Percy Speaking
Percy Thoughts
Adamos Speaking
Adamos thoughts
All characters are owned by Rick
(Except Adamos, he's mine)
Chapter 10
All It Takes is Thirty Minutes
I had just left the Big House, the smell of reptile still present in my mind, and walked back to my cabin. Annabeth and Grover had already gone off to where ever they needed to be.
"Was it the right thing to tell him? I mean what if he was the traitor?" I think to Adamos. It didn't need to be said but I knew he could feel that I was now a bit skeptical of the other campers.
"Chiron is many things, but he wouldn't betray the gods, much less the campers. If there's a threat to the campers I can guarantee that he'll do his best to solve the problem."
"Yeah. I guess he does seem the trust worthy type." I think as I enter my cabin. I head over to the back pack that I left on my bed.
"All right quest checklist. Clothes." Adamos begins sounding off.
"A weeks-worth. Check."
"Tooth brush?"
"With toothpaste. Check."
"Minotaur horn?"
"I got one of them packed. Why do I need this again?"
"Just in case you need to sacrifice something for a favor or whatever we need it for, maybe as a bottle opener. Spell book?"
"Check. And seriously? A bottle opener."
"Yeah, I mean what else would you use it for? Jar of Hearth fire?"
"Check. You never said what this was for." I say eyeing the flaming bottle.
"Just emergencies. Speaking of emergencies. First aid kit?"
"I don't think I have…wait there's one already in here. Along with a bag of…Bread squares?"
"Well I guess I can cross ambrosia off the list. Hestia always was a forward thinker."
"We're going to have to thank Aunt Hestia for all of this at some point." I speak aloud.
"There's no need for that." A female voice says from behind.
"Oh jeez!" I say turning around, sighing in relief as I see that it's only Hestia, standing in the middle of my cabin in her early thirty-year-old form, holding the book I always see with her at her side.
"My apologies Percy. It wasn't my intention to startle you." She said with an apologetic look on her face.
"No, no. It's fine. Just…wasn't expecting you to appear out of nowhere." I say, now that my heart rate has settled down. "So, any way what are you doing here?"
"Can't an aunt come see her nephew off on his first quest?" She says with a tilt of her head and an inquisitive look. She reminded me of an adorable puppy.
"No there's nothing wrong with that. Though I appreciate that you came." I said.
Her smile grew a bit wider. "I do wish you good luck on this quest. I have the utmost faith that you will succeed."
"You really think that? Because so far my prophecy hasn't really inspired much confidence." I say irritably.
Hestia gives me a look of understanding. "I know that the prophecy seems ominous, but they often have double meanings. So, I suggest that you maintain hope for the future. You never know how it will turn out."
"Wait!? You know about my prophecy?" Hestia just nods at my question. "How?"
"Well, all prophecies go through Apollo once they are spoken, as the Oracle belongs to him. However, I saw the prophecy when it was written in this." She says motioning to the book that she was holding. It was the same one that I saw when we first talked.
"Actually, I was wondering about that. What is it? It seems pretty important to you." I say eying the book.
"That is the Tome of Knowledge. A book that contains the knowledge, secrets, history and current events of the world. That just so happened to belong to me a long time ago." Adamos finally speaks up through me.
"Wait? That's the book you were talking about?" I say eyeing the book skeptically. "I thought that it would be. I don't know, bigger."
"The book is a symbol of power Percy. It can take many forms." Hestia explains. "And it still belongs to you Adamos. I'm only holding it for you."
"Wait. So, couldn't we just look in the thing so that we know who stole the bolt? I mean that could make things so much easier, it's your book, right?"
"Yeah, I'm afraid it doesn't work like that. The book updates on all events that take place in the mortal world and all correct known knowledge as well as anything that I perceive and understand. The only times that the book doesn't record something is when some thing or someone uses enough power to block it or recording anything to do with a god or goddess. The only way to spy on one of them is to force a connection, though most of the gods forget to cloak themselves so black mail was never in short supply." Adamos says, chuckling.
"Okay. But what's with you speaking out now?" I question.
Adamos shrugs. "I'm not going to be rude and have a private conversation while Aunt Hestia is right here. I mean I could let her read our minds but that's not the same."
"I'm glad that your manners are still intact." Hestia said with a smile.
I snort. "Please, he likes to laugh and talk about people in my head all the time since they can't hear him."
"Way to be a snitch." Adamos says in mock annoyance.
