Chapter 7:

Markus left Cabin Three, feeling not so eager to go on this quest.

Nevertheless, he was packed and ready to go. Katie (bless her soul) gave him a backpack with a toothbrush, ambrosia and nectar, ten gold drachmas, fifty U.S. dollars in mortal money, as well as some spare clothes.

The drachmas were as big as Girl Scout cookies and had images of several Greek gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. The ancient mortal drachmas were silver, Chiron told him, but Olympians never used less than pure gold.

Chiron said the coins might come in handy for non-mortal transactions. The ambrosia and nectar were given in the case of emergencies. It was god food, Chiron reminded him and the others. It would cure almost any injury, but lethal to mortals. Too much of it would make a demigod very, very feverish. An overdose would burn them up, literally.

Markus also received a new gift, courtesy of the combined work of Cabin Nine and Ten. It was made from the hide of fur Markus got from the hellhound. Apparently it still had properties of the hellhound. This included hiding using the shadows. When Markus learned this, he was ecstatic. Finally, some good to come from the attack.

Cabin Ten provided the material, which was a large, black aviator jacket that helped fit to his size as he continued to grow. He gave Silena a hug for helping the most( which he was a bit embarrassed about). Her cabin started to tease him about it, but he ignored it.

Cabin Nine melded the hide and the jacket together, making it some sort of armour. Charles Beckendorf helped with this a lot. He even added properties to it that made it like armour. Markus was very grateful for that.

Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap, which she told him had been a twelfth-birthday present from her mum.

She carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, to read when she got bored, and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve. Percy said he was sure the knife would get them busted the first time they went through a metal detector.

Grover wore his fake feet and pants to pass as human. He wore a green rasta-style cap, because when it rained his curly hair flattened and you could see the tips of his horns. His bright orange backpack was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. In his pocket were a set of reed pipes his daddy goat carved for him, even though he only knew two songs: Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 12 and Hilary Duff's "So Yesterday," both of which sounded like dying cats on reed pipes.

The questers waved good-bye to the other campers, took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, then hiked up Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus.

Chiron was waiting for them in his wheelchair. Next to him stood the surfer guy both Percy and Markus saw while recovering in the sick room, the one with the many eyes.

According to Grover, the guy was the camp's head of security. He supposedly had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. Today, though, he was wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so he could only see on his hands, face and neck.

"This is Argus," Chiron told the kids. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things."

"…Chiron, don't make jokes. Ever." Markus deadpanned after hearing that. The centaur looked sheepish at that.

The group heard footsteps behind them.

Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes.

"Hey!" he panted. "Glad I caught you."

Annabeth blushed, the way she always did when Luke was around. Markus chuckled, getting her to glare at him, but he just chuckled heartedly.

"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke told them. "And I thought… um, maybe you could use these."

He handed Percy the sneakers, which looked pretty normal to him.

Luke said, "Maia!"

White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels, startling Percy so much he dropped them. Markus was freaked out too. The shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared.

"Awesome!" Grover said.

Luke smiled. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. A gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days…" His expression turned sad.

Percy looked shocked at the gift and seemed a bit embarrassed. "Hey, man," he said. "Thanks."

Luke turned towards Markus. "Sorry I couldn't get you a pair, Markus. I only had one, and I didn't know who to give it too…"

Markus waved it off. "It's fine." He wasn't really bothered by it. He wasn't into flying anyway because Zeus was pissy about who entered his domain.

"Listen, guys…" Luke looked uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes bare riding on you. So just… kill some monsters for me, okay?"

He shook hands with both boys.

Then he patted Grover's head between his horns, and also gave a good-bye hug to Annabeth, who looked like she might pass out.

After Luke was gone, Percy told her, "You're hyperventilating."

"Am not." Annabeth argued weakly.

"Aw, does little Annie have a crush on Lukie?" Markus teased, dodging a hit from the girl.

"Shut up! Why do I want to anywhere with either of you boys?"

With that, Annabeth stomped down the other side of the hill, where a white SUV waited on the shoulder of the road. Argus followed, jingling his car keys.

Percy picked up the flying shoes and seemed to get a bad feeling. He looked at Chiron. "I won't be able to use these, will I?"

He shook his head. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air… that would not be wise for you."

"Why did Luke give you them, anyway?" Markus asked, curious. Luke had to know flying for them would be disastrous, didn't he? It wouldn't make sense taking to the air, like Chiron said.

