Disclaimer: I don't own PJO/HOO/TOA

Chapter Nine

Three Questers Got On a Bus, and Then Blew it Up

Several hours later, my friends arrived at my new cabin to say our goodbyes.

"You'd better come back alive, Sea Princess," Clarisse took the lead and scooped me into a surprising, and tight, hug. "You're the only other decent fighter in Camp."

My lips twitched as I nodded to her firmly. "Like I'm gonna let myself be killed," I declared in an overly-haughty way, pretending to flip my hair. (It was currently in an elaborate twist to keep it out of the way, so I couldn't do so in reality.) "I could never deprive the world of my amazingness!"

The others chuckled, Silena, Lou and Katie rather wetly, as Katie took over the embrace.

"Be careful," she sniffed as she pulled back, Silena grabbing me tightly.

I hugged them all, before Silena handed me a pretty purple backpack. "We've put everything that you'll need in it," she told me, wiping her wet cheeks.

"There's about fifty drachmae, five hundred dollars, a spare knife and lockpicking set, a fully-equipped medkit, some clothes and food, and a small tent," Beckendorf listed off. "There's a few Ancient Greek books as well to entertain you on the bus and stuff too. The bag's enchanted to stay light, and it's pretty impervious to almost everything, so just don't forget about it on the train, okay?"

My own eyes filled with tears for what seemed like the millionth time. "You guys are the best," I declared, going in for another round of hugging. Afterwards, there was a knock on the door and Grover stuck his head around. He was pale and anxious, eating a pack of cards nervously.

"Ready, Ana?"

'Not in the slightest,' I thought. The sight of my friends energized me though. I didn't care about Zeus' bolt, or my father's reputation, or anything like that. But I cared about them. I didn't want them to be hurt, and they would be if I didn't prevent this war. I lifted my chin, wearing my signature expression of defiance, nodding crisply.

"Yeah, I'm ready," I said, straightening my leatherette jacket and swinging my new bag onto my shoulder. "Let's go."

We headed in the direction of the Hill, passing the other cabins on the way. Just beside the Hermes cabin, we all caught Luke and Annabeth on the tail end of what seemed like a vicious argument. Annabeth was tearful and Luke was obviously upset, but resolute too.

"I'm sorry you're hurt Bethy," Luke said, grasping her shoulders. "But I won't change my mind on this."

"Be careful," she sniffled. She handed him her Yankees cap, making him grin sadly at her as he tucked it into his jeans back pocket.

"I will," he promised. He glanced up, spotting us waiting for him, and pulled her into a quick embrace. She hugged him tightly for a minute before they separated and Luke gave her a quick goodbye as he headed over to us quickly.

The grin he gave me didn't reach his eyes as he hurried up to us. "Ready to go, Sleeping Beauty?" He winked at me. Deciding not to mention what we'd just seen, I huffed and pretended to flip my hair again.

"Oh gods, I've changed my mind!" I announced, continuing quickly and distracting the others. I could see their curiosity over what Luke and Annabeth had been discussing fading into amusement at my dramatics. "If I'm stuck hanging around you any longer, I'll lose my mind. I wanna take someone else!"

The others chuckled while Luke faked a hurt look, clutching his heart area.

"How could you say such a thing Sleeping Beauty? I'm the best company at Camp!"

Clarisse narrowed her eyes at him, waving her electric spear threateningly at him. "You wanna repeat that, Castellan?"

Luke's cheeky smirk faltered at her warning look, and he shifted nervously, glancing around. Unfortunately for him, we'd just arrived at the base of the hill, and he was surrounded.

"Uh," he muttered, eyeing her warily and grasping his sword pommel while the rest of us watched his discomfort in amusement. "You guys are terrible friends," he complained, making us all laugh again.

"Maybe to you," Katie retorted sassily, before turning to me and going serious again. "Be careful, Ana," she begged me, pulling me into a tight hug.

"Yeah, Sea Princess," Travis agreed, taking over the embrace. "And keep our brother safe too, okay?" He added quietly. I nodded as I went into Connor's embrace.

