Chapter 10- Are we even making progress with the plot
Warning! this is not beta-ed!
Once outside I couldn't handle it anymore: "Annabeth what the hell did you do to get us out? I know it was you who did something, that's probably also why we got food but how did you do that? I know it wasn't the mist because I tried that one already and it didn't work. Also, thirty minutes is not enough to bail us out so that can't be it either. So, what the hell was it?" I demanded from her.
Percy pov
"I bribed the police captain with the weed we had from Larry." Annabeth said in an innocent voice.
"Really? Larry how much was it?" I raged at Larry. Couldn't he just keep that to himself? I know he is a mighty council member but that doesn't mean he has to start doing drugs and getting us thrown in jail.
"I don't really know, maybe a few kilos. He accepted it as 'evidence' and we got a deal that we could get food and he would let us go." Annabeth explained to us how she got us out of jail and a free meal on that too. Even though it wasn't the best meal I've ever had, it was free and we are already short on money for an enjoyable trip to San Francisco.
The officer who was watching us, the rookie, led us to a room where we got all our stuff back and then he showed us the way out.
"Excuse me officer, do you know where the toilets are? I want to go before we go on our way." Maia asked the officer. She looked so cute and innocent with that little smile on her face. Her head tilted a little to the left and her hair in two ponytails that moved each time she shook her head. I'm lucky to have her as my sister.
"Yes of course, we have a toilet. If you follow this hallway till the end, then you turn right. On your right, you will find the toilets." The officer explained while bowing down to her height and showing her the way with his hands.
"If anyone else wants to go, then do it now because we already lost too much time." Marcus said. I'm surprised he took it upon him, it almost looked like he was being responsible. I didn't know that he could be responsible, I might have the wrong impression. I thought, until I saw him fletching in the hallway before a window that he used as a mirror. Well, I take that back. He looks like a little kid. Might as well mark him as responsible for a 5 years old.
After everyone went to the toilet, we stepped out of the police station. When we were at the end of the street, we heard the sound of an explosion. A few minutes later a few dozen police officers ran out of the station and with sirens blazing drove off north. Where I'm guessing the explosion came from.
We ignored the police officers and went back on track. "Guys, I'm sorry but I think we'll lose too much time if we first go to central park to resume our way to the subway. I think we need another way." I said when I came to the realization that we were nowhere close to the end of our little trip across the country.
"If I remember correct, and I'm sure I do, there should be a bus station a few blocks from here and it doesn't look like there is a whole lot of traffic in that part of the city for now." Annabeth said, and it was a good idea. I would've voted to run the rest of the way but her idea was better. There are perks of having a child of Athena with you.
"Okay, let's do that. You take the lead Annabeth." I said to her. It was no good to start a fight over something so stupid. One thing that I learned from being captive in the police station was that we still had a long way to go and whether we like it or not, we are all together in this. Unless two of us die..just don't think about it.
So, we followed her to the bus stop and on the way there, it started to rain. Way to go dad, if this trip isn't fun enough. Even though you don't like Maia that doesn't mean that we should endure this too. I think that Poseidon will do everything to make this trip even more horrible. A god's wrath doesn't know boundaries or doesn't have any reason. I know a stupid little rain won't kill anyone but it is annoying as hell. Well I don't particularly care…after all, I don't get wet. However, that's not the case for the rest.
"Let's hurry up guys! The bus is about to leave!" I heard the sweet voice of Sofia next to me. We all started running to the bus and tried to signal the driver so he wouldn't part without us. It must've been funny to see a group of 12 old man running for a bus, because the people who were on the street started to stare at us.
I think luck is on my side, well except for the few incidents before, because we made it to the bus and there were even enough places for everyone to sit. We paid the bus driver and we were happy and dry. Well I was dry the others were as wet as a dog, and believe me when I say that wet goat smells even worse than wet dog! Ugh 12 old wet goats who probably haven't washed in themselves in years in front of you on a bus; not pleasant. At least I wasn't cold, the others couldn't say so.
"Percyyyyy, why aren't you wet and cold like the rest of us?" Maia asked me in her soft voice. She was shy, I don't know why she would be shy, I'm her brother for Christ sake. Maybe it's just that we have known each other for two days. Yeah, right, get it together Percy!
"Well, Maia, I'm a son of Poseidon, I can control water. I can even breathe underwater. So, drying myself off with just a thought is a piece of a cake for me." It really is. I just absorb all the water molecules on me. It refreshes my power but the one down side of it is that I have more water in me so that means that I have to go more to the toilet. (Not that I'm gonna tell anyone that).
"You know what Maia, I'll teach it to you. Are you ready?" I asked her
"Uh, can I do that too? I thought you said that you could do because you were a son of Poseidon." She said back to me.
