Chapter Seven: Do Not Feed The Lions

Thalia Grace

The tension was way too much, not simply because I wasn't one for silence, but also because I knew that I had caused this.

Let me explain. I loved Zoë. There was no way around that. But love and hate existed side by side, they said, and I believed it. When she doubted Grover... I snapped. All the pain came back, with none of the apologizes and reconciliation. It was all on me that nobody was speaking, that Zoë had a death grip on the steering wheel. And it was up to me to fix it.

Naturally, I took the painful route.

"So, what happened to Phoebe?"

"Centaur blood," Zoë hissed. "A foolish prank from a camper." Singling out the campers, I thought. Not good.

"Will she be okay?"

She didn't even look at me. "Yes. She will be fine."

Will we be okay? I didn't ask.

Grover coughed. "Zoë, turn here."

The car slipped into an exit advertising the Air and Space Museum. "Was Artemis touring DC or something, Grover? I mean... the Smithsonian. Why would she be here?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe the monster was here?"

"What was it, a spaceship?"

Zoë quickly shot a glare at me. "My goddess is not a thing to joke about."

"I wasn't! I was joking about the monster!" But Zoë wouldn't listen.

We got out and paid for our admission. The museum was nearly empty, with only a few families mulling about. As soon as we were all in, Zoë grabbed Bianca's wrist. "We shall split up and meet back here in fifteen minutes. Come, Bianca."

That left me with Grover, who wouldn't shut up about finding Pan. Eventually, I zapped him, so at least then it was an even everyone who hated me.

We met up after the allotted time and all walked together to see one of the Apollo space capsules. Bianca figured that with all the odd things that were sacred to the gods... maybe praying there might give us a little bit of help on our journey. I had just finished my plea when I was knocked into it. Grover cried out, and Bianca and Zoë immediately aimed their bows.

Straight at Percy.

Zoë's eyes widened. I could tell that her already horrible day had just gotten worse. "You!" she growled. "How dare you show thy face here!"

Grover was almost in tears. "Percy, thank goodness!"

I glared at him, as did Zoë. We had set our death faces on in perfect harmony. He seemed more scared of the Hunter as he recanted. "I mean, um, gosh, you're not supposed to be here!"

Percy didn't listen, only panted and tried to say something. Eventually, he got his words out. "Luke. He's here."

My jaw dropped, and my hand went to Aegis's sleeping form, my silver bracelet, automatically. "Where?"

"The Natural History Museum. Dr. Thorn was there, and Luke, and... I guess, the General. They did something with kitties and teeth and a dragon..."

"The General is here?" I looked at Zoë, the speaker. Her eyes were frightened, even as her stance was still warrior-like and confident. She shook off the look, trying, I knew, to regain control. "That is impossible. You lie."

"Why would I lie? Look, there's no time." He panted again, still trying hard to catch his breath. "Skeleton warriors."

"What?" I shrieked. "How many?"

"Twelve, and that's not all. That guy, the General, he said he was sending something, a playmate, to distract you over here. A monster."

I glanced at Grover. Why didn't you smell anything? I mouthed. I mean, I was vouching for my favorite satyr. If he wasn't up to snuff, it wouldn't just look bad for him, it would look bad for me. Zoë would never speak to me again.

"We were following Artemis's trail. I was pretty sure it led here. Some powerful monster scent..." Grover said, trailing for a moment before he seemed to realize something. "She must've stopped looking for the mystery monster. But we haven't found anything yet..."

"Zoë, if it is the General..." Bianca said nervously.

"It cannot be! Percy must've seen an Iris-message or some other illusion."

Percy folded his arms over his chest and grunted. "Illusions," he informed her, "don't crack marble floors."

My ex-girlfriend took a deep breath, a calming breath. I immediately wanted to go to her, to hold her, to comfort her. It was a compulsion. Luckily for me, the desire to not get brained by a silver arrow was stronger than that little instinct of mine. She calmed quickly anyway and assumed leader position. "If Percy is telling the truth about the skeleton warriors, we have no time to argue." She glanced my way, and I smiled. Forgive and forget?

We'll see, her eyes said as she continued. "They are the worst, the most horrible... we must leave now."

"Good idea," Percy said, obviously relieved that she was taking this so well.

Zoë snorted. "I was not including thee, boy. You are not a part of this quest."

"Hey!" he protested. "I'm trying to save your lives."

I'm sorry, Zoë, I thought. This might ruin us, what I'm about to do. But as you can't turn your back on your Hunters, I can't turn my back on my friends. Not even for you. Not even for this. Not even for love. I took a deep breath. "You shouldn't have come, Percy, but you're here now. Come on. Let's get back to the van."

Zoë's face looked shocked... then angry. "That is not thy decision!" she snapped at me.

I scowled. How could I have been so stupid? This might ruin us? No. It would. This was the very end, all over again. "You're not the boss here, Zoë. I don't care how old you are. You're still a conceited little brat!"

