Chapter 10

Escaping the Past

They were crossing the Potomac when they spotted the helicopter. It was a sleek, black military model just like the one at Westover Hall. And it was coming straight toward them.

"They know the van," Percy said. "We have to ditch it."

The Doctor swerved into the fast lane. The helicopter was gaining at an alarming rate.

"Maybe the military will shoot it down," Grover said hopefully.

"The military probably thinks it's one of theirs," Percy said. "How can the General use mortals, anyway?"

"Mercenaries," Zoe said bitterly. "It is distasteful, but many mortals will fight for any cause as long as they are paid." The Doctor nodded in agreement. "I never understood that, if it helps." Zoe didn't answer.

"But don't these mortals see who they're working for?" Percy asked. "Don't they notice all the monsters around them?"

Zoe shook her head. "I do not know how much they see through the Mist. I doubt it would matter to them if they knew the truth. Sometimes mortals can be more horrible than monsters."
Percy half-expected the Doctor to say something, but he stayed silent.

The helicopter continued gaining on them, which was easy in DC traffic.

Thalia closed her eyes and prayed. "Hey, Dad. A lightning bolt would be nice about now. Please?" But the sky stayed gray and snowy. No sign of a helpful thunderstorm.

"There!" Bianca said. "That parking lot!"

"We'll be trapped," the Doctor argued.

"Trust me," Bianca said. The Doctor took one look at her determined expression and nodded.
He shot across two lanes of traffic and into a mall parking lot on the south bank of the river. They all left the van and followed Bianca down some steps.

"Subway entrance," Bianca said. "Let's go south. Alexandria."

"Anything," Thalia agreed.

They bought tickets and went through the turnstiles, looking over their shoulders for any signs of pursuit. A few minutes later they were safely aboard a southbound train, riding away from DC As the train came above ground, the helicopter was clearly visible, circling the parking lot, but it didn't come after them.

"That was clever of you, Bianca," the Doctor murmured, grinning. "You thought quickly. Nice job."

Her eyes shone at his praise. "Yeah, well. I saw that station when Nico and I came through last summer. I remember being really surprised to see it, because it wasn't here when we used to live in DC."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her. "Really? But-"

Grover cut him off. "It can't be new. That station looked really old."

"I guess," Bianca said. "But trust me, when we lived here as little kids, there was no subway."

Thalia sat forward. "Wait a minute. No subway at all?"

Bianca nodded.

The Doctor's eyes widened in shock. "But, Bianca… DC's subway system was first built in 1967."

Percy spoke before she could. "Wait, what? And how do you know that?"
He shrugged.

"Bianca," the Doctor said softly. "How long ago…" His voice faltered. The sound of the helicopter was growing louder again.

"We need to change trains," Percy said. "Next station."

Over the next half hour, all they thought about was getting away safely. They changed trains twice. Percy had no idea where we were going, but after a while they lost the helicopter.

Unfortunately, when they finally got off the train they found themselves at the end of the line, in an industrial area with nothing but warehouses and railway tracks. And a lot of snow. It seemed much colder there. Percy was suddenly glad for his new lion's fur coat.

They wandered through the railway yard, thinking there might be another passenger train somewhere, but there were just rows and rows of freight cars, most of which were covered in snow, like they hadn't moved in years.

A homeless man was standing at a trash-can fire. Their group of six must've looked pretty pathetic to him, because he gave them a toothless grin and said, "Y'all need to get warmed up? Come on over!"

We huddled around his fire, Thalia's teeth were chattering. She said, "Well this is g-g-great." The Doctor gave her a look of concern and removed his tweed coat, draping it across her shoulders. She gave him a grateful smile. Then he murmured to himself, "Should have asked the…" The rest of what he said was lost on Percy.

"My hooves are frozen," Grover complained.

"Feet," Percy corrected, for the sake of the homeless man.

"Maybe we should contact camp," Bianca said. "Chiron-"

"No," Zoe said. "They cannot help us anymore. We must finish this quest ourselves."

Percy gazed miserably around the rail yard. Somewhere, far to the west, Annabeth was in danger. Artemis was in chains. A doomsday monster was on the loose. And they were stuck on the outskirts of DC, sharing a homeless person's fire.

"You know," the homeless man said, "you're never completely without friends." His face was grimy and his beard tangled, but his expression seemed kindly. "You all need a train going west?"

"Yes, sir," Percy said. "You know of any?"

He pointed one greasy hand.

Suddenly they noticed a freight train, gleaming and free of snow. It was an automobile-carrier train, with steel mesh curtains and a triple-deck of cars inside. The side of the freight train said SUN WEST LINE.

"That's… convenient," Thalia said. "Thanks, uh…"

She turned to the homeless man, but he was gone. The trash can in front of them was suddenly cold and empty, as if he'd taken the flames with him.

