Thalia took the book from Grover and smiled.
10 I RUIN A PERFECTLY GOOD BUS
'oh Percy how we all miss you,' Thalia thought as she read the title
It didn't take me long to pack. I decided to leave the Minotaur horn in my cabin, which left me only an extra change of clothes and a toothbrush to stuff in a backpack Grover had found for me. The camp store loaned me one hundred dollars in mortal money and twenty golden drachmas. These coins were as big as Girl Scout cookies and had images of various Greek gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. The ancient mortal drachmas had been silver, Chiron told us, but Olympians never used less than pure gold.
The gods nodded smiling, oh how they loved their gold.
Chiron said the coins might come in handy for non-mortal transactions-whatever that meant. He gave Annabeth and me each a canteen of nectar and a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares, to be used only in emergencies, if we were seriously hurt. It was god food, Chiron reminded us.
"More like he reminded Percy," Annabeth said smiling, all Percy's friends agreed
It would cure us of almost any injury, but it was lethal to mortals. Too much of it would make a half-blood very, very feverish. An overdose would burn us up, literally. Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap, which she told me had been a twelfth-birthday present from her mom.
Athena smiled at her daughter who smiled back before focusing on Thalia. Annabeth knew that her mom wouldn't approve of her relationship with Percy, but seeing as Percy wasn't here it didn't bother her.
She carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, to read when she got bored,
Everyone looked at Annabeth like she was crazy
"I was 12 and this was my first quest, sorry didn't know what to expect," Annabeth defended herself. Thalia just smirked and shook her head.
and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve. I was sure the knife would get us busted the first time we went through a metal detector. Grover wore his fake feet and his pants to pass as human. He wore a green rasta-style cap, because when it rained his curly hair flattened and you could just see the tips of his horns. His bright orange backpack was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. In his pocket was a set of reed pipes his daddy goat had carved for him, even though he only knew two songs: Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 12 and Hilary Duff's "So Yesterday," both of which sounded pretty bad on reed pipes.
Grover looked to Annabeth, but she was nodding agreeing with Percy. Grover faked being hurt and huffed. Annabeth and Thalia laughed and hugged him
We waved good-bye to the other campers, took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, then hiked up Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus. Chiron was waiting for us in his wheelchair. Next to him stood the surfer dude I'd seen when I was recovering in the sick room. According to Grover, the guy was the camp's head of security. He supposedly had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. Today, though, he was wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so I could only see extra peepers on his hands, face and neck. "This is Argus,"
Hera smiled
Chiron told me. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things." I heard footsteps behind us. Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes.
Hermes smiled recognizing the shoes, while Annabeth and Grover simply paled, remembering there those shoes had almost dragged Grover.
"Hey!" he panted. "Glad I caught you." Annabeth blushed, the way she always did when Luke was around. "Just wanted to say good luck," Luke told me. "And I thought ... um, maybe you could use these." He handed me the sneakers, which looked pretty normal. They even smelled kind of normal. Luke said, "Maia!" White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels,
"Cool," said Leo. Piper nodded
startling me so much, I dropped them. The shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared. "Awesome!" Grover said. Luke smiled. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days..." His expression turned sad. I didn't know what to say. It was cool enough that Luke had come to say good-bye. I'd been afraid he might resent me for getting so much attention the last few days. But here he was giving me a magic gift... It made me blush almost as much as Annabeth.
"Really?" Nico asked he knew how much Percy had hated Luke so it was hard for him to imagine Percy blushing because of something Luke did. Grover nodded remembering how Percy had blushed, he would have laughed but after what Luke did to them.
"Hey, man," I said. "Thanks." "Listen, Percy ..." Luke looked uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just ... kill some monsters for me, okay?"
"Oh if only we knew," Annabeth said shaking her head,
We shook hands. Luke patted Grover's head between his horns, then gave a good-bye hug to Annabeth, who looked like she might pass out. After Luke was gone, I told her, "You're hyperventilating." "Am not." "You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?" "Oh ... why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?" She stomped down the other side of the hill, where a white SUV waited on the shoulder of the road. Argus followed, jingling his car keys. I picked up the flying shoes and had a sudden bad feeling.
All the kids who knew Luke nodded, while the gods merely assumed it was because of the whole Percy shouldn't fly situation
I looked at Chiron. "I won't be able to use these, will I?" He shook his head. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air ... that would not be wise for you." I nodded, disappointed, but then I got an idea. "Hey, Grover. You want a magic item?"
