda reminds me of… " Percy rubbed his arm, which had stopped its minor ache, and stared at the back of Zoë's seat. "He reminds me of someone I know."
"What happened?" Grover asked. "I mean, you fought him, or…?"
"He beat me to a pulp, dude. Like, no joke, I didn't stand a chance against him," said Percy. "He's one tough guy."
And that was the truth, without exaggeration. He doubted it would have mattered if they'd been out in the open, with dirt beneath their feet. Atlas probably still would have crushed him. Percy, in fact, was almost sure that Atlas wasn't even trying. The first strike, maybe, but after that? No.
Percy could tell that Grover and Thalia wanted more details—Bianca too, if her body language was anything to go by. The van suddenly felt small with their expectancy. Doing his best to ignore the discomfort, Percy recounted how he'd pursued Thorn into the National Museum of Natural History and his subsequent meeting with the General.
"A Titan…" Grover started chewing on his shirt. "Is he the one who chained Artemis?"
"Can we win against someone like that?" Thalia asked. "Chiron told me Atlas was the Titan Lord's right-hand-man. Even though he is a second-generation Titan, most of the gods see him as one of the strongest."
"Ain't that the truth," Percy said, rubbing his temples. "I can't fight him. Not head-to-head. I can't match that raw, physical strength."
They sat in silence after that. Percy checked his wounds. The gashes on his hip were scabbing over, two great lines of reddish-brown tissue streaking the affected area, like huge strips of beef jerky. His arm didn't hurt, but he couldn't quite clench his fist yet, which told him it wasn't fully healed.
He looked at the Nemean Lion's pelt, which rested on his lap. It had changed into the form of a golden-brown overcoat that really clashed with Percy's faded gray jeans, his cream-colored Ralph Lauren sneakers, and the standard orange camp T-shirt. Overcoats were just so hard to match with casual clothing.
Suddenly, Grover leaned closer to his window and said, "Is it just me, or is that helicopter gunship heading right for us?"
"Can't even get five minutes to critique my own wardrobe!" Percy sighed, staring at the gunship as it pitched toward them. "Oh, it definitely sees us. Those guys must be hawks or something."
"Or they just have binoculars and know what kind of car we're driving," Thalia suggested. "Either way, we've gotta ditch the van."
Zoë yanked on the wheel and cut through traffic, exiting on the next off-ramp, merging onto Arlington Boulevard. Percy saw the monument dedicated to World War II marines. As they continued off Arlington, Bianca snapped her fingers and pointed at a tall building of brownstone labeled ROSSLYN CENTER.
"There, go there!" she said, taking a nervous gulp when she saw the helicopter.
"But we can't park—"
"Trust me on this," Bianca unbuckled her seatbelt.
Zoë pulled up to the curb and shut the engine off. Percy threw the overcoat on and followed Thalia out. Bianca led them around back of the Rosslyn Center.
The nearby office buildings rose tall enough so the helicopter was out of sight. A sprinkle of snow fell on the city. Percy was pretty sure they weren't in D.C. anymore, but rather in Virginia.
They cut through an old parking lot, beelining for a set of descending stairs with glass railing around them.
"Subway," Grover said. "Good thinking. They can't follow us underground."
Percy pulled his wallet out. "Why do all roads lead underground? You're tearing me apart, Bianca."
"How do these guys have a gunship in the first place?" Thalia asked while they went down into the station.
"PMC?"
"Isn't that some kind of foot-fungus?" Bianca asked.
Percy chuckled. "Private military contractor. Close enough."
"I got it totally wrong!"
"No, no, you were on the right track. You put your best foot forward, at least!"
"Are you making fun of me?"
"I guess I should just put my foot in my mouth at this point."
Thalia and Grover covered their snickering with fake coughs. Zoë fought back a smile that came close to breaking her stoic expression, but her eyes twinkled with amusement.
Bianca gave Percy a light shove with her shoulder, smirking when he stumbled down the steps. "At least you're willing to pay for train tickets, Mr. Oil Tycoon."
"I'm just a walking, talking ATM for you guys, aren't I?"
Thalia nodded thoughtfully, hand on her chin. "That's a very apt description, yeah."
Percy sobbed.
«White Cut»
Somehow, the helicopter had found them during their initial ride. When the train stopped at another next station, they'd all piled out and gotten onto a different line, heading anywhere but toward the enemy. They didn't care about direction. All that mattered was getting away.
Percy, in particular, wasn't eager to meet with Atlas again so soon. He didn't know if the General was onboard the gunship, but that wouldn't stop him from worrying. In a world where Greek mythology was real, anything seemed possible.
