POTTER FILES : THE LIGHTNING THIEF
Chapter 8 : The Anteater and the Chihuahua
X-X-X-X-X
Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.
Note : The timeline of the HP universe has been changed to fit PJO universe. Some slight changes have been made to HP canon to fit girl Harry. So, Iris (fem!Harry) Potter was born on 31 July 1993 and COS happened in 2005-2006.
This chapter will be in Iris' Pov unless stated otherwise.
X-X-X-X-X
We stayed the night in the Medusa's lair. Annabeth and Percy understandably wanted to leave the place as soon as they could but I convinced them that it was the safest place for us at the moment. The best way to hide a demigod scent from a monster was with the scent of an even more powerful monster. Self preservation instincts would always override everything else. It was the way of nature. The place reeked of Medusa's scent and the stink of her greasy food. No monster would dare come within a mile of the place. For all the trouble she had caused when she was alive, she was quite useful in death. I had a feeling that things were going to get harder and we should take every opportunity to get a good night's sleep without worrying about the monsters attacking us when we were vulnerable.
When the morning came, Percy was naturally the last to get up. After we had our breakfast, we got seated on the dining area to discuss our new plan. I took out the map of USA and brochures I got free from the flight here and gave it to Annabeth to explain the plan. She pointed out the different possible routes they could take, the states they would pass through, the distance they would cover, the approximate number of days that would take, possible expenses and even the many tourist attractions on the way in the map. Someone had really done their homework. Wow, I was impressed. I could tell from Percy's glassy eyed expression that he agreed with me. Then again, it could be his natural state.
"With a country big enough to have 50 states, I thought you Americans would have trouble remembering their names, I know I do. But, you seem to know everything there is to know about the country.", I said.
Annabeth smiled slightly and said, "48 states actually. The country has 50 states but gods have authority only in the mainland. Hawaii and Alaska are lands beyond the Gods. Some say that the moment the gods step foot on them, they will be reduced to demigod status. I might have mentioned before, I have been waiting for this quest for a long time. As I didn't know then where we might be required to go, I have spent a lot of time learning everything about the 48 states."
Her smile suddenly dimmed and she looked like she was gathering courage to say something.
"When Chiron told you about demigods travelling across the country, he was talking about u-me and my friends. I...am sorry. I just wanted to know what was happening. You came from outside and looked like you were in a fight. So, I thought you would know something."
"Forget about it, Annie. We are not going to grudge over it or anything. You are not the first person to let curiosity get the better of you though you seem to be the type to say that ignorance killed the cat and curiosity was simply framed.", I replied.
"Yeah. You wouldn't be you if you didn't do something like that, Annabeth. We like you the way you are.", Percy said.
I turned to look at him in shock. It was a thoughtful and intelligent comment. And Percy said it. What was going to happen next? Annabeth starting to love spiders?
"Annabeth, my ears might have started to malfunction. Did Percy just say that?", I asked her.
Annabeth quickly caught on and replied with a mischievous smile, "I heard that too. It seems Medusa added something in our drinks that damaged our ears."
"Hey! I can be smart too.", Percy said pouting.
We looked at each other and burst into laughter. For a few moments, we forgot our perilous journey and the dangers awaiting us and enjoyed being normal adolescents. But reality had to return sometime.
"We have discussed the route and now we need to discuss the suspects. Both of you suspect the Lord of Dead...with good reason. That brings up the questions how, why and where. If he was the one who stole it, it would be mostly in the Underworld but we cannot just assume it. The reason is easy. Revenge but why now. Do you have suggestions for how? As far as I know, he is Mr. Unpopular in the camp."
"He might have broken the oath too. He could be hiding his children somewhere.", Percy said.
Annabeth said, "There are many unclaimed demigods in Hermes cabin. Any of them could be his child. Then there are the Hecate children."
"What about Hecate kids?", I asked.
"Well", she started hesitantly, "The Goddess of Magic is a known friend of the Lord of the Dead, close enough that she has a permanent quarters in the Underworld. It is not beyond norm for her children to do his bidding. I would have said it could have been someone in the magical world but a Hellhound was summoned straight from the Fields of Punishment. I had to be someone in the camp who has deep understanding of the Underworld."
I pursed my lips and said, "Let us look at other suspects. Lord of the Sky would be the next suspect. He has already tried to kill us even though we were supposedly his last chance at getting back his master bolt. It could mean that he doesn't need our services to find what he already has. After all, it is not like there is any proof that it has been stolen. We only have his word for it and we know it has no value."
"But why would he lie about it?, Annabeth asked.
