Getting on the train was easy. Staying on it... well that was different. Three ADHD kids, sitting still for any length of time was a bad idea. Add a satyr and a wolf and it's even worse.
Percy spent half his time pacing the length of the train, Annabeth busied herself with her thoughts and Grover tried to resist eating the furniture, all while I tried to keep myself awake. I couldn't get the dream out of my head, and I definitely didn't want a repeat of it, particularly not with the others so near. Trying to sit still long enough to figure it out was pointless, so I didn't even bother trying. Maybe I was better off not knowing. I had enough to deal with, without having someone else trying to kill me. I felt a little better knowing that Sasha was with me, but she spent most of the time sleeping or criticising Percy and Grover.
To make matters worse, Percy was now wanted for the disappearance of his mother and for blowing up a bus. It didn't do his mood any good, but I didn't complain. I couldn't even begin to imagine what that must have felt like for him. Annabeth, on the other hand, seemed to have forgotten that part.
Locking a daughter of Athena and a son of Poseidon in one small compartment was a bad idea. They argued so loudly, they woke Grover up numerous times. He would mumble darkly under his breath, then try and get back to sleep again. But it was never long before Annabeth and Percy started again.
"Could you guys give it a rest?" I finally snapped loudly, feeling every inch of my body tense as they argued. They turned and blinked at me like they didn't understand why I was annoyed. "We have been on the bloody train for an entire day. Sit down. Shut up. Go to sleep, I don't care. Just quit arguing!"
The two of them exchanged mystified looks, but Annabeth pursed her lips and sat down delicately on the seat next to me. With a cautious glance in my direction, Percy followed her example, his eyebrows still tight and his lips moving soundlessly.
"Maybe it would be good to get off the train for a little while," Annabeth suggested, almost hopefully. Percy snorted irritably as I raised an eyebrow at her, ignoring Grover's snores. "Well, the train is pulling into the next station soon and it will be a few hours before it moves on again. I thought we could go and see that." She pointed out of the window at a large arch that stood in the distance, and I had to bite my lip to stop myself groaning.
"The world is about to end, and you want to go sightseeing?" Percy gawped.
Annabeth rolled her eyes with a locked jaw. "Stop being so melodramatic," she retorted sharply. "Besides, there's nothing better to do. And there's plenty of space." He pulled a face at her.
"Space sounds good," I sighed. "But I swear, if the two of you make one more comment to each other-"
"We won't," Annabeth insisted, smiling at me and jumping to her feet. Percy shot me an exasperated look, and I grimaced back, patting his shoulder as I followed Annabeth off the train.
As it turned out, the arch lay a mile from the train station. We had to make our way through the underground, looking at covered wagons and a load of junk from the eighteen-hundreds. Sasha sniffed everything interestedly, but complained how the underground always stank of monsters. But I was quickly discovering that that was the least of my worries. Just being below ground, surrounded by dark, damp walls, I felt my legs weaken and my head spin. It took every ounce of restraint I had not to turn and wait for them back on the train. Percy and Grover, who must have realised I was less than comfortable, had taken to walking at either side of me in case I collapsed.
I breathed a sigh of relief when we stepped into the elevator. The moment it moved above ground, I felt myself relax and unwind, gradually regaining any strength I had lost on the trip here. Then my stomach gave a sharp twist. The hairs on the back of my neck were suddenly on end, as though something was crawling up my spine. I shuddered at the thought, ignoring the strange looks I was getting from the others.
"No parents?" a fat lady asked Percy. I shivered, goosebumps raising on my arms. I didn't understand it, but pulled the sleeves of my jacket over my hands and crossed my arms over to stop myself moving anymore. Grover frowned curiously at me.
The woman had beady eyes, the sort that freaked me out. Her teeth were pointy and coffee stained, as though she spent all day sharpening them and drinking coffee on breaks. A floppy denim hat sat on her head and she wore a denim dress that bulged a lot, making me picture all-too-vividly a denim blimp.
"They're down below," Annabeth said immediately. "They're sort of scared of heights." Percy snorted, paling slightly. She rolled her eyes at him in annoyance, and I groaned inwardly. Beside me, Sasha nudged my knee. Don't ask how she avoided the security here, because I have no idea. She just did. I suppose that's the good part of getting an immortal, enchanted wolf as a gift from the Goddess Artemis.
When we were finally out of the elevator, I felt even worse. My stomach wouldn't stay still, as though it was trying to warn me of something. How on earth would my stomach now something was wrong before I did? That was just ridiculous. Percy peered through the windows, pursing his lips tightly to stop himself throwing up.
"Why did you even come up then?" Annabeth snapped angrily, annoyed he was ruining it.
