V. Damaged or new fashion of the Underworld?
'Well, start Orion." Poseidon told his son who was only staring at the title blinking. "Orion?" still no reply he only looked over at his brother, flinched and turned back to the book.
"Allow me." Theseus said as he grabbed the book from his brother, but then he also froze when spotting the title.
"They certainly reacted positive to the title." Nathan whispered sarcastically to Luke who nodded while looking at his uncles who looked now like statues.
"Would someone finally start reading?" demanded Zeus as Perses jumped down from his mother's lap and climbed into Theseus's lap who was still holding the book and was staring at it perplexed.
"The title is My Mother Teaches me Bullfighting, cool, mum can you do that to?" Perses asked his mother before heading back to her, Andromeda only shook her head at this, face pale.
"Please don't let it be him, please don't let it be him…" Poseidon chanted in worry while Theseus handed the book carefully back to his brother, his face green and worried for his brother, he didn't even notice Dionysus anymore, his mind to far gone.
"Lovely, looks as if young Percy meets my brother-in-law or one should say bull-in-law, courtesy of his own father and defeated before for the first time by one of his brothers." the God said at which everyone who knew the legend or were grasping it had gone slightly pale then green.
"The gods really are in need of new hobbies or anger management classes." Chris whispered to his brothers who nodded.
"Orion, read the chapter." Misty said to the hero who reluctantly nodded, but no words come out of his mouth.
"Are you sure that you have not inherited Charmspeak from your mom?" Lance whispered to Michael who shook his head, but then Gwen looked over at Orion.
"Orion, please start reading the chapter so that we all can hear it, no more gapping." Gwen finished and the hero sat straighter while the girl let out a relieved sigh, she rarely used her inherited ability because she was not the best at it seeing how at the Roman camp you rarely used such abilities.
We tore through the night along dark country roads. Wind slammed against the Camaro. Rain lashed the wind shield. I didn't know how my mom could see anything, but she kept her foot on the gas.
"Now that is how you're supposed to drive," Ares said grinning while both Apollo and Hephaestus rolled they eyes at him.
"And this is why your chariot always lands in my workshop in pieces." Hephaestus said mentally shuddering at the memories when he gets handed the pile of broken wood and steel which used to be a chariot, sometimes three times in the course of a week. If it was a lucky one that is…
"And this is why you always land in my infirmary in pieces." Apollo added in, by the current stand of things did he not even need to look to know what he needed to reset, bind, clean and disinfect on his brother when he gets brought in.
"You two just don't appreciate the ecstasy of speeding." Ares replied huffing at his siblings before turning to his daughter and grandson. "You two know what I'm talking about." he told them.
"Well, yes we do grandfather" Ace started before his mother could reply "my parents have kind of a new record with getting you and your vehicle into the infirmary and workshop after your accidents." he finished at which Ares blinked at him while both Apollo and Hephaestus high-fived each other, smirking at they brother who was now pouting before Orion started continuing.
Every time there was a flash of lightning, I looked at Grover sitting next to me in the backseat and I wondered if I'd gone insane, or if he was wearing some kind of shag-carpet pants.
There were many laughs while outside the satyrs glared at everyone, a blush on they cheeks.
"I love this guy's thoughts, they are brilliant." Travis said laughing while leaning against his brother who was holding his stomach.
"I agree son, this demigod is brilliant in making others laugh without even trying to do so." Hermes agreed with his son while Aphrodite shifted on her throne mumbling something about 'never coming into trend…' and continued sleeping.
"That's our dad for you." Luke said proudly, he loved his dad; he was a great person who knew how to cheer people up.
But, no, the smell was one I remembered from kindergarten field trips to the petting zoo— lanolin, like from wool. The smell of a wet barnyard animal.
Everyone bust out laughing at this because it was true while outside the satyrs glared at everyone, but they intent was destroyed by the blush on they cheeks.
"Way to start an awkward conversation little brother." Orion said having clamed down a bit more since getting past the chapter title.
All I could think to say was, "So, you and my mom... know each other?"
There was a new wave of laughter and Hermes was happy that Apollo was not looking worried anymore about his granddaughter though he understood his brother, he would also worry about his family even if they aren't born yet. To be kind of honest from them all was it Apollo who tended to be the most protective to his children so he should not be surprised that he would worry about his granddaughter.
"Only uncle Percy would say such a thing in that kind of situation." Misty brought out fondly as she gripped her stomach while rolling on the floor.
"I really want to meet him." Travis laughed gleefully.
It took everyone a good three more minutes to clam down enough so that the reading could continue.
Graver's eyes flitted to the rearview mirror, though there were no cars behind us. "Not exactly," he said. "I mean, we've never met in person. But she knew I was watching you."
"Grover, this will only make a person assume that you are a stalker." Annabeth said shaking her head at her friend.
