Okay, you all probably hate me for not updating in so long.

SORRY!

And I completely failed my exam. I screwed up the middle 50 bars ... *laughs sadly*

Anyway, here we are! And I vow that I shall update soon!

Disclaimer: I own no character except those I made up-like Opal.

Chapter 9: We Hitch a Ride with the Zoo of Many Names that Have No Meaning because it is just Awful

The first hour was the worst. The lion paced back and forth in his stinking cage, the zebra was trembling, and the antelope looked like the new stereotype for Sad, Lonely, Embarrassed and In Pain. I talked to the zebra for a bit. Every time I said a word, it would shake his mane. I managed to get the guy's name: Alfred. It was kind of a random name, but he said it was better to a have a ridiculous name than to have gum in your mane.

I had to agree with him there.

He said that one of the drivers constantly chewed that gum that was meant to help your teeth, even though the guy had fewer teeth than one of those rotating clown heads that you stick balls down.

Even he kept calling me Night Pegasus. I asked him to stop and then he did this bowing thing and said, of course, Flyer of the Night.

How annoying can that get, really? [I'm glad we agree.]

I watched Percy stick his sword in and drag out the hamburger meat patty thingy that looked gross from Alfred's and the antelope's cages, before taking out the turnips from the lion, who Alfred said name was Billy. Apparently the antelope's was Twirl, and was petrified of anything that was yellow. How that was possible I had no idea, but that wasn't my biggest worry.

Alfred was digging into some turnips that Percy had shoved in for him and Twirl, and Billy was eating the meat thingies. It was quiet for a bit, and then the kiddos started to talk.

Yeah, it was kind of rude to listen to them. But when you're surrounded by flies in the grossest trailer you can think of that smells like two-year-old kitty litter, you try to enjoy yourself.

"Hey," Annabeth said. "I'm sorry for freaking out back at the water park, Percy."

"That's okay." Gee, I was expecting something like, why the heck did you freak out? Were on live cameras with Blackjack commentating us and you freaked out? It ruined the shots!

"It's just . . ." she shuddered. "Spiders."

Spiders? Hmm, can't say I thought of that as a valid reason. Mind you, what was our reason for being trapped in this revolting trailer with Guido's butt in my face?

"Because of the Arachne story?" Ooh, he was getting the hang of it! [Look, I am just sick of saying ow, so stope doing that! You criticize yourself too—hey, just because I do it to you doesn't mean you're allowed to do it to me, okay? Geez . . .]

"She got turned into a spider by your mom for challenging her to a weaving contest, right?" he asked. I blew Guido's tail out of my face. "Oi, watch where you put that thing, Guides."

"What?" he mumbled. "Oh . . . okay . . ."

He moved a fraction of an inch. I have great friends. [Okay, Guido, that was not a compliment. Hey, that's your tail, for Poseidon's sake! Oi, shut up boss. Yes, I'm allowed to do that! You are so not my superior! That was just for the story! Look, just shut it, okay? Okay, I guess I should know better than to think that you'll actually do it. Look, if you keep this up I'll get Annabeth to do it! Yes, now get writing! No! You have not just written all that! Oh ~gnas-+uidsuhf . . .]

Annabeth nodded. "Arachne's children have been taking revenge on the children of Athena ever since. If there's a spider within a mile of me, it'll find me. I hate the creepy little things. Anyway, I owe you."

Ta-da! Maybe she does have brains. [Oh great, perfect timing, Annabeth. Okay fine, I'll allow it that time, she's your girlfriend. No, I will not allow it that time! She is so your girlfriend! Ow! What about me and Opal? . . . not telling.]

"We're a team, remember?" Percy said. Yep, one for team sports. "Anyway, it was Grover who did the fancy flying."

No one ever credits the pegasi, do they?!

"I was pretty amazing, wasn't I?"

Shut it, Goat-Boy.

Thank Zeus and Poseidon both I fell asleep.

Well, that was until I had a dream. I mean, could my day get any worse . . . ? I guess I shouldn't have said that.

I was in a different cavern. It was like I was at the bottom of a chasm. Then I realised: I was. Huge, booming, painful laughter echoed through it, bouncing off the jagged rocky spires around me. A faint reddish glow came from my left, and sharp screams sounded to my right. I had a feeling I knew where I was.

Well, well, well, here we are again, Night Pegasus.

I ground my teeth. Not only was that voice physically painful, but it was just so annoying with about a thousand different things calling me a Night Pegasus!

"Look, whoever the Hades you are, I have a freaking name you know."

Very amusing. Have you considered my offer?

"I gave you the answer! NO!"

