PART THREE:
THE MOON GODDESS
Jordan's dream started off pleasantly, as they normally did. He found himself in a lush flower garden, a sprawling kaleidoscope of nature filled with all kinds of flowers in every colour imaginable. He stood in the centre of a circle of stone tables and benches surrounded by pristine-kept flower beds. His eyes widened as he took in the display, noting how the sections closest to him were arranged like a colour wheel, one colour seeming to blend into another, while the circle of sections beyond those were arranged in complementary colours that matched the first layer, creating a second, counter-clockwise colour wheel that enhanced the first. Still beyond them there were more beds, each containing two different colours of flower that complemented each other, while the beds beyond to them seemed to have no arrangement at all, filled with all kinds of flowers, all of them a different colour from those around it. The flower beds looked less and less uniform with each layer, and whoever was in charge of the garden appeared to have abandoned any attempt at arrangement altogether when constructing the outermost layer.
Then he stopped. No, he realised. He was wrong. His eyes were drawn to the outermost layer of the circular garden, where each flower seemed distinct to all the others around it, no two flowers with similar features next to each other. His gaze swept around the other beds, his earlier disdain at their perceived lack of organization replaced by awe.
The flowers were not arranged at random. Despite having so many different colours, they had been strategically placed to complement those around them, creating a perfect mix of colours that seemed to look even better the more he looked. The effect was mind-blowing.
"I designed this garden myself."
Jordan froze. He'd recognise that voice anywhere, despite not having heard it for over a decade.
He turned. "Mother."
Athena regarded him with a smile. "It's been a long time."
"Too long." Jordan replied, his feelings and expressions automatically withdrawing behind an indifferent mask.
Athena's smile faded slightly, disappointed by his perfect reply. "It's been ten years, Jordan."
"So it has." Jordan nodded, unwilling to open up despite Athena's attempt at reconcilation.
Athena sighed. "Your consciousness does not stray beyond the border often. I had been trying to reach you for three days."
"Has something happened?" Jordan asked curiously.
"Your sister was attacked."
"What?" Jordan's face fell. "When? Where?" His voice took on an urgent tone, showing a hint of the steel within.
"A week ago," Athena told him.
"But that's impossible." Jordan's mind spun wildly, seeking answers he could not find. "She told me she was at Camp Half-Blood with the rest of the hunters."
"She was," Athena nodded. "But one of them went rogue and started to kill the others. Your sister was seriously injured."
"Will she live?" Jordan asked, his voice a whisper.
"Perhaps." Athena shook her head. "Chiron attended to her, but she has lost a lot of blood. You should see her. It could be your last chance."
Jordan ran his hands through his hair, shaking his head in disbelief. His mind was overwhelmed with the sudden information and he could barely think.
"How could this happen?" he said furiously. "Camp Half-Blood is the most secure place in the world!"
"No one knows," Athena shook her head. "Everyone was shocked when they discovered the killer was one of the hunters."
"What about Artemis?" Jordan demanded. "Her precious handmaidens…she should know them inside out."
"Artemis was…not around." For the first time in the conversation, Athena's tone became guarded.
"Why not?" Jordan demanded.
"I cannot speak for her."
"Careless bitch!" Jordan roared. "Her hunters are nothing more than playthings to her. She doesn't care if they live or die."
"I would not voice such thoughts so carelessly if I were you." Athena warned.
"I'm in Alaska," Jordan growled. "There are no Olympians here."
"You will be across the border by dawn tomorrow." Athena reminded him.
"I've never cared for their opinions," Jordan spat. "And I'm not going to, even if I'm across the border."
"It would not be wise to-" Athena's voice faded abruptly as if someone had pressed the mute button.
"You're breaking up," Jordan told her. "I can't hear you."
His vision started to fade, the sea of flowers slowly receeding from view. Jordan guessed that his coinsciousness was drifting back across the border.
"Don't-" Athena said, only for her voice to fade once more.
"We can talk when I'm across the border," Jordan said, then his dream faded to black.
It was three in the morning. A cool breeze stirred the air as Percy and Nico walked across the commons area, the sound of their footsteps unnaturally loud in the silence of the night. The rows of cabins were dark and silent; even the Hermes and Apollo campers' late-night parties had dissolved into slumber by this time. The whole of Camp Half-Blood was asleep.
Not the Big House. Every window in the four-storey farmhouse blazed with light, giving it the impression of a lighthouse in the dark. Nico bounded up the four porch stairs in a single leap and banged on the door.
"There's a doorbell," Percy pointed out.
"I don't use doorbells," Nico told him. "So they'll know it's me."
"Come in." The door swung open, revealing Chiron dressed in pyjamas.
"What happened?" Nico asked.