"He wants Atlantis, of course. Think about it. He chose the Lord of the Sea to blame out of everyone when his master bolt was 'stolen'. It is all about appearances. If he had directly attacked the place, he would be seen as a tyrant trying to usurp his brother's throne but now, he is seen as someone enforcing justice. If he succeeds, he will move on to the Underworld with the resources of two of the most powerful domains. If he succeeds there, it will be like Fourth Age all over again. The king will have unlimited power with no one daring to oppose him. At present, the three Brothers are rivals nearly equal in power. While it is bad for their kids, it keeps power distribution in balance, even if an unstable one. It's just a possibility, mind you.", I replied.
Annabeth sighed and nodded, "They are the main suspects to keep an eye on. There are too many suspects to name everyone. He did piss off the majority of minor gods at one time or another. So, one of them might have taken inspiration from Eris' golden apple or it could have been Eris herself. We don't know enough to eliminate any possibilities."
" Annie, do you know whether there is any ATM near this Amstrack station?"
She thought for a moment and then said, "Last time, an ATM was there a little further away. Hopefully, things have improved. Do you have an international account you can access from here?"
I noted that she didn't protest the nickname. Perhaps, she must have gotten fed up arguing about it but I liked to think it was because we were becoming closer friends.
I smiled at her and said, "Some things are much better seen in action. I don't know much about your currency anyway. So, I would require your assistance."
It seemed there was an ATM right outside the station. The three of us entered it. I took my Gringotts vault key and inserted it into a hole on the side. The background in the screen immediately changed to white and the name of the bank changed to Gringotts International. I typed the code and selected the language as Greek.
"Our banking system is the responsibility of Gringotts, a bank run by the goblins. The entire Western Europe, USA and Canada are their domain, some countries like Switzerland and Belgium have gnomes and Scandinavia is under the dwarfs. All the magical societies use the same currency : gold coins called galleons, silver coins called sickles and bronze coins called knuts. 29 knuts make a sickle and 17 sickles make a galleon. One galleon is equivalent to 25 pounds or 40 dollars."
"40 dollars?"
"Yep. It is the consequence of a relatively low population."
There were three options on the screen. First had a picture of Abraham Lincoln and had Dollars written on it. I wondered whether Abraham Lincoln was the picture of the day or was he there because a daughter of Athena was standing beside me.
"If I drag the icon for mortal currency instead of tapping it, I can choose the kind of mortal currency.", I told them.
Second had the picture of goblins counting gems and had galleons written on it. The third...
"Who is the jogger guy?", Percy asked causing me to roll my eyes.
Annabeth sighed in exasperation and said, " Cabin 11. Hermes, God of Travellers, Thieves, Roads and so on."
I guess they could only see Hermes. I could see both of them intermittently. Hermes was ,as Percy described, the jogger guy with a mischievous expression on his face wearing winged sneakers and an arm band that had intertwining snakes on it. Mercury was a serious looking business man in a formal suit and had a staff with intertwining snakes on it.
I tapped the first option and typed $250, slightly higher than what Annabeth had recommended. It was a good thing galleons was priced much higher. I would not have to worry about exceeding the allowed limit.
X-X-X-X-X
Percy
We spent two days on the Amtrak train, heading west through hills, over rivers, past amber waves of grain.
We weren't attacked once, but I didn't relax. Iris, on the other hand, was behaving like a kid in candy store. She was looking at everything intently as if she was storing the images in a camera in her mind. Whenever they would pass a town, she would look it up a map and browse for information on her brochures. I guess it was like a vacation for her.
I felt that we were traveling around in a display case, being watched from above and maybe from below, that something was waiting for the right opportunity.
I tried to keep a low profile because my name and picture were splattered over the front pages of several East Coast newspapers.
The picture's caption read:
Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson, wanted for questioning in the Long Island disappearance of his mother two weeks ago.
His stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, has offered a cash reward for information leading to his capture.
"Don't worry," Annabeth told me. "Mortal police could never find us."
But she didn't sound so sure.
The rest of the day I spent alternately pacing the length of the train (because I had a really hard time sitting still) or looking out the windows.
Once, I spotted a family of centaurs galloping across a wheat field, bows at the ready, as they hunted lunch.
The little boy centaur, who was the size of a second-grader on a pony, caught my eye and waved. I looked around the passenger car, but nobody else had noticed. The adult riders all had their faces buried in laptop computers or magazines.
Another time, toward evening, I saw something huge moving through the woods. I could've sworn it was a lion, except that lions don't live wild in America, and this thing was the size of a Hummer. Its fur glinted gold in the evening light.