"Aren't you the big brother, shouldn't you be setting an example or something?" I respond while rolling my eyes. Hestia meanwhile was busy chuckling at our antics.
"Anyway, back to the matter at hand. I came to give you a few things I wanted you to have before you left." Hestia cuts in, stopping whatever argument was starting. "I brought you a thermos of nectar from Olympus and money to use for emergencies. And I mean EMERGENCIES. So don't use it to buy snacks or candy. Adamos." She says the last part pointedly.
"Yes mom." Adamos says while crossing my arms. Though his tone contained more affection than it did sarcasm.
Hestia gives him a warm heartfelt smile. "I know you two will succeed, you must trust each other, and I know that everything will turn out all right." She then steps closer and wraps us up into a hug that fills me with nice feelings and warmth. "Now I must take my leave, and you have a quest to get to." She then disappears in a pillar of fire as we wave goodbye.
"It was nice of her to wish us farewell." I say. "But she is right, it's time to go. The sooner we leave the sooner I can get my mom back."
"Not so fast Percy I think your forgetting something important."
"Like what?" I say with a raised brow.
"Sunscreen?"
"You can't be serious?" I say in disbelief.
"Fine, fine we can leave the sunscreen. But if you get burned, I'm saying told you so."
"Whatever." I say as I place the now stocked bag by my door. After that I left my cabin and headed back to the Big House. I wanted to ask more about quests.
Seeing Chiron again his expression shifted from one of contemplation to one of attention. Annabeth soon arrived shortly after, probably thinking the same thing as me, and Chiron began to give us more things for our quest. He gave use each one hundred dollars in mortal money and twenty golden drachmas. Each drachma was the size of a thin mint girl scout cookie and had an image of a Greek god or goddess on one side and a picture of the empire state building on the other. According to Chiron these were gold to separate them from mortal Drachmas, which are silver. Apparently, the gods had a thing for gold, not that I hadn't figured that out whenever I look at the Apollo cabin. Anyways, Chiron said that these were used for non-mortal transactions.
Next was a canteen of nectar, which was half the amount Aunt Hestia gave me, and a Ziploc of ambrosia. He made it specifically clear that these were for emergencies only since they can heal our injuries, and now I'm glad that I have a surplus, I mean food that heals you was a godsend(heh). However, Chiron made it very clear that this was for specifically emergencies since eating to much would cause us to burst into flames. Seriously, why is there always a catch with this mythological stuff.
Line break
It was now around two in the afternoon and we were all standing at the top of Half-Blood Hill. I had my magic backpack from Aunt Hestia with me. I stood there fiddling with the metal band on my wrist that turned into a godly weapon, my ADHD acting up as we waited. Annabeth had brought her magic baseball hat that turned her invisible, which she told me that her mother gave it to her on her twelfth birthday. In her hand she had a classical architecture book for when she apparently got bored, and a long bronze knife that was tucked into the sleeve of her shirt. Those were the only outstanding things that she seemed to have on her, the rest being in her back pack, probably.
Grover wore his fake feet and his pants to pass as a human. He wore a green Rasta cap due to the rain causing his hair to flatten, exposing his horns. His orange back pack was open slightly, and in the inside, I could see apples, cans, and bits of scrap metal for him to snack on. In his pocket were a set of reed pipes. According to Grover his dad had made then for him before he was born, though he only knew two songs: Mozart's piano concerto no. 12 and Hillary Duff's 'So Yesterday' which both sounded terrible on reed pipes. I had to ask him to stop playing when Adamos began to threaten to turn him into a meat toboggan. (Meat toboggan. Get that thought out of your head) I honestly had to agree with him. The stopping him, not the meat toboggan. Grover was not the most musically gifted satyr it seemed.
We waved good bye to the other campers and took one last look at camp. Chiron was just a bit away from us, sitting in his wheelchair, next to the large pine tree that protected the camp. Next to him was the surfer looking guy that I caught a glimpse of from the infirmary. According to Grover this was Argus, the head of security for camp. I remembered the myth about him. He was a hundred eyed giant that guarded something that I couldn't remember, but he couldn't be snuck up on cause of all the eyes. He was currently wearing a chauffeur suit, but when I got a good look at him, I noticed the eyes on his hands, neck and face.
"I hope you are all prepared. Argus here," Chiron said, motioning to the man. "will drive you into the city when you are."
Behind me I heard panting and the sound of footsteps. Turning I see Luke coming up the hill carrying a pair of basketball shoes.