Percy shrugged, then nodded, disappointed. Then he got an idea. "Hey, Grover. You want a magic item?"

His eyes lit up. "Me?"

Pretty soon they'd laced the sneakers over his fake feet, and the world's first flying goat boy was ready for launch.

"Maia!" he shouted.

He got off the ground okay, but then fell over sideways so his backpack dragged through the grass. The winged shoes kept bucking up and down like tiny bulls.

"Practice," Chiron called after him. "You just need practice!"

"Aaaaa!" Grover went flying sideways down the hill like he was possessed, heading towards the van.

Before to two could follow, Chiron halted them. "I should have trained you both better," he said. "If only I had more time. Hercules, Jason-they all got more training."

"That's okay. I just wish-"

Percy stopped himself because he was about to sound like a brat. He just wished his dad had given him a cool magic item to help on the quest, something as good as Luke's flying shoes, or Annabeth's invisible or Markus' new jacket.

"What am I thinking?" Chiron cried. "I can't let you get away without this."

He pulled out a pen from his coat pocket and handed it to Percy. It was an ordinary disposable ballpoint, black ink, removable cap. Probably cost thirty cents.

"Gee," Percy said dryly. "Thanks."

"Percy, that's a gift from your father. I've kept it for years, not knowing you were who I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You are the one."

He is Neo, Markus thought jokingly.

He then saw Percy take off the cap and half a second later, he held a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a leather-wrapped grip, and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs.

"The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into," Chiron told him. "Its name is Anaklusmos."

"Riptide," Percy repeated, surprised the Ancient Greek came so easily.

"Use it only for emergencies," Chiron said, "only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals unless absolutely necessary, of course, but this sword wouldn't harm them in any case."

Both children looked at the sharp blade. "What do you mean it wouldn't harm mortals? How could it not?" Percy asked.

"The sword is celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mt. Etna, cooled in the River Lethe. It's deadly to monsters, to any creature of the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion. They simply aren't important enough for the blade to kill. And I should warn you: as a demigod, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable."

"Good to know."

"Now recap the pen."

Percy touched the pen cap to the sword tip and instantly Riptide shrank to a ballpoint pen again. He tucked it in his pocket, looking nervous.

"You can't," Chiron said knowingly, smiling.

"Can't what?"

"Lose the pen," he said. "It is enchanted. It will always reappear in your pocket. Try it."

Percy looked wary, but threw the pen as far as he could down the hill and watched it disappear in the grass.

"It may take a few moments," Chiron told him. "Now check your pocket."

Sure enough, the pen was there.

"Okay, that's extremely cool," Percy admitted with a smile. "But what if a mortal sees me pulling out a sword?"

Chiron smiled. "Mist is a powerful thing, Percy."

"Mist?"

"The magical veil that Hecate controls," Markus spoke, a bit jealous at Percy's weapon. "It keeps mortals from seeing gods and monsters. Since we're demigods, we can see it better."

Percy nodded and put back his pen in his pocket.

Chiron noticed Markus' sullen expression and smiled. "Now, now, my boy. I haven't forgotten you." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a keychain that looked more like a normal chain.

The keychain was bronze and had a small symbol of a sword onto it.

He handed it to Markus and as soon as he touched the sword symbol, it elongated into a normal-sized sword. The sword was three feet, dual sided and made of celestial bronze also. It looked like a normal broadsword, but had Greek carvings into it. The blade itself was a foot and a half long as the handle took up the rest of the size.

There seemed to be gems decorating the hilt, like Riptide, but these seemed larger, like pearls. Where the hilt connected to the blade, there was a small symbol of a trident engraved into the part there. The good thing was that it felt light in his hands (A.N. – If you want a better image, imagine Rebellion from Devil May Cry, only sleeker, smaller, and instead of the skull, it has the symbol of a small trident).

Markus swung it around, getting a feel of it. This seemed sexy, like getting-a-new-car kind of sexy.

"This was a last-minute gift from Poseidon, apparently," Chiron said. "Its name is Kymatothráfsti."

"Wavebreaker," Markus translated, liking his new weapon.

"It's different from normal weapons," Chiron explained. "While wielding it, it imbues you with a small part of the power of the sea, empowering you. As a son of Poseidon, it is you're birth right. Also, it was made from the depth of Atlantis, strengthening your magic also."

"Wait, Atlantis is real?" Markus asked, awed. His weapon was fucking badass!