Jason smiled, he understood now why so Percy's friends cared so much for him, here Percy was giving his best friend a magical gift that Percy could have used, to his best friend without a second thought.
His eyes lit up. "Me?" Pretty soon we'd laced the sneakers over his fake feet, and the world's first flying goat boy was ready for launch. "Maia!" he shouted. He got off the ground okay, but then fell over sideways so his backpack dragged through the grass. The winged shoes kept bucking up and down like tiny broncos. "Practice," Chiron called after him. "You just need practice!" "Aaaaa!" Grover went flying sideways down the hill like a possessed lawn mower,
Everyone laughed at that,
heading toward the van. Before I could follow, Chiron caught my arm. "I should have trained you better, Percy," he said. "If only I had more time. Hercules, Jason-they all got more training." "That's okay. I just wish-" I stopped myself because I was about to sound like a brat. I was wishing my dad had given me a cool magic item to help on the quest,
"Give him the sword," Poseidon said looking at Chiron who merely nodded
something as good as Luke's flying shoes, or Annabeth's invisible cap. "What am I thinking?" Chiron cried. "I can't let you get away without this." He pulled a pen from his coat pocket and handed it to me. It was an ordinary disposable ballpoint, black ink, removable cap. Probably cost thirty cents. "Gee," I said. "Thanks." "Percy, that's a gift from your father. I've kept it for years, not knowing you were who I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You are the one." I remembered the field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, when I'd vaporized Mrs. Dodds. Chiron had thrown me a pen that turned into a sword. Could this be ... ? I took off the cap, and the pen grew longer and heavier in my hand. In half a second, I held a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a leather-wrapped grip, and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs. It was the first weapon that actually felt balanced in my hand.
"because like Percy it comes from the sea," Poseidon smiled, he felt slightly better knowing his son would have a good weapon with him throughout the quest
"The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into," Chiron told me. "Its name is Anaklusmos."
Artemis's eyes widened, she knew that sword, where it had come from and for who it was meant. Artemis looked at Poseidon then at Chiron, she couldn't decide who she should be angry at. No boy deserved a sword made by her Zoe
"'Riptide,'" I translated, surprised the Ancient Greek came so easily. "Use it only for emergencies," Chiron said, "and only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals unless absolutely necessary, of course, but this sword wouldn't harm them in any case."
"Thank goodness for that," Rachel said remembering how she and Percy had met. Everyone but Annabeth looked at her strangely
I looked at the wickedly sharp blade. "What do you mean it wouldn't harm mortals? How could it not?" "The sword is celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, cooled in the River Lethe. It's deadly to monsters, to any creature from the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion. They simply are not important enough for the blade to kill.
Rachel looked sharply at Chiron, Chiron shook his head,
"That came out wrong, I didn't mean it like that. It's just the lives of the mortals hardly ever interact with the gods," Hera sent Chiron a glared, "Except for when you know, so it easier to explain why the weapons don't harm mortal for that reason," Chiron said looking at Rachel who just huffed and looked away. Chiron wanted to explain more but Annabeth just shook her head.
And I should warn you: as a demigod, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable." "Good to know." "Now recap the pen." I touched the pen cap to the sword tip and instantly Riptide shrank to a ballpoint pen again. I tucked it in my pocket, a little nervous, because I was famous for losing pens at school.
"That's what he's worried about, losing a pen," Jason laughed, all the kids laughed with him shaking their heads
"You can't," Chiron said. "Can't what?" "Lose the pen," he said. "It is enchanted. It will always reappear in your pocket.
"And thank goodness for that," Annabeth smiled remembering all the times Percy had lost it.
Try it." I was wary, but I threw the pen as far as I could down the hill and watched it disappear in the grass. "It may take a few moments," Chiron told me. "Now check your pocket." Sure enough, the pen was there. "Okay, that's extremely cool," I admitted. "But what if a mortal sees me pulling out a sword?" Chiron smiled.
"Mist," everyone said at the same time.
"Mist is a powerful thing, Percy." "Mist?" "Yes. Read The Iliad. It's full of references to the stuff. Whenever divine or monstrous elements mix with the mortal world, they generate Mist, which obscures the vision of humans. You will see things just as they are, being a half-blood, but humans will interpret things quite differently. Remarkable, really, the lengths to which humans will go to fit things into their version of reality."
