Chapter Eight
Sun Dance
"Sun West Line?" Zoe asked skeptically. The rest of us milled about the spacious railroad car, examining the luxury vehicles inside. "I've never heard of it." Annabeth studied a car worth more than my apartment back in New York with extreme scrutiny.
"Yeah." She agreed. "Neither have I." Thalia kicked up here feet on a dashboard that had probably never experienced the backside of a boot.
"I get the feeling that this particular train didn't end up in our path by coincidence." Thalia teased. Zoe turned to study the train company's emblem. Slowly, the rest of us began putting together the pieces. Zoe turned, clearly trying to contain her anger.
"We do not need the help of that god." She told us. Thalia went on the defense.
"Umm, yes, we do. We have no form of transportation and it seems like it's taking us west." Annabeth stepped closer to Zoe cautiously.
"She's right." Annabeth agreed. "This is our best option. Those spartoi are nothing to scoff at, Zoe. And they have your scent. We need to put as much distance between us and them as possible. A divine train ride is more than a great option." From my short time with Zoe, I could tell when she was about to go on a rant. So, I stealthily excused myself into a connected railroad car. But I wasn't alone. There was a man who I would've identified as homeless, had he not been sitting in the front seat of a McLaren. The homeless man held up his arms when I closed the door behind me.
"Perseus Jackson!" He exclaimed and got to his feet. He approached me, not nearly smelling as horrendous as he looked, and clamped his hands on my shoulders. "Man, have I been dying to meet you. You know, figuratively. I'm immortal after all." I stared at him. From beneath the grime, he was actually very handsome. His teeth were unnaturally white and his eyes gleamed in the window's sunlight.
"You're Apollo." I spoke knowingly. He bowed.
"In the flesh. So, tell me. How did you get on the hunter's good side? She's loathed my existence for generations." I shrugged.
"Guess I just got lucky. She's nice once she lets you in." He grinned.
"Well, with a bit more luck, you kids might actually pull this thing off."
"Or with the help of an Olympian god." He shrugged off my praise.
"The train was the least I could do. But unfortunately, I can't interfere any more than I already have. The rest is up to you buddy." I nodded and he flashed me another wicked smile. "This train is going to take you straight to a place called Gila Claw. It's in Arizona. That'll be your next stop on this quest, kiddo."
"Arizona?"
"Yeah, well, I had another destination in mind beforehand. But that's a quest for someone else." He winked. "And you didn't hear that from me." I had no idea what he was talking about. The God of the Sun checked a large metallic instrument on his wrist that might've been a watch or a sun dial depending on the lighting. "Looks like I have somewhere else to be." He looked me over. "I'm counting on you, Percy. Bring my sister home." I stared at the immortal being.
"I won't let you down. That's a promise." He gave me one more award-winning smile in return and vanished in a burst of blinding light. I glanced around the car, but Apollo was gone. My quest members must've seen the flash because Zoe came flying through the door with her bow drawn. She seemed confused when she realized it was just me standing in the room.
"Are you alright, Perseus?" She asked with a surprising amount of concern. "I thought I saw something." I smiled.
"I'm fine. Let's just say, I know where we're going and it would be for the best if you'd just relax for a while." She lowered her bow and threw herself down in the front seat of a convertible.
"Maybe you're right. There's just so much riding on this quest." She seemed so unsure of herself. It wasn't a look that I was accustomed to seeing on the lieutenant of Artemis. I silently slipped into the seat behind her. She glanced back at me and continued. "I've led my own hunt plenty of times, but my lady was always there if I needed her. Now, it's all up to me." She turned to me with a hint of tears in her eyes that I knew would not dare fall. "What if I fail her, Percy." I didn't know what to say. I wasn't exactly experienced when it came to comforting women, especially women who have killed men for even looking in their direction. I put a tentative hand on her shoulder as I knew it was a gesture I'd gotten away with before. She looked down at my hand like she was determining whether or not to chop it off. But then, her eyes met mine and she gave my hand a gentle squeeze. Without realizing it, I found myself exploring the palm of her hand with my thumb. It was soft and warm, not really anything like what I as anticipating. I must've had a stupid expression on my face or something because she gave me a look.
"What?" I asked. She studied my face.
"Why are you smiling?" I shook my head.