Chiron nodded. "Apparently. Also, Atlantis was a place of magical properties, which makes sense because of your magical heritage. So while it strengthens your Poseidon powers, it also strengthens your mystic powers as well."

"…This sword is so badass," Markus said, shocked stupid at his weapon's origin and power. He gained a twinkle in his eye and gave Percy a smug look, saying Poseidon gave him a more cooler weapon.

Percy rolled his eyes, though he did agree, he was a bit envious.

"Though if you lose it, you lose it. It's not enchanted." Chiron noted.

Now it was Percy's turn to look smug while Markus pouted, but was still happy with his weapon. He then placed it near his chain and it immediately turned into a figurine again.

With all that said and done, it was time to go. The chilling feeling of, yes, this was happening, had settled in. They were heading west with no adult supervision, no backup plan, not even a cell phone. (Chiron said cell phones were traceable by monsters; if they used one, it would be worse than sending up a flare.)

And all they had were their weapons that could fight off from the land of the dead.

"Chiron…" Percy said. "When you say the gods are immortal… I mean, there was a time before them, right?"

"Four ages before them, actually. The Time of the Titans was the Fourth Age, sometimes called the Golden Age, which is definitely a misnomer. This, the time of Western civilization and the rule of Zeus, is the Fifth Age."

"So what was it like… before the gods?"

Chiron pursed his lips. "Even I am not old enough to remember that, child, but I know it was a time of darkness and savagery for mortals. Kronos, the lord of the Titans, called his reign the Golden Age because men lived innocent and free of knowledge. But that was mere propaganda. The Titan king cared nothing for your kind except as appetizers or a source of cheap entertainment. It was only in the early reign of Zeus, when Prometheus the good Titan brought fire to mankind, that your species began to progress, and even then Prometheus was branded a radical thinker. Zeus punished him severely, as you may recall. Of course, eventually the gods warmed to humans, and Western civilization was born."

"But the gods can't die now, right? I mean, as long as Western civilization is alive, they're alive. So… even if we failed, nothing could happen so bad it would mess up everything, right?" Percy asked in one breath.

Chiron gave him a melancholy smile. "No one knows how long the Age of the West will last, Percy. The gods are immortal, yes. But then so were the Titans. They still exist, locked away in various prisons, forced to endure endless pain and punishment, reduced in power, but still very much alive. May the Fates forbid that the gods should ever suffer such a doom, or that they should return to the darkness and chaos of the past. All we can do, child, is follow our destiny."

"Our destiny…" Markus muttered, not liking the fact that his life was dictated by an outside force.

"Relax," Chiron told them. "Keep a clear head, you two. And remember, you may be about to prevent the biggest war in human history."

"Relax," Percy said. "I'm very relaxed."

"Cheer up, mate," Markus snarked, slapping his brother on the back. He got a glare for that, but just laughed anyway.

When both boys got to the bottom of the hill, they looked back. Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Chiron was now standing in full horse-man form, holding his bow high in salute. Just your typical summer-camp send-off by your typical centaur.

Argus drove them out of the countryside and into western Long Island. It felt weird to be on the highway again. Markus felt nostalgia, seeing the streets, remembering he used to live in them. It was so weird how a trip to Greek mythology can change your view on how you live so differently. It all just seemed like a fantasy.

Markus was sitting shotgun, while Annabeth and Grover sat with Percy at the back.

"So far so good," Percy told Annabeth, breaking the silence. "Ten miles and not a single monster."

Markus just groaned. "Dammit, Percy! Don't jinx us like that."

Annabeth agreed with him, giving Percy an irritated look. "Yeah, it's bad luck to talk like that, seaweed brain."

"Remind me again, why do you hate me and Markus again? I know about Markus, he's annoying…"

"Screw you, Percy," Markus grumbled, scowling.

"… but why?" he finished, smirking at his brother.

"I don't hate you."

"Could've fooled me."

She folded her cap of invisibility. "Look… we're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents our rivals."

"And what does that have to do with us?" Markus asked with a raised eyebrow. "We're not our parents, so we shouldn't hate each other based on that."

"True," Percy nodded to his brother's point.

She sighed. "How many reasons do you two want? One time my mum caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena's temple, which is hugely disrespectful. Another time, Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron god for the city of Athens. Your dad created some stupid saltwater spring for his gift. My mum created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her."