"Hey," He said, slightly winded from running up hill. "Glad I caught you." Out of the corner of my eye I noticed that Annabeth was blushing like she always did when Luke was around. "Just wanted to say good luck, and I thought that you could use these." He handed me the pair of sneakers that were in his hands. They didn't look all that amazing, just a normal pair of shoes, but then Luke shouted, "Maia!", and white bird wings sprouted out of the heels. That startled me and I dropped the winged shoes and they fell, only to stop and hover a foot off the ground before Luke took them again and said the phrase again, making the shoes turn to normal.
"Awesome." Grover said.
Adamos however didn't agree. "Some things off with these shoes."
"What do you mean?"
"Try to feel it Percy. There's magic on these shoes and it's not from Hermes or any of his kids."
I focus and try to feel for the magic. You see over the course of learning magic, or at least the one spell, I had begun to be able to sense magic. Although I couldn't really sense much without touching the object and even then, my sense wasn't all that great. I 'looked' at the shoe and found nothing at first before I felt a slight difference. I didn't know what it was, but my gut was telling me that it wasn't originally apart of the shoe. "Is it something dangerous?"
"Currently no, but I can't seem to figure out what spell it is. The only thing that I know is that 1) the spell is dormant, so it won't activate until something happens, and 2) The spell isn't anything lethal, so it won't spontaneously combust or anything like that, but these are definitely cursed, by someone very good no less. I'm not even surprised Dionysus and Chiron can't sense it, that's how well made this spell is."
"Well that's good to know." I think before looking back to Luke. "Thanks man." I told him, hiding the strain in my voice.
"Listen Percy…" Luke said looking uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just…kill some monsters for me, okay?"
"Yeah, sure." I said. Then we shook hands, and he patted Grover on the head, and gave a good-bye hug to Annabeth, who looked like she was about to pass out.
After Luke left, I told her, "You look like you're hyperventilating"
"Am not."
"Your red face says otherwise."
"Oh… why do I put up with you Percy?" she says in exasperation, before stomping down the side of the hill, towards the white SUV sitting on the shoulder of the road. Argus followed her, jingling his keys.
Looking at the shoes the bad feeling I got grew more. I looked at Chiron. "I won't be able to use these will I?"
"No, I fear that would be unwise." Chiron said.
"Hey Grover, you want a magic item?" Adamos shouts out with my voice.
"What?! No!" I mentally scream at him for the random outburst, barely keeping myself from actually screaming out loud.
Grover's eyes however lit up. "Me?"
"Hah. Now you're bound by societal convention to give him the gift, unless you want to look like a jerk." Adamos snickers.
"You know you can be a real ass at times." I mentally respond.
"Ah he'll be fine. The curse isn't lethal and I'm sure you'll save him…probably."
"Your confidence in me is so astounding." I mentally deadpan. I then turn back to Grover and give him a strained smile. "Yeah. I can't use them so I thought that you would like them." I say slightly strained, however he doesn't seem to notice, as he looks over the shoes. He then puts them on ever his fake feet and the worlds first aerial goat boy was born.
"Maia!" He shouted, and wings sprouted from out of the heels. He got up off the ground, but then fell over and the winged shoes took off, dragging Grover behind them down the hill. Adamos was just laughing his ass off at Grover's misfortune, I was trying to stifle a chuckle at the comedic scene. Annabeth looked like she was chuckling as well from the bottom of the hill.
"Practice!" Chiron shouted after him. "You just need practice!"
Before I could follow Grover, though I was going to walk, Chiron grabbed my arm. "Percy, I should have trained you better. Hercules, Jason-they all got more training before the went on their quests."
I gave him an understanding look. He didn't know that I had been training extra hard for this exact thing. "It's alright Chiron, we didn't have a lot of time anyways and you did the best you could."
Chiron smiles at this before his expression changes. "What am I thinking?" He cried out. "I can't send you off with out giving you this." He pulled a pen from his coat pocket and handed it to me. It looked like a cheap ball point pen that you could find at any penny store.
"This is a pen," I said, but the smile never lifted from his face. "This. Is. A. Pen. Is it supposed to be a pen is mightier kind of thing?" I say sarcastically.
Chiron chuckles. "Percy this is a gift from your father. I've kept it for years, not knowing you were who I was waiting for. But much has been made clear to me and I am confident that you are the one."
