Chapter 15-Annabeth's Cow Gets Eaten

At most schools, you need permission slips from your parents to go on a field trip. According to Chiron, we needed a prophecy. I guess that's sort of like a permission slip signed by Apollo, but it was a lot creepier.

Luke and my discussion had gotten so intense we missed breakfast. When we showed up at the Big House, Chiron looked annoyed, and was prepared to send us to class, but I blurted out, "Hades stole the Master Bolt, and I'm going to get it back."

Fear and pride mingled within Chiron's eyes. He didn't smile, per say, but I could tell he was thrilled by my words, even if he was nervous. I didn't blame him. I'd almost died getting back to school-I'd probably die long before I reached the Underworld- and Chiron didn't want to see that. But Chiron has been training heroes for as long as there has been heroes. He knew that every hero died eventually. Better to die trying to save the world than die when the world ends, and since those were ultimately my choices, Chiron was willing to let me try. But only if the Oracle agreed.

Which is how I ended up standing in front of a mummy instead of in math class. I was all alone, according to Chiron, this was my quest, so I had to seek out the Oracle's advice. Personally, I thought that was unfair. The quest was Luke's idea, after all. He should have had to go talk to the mummy while I gathered everything we would need on the journey. But no. Put the twelve-year-old in charge of stopping a war between the gods. That's bound to end well.

"Hello. Ms. Oracle?" I cautiously asked, stopping just out of reach of the mummy. Luke had warned me what I would find up there, but it was difficult to prepare yourself for something so ugly. Especially because I'd seen 'the Mummy' a few too many times. It didn't matter that the Oracle was just a shriveled husk and bore no real resemblance to the Egyptian kind which littered my childhood nightmares. I knew without a doubt that I was looking at something that should be dead, and it was terrifying. Especially when she, it, began to move.

She stood straight up, turning to face me with sunken eyes. But she didn't say anything. Instead, she just stared at me. I realized I needed to ask her a question. But it was hard to ask 'How do I stop Hades from starting a war between the gods?' when looking at a dead body. The words seemed to stick to my tongue. But I knew I wasn't going anywhere without a prophecy, and so I had to ask something. I doubted 'Who will win the Super Bowl?" would be enough. I still couldn't bring myself to say Hades in front of a dead person though. It was too creepy.

Instead, I asked the Oracle the one thing I really wanted to know, "What am I supposed to do?"

For a moment, the Oracle just stared through dead eyes. I wondered if the question was too vague. Did I need to ask something more specific? Or maybe I could just go downstairs, pretend to have gotten a prophecy, and then leave. It wasn't like I didn't now the plan. Go to the Underworld. Don't die. Save Mom. Retrieve Master Bolt. Return bolt to Zeus before there is a war. The End. I didn't know what there was this Oracle could tell me I didn't already know… Well, actually, I did, but I knew mythology well enough to know I probably didn't want to know whatever the Oracle had to say.

I was about to give up, go downstairs and make up a prophecy, when suddenly mist began to stream out of the Oracle's mouth. I won't say I yelped like a little girl at the surprise of it, but, well, I did. Especially as the mist began to swirl around me to form images of a pinochle game played by Mr. D, Chiron, Grover, and some random girl my age with spiky hair and a fearsome look.

Mr. D opened his mouth first, green smoke billowing out as he said, "You shall be led west by the hero spurned, Only two overcome the hate justly earned."

To his left, Chiron, in wheelchair form, continued. "The ancient children you will reawaken, But death if they are not forsaken."

Grover was next, and bleated, "The Son of Poseidon and his brotherly foe,

Shall duel for the bolt in the land below."

Finally the girl looked at me, and I had the strangest feeling I was looking in the mirror. I didn't know the girl, but I did at the same time. At least, I suspected who she was- Thalia- the ever-present fear of how my story would end. When she spoke, it was almost as if she was smiling, glad to know I'd join in her terrible fate, "The losers prize, the Moirai's curse, The winner's prize, a fate much worse."