"Still not seeing the reason why you don't like us," Markus said. "If you hated Poseidon for that, then fine. But don't pass the blame onto the kids for their parents' crimes. Not really 'child of Athena' material there."

Annabeth scowled, like he just insulted her, which he probably did.

"They must really like olives." Percy concluded.

"Forget it."

"Now if she'd invented pizza, that I could understand."

"Amen, my brother!" Markus exclaimed, reaching out to high-five his brother, who responded in kind.

"I said forget it!"

In the front seat, Argus smiled. He didn't say anything, but one blue eye on the back winked at Percy.

Traffic slowed them down in Queens. By the time they got into Manhattan it was sunset and starting to rain.

Argus dropped them at Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, not far from where Percy said he lived. Taped to a mailbox was a soggy flyer with his picture on it: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY?

Percy ripped it down before the others could notice it.

Argus unloaded their bags, and made sure they got their bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch them as he pulled out of the parking lot.

Markus noticed that Percy was looking off into the distance, probably thinking of home.

Markus slapped Percy's back, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Don't worry man. We'll get your mum back."

"I know," Percy said with a small smile.

Grover walked up beside them, shouldering his backpack. He gazed down the street in the direction Percy was looking.

"You want to know why she married him, Percy?"

"Huh? Were you reading my mind or something?"

"Just your emotions." Grover shrugged. "Guess I forgot to tell you satyrs can do that. You were thinking of your mum and stepdad, right?"

"That is a pretty useful ability," Markus said.

"Your mum married Gabe for you," Grover told him. "You called him 'smelly,' but you've no idea. The guy has this aura… Yuck. I can smell him from here. I can smell traces of him on you, and you haven't been near him in a week."

"Thanks," Percy deadpanned. "Where's the nearest shower?"

Markus was pointing to a random direction with his finger in response to his statement, but Percy smacked him lightly, getting him to snicker.

"You should be grateful, Percy. Your stepdad smells so repulsively human he could mask the presence of any demigod. As soon as I took a whiff of his Camaro, I knew: Gabe has been covering your scent for years. If you hadn't lived with him every summer, you probably would've been found by monsters a long time ago. Your mother stayed with him to protect you. She was a smart lady. She must've loved you a lot to put up with that guy-if that makes you feel any better."

Percy just continued looking into the distance, thinking on what Grover said. Markus put his hand on his shoulder. "A mother will do anything to protect their child, Percy," he told him. Markus already told him the story of his mother getting Hecate to protect him. "Be proud of that, Percy. We'll get her back."

Percy nodded, looking sad and determined at the same time.

The rain kept coming down.

They got restless waiting for the bus and decided to play Hacky Sack with one of Grover's apples. Annabeth was unbelievable. She could bounce the apple off her knee, her elbow, her shoulder, whatever. Percy wasn't too bad himself. Markus managed to do well also.

The game ended when Percy tossed the apple towards Grover and it got too close to his mouth. In one huge bite, their Hacky Sack disappeared into the belly of the goat boy. Grover blushed. He tried to apologise, but the demigods were too busy laughing it up.

Finally the bus came. As they stood in line to board, Grover started to look around, sniffing like a bloodhound.

"What is it?" Percy asked.

"I don't know," he said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing."

"Or maybe not," Markus replied in response. He looked around with narrowed eyes, Annabeth doing the same while Percy looked over his shoulder.

They finally got on board and sat at the back of the bus. They stowed their backpacks. Annabeth kept slapping her Yankees cap nervously against her thigh.

As the last passenger got on, Markus noticed something odd. Annabeth also noticed, as she clamped her hand on Percy's knee.

"Guys," she said in a tight whisper.

An old lady was boarding the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face, and she carried a small paisley purse. When she tilted her head up, Markus saw Percy flinch as he withdrew back into his seat.

Behind her came two ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. They were dressed like three demonic triplets.

They sat in the front, behind the driver. The two in the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, making an X. It was casual enough, but the message was clear: nobody leaves.

The bus pulled out of the station, and they headed through the bustling streets of Manhattan.

"She didn't stay dead long," Percy said in a shaky voice. "I thought you said they can be dispelled for a lifetime." He looked towards Annabeth with a look.

"I said if you're lucky," Annabeth said. "You're obviously not."

"All three of them," Grover whimpered. "Di immortales!"

"It's okay," Annabeth said. She was thinking in overdrive. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows."

"They don't open," Grover moaned.

