31/10/2021
Happy Halloween Everyone!
Author's Note: I added Michael Kahale and Frederick Chase into it to make it a bit interesting.
Chapter .5.
If only Percy knew how embarrassing this chapter was going to be for him. But to say the truth Percy DID have a funny feeling.
"Who would like to read now? To farer Percy's embarrassment?" Malcolm asks.
After they had a food and toilet break.
Percy grumbles at Malcolm.
"I will", Thalia says smirking
"Great just what I need my Lightning Bug Cousin", Percy mutters.
"What did you call me?" Thalia asks him.
"Nothing", Percy says.
"Just for that I hope there is a lot more blackmail material in this chapter", Thalia says to him smirking.
Percy had a feeling she would be right.
Chapter 4: My Mother Teaches me Bullfighting
Sally laughs at that title and remembers want would happen this chapter.
Thalia asks, "Really? Aunt Sally you never told us that!"
"It was not something that come up", Sally replies.
"Anyway how would you bring that up?" Luke asks chuckling.
"Fair point", Thalia condenses and starts to read.
We tore through the night along dark country roads. Wind slammed against the Camaro. Rain lashes the windshield. I didn't know how my Mum could see anything, but she kept her foot on the gas.
Every time there was a flash of lightning, I looked at Grover sitting next to me in the backseat and I wondered if I'd gone insane, or if he was wearing some kind of shag-carpet trousers.
"Really Perce? Do you have to embarrass me?" Grover asks.
Thalia and Nico snicker. And several others snicker.
"It is only fair because I am getting embarrassed. I thought I might share it around. Starting with you and Nico", Percy replies.
"Percy! Cousin. What did I do?" Nico whines.
"You know Neeks. It isn't that hard even for your brain", Percy teases.
"Ok stop picking on my son! And daughter of my Little Brother continue", Hades says stepping in.
"Brother…"
Thalia decides to stop their oncoming argument and start reading again.
But, no, the smell was one I remembered from Kindergarten field trips to the petting zoo – lanolin, like from wool. The smell of wet barnyard animals.
"Yeah they don't smell too good", Michael Kahale states.
"How would you know?"
"I just do"
All I could think to say was, "So, you and Mum . . . know each other?"
Grover's eyes flitted to the rearview mirror, though there were no cars behind us.
"it is good to keep vigilant", Zoe admits grudgingly.
"Never know what will pop out", Theseus agrees.
"Not exactly", he said, "I mean we've never met in person. But she knew I was watching you"
"Grover that sounded all wrong", Katie states.
"It makes you sound like a stalker Goat Boy", Clarisse says smirking.
"And some weird creep", Chris states smirking.
"Or something more sinister", Frederick Chase states.
"Exactly Sir", Percy says.
"Watching me?"
"Keeping Tabs on you. Making sure you were okay. But I wasn't faking being your friend", he added hastily, "I am your friend"
"Your mind too Grover", Percy replies.
"Always will be", Grover replies.
"Always G-Man"
"Cut the emotional crap and get on with it", Hercules grumbles.
"Um . . . what are you, exactly?"
"That doesn't matter right now"
"It doesn't matter? From the waist down, my best friend is a donkey –"
"Donkey?" Theseus, Perseus and Hercules start snickering.
And so do many others.
"Does he really look like a donkey Kelp Head?" Thalia asks chuckling.
"Give me a break everyone this was all new to me. Back then", Percy replies.
Grover let out a sharp, throaty, "Blaa-ha-ha!"
I'd heard him make that sound before, but I'd always assumed it was a nervous laugh. Now I realized it was more of an irritated bleat.
"Goat!" he cried
"What?"
"I'm a goat from the waist down"
"You just said it didn't matter"
"Blaa-ha-ha! There are satyrs who would trample you under hoof for such an insult!"
"Whoa. Wait. Satyrs. You mean like . . . Mr Brunner's myths?"
Growls come at the word myth.
"Again people I was 12!"
"Still you should be careful. Even if I am not the best example", Ethan states.
"That's an understatement", Clarisse growls.
"Easy", Silena whispers to her friend.
"Were those old ladies at the fruit stand a myth, Percy? Was Mrs Dodds a myth?"
"So you admit there was a Mrs Dodds!"
Chuckles happen.
"Childish", Bianca states.
"I was a child Bianca"
"Of course"
"Then why –"
"The less you knew, the fewer monsters you'd attract", Grover said, like that should be perfectly obvious, "We put Mist over the human's eyes. We hoped you'd think the Kindly One was a hallucination. But it was no good. You started to realize who you are"
"Who I – wait a minute, what do you mean?"