"I don't know. I guess, I just expected your hands to be all gross and calloused." For a second, her eyes flared murderously. "But they're not." I saved poorly. She studied me closer.
"Then what do they feel like?" I shrugged.
"Soft…nice." Zoe's eyes met mine and an emotion that I'd never seen on her overpowered her face. It was fear. Not indecisiveness about the mission, or insecurity about her own abilities as a leader, but genuine fear.
"What now?" I pried. She gently pulled her hand away from mine and shook her thoughts away.
"Nothing. It's nothing. I'm just tired." I nodded.
"Oh, yeah, we should probably all get some sleep."
"I agree." She stepped out of the car's front seat. "Goodnight, Perseus."
"Night, milady." Zoe smiled and went to join the others in the adjacent rail car.
"Wait, Zoe." I called after her. She turned with half of her body through the doorway.
"It's not all on you…because you have us." She smiled at me and, for once, it actually met her eyes.
"Thank you, Percy. Now, get some sleep." I didn't reply that time.
I dozed off pretty quickly after that, wondering what thought could've frightened the strongest warrior that I'd ever known. I slept soundly that night, a dreamless sleep. However, the next morning proved to be quite an unexpected turn of events.
"Okay." Thalia spoke. "There's no way we could've traveled all that way over night." The five of us were staring at a rather old and dusty sign for the town of Gila Claw, Arizona.
"Thank the gods." I answered simply.
"Thank Apollo." Bianca corrected.
"I'd sooner die." Zoe finished.
The five of us picked up our bags and headed in the direction of town, not knowing what lay ahead. We stopped at a few old convenience stores to replenish some of our supplies and figure out what exactly it was we were doing here. We decided hunting for our next ride westward was our best course of action. Annabeth didn't like our inclination to wing our quest as much as we were, but we didn't exactly have other answers.
"The important thing is that we get back on the road as soon as possible." Zoe informed us. "We've been lucky to avoid the spartoi up until this point, but even godly intervention won't keep them away for long." I spotted something up ahead and stopped in my tracks.
"Hey, guys." I said, getting their attention. "I think our luck just ran out." In the distance, there were a pack of skeletal figures moving in our direction. I counted about an even dozen in total. Our party froze as the figures advanced. The warriors stopped about thirty paces ahead of us and watched us closely. They looked terrifying. It was like they were taunting us. Showing us that we could run, but they would always be following. Anaklusmos sprang to life in my hand. One of the spartoi hissed at the sight of the blade, a primal sort of growl that sent a chill down my spine.
"What are you doing, Percy?" Annabeth scolded. "Those things aren't your typical monster. You're outnumbered and out skilled. Don't be a hero." I glanced back at her.
"The last thing we need is these things on our tail when we get to Lady Artemis." I argued. "Besides, I'm not spending my life running." Annabeth turned to Zoe.
"You're the quest leader here. If we take on a dozen spartoi, we're not all making it out of here alive." Zoe stared down the enemy who had yet to advance.
"Perseus, retreat." She ordered. I looked at her like she was crazy.
"But, Zoe."
"It's me that they're after. Not you. I won't endanger the lives of my quest mates. Once Lady Artemis is safe, they won't be a problem anymore. We flee and continue the quest." The spartoi seemed to at least have some inkling of what Zoe had ordered, and they were not happy. In unison, the squadron of skeletal warriors charged. They moved as though they were possessed and shrieked a harrowing noise that rattled me to my core. We ran blindly with no semblance of a plan in how we were going to escape from the warriors' pursuit. Zoe led us down an alleyway as a spartus slid and overshot the opening between the buildings.
"They're gaining on us!" Thalia announced. Zoe's eyes locked on something up ahead.
"Follow me!" She ordered. No one questioned her as we scrambled away from the spartoi. A bit off in the distance I spotted what Zoe had already scouted out. It was some kind of scrapyard. Piles of old automobiles, scrap metal lying around in heaps, and narrow paths that seemed to form a makeshift network through the debris. It was as good of a place to get lost as any; I suppose. The five of us broke through the threshold of the yard. There was no gate of any kind, just a humble fence surrounding the majority of the plot. I glanced over my shoulder and was surprised to find that the spartoi had stopped chasing us. They were just watching us from outside of the junkyard's entrance, like animatronics that had been powered down.