The money Iris had taken out from her account had only enough to get us tickets as far as Denver. I didn't know whether the prices had risen a lot since the last time Annabeth was out in the real world or her pride didn't allow her to ask for anything more than what she felt was the minimum possible.
Luckily Iris' decision to take some extra money ensured that we got the berths in the sleeper car. I didn't want to think how unbearable the travel would have been if we had to doze in the seats.
"So", Annabeth asked me, "Who wants your help?"
"What do you mean?"
"When you were asleep, you mumbled, 'I won't help you.' Who were you dreaming about?"
I was reluctant to say anything. It was the second time I'd dreamed about the evil voice from the pit. But it bothered me so much I finally told her.
Annabeth was quiet for a long time.
"That doesn't sound like Hades. He always appears on a black throne, and he never laughs."
"He offered my mother in trade. Who else could do that?"
"I guess ... if he meant, 'Help me rise from the Underworld.' If he wants war with the Olympians. But why ask you to bring him the master bolt if he already has it?"
"Percy, you can't barter with Hades. You know that, right? He's deceitful, heartless, and greedy-"
"Just like his brother Zeus.", Iris piped startling me as I had thought she was too engrossed in her sightseeing to listen in on our conversation.
Annabeth rolled her eyes and said, "Yes. I don't care if his Kindly Ones weren't as aggressive this time—"
"This time?", I asked, "You mean you've run into them before?"
Her hand crept up to her necklace. She fingered a glazed white bead painted with the image of a pine tree, one of her clay end-of-summer tokens.
"Let's just say I've got no love for the Lord of the Dead. You can't be tempted to make a deal for your mom."
"What would you do if it was your dad?"
"That's easy," she said. "I'd leave him to rot."
"You're not serious?"
Annabeth's gray eyes fixed on me. She wore the same expression she'd worn in the woods at camp, the moment she drew her sword against the hellhound.
"My dad's resented me since the day I was born, Percy", she said, "He never wanted a baby. When he got me, he asked Athena to take me back and raise me on Olympus because he was too busy with his work. She wasn't happy about that. She told him heroes had to be raised by their mortal parent."
"But how ... I mean, I guess you weren't born in a hospital..."
"I appeared on my father's doorstep, in a golden cradle, carried down from Olympus by Zephyr the West Wind. You'd think my dad would remember that as a miracle, right? Like, maybe he'd take some digital photos or something. But he always talked about my arrival as if it were the most inconvenient thing that had ever happened to him. When I was five he got married and totally forgot about Athena. He got a 'regular' mortal wife, and had two 'regular' mortal kids, and tried to pretend I didn't exist."
I stared out the train window. The lights of a sleeping town were drifting by. I wanted to make Annabeth feel better, but I didn't know how.
"My mom married a really awful guy", I told her, "Grover said she did it to protect me, to hide me in the scent of a human family. Maybe that's what your dad was thinking."
Annabeth kept worrying at her necklace. She was pinching the gold college ring that hung with the beads.
It occurred to me that the ring must be her father's. I wondered why she wore it if she hated him so much.
"He doesn't care about me", she said, "His wife-my stepmom-treated me like a freak. She wouldn't let me play with her children. My dad went along with her. Whenever something dangerous happened-you know, something with monsters-they would both look at me resentfully, like, 'How dare you put our family at risk.' Finally, I took the hint. I wasn't wanted. I ran away."
"It is alright, Annabeth. You know the old saying about monkey and the pearl necklace. If they do not have the basic intelligence to realise how special you are, they don't deserve you anyway.", Iris said.
"How old were you when you ran away?", I asked.
"Same age as when I started camp. Seven."
"But ... you couldn't have gotten all the way to Half-Blood Hill by yourself."
"Not alone, no. Athena watched over me, guided me toward help. I made a couple of unexpected friends who took care of me, for a short time, anyway."
I wanted to ask what happened, but Annabeth seemed lost in sad memories.
