Got it, guys! And sorry. Like I said, it was about seventeen pages, but now it's only six. I'll try to get another chapter up… Friday? Also, guys don't forget two things! Check out my other stories, Escaping Miami and Family Portrait, please! Also: REVIEW!

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Maximum Ride or Percy Jackson and the Olympians, those rights belong to James Patterson and Rick Riordan respectively.

MPOV

"We'll never make it," Zoe said. "We're moving too slow. But we can't leave the Ophiotaurus."

The cow in question mooed next to us as we ran toward the Golden Gate Bridge. Flying, it would take me about three minutes. Running at flock pace would take about ten minutes. But slowing down to keep time with these demigods was taking forever. Don't get me wrong, they're faster than most humans but not by much.

"I don't get it," Percy panted as we ran. "Why do we have to make it to the garden by sundown?"

"The Hesperides are nymphs of the sunset," Zoe responded. "We can only enter their garden as day changes to night."

"That's a stupid rule," I mumbled. Percy nudged me, but I knew he was thinking the same thing. I raised my voice. "What happens if we miss it?"

"Tomorrow is the winter solstice. If we miss sunset tonight we have to wait until tomorrow and by that time the winter counsel will be over. We must free Lady Artemis tonight."

Percy got a look on his face that seemed desperate, sad, and determined all at once. Oh, yes. Annabeth. The reason he's on the quest. I can't imagine he wants to prolong saving her.

"We need a car," Thalia spoke up. She'd been quiet since the last meeting with the manticore where she'd been possessed or something.

"What about Bessie?" I rolled my eyes. Percy…

Grover stopped in his tracks. "I've got an idea! The Ophiotaurus can appear in different bodies of water, correct?"

"Well, yeah," Percy confirmed. "I mean he was in Long Island Sound. Then he just popped into the water at Hoover Dam and now he's here."

"So maybe we can coax him back to camp then Chiron can help us get him to Olympus."

"Mooo."

"I- I can show him," Grover said. "I'll go with him."

Percy stared at him as if he was insane. To be fair, he probably was. In nature, goats tended not to be water creatures for a reason. I don't think satyrs are that different.

"I'm the only one that can talk to him," Grover continued. "It makes sense." He bent down and whispered something in Bessie's ear. Bessie shivered then made a contented, lowing sound. "The blessing of the Wild. That should provide protection. Percy, pray to your dad, too, for safe passage through the sea."

Though it was directed at Percy, I too shot a quick prayer to my father. I didn't understand how they could swim from San Francisco Bay to Long Island, but I didn't understand half of what I learned today.

"A prayer like that needs sacrifice," Thalia said. "Something big."

Percy thought for a moment, then began to shed his coat.

"Percy, are you sure?" Grover interceded. "That lion skin… that's really helpful. Hercules used it!"

Percy paused and then shared a meaningful look with Zoe that I couldn't decipher. "If I'm going to survive," he said, keeping his eyes on her as if reaching a realization, "it won't be because I've got a lion-skin cloak. I'm not Hercules."

That seemed to mean something more to Percy and Zoe than it did the rest of us. I didn't ask questions. He threw the coat into the bay. It turned back into golden lion skin, flashing in the light. Then, as it began to sink beneath the waves, it seemed to dissolve into the sunlight on the water. The sea breeze picked up.

"Be careful," I told Grover, speaking up.

"Thanks," he said, taking a deep breath. "Well, no time to lose."

He jumped in the water and immediately began to sink. Bessie glided next to him and let Grover take hold of his neck.

"Okay, um… Bessie? We're going to Long Island. It's east. Over that way."

I raised an eyebrow. My confidence in Grover's directional abilities weren't exactly strong right now.

"Mooo?"

"Yes. Long Island. It's this island. And… it's long. Oh, just start."

And, confidence gone.

"Mooo!"

Bessie lurched forward and they started to submerge. Grover said, "I can't breathe underwater! Just thought I'd mention-" Glub!

As I watched them go under, I couldn't help but hope my father's blessing extended to little things such as breathing.

"Well, that's one problem addressed," Zoe said. But how can we get to my sisters' garden?"

"Thalia's right," Percy said. "We need a car. But there's no one to help us here. Unless we, uh, borrow one."

