hey everyone! sorry it too so long, but I had A LOT of work :(
anyways, here's the next chapter. please read and REVIEW!
The Boenos Noche's motel was a small building with a low ceiling and walls that used to be white. We paid the cab driver, and went to check in. We were kind of low on money, so we could only afford one small room for the three of us. And when I say small, I mean really small. The type that has only one bed, a chair, a table, one bathroom and bright green curtains. We took turns in the shower, and once we were all fresh and clean we sat around the table, Lupa's map right in front of us.
"Why hasn't the location appeared?" Jack wondered.
"Because," Reyna rolled her eyes, "Lupa said it will show the location when we get to the land of the pharaohs."
"Which means we have to go to Egypt?" I wondered.
"No, to Antarctica. Any other brilliant questions Sherlock?" Reyna rolled her eyes again, and gave me the 'can't-believe-you're-so-dumb' look. I stuck my tongue out at her.
"Sorry to interrupt, but um..."Jack didn't have time to finish. Just then, the glass exploded, showering little sparkly drops down on us. I jumped up and pulling my lethal pen from my pocket. Someone was trying to climb through the window, someone who was definitely not human. The figure dropped onto the floor, and got tangled up in the green curtain. Reyna was on it at once.
"Wait, no..." it shrieked as I pulled the curtain off its head. Behind me, I heard a little gasp. Jack's back was against the wall, his face twisted in a terrified expression.
"What's wrong?" I asked confused. He just stared blankly at the creature that was now struggling to free itself from the curtain. Finally, it stood up and I was able to see it properly for the first time. It was a boy, at least the top half of him was. But where his legs should be...where his legs should be...there were goat hoofs.
"I'm sorry." He muttered, "I didn't mean to break in like that."
"You're...a faun?" Reyna shook her head in disbelief.
"What? Is there something wrong with fauns?" he asked, clearly insulted. Then he looked at Jack. For a second, he seemed confused, but he just shook his head and looked away. Jack still looked terrified.
"You...you..." he murmured under his breath.
"Alright, what's going on? I demand and explanation!" Reyna stepped in between them and looked from Jack, to the faun, to me, to Jack again.
"I—never mind." Jack was finally snapping out of it. His cheeks flooded with color and he took a quick shaky breath.
"What's wrong with you?" Reyna looked at him as if he was an alien.
"Nothing. I just...I thought it was someone I knew." He said, looking away. Reyna was about to ask something else, but then changed her mind.
"I'm sorry." The faun muttered again.
"Where are you from?" I asked.
"That's the thing, I have no freaking clue. One moment everything's fine, the next I wake up in the middle of a park, with no clue of who I am and how I got there."
Reyna and I exchanged looks.
"And when did this happened?" she asked.
"About 4 days ago."
Now it was my turn to be shocked.
Jack stood aside from us, examining the floor as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.
"Four days ago?" I asked. The faun nodded.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Reyna gave me a questioning look.
"I'm afraid so." I replied.
"Hey, whoa, wait a second." The faun said, "What are you all thinking off? I didn't mean to break in alright? But I had no choice, the police is after me and if the find me I'm DEAD! They'll lock me up in a zoo and make experiments on me, and poke me with needles and..."
"Whoa, chill there, goat boy. We're not gonna let the police have you. Besides, they'll probably lock us up to if they find out who we are." Reyna said.
The faun gave her a weak smile.
"Friends?" he asked.
"Friends!" I agreed. I reached out to shake his hand, and suddenly there he was, except we were on an island and he was, for some strange reason I ignored, dressed in a long wedding dress that was clearly too big on him. I blinked in surprise. The faun was giving me a questioning look. We were back in the motel room, and he was dressed in his normal torn shirt and jeans that went up to where a human knee would usually be. No wedding dress, no island, nothing. That's it, I really need a vacation I thought.
All of a sudden, there was a banging on our door.
"Abran! Abrir ahora, es la policía"
"Oh shit!" Reyna cursed in Latín while I tried to shove the faun into the closet.
"Tienes cinco segundos antes de que tenemos que forzar la entrada de uno, dos, tres ..."
"One second!" I called. Jack was still on the other side of the room, starring at his feet.
"Jack!" I yelled, "Come and help us!" to late.
The door burst open and five police man ran in, pointing guns at our chests.
"Drop your weapons!" One of them yelled in a perfect English, "Hands behind your backs. NOW!" wait, English?
"You speak english?" I asked.
"Well of course we do, Perseus Jackson. How could we not!" Perseus Jackson? Wait a second…
"maledicamin infernum" Reyna gasped, "Percy! Watch out, the first one, he's a..."
