Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians and their stuff…
Chapter 10
The demigods of the quest were crossing Potomac River with a sense of relief hanging in the air when Percy had to break it by drawing their attention to something they all had not noticed.
Percy had been slumped against the leather seats at the back of the van away from the girls as they drove out of Washington, escaping the skeleton warriors. He had cautiously cast a look around his surroundings before concentrating, forming a cold misty ice cube in his hands.
He played with it, molding it into different shapes absentmindedly as he thought about the recent events. He had to save Artemis from fading along with 4 girls that could one minute be cheerful and bouncy while the next minute snappy.
Percy let out a complicated sigh and melted the ice cube, leaving his hand dripping with glistening beads of water. Percy half-heartedly heated his hand and dried it instantly. He looked out the window, at the tall skyscrapers standing straight and proud, forcing Percy to squint at the winking flashes where light reflected on the glass.
Through his peripheral vision, he caught something black out fo the corner of his eye. Percy, curious to know what it was, leaned back and twisted his neck so that he could get a good angle the black object.
Percy's eyes widened when he noticed it was sleek black van, the very same he noticed parked outside of the Westover Hall. It was there again at the Space Museum. He pieced one and one together and came up with an "oh, crap" when he realized they had been followed.
"Watch your language boy." Zoe called from the front as she looked back at him to see what the commotion is.
Percy was far to urgent to get away from them to fully comprehend Zoe's words and found himself replying without thinking, "I am watching it, its English obviously."
Zoe cast a murderous glare in his direction, who was he to think he can talk back? Percy met her gaze calmly and said his next words that created a feeling that contrasted against his, "We are being tailed. The monsters and the general, their van is following us. We need to lose them."
Immediately, everyone stiffened before one by one they looked back only to find a confirmation to what Percy just said. Zoe had already stretched her arm back to reach for her bow, and Thalia had her hand on the watch strapped onto her wrist that transforms into her electric spear.
"No attacks, we are outnumbered. We should find a way so they can't follow us. Any suggestions?" Percy asked, his eyes flashing calculatingly as he pondered on different choices.
"We should take the subway, it is fast, and we could change easily after each station. It is right there, under that car park." Bianca offered shyly, pointing her hand in front.
Annabeth nodded but kept her focus on the grey blur of the road in front of her as she kept her firm grip on the steering wheel. The others turned and saw what Bianca had discovered.
"Let's go there. Bianca's right." Thalia decided after a while, restraining herself from the urge to charge into the group of skeletal warriors foolishly.
Annabeth gave a jerk to the steering wheel and they soon screeched to a stop. They clambered out of the van, all agreeing to ditch the van without even having to say it, and dashed down steps towards the subway entrance.
"Do any of you have any money?" Percy asked quickly, as he kept on looking back and forth, searching for any signs of pursuit.
Everyone else shook their heads and he sighed, "Now what do we do? We needed money to buy us tickets." He fidgeted on both his feet as the quest-members stared at each other with down-cast looks.
"Now, why the sad faces? What's going on?" The demigods jumped, feeling startled at the hoarse voice of a homeless man sitting on a rusty bench near them.
He had on a lopsided cap and his clothes were baggy and dotted with small holes. His eyes were a dull blue and his face was sunken and wrinkled, but his mouth was pulled into a toothy smile.
The demigods exchanged glances, each of them not seeing the homeless old man there. It was like he popped into existence here without them noticing.
"We are travelers, you see? We ran out of money, and we need to take a train heading west." Zoe explained, cutting out the minor detail that they were being chased by bloodthirsty skeletal warriors that cannot be defeated.
"Well, what a coincidence! There is a train there. It is more like a shuttle train; it heads west to your destination." The old man pointed a frail bony finger towards a gleaming train slowing to a stop at their station bearing its name "Sun west Railways" on its side. They had never seen it before.
Percy looked strangely at the homeless man, before nodding his head slowly, saying, "Um, yeah, what a coincidence. That's, uh, convenient."
Zoe took a long look at the train with its open doors and beckoned to the group, "We better get moving. This could be our chance to get away." She then cast a distasteful look to the old man, but he ignored her, too busy scrubbing the dirt from his nails.
Percy followed the others into the train looking suspiciously at its name, before stepping into the carriage. Once the train had started moving, they relaxed.
Bianca had collapsed on one of the overnight beds the train provided, sinking into a slumber, drowning in heavenly blankets. It was an extremely long day for her.
