Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians and their stuff…

Chapter 11

A white blur of snow-capped mountains and icy pavements whizzed past the demigods in a speed not comprehensible. The windows had turned misty when the cold swept in, and Percy was awake by then to see it.

They had reached the outskirts of a little ski town nestled in the mountains. Just as they felt the train slow to a smooth crunching halt on the ice-lined tracks, a sign captured their attention as they walked out of the train. It said, "Welcome to Cloudcroft, New Mexico."

The air was cold and thin. Snow decorated the roofs of houses as ice layered the front porches and roads. Tall trees with bare limbs loomed over the valley, casting pitch black shadows in the dull grey morning.

"Did the train stop for us to have some snacks?" Bianca wondered tiredly, covering her mouth politely as she tried to stifle a yawn.

"No, this is our last stop; we need to go on by ourselves from here." Percy replied, vaguely remembering his conversation with Apollo.

"How do you know?" Zoe asked, looking suspiciously at Percy.

"Apollo was the one to offer us help through the train, which is why we got here so fast. He told me the last stop was at New Mexico." Percy answered gesturing to the sign with faded miniscule writing.

Zoe nodded understandingly as she beckoned to the group and stated, "We should get some food first before continuing west."

The others agreed eagerly, their sleep-filled eyes brightening at the thought of delicious food sitting on plates in front of them.

They started making their way to the main street. As they trudged noisily on the snow, the demigods were shivering in the cold while Zoe and Percy were unhindered. Zoe had only her sleeveless silvery dress, but she had braved colder habitats before. Percy on the other hand, just needed a casual baggy t-shirt, since he was immune to cold thanks to his mother.

After a fifteen minute walk in complete silence, the demigods came across a café shop. They stepped in, triggering a loud chime of a bell above the door. Warmth from a lit fire enveloped them and the demigods sighed contentedly. The café shop was dim lit, and the flowing curtains gave a homey feeling.

The shop only had tables suited for 2 person so Annabeth and Zoe took their place on one while Bianca and Percy slid into another one.

Thalia remained standing as she told the others, "I am not hungry. I'll go on to see if there is any transportation available for us."

Zoe nodded and with a click of the door knob and a huge gust of cold wind, she was out. They ordered a couple of hot chocolates and some muffins to satisfy their needs.

As Percy scarfed down his blueberry muffin with enthusiasm, he was struck by a distant memory of his mother, Khione, baking the very same muffins with him when he was younger.

Flashback

"Mom, could you bake muffins for me please?" a younger version of Percy begged pleadingly, his eyes big as his mouth formed a cute pout.

It took some effort at Percy's puppy dog face, but Khione still refused.

"Son, I do not know how. Besides, I never tried it, it may not be tasty."

Just then, Hestia flashed into their living room with a warm mustard brown glow, flashing her warm radiant smile as usual.

"Aunt Hestia, you came to visit!" Percy shrieked in delight as he ran to his patron for a hug.

"Perce, you've grown taller since I've last met you. You look more like your father as each day passes." Hestia cooed as she ruffled the boy's messy hair playfully, glancing upwards at Khione as she said so.

Khione smiled knowingly as she looked down lovingly at her son, watching him squirm and laugh as Hestia tickled him unrelentlessly.

Once Percy was panting and out of breath, Hestia finally stopped and asked the pair, "What were you doing when I came?"

Khione sighed and replied, "He was begging me to bake muffins for him to eat. You know I do not associate well with activities mortals often do."

Hestia snapped her fingers as her eyes lit up with an idea, "Why don't we bake some muffins together. I love it as well. Khione, you have to try it!"

Khione's mouth was forming protest, but she never had the chance as Hestia and Percy each took one of her hands and dragged her toward the kitchen.

They spent the entire afternoon messing with ingredients, trying new recipes, when finally the outcome was successful when a tray full of nice and hot blueberry muffins emerged from the over. The overwhelming smell wafted into Khione's nose and even she had to give in to the heavenly smell.

It turns out the muffins they baked were scrumptious and they all had second servings. Khione was licking her lips and asking for more long after the tray was emptied.

"I never knew mortal food could be so…. yummy." Khione said looking incredulous after stuffing herself with those muffins.

"Told you we should have baked them, mom. They are rather finger-licking." Percy said as he popped a finger in his mouth and sucked on it for good measure.

The 2 goddesses laughed.

End of Flashback

Bianca's quiet voice interrupted Percy's flow of memories as she whispered to him, "Do you think the quest will be successful?"

Percy shook his head to clear and replied confidently, "It must be. We have to save Artemis." Then his tone became softer as he asked in turn, "Are you scared?"

Bianca shook her head and muttered a "no." too quickly. Percy's eyes furrowed in concern as he searched her eyes for the truth.

"Tell me the truth. It is okay to be afraid. I've been plenty of times in my life." Percy assured her.

Bianca gave a look of disbelief before she admitted, "Well, this is my first quest. I am terribly confused with everything that is going on. I feel helpless, like I can't do anything for you guys."

"You shouldn't be. You have true potential, your time will come. Don't worry yourself." Percy comforted her as he patted Bianca awkwardly on the shoulder.