"Splitting up didn't sound like a good idea at the time," he replied weakly. She groaned and turned her back to him, reverting to chatting at Grover about structural supports and things that they had done wrong in the design. Like windows.
"Gods, can we go now?" Percy moaned. Annabeth shot him an evil look, but the park ranger chuckled at him, patting his shoulder.
"The observation deck is closing now anyway lad," he smiled. "Maybe you should stick to the ground in future."
"Or water," Percy muttered irritably, gulping. Annabeth scowled at him, stalking for the elevator and dragging Grover with her. He sent me a pleading look, but I just shrugged.
"You really should've known heights wouldn't be your strong point," I grimaced at Percy. He frowned, but rubbed his stomach and didn't reply. "Come on then. We should get back to the train, anyway." But the elevators were full. Annabeth crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly as she and Grover disappeared behind the elevator doors. Percy groaned again, rolling his eyes.
"Really, what is her problem?" he frowned. "Just because my dad's Poseidon?" I chuckled, patting his shoulder sarcastically.
"You poor, naive fool," I grimaced. He scowled.
"Oh, excuse me dear," a lady said. I turned and my stomach dropped.
It was the fat lady. A dog that looked like a Chihuahua was stood at her feet, growling. Sasha snarled at it, over double its size, easily. But the tiny dog wouldn't go down without a fight. Sasha bared her teeth angrily, but as the dog barked, it grew in size.
"Uh-oh," I gulped as Percy choked in astonishment beside me.
The fat lady smiled widely. "You must be Acacia Grace," she chuckled evilly, her beady little eyes locked on mine. "Lady Hera tells me a lot about you." I felt the colour drain from my face. Now she was trying to killing me six hundred feet in the air? So much for this being my father's territory.
Percy and I backed up. The park ranger was staring, scared to death, at the Chihuahua. But its bark was getting louder and louder and its body was getting larger and larger. The bark was becoming a roar and it was the size of a lion. Only, it hadn't stopped growing. Sasha snarled protectively at my feet, but I knew she was no match for this.
"Oh no," I moaned quietly. "Chimera." Percy gulped loudly beside me. The beast's back scraped against the roof as he barked, foaming at the mouth. It had the head of a lion, its mane covered in blood. Its body was that of a giant goat, while it had a serpent's tail.
"I'm going to take a wild guess and say this isn't good," Percy gulped.
"Oh, how did you come to that conclusion?" I breathed sarcastically, chest tightening nervously. My hands shook as I turned the bolts on my sheaths, but somehow I knew that swords weren't going to be much good against this thing. For a start, any cut my sword made would have been like a paper cut to this beast.
"Did you hope that Lady Hera had forgotten you, Daughter of Zeus?" the fat lady cackled. "The Queen of Heaven does not forget her enemies, little hero."
Little hero. The words rang in my ears tauntingly..
I remembered the terrifying voice at the bottom of that deep pit, remembered the cold, unwelcome feeling I had felt when I was stood at the edge of the chasm. Then I remembered my last game of Capture the Flag, when Luke and I had stood back to back and taken out eight demigods. When Sasha had chosen me. I had to have been chosen for a reason. There had to be something. What if Sasha was right? What if I could do a great good, as she put it? Could I let myself be beaten by this thing?
My answer; No. No way. The Underworld will suddenly sprout rose bushes and fluffy pink poodles before I give in to a monster, no matter how big. First things first, Percy. I refused to let Hera take him too.
"Percy, stay put," I muttered at him, prizing my locket open. The fat lady cackled again as I pulled my bow off my shoulders. "Oh, and praying to your father might be a good idea around about now," I added, casting a nervous glance at the winding water way down below.
"What? Why?" he asked, rightly worried.
"Just do as I say and don't hesitate, understand?" I mumbled back. I didn't wait for an answer. Taking a step forward, the Chimera snarled. Sasha barked loudly, lunging for its throat. It hardly noticed her, its beady black eyes fixed on me. Before I could change my mind, I ran.
I didn't want to move incredibly fast. I wanted it to see me move, to know what I was doing and where I was going. But I may have gone a little too slowly. As its front turned to follow me with a loud snarl, its tail flew toward me too, as though it was folding in on itself. With a gasp, I dropped to the ground and rolled underneath it.
The Chimera let out a howl of pain. I couldn't believe my luck. It had actually stabbed itself with its own tail. How stupid. But I didn't have time to marvel at my fortune. I pulled out an arrow quickly and aimed over its shoulder. The tip cracked with electricity and exploded the second it hit the wall. Percy staggered to the side, eyes wide. "Sorry!" I called with a grimace.
