Chapter 29.

Percy

"What are we going to do?" I sigh, holding my head in my hands

"I don't know, but that girl spent the past fifteen years in the Lotus casino, she's going to find out eventually." Annabeth replies

"Well, she might not since she thinks she's only been on Earth for the past two weeks"

"Percy, she knows she arrived in 2003. When she finds out it's 2018 they'll want answers."

"They'll realise that time slows right down in that casino."

"And know that the two twelve year olds she saw a couple of days ago were us."

Someone tries to open door of the boys bathroom, but the metal bar we wedged between the door stays put and keeps them out.

"This place sucks." I say, leaning against the wall.

"It's a glorified prison." Annabeth agrees.

"Let's just leave. We're half bloods, we've fought in two wars and defeated gods, titans, giants and monsters. No mortal is going to be able to catch us. Let's go back to camp."

"Let's. Right now, I've got everything I care about on me." She says.

I remove the metal bar, and open the door, buzzed to escape.

Merlin, the girl from before, is standing outside.

"This isn't the girls bathroom." She says.

"Er, no," I say, pointing to the sign which clearly says Males.

"Sorry, I struggle to read and write English, I'm not used to the new symbols."

"How much of that did you hear?" I ask.

"Oh, you said you're leaving right? And you've fought in two wars. Goodness, you Earthlings are always getting into wars.

Perfect! She thinks it's normal human stuff.

"Please don't tell anyone I'm leaving."

"I won't. Because I'm coming too."

She's got a backpack on this time, no suitcase.

"I got rid of everything I didn't need. No point in carrying around towels."

I'm too scared to say anything, so I motion to Annabeth.

"So, Merlin, why are you leaving?" She asks "and you don't even know us."

"That was you two in that hotel, the other day, wasn't it?" She looks me right in the eye, she knows it was. "Yes."

"What sort of place is it? A time travel machine of some sort?"

"Let's talk about this when we leave yeah?" I say

"How'd we get out?" Annabeth asks.

"Percy, hold this, and don't say anything when it's in your hand." Merlin hands me a yellow ball about the same size as a ping pong ball. After ten seconds, she takes it off me.

"Annabeth, remember don't say anything." She says, handing the ball to her. The ball pulses and glows brightly.

Annabeth gasps and drops the ball.

"What was that?" She asks. "It just felt like I shouldn't be touching it."

"A bomb." She replies. "Used for destroying things when absolutely necessary, and that feeling you got is so that young children don't accidentally set it off, or so that you realise what you're doing. Only Guardes can use it because it requires the energy released from legacies."

"You nearly blew up the school?" Annabeth gasps

"No, you need the verbal code for it to blow. But an unlucky guess could still set it off. So, Percy, what are you?"

"This is a story for another day." I say, not wanting to go any deeper. "But what made you do that?"

"I sensed a different type of energy. Unlike the Guardes, and I wanted to know if you were like the other students. You're not."

I don't say anything, what do I say? Some alien girl within an hour of meeting us just figured out we're not normal based off some ping pong ball and feelings. And she's not even shocked, her facial expression has remained the same the entire time.

"Should we leave now?" She asks.

"We should probably go get Liam first" Annabeth says.

Liam

I'm ready to leave when Percy comes through the door without knocking.

"We're leaving." He says

"You too?" I ask, putting my hood up.

"Oh, you've got the same idea as us." Says a girl. She doesn't look like a normal mortal, her hair is almost blue and her eyes are amber, which make a striking match. Her skin is flawless and she has a French accent.

"Are you like us?" I ask.

"No, she's Loric."

"But you're not a Guarde." I realise.

"CĂȘpan. The names Merlin." she informs. "And you're no Guarde either."

She twirls a ring around her finger, is that Loralite inside?

"How are we all going to get out?" I ask.

"Compass." Merlin says, going into her bag.

She brings out a compass, an old fashioned one.

"Everyone hold onto it." She instructs. "Where is a place we can go to that's within a one hundred mile radius?" She asks.

"My dad's house." Annabeth says.

"Right." She places her ring next to the compass "everyone needs to think about Annabeth's dads house."

I hear stone touching glass, and a gust of air blows around us, it's like we're in the centre of a tornado.

When the wind calms down, Annabeth gasps.

The room we're in has a bookcase which is completely filled with books, a map of the world and a dagger hung up on the wall.

"This is my room!" Annabeth says.

"What was that?" I ask

"This compass allows us to teleport when in contact with Loralite. Unlike Loralite alone, I can travel anywhere within a hundred miles, but Loralite alone can allow a Guarde to travel anywhere on Earth but only to where there is Loralite."

"So, What now?" Percy asks.

"I guess this is where we leave, I wanted to help and I needed a destination that was nearby." She says.

"Where are you going?" I ask.

"I don't know." She shrugs.

"Wait, you know we're half bloods, right?" Percy says

"Yes."

"Do you know what half bloods are?"

"No."

There's nothing stopping her from doing a quick google search and exposing us.

"You should come with us." Percy offers, and Annabeth and I stare at him.

"Why?" She asks

"Well, What do you have to lose?" He asks.

Merlin looks to the floor. Wow, she really doesn't have anything to lose.

"Nothing." She mumbles. "Ok, I'll come."

"Let's prepare, because no way will we be able to just get on a plane when the government will no doubt be looking for us."

"Where's your dad?" Percy asks

"They all left to go to Canada for a week the other day, so he's not going to be able to help."

"And if no one in the group can visualise a destination, the compass won't work," Merlin says.

"Well, the mortal way it is. But Merlin, if you're going to come with us, we need to explain a few things."

"So, you know the Greek Gods?" Percy begins, and Merlin shakes her head.

"Well, you know what a god is right?"

"Sort of."

"Well, our parents are gods." Annabeth says.

"Right." She doesn't look confused or anything.

"Do you understand what we're saying?" I ask

"I think so, I'm just translating everything."

"Oh, English isn't your first language is it? Forgot about that." Percy says

"So, how do we get to camp?"

"The old fashioned way. A bus."

"How does public transportation relate to fashion?" Merlin asks.