Chapter 16- Shout-Outs and Call-Outs

The Traveler's Blessing turned out to work in a very particular way. It guaranteed we'd always find someone to carry us along the way, but as for the type of transportation... Well, it wasn't picky. We spent the next four days crisscrossing the country, fighting monsters, and generally getting into messes. I'd like to give some shout-outs right now if that's okay with you guys. I feel like it's a pretty good way of summing up what could have been a book in itself.

First shout out goes to the receptionist of the Butler County YMCA, Janice. When Luke told her our circus caravan had left us behind after the rest stop exploded, she didn't even question him, just gave him directions to the nearest motel. The place was rented by the hour, and I'm not quite sure how Janice knew about it, but hey, it was cheep.

We had some Chinese food delivered to the room and then promptly crashed. It wasn't until the next morning that I realized I needed to tell Luke about my conversation with his father, but he didn't give me much of a chance. But he didn't give me much of a chance. I couldn't mention Kronos in front of Annabeth, and so Luke made sure she was always there. I didn't know why he was avoiding the conversation, but there wasn't much I could do about it.

That next day, the 21st, we found a trucker heading towards Chicago. Joey would be my next shout-out. The guy was hauling an eighteen-wheeler worth of opioids, and apparently that was the legal side to his business. The illegal side apparently included shipping three teenagers in exchange for a small white pearl from my pouch. He even threw in Burger King and some donuts, so all-and-all I'd consider him a pretty stand-up guy.

In Chicago, we discovered that the Traveler's Blessing wasn't quite as effective in hiding us from monsters as Hermes had implied. See if any monster was tracking us, well then the blessing would confuse it, keep it off our tale, but your normal run-of-the-mill monsters who just hung around major cities looking for half-bloods to eat… well it did absolutely nothing about them. So when Luke ordered a venti cappuccino at a Starbucks in Chicago, he got a Roman storm spirit instead. In his monologue before he tried to kill us, the spirit (who called himself Dylan), informed us that venti didn't get out much, but Zeus was promising tickets to an "Apollo and the 9 Muses" concert to anyone who killed me and made it look like an accident.

I managed not to die, obviously. But if you happen to visit Chicago sometime soon and notice a few broken buildings… blame Luke. It was totally his fault and not mine. For sure.

After wrecking downtown Chicago, we got pizza for lunch (again), and stowed away in the back of a train which was supposed to be going to Tashville, NE Or at least I thought it said Tashville, Nebraska. Honestly, that's what they get for putting the dyslexic guy in charge of reading the listings! (Alright, we were all dyslexic, but still. Can't I get some an award for being more dyslexic or something?)

Tashville, NE turned out to be Nashville, TN. Which, admirably, makes more sense, but put us solidly lost and off track in the middle of the night. At this point, Sergeant William Crawford Smith, Annabeth's brother, gets a shout-out. Sure, he fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War, which made us all a little uncomfortable, but at least when he built a replica Parthenon in Nashville Tennessee he had the foresight to design it so any child of Athena could get inside no matter what. I've gotta say though, I didn't sleep very well with a forty-foot tall statue of Athena glaring down at us. Every time I was close to sleep, I imagined the statue coming alive and spearing me straight through.

We also fought a hydra in Nashville, for the record, but the hydra doesn't get a shout out. Annabeth would get a shout out for killing the Hydra had she been willing to steal statue-Athena's spear to do so, but since she wasn't, I get that shout out instead. Go me.

The hydra had decided to attack just as the replica-Parthenon opened for the day. Our fighting of the hydra, therefore, attracted quite a bit of attention. We got arrested at this point, and the cops quickly figured out who I was. When I couldn't tell them where my mom was, things got pretty messy. Fortunately, Luke picked the locks on our cells freeing us. Unfortunately, at that point Luke and Annabeth convinced me I should dye my hair blond so we'd all look more like siblings.

I'll admit it. I cried a little bit, but you would too if you saw me. I looked that bad.