And so here we are… sharing a trashcan fire with poor ol' Toothless Joe.
Bianca shivered next to him, her parka having been ruined in their fight with the Nemean Lion. She'd regretfully left it behind in a trash bin. Now she was half-freezing in some random industrial rail yard full of dilapidated trains and scrap metal.
"I'm s-so hungry. And c-cold. Think I could f-find a deer to catch a-around here?" Bianca asked, shivering by the fire.
"Tetanus."
"What?"
Percy fiddled with his coat's buttons. "The only thing you'll catch in this place is tetanus."
"G-great."
"Here." Percy shrugged the overcoat off and threw it to Bianca.
The disguised pelt hit her straight in the face, making her squeak as she clawed at the thick material. She finally got it out of her eyes and held it at arm's length, giving Percy a perplexed stare.
"What a-are you doing?" she asked.
Percy smiled. "You looked a bit cold there, B. Take it."
"I… I can't take this!" Bianca said. She shoved the coat back into his hands. "It's y-your spoil of w-war."
"Didn't you and Zoë kill the Nemean Lion? I just gave you the opportunity. You guys put in the legwork."
"Wrong." Zoë's reply was blunt. Her eyes slid over to the homeless guy, who was humming some distance away from them. "Had it not been for thine actions, the lion wouldn't have opened its mouth. The spoil rightfully belongs to thee, in my opinion."
"Are we really gonna argue this of all things?"
"There is nothing to argue. It is thine."
"Jeez. Fine, I deserve the pelt. So as the owner, I'm letting Bianca borrow it for some time. How's that?" He held the garment out for Bianca to take.
"What if I-I don't want it?" Bianca raised a challenging eyebrow at him, but her eyes stared longingly at the promise of warmth.
"You'd hurt my feelings. I'm a very sensitive soul."
She snickered and leaned forward. "And here I thought y-you were a knight in shining armor."
"Well, I'm tough on the outside but soft and squishy on the inside. Like a York peppermint patty."
"Or a snail?"
Percy held a hand over his heart. "You're really aiming to kill, huh?"
"N-Now that I think about it, a c-crab wouldn't be too far off from perfectly describing you." Bianca rolled the end of her braided hair between two fingers.
"I'm feeling a little crabby now that you mention it. Yo, B, if I baked you a cake would you call it a crab cake?"
Bianca grinned and shook her head. "That was ba-a-ad."
Percy lifted one shoulder. "About one-third of my humor is awkward, forced situational puns. You'll learn."
"I don't think I want to learn."
"Too bad. I'll teach you whether you like it or not. You should be grateful. Free education. In a couple years, you'll have a degree in Percy's Patented Puns. Patent pending."
"Don't advertise s-something you don't actually have."
Toothless Joe interrupted their conversation with a hearty laugh. "Ah, I remember when I was your age. The titillating banter, those coy glances… good times."
Percy ducked his head when all eyes went to him and Bianca, who'd moved to stand closer. His cheeks and ears burned at seeing the disapproving stare Zoë gave him.
"Again with the flirting," Zoë muttered.
"I wasn't flirting. It's just normal, non-titillating banter," Percy defended, giving the homeless guy a meaningful look.
Bianca nodded along. "Yeah. I don't think Percy has a romantic bone in his body."
Percy coughed ruefully. "Alright, B, I'm gonna pretend you didn't just say that right to my face. I've been on plenty of successful dates. I can give you photo evidence. Wait, no I can't, I broke my other phone." He clicked his tongue. "You'll just have to take my word for it then."
"Uh-huh. Okay."
"And who said anything about coy glances?" Percy asked the man.
"I did!" Toothless Joe stated proudly. "Now why are you kids all the way out here, middle of nowhere, dead-end junction, end of the line, all by your lonesomes and in the snow?"
"West," Zoë said. "We must go west. To California. San Francisco."
"Visiting family?" the man asked. His wrinkled eyes bore into Zoë's own. "Or just sightseeing?"
An unsettling silence followed his questions. Only the flickering flames and the falling snow seemed to move.
"Well it doesn't matter, does it? Lucky for you guys, there's a train heading west right over there."
They all followed his finger. Sitting on the railway, untouched by snow, frost, or rust, was an autorack—the kind of train used to transport cars and trucks over long distances. A flexible steel curtain fell over the sides with the name SUN WEST LINE painted on.
Grover blinked. "What a coincidence. Wait, where'd the guy go?"
Percy turned around and found Toothless Joe was gone, having taken the fire, leaving them no choice but to climb aboard the train.