"Well, there is good ground for the parse "pulling a Grover"." Sally said in a thoughtful tone while her mother facepalmed as her friends broke out laughing.
"Satyrs." Dionysus said with a fond smile on his lips.
"Your dad seems to really like fauns." Gwen whispered to Dakota who nodded, he had noticed it already and decided to talk with Reyna about her plan regards her idea she said she had regards finding an use for the fauns around camp. If his dad had a fondness for them then should his son take part in trying to improve they condition, maybe the Greeks could give them some tips in that department, it was worth a shoot.
"Watching me?"
"Keeping tabs on you. Making sure you were okay. But I wasn't faking being your friend," he added hastily. "I am your friend."
"Sorry uncle Grover, but you are not dad's friend." Luke said with a shake of his head.
"But…" Annabeth was about to say something, but Luke continued grinning.
"You are actually his best friend." he said which made his young mother close her mouth again blushing, but she smiled that Percy will see Grover as his best friend. That was nice of him.
"Urn ... what are you, exactly?"
"That doesn't matter right now."
"It doesn't matter? From the waist down, my best friend is a donkey—"
Everyone flinched while outside the satyrs got restrained thanks to the Keres threatening them that they will gladly escort them to Tartaros if they don't sit back.
"Ugh…you only say that if you want to experience what a stampede feels like." the Stoll brothers said flinching while Hermes looked at them wide eyed.
"Boys, why would you say such a stupid thing with your oldest brother being Pan?" he asked incredulously so he missed the legacies flinch, but Athena and her children saw them and wondered what it could mean.
"Sorry dad, it was a stupid dare we needed to do tanks to the Aphrodite cabin." Travis said while looking down, not meeting his father's eyes.
"We were playing a game of truth or dare between the cabins in camp and we kind of dared one of them to burn a bag of makeup" at this the sleeping Aphrodite let out a sound as if having a nightmare, but continued sleeping "so they took revenge on us." Connor explained his gaze also on the ground.
"I understand boys, but the next time be a bit more careful." Hermes said with a little smile on his lips as he looked at his sons not liking that they didn't dare looking at him.
"Will do dad." they replied still a bit unsure, they rarely saw they dad so guessing his reactions was hard to them, but they all knew how much he loved Pan who in they time had been missing since long decades.
Grover let out a sharp, throaty "Blaa-ha-ha!"
I'd heard him make that sound before, but I'd always assumed it was a nervous laugh.
Now I realized it was more of an irritated bleat.
"Goat!" he cried.
"Didn't he say that it didn't matter?" Malcolm said not understanding the logic in first saying that it didn't matter then acting as if it does. The others only shrugged.
"What?"
"I'm a goat from the waist down."
"You just said it didn't matter."
"Blaa-ha-ha!There are satyrs who would trample you underhoof for such an insult!"
"Whoa. Wait. Satyrs. You mean like ... Mr. Brunner's myths?"
"Yup, though they kind of part of your reality and not myths." Frank said, the poor guy will be slightly overwhelmed by all of this.
"Were those old ladies at the fruit stand a myth, Percy? Was Mrs. Dodds a myth?"
"So you admit there was a Mrs. Dodds!"
"Why is he so adamant about that?" Jason asked confused.
"You would also if you thought for nearly the whole duration of a year that you have lost it." Henry explained to the blonde.
"If you put it that way, yes I would probably act the same way." Jason replied with a sheepish smile on his lips.
"The funny thing is, he is still referring to her as Mrs. Dodds, even though he knows that her name is Alecto." Lance said in amusement.
"Well, she kind of got used to it." Henry answered while some of the others tried to decide if the should shake they heads or be amused.
"He is pretty stubborn about that, though stubbornness is a family trait." Theseus said with a small smile on his lips, it helped to not concentrate about the fact that his little brother will soon face the same beast he did, but unlike him had he been older and had training and he feared the minotaur will not be happy to see a Son of Poseidon.
"Of course."
"Then why—"
"The less you knew, the fewer monsters you'd attract," Grover said, like that should be perfectly obvious. "We put Mist over the humans' eyes. We hoped you'd think the Kindly One was a hallucination. But it was no good. You started to realize who you are."
"Who I—wait a minute, what do you mean?"
"Grover, you are confusing him." Annabeth said sighing, it would be better if he explained it better to Percy at this time.
The weird bellowing noise rose up again somewhere behind us, closer than before. Whatever was chasing us was still on our trail.
The atmosphere tensed, Poseidon went back to his muttering while Theseus buried his fingers into the cushions of the couch he was sitting on.
"Percy," my mom said, "there's too much to explain and not enough time. We have to get you to safety."
"Safety from what? Who's after me?"
"Oh, nobody much," Grover said, obviously still miffed about the donkey comment. "Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood-thirstiest minions."
