Demigods on the Loose
Chapter 9: In the City of Independence
Well, now that the gang is in Philadelphia, things should be starting to get interesting. Oh, and in case you're wondering, Bernard will be in this chapter. Hope you enjoy!
As Link and the others parked the van, they all stared in awe at the place where their Declaration of Independence was signed. There was so much historical value in this city alone, and the architecture, as Annabeth pointed out Independence Hall and various other important landmarks. While they would be waiting to hit the road for Kansas, the others would stock up on supplies and information for their quest. Nancy volunteered to head for one of Philadelphia's libraries to check up information about the stolen mask, Link and Grover would find a good restaurant for takeout, (Since dandelions and clovers alone didn't exactly fill you up much), Percy and Annabeth would check out the architecture, while Thalia and Tyson would hang out at the van, keeping a lookout for anyone or anything suspicious.
As Nancy entered the library that she was dropped off at, she asked if there were any books on the basis of Greek plays. Once the section was located, she skimmed over the many books, wondering which one would hold the answers that she was seeking. As her hand brushed over the spines, her eyes drifted onto one of the titles: Masks: A History. As she skimmed through the pages, she came across pictures of several masks of many shapes and facial expressions. In order to find the picture of the mask that was stolen, Nancy decided to call her father, who was taking control of the case while she was away. As Nancy put the book back and went outside to make the call, she heard someone whispering to her.
"Psst.. Nancy. Over here."
Deciding not to take any chances, Nancy cautiously approached the alley from where the voice was emanating. As she carefully lifted a pipe from the ground, she whipped into the alley, ready to defend herself. She didn't expect to hear a shriek,
"Ah, spare me!"
"Bernard? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at camp?"
"Well, yes and no. For one thing, I can't be spotted by anyone other than you, Link, and the others, because, if I'm spotted by someone working for The Lord of Time, they'll know you are here. But Chiron said it was most urgent that I keep an eye on you guys, to keep him updated on your moves. Let me tell you, it's going to be a lot harder to move around the States, what with the cops spotting you supposedly blowing up that train. Not to mention the fact that your brother took out a giant. Kronos already knows that your brother is a very skilled swordsman. You have to make sure that your brother stays out of sight. All that I'm saying is, you got to be real careful about your travel plans. From now on, it might be wise to stay out of sight of people, just in case the news of your.. Terrorism, has already crossed the border."
No sooner did Bernard say this than a television newscast came on, showing footage of the gang battling Luke, with Nancy and Link attacking him with bats.
"Now might be a good time to get down. Remember, you won't be much help to the world if you get arrested. Good luck."
As Bernard raced off into the darkness, Nancy crouched down behind a dumpster to call her dad about what the mask looked like. As soon as her father picked up the phone, Nancy knew that she was going to get a very long lecture.
"Nancy, what's going on? Why are you being portrayed as juvenile delinquents? It's all over the news. In the police's eyes, you and your friends are guilty of blowing up a part of the Philadelphia train and attacking an innocent bystander."
"Dad, it's not what you think. This guy, Kronos, wants to frame us so that we'll get arrested before we can get to San Francisco."
"I know that you and Link wouldn't be guilty of something like that. I'm just going to warn you, from her on out, to stay out of sight."
"We will, Dad. We've already got Apollo on our side. He'll be able to help us out, at least until we get to Kansas."
"Apollo? As in, the sun god, Apollo?"
"Yeah, it's a long story. Dad, the reason I called is, I need to find out what that mask that was stolen looks like. It could really help with our mission."
"Well, according to Ms. Rosewood, it looks like Kronos, and it's made out of clay. Does that help?"
"Yes, it does. Thank you so much, Dad."
"What are loving parents for, Nancy?"
As Nancy hung up the phone, she realized that she was in a pickle. If she was spotted, there was no telling what would happen. Nancy decided that the only way back, was to go from alley to alley, to try and get back to the van. Nancy, being observant and all, knew that the van wasn't too far away. Fifteen minutes later, she got to the van, looked around to make sure that no one was watching, then hopped in. Luckily, everyone else was already there.
"Thank goodness you're here, Nancy. Me and Annabeth barely got out of sight before that newscast came up. Looks like we're going to have to double-time our trip to Kansas, pronto."
As Apollo started up the engine, a huge explosion emanated from Independence Hall. Not caring if they were spotted, Percy told Apollo to hurry over to the Hall. As they turned the corner, Link was shocked to see a monstrous creature, with two heads, one a lion, the other a goat. On the end of its tail, was a snake head, hissing viciously. Right next to the creature, was a lady in a pink dress and hat.
As Percy and the others approached, the strange lady hissed,
"Percy Jackson, it's been a long time. Me and my son have missed you greatly. And, we've heard of the legendary hero in green who took out a giant. How could we ever forget someone like that?"
"Echidna. How are you and your son doing? I hope Chimera has taken the habit of eating breath mints."
"There's no need for you to be cheeky, Jackson. Once the mask is delivered to Kronos, there will be no stopping him from taking over the world. Prepare to die!"
As Chimera's heads prepared to breath fire, they roared in pain as Thalia summoned lightning to strike them.
"Bad monster!" Tyson roared, as he picked up a part of the pavement to hurl at it.
While Annabeth distracted the two heads in front, Link carefully maneuvered to the back to jump on its back. As he prepared to jump, however, the snake head caught him off guard, bashing into him and hurling him into the wall, hard. With the breath knocked out of him, Link slumped to the ground, trying to breath. Before the head of the snake could finish Link off, the sound of Grover's reed pipe filled the air in a hypnotic tune. In front of Link's eyes, the grass nearby began to grow taller and taller, winding around the tail of Chimera. Hissing in indignation, it whipped from side to side, as it struggled to break free from its bonds. The distraction gave Link enough time to deal it a blow to its neck. As the snake breathed its last, Thalia and Percy had killed the remainder of the heads. As the great beast crumpled into dust, Echidna screamed,
"No! What have you done? You will pay dearly for this, Percy Jackson."
And, with that, she disappeared in a cloud of green smoke.
Brushing himself off, Percy congratulated the others on their good teamwork.
"Now, all we have to do is get to Kansas, pronto, before someone spots us."
As Nancy started to climb into the van, she spotted a mirror lying on the ground. As Nancy picked it up to examine it, she realized that it had the Triforce mark, just like Link. She hadn't noticed that Link had come up behind her, staring at it, looking as if he recognized it.
"Is that..?" he asked, in a hopeful tone.
Without warning, it dragged itself out of Nancy's hands and fell to the pavement. As it began to shake, Tyson asked,
"Is it gonna explode, Percy?"
"I'm not sure what it's doing, Tyson."
Everyone was in for a shock when the mirror projected a portal, with the Triforce symbol in the middle of it. As everyone stared in confusion, someone stepped out of the portal.
"Pretty lady." Tyson said, in awe over the woman that had emerged.
She was about twenty years old, with curling, red hair, red eyes, and pale skin.
"Hello, Link. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
OOXO
Well, all you Twilight Princess fans know who that is. So, for those of you who like Midna, you're all going to like the story from now on.