I looked at the pen in my hand. It looked familiar. As I rattle my brain for the memories, I scan the object for magic, only to find the thing coated in magical properties. It gave off a feeling, like the ocean itself was in the pen. I then took off the pen cap and it grew longer and heavier. In less than a second the pen morphed into a long double-edged bronze sword. The most noticeable thing was that it actually felt balanced in my hands. I look closer trying to figure it out before it clicks in my head. This was the same sword that I used to kill Ms. Dodds. In me I feel Adamos stiffen as the sword forms before going back to normal, but I brush it off.
"This sword has a long and tragic history that we don't have time to go into," Chiron said, eyeing the blade. "Its name is Anaklusmos."
"Riptide." I whispered as my mind translated the Ancient Greek.
"The current that takes one by surprise and drags them out to sea." Adamos says in a whispery voice.
"Indeed," Chiron says with a smile. "A blade to only be used for emergencies, and only against monsters. A hero should always try to avoid harming mortals unless absolutely necessary, but then again the blade wouldn't harm mortals anyways."
"Why not?" I ask as I look over the wickedly sharp sword.
"The sword is made of celestial bronze, forged by the cyclopes smiths, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, cooled in the waters of the River Lethe. The blade is deadly to any mythological being, but it will pass through mortals as they aren't important enough for the blade to harm. But as a demigod, you are susceptible to the blade as well as mortal weapons. I urge caution Percy."
"Good to know." I say.
"Now recap the pen." He says and I comply. I touched the pen cap to the tip of the of the sword and it shrunk down to its pen form. I tucked the pen in my pocket. "Another feature that the sword possess is that the pen is enchanted so it will always return to its owner. Try tossing it over there."
With a raised brow I tossed the pen down the hill.
"Give it a second." Chiron said. "Then look into your pocket."
As I reach to pocket and feel around, and sure enough it was there. "That's pretty cool, but does it only work with this pair of pants?" I joke.
Chiron chuckles. "No, I believe that the enchantment works with all forms of pants."
The quest now was finally happening. We had a prophecy, quest mates, supplies, a goal, and now magic sword. Now all that was left to do was to take that first step. But something was nagging me in the back of my head. That little voice that everyone has. Doubt.
"Chiron." I say. "The gods are immortal right?"
He gives me an inquisitive look. "Yes, Percy the gods are immortal."
"So even if I fail then everything will be alright. Right?"
Chiron gave me a melancholic smile. "No one knows how long the reign of the gods will last Percy. The titans who ruled before during their self-proclaimed golden age were also immortal. Yet they were over thrown and now reside in various prisons undertaking punishment, but they are still very much alive. Although I fear the day it comes, but whose to say that the gods won't one day be overthrown. But Fates forbid that ever happen or we might return to an age of darkness and chaos much like the titan age. All we can do is follow our paths and do the best we can."
"Wise words." Adamos simply says.
"Our own paths." I say with a deep breathe.
"Yes and remember to keep calm and have a clear head. Your about to stop one of the most destructive wars in human history." Chiron said with an uplifting tone.
"You know you had me there for a second and then you said that." I deadpan.
"Sorry Percy, sometimes I forget that not all of my advice is so uplifting."
"I think you should keep an eye on Luke, Chiron." I say quietly after a few moments of silence.
Chiron gives me a speculative look before talking. "You think he could be—"
"I hope not." I say cutting him off, "I just…have a feeling that I can't shake."
He nodded "I will watch over him."
"Thank you." I said. I give him a smile and walked down the hill. As I reach the bottom I look back at the top of the hill. Chiron was standing at the top in his full centaur form, holding his bow up high in a form of salute.
Line break
Argus drove us out of the countryside and back into the civilized part of Long Island. As we were on the on the highway I was watching as the signs rolled past us.
"You doing okay?" Adamos said.
"Yeah, it's just—"
"Just what?"
"You've told me I was going on a quest for a while now, and I thought that I was prepared, but now that it's happening. It feels so real that I feel like I'm gonna fail."
"That's just first-time jitters talking. Everyone gets those, even us gods feel nervous about things from time to time.I mean you should of seen me when I went on my first quest. I was freaking out." Adamos chuckles.
"You went on a quest?" I say with a mentally raised brow.
"I went on a few quests actually, but the first ones were the most nerve wracking."
"What did you do?"
"Oh where do I start?" Adamos muses. "Well I guess a little history lesson is needed to understand. Maybe I'll show you it later in a dream or something when we have the time. Any ways it all started when I was born during the first ten years of the Titanomachy."