"Oh boy this will be good", Perseus states.
"Lets beat if he faints or not", Hercules suggests.
A few beats take place much to Percy's amusement Annabeth bets. You would like when someone would beat against you it might make you lose your confidence. But not these guys. They seemed to have forgotten that Annabeth had lived through it.
The weird bellowing noise rose up again somewhere behind us, closer than before. Whatever was chasing us was still on our trail.
"Percy", my Mum said, "There's too much to explain and not enough time. We have to get you to safety"
"Safety from what? Who's after me?"
"Oh, nobody much", Grover said, obviously still miffed about the donkey comment, "Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood thirstiest minions"
"HADES!" Poseidon booms going for his trident again.
"I haven't down anything yet", Hades replies.
"The key word being yet", Michael Kahale says.
"Not helping Michael! Dad stop! Everything will be explained. And I don't blame you Uncle Hades. Under the circumstances it was completely understandable and anyone no harm no foul", Percy tells them.
"Nearly no harm", Annabeth mutters, lucky so low that the Gods didn't hear it.
"Was Hades involved in this fight with Father and Poseidon too?" Athena asks
"Not much. But he was involved in a different way that we only found out later", Annabeth tells her Mother.
Luke winces at that. When that got out it wouldn't be good.
"What had ALL three off you fighting Pops?" Apollo asks.
"I can't think of anything", Zeus replies.
"Well your going to have one off the biggest arguments you ever had and Percy is right in the middle of it", Thalia tells them.
"And he always is", Nico adds.
"You both weren't there", Percy points out.
Thalia shrugs, "Everyone told me about it", Thalia replies.
"We were told about it too", Reyna points out.
"The whole lot of you are the biggest gossips around. Who knew Demigods were so bad at keeping secrets?" Percy asks them.
"That is part of the Aphrodite charm", Silena, Piper, and Michael Kahale say.
"Your my children?" Aphrodite asks.
"I am Silena Beauregard. Daughter of Aphrodite. Former Head Councillor of Cabin Ten", Silena says bowing.
"I am Piper McLean. Daughter of Aphrodite. Head Councillor of Cabin Ten", Piper says.
"Michael Kahale. Son of Venus. Centurion of the First Cohort", Michael Kahale says.
"Venus?" Aphrodite asks.
"It is your Roman counterpart. You ALL will have one but a select few", Percy informs them.
"Continue Thalia"
"Grover!"
"Sorry, Mrs Jackson. Could you drive faster, please?"
I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening, but I couldn't do it. I knew this wasn't a dream. I had no imagination. I could never dream up something this weird.
"I don't know about that Percy", Miranda says with a laugh.
My Mum made a hard left. We swerved onto a narrower road, racing past darkened farmhouses and wooded hills and PICK YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES sign on white picket fences,
"Where are we going?" I asked
"The Summer Camp I told you about", my Mother's voice was tight; she was trying for my sake not to be scared, "The place your Father wanted to send you"
"The place you didn't want me to go"
"Please, dear", my Mother begged, "This is hard enough. Try to understand. You're in danger"
"I am so sorry Percy", Sally says to her son.
"At the time I just didn't know just how much danger I was in and I will admit I was scared and confused", Percy comments.
"That is only natural", Chiron assures him.
"Because some old ladies cut yarn"
Sally and Luke shutter at that. But both for different reasons.
"Those weren't old ladies", Grover said, "Those were the Fates. Do you know what it means – the fact they appeared in front of you? They only do that when you're about to . . . when someone's about to die"
"So they were the Fates?" Kayla asks.
"Yes they were", Percy confirms
"Bummer", Austin says.
"Then how have you lasted this long?" Leila asks curiously.
"Because what I saw the Fates doing wasn't about me", Percy tells them while sneaking a quick glance at Luke.
"Who was it about?" Athena asks.
"You will find out", Percy states.
"Continue Thalia", Annabeth says
"Whoa. You said 'you'"
"No I didn't. I said 'someone;"
"You meant 'You'. As in me"
"I meant you, like 'someone'. Not you, you"
"Boys!" my Mum said
She pulled the wheel hard to the right, and I got a glimpse of a figure she'd swerved to avoid – a dark fluttering shape now lost behind us in the storm.
"That doesn't sound good", Apollo comments.
"It wasn't", Percy says grimacing.
Sally grimaces too.
