Percy went into a public toilet to get changed back into his normal clothing. Whilst he was in there we discussed what to do about Bessie. "We could ask him to go to Camp," I suggested, "from what I know and have guessed he can appear in any body of water, as long as it is large enough for her to survive."

"But thou doest not know what creatures in the ocean may capture him and sacrifice him," Zoë objected, "besides, he may not be able to enter through the barrier as he is a monster, he might need permission to enter."

"What's going on?" Percy asked as he re-emerged from the toilets

I filled him in on what had been discussed, "hmm, he has always followed me, would he even know where to go?"

"So, someone will have to go with him protect him and guide him then," I said.

"I'll go," Grover said which surprised me as he had almost drowned during a trip to the Sea of Monsters, "I'm the only one who can talk to him, it makes sense." Grover bent down and whispered into Bessie's ear, Bessie sank lower into the water, shivered and started making low, happy sounds, "the Blessing of the Wild, that should help with safe passage. Percy pray to your Dad too, see if he'll grant us safe passage through the sea."

Percy knelt next to the sea and started talking, "Dad, help us, get the Ophiotaurus and Grover safely to Camp, protect them at sea."

"A prayer like that will need a sacrifice," Thalia said, "something big," Bessie sank into the ocean slightly, his eyes wide with alarm.

Percy took off his lion skin coat, "Percy?" Grover asked, "are you sure? That lion skin… that's really useful. Heracles had it."

"If I'm going to survive," he said, "it won't be because I've got a lion-skin cloak, I'm not Heracles." He threw the coat into the sea, it turned into a golden lion skin before it vanished with a flash.

"Well, no time to lose," Grover said as he jumped into the sea, and started to sink, Bessie bobbed over and he grabbed on.

"Be careful," Percy said, Grover gave him a mock salute.

"You too, right Bessie, we want to go to Long Island, which is east of here, which is that way," Bessie started submerging, "I can't breath under water, I think I should mention that," with a glug they were gone.

"It's getting late," I said, the sun was starting to set, "we won't make it to the garden before sunset, we need faster transportation, maybe a car."

"Janet's right," Percy said, "we need a car, but there's nobody to help us here, unless we, uh, borrowed one."

"Wait," Thalia said, she took her backpack off her shoulders and started rifling through, "there is somebody in San Francisco who can help us. I've got his address here somewhere."

"Who?" Percy asked.

"Professor Chase, Annabeth's dad."

Whilst I had my problems with turning up uninvited at someone's house, we were out of ideas, so a short while later we were standing outside a neat little house ringing the doorbell. A man opened the door, I had not been sure what to expect, but it was not this. He was about average height and slightly plump, wearing an antique aviator cap over his hair and a similarly old pair of yellow goggles over his eyes, he looked like he had forgotten to shave for a few days. He was dressed in a rumpled button up white shirt that was buttoned so one side was higher than the other, greyish brown slacks and brown loafers. He was such a jarring sight that we all took a step back, "hello," he said in a happy, if distracted voice that reminded me of Coeus, "are you delivering my aeroplanes?"

We exchanged a look, "um, no, sir?" Percy ventured.

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

"Right," Percy said looking as totally confused as I felt, "we're friends of Annabeth."

"Annabeth?" He said straightening up like someone had but an ice cube down his shirt, "is she all right? Has something happened?"

No-one answered, but the looks on our faces must have answered for us, he took off his cap and goggle, revealing sandy blond hair like Annabeth and intense brown eyes, he sighed, "you'd better come in."

The house was very different to my own house, despite how long I have lived in my house, it had always felt slightly empty with just the three of us, however, this house felt lived in, despite the fact they had only moved in last summer, there were little figurines made of blocks on the stairs, and there were two cats sleeping on the sofa, the coffee table was covered in magazines with subjects ranging from old planes to toys to comics. The whole house was permeated by the smell of cookies that smelt like they could have rivalled Cobblepot's, and slow jazz wafted from the kitchen, the house was messy and happy, so different to our tidy home.

"Dad!" a little boy shouted from another room, "he's taking apart my robots!"

"Bobby!" Dr Chase called absently, "don't take apart your brother's robots!"

"I'm Bobby," the voice protested, "he's Matthew!"

"Matthew," Dr Chase called wearily, "don't take apart your brother's robots!"

"Okay Dad!" The reply came quieter than the rest of the conversation.

"We'll go upstairs to my study, this way," Dr Chase said smiling apologetically.