The pinochle table disappeared, and the green fog receded into the mummy's husk. She turned from me, sitting back down upon her stool. Then she was still, as if she hadn't moved at all,

I ran downstairs as quick as I could manage.

Don't ask me how, but Luke had somehow managed to pack us two backpacks worth of supplies while I was upstairs. The real surprise, however, was the girl standing next to him, backpack slung over her shoulder, knife hanging from her belt. Annabeth. I hadn't spoken to her since the vandalism of Thalia's tree, but when our eyes met, I knew exactly why she was there. No one at AA wanted to go on a quest more than Annabeth, and everyone knew it.

So I didn't ask why she was there. Instead I just told them, "You realize we're probably going to get ourselves killed before we make it off Long Island."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Don't be absurd. Argus will drive us into the city. We'll be in New Jersey by the time anything tries to kill us, Seaweed Brain."

I hated that nickname, but it occurred to me that Annabeth hadn't used it since finding out my dad was Poseidon. In a strange way, it felt like a gesture of peace. If we were friendly enough to insult each other, I guessed we were friends.

"Did the Oracle give you a favorable prophecy, Percy?" Chiron inquired. I was grateful that he was in centaur form at the moment, because if he'd been in his wheelchair he probably would have looked too much like the green-oracle-fog version for my personal comfort.

"Yeah, favorable for sure," I answered, chuckling nervously. In truth, I didn't have a clue what the prophecy meant, but the bits and pieces I did understand… well, they didn't sound very good. At least the prophecy didn't include the word death. Wait. No. It did. Yeah, it was definitely not 'favorable'.

I could tell they were waiting for me to tell them what it meant. But a part of me worried Annabeth and Luke would back out if they realized whether or not I won the battle for the bolt, I was cursed. On the bright side, the prophecy didn't seem to imply anything terrible happening to them.

"I don't know, it was long and rhymed. There was a bit about going west, I'm assuming the Underworld is in the west?"

"Los Angeles," Luke told me with a nod. "D.O.A. records."

I wondered how Luke knew where to find the Underworld, but didn't ask. I had a suspicion it had something to do with Hermes being the only god who could come and go from the Underworld freely, and Luke hated having to talk about his father.

"Right, well we have to go west, and apparently I'll duel someone for the bolt 'in the land below' which has to be the Underworld, so Hades definitely is the one who took it. So, if we're all ready, we're on a deadline."

Chiron was not happy with me. Finally though, his frown turned sympathetic, and he reached out, squeezing my shoulder, "Well, I would advise you not to concern yourselves with the Oracle's words. Prophecies are necessary to shape the future, but they can only be understood in retrospect. It is wise to focus on your mission. I need not express how important it is that you retrieve the bolt before the end of Poseideon, for I have full confidence you will succeed. And worry not. I will have your classmates collect all your homework while you're gone."

Wow. Quests to save the world, it seemed, did not count as excused absences. There went my hopes of winning 'perfect attendance'.

I hadn't asked when Annabeth first mentioned him, but Argus turned out to be a guy with eyes on the back of his head. And the back of his hands. And covering every inch of him. It was hard not to stare, and no matter what part of him you looked at, you were caught making awkward eye contact. I decided to sit in the seat right behind him to keep from being able to stare. Luke took shotgun, leaving Annabeth to join me in the back seat.

As we set out for Manhattan, I finally got the chance to talk to her, but I didn't quite know what to say. Finally I settled on the simple, "I'm glad you're coming."

Annabeth shrugged, "I'm not here for you. I had to sit back and let Luke go on a quest alone once. I wasn't about to let that happen again. Besides, clearing your name means clearing mine as well. If I return Zeus's lightning bolt, my mom might realize I am wise and give me my cap back."

I didn't get Annabeth sometimes. She was smart, probably the smartest girl I knew, but sometimes she just acted so dumb. To me, it seemed like the opposite of wisdom to dislike someone just because your parents didn't get along. Sure, the whole school had been doing the same thing for weeks, so I was used to it, but I guess I just expected less from them than I did from Annabeth.