At this everyone turned to Hades in confusion while Henry let out an angry huff, but it was not directed at his grandfather, En shifted again while both Persephone and Apollo had annoyed looks on they faces.
"Way to start his first impression uncle Grover." Henry finally said in an annoyed tone, at least he knew that uncle Percy had a type of understanding for him, but still. Misty was again patting him on the back, she knew how protective they were about they grandfather.
"Grover!"
"Sorry, Mrs. Jackson. Could you drive faster, please?"
I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening, but I couldn't do it. I knew this wasn't a dream. I had no imagination. I could never dream up something this weird.
"Well, till now was your mind pretty entertaining Perce so I'm not sure about that no imagination thing." Chris said in an attempt to diffuse the tense atmosphere, it seemed to work because some started sniggering while others looked amused.
My mom made a hard left. We swerved onto a narrower road, racing past darkened
farmhouses and wooded hills and PICK YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES signs on white picket fences.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"The summer camp I told you about." My mother's voice was tight; she was trying for my sake not to be scared. "The place your father wanted to send you."
"The place you didn't want me to go."
"Please, dear," my mother begged. "This is hard enough. Try to understand. You're in danger."
"Because some old ladies cut yarn."
"Those weren't old ladies," Grover said. "Those were the Fates. Do you know what it means—the fact they appeared in front of you? They only do that when you're about to ... when someone's about to die."
"Way to explain without frightening someone." Clarisse said with a shake of her head, that guy will make a fool of himself in camp if this continues.
"Whoa. You said 'you.'"
"No I didn't. I said 'someone.'"
"You meant 'you.' As in me."
"I meant you, like 'someone.' Not you, you."
"Boys!" my mom said.
"Thank you for stopping that pointless argument." Amphitrite said, now was the boy even more confused then before.
"It would have been really nice if someone would have explained to him what is going on." Sally said, she knew that her dad could be slightly slow in some cases, but it was worse when he was confused.
She pulled the wheel hard to the right, and I got a glimpse of a figure she'd swerved to avoid—a dark fluttering shape now lost behind us in the storm.
"What was that?" I asked.
"We're almost there," my mother said, ignoring my question.
"Another mile. Please. Please. Please."
I didn't know where there was, but I found myself leaning forward in the car, anticipating, wanting us to arrive.
Outside, nothing but rain and darkness—the kind of empty countryside you get way out on the tip of Long Island. I thought about Mrs. Dodds and the moment when she'd changed into the thing with pointed teeth and leathery wings. My limbs went numb from delayed shock. She really hadn't been human. She'd meant to kill me.
The atmosphere got even worse, they knew that it was futile hope that Percy would make it to the camp without a fight with one of the most dangerous monsters a hero could face. Poseidon himself was already cursing himself in his mind for being so stupid because of sacrifice that he had let this beast be born.
Then I thought about Mr. Brunner ... and the sword he had thrown me. Before I could ask Grover about that, the hair rose on the back of my neck. There was a blinding flash, a jaw-rattling boom!, and our car exploded.
"WHAT!" screamed everyone while the legacies glared at Zeus who noticed they looks having a good guess what had happened, making him glump.
I remember feeling weightless, like I was being crushed, fried, and hosed down all at the same time.
I peeled my forehead off the back of the driver's seat and said, "Ow."
"He made those descriptions and that is the only thing he can say?" Athena asked in a stunned tone while looking at the book.
"As said, dad is kind of different even by demigod standards." Luke said to his grandmother.
"You can say that again." Athena replied.
"Percy!" my mom shouted.
"I'm okay..."
I tried to shake off the daze. I wasn't dead.
The car hadn't really exploded. We'd swerved into a ditch. Our driver's-side doors were wedged in the mud. The roof had cracked open like an eggshell and rain was pouring in.
Orion tensed and threw a short, angered look at Zeus, his brother was only twelve for gods shake!
Lightning. That was the only explanation.
"DAD!" both Jason and Perseus yelled in indignation, the former because he did not understand why his dad was attacking his nephew who didn't know about anything while the later had started to see a few things differently since he had a child of his own.
"ZEUS!" Poseidon screamed in rage, it was one thing that Hades sent monsters after his son, but at least did he not personally go after Percy unlike his little brother, it was Triton, Ares, Hermes and Apollo who forced him back on his throne.
"Can't you leave that boy alone?" Hera demanded from her husband who did his best to not look his scowling family in the eyes. "Orion continue." she told the hero who nodded and continued reading in a tight tone.
We'd been blasted right off the road. Next to me in the backseat was a big motionless lump. "Grover!"
The demigods who knew the satyr looked worried, even Clarisse, though she didn't let it show seeing how she had to hold up a reputation.
He was slumped over, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. I shook his furry hip, thinking, No! Even if you are half barnyard animal, you're my best friend and I don't want you to die!
There were some half smiles at this while outside the satyrs had fully forgiven Percy for his earlier 'donkey' comment because of his care for one of they kinsmen.