"Yup, it's because we are children of the sea, not only Poseidon in particular. Though, I will have more power in terms of controlling the water"
"Okay then, I'm ready…I think" her optimism is cute. She will be a great woman soon.
"First things first. Think about a place that you like, preferably somewhere dry. I think a desert would work too but I don't think that you like deserts that much so maybe think about a beach. Do you have any fun memories on the beach?"
"Yea I have one; I once went to the beach with a friend from school. I only knew her for a little while but when we could, we went to the beach; it was like I was pulled there. On the beach, we would play many sports, with the other kids from then neighborhood. Or we would just go eat some ice cream." A smile came on her cute little face while she was thinking back to what happened that day on the beach.
"Good, good. Now think about how you felt that day, think about how the sun shined on your skin. The heat that the sun generated. The feeling that the sun burns just a little on your skin, but not enough to hurt. Think about how bright that day was, when you didn't wear your sunglasses. The feeling of running on the hot sand barefooted. The feeling that you have to keep moving or you'll burn your feet. Do you feel it?" I tried to explain as best as I could. I could feel the same thing, from a memory that I have. Also on the beach. There was only one problem with that memory; it was a memory I shared with Annabeth. Of course I didn't need to visualize anymore, but it did brought a bittersweet feeling.
"Yes! Percy! I can feel it!" She cried out. I smiled it felt good to talk to her, even if it was just explaining how to dry yourself. Ok that might sound stupid but you get the point.
"Now look at yourself. Feel your hair, you are all dry now." I said proudly to her.
"But my clothes are still wet, Percy." She argued.
"Easy, Maia, easy. We'll do this step by step. Now sleep, this must have taken a lot out of you. I'll wake you up when we are going to move again." She looked really tired, I guess that I once was at that point too, and now look at me. With the help of my friends and mentors, I am so much more powerful now. I even defeated titans, heck even the earth herself. This brought a smile to my face. I had good friends. Even though some of them are not here right now, I know they are in a better place.
After an hour or so of sitting in the bus, I started to close my eyes. My head against the window, my shirt over me like a blanket.
After what seems like an eternity, I opened to the sweet voice of a lovely angel. 5 minutes more wise girl, just 5. On a second thought, Annabeth dumped me for another girl. Forget what I said about a lovely angel.
"Percy wake up, we gotta get out of here. The city is a mess. We are taking a plane. Don't ask questions, but you have permission to travel through the sky." Finally, Sofia's voice brought me back to earth and blew me to Tartarus after she finished.
Me taking a plane? Are you insane girl? I love the sea level…where there aren't lightning that can attack you at any seconds. I know my dad once threatened someone that if she went to something deeper than a bathtub, she surely would drown. Doesn't the same apply to me?
I'm so screwed.
Somehow, I believed Sofia's words though. I felt no deceive from her panic ridden voice. Also, the fact that all of us would die if I die in that plane is somewhat reassuring. It is probably going to suck too. I'm already getting the chills.
"Okay lets go, but why the sudden change of plans." I know the last thing we have done in this journey is sticking to the plan, but I finally thought we were in the right track.
"Fish brain, just look around you, we are stuck. Apparently a group of monsters raided the police station were we locked some hours ago. Then they went rampage in the park and the police are trying to suppress them. To regular mortals they appear like a thug's gang, but the damage is quite heavy." I looked through my window and the only thing I could see for kilometers ahead we countless cars trying out get out of the city.
Were we responsible for this? No, we didnt provoke them or anything. Whatever deity who hate us, which are a lot to be honest, was hunting us. We were not at fault for the destruction; we are just victims of all this mess, just like everyone else.
With that mentality, I took the asleep Maia on my arms and started to ready our stuff to leave. "I see, well then, we better leave before it gets worse or the monsters will find us."
"You are unusually assertive Jackson. Why the change in character?" for someone with the intelligence of Marcus, assertive was a big word.
"They just convinced me that it's the best way out of this. We have a time limit and we can't be sure that 5 demigods will be able to handle a horde that big while protecting the council. I'm guessing that Annabeth is going to use the mist to get us in the plane (because we are broke)."
"Finally showing your true colors you coward, running away when things get ugly? I can beat those pushovers with a hand tied on my back"
"For all I care you could go play polo with the monsters, but for respect to your sister and my duty as your guardian, I will save you the trouble of dying on the battle today. I will even give you a cookie if you behave" I breathed deeply "I mean, won't the girls at camp miss the great Marcus, if you die". I wanted to puke as I said those words, but I held the gag reflex.
After a minute of pondering, Marcus accepted and started to push the goats out of the bus. I had no clue where the airport was but Annabeth said it was strangely close to our position. I paid it no mind; I already had my hands full with Maia sleeping soundly in my arms, even after all the ruckus we made.