But I figured Annabeth wouldn't take it very well if I pointed out how stupid she was being, and I didn't want her to quit on me now. So I did my best to be nice, "Wise Girl, when we return Zeus's lightning bolt your mom will be so impressed she'll give you a cap and a jersey."

Annabeth raised one brow, "Wise Girl?"

I blushed. I hadn't even thought about the nick-name before I said it, but it was the best response to 'Seaweed Brain' I could come up with. (Which probably proved that I did have a seaweed brain, because it was pretty bad.)

Annabeth rolled her eyes and pulled out a map of the United States. I looked out the window, wondering how it could be so gorgeous outside when the gods were less than two-weeks away from an all out war. But it was beautiful. The sun shone. Birds flew by. I even spotted a bald eagle soaring west towards the horizon. It almost felt like a good omen.

Argus dropped us off right at Penn Station. Chiron had suggested we take a train to Los Angeles, because apparently Zeus would smite me if I tried to fly. Now that we were there, though, I felt sick. Penn Station was the last place I'd seen my mom. The place Hades had taken her. (I refused to say the place he killed her. She wasn't really dead if there was a chance I could bring her back.)

"We should take a bus, not the train," I suddenly announced.

Annabeth and Luke looked at me like I'd lost my mind. Annabeth pointed to the ticket booth where a calendar clearly marked it as January 20th. "A bus will take at least a day longer."

My bad feeling didn't counter that argument very well, so I dropped it. Ultimately though I won out. The school had given us $200 each. It felt like a lot of money to me, but it turned out in the real world $200 was nothing. The train to Los Angeles was double our budget, and even taking the bus, we only had enough money to get to Denver, Colorado.

"Wait, Luke, you're eighteen. Can't you just drive?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "We don't have a car. Chiron won't let people take the vans on quests because they get ruined. Besides, Luke doesn't have his license."

I just gave her a look. At that moment, I happened to notice two 'Missing' flyers for my mom and me. They made me cringe, but also proved my point, so I grabbed them and handed them to Annabeth. "I'm wanted for questioning in my mom's murder, remember? I don't think Luke having a license will be our biggest problem if we get pulled over."

Annabeth blushed a bit at that. Luke shrugged but said, "Still, we don't have a car and I can't rent one without a license."

I looked down at the flyer. Suddenly I had an idea worthy of Athena. With a smirk, I asked them, "Anyone above stealing my abusive-stepfather's Camaro?"

Surprise, surprise. They weren't. So we took a cab over to the electronic mega mart where he worked. Sure enough, the car was there. Hermes was the god of thieves, so I figured I could just describe Gabe so Luke could grab the keys from his pocket. Turns out we didn't even need to do that. Before I could say a thing, Luke had hotwired the car, and, to top it off, he found another car in the lot just like Gabe's and switched the plates. I didn't even ask how he knew how to do that. I didn't figure he'd appreciate it if I did.

Within the hour, we'd grabbed some pizzas and hit the road. Annabeth sat up front with Luke, the two of them bickering over radio stations. I stretched out in the back of the car, stomach full, and content. I almost could have fallen asleep, but there was one thing nagging in the back of my head. As we crossed into Pennsylvania, I finally got up the courage to ask.

"What's the Moirai's curse?"

I happened to ask just as Luke was trying to change lanes. I started him so bad we almost got squished by a semi-truck. It wasn't until the blaring horns ceased that Annabeth turned to face me, biting her lip, "The Moirai is another name for the Fates, but I've never heard of their curse."

From the driver's seat, Luke suggested, "It could just be a curse in general. Someone's fate is the curse."

Silence fell over us for a second. On the radio, some country singer was singing about Jesus taking the wheel and idly I wondered what she'd think of a Greek demigod driving instead. Then I decided that made no sense what-so-ever and just confessed what they wanted to know, "It was part of the prophecy. 'The Son of Poseidon and his brotherly foe, Shall duel for the bolt in the land below. The losers prize, the Moirai's curse, The winner's prize, a fate much worse.'"