Such a shame . . . she was a pretty filly . . .

"Don't you dare talk about Opal that way!"

Oh? I thought she meant nothing to you, seeing as you declined my offer.

I swallowed. "What do you plan to do with her if I decline?"

I could imagine the voice's mouth smiling evilly as it said, Whatever you think of as the most grotesque way of disposing of someone.

"You foul, disgusting, evil—"

Shut your muzzle, raven.

I shut up.

If you want to help her, you need to help me. Accept, and your little Halflings cam complete their quest in vain, or, if I'm in a bad mood, fail anyway, and then, when my army rises, you and you precious filly will be safe.

I shuffled my wings. They were strapped to my sides by a leather belt. "Give me more time."

As you wish, Night Pegasus. But know this: even if you accept, if you deliberately do badly, you will feel the punishment one thousand times worse than what it would be if you were to decline.

"Look, if you don't hold your world you'll wish you'd never been born."

Oh, I already have. Being defeated by that pathetic son Zeus . . .

It began to fade, but I managed to see a figure being showered with poisoned laurels, and the voice yelled out sarcastically, Hail, the conquering hero!

And I woke up.

The truck had stopped. I sat up and hit my head on the bars of the cage. "Ow!" I yelled. Then I felt Guido's hoof in my shoulder, telling me to shut up.

I made a 'very funny' look at him but did. I watched as the trailer door was heaved open and the guy came in and dumped some happy meals into the animals' cages. I could see his mouth moving, but for some reason the voice's words kept playing over in my head: whatever you think for as the most grotesque way possible. . . . Such a pretty filly . . . Raven . . .I thought she meant nothing to you as you declined my offer . . . whatever the you think of as the . . .

Is shook my head, it was like it was coming from the other end of a twisting cave, dim and a thousand miles away, yet all the vehemence and bitterness came through the words. They sounded exactly like echoes, except more brittle and I could hear the painful voice repeat it over and over. And they were all about Opal. Opal . . . and me?

Suddenly a shiver went through me like an electric shock. I could just sense that being here with the kiddos would make me hear them over and over, like there was a place here that was held in a loophole of time. And in that loophole, I could sense death. I don't know why, I just did. It was just pulling at the base of my neck, making my every feather stand on end.

I looked at my two buds. They had their faces stuck in a permanent look off gross. But Porkpie's eyes were letting off the fact that they should take care of the animals.

Annabeth stood up and put her cap on, immediately vanishing. She ran out of the door and banged the trailer. In that moment Percy jumped up and sliced the locks on Alfred's cage, he jumped out and did this bowing thing and said something like, thank you, Lord.

I mean, yeah, this guy was superior to me, but you don't grovel, do you? So far I was pretty unimpressed with what he'd put us through. One time with Ares is more than enough, thank you very much.

Grover stopped him and then said the Blessing of the Wild. I personally don't think it's very affective, but there's no telling a satyr, is there? Sure, it works for some, maybe even Percy—[OW!]—but that doesn't mean I believe it works, okay? Everyone's allowed to be sceptical.

So Alfred charged out of the door, and in that moment while Percy and Grover had their backs turned, Porkpie slipped out of the cage and turned back to us. "I'm not letting these guys out in the desert alone."

"You go, Porks. Just . . . meet us back at camp," I said. I could see him light up. I would've enjoyed that face without the voices pounding my brain like a punching bag.

He galloped out of the trailer after Alfred and then took off. I looked at Guido. "Down to two, huh?"

"Well, at least we still have the guy that gets himself into trouble just for fun."

"Can't go wrong, can you?"

He looked at me like, seriously? "Nope. Not much. Just I guess trouble with fillies is pretty bad."

"I do not get into trouble with fillies!"

"You freaking do! What the— the kids are getting out. Come on!"

They'd freed Twirl and Billy and they were jumping from the trailer. We ran out after them.

Straight into Las Vegas.

There you have it! Chapter 10 done!

Now, I'm just bored so, I'm going to pull a Cat.

EXTRA SNAZZY BONUS QUESTION!

What would you rather happen with Opal?

Get with Blackjack?

Spontaneously go missing . . . ?

Die?

Or ... LEAVE HIM?

I don't know at the moment, so please tell me!

What I have as where this story is going, is this:

Three things you must to to have a great character:

- have something to love them

- have something to connect with them

- have something to make you pity them

I'm not really that sure about that last one. ANYWAY, until next time, good reading!

Owl.

Please R & R.

Oh, and have any of you seen Kleiner Hai? It's hilarious!

*Kleiner hai ... doo-doo ... Kleiner hai ... doo-doo ...*