He woke up to feeling of someone shaking his shoulder, opening his eyes and seeing bright blue irises. Luke smiled as he blinked groggily, offering a hand, and he was pulled to his feet.
"Uh," he started, out of it. "What?" Percy glanced at Grover, who was sitting crossed-legged by the trunk of the tree. In his lap was a ball of bright pink hair, yapping annoyingly and quivering.
Luke traced his gaze to the thing, letting out a laugh. "Yeah," he replied. "Grover, erm, found us a way west."
The satyr was murmuring to what appeared to be a kind of animal, eyebrows furrowed, concentrating. Percy broke up their discussion. "Grover, are you talking to that thing?"
His friend looked up, giving him a look. "He's not a 'thing.' His name is Gladiola." Percy didn't really know what to say to that. "And I am half animal," Grover reminded, the poodle barking almost agreeably.
"Yeah," he muttered. "But it's the bottom half." Luke actually chuckled, corners of his mouth upturning into a smile.
"Gladiola ran away from a rich local family, but he's willing to let us return him so we can collect the reward. We'll use the money to buy our tickets to Los Angeles. Simple."
Percy frowned, stomach sinking. "Not another bus, right?"
"Nope," Luke answered. "There's a train station a half a mile down the line. Gladiola says the westbound train leaves at noon." He nodded, rubbing his eyes, the edges of the horizon softening into dawn.
The train traveled through the vast countryside, sun shining through the trails of clouds lazily gliding over a bright sky. The trees were rich with crisp green leaves, grass sprinkled lightly with dew.
He watched as a herd of centaurs traveled past the window, racing one another. Percy glanced at the other passengers, waiting for some kind of yell or alarm, but nobody seemed to notice.
He looked at Luke, who was watching the scene unfold outside. Their eyes met, sharing a grin.
"Okay," he started, leaning against his seat, Grover asleep next to him. "How come nobody notices this stuff?"
"Mist," Luke answers, as if it's the simplest thing in the world, but Percy still doesn't get it.
"Obviously," he said. "It gets missed. What I'm asking is-"
"Not 'missed,' with an e-d," Luke interrupted. "Mist, with an s-t. It kind of shields the mortal vision, in a way, so that they don't see the monsters. So that they see something a bit different."
Percy nodded, thinking on that. The speakers overhead blared some announcement, but he only paid attention when the son of Hermes stood.
"Where are you going?" Luke gestured at him to come over, expression revealing nothing.
"How about we do some sightseeing?" He suggested. "Wake up Grover and follow me."
St. Louis was large, buildings polished and lake glimmering in the bright sun. They rode the elevator up to the Gateway Arch, and although he didn't appreciate the small space, it was a great view.
He was almost disappointed to leave, having to go back to the real world with monsters and godly deadlines. They waited in the line back to reach the ground, Luke and Grover filing into the elevator.
Percy was about to step in when a man stopped him, wearing a green uniform and matching hat. "Both cars are full," he informed the teen. "You'll have to wait for the next one."
An elderly voice spoke up from behind him, sounding much too cheerful. "Oh!" She said, and he turned. "No problem at all, sir."
He turned as the doors closed, looking at who had spoken. The words had belonged to a denim-clad woman, chubby fingers holding onto a tiny chihuahua. She turned her face to look at him, eyes shadowed under her visor.
The chihuahua growled, deep in its throat, Percy's foot tapping nervously against the floor. She looked at her pet, murmuring softly. "Very well, sonny. If you insist." The woman let her dog on the ground, where he stood still, right at her feet.
"Sonny?" He started out, trying to break the tension. "Is that your chihuahua's name?" She grinned at him, snake tongue slithering between fangs, and he did a double-take.
"Not chihuahua, godling," she corrected, skin hardening to scales. He backed up, eyes wide. "Chimera. It's an easy mistake to make."
The dog mutated along with its master, growing into a lion with goat rear legs. Two large horns erupted form its skull, a python making up its tail. Percy's hand went to press the button for the elevator repeatedly, not too surprised when it didn't respond.
It stalked towards him, slow and steady, eyes like slits. He started to run as the chimera's jaw unhinged, releasing a blast of pure flames.
He was blown across the room, clothes burning, skin strangely unharmed. Hands went to uncap Anaklusmos, and the monster appeared to back off slightly at the sight of the bronze blade.