"No sugarcoating. I hate sugarcoating. Say steal," I said firmly. "That's what it is."

"Wait," Thalia said, shifting through her backpack. "There is someone here who can help us. I've got the address somewhere."

"Who?" I asked warily. I don't really trust people in general and I didn't want to get looped into some "you owe me" deal with a random person just for a ride.

Thalia pulled out a crumbled piece of notebook paper and held it up. "Professor Chase. Annabeth's dad."

I don't know what I was expecting when we went to meet Annabeth's dad. I'd never met the girl herself so I knew nothing about her or her upbringing but I was expecting some type of business man, maybe someone uptight and stiff. What I was not expecting was a middle-aged man wearing an old-fashioned aviator's cap and goggles. He looked so weird with his eyes bugging out of the glasses that we all took a step back on the porch.

"Hello," he said in a friendly voice that startled Percy and Thalia. Were they expecting Hitler? "Are you delivering my airplanes?"

We looked at each other warily. "Um, no, sir," Percy said.

"Drat," he said. "I need three more Sopwith Camels."

I raised an eyebrow. Did this guy collect planes? I opened my mouth to comment but Percy elbowed me in the ribs. It didn't hurt but I got the message.

"Right," Percy said though I know he had no idea what Professor Chase was talking about. "We're friends of Annabeth."

"Annabeth?" the man asked as if he'd just received an electric shock. "Has something happened to her? Is she alright?"

None of us answered, but our faces must have shown that something was very wrong. He took off his cap and goggles. He had sandy-colored hair and intense brown eyes. It looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days and his shirt was buttoned wrong so one side of his collar was higher than the other.

"You'd better come in."

There were LEGO robots on the stairs and two cats sleeping on the sofa in the living room. The coffee table was stacked with magazines, and a little kid's winter coat was spread on the floor. The whole house smelled like fresh-baked chocolate-chip cookies. There was jazz music coming from the kitchen. It seemed like a messy, happy kind of home- the kind of home I'd been deprived of as a child.

"Dad!" a little boy screamed. "He's taking apart my robots!"

"Bobby," Dr. Chase called absently. "Don't take apart your brother's robots."

"I'm Bobby!" the little boy protested. "He's Matthew!"

"Matthew," Dr. Chase called. "Don't take apart your brother's robots!"

"Okay, dad!"

Dr. Chase turned to us. "We'll go upstairs to my study. This way."

"Honey?" A woman called. A woman I'm assuming was Annabeth's mom- or stepmom, since her real mother was a goddess- appeared in the living room, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. She was a pretty Asian woman with red highlighted hair tied in a bun. "Who are our guests?"

"Oh," Dr. Chase said. "This is…"

He stared at us blankly.

"Frederick," she chided. "You forgot to ask their names?"

We introduced ourselves hesitantly. She asked if we were hungry and we admitted we were so she said she'd bring us sandwiches, cookies, and sodas. She seemed pretty nice. You know, for a human.

"Dear," Dr. Chase said. "They're here about Annabeth."

For some reason, Percy and Thalia winced as if they expected her to turn into Ursula. Little Mermaid references aside, Mrs. Chase seemed nice enough. I don't know why they were freaked out, but then again, for all I know, they could secretly be evil, so I didn't ask.

Mrs. Chase pursed her lips and looked concerned. "Alright. Go on up to the study and I'll bring you some food." She smiled at Percy. "Nice meeting you, Percy. I've heard a lot about you."

He blushed.

When we walked into Dr. Chase's study, Percy let out a loud "Whoa!" I rolled my eyes. Way to impress your girlfriend's father, Percy. Because, really, you could tell he liked her. The way he talked about her was so sweet.

And sickening.

What? I'm not gonna get all sappy.

Anyway, the room was literally walls of books. There was a huge table in the center with miniature tanks and soldiers fighting along a blue painted river with hills and fake trees. Old-fashioned biplanes hung on strings from the ceiling, tilted at crazy angles, like they were in the middle of a dogfight.

"Yes," he said. "The third battle of Ypres. I'm doing a paper, you see, on the use of Sopwith Camels to strafe enemy lines. I believe they played a much greater role than they've been given credit for."