"Considering that you both already told your life stories, it is only fair that I do the same. I was born to a father who was the heir of a noble family who has been all magical since the 10th century and a mother who was the first magical in her family during the war time. The war was between a power hungry wizard called Voldemort who rallied behind him those who believed that the magicals without the necessary magical ancestry should be exterminated to keep the magical lines pure and the rest who were called blood traitors. It is hypocrisy at its finest as Voldemort, whose real name is Tom Riddle, was himself the result of the union of a very weak witch and a non magical. My parents fought against his tyranny and did enough damage to gain his personal attention. He killed them but when he tried to kill me, his curse backfired on him leaving me with a scar and a moniker Girl-Who-Lived.", she paused to show us her scar, "I was then left on the doorstep of my mother's sister's house. Petunia and her husband Vernon are monsters who should be locked up far away from the children. With their obsession with being seen as a normal family, you would think they would actually treat me like a human being. They made every effort to ensure that I knew I was a burden. While their good for nothing son had a bedroom to sleep in and another bedroom to keep his broken toys in, yes he had that many broken toys, I was stuffed in a closet under the stairs like a dirty secret they wanted no one to know. I had to eat the scraps of food that are left after they had their fill to stave off my hunger. They even made up some silly excuses to deny me that. It was common for them to lock me up for days without food, water or opportunity to go to toilet. So, it was not exactly a hygienic place. I am still surprised I didn't get any infection like they had hoped. When I asked them about my parents, they said they were drunkards who died in a car accident and that my mother was a...loose woman would be the polite term and they definitely didn't use it. I was sent to school when I was 5, perhaps because despite their efforts, the neighbours knew about my existence and started asking about it. It was there that I learned that what happened to me was not normal. I understood not long afterwards that they feared me for some reason but had some foolish belief that if they managed to break my spirit, they could control me and use me. I knew then that being a good girl would only result in my rotting body dumped alongside the garbage. Manipulation, bribery, blackmail and fearmongering became my new friends. By my eight birthday, I became the Queen of Privet Drive, the saviour of oppressed and the nightmare of the oppressers."
I realised that my eyes were moist and I had tear tracks on my face. Annabeth was faring no better. It was hard to believe that such a friendly girl would have such a terrible childhood. Then again, Luke had the same hatred and bitterness hidden beneath his friendly exterior. Perhaps, that was the reason they got on so well.
"Don't pity or sympathise me. After all, I won and they lost. The very crimes they committed against me gives me power over them. They now live with the fear that the moment I feel that they are not useful anymore I would start talking and they will end up in jail with hardened criminals who have no love for child abusers their normal reputation in tatters.", Iris spoke.
Iris then drew back her sleeve to show us the tatoo that was branded on her left hand : the animated video of a Huntress shooting an arrow with a crescent moon shaped bow, the symbol of her claiming.
She extended her hand palm up and said, " Friends forever."
I knew what she was asking. I drew back my own sleeve exposing my symbol : spinning green trident with tides washing its base.
I placed my hand on hers palm up and said, "Friends forever"
Annabeth drew back her sleeve exposing her symbol : an owl landing on the branch of an olive tree.
She placed her palm on mine and said, " Friends forever."
It was then that I noticed that our symbols had started glowing. Soon, we started glowing too. Iris glowed silver, I green and Annabeth light brown. On our left hands which were in contact, the colours were moving around mixing together. Suddenly, the colours went back to their original positions and we stopped glowing.
"What was that?", Annabeth asked.
"Forming of an emotional bond powered by our godly side. Nothing intrusive. We will just work better as a team.", Iris replied.
"You knew that would happen, didn't you?"
"We are bound by a prophecy, shared an emotional conversation. We are a trio, three is the magical number for safety, protection, defence and stability. There was a good chance of it happening. It would only have happened if we were already compatible and would have reached that level of understanding with time.", Iris spoke.
"So, what are its benefits?", Annabeth, ever the scholar, asked.
X-X-X-X-X
Toward the end of our second day on the train, June 13, eight days before the summer solstice, we passed through some golden hills and over the Mississippi River into St. Louis. Annabeth craned her neck to see the Gateway Arch, which looked to me like a huge shopping bag handle stuck on the city.
"I want to do that", she sighed.
"What?", I asked.
"Build something like that. You ever see the Parthenon, Percy?"
"Only in pictures."
"Someday, I'm going to see it in person. I'm going to build the greatest monument to the gods, ever. Something that'll last a thousand years."
I laughed.
"You? An architect?"
I didn't know why, but I found it funny. Just the idea of Annabeth trying to sit quietly and draw all day.
Her cheeks flushed.
"Yes, an architect. Athena expects her children to create things, not just tear them down, like a certain god of earthquakes I could mention."
"I am sure Annabeth would be a great architect and an inspiration for the coming generations.", Iris backed her up giving him a stern look to show her disapproval.
I watched the churning brown water of the Mississippi below feeling glum.
"Sorry", Annabeth said, "That was mean."
"Can't we work together a little?", I pleaded, "I mean, didn't Athena and Poseidon ever cooperate?"
Annabeth had to think about it.
"I guess ... the chariot", she said tentatively, "My mom invented it, but Poseidon created horses out of the crests of waves. So they had to work together to make it complete."