An expression of hurt flickered across her face for a split second, then she controlled it. "You never had any wisdom when it came to boys," she spat at me. "You never could leave them behind."

I balled my hands into fists and was trying to keep from hitting her when I heard the growl. It was so loud that for a moment I thought it might deafen me. Slowly, I turned around, only to face the most terrifying monster I had ever seen.

"The Nemean Lion," I breathed, quietly as I possibly could. "Don't move."

The lion roared.

Zoë glared at me in such a way that I knew she was about to undermine my orders. "Separate on my mark. Try to keep it distracted." Called it.

"Until when?" Grover asked nervously.

"Until I think of a way to kill it," she snapped. "Go!"

I was still frozen, hoping nobody would listen to her horrible plan, but when Percy rolled to the left and the two Hunters let loose, I knew I had to do something. I woke Aegis and bravely stepped into then lion's path. He recoiled and roared, so loud it hurt my ears and blew my short black hair back against my face. It whipped into my eyes, but I tried to ignore the slight stinging. "Hi-yah!" I cried. "Back!"

I took another step forwards, and it retreated even more.

Then the lion began to crouch. Oh hell. It's gonna pounce. And thus, Thalia Grace becomes the world's largest toy mouse.

"Hey!"

The lion and I both looked. Percy was racing towards it, slashing Riptide. Idiot. Swordproof fur.

The Nemean Lion slashed Percy and ripped his coat. Percy turned and jumped back onto an airplane while I got up and ran a little bit away, trying to think. How did the lion get defeated before? Think, Thalia. Think.

"Zoë, target the mouth!" Percy screamed. Guess he thought of a solution before I did. "Grover, clear the area!"

"No clear shot, get it to open its mouth more!" Zoë responded.

Percy looked around and seemed to have an epiphany. "Thalia!" he yelled, turning towards me. "Keep it occupied."

I nodded grimly and brandished my spear. "Hi-yah!" I cried, shooting a bolt of blue electricity straight into the tail of the Nemean Lion. He pounced, and I only just rolled out of the way. I shoved Aegis into the lion's face, and he roared again.

I jumped up, and the lion narrowed its eyes, slashing at me with its claws. I tried to jab it, but it came towards me at top speed, forcing me back. "Percy, whatever you're going to do..." Do it soon!

The lion swiped at me, knocking my head into a Titan rocket. Pain burst in my skull like fireworks. I fell to the floor, sprawled pathetically. I didn't get back up immediately- maybe, if I played dead, the lion might leave me alone. I listened to the sounds of the battle, which was mostly screaming and roaring, until Grover helped me up. Zoë and Bianca landed right in front of me, having jumped down from a balcony. "That was an interesting strategy," Zoë quipped.

"Hey," Percy grinned. "It worked."

Zoë made her proud face again, but it was underlined with a hint of amusement. As the monster disintegrated, leaving only a pelt, she looked at Percy. "Take it."

"What, the lion's fur? Isn't that, like, an animal rights violation or something?"

I rolled my eyes. Zoë looked as if she were trying not to laugh. "It is a spoil of war. It is rightly thine," she explained.

He shook his head. "You killed it."

Zoë shook her head. Her eyes sparkled, the after affect of the hunt. "I think thy ice cream sandwich did that. Fair is fair, Percy; take the fur."

He lifted it up, and it immediately morphed into a large coat, golden-brown. "Not exactly my style," Percy joked.

Grover looked around nervously, breaking the festive post-battle mood. "We have to get out of here. The security guards won't stay confused for long."

I noticed that they were running around, befuddled and vacant. "You did that?" Percy asked.

"A minor confusion song," he nodded. "I played some Barry Manilow. It works every time, but it'll only last a few seconds."

"The security guards are not our biggest worry. Look." Zoë pointed through the glass walls. Sure enough, the promised skeletons were coming our way.

Percy raised Anaklusmos again and immediately shifted back into battle stance. "Go!" he ordered. "They'll be hunting me. I'll distract them."

I glared at Zoë, knowing she would, yet again, tell him he wasn't invited on our quest. She looked at me, and somehow, understanding passed between us. "No. We go together."

Percy nearly fumbled his sword as he gaped at the Hunter. "But... you said..."

"You are part of this quest now. I do not like it, but there is no changing fate. You are the fifth quest member and we are not leaving anyone behind," she told him.

I smiled. "So. Ready to run from a dozen angry dead people?"

"Sounds fun," Percy said.

"On my mark," Zoë said, trying to regain some of the control and firmness she had lost when she allowed Percy on the quest. "Five... four..."

"Three two one GO!" I shouted, and I grabbed her hand and laughed as we raced towards the exit. By now, the security guards were coming after us, but we managed to evade them and hop in the van. "Floor it, Zo!" I cried, and she obliged. Before long, we were out of the parking lot, ready for anything once again.