Zoe smiled sympathetically at Bianca as she pulled herself up onto the top bed, crossing her legs as she leaned back against the wall, deep in thought.
Annabeth and Thalia had wandered off to the next carriage, whispering as they went. Percy stared after the two before pulling himself reluctantly and made his way to the end of the train where he stood near its edge. He enjoyed the free wind howling past his ears, peace at last.
He opened his eyes and was taken aback when the old homeless man from before was casually leaning against the railing like he was there for a while.
"You weren't there before. Who are you? Why are you helping us?" Percy fired off the questions in rapid speed, narrowing his eyes at the stranger.
The old man adopted a twinkling light in his blue eyes as he cleared his throat and declared,
" I am in disguise
Helping demigods save sis
I am so awesome. "
Percy looked confused for a second before he tilted his head questioningly and said uncertainly, "Apollo?"
"Yep, I am just trying to help save my baby sis."
"I thought its against the ancient laws."
"Zeus forbids it but I am here under cover. Call be Bob."
"Okay…. Bob. You provided this train for us, right?" Percy guessed, realizing why the train seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
"Indeed. Currently, at this speed, you can reach your destination very soon."
"Where exactly is our destination? We do not know anything about the quest. How do we save Artemis?" Percy asked, feeling desperate. He needed to save Artemis, but he had no idea how. Even he cannot beat Atlas.
"You know some things; you have to go to California to Mount Tam and save Artemis. The train will stop at New Mexico, that is the limit to the help I can provide. As to how to save her, refer to the prophecy. I am sorry, that is all I can do for you."
"It is okay. Thanks for everything you have done for us…Bob." Percy replied, taking a deep breath to steady himself.
Apollo winked and flashed from the train. Percy unshielded his eyes and decided to have a talk with Zoe.
Zoe's eyes snapped open when he heard Percy stumbling back into the compartment. She was wondered what he wanted when he stood on his tiptoes and peeked up the top bed.
She mouthed "What?" with an annoyed expression on her face. Percy waved to her, calling her down to the seats. She sighed grumbling as she climbed down the steps and hopped down with a soft thud onto the train floor.
"What do you want?" Zoe asked wearily as she sat on the edge of her seat as if this was just in case she needed to bolt if she needed.
Percy eyed her position before saying, "I needed to talk to you about the quest." Zoe waved her hand in a circle, prompting him to go on. "I know there is something personal going on between Atlas and you. I want to know about that."
Zoe stiffened, her eyes flashing dangerously as her hand closed around the hilt of her dagger. For a moment, Percy really thought she was going to maim him. He had seen that she was particularly disturbed at every mention of the general and he wanted to know why.
"Why do you want to know? It is personal. Males should learn to not be nosy." Zoe sneered, her eyes hard and steely.
"I need to know. If we are going to save Artemis, we should not keep secrets from each other. That way, we can trust one another to be successful." Percy explained.
Zoe sighed in defeat knowing this cannot go on any longer. "He was my father." She whispered in a low voice. This was the first time Percy saw her looking that defenseless. She was looking at him like she expected him to recoil in fear.
Percy knew she needed someone to accept her hereditary. She had probably been in countless troubles just because of her father with no one believing she had a heart, much unlike her father.
"It is okay. Don't think that I will think you will betray Olympus and stuff like that. You are who you are, even if you are snappy and fierce at times, you care." Percy assured her.
"Zeus had wanted to execute me since I was his enemy's daughter. What makes you so sure I won't turn against you and help the titans?"
"Pfft, I am not Zeus," Percy dismissed the thought with a careless wave of his hand, "and I know you would never betray Artemis."
"Artemis found me. She took me in, offered me a family, when others turned against me. I owe everything to her. We need to save her." Determination flashed in her volcanic black eyes.
Percy nodded and to lighten up the mood, joked, "Well, I did not save her for her to get herself killed again." Zoe looked better, she had kept this secret from the others, but now she had confessed it to a boy, out of all the quest members.
"Why are you so understanding?" Zoe wondered aloud.
"I understand a miserable life." Percy said casually shrugging. He did not add, "I would soon be like you when people find my mother was Khione."
Zoe nodded and gave a half-smile, something very difficult for her to accomplish. She felt much better now that she knew someone at least knows her identity and that person understood.
They sat there in compete silence for a long while, before Zoe asked, "Where is this train exactly headed?"
She scowled and shook her head exasperatedly when her response was a light snore from Percy who had fallen asleep with his head rolling forwards on his shoulders.
"This boy is certainly different." Zoe decided.