From Nashville we made our way to Wichita, Kansas. We're going to do rapid shout-outs here, so I'm sorry if I forget anyone.

Here's to Bucephalus the horse, who made room in his trailer to take us across Missouri. He didn't even poop on us once. Turns out I can talk to horses… and give them constipation. Go figure.

Shout out to Lila and Lola of Springfield, Missouri for saving Bucephalus from the glue factory. Generally I don't approve of blowing places up, but no one got hurt, and Bucephalus didn't get turned into glue. They also introduced us to a buddy of theirs, Alex, who agreed to drive us to Wichita.

Alex doesn't get a shout-out because he tried to mug us at gun-point once he realized I was carrying a whole bag of pearls. Annabeth, however, does get a shout out for knocking Alex out and hog-tying him in the back. I don't have a clue where she learned how to hog-tie, but it was pretty impressive. Luke then drove us to Wichita.

In Wichita two Canadians chased us into the Museum of World Treasures. By Canadians I mean more of my half-brothers, the Laistro-something cyclopes. But Annabeth and Luke called them Canadians, so I figured I could as well. I've gotta say, when my brothers are trying to eat me, I'm not very concerned about offending them.

Major shout out to Ariel of Wichita, Kansas. I thought we were about to get a whole group of school-children eaten, but all of a sudden their teacher, a forty-something soccer mom, pulled a spear right out of the Ancient Greek exhibit and stabbed the cyclopes. Then she brought her four kids to four different after-school activities, tended to the rather-unfortunate gash in my leg, and baked us a spinach casserole.

I'd be lying if I said she didn't remind me a lot of my own mom. The ache in my heart that night should have kept me awake, but I guess I was too exhausted. I slept like a rock, and felt quite refreshed in the morning. And my mood was definitely helped by Ariel taking all the money from her kids swear jar and using it to buy is bus tickets to Los Angeles.

No, we didn't just ride to Los Angeles. That would have been way too easy. We missed our connection when we got distracted in Colorado Springs, but it wasn't our fault! As Annabeth would say, it was exclusively my fault. Apparently I insulted the nature spirits of the Garden of the Gods by pointing out that there weren't any real gods there. They didn't seem to get that we were on a timeline, and spent the next three-hours chasing us through the park.

Eventually got bored and let us leave. Lieutenant Colonel Samantha O'Neill of Colorado Springs gets the final shout-out. A demigod daughter of Hephaestus, she first tried to arrest me, which proved I'd dyed my hair for nothing. But once we explained the situation, she had enough pity to modify a little-red-wagon that took us all the way to Las Vegas before it broke down.

At that point, it was late at night on January 23rd, less than a week before our deadline. The absolute last thing we needed was to get even more off-track, so, of course, that's what happened.

Apparently I got cold at night in the middle of the desert, so we needed to find someplace safe to stay. Dead on my feet and sick of rest stop food, I was dying for some more green bean casserole and Ariel's cough, which is not something you hear me say every day. I suppose the only benefit to being in Vegas was that there were lots of sketchy motels, but they were pretty hesitant to rent even to Luke. Finally we found a place which rent us a room, and crashed. Luke and I flopped down on one bed each, and Annabeth went to the bathroom.

I might have fallen right asleep had Annabeth not picked that moment to shout, "Seriously! You come now in the middle of a quest?"

For a second I thought she was talking to someone, but then she came out of the bathroom, and I could see it was utterly empty. So was Annabeth just losing her mind? I supposed she'd always been a little bit crazy, but this was definitely new.

"I'm going to the CVS across the street," she announced, heading towards the door.

"You can't go alone," I called out. For some reason my voice sounded extra whiny when I did. I blame the days of unrelenting travel.

Annabeth didn't seem to take pity of me. One hand on her abdomen, one on her hip, she turned and stared down Luke, "Do you remember what Thalia did to you in Lynchburg when you wouldn't let us go to alone? Because I'm just about there."