"Wait! I thought Poseidon created horses to impress Demeter.", Iris said.
"I guess the mortals do have a myth like that. The truth is that by the time Poseidon decided to seduce Demeter, the horses have been there for a long time. Remember, Demeter hid from him as a mare among horses. Poseidon disguised himself as one of the horses and the union resulted in Arion, the fastest horse in the world.", Annabeth replied.
"Then we can cooperate, too. Right?"
We rode into the city, Annabeth watching as the Arch disappeared behind a hotel.
"I suppose," she said at last.
We pulled into the Amtrak station downtown. The intercom told us we'd have a three-hour layover before departing for Denver.
"Come on, rainbow", Annabeth said, "Sightseeing."
"Rainbow?", Iris asked raising an eyebrow.
"Well...you have your own nicknames for me. So, it is only fair that I create one for you. Your name is Iris. So, your nickname is Rainbow."
"You are as bad as Percy. Anyway, what is this about sightseeing?"
"The Gateway Arch", she said, "This may be my only chance to ride to the top. Are you coming or not?"
Iris and I exchanged looks. We did not trust Zeus not to attack us if we skirt around his domain but on seeing her enthusiasm, we did not have the heart to mention it. We knew that if we did, she would insist on us staying here and go off alone. We figured that if Annabeth was going, we couldn't very well let her go alone.
The Arch was about a mile from the train station. Late in the day the lines to get in weren't that long. We threaded our way through the underground museum, looking at covered wagons and other junk from the 1800s. It wasn't all that thrilling, but Annabeth kept telling us interesting facts about how the Arch was built, and Iris kept passing me jelly beans, so I was okay.
But something felt wrong to me. I had a feeling we shouldn't be here.
"Guys," I said. "You know the gods' symbols of power?"
Annabeth had been in the middle of reading about the construction equipment used to build the Arch, but she looked over. "Yeah?"
"Well, Hade—"
Iris cleared his throat.
"We're in a public place... You were telling us about your dead uncle, yes?"
"Um, right," I said. "My dead uncle. Doesn't he have a hat like Annabeth's?"
"You mean the Helm of Darkness.", Annabeth said, "Yeah, that's his symbol of power. I saw it next to his seat during the winter solstice council meeting."
"He was there?", I asked.
She nodded.
"It's the only time he's allowed to visit Olympus—the darkest day of the year. But his helm is a lot more powerful than my invisibility hat, if what I've heard is true. It allows him to become darkness. He can melt into shadow or pass through walls.
He can't be touched, or seen, or heard. And he can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do you think all rational creatures fear the dark?"
"But then ... how do we know he's not here right now, watching us?", I asked.
Annabeth and Iris exchanged looks.
"We don't.", Iris said.
"Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better.", I said, "Got any blue jelly beans left?"
"Annabeth", Iris said carefully, "You said you were there at the Winter Solistice, the day theft was said to have happened."
"Yes. Every Solistice, Chiron takes us on a tour of Olympus.", Annabeth said as if she should have already known about it.
"Did anything unusual happen there? Other than your Cap going missing that is.", Iris asked.
"No, nothing. In fact, no one suspected it was different in any way until after we returned to the camp and noticed that the weather started acting weirdly for no reason.", Annabeth said, "Wait! How did you know that my Cap went missing that day?"
"Just a guess. The theft happened on that day and the thief needed a way to go around undetected. While I don't think your mom loved you enough to give you a cap that can hide you from her, it might work against those of lesser power like the minor gods or nymphs who actually do the menial work there. They are always the first to notice anything odd or uncharacteristic.", Iris replied.
"It was actually Clarisse who took the cap. Surely, you are not saying she is the thief, are you?", Annabeth asked disbelief coloring her tone.
"The female Rambo? No. She would not know what stealth is if it hit her in the face. On the other hand, you did say that the cap was a present for your 12th birthday. I assume the Winter Solistice was not long after it. Who all knew about it by then?"
Annabeth's cheeks turned red as if she was embarrassed.
"I didn't exactly keep it a secret."
Iris surprisingly made no effort to tease her.
She simply nodded as if she didn't even notice her embarrassment and said, "If the theft had happened, the thief would need some time to hide the object in a location from where the owner can't just summon it back or give it to his employer. Even if the employer was an Olympian as suspected at present, they would prefer to receive it far away from Olympus where there is less chance of being caught. Did you notice anyone missing when you returned to the camp, someone who arrived a day or two later?"
"No. If I had known what had happened, I would have made it a point to look out for someone like that."