"Wait. First ten? I thought that you said that the Titanomachy was only ten years?" I question.
"The Titanomachy was actually a little over twenty years. The first decade was more akin to a cold war rather than actual fighting. Dad, our uncles and aunts were in hiding after Zeus freed them from their fathers' stomach. A little around a year into their hiding Dad meet my mom and I was born and was brought to be raised by our aunts and uncles. Well mostly Dad and, Hera, and Hestia, though I did spend quite a bit of time with Uncle Hades. Anyways I grew up and reached the physical age of sixteen in about three years."
"Wait how does that work?"
"We gods mature at a much faster rate than mortals. Anyway, at the rate we were gathering power for the war, it didn't look all that promising. I mean we had powerful nature spirits, some Titans and Titaness's, and a few minor gods that were born after me, but it didn't seem like we had a large chance at victory. But our chance at victory came in the form of three unexpected potential allies."
"How can three gods turn an entire war?"
"Never underestimate the impact that a single person can have in any situation Percy. Doesn't matter the what, whether it be the death of someone or the rise, they can change things for everyone." Adamos says, his voice taking a serious tone.
"O—ok, um, who were these people?"
After a moment passed Adamos spoke again, his voice going back to normal. "The primordials Nyx, Gaia, and Pontus."
"I thought that Gaia hated the Olympians? Why would she help them?"
"At the time she didn't. She was actually against Kronos' rule at that point and wanted him dethroned due to how chaotic the world became. It didn't help that the some of the other titans did things to piss off Nyx and Pontus. But Gaia, being the ever-loving mother, convinced her siblings not to kill her children, but rather have us fix their problems for them."
"You know this sounds pretty familiar." I think sarcastically.
"Yes, yes the humor of the situation isn't lost on me." Adamos says in a deadpan. "Anyways in return for our help with their problems they offered their aid in the war effort, and we weren't about to turn down the offer."
"That sounds like it would make the war easy?"
"You'd think so but like us gods the primordials also have laws that they must abide by, so they couldn't fight with us literally. Instead they offered us information, safe passage, supplies, and Pontus even ran interference and made sure Oceanus stayed out of the war."
"Well that's actually some pretty good incentives. And with the seven of you I bet you got that done pretty quickly."
"Actually, only I was chosen to go on the quests."
"What? Why? Wouldn't it have made more sense for all the gods to solve it? I mean if they wanted it taken care of that seems like it would be easier."
"Oddly enough I said something quite similar when they said it. But according to them the titans didn't actually know I existed other than my mother, so they didn't want all the titan forces bearing down on us all at once if we did it together. So, I had to go alone."
"That sounds like it sucks to do it alone."
"Well it sort of did but I find help along the way and they did give me a few things to make it easier. But I think that's enough for now. I can tell you more later."
"Aw don't just cut it off like that"
"Sorry Percy, but there's this thing called story pacing."
"That's stupid."
"Well you shouldn't rush a craftsman in the middle of his work, I mean if I stretch it out, I might make it to six seasons and a movie."
"Why that specifically?"
"No reason."
"Are you at least going to finish the story in the future?"
"I would be shamed if I didn't."
"Whatever." I internally think as Adamos goes back to whatever he does in my head. I look over to the other two passengers sitting in the car. Grover was in the front seat messing with his reed pipes, Annabeth was on the opposite side of the back seat with me.
"So far so good." I say to Annabeth trying to start a conversation. "Not a single monster yet."
She gave me an irritated look. "It's bad luck to talk like that Seaweed brain."
"Ok what's your deal." I said, growing angry at the unwarranted hostility. "You've been acting really rude since the capture the flag game."
"You mean the same game where you almost killed me with a shield?" She retorted.
"Yeah that one where you used me as bait for five Ares campers." I shot back. "But seriously, why do you hate me?"
"I don't hate you." She said as much of the tension in her voice left.
"Could have fooled me." I said with an eye roll.
She began to fiddle with her invisibility cap. "Look… we're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals."
"Why?"
She sighed. "How many reasons do you want? One time my mom caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena's temple, which is hugely disrespectful."
"That was not a good day." Adamos interjected.
"Another time, Athena and Poseidon competed to be patron god of the city of Athens. Your dad created some stupid salt water spring for his gift."
"Yes, because a saltwater spring that predicts safe conditions at sea is stupid."
"My mom created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her."