"A back exit?" she suggested.

There wasn't one. Even if they did get out, they'd be trapped in the coming tunnel.

"They won't attack us with witnesses around," Percy said. "Will they?"

"Mortals don't have good eyes," Annabeth said. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist." She looked towards Markus. "But you can manipulate it, right?" she asked in urgency.

Markus thought about it, then shook his head. "If it was one or two people, then sure. All of them? I only got roughly a couple of days training with the Mist. I doubt I could do it with a group." This caused her to curse.

"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?" Percy suggested.

Annabeth thought about it. "Hard to say. But we can't count on the mortals to help. Maybe an emergency exit on the roof…"

After thinking about it, Markus had an idea.

As it got quiet, the orange hat one got up and spoke in a fake tone to everyone: "I need to use the restroom."

"So do I," said the second sister.

"So do I," said the third sister.

They all started coming down the aisle.

"I've got it." Annabeth said. "Percy, take my hat. Markus, you-Markus?" she looked to him, but he was gone.

"He left us," Grover said, stunned.

"No," Annabeth said. "At least… I'm pretty sure he didn't." She turned towards Percy. "Come on, take it." She said to him.

"What?"

"You're one of the two they want. Turn invisible and go down the aisle. Let them pass you. Get to the front and get away."

"But what about Markus?"

"Don't worry." Here she looked unsure, and troubled. "I… I'm pretty sur he has some plan." Her voice was shaky.

"But you guys-"

"There's an outside chance they might not notice us. You're a son of one of the Big Three. Same as Markus. With both of your scents, it might work."

"I can't just leave you guys," Percy said sternly. Like Markus, he thought bitterly.

"Don't worry about us," Grover said. "Go!"

Percy took the cap shakily and put it on.

He marvelled at not being able to see his body, and began to creep up the aisle. He got to about ten seats before he ducked into an empty seat as the Furies passed him.

Mrs Dodds stopped, sniffing, and looked straight at him. His heart was pounding rapidly. Apparently she didn't see anything. She and her sisters kept going.

He was free.

Percy made it to the front of the line. They were almost through the Lincoln Tunnel now. He was about to press the emergency stop button when he heard hideous wailing from the back row.

The old ladies weren't old ladies anymore. Their faces were still the same-guess they couldn't get any uglier-but their bodies shrivelled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat wings and hands like gargoyles. Their handbags turned to fiery whips.

The Furies surrounded Grover and Annabeth, lashing their whips, screaming, Where is it? Where?

"They're not here!" Annabeth yelled. "They're gone!"

The Furies raised their whips. But before they could strike, or Annabeth and Grover could get their weapons out, one of the Furies shrieked and exploded into gold dust. The two Furies were startled at this, as were Annabeth and Grover.

Percy didn't have time to think on that. What he did was so impulsive and dangerous he should've been labelled ADHD poster child of the year.

The bus driver was distracted; trying to see what was going on in his rearview mirror.

Still invisible, Percy grabbed the wheel from him and jerked it to the left.

Everybody howled as they were hurled to the right, and he heard what was hopefully the other Furies smashed against the window.

"Godammit, Percy!" Markus shouted out.

He turned briefly to see Markus with Wavebreaker in his hand, his aviator jacket still on, standing behind the other two Furies. Now Percy understood what happened: Markus took out one of the Furies while he was invisible. He probably would've taken care of the others if Percy hadn't interfered.

"Hey!" the driver said. "Hey-whoa!"

They wrestled for the wheel. The bus slammed into the side of the Lincoln Tunnel, grinding metal, throwing sparks into the air.

Somehow the driver found the exit, shooting off the highway, through half a dozen traffic lights. They ended up flying down one of those New Jersey rural roads where you can't believe there's so much nothing right across the river from New York. There were woods to the left, the Hudson River to the right, and the driver seemed to be veering towards the river.

Another great idea: Percy hit the emergency brake.

The bus screeching, spun a full circle on the wet asphalt, and crashed into the trees. The emergency lights came on. The door flew open. The bus driver was the first one out, the passengers yelling as they stampeded after him. He stepped into the driver's seat and let them pass.

The two Furies regained their balance. They lashed their whips at Annabeth while she waved her knife and yelled in Ancient Greek, telling them to back off. Grover threw tin cans.

They tried striking Markus, but they kept hitting the sleeve of his armoured jacket, protecting him. Then he cut the whip off of him with Wavebreaker and tried stabbing them.