"A manticore!" I finished for her. I knew him, I was sure I did.
"Do you not remember me Perseus? Have you such short memory that you forget even your enemies, hero?"
"Should I know you?" I asked. I could see that Reyna was slowly creeping her way around, trying to blow a strike from the side. Her knife was in her hand, glowing in the dim light.
"I would hope so. I followed you all the way here from Manhattan. And now, it is time for you to face your doom"
I looked over at Reyna. Her knife was raised, inches from the manticore's head.
"Oh no you don't!" he roared. His tail moved with lightning speed and Reyna went crashing into the opposite wall. I could hear her breath escape her with a loud woosh, and she slid down to the floor.
I felt something move behind me, and turned around just in time to see a huge fist swing at me. The other police man who were with the manticore seemed to finally remember they can fight (not that it was a good thing), and were now chagrin at us. I ducked another punch and slashed my sword across someone's face. The creature roared in pain and reached out to cover its single eye. A Cyclops I gasped. Before it could react, I reached out and stabbed it right through the chest.
Ouch! He said and exploded into a shower of dust.
I took a quick peek around me. Reyna was fighting off two Cyclops at the same time, while the manticore charged towards Jack. Then something happened, something that was so strange even the Cyclops forgot to fight. Just as the manticore was about to draw a thorn through Jack's chest, it suddenly stopped. His tail froze halfway through, never blowing the strike.
"Y—you." he mumbled.
I stared in shock as the manticore lowered his tail.
"How...how's this...this is isn't possible!" he croaked. His expression went from fear, to anger, to fear, to surprise, to I don't even know what. Jack gave the manticore a murderous look, and then suddenly jumped at him with a loud yell. There was a faint yelp. Jack stepped back. The manticore looked down to the hilt of the sword, sticking out of his chest.
"Why? I thought..." he never finished the sentence. Jack pulled out his sword and the manticore collapsed into a pile of ashes. The room was dead silent.
"Well?" one of the Cyclops asked, "What are you waiting for?"
His partner gave him a pitiful look before running out the door. The last Cyclops looked around. Realizing that he was the last one, he ran after his buddy, but collapsed halfway there with Reyna's knife sticking out of his back. Silence. Reyna picked up her knife and turned to face Jack.
"I think it's time you start talking." She said.
"What do you mean?" he asked, but I could hear dread in his voice.
"What the hell was that? First the faun, now the manticore. WHO ARE YOU?"
"Listen, I don't know." He said, backing away, "maybe he confused me with someone."
"I was ready to buy that with the faun but now..."
"Alright," Reyna's knife was now under his bare neck, "I'll tell you. Just put your knife down!"
Reyna hesitated, but then put it away. She didn't back off though, so Jack had to tell his story with his back pressed against the wall.
"The manticore, he was the one who killed my escort. The faun, he looks a bit like him, and I first I thought it was a ghost. But the manticore was aiming for me, and he never got a chance to see who he killed because Irving killed him first. He probably thought I died, so he was surprised to see me alive." He took a quick breath. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's true." He added.
Reyna gave him a suspicious look, but finally backed off. Jack wiped the swat of his forehead. I noticed that Reyna's eyes were misty when she looked away, and her expression was a bit confused, as if she just came out of a trance.
"We should get out of here." She finally said. "The security guards will be here soon."
As if on cue, we heard loud footsteps resonate in the hall.
"Let's go!" Jack urged.
"Wait!" I ran up to the faun that was standing aside uncomfortably, chewing on an aluminum can (where did it come from?). "Come with us." I pleaded. "We could use your help."
He stared back at me with confusion.
"Why would you want me, I didn't even help you."
"You can't stay here. It's too dangerous for you. Besides, I know how you feel; I've lost my memory to."
"Really?" the faun looked hopeful now. I tried not to be insulted by that, after all i to was happy that i wasn't the only one.
"Yes, come on."
The footsteps were growing louder by the second.
"Come on you guys, we have to GO!" Reyna yelled. We didn't have to be told twice. I grabbed the faun's hand and dragged him towards the shattered window. Jack and Reyna were already waiting outside. I pushed him through and jumped out after him. Just before falling, I looked back, and caught a glimpse of something that instantly made me wish I hadn't looked back. Flanked by security guards was my friend the demon flight attendant.
so that's it, hope you liked it. in case you haven't guessed, yes the faun is Grover! YAY! they didn't mention him in the lost hero, so I figured I would add him. before you can comment; they still have the empathy link, meaning if one of them dies, so does the other. thus, logically if one looses his memory, the other should to! :P
*remember to review this chapter! thanks!