An hour later, they were steadily going west. There was no problem about who would drive now, because they all got whatever luxury car they wanted. Zoe and Bianca were crashed out in a Lexus on the top deck. Grover was playing race car driver behind the wheel of a Lamborghini. The Doctor was fiddling with the controls in a dark blue Ferrari, grinning and talking to himself like a maniac. And Thalia had hot-wired the radio in a black Mercedes SLK so she could pick up the alt-rock stations from DC.

"Join you?" Percy asked her.

She shrugged, so he climbed into the shotgun seat.

The radio was playing the White Stripes. Percy knew the song because it was one of the only CDs he owned that his mother liked. She said it reminded her of Led Zeppelin. Thinking about her suddenly made him feel sad, because it didn't seem likely he would be home for Christmas. He might not live that long.

"Nice coat," Thalia told Percy.

He pulled the brown duster tighter around his body, thankful for the warmth. He also didn't miss the fact that Thalia was still wearing the Doctor's jacket. "Yeah, but the Nemean Lion wasn't the monster we're looking for."

"Not even close. We've got a long way to go."

"Whatever this mystery monster is, the General said it would come for you. They wanted to isolate you from the group, so the monster will appear and battle you one-on-one."

"He said that?"

"Well, something like that. Yeah."

"That's great. I love being used as bait."

"No idea what the monster might be?"

She shook her head morosely. "But you know where we're going, don't you? San Francisco. That's where Artemis was heading."

Then Percy remembered something Annabeth had said at the dance: her father was moving to San Francisco, and there was no way she could go. Half-bloods couldn't live there.

"Why?" he asked. "What's so bad about San Francisco?"

"The Mist is really thick there because the Mountain of Despair is so near. Titan magic- what's left of it- still lingers. Monsters are attracted to that area like you wouldn't believe."

"What's the Mountain of Despair?"

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "You really don't know? Ask stupid Zoe. She's the expert."

She glared out the windshield. Percy wanted to ask her what she was talking about, but also didn't want to sound like an idiot. He hated feeling like Thalia knew more than he did, so he kept his mouth shut.

The afternoon sun shone through the steel-mesh side of the freight car, casting a shadow across Thalia's face. Percy thought about how different she was from Zoe- Zoe was formal and aloof like a princess, while Thalia dressed in ratty clothes and sported a rebel attitude. But there was something similar about them, too. The same kind of toughness. Right then, sitting in the shadows with a gloomy expression, Thalia looked a lot like one of the Hunters.

Then suddenly, a realization struck Percy like a moving car. "That's why you don't get along with Zoe."

Thalia frowned. "What?"

"The Hunters tried to recruit you," he guessed.

Her eyes got dangerously bright. For a moment, Percy thought she was going to zap him out of the Mercedes, but she just sighed. I almost joined them," she admitted. "Luke, Annabeth, and I ran into them once, and Zoe tried to convince me. She almost did, but…"

"But?"

Thalia's fingers gripped the wheel. "I would've had to leave Luke."

"Oh."

"Zoe and I got into a fight. She told me I was being stupid. She said I'd regret my choice. She said Luke would let me down someday."

Percy watched the sun through the metal curtain. They seemed to be traveling faster each second, shadows flickering like an old movie projector.

"That's harsh," he said. "Hard to admit Zoe was right."

"She wasn't right! Luke never let me down. Never."

"We'll have to fight him," Percy said. "There's no way around it."

Thalia didn't answer.

"You haven't seen him lately," he warned. "I know it's hard to believe, but-"

"I'll do what I have to."

"Even if that means killing him?"

"Do me a favor," she said. "Get out of my car." One look at the storm raging in Thalia's eyes, and Percy felt so bad for her he didn't argue.

As he was about to leave, she said, "Percy."

When he looked back, her eyes were red, but Percy couldn't tell if it was from anger or sadness. "Annabeth wanted to join the Hunters, too. Maybe you should think about why."

Before he could respond, she raised the power windows and shut Percy out.

The Doctor knew he'd had more eventful and draining days, but this one was coming close to the top three. Despite what the Nemean Lion had tried to do to them, he still felt bad for killing the creature. And Bianca… what exactly had happened to her? Where, and more importantly, when was she from? Why was Zoe acting so strange? Was Artemis okay? Most importantly, was Annabeth still alive?

He needed to see her. Needed to see the little girl- well, she wasn't quite as small anymore- that reminded him of his humanity, who made him smile on bad days.
If he and Rose had ever gotten the chance to be together and some twist of fate had given them a daughter, he liked to think she would be a lot like Annabeth. Brilliant, beautiful, brave, and kind. Just like Rose.

But there was no use lamenting a future that would never come. Rose was gone. But there was still a chance that Annabeth could be saved. He had to believe that- for his sake, for hers, even for Rose's.