"What was that?" I asked
"We're almost there", my Mother said, ignoring my question, "Another mile. Please. Please. Please"
"That won't help", Castor says.
"I know", Sally replies sadly thinking about what was about to happen.
I didn't know where there was, but I found myself leaning forward in the car, anticipating, wanting us to arrive.
Outside, nothing but rain and darkness – the kind of empty countryside you get way out on the tip of Long Island. I thought about Mrs Dobbs and the moment when she'd changed into the thing with pointed teeth and leathery wings. My limbs went numb from delayed shock. She really hadn't been human. She'd meant to kill me.
Then I thought about Mr Brunner . . . and the sword he had thrown me. Before I could ask Grover about that, the hair rose on the back of my neck. There was a blinding flask, a jaw-rattling boom!, and our car exploded.
"There goes the car", Clarisse says amused.
"Totally called it", Thalia says smirking
"Where you and Sally ok Percy?" Poseidon asks concerned.
"Sally were you alright?" Paul asks not knowing really this part of the story.
"We were fine. Mostly", Percy replies trying to reassure his Father and Step-Father.
"So does this happen a lot to you Brother?" Theseus asks curious.
Percy didn't want to comment.
"I wonder how we survived you as Praetor", Reyna states.
"I wasn't Praetor long", Percy states.
"That's to you. But to the Legion I believe you are still considered one", Hazel states.
"This happens more often than you think. There are…", Grover starts.
"Remember Grover…photos…wedding dress", Percy threatens his best friend.
Grover winces and shuts up. He really needed to find those pictures.
Apollo, Hermes and a few others look curious at that.
"Continue Thalia", Percy orders
I remember feeling weightless, like I was being crashed, fried and hosed down all at the same time.
I peeled my forehead off the back of the drivers seat and said, "Ow"
"Percy!" my Mum shouted.
"Where you both ok?" Poseidon asks his son and future lover in concern.
"Just a few scratches and bruises", Sally assures him.
"I was fine. But many things are about to happen", Percy tells them
"Like what?" Hermes asks curiously.
"Oh just making my first mortal enemy", Percy mutters.
"Mortal enemy?" the Gods ask wide-eyed.
"What do you mean first?" Poseidon asks his son.
"Yes Percy what do you mean first?" Sally asks.
"Lets just say that monster will be hunting my children, my children's children and so on", Percy admits.
Everyone looks at him open mouthed.
"Did you know about this?" Frederick Chase asks his daughter.
"I do Dad. And it is not Percy's fault. And I have made my own share of enemies too", Annabeth replies.
"That doesn't bring me any comfort", Frederick Chase replies.
"Us either", Sally and Paul say.
"And I am afraid we can't give it", Percy replies.
"It is just the Demigod way", Hylla tells them.
"And it's a hard way", Jason states.
"And sometimes us clear-sighted mortal are in the crosshairs", Rachel adds.
"What they said. Rachel that wasn't helpful. Now Thalia continue", Percy orders.
"I'm okay…"
I tried to shake off the daze. I wasn't dead. The car hadn't really exploded. We'd swerved into a ditch. Our drivers-side doors were wedged in the mud. The roof had cracked open like an eggshell and rain pouring in.
Lightning. That was the only explanation. We'd been blasted right off the road. Next to me in the backseat was a big motionless lump.
"Grover!"
"Are you alright?" Juniper asks her Fiancée.
"I was fine", Grover assures her.
"Are you sure?"
"Perce tell her"
"He was fine. Mumbling about food the hold time", Percy assures her.
Laughs come from around the room.
"Thanks a lot"
He was slumped over, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. I shook his furry hip, thinking. No! even if you are half barnyard animal, you're my best friend and I don't want you to die.
"You really care about me that much?" Grover asks Percy.
"Of course I do! You were my first true friend", Percy tells him.
Grover gives him a smile.
"So sweet", Piper says softly.
"Really Percy you never made any other friends?" Sally asks sadly.
"So sorry Mum", Percy replies.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't want to hurt you", Percy replies, "And I got by ok until I made these friends at the Camps", Percy says gesturing to all the Future Demigods and so on.
"I am glad you have them", Sally replies, "Thank you all"
"Your welcome", Michael Yew states.
"Wouldn't know what the camp would be like without him", Will adds.
"Don't make him blush", Silena teases.
"Just continue Thalia", Percy says rolling his eyes at their attempts to add to his embarrassment.
Then he groaned, "Food", and I knew there was hope.
"See I told you Juniper"
"Percy", my Mother says, "We have to…", her voice faltered.
