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Chapter 4

I Take Love Magic To The Movies

"How long have you had this? Where in Gods' names did you get it in the first place?" I demanded of Rachael. She had a guilty expression on her face.

"A few months after we ran into each other at the Hoover Dam, I was waiting for a bus that would take me to an airport where I would leave for Denver and visit my aunt. But the bus was an hour late. I needed to get to the airport soon or I would miss my flight. Just then, a woman pulled up in a limo and offered to give me a lift." I resisted the urge to groan. A limo? I had a good guess where the story was going…

"Was the woman beautiful?" I asked. Rachael nodded.

"The most beautiful woman I'd ever seen, though I have trouble remembering what she looked like… I don't even know how she knew I needed a ride, but I was too much in awe of her to realize that it's very stupid to get in a car with a stranger. All I could think about was how much I wanted to be like her, to be that beautiful." I saw the faraway look in her eyes and understood that, as hard as it is to be a guy, it must be equally awkward to be a girl. Pressure to be beautiful, and all that stuff. I wondered if it was an issue with all girls, even Annabeth. Annabeth's down-to-earth nature was the exact opposite to Rachael's dreamy, out-there personality. Annabeth wouldn't have admitted to wanting to be like Aphrodite if I'd held her down and threatened to force-feed her hummus. I was broken out of my revelation on the female condition as Rachael spoke again.

"She said I could pay her back for getting a ride, that I could hold onto something for her." She held up her arm, and the netted strands glittered in the sunlight. "She said that it was magic, and every night she wrapped her hair in it and it would smell of the most powerful love magic. But she wrapped and tied it around my arm instead, because it was supposed to kill anyone who wore it properly other than her." Since Rachael didn't have any God blood, that made sense. So, the monsters were hunting her in both dreams and waking hours because they were mistaking her for a halfblood? A mortal, carrying God magic like that around? No wonder. And, after months of searching, it seemed the monsters had caught up with her scent. Having me nearby probably hadn't helped much, either.

"What else did she say? Did she tell you why she wanted you to keep it for her?" I asked.

"No, she only said that someone would show up who could take me to someone else to have it removed," she said shrugging.

"I guess that's my cue," I muttered. "But what's she planning?" I asked myself, trying not to remember my last encounter with Aphrodite. Rachael noticed the recognition on my face.

"Do you know who, and what, she is?" she asked. "I didn't want to believe in the magic or anything, but I couldn't make myself forget those skeletons, and, no matter how hard I try, I can't get this thing off." She looked depressed.

"Yeah, I know who she is, but explanations will have to wait until later," I said. I got to my feet, pulling Rachael up as I did so. "Monsters are after you, and I'm sure they wouldn't mind getting at me, too. We need to scram."

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Falls Landing Theatre," I said.

"A movie theatre?" she said. The look on her face told me she'd expected someplace far more extreme, like a CIA base in Botswana.

"Yeah," I said. "It's a pit stop. We need reinforcements."

I really hoped Annabeth wouldn't mind me bringing another girl along on our not-date.

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It took an hour of alternating between running, walking, and hiding from seemingly harmless cheerleaders in nearby barber shops and Chinese restaurants, but we finally made it to the theatre. It was about an hour before I had agreed to meet Annabeth there, so you can imagine my relief when I saw a blonde figure sitting outside the front entrance, gazing into a book with a level of concentration only Annabeth herself could achieve.

"Annabeth!" I shouted, panting and waving frantically. She jumped up from the bench, and, as I jogged the last fifteen feet between us, I could see a myriad of emotions flash across her face. First surprise, then, for some reason, embarrassment, then happiness, and then, when she spotted Rachael, annoyance.

"Percy, who-?" she asked, looking at Rachael and almost seeming to stare her down. Rachael challenged her with a defiant look of her own, though for the love of all that was holy I couldn't figure out what the problem was.

"No time for that. Monsters-" I waved a hand Rachael's way, "-after her. We need to get her to Chiron." Annabeth's eyes widened.

"Is she a halfblood?" Rachael gave us both confused looks at the word.

"I don't think so, but something equally weird is going on. If we don't help her, she doesn't stand a chance."

"Okay." Annabeth set her jaw, assuming her duty as a protector and warrior. She understood that, as far as monsters were concerned, we needed to move fast; explanations would have to wait.

But I really wish haling the Cab of Damnation wasn't her idea of a logical first move.

If Rachael had thought that there was nothing left in the world that could possibly surprise her, it was not meant to be. She looked ready to have a heart attack when that cab, driven by the Gray Sisters, banged out of nowhere in front of us on the pavement where Annabeth had thrown the drachma.

We ushered our shaken party member into the cab, and Annabeth told them where to drop us off.

"Ah ha!" one of the sisters shrieked, recognizing Annabeth's voice. "You two trouble-makers again! Thank the Gods you at least had the decency to leave that thing at home!" I tried to ignore this jab at my brother, because the last time I'd been in their cab I had sorta threatened to throw their one eye out the window.

"We need our bags," Annabeth said, all business. One of the sisters grunted, searching with her fingers on the dash for a single button that read "Trunk." When she pushed it, the entire car lurched up. It settled back down, heavier than before, and I turned to Annabeth.

"We didn't have any bags."

"I know. They were just magically deposited from your apartment and my hotel room into the trunk."

Hm, I thought. It really is a convenient taxi service. Annabeth turned back to me as the car started winding its way through Manhattan, the progress much smoother than last time considering the sister driving had the eye this time.

"Now, will you please explain why we're going to camp right away?"

I figured right then was as good a time as any to explain the situation to both girls. To Rachael I explained halfbloods, the existence of Greek Gods, and Chiron, and to Annabeth I explained Rachael. While I talked, I kept a death-grip on the seat as we endured what was both figuratively and literally the cab ride from Hell.

I just finished as the Big House came into view, and we and our bags were promptly ejected from the vehicle.