It was still raining, but it was a good kind of rain. Not the type the soaks you to the bone, but one perfect for a loving kiss with a beautiful girl. I looked at the sky; even though it was raining, I could see the black smoke coming from the center of the city. Probably more than one car had exploded and created a chain reaction with the others. I was sure camp would react better than we possibly could. We were a bunch of kids (who could hold their own more or less) and old men (who had never fought in their lives) at the moment. We were exhausted and stressed about this quest.
I laughed a little and looked at the beautiful girl in my arms. Is this what it feels like having a daughter? I found amusing how relaxing her drooling face looked; it set me at peace easily. I returned my sight at the street, it was broad daylight but the clouds and the smoke dyed the heavens grey. I sighed, I wondered if the past me would really run away from a bunch of monster just because he was outmatched. I sighed again, it couldn't be helped. I wasn't as brave as before, I didn't have the support beside me, and I didn't have a goal in sight. I was a piece of fish meat trying to be something like a brother.
After running for twenty minutes, with 2 breaks of 5 minutes for the goats, we reached the airport. By this point Maia already had woken up and was running beside Sofia. We had been avoiding the topic of the disaster at the park to not traumatize her. It was my wishful thinking, in the end, all demigods wound up killing monster anyway.
"Hey Sofia, is Annabeth done with the plane tickets?" I looked at the pair of girls playing cat's cradle, it was a lovely sight. It was a shame that I had to disrupt their playtime. Sofia raised her face and smiled. At this point, I was getting used to her shiny smile; it was not one that exclaimed happiness to the world, but one that showed a gentle side to the ruthless hunter girl.
"Yeah Percy, she said our flight departs on 45 minutes. For the meantime, she said that we could find her at the bookstore at the entrance of the airport. Do you need something from her?" I didn't mean that at all. I'm definitely not spending this 45 minutes alone with Annabeth.
"Eh no, I just wanted to know when we would leave. it's kind of getting late and the goats are starting to eat tin cans from the trash." I pointed at the line of senile old "men" asking people for their empty cans. It was a matter of time before security kicked out the can-collecting hobos.
She laughed.
"Sweetie, why don't you go buy yourself a drink and exchange the can for something funny from the goats" Maia was gone in a flash "Don't accept any drugs from Larry!" I was amazed at how she could manage Maia so easily. She even called her 'sweetie'. Could I do that? Probably not.
"You didn't have to do that for her, even if we are running low on budget, you don't have to waste your own money." I was grateful for the gesture, but she was only doing well to Maia and that wasn't fair.
"I had my own reasons to do it. It served its purpose." She stood before me with arms akimbo. "It was money well spent!" I didn't know if it was a sarcastic remark or not, but if it was, she had me completely fooled.
"Why?" she raised my interest
"Because…" she closed the distance between us until I could feel her breath on my ear "now I'm alone with you, Jackson" Bam! I received a critical hit.
She kissed my cheek and even licked it a bit.
"Salty" she grinned broad. "What one would expect from the son of the god of seas. I like it" she winked at me and turned away, swaying her well-toned hips.
I was truly stupefied. I would even expect a stab before a kiss. However, years on the battlefield and many surprise kisses helped me recover faster than I would have done in the past. "Hey wait up."
"Don't sweat it Jacky! It was a small peck on the cheek! The French do more on a daily basis." She was beaming with glee I had never seen on her face. She kind of looked like a blonde angel at this point. Was I falling in love with her? Just like that? In a quest with Annabeth? Fate was truly strange but I was liking the developments. "Just take it as my form of gratitude for coercing the meathead of my brother."
"Okay" was all I could manage. For me it was progress! I managed to answer immediately. Usually I would have stuttered or just stay there rooted on the spot spouting foam from my mouth. I expect that at some point in my life I will be able to handle women properly.
Just like that, Maia returned with a weird satyric deck of cards. Damn Larry and his unhealthy stuff. Well, a deck of card on itself is a good way of killing time. The tense atmosphere of some minutes ago was gone, Sofia was playing with my sister and I was just there fixed at their side concentrated on her rosy lips.
I sighed and dismissed such farfetched thought. It was stupid to date Annabeth to begin with. She was the daughter of the sworn enemy of my father, but to think of dating the daughter of one of my enemies…I gotta be kidding. Well, there was also Zoe, but she didn't have ties with her father and she was a sworn maiden. She doesn't count at all. She smelled nice, though.
Finally, they made the final call for our flight. I took my stuff and Maia's hand so we wouldn't be separated. To increase my chagrin, Sofia cheerfully caught my sister's other hand; I am sure from a stranger's point of view we looked like a mismatched couple with a biologically too old daughter.