Somehow Luke managed to blush and pale at the same time. When he spoke, I swear his voice sounded like he'd been kneed in the crotch, "Percy, let her go."

Clearly pleased, Annabeth grabbed her knife and some cash, then left us alone. I just turned and stared at Luke, "What did Thalia do in Lynchburg?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know."

Silence fell over us. Suddenly I realized that for the first time since Pennsylvania, we were alone. Luke needed to know his dad was trying to help him. After our run-in with my Canadian brothers, Luke had firmly decided that my dad was trying to kill me after all. I probably would have agreed with him, but my conversation with Hermes left me with doubts. After all, if it wasn't for the Canadians we would never have met Ariel. Maybe there were better ways to introduce people than sending monsters, but the gods didn't always seem to think logically. They liked convoluted. Maybe I was just making excuses. Maybe my dad really was that bad. But if Hermes was bending the rules to help Luke, maybe my dad was bending the rules to help me.

Luke must have realized that I was about to say something, because he took that moment to turn on the TV. Suddenly before us was my mug-shot, and the news reporter saying, "Police now believe that Jackson has dyed his hair blond, and is travelling west with two unknown companions. There has been no sign of his mother, Sally Ugliano, and after statements Jackson made to the Nashville Police, NYPD has confirmed that they believe her to be deceased."

I got up from my bed and shut off the TV manually. Then I just glared at Luke. It wasn't very fair, because he wasn't the one I was mad at, but I suppose it had one benefit- he stopped trying to avoid talking to me.

"We'll get her back, Percy."

I noticed Luke didn't promise. Maybe he'd made too many promises lately and was worrying they'd start catching up to him. Or maybe he just knew it wasn't a promise he'd be able to keep. I didn't want to believe it, but chances were, my mom wasn't coming back. I knew the myths. The dead stayed dead. We'd be lucky to make it out of the Underworld alive, never mind with my mom in tow. I was too stubborn to give up home, but it would have been the smart thing to do.

"Your dad cares about you."

Luke blinked with shock, but his gaze quickly turned dark. "Percy, you don't get it. He…"

"Maybe I don't get it, but I know he does. He told me himself. He could have made me go on some stupid quest to get this blessing, but he just had me grab his phone from the snow."

"I'm sure George and Martha liked that," Luke muttered under his breath. That didn't make much sense to me, but before I could ask about it, Luke continued, "Look, Percy. My dad's god of a lot of things-trickery among them. You can't trust anything he says."

I frowned. For a moment, I didn't say anything. I could hear my mom in the back of my head- If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. But the thing was, sometimes the truth hurt. Hermes had mentioned that sometimes being a good friend required stirring the pot, not just being nice and agreeing. That didn't give me any right to go and say things out of spite, but I couldn't hold back my punches.

"You're his son. If that's true, then I guess I can't trust you either."

Luke turned to glare at me, fury in his eyes. I hadn't really meant my words, but the look he gave me was so disturbing, I wondered if I should. At school they taught us we had a duty to serve our parents, but Luke had been willing to betray the gods. It had never crossed my mind that he just might be willing to betray me as well.

"I'm nothing like my father."

I knew Luke's words weren't true, but I didn't fight them on it. For a moment, silent stretched between us. A painful, tense silence that left me wondering if I'd gone too far for no real reason. Finally I sighed, and told Luke what had bothered me most about my conversation with Hermes, "Your dad knows about Kronos, Luke. He threatened to tell Zeus."

Luke paled at that. I didn't blame him. If Zeus found out either of us had spoken to Kronos, even if we'd denied him, we'd be dead.

But that left me with a burning question, "So if your dad hates you so much, why hasn't he turned you in already?"

"I doubt it's fatherly altruism, Percy. It would simply made Hermes look bad."

Maybe. But I doubted it. To me Zeus seemed like the kind of god who would appreciate Hermes's willingness to put loyalty to Olympus over loyalty to his own son. Except Hermes wasn't willing to buy favor at the expense of Luke's life. And that had to count for something- didn't it?

