Six

I Dream of Old Ladies

Their camp was nicer than I expected. There was a small fire pit with three faded lawn chairs sitting around it, two of which Thalia and I settled into. Luke had been laid down inside a messy but comfy-looking shelter made from wooden boards and tarps, still out cold. Annabeth had disappeared inside too as soon as she'd helped Thalia set her arm, muttering that she'd look after him.

"So," Thalia said. She had a cup of something golden, but I hadn't stopped to ask what. "You ran away from giants, found a goat, and followed that goat to us?"

I nodded. "I know it sounds crazy."

She laughed and took a swig of her drink. "Not really. You should hear the things we've seen. And I think I know the goat. Brown and white? Different drinks written on her utter?"

"Actually, yea."

"That's Amalthea. She's an…ally, I guess. Led me to Luke and my shield. She kind of works from my dad."

"And who's your dad?" I asked. "I mean if you don't mind saying."

I was pretty sure I knew. Lamia hadn't left much to the imagination. You're his child she'd said. Just like her own children.

But I remembered what Daedalus said, too. All of the Big Three had sworn not to have any more kids. That was why Zeus tried to kill me.

That was why my mom had died.

"Zeus," Thalia confirmed. "King of the gods."

The look on her face said she didn't think all that much of the title, but I was too busy with my own feelings to pay much attention to hers. I hadn't thought I could get moreupset at the guy who got my mom killed, but I'd been wrong.

I did my best to keep my anger off my face – It wasn't Thalia's fault that her dad was the world's biggest hypocrite – but oh boy, did it get my blood boiling.

"-out you?"

I caught the last bit of Thalia's question and forced myself back down to earth. "Come again?"

"What about you? As in, who's your parent?"

I opened my mouth, then stopped. That probably wasn't something I should be volunteering.

"I don't know," I settled on. I never was a good liar though, and my voice cracked as I said it. Thankfully Thalia took my nerves for something else.

"No need to be embarrassed about it," she said. "Plenty of kids don't know. Honestly, it might be better that way."

"What do you mean?" I asked, but she waved me off.

"Don't worry about it. The important part is that not knowing isn't a problem."

We lapsed into silence that should've been awkward but wasn't. Risking your life with someone had a way of breaking the ice. I'd make sure to pass the info on to my next school– If I ever got around to attending one.

"That's your weapon, right?" Thalia said eventually, nodding to where I was absently spinning Aelia between my fingers. The mechanical pencil gleamed in the firelight, its bronze glow standing out against my skin.

"Yeah," I said. "It's pretty great."

She grinned. "Kickass is the word I'd use. Just don't tell Luke. He's been getting on me to cut out the swearing."

"I can do that."

Her grin widened. "We'll get along great you and I." She set down her drink and picked up a cannister of mace from beside her, tapping the side of it. "My spear turns into this, but you win for convenience. Turns out mortals are only slightlyless concerned about a teenager with pepper spray than a teenager with a spear. Go figure."

"Hey," I said. "At least yours is cooler."

"I'd take not being harassed by nosy police officers over that any day."

I looked down at my weapon and reminded myself to never take it for granted. It really was, well, kickass.

"So," Thalia started, and I looked up again. Her face had gone dead serious. "We're friends now, right?"

"I mean, I guess so?"

"Great." She nodded like I'd agreed wholeheartedly. "And friends share things with each other, right?"

She was kind of freaking me out. "Yes?"

Had she guessed who my dad was? Was she going to attack–

"What is your hand and where can I get one."

"Huh?"

"It's celestial bronze, isn't it? Didn't even dent when Lamia hit you. And I've watched you moving it. The mobility is fantastic." Her eyes shone. "I want one."

I was saved from having to figure out just how to answer that by a new voice.

"Thalia, you're scaring the kid," Luke called, stepping out of the shelter. His hair was still disheveled and his skin was still pale, but he had enough energy to grin at us. He stumbled over to the fire, waving Thalia off when she moved to help him, and settled onto the empty chair.

"Where's Annabeth?" Thalia asked.

"Passed out. The long day caught up with her." They shared a smile at that, and Luke leaned forward. "So, what'd I miss?"

Thalia gave him a summary. When she finished, I could feel Luke's attention on me. "So no idea on your parent, huh?"

I nodded.

"Perfect."

That wasn't what I expected to hear, and it must've shown because he quickly explained.

"This way we can guess at it. Whoever gets it right can feel good about themselves. Every demigod has traits, certain quirks related to their parent. They're great hints. Like your glove- did you make it?

"What glove?"

"The one you used earlier, that you grabbed Lamia's eye with. You're still wearing it now."

I stared at him. "You mean my hand?"

He shook his head. "No, I mean whatever you have covering it."

I held the appendage up in the firelight, pulling the slashed remains of my sleeve out of the way. "This is my hand." I looked at Thalia. "Didn't you know? You said you wanted one."

She held her hands up, looking slightly pale. "Hey, I'm with him. I assumed it was armor."

The two older demigods met each other's eyes, and I got the sense that a whole conversation passed between them silently. When Luke spoke next, his voice sounded carefully cheerful.