"It is nice to hear that he cares about his friend no matter the situation or differences." Persephone said, there were not many heroes who were like that.
Then he groaned "Food," and I knew there was hope.
The Greek demigods started smiling in relief, yes it was fine if Grover was mentioning food. The others meanwhile looked a bit confused, but guessed that if this faun mentioned food then this meant that he was kind of fine or not in a too bad condition.
"Percy," my mother said, "we have to ..." Her voice faltered.
I looked back. In a flash of lightning, through the mud-spattered rear windshield, I saw a figure lumbering toward us on the shoulder of the road. The sight of it made my skin crawl. It was a dark silhouette of a huge guy, like a football player. He seemed to be holding a blanket over his head. His top half was bulky and fuzzy. His upraised hands made it look like he had horns.
"Oh no, it is him." Poseidon and Theseus groaned while everyone started gripping the seats in worry and fear.
"You all really need new hobbies" Nathan said while looking at the gods "or at least stop creating monsters, are Echidna's children not enough?" he asked it would have saved everyone from many dangerous situations if they would have not turned people into monsters or made them fall for animals which resulted in them.
"Agreed, at least has grandmother Persephone found a less dangerous changing alternative." Henry said while looking at his grandmother who blushed at the sudden looks of the other gods.
"Why do I have the unsettling feeling that this warning comes because of experience with them." Athena said in a fearful tone, she did not receive an answer which confirmed her and the other gods fears for they were not all looking with worry and guilt at they future children.
"Orion." he didn't look up to find out who said his name, he knew that he should continue.
I swallowed hard. "Who is—"
"Percy," my mother said, deadly serious. "Get out of the car."
My mother threw herself against the driver's-side door. It was jammed shut in the mud. I tried mine. Stuck too. I looked up desperately at the hole in the roof. It might've been an exit, but the edges were sizzling and smoking.
"Climb out the passenger's side!" my mother told me. "Percy—you have to run. Do you see that big tree?"
Those who knew the story behind the tree flinched making the Roman demigods and those from the past look at they saddened expressions with uneasiness.
"What?"
Another flash of lightning, and through the smoking hole in the roof I saw the tree she meant: a huge, White House Christmas tree-sized pine at the crest of the nearest hill.
The future legacies tried to not show they amusement that they dad/uncle had called his cousin a Christmas tree while the Stolls had small smiles on they lips before Katie wacked them over the head. She had a good guess that they wanted to decorate the tree for Christmas.
"That's the property line," my mom said. "Get over that hill and you'll see a big farmhouse down in the valley. Run and don't look back. Yell for help. Don't stop until you reach the door."
"She certainly does know much about our world." Will said in a slightly stunned tone, the others nodded in agreement.
"Mom, you're coming too."
Her face was pale, her eyes as sad as when she looked at the ocean.
"Mortals can't cross through the borders." Katie said saddly.
"No!" I shouted. "You are coming with me. Help me carry Grover."
"Food!" Grover moaned, a little louder.
The man with the blanket on his head kept coming toward us, making his grunting, snorting noises. As he got closer, I realized he couldn't be holding a blanket over his head, because his hands—huge meaty hands—were swinging at his sides. There was no blanket. Meaning the bulky, fuzzy mass that was too big to be his head ... was his head. And the points that looked like horns …
Both Poseidon and Theseus looked about to be sick with every little sentence, Orion could only do so much to rub circles on his brother's back while continuing to read while Amphitrite went to comfort her husband who was about to prove that a God can get a heart attack. The kids from camp Half-Blood meanwhile exchanged scared glances, this was going to happen in one and a half year in they time, somehow they found this unsettling and hoped that they will notice and come to help.
"He doesn't want us," my mother told me. "He wants you. Besides, I can't cross the property line."
"But..."
"We don't have time, Percy. Go. Please."
I got mad, then—mad at my mother, at Grover the goat, at the thing with horns that was lumbering toward us slowly and deliberately like, like a bull.
I climbed across Grover and pushed the door open into the rain. "We're going together. Come on, Mom."
"I told you—"
"Mom! I am not leaving you. Help me with Grover."
"He is loyal to his mother." Hera said in a soft tone, this demigod was definitely not like most heroes she had seen.
"He is definitely something new." Artemis agreed which made Orion feel somewhat jealous while Hercules squirmed in his seat by the dark look the goddess was giving him, hoping that she would not use her arrows.
I didn't wait for her answer. I scrambled outside, dragging Grover from the car. He was surprisingly light, but I couldn't have carried him very far if my mom hadn't come to my aid.
Together, we draped Grover's arms over our shoulders and started stumbling uphill through wet waist-high grass.
"Looks like that some things don't change." Connor said in a new attempt to raise the mood.
"Someone should cut that grass." Demeter said in a stunned tone, waist-high, really?