"There's so much of that story that was cut out." Adamos said in disappointment. I don't bother asking him because I had a feeling that he wasn't going to talk.
"They must have really loved olives to name a city after her."
Annabeth sighs. "Oh, forget it."
"You know if she had invented pizza then I would understand." I say while stroking my chin.
"I said forget it!" Up in the front seat Grover just chuckled at our argument. Argus meanwhile smiled, he didn't say anything but instead the eye on the back of his neck blinked? —winked? —I don't know, it did something.
The rest of the car ride was in mostly in silence. By the time we got to the Greyhound bus station on the Upper East Side the sun was setting, and rain clouds had begun to gather. Taped to a nearby mail box was a soggy flyer with my picture that read: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY?
I quickly ripped the flyer down before the others could see it. But they seemed to be gathered around Argus as he took our bags from out of the back of the car before driving off. I took a look around and noticed some familiar areas. I realized just how close we were to my mom's apartment. The same place where Gabe probably was, drinking and being a complete asshole and not caring about my mom.
"You're thinking of your mom." Grover said from behind me.
"How'd you know?" I ask, turning to face him.
"We satyrs can read emotions. I could feel your emotions and they only flux like that when your thinking about your mom and Gabe." If he could feel my emotions, I began to think of what else he might have left out.
"He can't read your emotions all the time. I've been covering yours with fake emotions. I'm not letting my plan go under because of a stupid satyr."
"Its alright Grover I'm fine. Just realized how close we are to the apartment." I say and Grover nods in understanding before walking of to a nearby bench. "Why are you always so mean to him?"
"He knows what his kind did." Adamos says through grit teeth.
"Dude you have issues." I think to him before walking to the bench that both Grover and Annabeth were on.
The rain kept coming down. Pretty soon we got restless and started to play hacky sack with an apple from Grover's back pack. Adamos was busy playing music to pass the time. Annabeth and I were doing really well. We were bouncing it off our knees, elbows, and feet before our game ended when the apple got to close to Grover's mouth. The apple disappeared in one bite.
Grover blushed and began to apologize. Annabeth and I were both cracking up. Then finally the bus pulled up to the station.
"Percy, we got company, of the monster variety." Adamos warnsas we get in line to board.
"Here? Now? It hasn't even been ten minutes since Argus dropped us off. Can you tell what it is?"
"Three signatures nearby, but I can't tell what kind they are."
"Can we out run them."
"No to close. Were going to have to figure something out on the bus."
"What about the mortals?" I ask worriedly.
"They won't attack the mortals. They'll mostly focus us"
I take a deep breathe and mentally prepare myself for the fight that might take place. "Can we take them. In the confined space?"
"If we can come up with a plan to catch them off guard. We can't afford not to take the bus, it's the last one on the schedule and the next one isn't until tomorrow and we're on a timetable. We'll have to risk it."
I look over to Grover, seeing him stiffen and begin to look around. His face looked nervous before as he sniffed the air around him before settling down.
"What is it?" I asked though I already knew the answer.
"I don't know, maybe it's nothing." He said tensely.
"If it's a maybe, I think we should keep an eye out." I said.
"What are you two talking about?" Annabeth said cutting into our conversation.
"Grover thinks that somethings close." I explain.
"A monster? How many?" She questions Grover.
"I—I don't know." Grover backs away as Annabeth gets too close.
"Huh, maybe we can lose them when we get on the bus. If Grover is having a hard time smelling them than maybe they are far enough away that they haven't caught our scent either. This is the last bus on the schedule, so we won't have any way out of the city if it leaves." Annabeth mused, coming to the same conclusion as Adamos. "I think we should just leave on the bus."
"Sure, sounds as good a plan as any." I say back, while Grover just nods.
We got on board the bus finally and found three seats together in the back of the bus. We stowed our backpacks. Annabeth's leg was bouncing furiously as she fiddled with her Yankee's cap. "Percy." She said in a tense whisper as she eyes the front of the bus.
Three old ladies boarded the bus. They were all wearing the same clothing. Matching crumpled velvet dresses, lace gloves, and large knit-hats in different colors that covered their faces. What made me catch my breath was the one in the front wearing an orange hat. I recognized that face. It was Mrs. Dodds.
I scrunched down into my seat, trying to make myself as small as possible.
"I'm taking a guess that they're the monsters."
"Yeah, all three furies. Hades must have accelerated her reforming."