"SORRY?" he yelled back, staring at the wide hole I'd just made in the side of a national monument.
The park ranger went mad. Not only was he so terrified, I was sure I could see tears streaming down his cheeks, but now he was pale and angry too. His fingers scraped at the emergency exit, trying and failing to get away. There was no way I was ever letting him or Percy die.
"Percy, you've got to jump," I ordered. The fat lady cackled again, and Percy's eyes widened as though he thought I was crazy.
"Are you insane?" he gasped.
"Jump into the water, not the ground!" I snapped, just as the Chimera found its target again. I only just managed to dodge the tail. "PERCY! GO! NOW!" He hesitated, staring out of the hole. With a sigh, he paled and moved his lips soundlessly. He jumped. Gulping and backing up slightly, I turned to Sasha.
"Sasha, get the mortal out of here," I ordered. Sasha barked indignantly, her voice a confused worried stream that I couldn't make out. "Sasha, please!" With a whine, she leapt around the Chimera gracefully and toward the park ranger.
"Now just for you, ey dear?" the fat lady hissed.
"Not quite," I shrugged, flicking my gaze toward her as Sasha clawed at the emergency exit.
"Whatever do you mean?" she said, almost caringly. "We can't leave you out, that wouldn't be fair."
"I'm sure I'd cope," I muttered sourly, pulling out another arrow. The Chimera snarled, so loud the Arch shuddered. Now I wasn't scared of heights, but I had no illusions that I would suddenly sprout wings should I fall. It wasn't like any of us could survive that fall, even if Percy could.
My eyes widened. That was it. None of us could.
I pulled the bow back, thankful for the pure force of an explosion. The Chimera snapped its jaws together and I was sure its throat was glowing with what looked like fire. Brilliant. My timing had to be impeccable. I was relieved I had practised so hard at Camp, yet suddenly annoyed I hadn't got as much time as I would have hoped. The bow had been pulled back as far as it could and the Chimera opened its mouth yet again. I released it instantly.
The explosion was greater than I had expected. The park ranger and Sasha had finally opened the emergency exit and were clambering into it, just as the Chimera blew up. The force sent me flying back, slamming into the wall of the Arch with such brutality I felt my insides continue to move long after I had stopped. The fat lady squealed in horror as the Arch was torched just that little bit more. I could almost picture Annabeth's face.
I wasn't sure how I did it. After the explosion, the fat lady and her dog had disappeared. I was pretty sure that the force had sent her flying out the same hole as Percy, but I couldn't be sure. By some miracle, I was still alive and still on the top of the Arch, not free falling to the ground. I didn't know if it wouldn't last though. Probably not.
"Ow," I complained, staggering forward and falling to my knees. I didn't have much time to contemplate my situation though, because a bright golden light emitted in the air right in front of me. I barely had time to close my eyes.
"You just don't know when to die, do you?" Hera spat angrily. I stumbled to my feet, refusing to be so low down in front of her. She might've developed delusion of grandeur.
"I never was one to follow instructions," I breathed, rubbing my side with a sharp wince. Hera's eyes flashed furiously, but the sky clamped with thunder and lightning. Her jaw tightened and her eyes narrowed.
"You will not succeed, Acacia Grace," she snarled.
"I thought you weren't bothering trying to kill me," I frowned. "Thought you didn't need the bad press."
Hera snorted, her jaw locking in place and her eyebrows pulling together. "I couldn't resist. And who says I'm trying to kill you? Have you ever wondered what my test for you would be?"
I choked. "This was it?" I asked, stunned.
"Don't be ridiculous," Hera snapped impatiently. "I have not decided what your test will be. It is hard to think of something that would ever lead to you proving yourself. You might have the others fooled, but not me."
"Of course not," I muttered, rolling my eyes. Hera's forming glowed suddenly and I whipped around. Every muscle in my body protested violently at the sudden move and I gasped, but Hera had vanished. Gods, some people were so melodramatic.
Security found me not long after. I was hurried down the emergency exit and toward a bunch of medics. Sasha barked loudly, leaping toward me and skidding to a halt defensively at my feet. She bared her teeth at the nearest medic, just to prove she had my back again. I smiled wryly and patted her head reassuringly. The man that had brought me down started yelling at the medics to help, but only one moved. I was sat down on the back of an ambulance as the man moved toward me, Sasha stood straight at my feet.
"Look, I'm fine," I sighed heavily. The man smirked knowingly, touching my rib cage delicately. I gasped loudly and Sasha was instantly snarling at the man, shaking. "Sasha, relax," I muttered, scowling up at man with my lips pursed.