I don't know why I decided to tell them. I guess I just felt safe in this car. It smelled horrible, like Gabe, but the scent reminded me a bit of my mom too, strange as it was. And Luke and Annabeth… they'd agreed to come on this quest with me. They'd literally agreed to walk into Hell (Hades, whatever), with me. How could I not trust them?

"Like Chiron said, Percy. Prophecies are impossible to interpret until after they've been fulfilled," Annabeth weakly offered. "At least we know that we'll find the bolt. For the moment, that's all that matters."

Luke offered me a reassuring smile via the rear-view mirror, "Besides me, you're the best swordsman we've got. If anyone can beat Hades it's you, Percy."

"Yeah, and then I'll get something worse than a curse," I muttered. Annabeth and Luke surely heard, but considering there really wasn't much to say…

Annabeth turned back up the radio. I didn't get her obsession with country music. I supposed it had something to do with her being from Virginia. But the next song was about some girl losing all her clothes when she drank tequila, and it made me feel strangely better. At least I was more put-together than that.

Three hours later, we pulled into some random town on the edge of Pennsylvania. I spotted a cemetery, but before I could react Annabeth shouted, "Ghost cow, Luke!"

Luke glowered. Annabeth cackled evilly. I just sighed, "506 cows Annabeth, 78 cows me, 0 cows… CHURCH! HA! 156 cows Percy!"

If Luke hadn't been driving, he probably would have slammed his head against the wheel. Luckily for him, we didn't pass any more cows, cemeteries, or churches before pulling into the rest stop.

My legs were like putty as I stepped out of the car. The farthest I'd ever driven before was five hours to my old school in Syracuse, and most of that had been traffic. We'd now spent all day in the car, but on the bright side, we were making remarkable time. If we continued at this rate, we'd be in LA within two days. Taking someone who could drive with us was definitely a smart idea.

Since we didn't have the car keys, we didn't lock it, just took all our bags, and prayed no one stole our stolen car. Then we waddled into the rest stop. The smell was incredible. If anything could make McDonald's taste better than it usually did, it was having spent seven hours in a car with only one bathroom break. I quickly went pee, and then got in line for a juicy Big Mac. With bacon. I couldn't even remember if Big Macs had bacon, but I wanted some.

Annabeth got in line for the Subway, which proved there was something wrong with her. Besides me, Luke looked tired. I could tell the driving was taking its toll, but he offered me a cheeky grin. "I think we should keep going until we reach Ohio. I bet motels are cheaper there."

I didn't get a chance to reply (or get my Big Mac). From the other side of the rest stop, I heard Annabeth shout, "Luke! Percy!"

The panic in her voice was unmistakable. I drew Riptide as we pushed through a crowd of schoolchildren. When we got to the other side, I saw what had caused Annabeth to scream.

Standing in the middle of the rest stop was a giant dog. I don't mean like St. Bernard giant. I mean the size of an elephant, with teeth bigger than me. In its mouth was a very unlucky cow (I decided that it was one Annabeth's, not one of mine). The real kicker- the dog was standing right on top of Gabe's car. Or what was left of Gabe's car. Now that the dog had stomped all over it, it looked more like a pile of scrap metal.

I didn't get a chance to bemoan our only method of transportation, however. At that moment, the hellhound finished off its cow, and looked in the glass doors of the rest stop. I hoped it was just deciding whether or not Big Macs tasted better than fresh cow. Instead, it seemed to decide that demigod tasted better than either.

It charged. I have no idea what the mortals saw as a giant dog came smashing through the rest stop doors, but they all screamed and fled towards the emergency exits. The hellhound ignored them, turning quickly to lunge at me with its giant teeth. I jumped to the side, slashing Riptide, but the dog was surprisingly fast. Some whispers the length of my arm fell to the ground, but the hellhound was undeterred.

While it was distracted trying to eat me, Annabeth snuck beneath it and stabbed it in the foot. It didn't do much to hurt the hellhound , but it distracted it. I managed to get out of the way of its teeth by jumping behind the Subway counter.