I looked back. In a flash of lightning, through the mud spattered ear windshield, I saw a figure lumbering towards us on the shoulder of the road. The sight of it made my skin crawl. It was dark silhouette of a huge guy, like a football player. He seemed to be holding a blanket over his head. His top half was bulky and fuzzy. His upraised hands made it look like he had horns.
"What the…", Leo states.
"Is that…?" Theseus asks knowing what it was.
"I can't say", Percy replies to his Brother.
"It can't be what I think it is can it?" Athena asks.
"I am not saying", Percy tells them.
"Why?" Poseidon asks.
"Because you will not like the answer. And 2 your about to find out anyway", Percy replies simply.
"How did you survive?" Artemis asks.
"Yes what Milady said. How can a boy not of age even have a hope of slaying that beast?" Zoe asks.
"Luck and instinct and plus I had my Mum at my side", Percy replies smiling at his Mum.
"What are you talking about?" Poseidon asks worriedly.
"You will see", Grover tells the Sea God, "But you won't like it"
"There is not much I am liking anyway", Poseidon mutters.
"There has to be parts", Amphitrite says to him.
"Maybe some", he concedes.
I swallowed hard, "Who is –"
"Percy", my Mother says, deadly serious, "Get out of the car"
My mother threw herself against the drivers-side door. It was jammed shut in the mud. I tried mine. Stuck too. I looked up desperately at the hole in the roof. It might've been an exit, but the edges were sizzling and smoking.
"Climb out the passengers side!", my Mother told me, "Percy – you have to run. Do you see that big tree?"
"What?"
Another flash of lightning, and through the smoking hole in the roof I saw the tree she meant: a huge, White House Christmas-tree-sized pine at the crest of the nearest hill.
"That's the property line", my Mum says, "Get over that hill and you'll see a big farmhouse down in the valley. Run and don't look back. Yell for help. Don't stop until you reach the door"
"Mum, you're coming too"
Her face was pale, her eyes as sad as when she looked at the ocean.
Percy noticed Poseidon looked guilty at that. Ever through he didn't know her yet.
"Nothing to feel guilty of yet Dad. As this all hasn't happened yet", Percy reminds him, "You don't really even know us yet"
"Buy still…"
"No buts Dad"
"He is right Poseidon this is none of your doing", Sally assures the man she once loved.
"Give it up Poseidon Aunt Sally and Perce are the two most stubborn people on the plant next to Annabeth", Nico assures him.
"That IS true", Lou states.
"Same is true to Annabeth", Frederick Chase says with a smile.
"You should see her at Camp Sir. She is even more stubborn I imagine", Malcolm comments.
"Thanks Brother", she says with sarcasm.
"No!" I shouted, "You are coming with me. Help me carry Grover"
"Food!" Grover moaned, a little louder.
Snickers come from around the room.
The man with the blanket on his head kept coming towards us, making his grunting, snorting noises. As he got closer. I realised he couldn't be holding a blanket our his head, because his hands – huge meaty hands – were swinging at his sides. There was no blanket. Meaning the bulky, fuzzy mass that was too big to be his head…was his head. And the points that he looked like horns…
"He doesn't want us", my Mother told me, "He wants you. Besides, I can't cross the property line"
"But…"
"We don't have time Percy. Go. Please"
"Just listen to her", Will states.
"He has never been good at following orders", Annabeth comments smiling slightly.
"Really?" Reyna asks.
"Yes", Thalia and Nico exclaim.
Percy scowls at them.
"I thought it was just us he wouldn't listen too", Reyna tells them.
"Nope it is everyone. Even the Gods", Thalia says smirking at her Cousin/Brother.
"And me", Chiron says with a small smile
"Just continue Thalia", Percy replies wanting this line of conversation to stop.
And people to stop ganging up on him.
I got mad, then – mad at my mother, at Grover the goat, at the thing with horns that was lumbering towards us slowly and deliberately like, like a bull.
Poseidon curses now recognising the monster. How could he be so blind?
Was it only HIS children the Minotaur was attracted too?
I climbed across Grover and pushed the door open into the rain.
"We're going together. Come on, Mum"
"I told you –"
"Mum! I am not leaving you. Help me with Grover"
"There he goes", Nico states.
"Even at 12 he starts bossing people around", Thalia teases.
"Oh shut up Pinecone Head", Percy tells her flicking her with water.
Thalia scowls at him.
"Watch it with the water", Thalia warns.
"So Perseus has a habit of ordering people around?" Athena asks.
"Yes!" every Greek Demigod says.