More silence. I wondered if the TV segment about me was over. Even if it wasn't, it was probably more comfortable to watch people talk about how I killed my mom than sit in the same room with a glowering Luke. Before I could do anything, Luke surprised me by speaking, "You know what I hate most about the gods, Percy? They talk as if none of us have a choice. 'The Fates' won't let them do this, or make them do that. But it's not true. It's just an excuse. At the end of the day, we all make our choices, and the Fates just dole out the consequences. I'm sick of being treated like a pawn. If my fate really is terrible, then I want it to be because of something I did, not because I get the blame for our parents' mistakes."

I didn't know if Luke was right. 'Free will' always seemed like a hazy thing in Greek thinking, but Chiron did say a hero's choices had consequences. It made sense for the gods' to as well, but since they couldn't die it was their children who paid.

But there was something else about what Luke had said that bothered me, "What makes you think your fate is terrible?"

His face darkened, and he looked away, out the window, "Forget it. I shouldn't have said anything."

I thought of all the times over the past few months that Luke had been there for me. I wasn't about to let him dodge the question. Not when it clearly bothered him. So I got up from my bed and sat next to him, "Luke, your dad asked me to help you, but I'm not doing it for him. I'm doing it for you. You're like a brother to me. For once, let me help you. I swear on the River Styx if there is…"

"Don't finish that sentence, Percy," Luke snapped. "Don't make oaths you won't be able to keep. I've done enough of that already."

So far as I knew, the only oath Luke had made was his one to me, the promise that he wouldn't let the gods use me up and toss me out, that he'd 'make things right'. If he didn't think he could keep that promise, well it made my blood run cold, but I wasn't about to back down. I'm stupid and stubborn like that, "I swear on the River Styx if there is anything I can do to save you from some evil fate, I'll do it."

Luke shook his head, like he couldn't believe how stupid I was. "You probably just signed your death warrant Percy. I hope you know that."

I just shrugged. I guess I was beginning to get used to the concept of my death. After all, if things went well, we'd hopefully be going to the Underworld the very next day. "Death is what makes us different from the gods. It's what holds us accountable for our actions. If helping you means I die, well, I guess that's better than dying and not helping you. So why do you think you have some terrible fate?"

I could see Luke's mind swirling. He was surprisingly smart, once you broke through his shell. "I told you my mom had issues? It's because she saw the future, my future, and it broke her. And the first time I met my dad, he told me he wanted me to have a chance to be a hero before my destiny came to pass. I guess that's the only gift he ever gave me. Since I know I don't stand a chance one-way or another, I'm not afraid to do what is necessary."

Now I understood why Luke always acted like there was an ax hanging of his head. From his view, their was. He just had to make use of what little time he had. But what I didn't get was why he could be so blind to the truth right in front of him. "Do you want to know what makes you different from the gods, Luke? You care about people getting hurt along the way. You told Kronos no because his plan put me at risk. You could have written me off, blamed Fate, but you didn't. Did you?"

"No, I didn't," Luke muttered, but he wasn't looking me in the eye. I wondered if maybe there were things he hadn't told me. But then I realized that of course there were things he hadn't told me. Luke was a complicated guy. But I really did trust him, so I knew whatever secrets he kept, they weren't going to get me killed in horrible ways.

There was nothing left to say, so I got up and left Luke to his brooding, turning the TV on along the way. I was watching some SpongeBob when Annabeth returned, looking bitter, and ducked into the bathroom. I wondered if she and I needed to have a heart-to-heart as well, but one was plenty for the day. I ended up falling asleep in my clothes, utterly spent.

The next morning, we were all slow getting ready. We knew that we were running out of time. Considering how long it had taken us to get this far without Zeus's Master Bolt, I had no idea how we would manage getting back to New York with it. If monsters could sense us, an object that powerful that would attract all sorts of trouble. Still, we had no real plan for even getting to LA, never mind getting back home. Considering how far we'd come, this last little leg of the journey should have been a piece of cake, but so far Hermes's blessing hadn't given us any grand ideas of what to do next.