Grover and Annabeth nodded remembering their quests and how all the mortals were fooled
I put Riptide back in my pocket. For the first time, the quest felt real. I was actually leaving Half-Blood Hill. I was heading west with no adult supervision, no backup plan, not even a cell phone. (Chiron said cell phones were traceable by monsters; if we used one, it would be worse than sending up a flare.) I had no weapon stronger than a sword to fight off monsters and reach the Land of the Dead.
"Well he did have you two so," Nico said looking at Grover and Annabeth,
"we were still kids, and it wasn't an easy quest," Annabeth started
"Did we ever have an easy quest?" Grover asked looking at Annabeth. All Percy's friends shook their heads Poseidon shook his head he didn't like the sound of that.
"Chiron ..." I said. "When you say the gods are immortal... I mean, there was a time before them, right?"
All the gods shivered, remembering the titans. Chiron also shuttered thinking of his father.
"Four ages before them, actually. The Time of the Titans was the Fourth Age, sometimes called the Golden Age,
The gods huffed crossing their arms and rolling their eyes.
Which is definitely a misnomer. This, the time of Western civilization and the rule of Zeus, is the Fifth Age." "So what was it like ... before the gods?" Chiron pursed his lips. "Even I am not old enough to remember that,
"Chiron it's not nice to lie to a child," Hestia said shaking her head. Chiron just blushed and looked away.
Child, but I know it was a time of darkness and savagery for mortals. Kronos, the lord of the Titans, called his reign the Golden Age because men lived innocent and free of all knowledge. But that was mere propaganda. The Titan king cared nothing for your kind except as appetizers or a source of cheap entertainment. It was only in the early reign of Lord Zeus, when Prometheus
All Percy's friends growled remembering the titan, the gods looked at them like they were crazy.
The good Titan brought fire to mankind, that your species began to progress, and even then Prometheus was branded a radical thinker. Zeus punished him severely, as you may recall.
"The first of many," Annabeth whispered, the kids around her giggled making Zeus lift his eyebrow.
Of course, eventually the gods warmed to humans, and Western civilization was born." "But the gods can't die now, right? I mean, as long as Western civilization is alive, they're alive. So ... even if I failed, nothing could happen so bad it would mess up everything, right?"
"Well that positive thinking," Piper said with a smile
"It's Percy, he's not very optimistic," Thalia smiled thinking about her cousin. Annabeth nodded smiling
Chiron gave me a melancholy smile. "No one knows how long the Age of the West will last, Percy. The gods are immortal, yes. But then, so were the Titans. They still exist, locked away in their various prisons, forced to endure endless pain and punishment, reduced in power, but still very much alive.
The half-bloods shivered, even Leo and Piper. The gods looked at their children with worry.
May the Fates forbid that the gods should ever suffer such a doom, or that we should ever return to the darkness and chaos of the past? All we can do, child, is follow our destiny."
The half-bloods all sighed, they really didn't like that, the whole destiny thing.
"Our destiny ... assuming we know what that is." "Relax," Chiron told me. "Keep a clear head. And remember, you may be about to prevent the biggest war in human history."
"That's not going to help him," Poseidon said looking at Chiron who just blushed and looked away.
"Relax," I said. "I'm very relaxed." When I got to the bottom of the hill, I looked back. Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Chiron was now standing in full horse-man form, holding his bow high in salute. Just your typical summer-camp send-off by your typical centaur.
All the half-bloods smiled looking at Chiron.
Argus drove us out of the countryside and into western Long Island. It felt weird to be on a highway again, Annabeth and Grover sitting next to me as if we were normal carpoolers. After two weeks at Half-Blood Hill, the real world seemed like a fantasy.
All the kids nodded remembering there first time out of camp for their first quests.
I found myself staring at every McDonald's, every kid in the back of his parents' car, every billboard and shopping mall. "So far so good," I told Annabeth. "Ten miles and not a single monster." She gave me an irritated look. "It's bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain."
"He already has the worst luck, so I don't think is going to affect him anymore," Thalia said looking at Annabeth
"Yes but we were there so," Grover said looking at Thalia who just looked at him in thought.
"Remind me again-why do you hate me so much?" "I don't hate you." "Could've fooled me." She folded her cap of invisibility. "Look ... we're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals." "Why?" She sighed.