I'd almost mastered my jumpy nerves when I saw the tiny little elevator car we were going to ride to the top of the Arch, and I knew I was in trouble. I hate confined places. They make me nuts.
I guess I was not as bad as Iris. The moment she saw the elevator, she became as pale as a ghost and looked at it as if she had just seen Medusa come back alive. She was terrified of confined spaces.
"You don't have to come with us, you know. You could stay here and wait for us to come back.", I said hoping to calm her.
She turned even more pale instead and looked at me as if I had just asked her to choose between Scylla and Charybdis. It was weird to see her like that when she usually looked like she could handle anything.
Her face took on a look of determination.
"I am coming with you.", she said in a tone that brook no arguments.
We got shoehorned into the car with this big fat lady and her dog, a Chihuahua with a rhinestone collar. I figured maybe the dog was a seeing-eye Chihuahua, because none of the guards said a word about it.
We started going up, inside the Arch. I'd never been in an elevator that went in a curve, and my stomach wasn't too happy about it.
"No parents?" the fat lady asked us.
She had beady eyes; pointy, coffee-stained teeth; a floppy denim hat, and a denim dress that bulged so much, she looked like a blue-jean blimp.
"They're below," Annabeth told her, "Scared of heights."
I winced. Who knew a small girl like Iris would have such an iron grip?
I had to admit that Iris was quite good at keeping a composure. She looked calm and cool. The only indications of her fear were her paler than usual face and the tight grip of her hands on his. Anyone who didn't know her well wouldn't know a thing.
"Oh, the poor darlings."
The Chihuahua growled.
The woman said, "Now, now, Sonny. Behave."
The dog had beady eyes like its owner, intelligent and vicious.
I said, "Sonny. Is that his name?"
"No", the lady told me.
She smiled, as if that cleared everything up.
At the top of the Arch, the observation deck reminded me of a tin can with carpeting. Rows of tiny windows looked out over the city on one side and the river on the other. The view was okay, but if there's anything I like less than a confined space, it's a confined space six hundred feet in the air. I was ready to go pretty quick.
Annabeth kept talking about structural supports, and how she would've made the windows bigger, and designed a see-through floor.
She probably could've stayed up there for hours, but luckily for Iris and me the park ranger announced that the observation deck would be closing in a few minutes.
We steered Annabeth and loaded her on to the elevator. It was when we tried to get in that we realised that the elevator was full.
The park ranger said, "Next car, sir."
"I'll get out," Annabeth said. "I'll wait with you."
But that was going to mess everybody up and take even more time, so I said, "Naw, it's okay. I'll see you at the bottom."
"Yeah. I will pull Percy out of any trouble he gets into.", Iris spoke.
Annabeth looked nervous, but they let the elevator door slide shut. Their car disappeared down the ramp.
Now the only people left on the observation deck were me, a little boy with his parents, the park ranger, and the fat lady with her Chihuahua.
I smiled uneasily at the fat lady. She smiled back, her forked tongue flickering between her teeth.
Wait a minute. Forked tongue?
Before I could decide if I'd really seen that, her Chihuahua jumped down and started yapping at us.
"Now, now, Sonny", the lady said, "Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here."
"Doggie!" said the little boy. "Look, a doggie!"
His parents pulled him back.
The Chihuahua bared his teeth at me, foam dripping from his black lips.
"Well, son," the fat lady sighed. "If you insist."
Ice started forming in my stomach. "Urn, did you just call that Chihuahua your son?"
"Chimera, dear", the fat lady corrected, "Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake to make."
The Chihuahua barked louder, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size of a Doberman, then to a lion.
The bark became a roar.
The little boy screamed. His parents pulled him back toward the exit, straight into the park ranger, who stood, paralyzed, gaping at the monster.
The Chimera was now so tall it's back rubbed against the roof. It had the head of a lion with a blood-caked mane, the body and hooves of a giant goat, and a serpent for a tail, a ten-foot-long diamondback growing right out of its shaggy behind. The rhinestone dog collar still hung around its neck, and the plate-sized dog tag was now easy to read: CHIMERA—RABID, FIRE-BREATHING, POISONOUS—IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS—EXT. 954.
I realized I hadn't even uncapped my sword. My hands were numb. I was ten feet away from the Chimera's bloody maw, and I knew that as soon as I moved, the creature would lunge.
The snake lady made a hissing noise that might've been laughter.
"Be honored, Percy Jackson, Iris Potter. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test a hero with one of my brood. For I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!"
I stared at her.
All I could think to say was: "Isn't that a kind of anteater?"