"Wait!" I called out. Some of the others seemed to notice what I had and slowed to a stop. Everyone tried to catch their breath as we watched the spartoi curiously. Slowly, a few of the warriors wandered off, following the outside fence. "What are they doing?"
"They're probably going to try and block off all the exits." Annabeth proposed. "Wait us out."
"But why wouldn't they just keep chasing us?" Bianca questioned. "It's not like they weren't going to catch us eventually." All eyes turned to Zoe, but she was busy taking in the landscape.
"Because this isn't just any ordinary junkyard." She decided. I took a closer look at some of the piles of scrap metal around me. She was right. There were masses upon masses of intricate metallic contraptions, genius constructions, but all teeming with problems.
"It's the Junkyard of the Gods." Annabeth announced in awe. "Incredible."
"Touch nothing." Zoe barked. "This place is dangerous, but it did just buy us some valuable time."
"Maybe something here can be our ticket out." I suggested. Zoe looked at me.
"What did I just say?" I shrugged.
"Something about touching stuff?" She folded her arms.
"Yes, Perseus. As in don't touch stuff." I ignored her, focusing my attention on a life-size robot with wheels where its feet ought of been.
"Alright, I won't touch anything. But how are we going to get out of here?" I barely had time to finish my thought, when the earth began shaking. A few of the girls glared at me. I put my hands up in defense. "What? Zoe was watching me the whole time. I didn't touch anything."
"Maybe its an earthquake." Bianca suggested.
"I think not." Zoe told us, pointing at something in the sky. The world began to get dark as a shadow overpowered the dry landscape. I looked up to see what was blocking out the sun. It was a colossus of an animatronic robot. It had to have been the largest thing I'd ever seen in my life. Its head made a sort of eclipse which prevented me from getting a good look at its face. But it was here for us. That much was obvious.
"Talos." Annabeth informed us with a shaky voice. "Or at least a prototype of the real thing."
"Is it friendly?" I wondered foolishly. The giant raised one of its feet slowly and then began to step in our direction, clearly with no regard for the five demigods below its monstrous foot.
"I think that's a no, Percy!" Thalia answered.
"Run!" Annabeth screamed. The five of us ran off into different directions as the robot's speed allowed us plenty of time to escape the attack. Bianca and Zoe ducked behind a broken-down car, materializing their bows. Annabeth quickly scaled a mountain of varying scrap parts, fiddling with her Yankee's cap, but more focused on formulating a plan. Thalia and I ended up running off a random corridor amongst the rubble.
"Holy Hephaestus, that things huge." I spoke. Thalia nodded her head in agreement as we ran further into the heart of the junkyard. We slid behind what appeared to be an over sized ice cream stand that had been retaken by nature.
"I can't even begin to have an idea as to how we take down something that big." She stated.
"Maybe we could try and take out its legs?" I thought. "You know, the bigger they are…" She looked thoughtful.
"Even that would be a challenge. I doubt any weapon we have would make a dent in it and we can exactly trip up something that size. Its legs are the size of a building."
"Why is everything we fight on this quest virtually invincible?" A mirage to my side fizzled away to reveal Annabeth taking off her cap of invisibility.
"What are you thinking, Annabeth?" Thalia asked hopefully. She bit her bottom lip.
"I have an idea, but its risky." She answered unsure of herself.
"Lets here it." I said supportively. She watched the giant automation turn in the direction of Zoe and Bianca.
"I think that the two of you combined with your godly powers could defeat it. Maybe create some kind of short circuit that will fry it for good. I mean something has to be making it tick." Thalia and I glanced at each other.
"That's going to take a lot out of us." Thalia stated with evident concern. "We're in the middle of a desert. Percy and I would be practically useless after drawing that kind of power." Annabeth nodded understandingly and started racking her brain for another solution. I stood from our hiding spot.
"I say we try it." I told them. The pair of girls looked surprised. "We might only get one shot at it, but if Annabeth says its our best option, then its our best option." Thalia and Annabeth stood. Annabeth gave me a thankful smile.
"Are you sure about this, Percy?" She asked with concern. I turned to Thalia who simply nodded her agreement.
"We're sure." Thalia and I high fived. "You ready for this?" She grinned.
"Always." I turned to face the colossal robot.
"Alright then. Let's bring the storm."