A Hint of Nightshade

Chapter Three

The Angel of the Sea

Over the next year, I'd become twice as strong as I was on my quest to Camp Half-blood. It was primarily because of my new business venture. My reputation for guiding half bloods to camp safely had taken off. I'd heard whispers from around camp. Many of the campers viewed me with disdain. They thought of me as nothing more than an arrogant sell sword who used my godly abilities to make a quick buck. The majority, however, viewed me as somewhat of a guardian angel. A demigod out in the real world who could actually help and ensure safe passage to camp. I'd even heard a twelve-year-old boy refer to me as the Sea Angel, a son of Poseidon who watched over demigods like a personal guardian. I liked it.

Business was booming. I'd managed to guide anywhere from five to ten demigods to camp every month without a single casualty. Satyrs were seeking me out for assistance. Demigods who had an inkling of their godly heritage were coming to me in droves. Unfortunately, so were monsters.

My scent must have become extra potent in the recent months. I felt like I was encountering a different monster every day. They were getting bigger, stronger, and more intelligent. I couldn't get a break.

I started to think that it might be time I headed to camp. School was a bust for me and my business as a sell sword meant that my mother was finally financially stable. She'd gotten a new apartment, one that wasn't haunted by Smelly Gabe, and had more than enough money in her savings account.

I'd all but made up my mind. The end of the year was fast approaching with the Winter Solstice merely weeks away. My plan was simple. I'd finish out the calendar year and then head to camp over winter break. I only had one more client on my calendar regardless. Well, they weren't technically a client yet. I heard whispers through the satyr community that there were a pair of abnormally important demigods at a boarding school in Maine. There was some mention of their family being tied to vast amounts of wealth, but I didn't have all the details. I figured it might be fun for a bit more of an adventure when compared to my usual route to camp. The school's name was Westover Hall and the demigods in question were Bianca and Nico di Angelo. They apparently had some kind of school dance coming up. I figured I could make the trip, crash the dance, and do a little recon. The only wildcard was how I'd get all the way to Maine. Luckily, something that had happened earlier in the year gave me a new method of transportation.

Somehow, I'd managed to cross paths with a Pegasus. When I found him, he was stuck in a bear trap. It seemed like a comically ridiculous way for such a magical creature to be subdued, but I could hear the mare's cries of anguish clear as day. The stallion was jet-black with massive wings and one seriously damaged leg. I'd freed him easily enough and he told me his story. Apparently, he'd escaped from some kind of enemy ship with the aid from some demigods on a quest. He was injured in his escape and was simply trying to fly his way back to camp when he stopped for a drink of water and found himself in a hunter's trap. He was grateful for my assistance and over the moon when I'd healed his injuries with water from the stream. The Pegasus, whose name was Blackjack, vowed his undying loyalty to me and announced that he'd see me back at camp before darting off into the sky. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I wasn't staying at Camp Half-blood.

So, that brought me here. I wasn't sure Blackjack would even remember me, but I had to make a quick stop at Camp Half-blood to try. It was that or spend a small fortune on travel.

I walked past Thalia's Tree without any interference. I noticed that there was now some kind of golden fabric caressing the trunk of the tree. Maybe I'd ask somebody about that. I didn't really know my way around so I asked some random girl hanging outside the Athena Cabin where the Pegasus Stables were. I figured a daughter of the Goddess of Wisdom would jump at the chance to give me some answers. What I didn't anticipate was the blond-haired girl from my last visit walking out of the cabin. She dropped the bag that she was holding in surprise.

"Percy?" She asked. I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Oh, uh, hi…"

"Annabeth." She finished.

"Right." I spoke. "Annabeth. So, uh, how are things?" She was wearing a back pack and had a New York Yankees baseball cap tucked into the waist of her jeans. Her hair was braided down her back and her stormy gray eyes were as piercing as always. She shuffled her feet.

"I'm leaving for a quest later today. What are you doing here?"

"I'm also on my own sort of mission, but I had to stop by and see a friend first. Only thing is, I don't exactly know my way around here yet." She looked at me.

"Yet? Are you planning on coming here?" I sensed some hopefulness in her voice.

"I'm thinking about it. Right now, I really just need to find the stables." She studied me for a moment.

"Come on. I'll take you." I smiled at her gratefully. We walked in silence for some time before I decided to break it.

"So, what's the quest? I hear those don't come around too often." She stifled a laugh.

"Yeah 'quest' might be mislabeling it. We're just going to retrieve these two demigods from a boarding school in Maine. There's something important about them, but no one will tell me." I laughed.

"I bet that's driving you crazy." She glared at me. "I mean, you are the daughter of wisdom. It would make sense if you were frustrated by a lack of answers."

"Well, I'm not too happy about it." I'll admit, I'm not the brightest. So, it took a moment for her words to truly sink in. I stopped in my tracks.

"Hades!" I cursed. Annabeth looked at me. "Your quest and my mission are the same thing." She looked like she was about to get defensive, so I stopped her. "I'll back off. No worries. I just heard something about them being rich so I was going to try to throw my hat in the ring." Annabeth laughed.

"They're orphans, Percy. I think that news got altered somewhere in Dionysus' grapevine." I frowned.

"Yeah, I guess I probably should've pieced that together."

"You want to tag along?" I looked at her questioningly.

"Can you do that? Don't you have to run it by Chiron or something?" She shrugged.

"It's just Thalia and I as of right now. There's power in threes. Couldn't hurt."

"Wait. Did you say Thalia?" She laughed. "Yeah, I guess you miss a lot by not being at camp." I was still confused, but we'd made it to the stables. "I'll tell you later. It's a long story." I nodded. "Who's the friend you're looking for anyway?"

"Boss!" Blackjack cried out, upon hearing my voice. I turned to Annabeth.

"Come on. I'll introduce you." She furrowed her brows, but followed me into the stables. Blackjack was practically bouncing up and down in his enclosure, rambling on about how long it's been and how happy he was to see me.

"Your friend is Blackjack?" Annabeth asked incredulously. "I don't believe it. Blackjack doesn't let anyone ride him." I mounted the Pegasus without resistance, which made Annabeth's jaw drop.

"I'll tell you later. It's a long story." I said, echoing her previous statement.

"I guess it's a good thing you're coming with us to Maine then."

"I guess it is." Annabeth and I smiled at each other. "Alright, Blackjack. What do you say? It sounds like you're a bit out of practice."

"I'm the best Pegasus they've got, boss! Trust me!" I laughed.

"I guess I'll see you for our quest then?" I asked Annabeth.

"Athena cabin. Two hours. Don't be late or we're leaving without you." I glanced at Annabeth, and then at Blackjack. "And Percy, don't destroy anything while you're here."

"Tell her we can't promise that, boss!"

"Blackjack says we can't promise that." I repeated.

"You totally threw me under the bus, boss!" I rolled my eyes.

"We'll see you in two hours." I reiterated. Annabeth seemed content enough. And, with that, Blackjack and I took to the sky.

"I heard you say you might be coming to live here, boss! It's about time! I'm tired of being locked up in the stables. Blackjack needs air time!" I watched Annabeth's retreating form below.

"I'm thinking about it, Blackjack." I told him. "I'm thinking about it."