"He has even led us into battle and…", Travis tells them.
"…war", Conner finishes.
"I got to admit Prissy has good battle instincts", Clarisse admits scowling.
"What do you mean battle and war?" Zeus asks.
"Lets just say the future is going to hard for all of you", Calypso tells them.
"And you will find out the rest later", Frank states.
I didn't wait for her answer. I scrambled outside, dragging Grover from the car. He was surprisingly light, but I couldn't have carried him very far if my Mum hadn't come to my aid.
Together, we draped Grover's arms over our shoulders and started stumbling uphill through we waist-high grass.
Glancing back, I got my first clear look at the monster. He was seven feet tall, easy, his arms and legs like something from the cover of Muscle Man magazine – bulging biceps and triceps and a bunch of other 'ceps, all stuffed like baseballs under vein-webbed skin. He wore no clothes except underwear – I mean, bright white Fruit-of-the-Looms, which would've been funny except for the top half of his body. Coarse brown hair started at about his bellybutton and got thicker as it reached his shoulders.
His neck was a mass of muscle and fur leading up to his enormous head, which had a snout as long as my arm, snotty nostrils with gleaming brass ring, cruel black eyes, and horns enormous black-and-white horns with points you just couldn't get from an electric sharpener.
I recognised the monster. All right. He had been in one of the first stories Mr Brunner told us. But he couldn't be real.
"Good to hear you have been paying attention", Chiron tells him.
"As you know Chiron your classes I actually enjoyed and always tried my best in", Percy replies.
I blinked the rain out of my eyes.
"That's –"
"Pasiphae's son", my Mother says, "I wish I'd known how badly they want to kill you"
"But a he's a min –"
"Don't say his name", she warned, "Names have power"
"Good advice", Artemis mutters.
"Wish more Demigods knew that", Athena states.
"Why haven't you taunt them this?" Paul asks.
Many of the Gods frown.
"It has never come up", Hecate admits.
"And I have to admit even through I hate to admit a mortal was right. But it is an oversight on our part", Zeus says looking pained at having to admit a mortal was right.
"I hope someone caught that as evidence in some way", Hades says.
"Hades…"
Thalia again continues before they could go at it.
The pine tree was still way too far – a hundred metres uphill at least.
I glanced behind me again.
The bull-man hunched over our car, looking in the windows – or not looking, exactly. More like sniffling, nuzzling. I wasn't sure why be bothered, since we were only about fifteen metres away.
"Food?" Grover moans
"Really Grover? Even unconscious all you can think about is food?" Annabeth asks.
"Hey it is not like I knew I was saying it", Grover says defending himself.
"He DID have a concussion after all", Lee reminds them.
"Shhh", I told him, "Mum, what's he doing? Doesn't he see us?"
"His sight and hearing are terrible", she says, "He goes by smell. But he'll figure out where we are soon enough"
As if on cue, the bull-man bellowed in rage. He picked up Gabe's Camaro by the torn roof, the chassis creaking and groaning. He raised the car over his head and threw it down the road. It slammed into the wet asphalt and skidded in a shower of sparks for about half a mile before coming to a stop. The gas tank exploded.
'Not a scratch', I remembered Gabe saying.
Oops.
"Your not a bit sorry about wreaking his car are you?" Annabeth asks Percy.
"Not even a little bit", Percy replies smirking.
"No feeling guilty?" Pollux asks.
"Not in the slightest", Percy replies instantly.
Because he wasn't sorry. Gabe was a bastard too him. So he hadn't and still doesn't feel sorry about the car or what ended up happening to Gabe.
"I wouldn't either", Chris mutters understanding where Percy was coming from.
"I just wished it was totalled more", Percy admits.
"How much more can you get?" Beckendorf asks.
Percy shrugs, "Anything can get destroyed more"
"Percy", my Mum says, "When he sees us, he'll charge. Wait until the last second, then jump out of the way – directly sideways. He can't change direction very well once he's charging, Do you understand?"
"How do you know all this?"
"That is what I am wondering", Will states.
"I have done a lot of research. Having a Demigod son I wanted to know what he was up against. To help him as much as I could. Especially after a few early minor attacks", Sally replies.
"Minor attacks?" Nemesis asks curiously.
"Nothing to major", Sally lies.
Apollo decides not to call her out on that lie. For everyone's own sanity.
"I've been worried about an attack for a long time. I should have expected this. I was selfish, keeping you near me"
"You could never he selfish Mum", Percy says to his Mum.
"Thank you Percy. But its true", Sally replies.