"Percy, that is a different Echidna. This is the monster our camp's head of the security Argus killed in his sleep.", Iris said.
She howled, her reptilian face turning brown and green with rage.
"In his sleep? In his sleep? That miserable lying hundred eyed freak! He was not the one sleeping, I was. He attacked me when I was sleeping in my cave because he did not have the guts to challenge me face to face. For that insult, young heroes, my son shall destroy you!"
The Chimera charged, its lion teeth gnashing. We managed to leap aside and dodge the bite.
"That pesky goddess has been hunting down my children and killing them for a many millenia. I would like to see her face when she learns that I have returned the favour with one of hers.", Echidna cackled.
I ended up next to the family and the park ranger, who were all screaming now, trying to pry open the emergency exit doors.
I couldn't let them get hurt.
I uncapped my sword, ran to the other side of the deck, and yelled, "Hey, Chihuahua!"
The Chimera turned faster than I would've thought possible.
Before I could swing my sword, it opened its mouth, emitting a stench like the world's largest barbecue pit, and shot a column of flame straight at me.
I dove through the explosion. The carpet burst into flames; the heat was so intense, it nearly seared off my eye brows.
Where I had been standing a moment before was a ragged hole in the side of the Arch, with melted metal steaming around the edges.
Great, I thought. We just blow torched a national monument.
Riptide was now a shining bronze blade in my hands, and as the Chimera turned, I slashed at its neck.
That was my fatal mistake. The blade sparked harmlessly off the dog collar. I tried to regain my balance, but I was so worried about defending myself against the fiery lion's mouth, I completely forgot about the serpent tail until it whipped around and tried to sink its fangs into my calf. Tried.
It ended up sinking its fangs into Iris' hand. Well, Iris wasn't exactly Iris. She was glowing silver and her eyes had turned silvery yellow colour, the colour of moon. It was like the time she lost control in the woods.
"Bad doggie. Lesson number 1 : if you do bad things, you will be punished.", she said.
Suddenly, she plunged two fingers of her bitten hand into the snake's eyes causing the Chimera to roar in pain. I winced. The snake's mouth opened similarly and she enclosed her hand on it
"You know, Percy, when I told Annabeth that I will pull you out of trouble, I was joking.", Iris spoke surprisingly showing no pain of being bitten.
"What took you so long?", I asked.
"I was helping the mortals to safety so that we could go all out without worrying about endangering them."
She started crushing the snake in her palm causing the monster to go ballistic. It smashed and burned through the roof causing us to go open air.
"Zeus sent his dogs to kill us. We might as well give him a show."
She then pointed her wand forward and said, "Aguamenti"
A torrent of water came out of her wand and coated the floor. I instantly felt a tug in my gut. I was now thankful that Iris had pushed me into the sea to get to know my father's domain.
"Why are you not dying? The venom should have weakened you by now.", screeched Echidna.
"I defeated the mighty Python. Surely, you didn't think a rattlesnake could kill me.", Iris replied.
"He is not a rattlesnake. He is a diamondback, a venomous one."
"Was actually.", she said pointing to the snake or to be more specific the burnt out mess that was left of it.
Echidna roared in fury and said, "Kill them both, sonny."
"Percy, I will take care of the son. You take care of the mother. Don't forget that Fury's whip is not just for show. Now, smokescreen."
I had honestly forgotten about the whip. She was right. In this situation, it might be better.
The Chimera turned its head and breathed fire on us right after I capped my sword and returned it to my pocket. I willed the water to rise and attack the fire head on. It did not take long for steam formed to spread all over the place obscuring the vision.
Suddenly, the fire stopped forming and the wind blowed driving away the steam.
Zeus didn't want to miss the show.
A huge python had wound around the Chimera and was strangling it while the monster was hopelessly struggling to survive. I should have been scared of another monster coming up but I had the feeling that it would never hurt me. I would have expected it to start spewing fire but it seemed that the lion head had only one orientation : forward. The only true danger the python might have faced was the snake tail which was hanging lifelessly. The mighty Chimera had just found a mightier foe. Soon enough, Chimera stopped struggling and dissolved into golden dust which was blown away by the wind. The python's body rippled and shrunk until in its place remained a tired looking Iris Potter.
We stood there for a moment in shock. Echidna was the first one to come out of shock.
"You killed my son. I will kill you.", she screeched and lunged at Iris.
Echidna was much faster than I expected an incredibly fat woman to be but luckily, I was prepared. I swung the whip like I had seen the Fury do. I intended to wind it around its neck but it ended up winding itself around the body. I guess I was not bad for a first timer.