"How many reasons do you want?" Athena asked glaring at Poseidon who just glared back at him,
"So you two didn't get along at first?" Piper asked looking at Annabeth,
"Yes, but we got over our problems in that first quest," Annabeth said smiling remembering how her Percy's and her relationship had changed
"How many reasons do you want? One time my mom caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena's temple,
Annabeth and Grover shivered at the memory of medusa
which is hugely disrespectful. Another time, Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron god for the city of Athens. Your dad created some stupid saltwater spring for his gift. My mom created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her." "They must really like olives."
Everyone but Athena, Hera and Zeus laughed at that.
"Oh, forget it." "Now, if she'd invented pizza-that I could understand." "I said, forget it!" In the front seat, Argus smiled. He didn't say anything, but one blue eye on the back of his neck winked at me.
"Oh, he knew that you two would end up together first," Grover laughed. Athena and Poseidon paled
"Wait what?" Athena asked looking at Grover before looking at Annabeth
"Yes, mother. Percy and I are dating." Annabeth said looking her mother straight in the eyes and smiled. Poseidon was still to stung to think anything, Athena, on the other hand, looked like she had swallowed a lemon.
Traffic slowed us down in Queens. By the time we got into Manhattan it was sunset and starting to rain. Argus dropped us at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, not far from my mom and Gabe's apartment. Taped to a mailbox was a soggy flyer with my picture on it: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY? I ripped it down before Annabeth and Grover could notice.
"We did see them but we choose not to say anything," Annabeth said sadly as she remembered that day.
Argus unloaded our bags, made sure we got our bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch us as he pulled out of the parking lot. I thought about how close I was to my old apartment. On a normal day, my mom would be home from the candy store by now. Smelly Gabe was probably up there right now, playing poker, not even missing her.
Everyone in the room growled
Grover shouldered his backpack. He gazed down the street in the direction I was looking. "You want to know why she married him, Percy?" I stared at him. "Were you reading my mind or something?"
"Just his emotions," Grover said proudly. Annabeth and Thalia smiled and patted his back.
"Just your emotions." He shrugged. "Guess I forgot to tell you satyrs can do that. You were thinking about your mom and your stepdad, right?" I nodded, wondering what else Grover might've forgotten to tell me. "Your mom married Gabe for you," Grover told me.
"Why?" Piper and Leo said at the same time
"The same reason she does most thing to keep Percy save," Grover said sadly, confusing Piper, Leo and Jason more
"You call him 'Smelly,' but you've got no idea. The guy has this aura... Yuck. I can smell him from here. I can smell traces of him on you, and you haven't been near him for a week."
"Smart woman," Athena and Hestia said at the same time. Poseidon smiled thinking fondly of his Sally
"Thanks," I said. "Where's the nearest shower?" "You should be grateful, Percy. Your stepfather smells so repulsively human he could mask the presence of any demigod. As soon as I took a whiff inside his Camaro, I knew: Gabe has been covering your scent for years. If you hadn't lived with him every summer, you probably would've been found by monsters a long time ago. Your mom stayed with him to protect you. She was a smart lady. She must've loved you a lot to put up with that guy-if that makes you feel any better."
"Knowing Percy I don't think it helped him feel better," Rachel said looking at Grover,
"I know that now," Grover smiled sadly. Poseidon sighed sadly, he really wished he had not brought on so much bad luck for Sally and his son.
It didn't, but I forced myself not to show it. I'll see her again, I thought. She isn't gone. I wondered if Grover could still read my emotions, mixed up as they were. I was glad he and Annabeth were with me, but I felt guilty that I hadn't been straight with them. I hadn't told them the real reason I'd said yes to this crazy quest. The truth was, I didn't care about retrieving Zeus's lightning bolt,
Zeus pouted. Annabeth and Grover nodded they knew why Percy had chosen to accept the quest
or saving the world, or even helping my father out of trouble. The more I thought about it, I resented Poseidon for never visiting me, never helping my mom, never even sending a lousy child-support check.
Poseidon looked down in shame, he wished he could have done more for them.
"Poseidon no you know that you may not interfere," Zeus all but growled at Poseidon
He'd only claimed me because he needed a job done. All I cared about was my mom. Hades had taken her unfairly, and Hades was going to give her back. You will be betrayed by one who calls you a friend, the Oracle whispered in my mind.