Glancing back, I got my first clear look at the monster. He was seven feet tall, easy, his arms and legs like something from the cover of Muscle Man magazine—bulging biceps and triceps and a bunch of other 'ceps, all stuffed like baseballs under vein-webbed skin. He
Orion suddenly stopped reading to look at his brother carefully, as if trying to figure out how to ask him something.
"What?" Theseus asked in a tight tone, he was trying not to imagine that beast attacking his little brother in a revenge for what he had done with it. Orion didn't answer at first, but looked again at the book, then back at his brother before blurting out his question in a way which reminded Luke and Sally at they dad.
"Was the minotaur naked when you fought it?" he asked which made his brother pull a bit away from him, a slight blush on his cheeks while most of the others looked over at Poseidon.
"What is it with this question?" Theseus asked.
"Just answer." Orion said at which Theseus nodded still not understanding why his idiot of a half-brother asked.
"Only wanted to make sure." Orion replied to the perplexed group before returning his attention to the book, leaving Theseus to fight down his blush about having to answer a question if the monster he fought was naked or not. 'Damn, Orion could have phased this less embarrassing.' he thought in dismay.
He wore no clothes except under wear—
Everyone stared blinking at the book if they had heard right.
"Orion, could you repeat that?" Perseus asked his cousin.
He wore no clothes except under wear—
Ok, the still heard the same.
I mean, bright white Fruit of the Looms—
Everyone slowly turned in Hades's direction, they gazes questioning and saying the same thing "What in your name is happening down there in the Underworld!?".
"You know that he isn't doing this at the given time, right?" Hades asked feeling kind of freaked out about the strange fashion sense of the monster, a loincloth he could understand, but that didn't sound like one.
"Uhm… we kind of suspect that some monsters are kind of experiencing the after-effects from to many head wounds caused by heroes during the ages." Henry explained the theory his family had about the monsters who seemed to have developed some type of disturbing fashion sense, he also found it good to not mention that some of the emposai had now resulted to slither around down there dressed with a bright pink bra.
"Wonderful, brain damaged monsters, just what I needed down there." Hades groaned, but referred himself from throwing his arms in the air seeing that Enysswe was still sleeping in his lap.
"Well, at least are we not in danger to see our subjects develop a strange fashion sense." Poseidon whispered to Zeus who nodded to his brother slightly relieved.
which would've looked funny, except that the top half of his body was so scary. Coarse brown hair started at about his belly button and got thicker as it reached his shoulders.
His neck was a mass of muscle and fur leading up to his enormous head, which had a snout as long as my arm, snotty nostrils with a gleaming brass ring, cruel black eyes, and horns—enormous black-and-white horns with points you just couldn't get from an electric sharpener.
"Percy, not helping!" Theseus whined as he was assaulted by bad memories about his experience in the labyrinth with that thing.
"Nah, the boy is helping just perfectly." Dionysus replied wickedly, the more that cursed hero was suffering the better while those who knew him looked worried, one could now understand why he was also the God of Madness.
"Ariadne, are you feeling alright?" Arete asked her friend who had gone slightly pale. The two of them were sitting in the shade of a large olive tree as they listened to the book.
"Yes, I'm fine Arete, you don't need to worry about me it is just that hearing again about my half-brother as he goes against another Son of Poseidon…" her voice trailed of as she tried to push away her old hurt of being abandoned in such a cruel way.
"Hey, cheer up it is in the past." she was angry at that mortal to hurt her friend like that, no girl deserves to be treated like that after they have literally sacrificed everything for them.
"I know and in the end it kind of turned out alright, I mean now I have Dionysus." Ariadne replied with a little blush on her cheeks remembering how kind and patient the god had been with her, listening to her heartbroken rants, holding her as he cried even thought he was not sure how to deal with a crying woman, like most men. He had even gone to the Underworld for her and made his father decide to give her immortality while the man who had hurt her would one day be no more.
"You are blushing, is that because a certain Olympian?" Arete asked teasingly which only made the young goddess blush even more before she suddenly tensed.
"Theseus doesn't know that I have died and made a goddess." she said suddenly, she knew that he was here, she had recogrinaized his voice, as much as she was angry and disappointed with him she didn't wish for her husband to turn him into wine grapes.
"And who cares Aria? You worry to much about things, now relax and listen to the book, while king of trying to ignore the strange fashion sense your brother has developed." at this Ariadne let out a little laugh.
"He surely is dressing strangely." she replied, her gaze on the palace. "Dionysus, please don't do anything rash."
I recognized the monster, all right. He had been in one of the first stories Mr. Brunner told us. But he couldn't be real.
I blinked the rain out of my eyes. "That's—"
"Pasiphae's son," my mother said.
"Poseidon, how did you manage to find such a intelligent woman as a lover?" Athena asked, ignoring the annoyed look from both Orion and Theseus at the implication that they mothers were dumb while outside Ariadne tensed when hearing the name of her mother.