"I'll try," I agreed.

"If Ana comes back with any damage, Castellan, you're gonna pay for it," Clarisse threatened Luke, who looked bewildered and nervous.

"Why're you threatening me?" He protested as I said my final goodbyes to Lou Ellen and Silena, both of whom seemed to be holding back tears.

"Because I don't like you," Clarisse replied bluntly.

"That hurts, Clarisse, it really hurts, right here," Luke joked, pointing at his heart. She scoffed and waved her spear at him, making him jump back.

"That's enough now," Chiron ordered mildly, stepping up to us. The others gave us (mostly me) one last round of hugs before walking off. I heard Silena and Katie burst into tears as they walked off, and the Stolls pulled them into supportive hugs. I turned to Chiron, trying to suppress the sick feeling in my stomach.

He gave a gentle smile, waving us up the hill towards Thalia's Pine. At the bottom, I could see Argus standing beside one of the camp's SUVs, that was going to take us to the bustop.

"Luke, Grover, if the two of you would head down to the car, I need to speak to Ana for a minute," Chiron gently instructed the two boys. They nodded, descending the slope. Neither of us spoke until they had reached the bottom.

"It's no accident Poseidon has claimed you now," Chiron finally spoke. "It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs you."

"You're saying he's using me," I answered flatly, shifting my backpack.

"I'm saying that your father needs you," Chiron corrected me gently. I shrugged back.

"I'm not doing this for him," I insisted firmly. "I'm doing it to stop the world being destroyed. I don't care about my father."

His lips turned down, and I felt a surge of guilt at disappointing him. "You might think that your father has done nothing for you, Ana," he told me. "But he is the one who gave me Anaklusmos, to give to you."

I glanced at him and asked something that had been bothering me since I'd learned my father was a god.

"Do the Ancient Laws forbid helping a former lover?"

Chiron looked surprised for a moment before realization flashed over his expression. He shook his head, placing a hand on my shoulder. I nodded, lifting my chin.

"I don't care about my father," I repeated flatly, making him sigh heavily and nod. I gave him a thoughtful look.

"You've known I'm Poseidon's daughter all along, haven't you?"

He pursed his lips as he replied. "I had my suspicions, but I wasn't sure. Poseidon has had immortal daughters before, but only ever demigod sons. You are unique."

I nodded silently, inhaling deeply. "Goodbye Chiron."

He smiled back as I started making my way down the slope.

"Goodbye Ana, and the Gods be with you."

When I was in the car, and glancing back, I saw Chiron, once again in centaur form. His bow was raised in salute as we sped off.

After weeks of Camp Half-Blood, the 'normal' world was a shock. I found myself staring at every McDonald's, every kid in the back of his parents' car, every billboard and shopping mall. Luke caught me, and gave me an understanding smile.

"Feels strange, right?" He asked me with a knowing tone. I nodded, my gaze following a woman walking her dog for a minute longer before I shook it off and turned to him.

"It's weird," I told him sincerely. "Hard to believe I didn't believe in any of this a month ago."

He nodded back at me, with an odd look in his eye. "Actually, my mom never hid who my father was from me," he admitted. "I've always known, so I guess it's a bit different for me."

I could easily tell his mother was a sore topic, and I knew all about familial troubles, so I tactfully changed the subject to a sword technique he had been showing me. It was the right decision, because Luke instantly brightened and we spent the rest of the journey talking about the subject.

At the bus stop, we spent a while playing Hackey Sack with one of Grover's apples, until he ate our ball. After that, I had no distraction from the fact that I was barely ten minutes walk away from my mom and stepfather's old apartment. I wondered what she would have thought, knowing I was responsible for stopping World War III, and if she knew that I wasn't supposed to be born.

"You okay, Ana?" Grover asked me a low tone. I faked a smile, sure he could see right through me.

"I'm fine," I claimed. It was completely true. After all, as my old social worker once said: FINE stands for Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional. Grover gave me a doubtful look, reminding me that he'd recently said something about satyrs reading emotions, but let it go as Luke came back up with a map of American train and bus lines in hand.