"Well, did you make the hand?" He asked.

"No, I uh- I woke up with it." Technically, it wasn't a lie.

Thalia, who had traded her weapon back out for her drink, said, "Hephaestus," and took a sip.

Luke swiped the drink and took a sip himself, ignoring the glare he earned. "He just said he didn't make it."

Another swipe and the drink was back with Thalia. "Just because he didn't make it doesn't mean it wasn't made, genius. Think about it, what other god would give a magical prosthetic as a gift."

Swipe. Sip. "That's a stretch. I'm thinking a minor goddess. Nemesis, maybe?"

Swipe. Sip. "You're making things up now because you know I'm right. It's not only his hand. He has a collapsible weapon, too."

Swipe. Sip. "So do you. Are you a child of Hephaestus?"

It was like watching a tennis rally. Back and forth, back and forth, until Luke tipped back the drink and nothing came out. He looked at the drained cup and frowned.

"That was our last batch of Nectar."

Thalia winced, rubbing her bad arm. "Ambrosia?"

"One square left, I think. Back in the tent." Luke eyed her worriedly. "But wait on it, won't you? I don't want you overdoing it."

Thalia rolled her eyes and said, "Yes, worrywart," but I noticed she didn't argue.

"The food is running low too," Luke said after a beat. "We're going to have to move again soon."

He said move the way I'd say homework: like it was the worst thing in the world.

Thalia nodded, but she didn't look much happier about it. "Where're you thinking? Philadelphia?"

"No, too far. The one outside Greensburg. Near Pittsburg."

"The what near where?" I said, trying to follow the conversation.

They looked at each other again, another of those silent conversations. Finally Luke broke the silence.

"Camps," he said. "Like this one. We try and make them when we can, and we've been traveling for a while. Say, Percy, do you have family somewhere around here?"

"Not anymore," I said.

He looked sad, but not surprised. "Well, you can always come with us if you want. We only picked up Annabeth about a month ago, no reason to turn down one more."

I wasn't sure what to say. Just because I didn't have family didn't mean I had nowhere to go. Daedalus was waiting for me if I could just get back to him.

But I had a problem. I'd been too busy running for my life to notice earlier, but I'd lost my backpack. It was somewhere down in the Labyrinth, Ariadne's string with it. Without that, finding my way back to Daedalus' workshop was about as likely as winning the lottery twice in a row.

"Sure," I said. "I mean yes, thank you."

Luke ruffled my hair. "Awesome. Don't worry, you'll love it."

"Totally," Thalia said. "Even Luke grows on you. From annoying to tolerable."

They both looked so welcoming that I felt kind of bad, like I was lying to them. They thought I had nowhere else to go when I actually did. I'd just left it behind like an idiot.

But the guilt didn't last long. Luke got started telling stories about the things they'd seen and done, from facing down dragons to running over snake-women with golf carts. Thalia would interject periodically, whenever she saw a chance to correct or insult him. It all felt so natural that it was hard not to get sucked in. Before I knew it the fire was running low and my eyes were drooping.

"You should head in and get some sleep," Luke said to me after a particularly large yawn. "We'll be on the move tomorrow, so this may be your best chance. Thalia and I can keep watch."

"Thalia can keep watch," the daughter of Zeus corrected. "Don't think I've forgotten your shoulder." Luke looked like he wanted to argue, but she cut him off. "This isn't up for debate. You can take tomorrow night. For now, you sleep."

Luke sighed and stood up. "Alright. But if it gets too hard wake me up."

Thalia shewed us away with her hands and I followed Luke to the tent, muttering good night. The last thing I heard before slipping under the flap was Thalia muttering under her breath:

"Is it bad if I still want one of those hands?"

Falling asleep was easy. Resting wasn't.

The moment my eyes closed I was somewhere else, a quiet street in the early morning. Rows of streetlights lined the edges but most of them were flickering or burned out. On one side was a dark, dense forest. On the other was a block of houses that looked like they'd seen better days. Windows were bashed in. Fallen boards lay haphazardly in the yards. On the porch of one, a two-story with faded blue paint, a figure was sat.

She looked like a math teacher dressed as a biker. Stringy grey hair stretched down to brush against a leather jacket emblazoned with skulls. On her feet were immaculate dress shoes, and on her hands were fingerless gloves. Every last bit of her outfit was leather, from head to toe. As I watched her gaze shifted from the sky to my direction, and I started. Her eyes were blood red.

"Have you found them?" She said, voice surprisingly silky. Another voice sounded from behind my back.

"Not yet."

I spun and found another woman striding out of the forest, seemingly appearing from a shadow. This one had the same grey hair but wore a low-cut leather dress that gave a great view of her car-seat-like skin. The only thing the two women had in common was the same crimson eyes, but for some reason I could see a resemblance.

The one on the porch tsked and stood. "We don't have much time you know. Or are you alright with Alecto stealing the spotlight again, Megaera?"

Leather dress bristled. "If you're so worried about time, Tisiphone, then maybe you should do your share of the work rather than lounging around."