"I have my charm." he replied while looking carefully at his wife, but she was busy smirking at the expression of his present sons to notice him, Triton only rolled his eyes at both of his parents, though he was also amused by the looks of his half-brothers.
"I wish I'd known how badly they want to kill you."
"This will reassure him, alright." Reyna said, since listening to the books was it getting harder and harder for her to imagine that this person had destroyed her home out of ill intent.
"But he's the Min—"
"Don't say his name," she warned. "Names have power."
The pine tree was still way too far—a hundred yards uphill at least.
I glanced behind me again.
The bull-man hunched over our car, looking in the windows—or not looking, exactly. More like snuffling, nuzzling. I wasn't sure why he bothered since we were only about fifty feet away. "Food?" Grover moaned.
"Shhh," I told him. "Mom, what's he doing? Doesn't he see us?"
"He relies on smell because both his eyesight and hearing are terrible." Theseus said carefully as he remembered what Ariadne had told him, maybe he should really apologize to her, but the problem was that he had no clue where she was and it would be suicide to ask Dionysus not knowing that she was just outside explaining her brother's bad senses.
"His sight and hearing are terrible," she said. "He goes by smell. But he'll figure out where we are soon enough."
As if on cue, the bull-man bellowed in rage. He picked up Gabe's Camaro by the torn roof, the chassis creaking and groaning. He raised the car over his head and threw it down the road. It slammed into the wet asphalt and skidded in a shower of sparks for about half a mile before coming to a stop. The gas tank exploded.
The legacies grinning in amusement which made the others stare in confusion at them.
Not a scratch, I remembered Gabe saying.
Now were also the others looking amused, that scum deserved it.
Oops.
And this was the cue for everyone to break out laughing knowing that the rest of the chapter might not be a laughing matter for them so they used the last chance for amusement.
"Percy," my mom said. "When he sees us, he'll charge. Wait until the last second, then jump out of the way— directly sideways. He can't change directions very well once he's charging. Do you understand?".
"Wow, Percy's mom certainly had her facts together." Chris said while the others nodded just as stunned as him.
"She is certainly a strong and intelligent woman." Hera said, this was certainly the type of woman who makes a good mother.
"How do you know all this?"
"I've been worried about an attack for a long time. I should have expected this. I was selfish, keeping you near me."
"There is nothing selfish if one loves they child and wishes to keep them close no matter the danger." Andromeda said softly, stroking through her son's hair who leaned back against his mother.
"I agree with the young princess, her actions were in no way selfish." Hera agreed with her stepdaughter-in-law while some of the demigods were again feeling a bit jealous that Percy had the chance to have such a loving mother who knew what was going on, but still hadn't pushed her son away.
"Keeping me near you? But—"
Another bellow of rage, and the bull-man started tromping uphill.
He'd smelled us.
Heavy tension and fear had fallen over everything, sure they knew that they would be fine, but still who knew what had happened to them, how much were they hurt before the danger was over?
The pine tree was only a few more yards, but the hill was getting steeper and slicker, and Grover wasn't getting any lighter.
The bull-man closed in. Another few seconds and he'd be on top of us.
My mother must've been exhausted, but she shouldered Grover. "Go, Percy! Separate! Remember what I said."
Poseidon was close to hyperventilating while Hercules was sure that his cousin would any second now managed to create finger shaped holes in the fabric of the couch they were sitting on if he continued gripping it like that.
I didn't want to split up, but I had the feeling she was right—it was our only chance. I sprinted to the left, turned, and saw the creature bearing down on me. His black eyes glowed with hate.
"Well… if he knows who your dad is and he surely still remembers your brother…"
"Apollo!"
"Sorry, was only trying to be helpful." the god said sheepishly.
"In what, helping Uncle Poseidon receive a heart attack sooner?" Artemis asked her brother who looked guiltily.
He reeked like rotten meat.
Everyone wrinkled they nose at this.
"He certainly does." Luke whispered to his sister who nodded in agreement with her brother.
He lowered his head and charged, those razor-sharp horns aimed straight at my chest.
The fear in my stomach made me want to bolt, but that wouldn't work. I could never outrun this thing.
So, I held my ground, and at the last moment, I jumped to the side.
"Not bad." Clarisse said while her father grinned.
"Finally, some real action." he said which earned him a cold shower, scorching, two arrows on either side of his hair and a pack of angry owls.
The bull-man stormed past like a freight train, then bellowed with frustration and turned, but not toward me this time, toward my mother, who was setting Grover down in the grass.
"No!" everyone gasped in horror, not even noticing the ripping sound when Theseus managed to create ten holes in the couch.
We'd reached the crest of the hill. Down the other side I could see a valley, just as my mother had said, and the lights of a farmhouse glowing yellow through the rain. But that was half a mile away. We'd never make it.