"All good?"

I nodded, a stubborn set to my jaw as our Greyhound pulled up. As we stood in line to board, I noticed that Grover was sniffing the air, glancing around with an anxious expression.

"What's wrong?" I asked lowly, noticing Luke stiffen as he heard my words.

"I don't know," Grover replied tensely. "Maybe nothing."

I could tell it wasn't nothing, and so did Luke. We both kept looking around for danger, and I worried over having to fight while surrounded by mortals. Finally we were on the bus, in seats about half-way down. Grover and I were about to stow our things, but Luke stopped us.

"We might need to leave in a hurry," he muttered. "Better off keeping them on our laps for a quick getaway."

We nodded and settled in. My ADHD made it impossible to sit still, especially when nervous, so I started tapping my thigh in a random pattern. Luke had taken out the Yankees cap that Annabeth had given him, and was patting it on his thigh repeatedly. Suddenly he clamped down on my thigh, stopping my fingers in mid-tap.

"Ana!" He hissed. I looked up, and my heart leapt into my throat.

It was Mrs. Dodds, looking exactly the same as when she was my teacher. And there were two other old ladies, who were dressed, and looked identical to her. The only difference was their differently coloured hats.

"Di immortales," I breathed, barely realizing that I'd sworn in Greek. "All three of them!" Grover moaned in horror, staring at the Kindly Ones in terror.

They sat in the front row, just behind the driver's seat. Two of them crossed their legs over the aisle in an 'X' shape. To the mortals, it looked like a casual movement, I'm sure. I, however, saw the true meaning. Nobody leaves.

"Shouldn't she still be reforming?" I whispered, scrunching down in my seat as much as I could. Grover was shaking and muttering prayers to various gods beside me. If all of them wanted me dead because of this whole prophecy thing, then I doubted he was gonna get anywhere with that road.

"Usually it takes a few years," Luke agreed quietly, scanning the bus for a way out of our situation. "But not always. She's probably really pissed at you though."

"Fantastic. Is there an emergency exit we can use?"

It was in the roof, and there was no way that we could get to it without attracting attention. There was no back exit either, and the windows were screwed shut. Worst design ever! It's like they didn't even consider the possibility of three questers needing an escape route from several deadly monsters! The stupidity! I mean come on. Have a bit of foresight people!

"Okay," Luke breathed, "Put Annabeth's hat on. You'll turn invisible and be able to sneak by them."

"What about you?"

"We'll be fine. It's not us that they're after. Seriously Ana, go!" With that, he shoved the cap on to my head.

I felt awful abandoning them, but Luke was right that the Kindly Ones were after me. I started creeping up the aisle, swinging my bag back over my shoulder. I got up ten rows, then ducked into an empty aisle to avoid bumping into Mrs. Dodds. She paused, turning to look in my direction whilst sniffing the air. My heart was in my throat as I stood stock still. Finally, she turned away continued shuffling down the aisle with her sisters. I slumped in relief.

I was free. I made it to the front of the bus. We were almost through the Lincoln Tunnel now. I was about to press the emergency stop button when I heard hideous wailing from the back row.

The old ladies were not old ladies anymore. Their faces were still the same—I guess those couldn't get any uglier— but their bodies had shrivelled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat's wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws. Their handbags had turned into fiery whips.

The Furies surrounded Grover and Luke, lashing their whips, hissing: "Where is it? Where?"
The other people on the bus were screaming, cowering in their seats. They saw something, all right.

"She's not here!" Luke yelled. "She's gone!"

The Furies raised their whips. Luke drew his sword. Grover grabbed a tin can from his snack bag and prepared to throw it.

What I did next was so impulsive and dangerous I should've been named ADHD poster child of the year.

The bus driver was distracted, trying to see what was going on in his rearview mirror.

Still invisible, I grabbed the wheel from him and jerked it to the left. Everybody howled as they were thrown to the right, and I heard what I hoped was the sound of three Furies smashing against the windows.