Jason, Leo and Piper looked at Annabeth and Grover,
"it didn't mean us," was All Annabeth said, refusing to meet Chiron or Hermes eyes
You will fail to save what matters most in the end.
Poseidon felt great sadness come over him.
Shut up, I told it. The rain kept coming down. We got restless waiting for the bus and decided to play some Hacky Sack with one of Grover's apples.
Annabeth and Grover laughed at the memory
Annabeth was unbelievable. She could bounce the apple off her knee, her elbow, her shoulder, whatever. I wasn't too bad myself. The game ended when I tossed the apple toward Grover and it got too close to his mouth. In one mega goat bite, our Hacky Sack disappeared-core, stem, and all.
Everyone laughed at that
Grover blushed. He tried to apologize, but Annabeth and I were too busy cracking up. Finally the bus came. As we stood in line to board, Grover started looking around, sniffing the air like he smelled his favorite school cafeteria delicacy-enchiladas.
"Oh I should have known better," Grover said covering his face with his hands, slouching over. Annabeth looked sadly at him while rubbing his back. Everyone was looking at them with worry.
"What is it?" I asked. "I don't know," he said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing." But I could tell it wasn't nothing. I started looking over my shoulder, too. I was relieved when we finally got on board and found seats together in the back of the bus. We stowed our backpacks.
Thalia hit Annabeth over her head,
"Sorry I was 12," Annabeth defended herself. Grover ducked out of the seat and ran over to Jason and Piper's to hide from Thalia. Thalia got out of her seat and chased after the satyr.
Thalia chased Grover around the room for a while, till Hera got annoyed and cleared her throat. Thalia got off of Grover and moved back to her seat, picking up the book and continued to read
Annabeth kept slapping her Yankees cap nervously against her thigh. As the last passengers got on, Annabeth clamped her hand onto my knee. "Percy." An old lady had just boarded the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face, and she carried a big paisley purse. When she tilted her head up, her black eyes glittered, and my heart skipped a beat. It was Mrs. Dodds.
Everyone looked at Hades who simply sank in his seat not looking at Poseidon.
Older, more withered, but definitely the same evil face. I scrunched down in my seat. Behind her came two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise they looked exactly like Mrs. Dodds-same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses.
"You sent all three of them after my son," Poseidon growled out glaring at Hades who paled and squirmed in his seat.
Triplet demon grandmothers. They sat in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, making an X. It was casual enough, but it sent a clear message: nobody leaves. The bus pulled out of the station, and we headed through the slick streets of Manhattan. "She didn't stay dead long," I said, trying to keep my voice from quivering. "I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime."
"Not if you're Percy Jackson," Thalia shook her head. All his friends nodded thinking about all Percy's bad luck. Poseidon was glaring so hard at Hades it wouldn't surprise anyone of he jumped up and attacked his brother.
"I said if you're lucky," Annabeth said. "You're obviously not." "All three of them," Grover whimpered. "Di immortales!" "It's okay," Annabeth said, obviously thinking hard. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows." "They don't open," Grover moaned. "A back exit?" she suggested. There wasn't one.
"Wow your luck is even worst then ours was," Leo said looking at Annabeth with sympathy.
"That was just the start of it," Annabeth said thinking back. Poseidon and Chiron looked at her with concern
Even if there had been, it wouldn't have helped. By that time, we were on Ninth Avenue, heading for the Lincoln Tunnel. "They won't attack us with witnesses around," I said. "Will they?" "Mortals don't have good eyes," Annabeth reminded me. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist." "They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?"
"Not likely," Thalia smirked shaking her head,
She thought about it. "Hard to say. But we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof ...?" We hit the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle. It was eerily quiet without the sound of the rain. Mrs. Dodds got up. In a flat voice, as if she'd rehearsed it, she announced to the whole bus: "I need to use the rest-room." "So do I," said the second sister. "So do I," said the third sister. They all started coming down the aisle. "I've got it," Annabeth said. "Percy, take my hat." "What?" "You're the one they want. Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away."