The smell of meat must have confused it, because it turned away from me and charged towards Luke. He was fast, dashing out of the way, jumping over tables and chairs like they were nothing. I supposed after five years of training this was no different than the usual Tuesday obstacle course. But at school we might get bruised if we faltered. Out here, in the real world, we'd get eaten.

I didn't wait for that to happen to Luke. I jumped up on the counter, screaming something heroic like "For the Big Mac!" Before charging at the hellhound . It rounded about to swat me with its paw, but Annabeth distracted it by throwing a stool at it. I ducked beneath the monster and slammed Riptide up. It vaporized immediately.

In the distance, I heard sirens. None of us needed to ask what we did now; Annabeth and Luke took off running. I cast one longing look at the half-destroyed McDonald's, and cringed at the sight of Gabe's ruined car. Then I followed behind my friends. When the cops came, I didn't need to be there.

We finally stopped running outside what looked like a YMCA. Even after months of rigorous training, I was breathing heavily, and doubled over in pain. Even Luke looked winded. For a minute, we didn't speak, just tried to catch our breath. Then Luke swore and punched the brick wall besides us.

I was startled by this show of anger. Don't get me wrong, I was scared, and it stunk that we'd lost our ride. I didn't have a clue what we were supposed to do now. Maybe we were close enough to afford a bus, but I didn't know how we'd pay for food if we did. Besides, if a hellhound could wreck Gabe's car, what was to stop some monster from wrecking a bus. This was no coincidence. Hades was sending his monsters to stop us. But that just meant they'd keep trying. We hadn't even been gone from camp for a full day. There was no way we'd make it all the way to LA, and I didn't want to get someone killed trying to take public transportation.

Still, while our situation stunk, but it was just plain unnerving to see Luke loose it like that. He was our 'adult supervision', the only one who'd ever been on a quest before, the guy who should have it together. If he thought we were in trouble, that meant we really were.

Annabeth reached out, laying a hand on his back. "Luke, relax. We'll figure it out. It's just like the old days, right? We'll be fine."

"Thalia died in the 'old days', Annabeth," Luke snapped. Annabeth and I both flinched at the bitterness of his voice. I didn't have a clue what to say.

"I'm going to go see if there's someplace cheep for us to spend the night," Luke sighed, wandering off into the Y. I considered following after him, but decided to give him space. Besides, Annabeth looked like she shouldn't be left alone. Her lip was trembling, and I pretended not to notice her fighting back tears.

"Hey, like you said, it will be okay."

But she shook her head, looking towards the moonlit sky. "He's right though, Percy. It's the same story, playing out again. Except Thalia was fleeing California. We're literally walking towards the god who wants to kill us. And at this rate, we'll have to walk."

"We'll find a way. If we have to, we can just steal another car." It felt wrong stealing from someone who wasn't Gabe, but considering the fate of the world rested upon our quest, I figured we could justify it.

"Look, I don't have anything against stealing, but a trail of stolen cars across the country, that will get messy. You need to do something to keep Hades off your trail, and I know just the thing."

I jumped at the voice, drawing Riptide and turning quickly. I probably would have decapitated our visitor if not for months living in Hermes House. Luckily I recognized the impish figures in time not to make (another) enemy of a god.

"Lord Hermes!" Annabeth nervously stammered. She glanced over her shoulder, looking towards where Luke had disappeared. "What are you… Luke's inside! I'll go get him."

Hermes frowned, "No, don't. It's best is I don't see Luke. It's that one I want to talk to."

He pointed at me, and for a second, his eyes seemed to glow. Annabeth faltered. My heart pounded. Instinctively, I stammered, "I didn't steal it!"

Hermes rolled his eyes, "I see why you keep a daughter of Athena with you. Please, I'm the god of thieves. I could name every piece of candy you stole from your mom's store just by looking at you, but I know you didn't steal Zeus's bolt."