"No it isn't"
"Keeping me near you? But –"
Another bellow of rage, and the bull-man started tromping uphill.
He'd smelled us.
The pine tree was only a few more metres, but the hill was getting steeper and slicker, and Grover wasn't getting any lighter.
"Hey!"
The bull-man closed in. Another few seconds and he'd be on top of us.
My mother must've been exhausted, but she shouldered Grover, "Go, Percy! Separate! Remember what I said"
I didn't want to split up, but I had the feeling she was right – it was out only chance. I sprinted to the left, turned, and saw the creature bearing down on me. His black eyes glowed with hate. He reeked like rotten meat.
"Rotten meat?" Leo and Meg chuckle.
"Well he did and he still doesn't smell any better these days", Percy tells them.
"What do you mean?" Poseidon asks his son.
Percy curses his big mouth.
"Can't say. Lady Chaos wouldn't be happy", Percy tells him.
Hoping he wasn't really lying.
Poseidon decided to let it rest. For now.
He lowered his head and charged, those razor-sharp horns aimed straight at my chest.
The fear in my stomach made me want to bolt, nut that wouldn't work. I could never outrun this thing. So I held my ground, and at the last moment, I jumped to the side.
The bull-man stormed past like a freight train, then bellowed with frustration and turned, but not towards me this time, towards my mother, who was setting Grover down in the grass.
We'd reached the crest of the hill. Down the other side I could see a valley, just as my mother had said, and the lights of a farmhouse glowing yellow through the rain. But that was half a mile away. We'd never make it.
"Got to be more positive", Luke tells him.
"Would you have been?" Percy asks him.
"Good point", Luke admits.
The bull-man grunted, pawing the ground. He kept eyeing my mother, who was now retreating slowly downhill, back towards the road, trying to lead the monster away from Grover.
"Run, Percy!" she told me, "I can't go any further. Run!"
But I just stood there, frozen in fear, as the monster charged her. She tried to sidestep, as she'd told me to do, but the monster had learned his lesson. His hand shot out and grabbed her by the neck as she tried to get away. He lifted her as she struggled, kicking and pummelling the air.
"Mum!"
"Sally!" Paul exclaims looking upset.
"No!" Tyson exclaims.
Poseidon wasn't much better.
Sally was trying to calm Paul AND Tyson with Ella's help.
While Amphitrite was trying to calm Poseidon. He might not know his future lover yet but he still cared about her.
She caught my eyes, managed to choke out one last word: "Go!"
Then, with an angry roar, the monster closed his fists around my mothers neck, and she dissolved before my eyes, melting into light, a shimmering golden form, as if she were a holographic projection. A blinding flash, and she was simply . . . gone.
"What does that mean?" Frank asks.
"Someone Divine has taken her", Athena explains grimly, "And probably not for anything good"
"If whoever took her harms a hair on her head they will feel my wrath", Poseidon growls.
Percy, Sally, Annabeth and Grover share looks knowing who took her.
"Brilliant", Annabeth mutters remember who had her now.
"We might have World War One a bit early", Percy mutters.
Annabeth whacks him.
"Oww"
"Zip it Seaweed Brain"
"No!"
Anger replaced my fear. Newfound strength burned in my limbs – the same rush of energy I'd got when Mrs Dodds grew talons.
The bull-man bore down on Grover, who lay helpless in the grass. The monster hunched over, snuffling my best friend, as if he were about to lift Grover up and make his dissolve too.
I couldn't allow that.
I stripped off my red rain jacket.
"HEY!" I screamed, waving the jacket, running to one side of the monster, "Hey, stupid! Ground beef!"
Theseus chuckles, "That is new"
"Raaaarrrrr!" the monster turned towards me, shaking his meaty fists.
I had an idea – a stupid idea, but better than no idea at all.
All demigods groan.
"This can't be good", Annabeth moans.
"Hey! I take offence too that!" Percy says taking offence.
"Well was it a stupid or reckless plan?" she asks him.
Percy decided to remain quiet as it was a reckless plan.
"The silence speaks for itself", Thalia states, "My stupid Cousin is about to do something incredibly stupid and reckless"
"I can agree to that", Nico pipes up.
"We ALL can agree to that", Luke says smirking.
"Shut up Castellan"
I put my back to the big pine tree and waved my red jacket in front of the bull-man, thinking I'd jump out of the way at the last moment.
But it didn't happen like that.
The bull-man charged too fast, his arms out to grab me whichever way I tried to dodge.
Time slowed down.