The bull-man grunted, pawing the ground. He kept eyeing my mother, who was now retreating slowly downhill, back toward the road, trying to lead the monster away from Grover.
The girls were having tears in their eyes while the boys looked at them awkwardly, not fully knowing what exactly to do. The tension was tick, Poseidon was gripping his wife as if she would be a lifeline while mumbling apologies, Theseus looked to be stuck between throwing up and fainting, neither option being all to reassuring.
"She is a brave woman…" Artemis said silently, even if she was not a maiden, she was showing every personality trait admirable in a woman.
"Run, Percy!" she told me. "I can't go any farther. Run!"
But I just stood there, frozen in fear, as the monster charged her. She tried to sidestep, as she'd told me to do, but the monster had learned his lesson. His hand shot out and grabbed her by the neck as she tried to get away. He lifted her as she struggled, kicking and pummeling the air.
"NO!" everyone screamed, the girls and some of the goddesses were now fully crying, even Aphrodite's cheeks were stained by tears and Hades made himself ready to give his granddaughter over to his wife before the others attack him in they anger, so that she would not get hurt.
"Mom!"
She caught my eyes, managed to choke out one last word: "Go!"
"She still tries to save him." Annabeth choked out between her tears, her mother-in-law had for forever gained her respect for doing anything to be there for her demigod child no matter what, now she could fully understand why she was reaching out to all of them, trying to help them gain hold with they families.
Then, with an angry roar, the monster closed his fists around my mother's neck, and she dissolved before my eyes, melting into light, a shimmering golden form, as if she were a holographic projection. A blinding flash, and she was simply ... gone.
There was a cold silence only broken by the sound of crying, no one could understand how she could be alive if the Minotaur had killed her, they were all saddened. It took ten minutes before Poseidon flashed his eyes at his brother who was ready to give his granddaughter to Persephone before his brother charged, but then suddenly Sally appeared on his side and gave the stunned god a hug.
"Thank you for making sure that grand mum lives." Sally said, not caring that they will do a spoiler it seemed that everyone missed what the last sentence implied, and it would do no good if En would exhaust her powers again shortly after getting them restored. Well, the last sentence was missed inside, but outside were Thanatos's siblings giving the others and explanation about the theory.
"Huh?" Hermes and Apollo asked, the later stuck between being angry, but also wishing to keep his uncle safe.
"Tell me, since when do mortals die in a flash with, their bodies disappearing?" Henry asked testily, his hands balled into fists.
"Ne… you mean that she had been brought into the Underworld before she was killed." Athena said in realization, why had she not noticed this. Now she understood why her granddaughter had thanked Hades, if he didn't bring her into his domain then she would surely have died.
"Try to not jump to early conclusions till you have all facts together." Sally said as she gave the Lord of the Dead a last glance before going back to her friends, pleased that they understood and that her grandfather had at least relaxed about that one and would not attempt attacking his brother.
"No!"
Anger replaced my fear.
"Uh-huh…" Lance said.
"What is it?" Malcolm asked, a bit more relieved now that his sister had stopped crying.
"Well, Uncle Percy is worse than any monster if one dares to hurt one of those he cares about." Michael explained while gesturing for Orion to continue reading.
Newfound strength burned in my limbs—the same rush of energy I'd gotten when Mrs. Dodds grew talons.
They could all clearly remember what he did with the Fury, but they were still worried, but it was good that he was not scared anymore even though anger was also not the best emotion to have in a fight, it clouds your senses, but it was better than binding fear.
The bull-man bore down on Grover, who lay helpless in the grass. The monster hunched over, snuffling my best friend, as if he were about to lift Grover up and make him dissolve too.
I couldn't allow that.
I stripped off my red rain jacket.
"Hey!" I screamed, waving the jacket, running to one side of the monster. "Hey, stupid! Ground beef!"
"He is in desperate need for better insults." Travis said carefully in an attempt to lift the mood but was ignored as everyone wanted to know how this will end.
"Raaaarrrrr!" The monster turned toward me, shaking his meaty fists.
I had an idea—
"Ugh…" the legacies flinched together with everyone who remembered they comment regards Percy's ideas.
a stupid idea, but better than no idea at all.
"Good, his stupid ideas are usually the ones which keep one alive, not unharmed, but alive." Luke said with relief, not that he helped easing everyone's nerves to much, both his grandfather and uncle Theseus looked to be in desperate need for calming medication or a good dose of valium.
I put my back to the big pine tree and waved my red jacket in front of the bull-man, thinking I'd jump out of the way at the last moment.
But it didn't happen like that.
"Nothing new." all those who knew Percy said in union.
The bull-man charged too fast, his arms out to grab me whichever way I tried to dodge.
Time slowed down.
"I really hope that this is only an expression." Hephaestus said carefully, but by the pale expressions of his fellow gods was he not so sure.