"Thalia made a taco run," Lanesra, seated in one of the living rooms's large armchairs, answered.
"Alone?" Nico asked.
"Two other hunters went with her," Chiron filled in. "That was at ten."
Nico counted the hours off his fingers. "It's been five hours."
"Tacos don't take five hours." Lanesra said.
"That doesn't mean she was kidnapped." Nico said. But the cold, sinking feeling in his gut told him otherwise. This was no ordinary delay. Something sinister was at work.
"Thalia takes detours all the time. But we're unable to contact her," Lanesra said. "Otherwise we wouldn't have been worried."
"Did she say which taco place she was going to?" Nico asked.
"She did," Lanesra nodded.
"Jason and Piper arrived at the store five minutes ago," Chiron said. "The guys at the store said that three girls in silver jackets came in at around eleven. They left after getting their takeaways."
"And giving the counter guy a knee to the balls, if I know them." Nico said.
Chiron looked surprised. "Piper did notice that the counter guy looked like he was in some kind of discomfort. How did you guess?"
"Because Thalia's really hot," Nico said. "And he asked for her number. Where is Jason now?"
"Still at the store. He's unsure where to go next."
"Tell him to order five tacos." Nico told Chiron.
"What for?" Lanesra asked.
"You'll eat the tacos," Nico explained. "And see if it makes you disappear too. Knowing Thalia, she ate one immediately and packed two to go."
Annabeth came through the door, dressed for travel with a drawstring bag and jacket.
"Blackjack and Guido are here," she told Percy. "Let's go."
"Where to?" Percy asked.
"Head to the city," Nico told them. "You're familiar with the area. I'll head to the taco store."
"Jason's already there," Chiron reminded him.
"And that's why he won't find anything. His aura is like a bonfire. Every monster within a hundred miles senses him coming." Nico scoffed. He eyed Lanesra, estimating that she was a couple of inches taller than he was. Good enough. Lanesra's silver Parka was folded on the armrest of her chair. He snatched it up.
"Put that down," Lanesra snapped. "What d'you think you're doing?"
"I'll dress like a hunter," Nico pulled the coat on. "Eat like a hunter, and see who comes asking for my number."
"You're joking," Percy said, incredulous.
"I've cosplayed before," Nico waved a hand at him. "Give me your perfume," he told Lanesra.
The Second Lieutenant looked furious. "Give me back my coat."
"Oh, it's in here." Nico put a hand into one of the coat pockets and came out with a small bottle of Chanel. The other pocket yielded her deodorant and a pack of bubblegum.
"Perfect." Nico popped two pieces of gum into his mouth, pulled the caps off the aerosol cans and let loose with two long blasts.
"Ugh," Percy backed away, holding his nose. "Too much."
"Exactly," Nico put the bottles back into his pocket. "I'm just like a hunter." He snapped his fingers and collapsed into his shadow just as Lanesra lunged for him. The hunter stumbled through the space he'd just been and ended up running into Percy's arms. Both of them jumped apart like startled cats.
"That little boy," Lanesra snarled.
"There's no arguing with Nico." Percy shrugged. "At least you'll have tacos when he returns your jacket."
"Mm," Nico wiped salsa off his chin with the sleeve of Lanesra's jacket, suppressing a grin as he pictured the hunter's enraged expression. "This is actually pretty good." He took another big bite, pondering his next move as he chewed. "So what did the girls do while they waited? Just stand around?"
"Yeah," the counter guy was a tall, dark dude with close-cropped hair. Probably the one that had asked for Thalia's number. "One of them went to the bathroom."
"That's where I wanna go." Nico headed into the little cubicle and bolted the door shut. He glanced at the toiletbowl, then at the small dustbin under the washbasin.
"Bin," he decided.
He bent and grabbed the dustbin, then upended it, spilling the contents onto the floor. It was mostly used tissue and crumpled receipts. He probed the mess with his boot, smiling when he spotted a thick wad of Kleenex stained dull red. A bloodstain, several hours old. He picked it up, feeling it's distinctive ultrasoft material. There was no mistaking it; Camp Half-Blood's special-issue five-ply toilet paper. He kicked his feet free of the other tissues, absently pocketing the bloodstained wad of Kleenex. He wondered what Lanesra would think when she found it. Cheered by the thought, he left the bathroom, ignoring the counter guy's wide-eyed stare at his back.
"Where to next?" he murmured. He surveyed the small row of shops, his eyes coming to rest on the last lot, the only other store open apart from the tacos.
A convenience store. Nico nodded to himself, satisfied. It made sense. Lacking sanitary pads, one of the hunters had used Camp Half-Blood toilet paper, then walked across to buy pads after they'd gotten the tacos. It was probably Thalia; Nico had guessed she was on her period from the way she'd been being unusually feisty the day before.