My legs tensed. I couldn't jump sideways, so I leaped straight up, kicking off from the creatures head, using it as a springboard, turning in mid-air and landing on his neck.
"Percy you didn't!" Annabeth exclaims.
"Percy! I didn't tell you to do that!" Sally exclaims worriedly.
Percy winces at the looks everyone was giving him.
"Give me a break I didn't have much knowledge at the time", he tells them.
"Utterly stupid…", Annabeth continues to mutter curses about idiotic boyfriends.
"I think it is cool", Leo tells them, "Can't wait to try that!"
Calypso smacks his head, "If you ever think of doing that you will be cut off for a very, very long time if you get my meaning"
"Shutting up", Leo says immediately to the laughter going around.
"It would be cool to try it", Meg admits.
Everyone looked at her like she was crazy.
"I was just saying! I was not saying I was actually going to do it!" she exclaims.
How did I do that? I didn't have time to figure it out. A millisecond later, the monsters head slammed into the tree and the impact nearly knocked my teeth out.
The bull-man staggered, trying to shake me. I locked my arms around his horns to keep from being thrown. Thunder and lightning were still going strong. The rain was in my eyes. The smell of rotten meat burned my nostrils.
The monster shook himself around and bucked like a rodeo bull. He should have just backed up into the tree and smashed me flat, but I was starting to realise that this thing had only one gear: forward.
Meanwhile Grover started groaning in the grass. I wanted to yell at him to shut up, but the way I was getting tossed around, if I opened my mouth I'd bite my own tongue off.
"You wouldn't want that now", Michael Kahale says.
"Food!" Grover moaned
"Still about food Grover?" Bianca asks.
Grover doesn't answer that. He didn't see the point.
The bull-man wheeled towards him, pawed the ground again, and got ready to charge. I thought about how he had squeezed the life out of my mother, made her disappear in a flash of light, and rage filled me like high-octane fuel. I got both hands around one horn and I pulled backwards with all my might. The monster tensed, gave a surprised grunt, then – snap!
Everyone looked at Percy in surprise.
"Did you just…", Reyna asks leaving the question hanging.
"Yes I did", Percy admits.
Everyone, even the Gods looked impressed.
"We are going to have dual one day kid", Ares tells him.
Percy, Annabeth and Grover look uncomfortable.
"What?" Athena asks noticing the looks they were giving each other.
"Lets just say that dual already happened and it had a surprising outcome", Percy mutters uncomfortable
"What does that mean?" Apollo asks curiously.
"You will find out soon enough", Percy replies, "And when they do they will realise who is now my Mortal Enemy number two", Percy says quietly
Lucky for him none of the Gods heard him. The only ones who did were lucky Annabeth and Grover.
"I want to duel you do brat before you go back", Hercules informs him.
"Sure and I can just do what I have done to many others", Percy replies.
"And what was that?" Hercules asks arrogantly.
"You will see"
The bull-man screamed and flung me through the air. I landed flat on my back in the grass, My head smacked against a rock. When I sat up, my vision was blurry, but I had the horn in my hands, a ragged bone weapon the size of a knife.
The monster charged.
Without thinking, I rolled to one side and camp up kneeling. As the monster barrelled past, I drove the broken horn straight into his side, right up under his furry rub cage.
The bull-man roared in agony. He failed, clawing at his chest, then began to disintegrate – not like my mother, in a flash of golden light, but like crumbling sand, blown away in chunks by the wind, the same way Mrs Dodds had burst apart.
The monster was gone.
"That was awesome!" Travis and Conner exclaim.
"I agree that was impressive. I hope we get to see that", Apollo states.
"I hope we see that too", Hermes agrees.
Artemis rolls her eyes at them.
"Men", she mutters.
"You might be worthy of bring a Prince of the Seas", Triton admits grudgingly.
"Trust me I am no Prince", Percy assures him.
"Oh you are Perseus", Amphitrite states, "And I am sure you will fully earn that title over and over again the farer we go into these books"
Percy knew she was right. But he didn't like have the Prince title as one of his many titles.
"That was sure faster then how I did it", Theseus states, "Good work Brother"
"Thanks but that was nothing", Percy replies honestly.
"Trust me it was", Theseus replies.
"Trust ME it wasn't", Percy argues.
"So you really did that?" Meg asks
"Yes", Percy replies
"Can you show me how to do that?" Leo asks but Calypso slaps his head and gives him a pointed look.