"Hey!" the driver yelled. "Hey—whoa!"

We wrestled for the wheel. The bus slammed against the side of the tunnel, grinding metal, throwing sparks a mile behind us.

We careened out of the Lincoln Tunnel and back into the rainstorm, people and monsters tossed around the bus, cars plowed aside like bowling pins.

Somehow the driver found an exit. Really he should've gotten a commendation for that. We shot off the highway, through half a dozen traffic lights, and ended up barrelling down one of those New Jersey rural roads where 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 driver seemed to be veering toward the river.

Another great (awful) idea: I hit the emergency brake.

The bus wailed, spun a full circle on the wet asphalt, and crashed into the trees. The emergency lights came on. The door flew open. The bus driver was the first one out, the passengers yelling as they stampeded after him. I stepped into the driver's seat and let them pass.

The Furies regained their balance. They lashed their whips at Luke while he waved his sword around and yelled threats in Ancient Greek. Grover threw tin cans.

I looked at the open doorway. I was free to go, but I couldn't leave my friends. I took off the invisible cap. "Hey!"

The Furies turned, baring their yellow fangs at me, and the exit suddenly seemed like an excellent idea. Mrs. Dodds stalked up the aisle, just as she used to do in class, about to deliver my F maths test. Every time she flicked her whip, red flames danced along the barbed leather.

Her two ugly sisters hopped on top of the seats on either side of her and crawled toward me like huge nasty lizards.

"Anaea Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said, in an accent that was definitely from somewhere farther south than Georgia. "You have offended the gods. You shall die."

"I liked you better as a maths teacher," I told her.

She growled. I guess that teaching a bunch of delinquent teens maths wasn't a period of time she wanted to remember.

Luke and Grover moved up behind the Furies cautiously, looking for an opening.

I unpinned my pin from my hair and twisted the emerald. Anaklusmos elongated into a shimmering double-edged sword, making the Furies hesitate.

Mrs. Dodds had felt Anaklusmos' blade before. She obviously didn't like seeing it again.

"Submit now," she hissed. "And you will not suffer eternal torment."

"Sounds boring," I told her sincerely.

"Ana, look out!" Luke cried.

Mrs. Dodds lashed her whip around my sword hand while the Furies on the either side lunged at me.

My hand felt like it was wrapped in molten lead, but I managed not to drop Anaklusmos. I stuck the Fury on the left with its hilt, sending her toppling backward into a seat. I turned and sliced the Fury on the right. As soon as the blade connected with her neck, she screamed and exploded into dust. Luke got Mrs. Dodds in a wrestler's hold and yanked her backward while Grover ripped the whip out of her hands. I don't know why Luke didn't attack her with his sword but there you go. I suppose half-bloods aren't exactly know for thinking things through.

"Ow!" Grover yelled. "Ow! Hot! Hot!"

The Fury I'd hilt-slammed came at me again, talons ready, but I swung Anaklusmos and she broke open like a piñata.

Mrs. Dodds was trying to get Luke off her back. She kicked, clawed, hissed and bit, but Luke held on with all the stubbornness of a suicidal demigod while Grover got Mrs. Dodds's legs tied up in her own whip. Finally they both shoved her backward into the aisle. Mrs. Dodds tried to get up, but she didn't have room to flap her bat wings, so she kept falling down.

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

"Braccas meas vescimini!" I yelled.

I wasn't sure where the Latin came from. I think it meant "Eat my pants!"

Thunder shook the bus. The hair rose on the back of my neck.

"Get out!" Luke yelled at me frantically, grabbing his and Grover's bags. "Now!" I didn't need any encouragement.

We rushed outside and found the other passengers wandering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around in circles yelling, "We're going to die!" A Hawaiian-shirted tourist with a camera snapped my photograph before I could stow my sword.

There was a sudden, loud boom that made Luke grab me and shield me with his body as the windows of the bus while the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof, but an angry wail from inside told me Mrs. Dodds was not yet dead.

"Run!" Luke urged with a panicked expression. "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.