I breathed a sigh of belief. It was always nice when people, especially gods, believed me. They were less inclined to kill me then. (Except for Hades. Hades knew I was innocent and still wanted to kill me.) But if Hermes knew I was innocent, why was he there?

Annabeth asked an even smarter question, "Lord Hermes? Does that mean you know who stole the Master Bolt?"

Hermes's expression grew dark, and he glowered at her. "Believe it or not, we gods are not omniscient. If I laid eyes upon the thief, I'd know them, and then I'd have to tell Zeus, wouldn't I. Sure, I have my suspicions, but if I'm not sharing those with my father, I'm certainly not about to share them with you."

I hated his tone. Annabeth's question had been perfectly fair; he didn't need to make her feel stupid about it. In less than a minute, it was perfectly clear why Luke hated his father so much. The guy was a major jerk. I found myself gripping my fists and wondering how bad an idea it was to punch one of the few gods who believed me.

"But I'll say this. Whoever stole the bolt will need to bring it to the Underworld eventually if he wants to start a proper war. Every enemy of Olympus is in the Underworld. Your quest may be stupid, but it's not dumb. So I've decided to help you out. As the god of travelers, it's my prerogative to permit safe passage along the road. In the old days you had to be a Roman citizen to get such a blessing, but now, well the rules are a bit more lax. If you were to do me a favor, I could be convinced to help you."

I gritted my teeth and snapped, "Luke's your son and you shouldn't want to see him get eaten. I'd think that's a good enough reason to give us the blessing."

Hermes literally wagged a finger at me, glaring all the while. "That's exactly the reason I can't. And if I was you, I'd be careful. I'd hoped you would take after your father's calmer side, but you sound an awful lot like my son. If you give me a reason to think you've been a bad influence on him… well perhaps Zeus and I should have a little conversation about demigod dreams."

It was a threat if I'd ever heard one, and made my blood run cold. Annabeth gave me a questioning look, but I just ignored her. Somehow I doubted she'd understand if I told her Luke and I had both been visited by Kronos. Besides, I wasn't going to give Hermes the satisfaction of knowing he'd gotten under my skin.

Hermes frowned, and sighed. "Walk with me, Perseus Jackson. And we'll discuss what you can do in exchange for my protection."

I didn't see that I had much choice, even though Annabeth clearly didn't like splitting up further. So I shuffled after Hermes. Once we were out of Annabeth's sight, Hermes pulled his phone out of his pocket. Then he proceeded to drop it into a snowdrift. Dramatically he said, "Oh no. I've lost my symbol of power. How shall I ever retrieve it?"

For a second, I just stared at him, confused out of my mind. Then I saw Hermes waving his hand, motioning between me and the phone. Realizing what he wanted, I reached into the snow and grabbed it. Then I handed the phone back to Hermes who exclaimed in surprise, "My caduceus! Thank you Percy Jackson. You have returned my symbol of power, and to thank you, I shall bestow the traveler's blessing upon you and your companions. Until you reach your destination, you shall pass unharmed along the road."

I didn't feel any different, but maybe I was just so confused by Hermes's behavior that the blessing couldn't take hold. Finally, I stammered out, "Why did you do that?"

Hermes sighed, glancing over at the YMCA. Then he turned back to me, "Even the gods are bound by the Fates. I cannot break the rules to help you, especially not while you travel with my son. But I more than most need Zeus's bolt returned without bloodshed, and so I will help you in the only way I can. All I ask in return is that you be a true friend to my son. Don't just agree with him. Challenge his beliefs. Make him a better person. I can't interfere directly, but that doesn't mean I don't care. So this is me interfering indirectly. We all do it. For your darkest hour, your father gave you those pearls. I'm giving Luke you."

Before I could ask Hermes what he meant, the god disappeared. At that very moment, I saw Luke coming out of the YMCA, Annabeth by his side. His eyes immediately fell upon me, and the empty space where his father had been. Even from a distance I could see his gaze fall. His father had explicitly avoided seeing him, and that had to sting. But as I thought about Hermes's words, I wondered if maybe he'd done that for Luke's sake as well.