The slam of a car door broke him from his thoughts. He saw Percy standing by the passenger door of Thalia's Mercedes. He saw the window roll up, watched as Percy climbed into Grover's Lamborghini. Sighing, he got out of the car he was seated in. Instinct told him to check on Thalia.

He walked over to her Mercedes. He saw her, leaning into the steering wheel, her eyes shut tight. He knocked on the window.
Her voice echoed from inside, thick with what he knew was anger and barely restrained tears. "Go away, Jackson."

"Not Percy," he murmured in reply. "Can I come in?"

She shrugged listlessly, not looking at him. He opened the door and climbed inside.

Green Day played from the radio- he recognized the song because of Thalia all but forcing him to listen to the cassette tape she kept on the Walkman she stole from her mother before running away.

Wake me up when September ends…

Thalia sat up, pulled his coat tighter around her body. "You cold?" he asked softly. She shook her head, still silent. He laid a hand on her shoulder, knowing she didn't really want to talk all that much.
He sat with her in comfortable silence for about 30 seconds, only speaking when he saw the silent tears rolling down her face.

"Hey," he murmured. "Thalia, what's wrong? What happened?"

Finally, she spoke. "I miss Luke."

The Doctor's hearts broke for her. He knew that she and Luke were close all those years ago, but… seeing the raw pain on her face made him realize just what she was going through.
It was a hollow ache that he felt every day, a clawing at his chest. A pain he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy, let alone his friend.

"I'm sorry." His voice was hollow, but he meant every word. "I'm so sorry, Thalia."

A sob escaped her. She sniffled, wiped at her reddened eyes. "Can I tell you something I've never told anyone before? You have to promise to not say anything to anyone."

He nodded. "Of course, Thalia. Your secret's safe with me." She grabbed his hand with both of her own, squeezing so tightly his fingertips turned white. Tears still rolled down her face, but she wasn't sobbing anymore.

"When I was in the form of a pine tree, I was still there. Still somewhat conscious, like a weird half-dream. I could hear his voice. He talked to me every day." She wiped at her eyes with one hand, smiled at the memory despite her sadness. "Some days, he talked about how much he missed me. Other days he was angry. Angry at the gods, at other half-bloods… even angry at you." She paused, sighing. "But sometimes he was happy. He'd talk to me about Annabeth, how well her training was going. Said I'd be proud of her. And, by the gods, I am."

Then her eyes closed. "He poisoned my tree, as you know. But what you don't know- what no one else knows- is… he almost couldn't bring himself to do it. I can… I can still hear him crying. Sobbing and apologizing to me, over and over and over. 'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Thalia. Please, if you can hear me, please forgive me.' And I have. Maybe he doesn't deserve it, but I've forgiven him a thousand times over. How could I not? He… he loved me."

Without thinking, the Doctor turned and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. She didn't protest or fight him. Rather, she buried her face in his shirt and sobbed. He shushed her, murmuring comforting words. He had a feeling it had been a long time since anyone comforted her when she was upset, let alone held her. "I'm here. I'm right here. It's okay, Thalia."

Percy sat in the driver's seat of Grover's Lamborghini. Grover was asleep in the back. He'd finally given up trying to impress Zoe and Bianca with his pipe music after he played "Poison Ivy" and caused that very stuff to sprout from their Lexus' air conditioner.

As Percy watched the sun go down, he thought of Annabeth. He was afraid to go to sleep, worried about what he might dream.

"Oh, don't be afraid of dreams," a voice said right next to him.

Percy looked over. Somehow, he wasn't surprised to find the homeless man from the rail yard sitting in the shotgun seat. His jeans were so worn out they were almost white. His coat was ripped, with stuffing coming out. He looked kind of like a teddy bear that had been run over by a truck.

Suddenly, there was a sharp knock on Percy's driver side window. He turned and saw the Doctor looking at him. He rolled down the window. "Hey, man. Uh… need something?"

He shrugged. "Just wanted to make sure you were alright." Then his eyes fell on the man sitting in the passenger seat, and he raised an eyebrow. "Oh, it's you."

"Doctor," he replied, grinning. "If I remember correctly, you owe me."

Suddenly Percy remembered something Artemis had said- something about a bet the Doctor had lost to her brother. His eyes widened. "Apollo?"

He put his finger to his lips. "I'm incognito. Call me Fred."

"A god named Fred?" Percy asked, raising his eyebrows. The Doctor bit back a laugh.

Apollo looked uncomfortable all of a sudden. "Eh, well… Zeus insists on certain rules. Hands off, when there's a human quest. Even when something really major is wrong. But nobody messes with my baby sister. Nobody."

"Are you here to help us, then?" the Doctor asked.

"Shh. I already have," he replied, smirking.

Percy caught on to what he was hinting at. "The train. How fast are we moving?"

Apollo chuckled. "Fast enough. Unfortunately, we're running out of time. It's almost sunset. But I imagine we'll get you across a good chunk of America, at least."