After such a hectic morning, we finally managed to catch a proper ride to San Francisco even before schedule. Who would have believe that we missed the subway, were arrested, and even ran away from an army of mythological monster on the same day? I definitely will get a bath when we get to Camp Jupiter.
Line Break
I almost pissed myself during the flight. Whom the fuck was idiotic enough to believe that traveling through the air on a gigantic piece of metal was safe? Apparently, when the twins said that I got permission to travel through the sky, they meant, "You won't die". In other words, everything else apart from crashing the plane was allowed. Such cunning brats, I must give it to them. Letting Zeus torture me to get a direct journey to the other side of the country was a smart move.
The already rainy clouds became thunderstorms. The poor plane receive who knows how many electroshocks. I'm sorry mate, I won't ride you ever again, I swear! The entire time we held on tight to the sits and breathed through our oxygen masks. Not even twenty minutes had passed when the lights went out, kids started to cry, people complained until the thunders silenced them. I was nothing short of traumatized. If I had to choose between Tartarus and an eight hours flight, I would choose the former.
"Oh great mother Gaia! I'm grateful for walking on earth once again! Hallelujah!" And that's the way I made myself a meme star as the crazy flat earther who never had taken a flight and thought that he would fall from the edge of the world or something like that.
Anyway, let us leave that on the past. We took a bus for New Rome and presented the unscathed council to Jason and Piper. We exchanged greetings and each of us went their way to get food or a bath. I was dying for a bath, but I knew my budding sister was growling for food so we stopped there for the meantime.
We resupplied our tanks and I went back to the fifth cohort along with Maia to get a good night of sleep. From what Maia told me, Annabeth, Sofia, and Marcus were going to stay in the second cohort and discuss some things with Frank and Hazel. I paid it no mind, went to the bath, and hit the sack in an instant. At least it wasn't a dull day.
Line Break
The next day we decided that we would leave around noon since there was no rush to return to camp. We hadn't even bother to Iris call Chiron; it wasn't better to trouble him anymore than the gift we left him back home. In the end we split apart; Annabeth went to visit her family, the twins went to beat any arrogant bastard and I went to tour Maia around Camp Jupiter and New Rome.
She was delighted to run around a city made up of people like her. It made me so joyous to see her so happy that I couldn't keep my laughter to myself. We ran laughing our lungs out until we reached the senate and Tiberius scolded us. I couldn't help but laugh a little more when she jumped from the talking statue.
It wasn't surprising though. This was her first time meeting in person a proper god of Olympus. Of course, she knew Hecate, but it was different since she was my patron goddess. I think it was a good thing that she could met someone normal in godly proportions; he was a little weird, but he was a good god.
In the end, we spent our entire morning roaming through the streets until we finally met at the entrance gate of New Rome. All bliss left our bodies as the situation sank in. we had no money, nowhere to stay at night, no constant flow of food and no means of transportation.
"I guess walking it is…" I muttered depressingly. Smack. Surprisingly it was Sofia who slapped my head upside down.
"Don't be so gloomy! Let's say we are doing this to enjoy the trills. Its adventure time!" she left a dazzling smile and we fist bumped. Amazingly, it was Marcus who butted into our optimistic cheering.
"Yeah! Lets enjoy ourselves to our hearts content. *sob* It is not like there are four thousand miles from here to New York!" we totally could see the tears streaming from his cheeks. I couldn't blame him. I felt pity instead…for him and myself. I wasn't even able to point out the fact that he knew the exact distance just like if he googled it.
"Hey guys, why don't we pray for a car? It worked last time. If Thalia could drive it at that time, so can I. Please guys" just like that, the four of us sank to our knees and begged the heavens to lessen our burden and shorten our journey.
It was pretty amusing in its way. It made me feel alive just like on the past times.
Oh my freaking lord! I actually finished this chapter! I don't know if I am awesome or only self-conceived. Anyway, regardless of the existence of the chapter itself, I'm sure it is a mess when it comes to consistency and stuff. This chapter was supposed to be written by my Beta, not me, but he got bored halfway and ditched his work.
Back in September I was pretty fired up; I was even thinking of publishing two chapters weekly before entering college and publishing two chapters monthly during college. Since my beta disappeared for three months until I asked him for the chapter, I lost that passion until this week that I got a little way too emotional.
Anyway, I plan to stick to the past schedule. Two chapters monthly during classes and two weekly during breaks. Maybe you will be able to see a second post of mine, though, I go back to classes on Monday.
Oh and I will probably need another beta!
Like it or hate it, review your opinion…even flames are good to mass reviews. Therefore, do so if you wish.
Important Song While Writing: Songs I can't listen to by Neon Trees
Review, Follow, and Favorite guys!
See ya soon guys!