Maybe he was mad at me for not doing a good enough job of helping Luke. Immediately after our conversation I'd felt good about it, but the older teen was looking particularly gaunt that morning. Somehow I knew he'd dreamt of Kronos, and whatever the Titan had said… it wasn't good.

Unfortunately, (or fortunately, if you're the 'positive-outlook' kind of guy), we didn't end up having to find a ride to Los Angeles. Just after we checked out of the motel, a long white limousine rolled in the parking lot. Now, in Vegas, you see limousines everywhere, so that in-and-of-itself wasn't surprising. But people who could afford to rent a limo didn't stay at the kind of motel we'd rented. Either this driver had seriously gotten lost on his way to Trump International, or there was something else going on.

You guessed it. There was something else going on.

The driver got out. When he looked at us, his eyes were glossy, dazed. A mortal then, under some sort of magical influence. That did not bode well. My hand went to Riptide in my pocket. Annabeth had already drawn her knife. The chauffeur didn't make any move to attack though. He simply opened the back door of the limo, and said, "The Lady will see you now."

Annabeth, Luke, and I exchanged a look. Strange occurrences like this were exactly how Hermes's blessing had been providing us transportation. It was entirely plausible that this was an opportunity to ride all the way to Los Angeles in style. I'd never been in a limo before, but I could imagine they were pretty great. Just beyond the door I could make out a cooler filled with miniature soda cans. The tempting taste of Coke spurred me on. I shrugged, climbing into the car before Luke or Annabeth could object.

The woman inside was so gorgeous, I couldn't even describe her. And I mean that literally. When I first looked at her, I thought I saw the face of my mother, but then it shifted and changed, and I was looking at that actress I liked, and then a pretty Asian woman with porcelain skin. For a moment, she even looked like Athena, but I didn't think of her as Athena. No, I knew I was looking at Annabeth in a decade. It made me blush.

Luke seemed equally beguiled, perhaps even uncomfortable. Annabeth was the least astounded, and had the presence of mind to realize just who this was, "Lady Aphrodite!"

Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, Lady of the Doves. She had the same presence to her that her daughter Kerry did, that unyielding need to please. I knew I would do absolutely anything she asked of me. It was unnerving. I forced myself to turn away and look at Annabeth instead. As I did, my mind cleared. From the corner of my eye, Aphrodite didn't look so impressive. I wondered why the Goddess of Beauty had to constantly change her face. If she couldn't be comfortable in her own skin, what sort of beauty was that?

Wow. I'd really been hanging out with Annabeth too much.

"Annabeth isn't it?" Aphrodite smiled, voice soft, light. "Let me congratulate you, Daughter of Athena. You're finally a woman."

Annabeth and Luke both blushed. I didn't get what Aphrodite meant, so promptly said something stupid, "She's twelve."

Aphrodite didn't get mad at me for stating the obvious. Instead she laughed, turning her gaze upon me. She forced me to look at her straight on, but I was surprised to discover it was no longer so difficult. Oh, she was still beautiful, but her face seemed to settle into something you'd see on the cover of a magazine. And when she frowned, it didn't do her any favors. "Yes, I suppose, for a boy, twelve is still very young. A time for the planting of seeds, not growth. But oh, I'm starting to sound like Demeter. But still, twelve… Luke, my dear, how old were you when you first met Thalia?"

Luke blushed bright red, and Annabeth looked shocked, then angry. Especially as Luke muttered, "Twelve."

A horrible realization flashed through my mind. Annabeth liked Luke. He was six years older than her, but clearly that didn't matter. I wondered if Luke had any idea at all. He didn't seem to. So why did the thought of it make me so uncomfortable?

Aphrodite laughed again, shaking her head. "I love Las Vegas. So many tragic loves, but you three are my favorites! So much death. So much heartbreak. And of course, the greatest sacrifice Rome has ever seen! Oh! I'm just so excited."