"And demote myself to a common bloodhound?" Tisiphone sniffed and straightened her jacket. "I think not. That is what the hounds are for."

"You always were the lazy sister. Maybe that's why you're the third-favorite."

"And you think that staying busy will make up for your incompetence. Between us, sister, it is not you that Hades favors."

The two were nose-to-nose now. They looked ready to tear into each other at any second, and they might've if a third voice hadn't broken in.

"Calm down you two. Now is not the time for discord." It was another woman with the same eyes, this one wearing a plaid dress with her hair styled into a bun. The most impressive thing about her entrance was that she was sat atop the flickering streetlight, legs dangling beneath her.

"Besides," she carried on. "What matters is who's Hades' favorite. And that–" she smiled wickedly "–Well, we all know who that is, don't we."

"Alecto," Megaera greeted tightly. "Why are you here?"

"A sister can't check on her siblings' progress?" Alecto cackled. "Or is it about your little plot to replace me? Good luck with that. You'll need it."

She stood and two wings sprouted from her back. For a second I thought she was a Harpy, but the wings were all wrong: skin instead of feathers; black instead of brown.

"Oh, right." Alecto touched a finger to her lips. "Silly me. I remember what I was here for. The girl is on the East Coast. If you try your hardest who knows, you may even find her within a day of me."

And with that, she beat her wings and took off into the sky. Her sisters watched her go.

"Bitch," said Tisiphone. I saw Megaera nod and then the scene blurred out of focus, like a reflection in choppy water. When my vision cleared I was in a very different, much more familiar setting.

The dingy room that had been Steve's restaurant was around me. One wall had a few new dents, and the picnic table had been squashed flat, but other than that it was identical to when I'd been there.

The giant himself was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a much more average-sized man stood in the room. He had a hood on and his back to me, but XXXL black mastiff at his side pretty was a pretty good clue to his identity.

"So this is the spot, girl?" Daedalus said. Mrs. O'Leary barked loudly enough to shake the walls, but Daedalus only sighed. He scooped something up off the ground, and I recognized my lost bag.

"Well," he said. "This is a problem."

Before I could even think about trying to get his attention – not that I had any idea where to start – the scene faded out like the one before it. This time when my vision cleared the only view I had was of a tarp roof.

I sat up, not feeling as refreshed as I should have, and glanced left and right. The tent was empty except for me.

I wasn't sure what had just happened. Those dreams hadn't felt like dreams. More like visions.

But that was impossible, right?

A shadow appeared over the tent flap and Luke's face poked through, heading off any further thoughts. When he spotted me sitting up, he grinned.

"Welcome back to the land of the living. I'd say good morning, but good afternoon may be more appropriate."

"Sorry," I said, but he waved me off.

"Don't worry about it. If we needed you up, we'd have woken you. Now come on, we have breakfast."

It was as if those words lit a fire in my stomach. I hadn't eaten since leaving the workshop, and I could feel it. I practically bolted from the tent– and promptly tripped on its lip, faceplanting.

"Careful." Luke chuckled, helping me to my feet. "I'd think you were hungry."

"It's just my foot," I muttered, blushing. "I'm still clumsy with it."

"What do you me–" Luke started to ask, before cutting off. His eyes settled on my metal hand, then my foot, realization dawning. "Oh. So it's, you know…"

"A prosthetic too? Yeah."

His voice sounded a bit uncertain, but he patted my shoulder and told me, "I'm sure you'll get the hang of it."

We walked over to the campfire which now lay burned out. Luke hadn't been exaggerating, the sun was already high in the sky heating the humid air. Thalia and Annabeth were sat in two of the lawn chairs, and they looked up as we approached.

Annabeth's grey eyes were serious, almost annoyed as she watched me. Like I was a math problem she couldn't quite solve. I greeted her with a nod, and she nodded back, but the look didn't fade

"He awakens," Thalia said. She held up a Safeway bag. "Bagel?"

I nodded and she reached in and tossed me one. I caught it and bit in with relish. Room temperature bread never tasted so good.

"When was the last time you ate?" Thalia asked as I wolfed the bagel down.

"Yesterday, I think. Maybe the day before. I was pretty busy."

She looked like she understood that all too well.

"Hm," Luke said glancing around. "We're a chair short."

There were only three of them, and four of us.

"I can sit on the ground," I offered.

"Not a chance," he said. "Take the free one. I've got a seat right here."

He dropped into Annabeth's chair, squashing in beside her. Sizing me up quickly became the last of the girl's worries as she squeaked and went redder than a tomato, wiggling as far to the edge of the seat as she could without falling off. I took the empty seat with a lot less fanfare.

I watched Luke and Thalia laugh at the girl's predicament. Listened as they teased each other. It was peaceful. Fun, even. But I got the feeling that it couldn't last.

And at that thought, for some reason, a pair of blood-red eyes flashed through my mind.

(-)

Shorter one here. A bit of calm on the back of a few hectic chapters. Things will begin to heat up again though. Don't you worry. Next chapter should be out faster than this one, but we've all seen my track record with those kinds of promises, haven't we.