Bianca was about to thank him when Thalia burst into the shop, sending a flurry of activity into the shop. Papers fluttered and hair was blown everywhere.

She had a panic-stricken expression written across her face. "There is a wild pig outside and it is heading our way." She said between breaths as she tried to keep her voice from wobbling. The thing she had seen had scared her.

Zoe cursed under her breath and they readied their weapons before walking out. "We need to run. Fast." She decided when she glimpsed the crazed boar with enormous husks charging towards them.

They made it to the edge of the town when a mighty roar shook the earth and a humongous pig came crashing onto the road. It was a wild boar, around thirty feet high, with a snotty pink snout and long sharp tusks.

It's back bristled with brown fur and its beady eyes were wild and angry. The pig turned towards the quest members and Thalia raised her spear, ready to attack.

"Don't kill it." Annabeth yelled, knowing what this massive creature was. The boar grunted and pawed the ground, like a bull ready to charge. Percy was afraid that was its intent.

"It is the Erymanthian Boar. It is supposed to be a blessing of the wild." Zoe informed them, her voice an octave higher than usual as she quickly dodged to one side, avoiding the pig as it came barreling towards them.

It swung its tusks, its goal to whack every demigod standing there into the mountain on the Boar Tusk Express. Percy fell to the ground, dragging Bianca along with him as they pinned themselves down to evade the pointy tusks.

"I feel blessed." Percy said sarcastically, trying to find an answer to why this enormous thing trying to squish them into pig's feet-shaped ground-cakes was blessed.

They scattered on impulse and the boar looked confused for a second, swinging its huge head left and right. It snorted before charging towards Bianca who had backed into the welcome sign aforementioned.

She ducked out of the way from the hooves and came up behind the beast using her size as an advantage to her agility. The pig pulverized the welcome sign with a rear of its brown body.

"This must be the most commotion this poor isolated town has ever witnessed." Percy thought.

"Keep moving!" Zoe shouted among the din of angry snorts and ungraceful grunting. Bianca and Zoe ran off in opposite directions while Annabeth dashed for the pigs left.

Thalia and Percy were immediately singled out together and the boar squealed in a high-pitch note before bounding towards them. Thalia made the mistake of raising Aegis in defense.

The sight made the boar squeal again in outrage. Maybe it looked too much like one of its relatives.

Percy and Thalia ran uphill, trying to escape the boar, all the while knowing they could not kill this wild beast that was towering over them with hooves made to crush them.

They dodged in and out of trees while the boar plowed through them like a bulldozer. On the other side of the hill, Percy found an old stretch of train tracks, half buried in the snow.

"This way!" Percy said as he grabbed Thalia's arm and they ran along the rails while the boar roared behind them, slipping and sliding as it tried to navigate the steep hillside.

Ahead of them there was a covered tunnel, and past that an old trestle bridge spanning a gorge. Percy suddenly had an idea.

Thalia had turned pale but Percy continued dragging her along without asking her way she looked scared.

They ran into the tunnel and came out on the other side. They reached the edge of the bridge. Below, the mountain dropped away into a now-filled gorge about seventy feet below.

"No, I won't!" Thalia screamed when she understood Percy's intent. She was white as ice and her palms had started to sweat as her knees shook in fear.

"Thalia, I know you are afraid of heights, but you need to overcome it. Do you want to be crushed?" Percy yelled, his voice almost lost to the wind.

Thalia gulped as she looked down the bridge and back at the ten ton pig tank knocking down pine trees and crushing boulders as it came.

The wild boar was all Thalia needed to see to make her decision. The boar smashed into the covered tunnel, tearing through at full speed.

Percy exchanged a glance with Thalia and they nodded at the same time, leaping off the bridge. They flew into the air, their arms and legs flailing, before they landed hard on the side of the mountain.

Thalia closed her eyes shut as she tucked her shield under both of them as they hurtled down the side of the mountain. They slid on the 'snowboard' and finally slid to a stop.

They looked up to see that the wild boar was less fortunate, all ten-tons of the monster charged out onto the trestle bridge which buckled under its weight.

It then fell into the gorge with a mighty squeal and landed in a snowdrift with a "poof". Thalia and Percy were breathing hard, they had pine needles in their hair, but other than a few scratches they were fine.

"Never ever make me do something like that again." Thalia said, her voice still weak, but her ferocious glare and megawatt shock covered up for it.

Percy nodded with his hair fried up in a spiky hairdo from the electric shock and said with a shrug, "Well, we are still alive."

Bianca, Annabeth and Zoe had reached them to find the pig squealing and struggling in the snow it was wedged in. It does not seem like it was going anywhere.

"Questionable timing." Percy panted as he lay there on the snow, regaining his breath. Zoe huffed while the other girls rolled their eyes.

They then stood up and circled the helpless boar.

"It is a blessing of the wild. We need to use it." Zoe stated, looking agitated.

Thalia looked irritated, "And how are we supposed to do that?"

"We can ride it. It travels west and it can travel pretty fast." Zoe summed up her reasons. Thalia could only agree to what Zoe said and climbed onto the boars back like the others.

Percy squirmed in his 'seat', the fur was prickly and probably stinks like Hades' undies (Not that he wanted to know how that smells like).

Once the boar broke free, the pig cowboys were soon riding off.