«White Cut»
With so many luxury cars, Percy was having trouble choosing just one to hang out in. Grover was pretending to be the next Kurt Busch behind the wheel of a green Lamborghini. Zoë and Bianca took a black Lexus LS on the second level, claiming it for the Hunters in Artemis' honor, probably. Thalia was reclined in the driver's seat of a Mercedes SLK, strumming an air-guitar to whatever song she'd picked up.
The train rolled along, and the sound of its metal wheels on metal lines was clearly discernible. Everyone else had gotten in a car because of the noise and their weariness. Initially, Percy had wanted to do the same. But after a minute of intense thought, he'd lost the clack-clack-clacking in his ears.
Percy clambered up the small utility ladder, carefully that no jolt from the train would knock him down. Once up to the third level he perused the selection there.
A part of him would have liked to sit with someone.
His daughter, who was back on standby, accosted him.
"You're right. The little fire-girl was right, too. I promised Nico to keep Bianca safe, and forced her to save me." Percy closed his eyes. "I told Chiron nothing bad would happen to Annabeth or Thalia, and one of them was yanked off a cliff."
He thinned his lips. "What should I do? What should I do, Mom? After all these years, after everything I've done… is it really fine for me to go back?"
An unexpected voice called to him. "Hey."
Percy lifted his head. Bianca was standing by an Infiniti Q60, both hands in the pockets of the overcoat she'd finally accepted. It was a bit too big on her, but she seemed cozy enough.
"How's it hanging, B? You look a lot warmer." Percy leaned on the hood of an SUV and smiled.
Bianca nodded, her chin almost buried in the coat's coarse material. "Pretty toasty. It got too warm in the car with Zoë, though." She took the spot next to him.
They stood there for some time, staring at the curtain of metal that separated them from the outside world. Inside the autorack was somewhat dark, with slats of light barely coming through the curtain.
Occasionally, the train would jostle them around, enough so that Bianca ended up pressing her shoulder to Percy's upper arm. Through their layers of clothing, she felt cold.
For a moment, daggers of ice and flurries of snow reached into his flesh and froze the tissue. It stung and gripped him, then vanished as quickly as it had come.
All Percy was left with was Bianca's shoulder digging into his triceps. With the chill gone, he felt warmth creep into his stomach. Something there whiffled, like a plane in a tailspin suddenly jerking up, sending quivers to the tips of his fingers.
"Hey, Percy."
He looked at Bianca expectantly. She wasn't meeting his eye. Instead, she kept her gaze straight ahead, staring at that same steel curtain. The train's rattling suddenly came back in full force, his ears straining to hear something that hadn't yet been said.
Taking care, he nudged her with his elbow, hoping she would continue speaking. Bianca looked at him with a soft smile, and her tongue flit across her lips to keep them wet.
"Do you think I'm a bad person?"
Percy rolled his eyes. "No. I don't think you're a bad person. Why'd'you ask?"
"Because it—it feels like I'm—a bad person."
"But why?" Though he felt he knew the answer, a part of him wanted to hear her say it aloud.
"You know."
"No, I don't."
"Yes, you do." Her voice came forceful but pained. "Am I a bad person for leaving him?"
The light seemed to dim even further, shadows closing the gaps where it spilled through, like fingers plugging leaking holes. The autorack dropped a few degrees in temperature.
Percy pulled away from Bianca, and she gave him a look of unabashed hurt when he left her side.
"I… I don't…" He felt the cold nip at his skin, but the spikes driven in by Bianca's face forced shame onto his heart. Closing his eyes, he took a breath to steady himself.
When he opened them again, Bianca was gone.
«White Cut»
Percy knocked on the Lexus' tinted window. He waited for a few seconds. Eventually, Zoë's head poked out. Her dark eyes took him in, and he felt more self-conscious under her scrutiny than Annabeth's or the General's.
"Yes?" she asked. Her tone wasn't as steely as it had been before. In fact, he might call it pleasant.
"Oh, um," Percy sighed and fidgeted. "Is Bianca in there?"
Zoë shook her head. "She isn't. Was she not going to return the pelt to thee?"
He swallowed. "Oh, we never got to that point. She, uh, left and… I just want to talk to her."
"As I've said, she isn't here." Zoë studied him. "Come in, I'll unlock the door."
Percy wanted to leave, but a faint clicking sound later and Zoë was pushing the passenger side door open for him. Sighing, he walked around the front of the car and sat down on the stitched leather seat.
"So what did thou do to upset her?"
Percy chuckled awkwardly. "Why are you assuming I did something wrong?"
Zoë lifted one of her delicate eyebrows. "I don't believe Bianca would have left in the middle of a discussion unless thou offended her in some way. She doesn't strike me as that kind of person. And when it comes to thee—even less so."