"That's not going to happen," Grover smiled
"What why?" Poseidon asked worriedly
"His fatal flaw is loyalty. He would never abandon any of his friends," Annabeth smile fondly. Chiron smiled but shook his head, he had a feeling that would be Percy's flaw
"But you guys-" "There's an outside chance they might not notice us," Annabeth said. "You're a son of one of the Big Three. Your smell might be overpowering." "I can't just leave you." "Don't worry about us," Grover said. "Go!" My hands trembled. I felt like a coward,
Jason felt bad for him, he understood how Percy felt.
but I took the Yankees cap and put it on. When I looked down, my body wasn't there anymore. I started creeping up the aisle. I managed to get up ten rows, then duck into an empty seat just as the Furies walked past. Mrs. Dodds stopped, sniffing, and looked straight at me. My heart was pounding. Apparently she didn't see anything. She and her sisters kept going.
"They're not looking for him," Hades whispered to himself looking a bit more worried.
I was free. I made it to the front of the bus. We were almost through the Lincoln Tunnel now. I was about to press the emergency stop button when I heard hideous wailing from the back row. The old ladies were not old ladies anymore. Their faces were still the same-I guess those couldn't get any uglier- but their bodies had shriveled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat's wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws. Their handbags had turned into fiery whips.
Athena glared at Hades while Grover and Annabeth merely shuttered at the memory.
"If one of them hurt my daughter," Athena started
"They're on a quest, and I might I add all of this has not happened yet," Hades defended himself
The Furies surrounded Grover and Annabeth, lashing their whips, hissing: "Where is it? Where?"
Athena raised her eyebrow and looked at Hades, who looked like his worst fear had been confirmed. Hades kept looking at his helm of darkness
The other people on the bus were screaming, cowering in their seats. They saw something, all right. "He's not here!" Annabeth yelled. "He's gone!" The Furies raised their whips. Annabeth drew her bronze knife. Grover grabbed a tin can from his snack bag and prepared to throw it. What I did next was so impulsive and dangerous I should've been named ADHD poster child of the year.
Leo looked up interested, Piper and Jason looked at each other and agreed that they didn't want to be near when Leo and Percy met. Poseidon looked at Annabeth with worry written all over his face.
The bus driver was distracted, trying to see what was going on in his rearview mirror. Still invisible, I grabbed the wheel from him and jerked it to the left.
Poseidon seemed to grow paler and paler the more Thalia read.
Everybody howled as they were thrown to the right, and I heard what I hoped was the sound of three Furies smashing against the windows.
Annabeth and Grover groaned there body's hurting all over
"Hey!" the driver yelled. "Hey-whoa!" We wrestled for the wheel. The bus slammed against the side of the tunnel, grinding metal, throwing sparks a mile behind us. We careened out of the Lincoln Tunnel and back into the rainstorm, people and monsters tossed around the bus, cars plowed aside like bowling pins. Somehow the driver found an exit. We shot off the highway, through half a dozen traffic lights, and ended up barreling down one of those New Jersey rural roads where you can't believe there's so much nothing right across the river from New York. There were woods to our left, the Hudson River to our right, and the driver seemed to be veering toward the river. Another great idea: I hit the emergency brake. The bus wailed, spun a full circle on the wet asphalt, and crashed into the trees. The emergency lights came on. The door flew open. The bus driver was the first one out, the passengers yelling as they stampeded after him. I stepped into the driver's seat and let them pass. The Furies regained their balance. They lashed their whips at Annabeth while she waved her knife and yelled in Ancient Greek, telling them to back off. Grover threw tin cans.
Thalia looked at them out of the corners of her eyes, she slowly began to read faster and faster hoping to get the chapter over. Nico looked at Will as he got up and mover over to Annabeth and Grover
I looked at the open doorway. I was free to go, but I couldn't leave my friends. I took off the invisible cap. "Hey!" The Furies turned, baring their yellow fangs at me, and the exit suddenly seemed like an excellent idea. Mrs. Dodds stalked up the aisle, just as she used to do in class, about to deliver my F- math test.
Everyone shook their heads,
"He really does hate math more than anything," Grover smiled, but the smile quickly
Every time she flicked her whip, red flames danced along the barbed leather. Her two ugly sisters hopped on top of the seats on either side of her and crawled toward me like huge nasty lizards. "Perseus Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said, in an accent that was definitely from somewhere farther south than Georgia.
"yes Percy a lot more south then Georgia," Nick laughed as the group around his start to snicker. Even Annabeth and Grover who was getting sorer and sorer
"You have offended the gods. You shall die." "I liked you better as a math teacher," I told her. She growled. Annabeth and Grover moved up behind the Furies cautiously, looking for an opening. I took the ballpoint pen out of my pocket and uncapped it. Riptide elongated into a shimmering double-edged sword. The Furies hesitated. Mrs. Dodds had felt Riptide's blade before. She obviously didn't like seeing it again.