My legs tensed. I couldn't jump sideways, so I leaped straight up, kicking off from the creature's head, using it as a springboard, turning in midair, and landing on his neck.
"Err…" there was a stunned silence as Theseus slowly come out from his nerve terror, blinking in confusion.
How did I do that?
"We are asking us the same question." Jason said, he was staring to be a bit scared what this guy could be capable of after having the proper training if he was already this good only relying unconscious on instincts.
I didn't have time to figure it out. A millisecond later, the monster's head slammed into the tree and the impact nearly knocked my teeth out.
Everyone flinched, that had to hurt.
The bull-man staggered around, trying to shake me. I locked my arms around his horns to keep from being thrown. Thunder and lightning were still going strong. The rain was in my eyes. The smell of rotten meat burned my nostrils.
Cue sounds of disgust, mostly from the females.
The monster shook himself around and bucked like a rodeo bull. He should have just backed up into the tree and smashed me flat, but I was starting to realize that this thing had only one gear: forward.
Meanwhile, Grover started groaning in the grass. I wanted to yell at him to shut up, but the way I was getting tossed around, if I opened my mouth I'd bite my own tongue off.
"Food!" Grover moaned.
The bull-man wheeled toward him, pawed the ground again, and got ready to charge. I thought about how he had squeezed the life out of my mother, made her disappear in a flash of light, and rage filled me like high-octane fuel. I got both hands around one horn and I pulled backward with all my might.
"That won't help." Hercules said, but regretted it immediately by the glares he received by most occupants of the throne room.
"I doubt that cousin." Orion said suddenly blinking as he read the next line in the book, they were close to the end of the chapter luckily.
The monster tensed, gave a surprised grunt, then—snap!
There was again a stunned silence.
"He...he..." Hercules was at loos of words, how was this possible?
"Wow, he broke his horn." Travis said with wide eyes.
"A good spoil of war." Ares said after getting back to his senses, the kid started to interest him.
The bull-man screamed and flung me through the air. I landed flat on my back in the grass. My head smacked against a rock. When I sat up, my vision was blurry, but I had a horn in my hands, a ragged bone weapon the size of a knife.
The monster charged.
Without thinking, I rolled to one side and came up kneeling. As the monster barreled past, I drove the broken horn straight into his side, right up under his furry rib cage.
The bull-man roared in agony. He flailed, clawing at his chest, then began to disintegrate—not like my mother, in a flash of golden light, but like crumbling sand, blown away in chunks by the wind, the same way Mrs. Dodds had burst apart.
A round of cheering went around on the whole of Olympus when the surprise had died down.
"He killed the Minotaur with its own horn, while he had no training and was only twelve…" Theseus said in a stunned tone as he tried to progress that he had been bested by his little brother.
"He is a powerful demigod, who could either be a great help or a danger." Zeus mused frowning, he didn't like this.
"And it seems that he will be a great help for us." Hera told him after hearing her husband.
"What is our guarantee that he will not turn against us?" Zeus asked stubbornly.
"You could start fining something other to went your anger out then the mortals, that might be a good start." she told him in a tone which indicated to drop the subject and listen.
The monster was gone.
The rain had stopped. The storm still rumbled, but only in the distance. I smelled like livestock and my knees were shaking. My head felt like it was splitting open.
Both Zeus and Athena flinched; they perfectly knew how that felt.
I was weak and scared and trembling with grief I'd just seen my mother vanish. I wanted to lie down and cry, but there was Grover, needing my help, so I managed to haul him up and stagger down into the valley, toward the lights of the farm house.
"He is really a good friend." Katie said with a small smile, at least they knew that Mrs. Jackson will be fine in the end and for now the danger was over.
I was crying, calling for my mother, but I held on to Grover—I wasn't going to let him go.
The last thing I remember is collapsing on a wooden porch, looking up at a ceiling fan circling above me, moths flying around a yellow light, and the stern faces of a familiar-looking bearded man and a pretty girl, her blond hair curled like a princess's.
Annabeth blushed crimson when all eyes turned to her after her children nodded in confirmation. She was not used to people calling her princess, even if they thoughts, the owls called her milady and that was certainly different than being referred to as a princess by a boy who didn't know her.
They both looked down at me, and the girl said, "He's the one. He must be."
Annabeth's blush only deepened when all around her everyone broke out laughing and even some of the gods while her mother looked conflicted out of understandable reasons.
"Wow, Annabeth love at first sight?" Katie asked her friend who buried her head in her hands.
"Silence, Annabeth," the man said. "He's still conscious. Bring him inside."
"This was the end of the chapter." Orion said while looking around the room.
"Someone please wake Aphrodite up, we are going to have lunch now." Hera said standing up while Hades carefully nudged his granddaughter to wake her up so that she doesn't leave out the meal.
To be continued…