"When it comes to… me?"
"Jackson… no, never mind. This isn't my place."
"You aren't saying—"
"I am not saying anything, thou are correct. Let us leave it as such and discuss something else."
Percy nodded slowly. He'd let the subject drop because he wasn't sure how to handle it. "So, California, huh? Why there?"
Zoë blinked. "We are going to the Mountain of Despair. That is where Lady Artemis is being held."
"Sounds like you've been to Mount Doom before."
"I have, and I don't prefer it over visiting the beaches of southern California."
"Where haven't you been? It sounds like Artemis takes you everywhere."
"I've wanted to visit Southeast Asia for some time now. I've traveled throughout most of Europe, Northern Africa, Anatolia, and the United States."
"Wow, being a Hunter sounds like fun."
"It is. The family is one we choose, and though it can be dysfunctional at times, for the most part, we love each other. We go on long journeys, laugh, live, enjoy our immortality, and perform a service for the whole of humanity all at once. What else could one ask for?"
"Dental, home, auto, and life insurance? If you laugh so much I'd think you would have great coverage."
Zoë's passive mien cracked when her face split into a curbed grin. She coughed a laugh into her elbow and looked at him openly. Her broad smile had dimmed to just slight a slight upturning of her mouth.
"Perhaps I'll suggest that to Lady Artemis. If we free her."
"When we free her," Percy quickly corrected, almost fumbling over his tongue.
"Pardon?"
"When we free her," he repeated more deliberately. "She'll be fine."
Zoë didn't reply immediately. She kept her eyes on him, reaching up and clicking on the overhead light. A warm yellow glow illuminated the car. Percy found himself comparing Zoë's features to those of Atlas. Their complexions were almost exactly the same. From their eyes to their nose to their jaws, he found similarities everywhere.
"Thine confidence is appreciated," Zoë finally said, turning the light off. "May I ask where it comes from? I first assumed it was arrogance, however, I find myself doubting it now."
"I'm not sure, actually."
"Do you believe you can defeat the General should you reencounter him?"
Percy shook his head lightly. "No, I don't. Maybe… maybe if we were in a forest or garden. Even then, though, I'm not so sure. Rana speared his heart. His heart, Zoë. I know she did. But he annihilated her ten seconds later."
"He isn't called the Titan of Endurance for no reason. Pain is something he comprehends but can push aside. As long as his body remains unbroken, he will continue forward. A juggernaut, some might call him." Zoë ran her fingers over the center console, wiping imaginary dust from the leather trim.
"That was more than just pain. It was his heart," Percy insisted.
"How can we hope to understand immortal beings such as Titans? I do not know the full extent of his abilities. As I understand, he has never told anybody, not even his king."
"Too bad. Think Kronos would have been willing to share Atlas' weakness?"
"I doubt it, sincerely."
Percy snapped his fingers in disappointment. "Rats."
They sat in awkward silence.
"So," Percy started, "how long have you been a Hunter?"
Zoë thought, then said, "Thousands of years. One loses track of decades, and even centuries, after the first millennium passes."
"Holy crab—er, crap—you're a lot older than I thought. A lot older than you look, too." He shook his head. "And some people say time tells no lies."
"Who said that?"
"Praying Mantis."
"A praying mantis did? Really?" Zoë leaned closer. "Tell me, where did you meet this praying mantis of yours? I have heard of Cagn, the trickster god who shapeshifts into such a creature. But you couldn't possibly have met him."
Percy chuckled. "Zoë, no, it's a band name."
"Oh," she visibly deflated. Clearing her throat, she switched gears. "Why did thou follow us on the quest?"
"Well, the Oracle said 'five shall go west' and I thought you might need an extra body. Someone told me Phoebe got sick."
"How was it thou found us?"
"Ranavalona led me to D.C. It was just coincidence we got there around the time you guys did. A lucky break. Wow, I've been pretty lucky today now that I think about it. Maybe I should play the slots."
Zoë rolled her eyes. "Yes, Tyche must favor thee. Now, is there something else thou must discuss? I would like to continue resting."
Percy blinked. "Oh, were you napping before I came? Sorry, sorry, I didn't know. I'll just, um, get out of your hair."
He stepped out of the Lexus, but before he could close the door, Zoë called out to him.
"Percy. If thou finds Bianca, please tell her I'd like a word."
"Sure thing, Zoë."
«White Cut»
After fifteen minutes, Percy still hadn't found where Bianca had gone. He'd spoken to both Thalia and Grover, hoping they might have known, but neither could give him an answer.