The old ladies sat in the front row, just behind the driver. Two of the ladies extended their legs making an X in the middle of the aisle. The message came clear. No one passes.
The bus pulled out of the station, and we headed down the streets of Manhattan. "I thought that one was bad, but three! Why does the universe hate me?" I whisper.
"Di Immortales." Grover whimpered. "All three of them."
"It's ok. It's just the furies. The three worst monsters in the underworld. No problem. Cool. We can, uh, slip out the windows."
"They don't open." Grover said.
"A back exit?" She suggested.
"There isn't one." I say.
"No emergency back exit, windows that don't open. Who designed this bus? This bus violates so many safety laws." Adamos says in disbelief.
"Why is that your focus? Shouldn't you be helping come up with a plan.?"
"Working on it."
I turn to Annabeth and whisper to her. "They aren't going to attack us with so many witnesses, right?" I was silently hoping she would say we were safe.
"Mortal eyes aren't very good." Annabeth whispered back. "The mist will cover what they do so that they won't see what's really happening."
"So, will they see us being killed by old ladies?" I said dryly, as my hopes are thrown out the unopening windows.
She began to think. "Hard to say what the mortals see exactly, but we can't count on the mortals interfering."
"Hey, you think you could do that mind trick that you used on Annabeth on them?"
"It won't work, they're from the underworld. Their minds are stronger than a demigod's. But maybe if you can sneak behind them."
"But how am I going… Annabeth's hat!"
"Right. Now we just have to convince her to give it to us."
During our planning the bus finally went through a tunnel. Everything went dark, with only the flashes of lights coming from the dim lighting of the tunnel roof. The sound of rain subsided, leaving an eerie quiet. Mrs. Dodds rose from her seat. In a flat voice that betrayed no emotion she spoke aloud, "I need to use the restroom."
"So do I." Said the two other sisters, their voices in the same tone. As one the made their way down the aisle.
"Annabeth give me your hat." I whispered to her after Adamos and I came up with a plan.
"What?" She whispered back. The flickering of the tunnel lights through the windows causing her eyes to look darker as she bore into my own.
"I'm the one that killed her last time so they'll be looking for me, but if I use your hat to get to one of the seats further up, we can ambush them after they pass me."
"You seriously want to fight all three furies?" She said with a skeptical look.
"It's either that or jumping through the window and taking our chances with the pavement." I said.
Annabeth's gaze flickered between me and some of the windows of the bus. No doubt weighing her options of survival and the probability of walking away from a tuck and roll from a bus going fifty miles an hour down a highway.
"All right here." She says, handing me the hat. "I'll fill Grover in, you get going."
I give her a quick nod, before putting the cap on. Instantly my body vanishes, and I spend a second looking at my hands, which were now gone. I shake my head and start to make my way up the aisle before Adamos stops me.
"Percy grab our back pack, we can't leave it behind." He says. I turn around and grab the handle at the top of the back pack. As I lift it, it then vanishes, the only indicator that it still existed was the feel of the material in my hand. Putting my arms through the straps I sneak to one of the empty seats in the middle row.
Mrs. Dodds started to sniff as she stopped near my row. She looked around, her eyes landing on where I was and staying there a bit longer. My heart was pounding so loud that I could hear it in my ears. Mrs. Dodds gaze stayed on where I was before turning away and walking down the aisle once more, her ugly sisters following right behind her. I silently let out a breath that I didn't even know I was holding.
I made to get out of my seat to sneak up on the three when I heard a horrifying wail. My head peeked out from the seat and looked down the aisle to see that the three old ladies were no longer in disguise. Their bodies had shriveled, their hands had grown nasty claws, and the handbags they carried were replaced with flaming whips.
The three Furies had cornered Annabeth and Grover. Their voices resembling a hiss as they each screeched out: "Where is it? Where?"
The people on the bus were cowering in fear at the display, as they definitely saw something horrible, and as to what I don't know. But with them all scooching to the walls of the bus, this left the aisle completely free as I snuck up to the Furies. I felt Adamos flooding my body with his godly power. Knowledge began to enter my head and I was instinctively stalking silently, like a predator.
"He's not here." I hear Annabeth shout. "He left."
To the Furies however, this is not the answer they wanted, as the each raised their whips.
At this I took my chance and uncapped my new sword 'Riptide' and swung. With the one swing I managed to slash through the Fury that was closest to me, decapitating her. She let out a pained roar as her body exploded into gold dust. This drew the attention of the other two as they turned to the direction of the assailant. Me.