He bought a pack of sanitary pads from the convenience store, along with a pack of aspirin, Paracetamol, a newspaper and a big bottle of brandy.
"You wouldn't happen to know if three girls in silver jackets came in here earlier on, would you?" he asked the cashier.
"Sure did," the cashier nodded. "Bought pads, just like you did. Why? You with them?"
Nico nodded. "We're a scouts group. From New York."
So he was right. Thalia had been here. But where was she now?
"Did they mention where they were going next?"
"Nope." The cashier shook her head. "Just came and left. Gone with the wind."
"I see." Nico was slightly disappointed. "We're on a camping trip. They're supposed to be back at the camp in an hour's time." he explained. "Hope they don't stay out too late."
Freezing winter air blasted him in the face as he stepped out of the store. He pulled up the parka hood and leaned into the wind, walking off into the night.
He hadn't really expected anyone in the shops to know where Thalia had been headed, although the information would have helped. It didn't matter. He had better ways of tracking her down.
Nico crossed the small road, walking along it for a few seconds before he finally found a suitable patch of dirt.
"This will do." he said, satisfied. He popped an aspirin and a paracetamol into his mouth and started to chew, screwing up his face at the bitter taste. An idea occurred to him and he added three pieces of Lanesra's fluorescent green bubblegum to his mouth. He chewed the gum and medicine into a bittersweet, green ball, and as he chewed he pulled off his backpack, reached in and pulled out a big pointy tooth as long as his forearm. He stabbed it into the dirt, spit the gum onto it then emptied the whole bottle of brandy onto the tooth.
"Rise."
The soil started to bubble. Nico stepped back, tossing the brandy bottle onto the grass as a skeleton erupted from the ground, clawing its way to the surface. It took on flesh as if someone was pouring gelatin onto it's bones, but unlike the grey skin skeleton warriors normally had, this one was bright luminous green, the exact same colour as Lanesra's bubblegum. Nico grinned.
The skeleton turned to face him, its skull seeming to grin back under the translucent green flesh. Nico reached into his pocket and pulled out Thalia's bloodstained tissue. He handed it to the skeleton. The skeleton sniffed it and made a dry, clattering noise with its teeth.
"Here is your weapon." Nico handed him the rolled-up newspaper.
The skeleton saluted with the newspaper roll, then sprinted off into the night.
No amount of magic could hide a person's trail from a Spartus. The skeleton would stop at nothing until it found Thalia, upon which it would attempt to bludgeon her to death with the roll of newspaper. Once that happened Nico would shadow-travel in to save the day.
"Perfect," Nico dusted his hands off. "Now all we have to do is wait." He decided to get himself another taco.
Percy and Annabeth searched New York City for the rest of the night until dawn, but there was no sign of Thalia and the hunters. The satyrs at Camp Half-Blood could find nothing with their tracking songs. The trail, if there had been one in the first place, was gone.
"Someone must be shielding her location," Annabeth sighed.
"We'll just have to keep looking." Jason said determinedly. He and Piper had arrived in New York at dawn to help Percy and Annabeth search.
"We should split up," Percy suggested. "Cover more ground."
"Good idea," Piper nodded.
"You're most familiar with the city," Annabeth told Percy. "You carry on here. I'll go west towards Ohio. Piper, you go south towards Washington. Jason, you head north to Boston and Maine."
"Where will I go if I don't find her in the city?" Percy asked.
Annabeth thought for a moment. "Go west, but via Charlston. Cover the ground. We're bound to find something."
The four demigods nodded assent. Percy signalled Blackjack with a flick of his hand.
"We'll find her," he promised Jason.
"I know," Jason nodded. He lifted into the air.
"Stay safe, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth wheeled Guido away, then turned back. "Forgot something." She bent down to give him a kiss.
PDA! Guido whinnied.
"Just close your eyes," Percy laughed as he pulled away. "You don't have to look."
Human saliva, Blackjack snorted as he touched down. Disgusting.
"Like yours is any better," Percy shot back.
Of course it is!
"Yeah right."
"The hunters did what?" Nico said in disbelief.
"They left," Chiron's voice came through the iris-message heavy with frustration. "In the middle of the night. Nobody knew they were gone until someone realised in the morning that their tents were missing from the meadow."
"Where are they headed?" Nico asked.
"If I knew, I would tell you." Chiron said.
"Bollocks," Nico felt like strangling every single one of them out of frustration. "Stupid girls."
"Lisa is still in the infirmary." Chiron told him. "She might know about their plans."
"If she'll tell us," Nico muttered.
Well here it is, the next chapter! Decided to continue on the same story. I want to hit the 40,000 word mark. As always, thanks for the views!