He chuckled dryly. "That was incredibly brave of you, Acacia Grace," he said. I froze and Sasha immediately fell silent. Only two groups ever knew my name without being told. Gods and monsters. This guy had better not fall into the second category.
His skin was deeply tanned and his hair was a jet black. He met my gaze and I was sure I recognised those seagreen eyes. Crinkles surrounded them, as if he spent his entire life smiling. His beard was exactly the same shade as his hair and he looked reasonably strong and athletic. I tried to place him, but I was exhausted.
"Erm, thanks," I mumbled. The man chuckled again.
"Here," he said, holding out a small block. Ambrosia. I took it warily, frowning slightly. He waited patiently, his eyes sparkling. I felt my eyebrows raise.
"Poseidon?" I asked quietly. He smiled.
"I want to thank you for your faith in me Acacia," he said, watching as I shoved the ambrosia into my mouth reluctantly. "Not many people would have trusted me with a six hundred foot fall."
"Percy trusted you," I corrected. Poseidon raised an eyebrow. I felt myself going red. "Not that I don't, but-"
He laughed, holding up a hand to silence me. "Percy followed your instructions," he pointed out. "It is true that he had to trust me too, but if it hadn't have been for you, he might be dead right now."
I dropped my gaze to my feet, gulping. "If it hadn't been for me, the Chimera would never have been there," I muttered darkly. Poseidon sighed heavily, leaning against the ambulance beside me.
"There are a lot of things that we cannot change. Perhaps you should accept that Hera's mind might be one of those things." I opened my mouth to argue, but he held up his hand again, smiling wryly. "The rest of the council is more than capable of making their decision without her. She wouldn't tell you, of course, but Zeus has already decided that her vote counts for very little. We all know how biased she is when it comes to his demigod children." I remained silent. I supposed it was a good thing that I wouldn't have to prove myself to Hera, but still, I knew she wouldn't give up trying to kill me. How on earth was I supposed to avoid that?
"What if Percy, Annabeth or Grover get hurt, just because she is trying to kill me?" I asked. "I can't let them die because I'm too stubborn to admit that I'm out of my depth."
"You are not out of your depth, Acacia," Poseidon frowned sternly. "The others are perfectly capable of looking after themselves and Hera would never intentionally hurt Percy or Annabeth."
"But I thought Athena was Zeus's daughter, but not Hera's. Wouldn't she hate her too?"
Poseidon sighed heavily, considering me for a moment. "They aren't what you would call close," he said carefully. "But Hera is all about family. It's the only thing that really matters to her. She can forget about Athena's mother as long as Athena fits the image of the perfect family. With how Athena was born, not many people even think about her mother." I vaguely remembered a story about how Zeus had swallowed her mother when he had found out she was pregnant. Was I the only one that could see patterns here? I mean, didn't Zeus's father swallow his siblings? My mind wandered, wondering if it was for the same reason.
Poseidon suddenly stood straight and I jumped a little. He smiled down at me and winked, pressing his fingers into my ribs again. I couldn't feel anything. I snorted in disbelief and he chuckled quietly, lowering his head. Just as I was about to ask why, someone yelled my name loudly.
"ACACIA!" Annabeth scurried toward me, followed by a wary Grover and an exhausted Percy. Sasha barked exasperatedly, sniffing at Percy curiously. He sent me a worried gaze, as though he thought Sasha would suddenly bury her teeth into his leg. I snorted, shrugging once. Poseidon glanced at me and with another wink, turned and walked away. I gulped, rubbing my side before jumping down and straightening myself out.
"Hey guys," I smiled. "Everyone okay?"
Annabeth gawped at me. "What do you mean? There was a huge explosion up there! It's a miracle you're still alive!"
I frowned. "Thanks for that," I muttered sarcastically.
"What happened?" Percy asked cautiously. "How did everything go up like that?"
"Chimera's breathe fire," I sighed. "Add the lightning from my arrow, equals big bang." Percy scowled at my simple tone, but shook himself. "Anyway, shouldn't we get back to the train?"
"Quickly before someone sees," Grover hissed. Annabeth and Percy didn't look pleased at the lack of information from me, but the four of us turned for the station, Sasha attached to my side.
I found myself staring around, but Poseidon had disappeared, just like all the gods did. I still didn't get it, but something the god had said gave me an idea. Hera treasured family more than anything else, but a perfect family. She forgot Athena's mother because Athena fit the image. She was the intelligent one. Could I ever make her forget my mother? I knew I didn't have to prove myself to her, but I didn't like the idea of doing something by halves. Then again, did I really want to put any effort into trying to prove myself? After all, she wasn't exactly the top of my Christmas card list.