Seeing as I didn't need it any more, I took of Annabeth's hat and held it on one hand, my sword in the other.
"Remember me?" I said hoping to sound confident and not at all as terrified as I actually was.
"PERCY JACKSON!" Mrs. Dodds screeched at me. With their attention now focused on me Annabeth took the chance to draw her bronze dagger and jump onto the back of one of the Mrs. Dodds' remaining sister. Stabbing wherever she can as the Fury tried to ram her back into anything she could as well as try to rake her with her claws. Grover was pelting them with cans and apples.
Mrs. Dodds didn't even look back, either to consumed with anger at me or just not caring I didn't know.
"Hades shall have your soul!" She screeched as she raised her whip and flung the flaming tendril forward. I was feeling my mind go into overdrive and my instincts flaring and I ducked as the whip snapped with a shower of sparks over my head. I got up, only for Mrs. Dodds to strike again, but this time I didn't have time to dodge.
"QUEN!" I shout out the spell as I try to block the whip with Riptide, only for it to wrap around my arm. A golden barrier was flaring and straining around my sword arm. Even with the spell I could feel the heat from the flames, while it wasn't burning it was painfully hot. The heat began to seep through more as the shield began to break.
"Percy! Brace yourself I'm gonna do something." Adamos shouted in my head, but I only barely heard him.
I tighten my grip on my sword and Annabeth's hat, using my forearms to brace against the back of the seat I was next to. Next thing I know was a loud boom coming from the front of the bus, and a sudden jerking to one side. Adamos just blew out one of the front tires.
The driver of the bus, who was watching what was happening through the rear-view mirror quickly lost control and began to jerk the wheel around as the bus hit the side of the tunnel. Cars were shoved out of the way as the driver barreled through an exit and onto a rural road.
The shaking caused the Fury that Annabeth was riding to fall into one of the empty seats. Annabeth took this chance and luckily stabbed the Fury in the neck, turning her to gold dust. Grover was knocked back into our seats. I, meanwhile, managed to stay standing, but Mrs. Dodds wasn't as lucky. The sudden swerving combined with the wet roads was to much and she lost her balance, hitting the window of the bus with a loud crack, making her drop the whip and fall down.
The driver finally having enough, pulled off the road and used the emergency brake. This brought the bus to a screeching halt next to a densely packed forest. The driver was the first one out, followed by the stampede of passengers.
In the distance I heard thunder rumble.
"Percy, we have to move now!" Adamos shouted in my head. Completely agreeing as I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
"Guys! We gotta go!" I shout to Annabeth and Grover. Neither argued as we rushed out of the bus. Grover kicking Mrs. Dodds' whip away as she tried to reach for it while getting back to her feet.
We rushed out side to find the other passengers freaking out and arguing with the driver. A Hawaiian shirted tourist somehow managed to snap a picture of me with my sword in one hand and Annabeth's hat in the other as we got off the bus.
"Wait! Our bags." Grover realized. "We left our—"
A loud boom was heard and then the bus exploded. The passengers ran for cover. We could only look on in horror as the large bolt of lightning tore apart the top of the bus. But a loud wail from inside was all I needed to know that Mrs. Dodds was still alive.
"We gotta run." Annabeth said. "She's calling for help. We need to get out of here"
With that we took off into the nearby forest. The bus in flames and the rain pouring down around us. We vanished into the dark of the forest.
A/N: Ahoy! welcome aboard the S.S. Adamos gentle sirs and madams. This is Capt. Momentei speaking to you all. I would like to thank all you wonderful people for liking this story. It really makes my week. Now onto the reviews corner. One of you brought up the good point that I'm making Percy completely reliant on Adamos for everything. This is actually true for the most part. This is only the beginning of the story and Percy is still a twelve-year-old boy that is new to the whole thing. I mean if you were told that your life was a lie and to go kill something. Then in comes Adamos who says, hey I can teach you all of this and even do some of it for you. Wouldn't you take that deal? But anyways I want Percy to slowly become more independent over time yet still rely on Adamos somewhat. As for how, well that doesn't happen till later. Another thing is about the concerns with me making Annabeth a bitch. I'm actually not. In order better understand the characters I reread the entire first book and this is how cannon Annabeth acts in the books. In this I have a TV show reference that I hope you can find. Who ever does gets a cookie if they leave the answer in the reviews. Anyways I do appreciate any constructive criticism from you all. Leave a review and I'll most likely read it.