"Honey?" A female voice called, Annabeth's stepmother stepped out the kitchen, she was a pretty woman of Asian descent with red highlighted hair tied up into a bun. "Who are our guests?"

"Oh," he said as he wrinkled his brow in thought, "this is…"

I stepped in to save Dr Chase from embarrassment, "hello, I'm Janet Harker, pleased to meet you, this is Zoë Nightshade, Thalia Grace and Percy Jackson," I said introducing each of us in turn.

"Fredrick, you should have asked them their names, it's very rude not to, are you hungry?" Percy's stomach choose that moment to rumble, she smiled, "I'll get you some snacks, do you like cookies and soda?" We nodded in agreement.

"Dear, they came about Annabeth," Dr Chase said, she pursed her lips in a worried expression.

"All right, go on up to the study, and I'll bring you some food," she smiled at Percy, "nice to meet you, Percy, I've heard a lot about you," Percy blushed.

Percy's response to Dr Chase's study basically summed up the room "whoa!" The room looked like a dream to me, wall to wall books, books on rows on shelves, books piled on the floor, books piled on rows of books on shelves. The middle of the room was dominated by a massive table with a WWI battlefield, there were trenches, craters, poisoned bushes, tanks, soldiers, even a little river, and above it all hung from the ceiling were biplanes engaged in combat, they were tilted at crazy angles like they were in dogfights.

"Yes, the Third battle of Ypres," Dr Chase said proudly, as he fiddled with a figurine. "I'm writing a paper on it, you see, on the use of the Sopwith Camels to strafe enemy lines, I believe they played a much greater role than they've been given credit for." He plucked a plane from its string and started making engine noises as he knocked down little German soldiers.

"Oh, right," Percy said and then stood their like a lemon as he tried to think of something to say, his mouth hanging open slightly at the sight of a grown man playing with toys.

Zoë stepped up to the table, she studied it, "the German lines were further from the river."

"How do you know that?" He asked in amazement.

"I was there, Artemis wanted to show us how horrible war was, the way mortal men fight each other, and how foolish too, the battle was a complete waste."

Dr Chase opened his mouth in shook, "you -"

"She's a hunter, they don't age," I said, Dr Chase looked extremely excited, "but that isn't important, Annabeth is in danger," that got his attention.

We told him the condensed version of what happened, leaving out my quest and other such peripherals. Dr Chase collapsed into an old beat up leather recliner, his head in his hands, and sighed, "my poor brave Annabeth, we must hurry."

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

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

"Whoa, you have an actual biplane?" Percy said excitedly.

"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 in the world. He let me restore the Sopwith Camel -"

"Sir," Thalia interrupted, "just a car would be great, and it might be better if we went without you, it's too dangerous."

Dr Chase frowned uncomfortably, "now wait a minute young lady, Annabeth is my daughter, dangerous or not, I, I can't just -"

"Snacks," Mrs Chase said happily, as she entered carrying a tray of sandwiches, soft drinks, and gooey cookies. We set to work on the snacks (and yes, the cookies could rival Cobblepot's) as Zoë tried to talk Dr Chase into letting her us his car, the talking mostly involved promises to try not to destroy his car, which he seemed to doubt. "What's this about?" Mrs Chase asked as she knitted her eyebrows.

"Annabeth is in danger on Mount Tam, I would drive them, but apparently it is no place for mortals."

Mrs Chase frowned, "then they'd better get going."

"Right," Dr Chase said patting his pockets, "my keys are…"

Mrs Chase sighed, "Fredrick, honestly, you'd lose your hat if it was not wrapped up in your aviator hat, the keys are hanging on the peg by the front door."

"Right!" Dr Chase exclaimed.

Zoë grabbed a sandwich, "thank you both, we should get going, now!" She hustled us out the door and down the stairs, the Chases right behind us.

"Percy," Mrs Chase called as Zoë grabbed the keys off the peg, "tell Annabeth. Tell her she still has a home here, will you? Remind her of that," I took one last look at this messy, happy home that smelt of cookies as we left and climbed into the yellow convertible as I buckled up for my first drive in a car that was not also a flying chariot.

San Francisco was full of cars, whilst it was faster than walking we often found ourselves stuck in queues of cars, which made Zoë and Thalia bicker, "can't this thing go any faster?" Thalia shouted in frustration as we trundled along behind a small car who did not appear in too much of a hurry.

"I cannot control traffic!" Zoë glared at her.

"You both sound like my mother," Percy commented.

"Shut up!" They both shouted in sync, see how this was going to take a while, I decided to go to sleep.