"But where is Artemis?" the Doctor asked, giving him a firm look.

Apollo's face darkened. "I know a lot, and I see a lot. But even I don't know that. She's… clouded from me. I don't like it."

"And Annabeth?" Percy added.

He frowned. "Oh, you mean that girl you lost? Hmm. I don't know."

Percy tried not to feel mad. He knew the gods had a hard time taking mortals seriously, even half-bloods. After all, they lived such short lives compared to the gods.

"What about the monster Artemis was seeking?" he asked. "Do you know what it is?"

"No," Apollo said. "But there is one who might. If you haven't yet found the monster when you reach San Francisco, seek out Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea. He has a long memory and a sharp eye. He has the gift of knowledge sometimes kept obscure from my Oracle."

"But it's your Oracle," Percy protested. "Can't you tell us what the prophecy means?"

Apollo sighed. "You might as well ask an artist to explain his art, or ask a poet to explain his poem. It defeats the purpose. The meaning is only clear through the search."

The Doctor gave him a flat look. "In other words, you don't know."

Apollo checked his watch. "Ah, look at the time! I have to run. I doubt I can risk helping you again, Percy, but remember what I said! Get some sleep! And when you return, I expect a good haiku about your journey! And, Doctor, since I'm feeling generous, don't worry about that bet."

Percy wanted to protest that he wasn't tired and that he'd never made up a haiku in his life, but Apollo snapped his fingers, and the next thing Percy knew, he was closing his eyes.

In the dream, Percy was someone else. He was wearing an old-fashioned Greek tunic and laced leather sandals. The Nemean Lion's skin was wrapped around his back like a cape, and he was running somewhere, being pulled along by a girl who was tightly gripping his hand.

"Hurry!" she said. It was too dark to see her face clearly, but Percy could hear the fear in her voice. "He will find us!"

It was nighttime. A million stars blazed above. They were running through tall grass, and the scent of a thousand different flowers made the air intoxicating. It was a beautiful garden, and yet the girl was leading him through it, as if they were about to die.

"I'm not afraid," he tried to tell her.

"You should be!" she said, pulling Percy along. She had long dark hair braided down her back. Her silk robes glowed faintly in the starlight.

They raced up the side of the hill. She pulled him behind a thorn bush and they collapsed, both breathing heavily. Percy didn't know why the girl was scared. The garden seemed so peaceful. And he felt strong. Stronger than he'd ever felt before.

"There is no need to run," Percy told her. His voice sounded deeper, much more confident. "I have bested a thousand monsters with my bare hands."

"Not this one," the girl said. "Ladon is too strong. You must go around, up the mountain to my father. It is the only way."

The hurt in her voice surprised him. She was really concerned, almost like she cared about him.

"I don't trust your father," Percy said.

"You should not," the girl agreed. "You will have to trick him. But you cannot take the prize directly. You will die.'"

Percy chuckled. "Then why don't you help me, pretty one?"

"I… I am afraid. Ladon will stop me. My sisters, if they found out… they would disown me."

"Then there's nothing for it." Percy stood up, rubbing his hands together.

"Wait.'" the girl said.

She seemed to be agonizing over a decision. Then, her fingers trembling, she reached up and plucked a long white brooch from her hair. "If you must fight, take this. My mother, Pleione, gave it to me. She was a daughter of the ocean, and the ocean's power is within it. My immortal power."

The girl breathed on the pin and it glowed faintly. It gleamed in the starlight like polished abalone.

"Take it," she told me. "And make of it a weapon."

Percy laughed. "A hairpin? How will this slay Ladon, pretty one?"

"It may not," she admitted. "But it is all I can offer, if you insist on being stubborn."

The girl's voice softened his heart. Percy reached down and took the hairpin, and as he did, it grew longer and heavier in his hand, until he held a familiar bronze sword.

"Well balanced," he said. "Though I usually prefer to use my bare hands. What shall I name this blade?"

"Anaklusmos," the girl said sadly. "The current that takes one by surprise. And before you know it, you have been swept out to sea."

Before Percy could thank her, there was a trampling sound in the grass, a hiss like air escaping a tire, and the girl said, "Too late! He is here!"

Percy sat bolt upright in the Lamborghini's driver's seat. Grover was shaking his arm.

"Percy," he said. "It's morning. The train's stopped. Come on!"

He tried to shake off his drowsiness. Thalia, Zoe, the Doctor, and Bianca had already rolled up the metal curtains. Outside were snowy mountains dotted with pine trees, the sun rising red between two peaks.

Percy fished his pen out of his pocket and stared at it. Anaklusmos, the Ancient Greek name for Riptide. A different form, but he was sure it was the same blade he'd seen in the dream.

And he was sure of something else, too. The girl Percy had seen was Zoe Nightshade.