The rain had stopped. The storm still rumbled, but only in the distance. I smelled like livestock and my knees were shaking. My head felt like it was splitting open. I was weak and scared and trembling with grief. I'd just seen my mother vanish. I wanted to lie down and cry, but there was Grover, needing my help, so I managed to haul him up and staggered down into the valley, towards the lights of the farmhouse. I was crying, calling for my mother, but I held on to Grover – I wasn't going to let him go.
The last thing I remember is collapsing on a wooden porch, looking up at a ceiling fan circling above me, moths flying around a yellow light and the stern faces of a familiar-looking beared man ana pretty girl, her blonde hair curled like Cinderella's.
"Really Cinderella?" Thalia snickers
"Shut up Thunder bug", Percy scowls
"WHAT HAVE I SAID ABOUT CALLING ME THAT!?" Thalia yells
Percy gives her an innocent look.
"I have no idea what your talking about", Percy lies to her smiling innocently.
Thalia's eyes narrow at her favourite cousin.
"Percy that was an interest description", Chiron says heading off the argument.
"But it is acute", Luke says smirking.
Annabeth smacks him on the arm.
They both looked down at me, and the girl said, "He's the one. He must be"
"Silence, Annabeth", the man says, "He's still conscious. Bring him inside"
"That is the end of that chapter", Thalia announces.
"Should I except more stunts like that from you Percy?" Poseidon asks.
Percy shrugs.
"Demigods?" Poseidon asks.
"Yes!" everyone yells.
Poseidon groans. And so does Sally and Paul.
"My son is going to give me the first of Godly grey hairs", Poseidon mutters as his brothers who snicker quietly at him.
"Traitors", Percy mutters.
"So what did you mean about his smell not getting any better?" Poseidon asks his son.
"Lets just say he took an offence to that defeat and has decided that I am now his mortal enemy. So every time he reforms he comes after me", Percy admits.
Everyone looked at him incredulously.
"Really?" many asks.
"Yes", Percy admits.
"Your mortal enemy is the minotaur?" Hermes asks not believing it.
"My first mortal enemy is ground beef and the first of many", Percy admits.
"FIRST!? MANY!?" Poseidon bellows.
"Ummm yeh"
Poseidon and nearly everyone else looks at him in disbelief.
"Di Immortales"
Author's Note: What do you think? Please Review:)
List of People from the Future
Percy Jackson (Son of Poseidon)
Annabeth Chase (Daughter of Athena)
Thalia Grace (Daughter of Zeus)
Piper McLean (Daughter of Aphrodite)
Leo Valdez (Son of Hephaestus)
Calypso
Frank Zhang (Son of Mars, Legacy of Poseidon)
Hazel Levesque (Daughter of Pluto)
Nico di Angelo (Son of Hades)
Will Solace (Son of Apollo)
Reyna Ramirez-Arellano (Daughter of Bellona)
Hylla Ramirez-Arellano) (Daughter of Bellona)
Clarisse La Rue (Daughter of Ares)
Chris Rodriguez (Son of Hermes)
Travis Stroll (Son of Hermes)
Conner Stroll (Son of Hermes)
Katie Gardner (Daughter of Demeter)
Miranda Gardiner (Daughter of Demeter)
Lou Ellen Blackstone (Daughter of Hecate)
Leila (Daughter of Ceres)
Pollux (Son of Dionysus)
Dakota (Son of Bacchus)
Gwen
Kayla Knowles (Daughter of Apollo)
Austin Lakes (Son of Apollo)
Malcolm Pace (Son of Athena)
Grover
Juniper
Sally Jackson
Paul Blofis
Frederick Chase
Rachal Dare
Meg McCaffery
Chiron
Tyson
Ella
Past Gods/Demigods
Zeus
Hera
Poseidon
Demeter
Athena
Artemis
Apollo
Hermes
Hephaestus
Aphrodite
Ares
Dionysus
Hades
Hestia
Persephone
Amphitrite
Triton
Ariadne
Hecate
Nemesis
Thanatos
Hercules (Son of Zeus)
Perseus (Son of Zeus)
Theseus (Son of Poseidon)
Zoe Nightshade
Back From the Dead:
Luke Castellan (Son of Hermes)
Charles Beckendorf (Son of Hephaestus)
Silena Beauregard (Daughter of Aphrodite)
Lee Fletcher (Son of Apollo)
Michael Yew (Son of Apollo)
Castor (Son of Dionysus)
Ethan Nakamura (Son of Nemesis)
Bianca di Angelo (Daughter of Hades)
Jason Grace (Son of Jupiter)
Michael Kahale (Son of Venus)