That flew right over my head. I didn't know much history. Jeb's teaching included things like "Survival 101", "Hand-to-hang combat", and "Flight Style" not "World History" or "The Use of Airplanes". Whatever I knew about the world came from movies or TV. For all I know, vampires could be real, sparkling creatures. Or there could be another planet out there called Pandora where blue creatures work in peace with the Mother Tree. The most I know about history comes from "Schindler's List", "Hercules", and "Pearl Harbor".

Zoe walked over and studied the battlefield. "The German lines were farther from the river."

"How do you know that?"

"I was there," she said, matter-of-factly. "Artemis wanted to show us how horrible war was, the way mortal men fight with each other. And how foolish, too. The battle was a complete waste."

Dr. Chase opened his mouth in shock. "You-"

I sighed. "Way to go, Zoe. You don't just tell someone you're immortal like that. Or else," I gestured to the man. "Something like this happens." I turned to him. "She's a Huntress, sir, blessed by the goddess Artemis. But that's not why we're here. We need-"

"You saw the Sopwith Camels?"" Dr. Chase said. "How many were there? What formations did they fly?"

"Sir," Thalia broke in. "Annabeth is in danger."

That got his attention. He set the airplane down.

"Of course," he said. "Tell me everything."

It was the first time I'd heard the full story as well. I have to say, I was interested. Falling off a cliff but still surviving? That's pretty impressive. When they talked about Bianca- the girl who'd died on the quest before I did- my heart went out to her little brother. No one should have to lose all of their family. When they were finished, the sun was lowing on the horizon. We were running out of time.

Dr. Chase collapsed into his leather recliner. "My poor, brave Annabeth. We must hurry."

"Sir, we need transportation to Mount Tamalpais, and we need it immediately," Thalia said.

"I'll drive you. Hmm, I would be faster to fly in my Camel, but it only seats two."

"Whoa, you have an actual biplane?"

Percy says "whoa" a lot, I noticed.

"Down at Crissy Field," Dr. Chase said proudly. "That's the reason I had to move here. My sponsor is a private collector with some of the finest World War I relics I the worlds. He let me restore the Sopwith Camel-"

"Sir," Thalia said. "Just a car would be great, really. And it might me better if we went without you. It's too dangerous."

I rolled my eyes. Thalia should know better than to just tell someone that their daughter is in danger and they aren't allowed to go get them.

Dr. Chase frowned. "Now wait a minute, young lady. Annabeth is my daughter. Dangerous or not, I- I can't just…"

"Sir," I said, softly. "I know you want to help, but trust me when I say that you don't want to get involved in a battle. Not only could you get killed, but if we have to be worried about you, we're not going to be able to focus on rescuing Annabeth."

Percy looked at my like he didn't know what I was talking about, which made sense because, to them, I was a newbie: an untrained demigod along for the ride. None of them knew my past or my secrets so when I talked about battle like I had experience. It surprised them. Dr. Chase seemed to think about what I said. Mrs. Chase walked through the door again

"Snacks," she announced, waling through the door. She was carrying a tray full of peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches and Cokes and cookies fresh from the oven that made my mouth water. I hadn't eaten in days. Thalia, Percy and I inhaled some food. "I can drive, sir," Zoe said. "I'm not as young as I look. I promise not to destroy your car."

Mrs. Chase knit her eyebrows. "What's this about?"

"Annabeth is in danger," Dr. Chase said. "On Mount Tam. I would drive them, but… apparently it's no place for mortals."

It sounded like it was really hard for him to get that last part out. I waited for Mrs. Chase to say no. I mean, what kind of mother would let four underage teenagers drive their car into a battlefield? To my surprise, she nodded. "Then they'd better get going."

"Right," Dr. Chase said, standing up. "My keys..." he began patting his pockets.

His wife sighed. "Frederick, honestly. You'd lose your own head if it weren't wrapped inside your aviator hat. They're hanging on the peg by the front door."

"Right!"

Zoe grabbed a sandwich. "Thank you both. We should go. Now."

We hustled out the door and down the stairs. Mrs. Chase held Percy back for a moment while the rest of us headed towards the car, but with my advanced hearing, I could understand every word. "Tell Annabeth… tell Annabeth that she still has a home here, will you? Remind her of that."

Percy stopped for a moment and then said, quietly. "I'll tell her."

We ran out to the garage and hopped in the yellow convertible. The sun was going down. I figured we had less than an hour left.