He used that to his advantage, brandishing it closer to the mutation. It almost whimpered, retreating. "Stay back!" He warned, hands gripping a leather hilt, adrenaline coursing through him.
The act only seemed to work for a moment. It's master barked something in Greek, glaring at Percy, and the chimera lunged at him. He wasn't quick enough to dodge the attack, claws scrapping across his chest.
It hurt much more than it should have, causing him to stagger. He fell into a kneeling position, sword clattering out of his hands. When he rolled over his stomach was oozing blood, skin a sickly green.
The chimera burned a hole through the arch, its master kicking his sword through the gap. He watched as it fell, dragging his body furiously to the elevator, but she grabbed him by the scruff of his neck to stop his attempts.
He was close enough to see the very points of her fangs, close enough to smell the sourness of her breath. Her pupils were merely black slits, switching back and forth, never settling.
She dropped him, kicking his body near the hole. He hung onto the floor, heart pounding against his wound, not daring to look at the drop.
"Jump, Percy Jackson," she urged him, tones as venomous as the poison coursing through his veins. "A more pleasing end awaits you out there than in here, for the venom nears your heart."
He bit his lip, panting heavily, sweat glazing his forehead. Percy's hand made a move to his pocket but his sword isn't there yet, and the thought flits across his mind, wondering if it's lost forever.
"Die flattered," she continues. "Rarely is a half-blood allowed to be tested by one of my brood." He forces himself to look up, meeting her hard gaze.
"Your brood?" He gasps out, tone shaky, and she almost looks happy that he asked.
"Echidna," she introduces. "Mother of monsters, and the last being you'll be talking to for a long time." Echidna shoves him even closer to the edge with her Greek-styled sandals, his ears buzzing and throat sore.
He doesn't bother with a sarcastic remark, a last joke to bother the demon for her too-long existence. He's already falling, air whooshing past his body as it looses all control.
The river is cold against his skin, but not hard to dive into, and not wet like expected. It costs his skin but doesn't touch, a thin layer of dryness over his form.
He floats in the musty sea for what seems like an eternity, trash floating about in the water. It's too deep for any mortal to go in, the water-pressure having killed them by now, but he's not fully mortal.
A wisp of light brings some brightness to the dark, floating in front of his eyes. It grows into a more human form, mystical and inexplicably beautiful, face familiar under the glow.
"Mom?" He gasps, surprised he can speak, surprised he can breathe. She smiles at him, sadly, shaking her head.
"No child," the spirit tells him, voice soft and gentle against his eardrums, and his hopes sink. "Only a messenger. Though you may take heart- your mother's faith is not as doomed as you believe."
Her form encircled his figure, curling around the dirty water and making it a little more pure. "Am I-" he breaks off, unsure. "Am I breathing?"
She seems to sense the fear. "You have nothing to fear down here, brace one. Your father has granted you safety in this kingdom." A million more questions bubbled up in his throat, desperately wanting to ask who his father was, but she interrupted all of them. "I do not have much time, for this river is too foul for my presence."
He closed his mouth, letting her speak. "I am a nereid, a spirit of the ocean. But the naiads, my freshwater cousins, are helping sustain my life force. They honor Lord Poseidon, though they do not serve in his court."
He briefly wondered on that. What would Poseidon want to do with him? If that was his dad, truly, it wouldn't explain his power with storms, wouldn't explain how he could split open the Earth with only a thought. Maybe he was on Percy's side, not wanting a war to break out, granting him safe being in his realm.
"I have come to you with this," she continued. "I bear a warning, and a gift." A hand materialized out of the light, fingers opening to display three shining pearls. "The oracles have foretold a great and terrible future for you, should you survive to manhood. Therefore, take these pearls. And when you are in need, smash one at your feet."
She started to fade away, pearls folding into his palm, glow gradually receding. "Remember; what belongs to the sea will always return to the sea."
Anxiety clambered up his heart. "Wait!" He yelled, the action feeling weird beneath the water. "What about the warning?"
If she heard him, she didn't answer, disappearing into the river. He stared after where she had gone, heart feeling heavy, mind confused.
He felt his pen return to his pocket, then, and it brought him the smallest relief. Percy willed himself to rise, and he could only watch as his head broke the surface.
Sorry about the wait! I'll try to have them come in sooner. News in my Bio as always, and I hope you mortals enjoyed the chapter.