Percy looked at the open doorway. He was free to go, but he couldn't leave his friends. Percy took off the invisible cap. "Hey!"

The Furies turned, baring their yellow fangs at him, and the exit suddenly seemed like an excellent idea.

Markus immediately backpedalled away from the monsters, right in front of Percy.

The orange hat one stalked up the aisle, every time she flicked her whip, red flames danced along the barbed leather.

Her ugly sister hopped on top of the left sided seats and crawled towards both boys like a snake.

"Perseus Jackson, Markus Henderson," Mrs. Dodds said in a heavy accent. "You have offended the gods. You shall die."

"I liked you better as a maths teacher," Percy told her.

"Fuck you, you old hag," Markus hissed out.

The old bat growled at them.

Annabeth and Grover moved up behind the Furies cautiously, looking for an opening.

Percy drew his ballpoint pen out of his pocket and uncapped it. Riptide elongated into a shimmering double-edged sword.

The Furies hesitated.

Mrs. Dodds had felt Riptide's blade before. She obviously didn't like seeing it again.

"Submit now," she hissed. "And you will not suffer eternal torment."

"Nice try," Percy said.

"Guys, look out!" Annabeth cried. Markus moved away just in time, but Percy wasn't that quick.

The Fury lashed out with her whip around his sword hand while the other Fury lunged at him.

Percy hissed in pain, his wrist felt on fire but managed to not drop Riptide.

Markus sliced the whip clean through, getting Mrs. Dodds to stumble back. The one coming on the left lunged, but Percy swung his blade. As soon as his blade connected with her neck, she screamed and exploded into dust.

Annabeth got Mrs. Dodds in a wrestler's hold and yanked her backwards while Grover ripped the remains of the whip out of her hands.

"Ow!" he yelled. "Ow! Hot! Hot!"

Mrs. Dodds was trying to get Annabeth off her back. She kicked, clawed, hissed and bit, but Annabeth held on while Grover got Mrs. Dodds' legs tied up in her own whip. Finally they both shoved her backward into the aisle. Mrs. Dodds tried to get up, but she didn't have room to flap her wings, so she kept falling down.

"Zeus will destroy you! Hades will have your souls!" she promised to both of them.

"Braccas meas vescimini!" Percy yelled.

Markus looked at him in disbelief. Did he really just say, 'Eat my pants!' in Latin? That was all he could come up with? There were hundreds of different insults he could've said!

Thunder shook the bus. The hair on the back of the boys' neck.

"Get out!" Annabeth yelled at them. "Now!" They didn't need any encouragement.

Finishing the job, Markus cleaved down, striking Mrs. Dodds and turning her into gold dust. He wasn't going to leave a job half-assed. Besides, she probably would've regrouped or something.

He followed the others, rushing outside and found the other passengers wandering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around in circles yelling, "We're going to die!"

A Hawaiian-shirted tourist with a camera snapped Percy's photograph before he could recap his or Markus' sword.

"Our bags!" Grover realized. "We left our-"

BOOOOOM!

The windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof.

"Run!" Annabeth said.

They rushed into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind them, nothing but darkness ahead.

"Well," Markus said. "That was certainly eventful, wouldn't you agree?"

"Markus!" The three yelled out in exasperation, or anger, or both. Markus just laughed it off.

Hello to all! Lovely to see you… I mean hear from you again! The story is still going, which is good. Hope you like the additions of the aviator jacket with the hide of the hellhound. It's something that just came to me quickly, so I put it down. I also hope you like the new weapon I gave my OC. Sorry if the Greek doesn't translate properly, I copied it from Google translate. Hopefully it's good. Also, I'm not sure Atlantis is part of the PJO books, or if it's magical. But for the sake of the story, it is.

Also, a couple of notes: additions to the harem. Now I know I haven't added any new additions lately, but I was concentrating more on the story line. The romance will come later. So the additions are:

Hestia

Artemis(possibly)

Athena

Aphrodite

That is the goddess part of the harem. It was something one of the reviewers suggested, so why not? I can make it work. Also, I apologise if the story is a bit dull, due to it following the canon route. I just needed something solid to write on. There will be more action in the future, and deviation from canon, don't worry. And the part I mentioned, about other pantheons like Hindu and Shinto? I haven't forgotten about them. They will occur later in the future. Trust me, it will happen.

See you all!