"And she probably never will," Nico smirked remembering how much She hated Percy
"Submit now," she hissed. "And you will not suffer eternal torment." "Nice try," I told her. "Percy, look out!" Annabeth cried. Mrs. Dodds lashed her whip around my sword hand while the Furies on the either side lunged at me. My hand felt like it was wrapped in molten lead, but I managed not to drop Riptide. I stuck the Fury on the left with its hilt, sending her toppling backward into a seat.
"Why didn't he kill her?" Piper asked looking at Annabeth
"Well he hasn't had a lot of training, so he probably didn't see the opening. He was still very new at all of this," Annabeth explained thinking back
I turned and sliced the Fury on the right. As soon as the blade connected with her neck, she screamed and exploded into dust.
Piper made an 'oh' face and nodded. Jason simply got more and more impressed by Percy
Annabeth got Mrs. Dodds in a wrestler's hold and yanked her backward while Grover ripped the whip out of her hands. "Ow!"
"Ow," Grover yelled waving his hands as if his hands were on fire. Will moved over to him with his medical bag and started to tend to the two
he yelled. "Ow! Hot! Hot!" The Fury I'd hilt-slammed came at me again, talons ready, but I swung Riptide and she broke open like a piñata. Mrs. Dodds was trying to get Annabeth off her back. She kicked, clawed, hissed and bit, but Annabeth held on while Grover got Mrs. Dodds's legs tied up in her own whip. Finally they both shoved her backward into the aisle. Mrs. Dodds tried to get up, but she didn't have room to flap her bat wings, so she kept falling down. "Zeus will destroy you!" she promised.
Zeus nodded, ignoring the glared Poseidon and Percy's friends were sending him
"Hades will have your soul!"
Hades merely stunk in his seat when his brother's glare turned to him
"Braccas meas vescimini!" I yelled. I wasn't sure where the Latin came from.
All the half-bloods turned to Jason who looked as shocked as they were.
I think it meant "Eat my pants!"
"True," Jason said smiling, the gods and Chiron looked at him with raised eyebrows
Thunder shook the bus. The hair rose on the back of my neck. "Get out!" Annabeth yelled at me. "Now!" I didn't need any encouragement. We rushed outside
"Your bags!" Thalia all but yelled at Annabeth and Grover who thankfully seemed to stop getting injuries. Will was working furiously around them trying to help them with the injuries
and found the other passengers wandering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around in circles yelling, "We're going to die!" A Hawaiian-shirted tourist with a camera snapped my photograph before I could recap my sword.
"He seriously has bad luck," Leo shook his head. All Percy's friends nodded agreeing.
"But they won't see he had a sword, right?" Rachel asked looking at Chiron
"No but the mist will make them see that he was holding a weapon," Annabeth answered
"Our bags!" Grover realized. "We left our-" BOOOOOM! The windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof, but an angry wail from inside told me Mrs. Dodds was not yet dead.
All the half-bloods nodded, shuttering they didn't like the feeling they got.
"Run!" Annabeth said. "She's calling for reinforcements! We have to get out of here!" We plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind us, and nothing but darkness ahead.
Thalia closed the book and looked around,
"Who wants to read next?" she asked holding up the book.
"I think it's time for dinner," Hera said getting up. Suddenly there was a bright light, a body fell out of it. Suddenly everyone jumped up, and moved to it. As Jason got closer he saw that the body was wearing a purple cape and white toga, the uniform for a praetor of new Rome.
"Percy," Annabeth yelled running to the body, soon she was followed by Grover and the rest of his friends. Annabeth fell next to Percy and placed his head in her lap,
"Percy wake up please," Annabeth begged, placing her hands on his face, Will and Apollo knelt next to him, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. Jason, Piper and Leo stopped next to Thalia and looked down at the passed out Percy. All three of them looked at him and thought the same thing 'Cool'.
"Okay how about we all go and give them some room," Hestia said trying to get everyone to leave, slowly everyone but Will, Apollo, Annabeth and Grover moved out the room
I do not own any of the characters or the books, they all are the property of Rick.
Thank you for reading these. Reviews are appreciated