She's probably just thinking it over in one of the cars. Back on the third level of the autorack, Percy sat in the driver's seat of a BMW 750i. The radio was tuned to NPR, where someone was talking about the murders in Sammamish, Washington.
Percy listened half-heartedly to the report. His eyes had closed long ago, though sleep hadn't quite yet come for him.
"This is a little grim, wouldn't you say?"
Percy's eyes snapped open when a voice filled with springtime renewal spoke from the passenger seat. His mother, the goddess Persephone, with her faded eyes and ghastly pale skin, sat with one leg draped over the other. She'd changed from the long flowing dress to a black skirt, thin blue blouse, and white camisole combination, fit for a day in the office. Her long dark hair spilled over her shoulders in waves of glossy ink.
At a loss, Percy wasn't sure what to say or do. Since she was a goddess, maybe bowing would have been appropriate, but there was no room, so he could only dip his head.
"No need for that," his mother said. Her hand reached over and lifted his chin. She was neither cold nor warm to him. It was almost as if her touch was barely there.
"Mom."
"Yes. I heard you call, asking me for guidance, and I couldn't bear to watch from afar any longer. It is difficult to keep above the Underworld in the winter, but for you, I would move mountains." She put her forehead on his and gave him a light kiss on his nose. "Now, what questions can I help you find the answers to?"
There were more of those than he could immediately ask. Percy wished she were able to stay and talk the whole rest of the day, but he wouldn't try to push his luck. If her time was limited, then he'd just make due with what he was given.
"I guess…" he trailed off and looked away from his mother.
"Don't be embarrassed. How would I have any right to judge you?"
Good question. They may have been family, mother and son, but how could a goddess possibly judge a mortal? What gave her that right?
"How much do you know about what's happened to me?" he asked.
"Quite a lot." She sounded proud of her attention.
Percy nodded. "It's been a rough week, I guess. I haven't really… lost at anything for a long time, so the whole thing with Thorn and the General…"
"You did well in handling them both."
"Did I?"
His mom crossed her arms. "Of course! For how you are right now, I would say both situations were given the best outcome."
"But that's just it!" Percy argued. "For how I am right now. In your letter, you told me to do my best. My daughter keeps pushing me to take back my power. And this little fire-tender at camp got me to promise to put more effort into things."
He took a breath. "Yeah, things are fine for how I am, but would they be better if I did my best? If I regained my power and put my back into it?"
"What does your heart tell you, Percy? I can't decide anything for you. In the end, the best I can do is validate what you deem to be the correct answer."
"I don't want to go through that again. That authority makes me feel empty."
"You suffering—yes, I can understand where your reluctance comes from. And I must admit fault for your troubles."
Percy looked at her. "You know?"
"I do. It was I who gave you the idea of using the datura."
"You were that old shaman?"
"I can appear in many different forms. How could I watch you suffer for my mistakes? Think of the datura as my atonement."
"Atonement… for what?"
His mother closed her eyes. "A story for another time. I can't stay here much longer. Allow me to say this: I believe in you, son. Do what you think is right, and I'll stand behind your decision. I love you very much, Percy."
"Thanks…" Percy scratched his eyelid. "That, uh, that means a lot, Mom."
"Now, before I go, a warning to you." She cleared her throat. "The girl you've become fond of—that, Bianca di Angelo?"
Percy rubbed his neck. "What about her?"
"She is dangerous for you. I don't approve of her. In fact, if you value my opinion, heed my words: let go of your promise to her brother. Don't endanger yourself for her sake. She will bring you nothing but despair and disappointment."
Persephone's iridescent eyes sparked with unbridled anger. "I will not see that fall upon my son. If the time comes—when it comes!—I want you to promise me you'll do the right thing."
"The… right thing?"
She grasped his arm. "Promise me, Percy. Promise you won't interfere with the Fates."
He swallowed, blinked hard, then haltingly nodded his head. "I promise."
"Good. Good. Thank you for putting my mind at ease," she said, letting go of his sleeve as if nothing happened. "Now, I will leave you to get some well-deserved rest. Take care in your future endeavors, filius mea."
Percy suddenly felt tired. His mother gave him one last kiss on his hairline before both of his eyes fluttered shut.
A/N: What else is there to say? It's all there. Thanks to everyone who takes the time to leave some feedback. And of course I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.
Review Response-
SuperKami God: You're right, that's totally my bad, he is more Swamp Thing. I think he would definitely be interested in that particular publication. Sometimes eyewear just gets a guy's goat.
Malosi06: I've noticed that too. But like you said, it makes a bit more sense like this. Thanks for your review! And it's good to hear from you again.