Echidna started to scream in pain due to the searing heat of the whip. For the mother of Chimera, she had no immunity to fire.
I pulled her towards me and she moved a few inches. Perhaps, it was time for someone to introduce the concept of dieting to Zeus for his servants. I didn't want to think how hard it would have been without any water on the floor.
"Come on, fatty. Move.", I shouted pulling her even more closer.
That seemed to have enraged her more. She started struggling more vigorously shouting death threats at both of us. Hearing her words, I was suddenly glad that Hades insisted on high quality products for his servants.
I pulled as hard as I could and suddenly Echidna started sliding towards me much faster than I expected. I only had enough time to jump over her and let go of the whip. I turned around to see her fall down 600 feet into a watery grave. I had a weird feeling that if I didn't have Iris to back me up, I would be the one falling to death. Even if my father's influence extended to the rivers in the middle of American mainland, Zeus would electrocute me to ashes before I can reach there for intruding into his domain.
"I have a feeling that Echidna won't be so enthusiastic about Zeus' assignments anymore."
I turned to see Iris coming up behind me with a smile on her face. Her eyes had turned back to its usual leafy green colour and I could not help but look at it. I had not noticed it before but looking at her eyes was like looking at a forest. For the first time in my life, I started to appreciate the beauty of nature. I don't know how long we spent staring at each other's eyes. Some sound nearby startled us into breaking eye contact. It seemed like someone was coming up.
Iris took out her magical Cloak and said, "Get in. When they come to investigate, we will quietly leave."
We became invisible and started moving towards the exit. Iris suddenly stopped and bend down to pick up something. It was a red cigarette lighter with swirls of bright yellow indicating fire. She lit it and blew into the fire. An inferno similar to the Chimera's breath burned a hole into the other side.
"It seems Chimera has left me a parting gift.", Iris said with a smirk on her face.
"I wish I didn't lose the whip after using only once. I guess it was good while it lasted."
Iris looked at me as if I had gone mad.
"Hasn't anyone told you about it? The spoils of war are yours until you willingly give it up. They will always return to you as long as you want it to. If you check your wrists, you will find that the whip has already returned.", she said.
I checked my wrist and found that she was right. I groaned. Why do I have to be the last one to know everything?
She continued, "But, there is nothing wrong in being careful. There are magicks that can sever the connection between the owner and spoils of war. We would not have had to go on this quest if Zeus could have simply summoned his bolt to himself."
"So, when did you learn to turn into a snake? Is that a magical thing?", I asked.
Iris smirked playfully at me and said, "Now, now, that would be telling. A girl has got to keep some secrets."
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3rd Person Pov
Artemis sat in the middle of her temple, or to be more specific her glorified prison, feeling dejected. Everything had been going wrong lately. It all started with her father losing his master bolt. He then convened an emergency meeting with accusations thrown around and eventually her father decided that Poseidon must be the culprit. He sent all of his children to find his symbol of power. She felt humiliated at having to return empty handed even after scouring every inch of the country with her hunters for a month. At least no one else was successful either.
It seemed that a gigantic creature had been roaming around the magical school her daughter had been in and Hecate had not bothered to tell her. After she gets out, she would visit that headmaster and ask him what was his definition of safety. If the answer was not satisfactory, he would lose an important organ that he might not be using much in his old age.
Then, there was the fact that Iris broke the bindings that had been placed on her when it was set to release when she came of age. Then again, according to their old rules, anyone who pursued a beast and killed it in its own lair was immediately considered an adult. It was Apollo's hunting and slaying of the beast that ensured that he became an adult much earlier than her even when she was the one born first and she became the 'little sis'. As if she cared about her appearance and slight age difference. It was the implication that he was better hunter than her that she could not stomach.
As if that was not bad enough, her daughter had to sacrifice her kill when the situation was tense and at the very moment she was in an emergency Council meeting. She was actually flattered that her daughter sacrificed something big for her but she just wished the girl had better timing.
She also heard from Apollo that Iris had joined the quest to retrieve the master bolt. She sighed. Her little girl had gone on a quest with no training, no weapons other than her dagger and equally inexperienced demigods as companions. She wished she could have given her daughter more weapons but the creature was something she had never seen before. The creature looked like a younger Lydian drakon but it's fangs were filled with basilisk venom. She would bet her hunter's lives that the clawed out eyes were the eyes of a basilisk killing stare included. If not for Hecate, they would not have known that it was a magically created hybrid rather than a previously unknown species. She could understand her father's fear. It was built to be the perfect killing machine.
She looked at the photo in her hand. It was a magical photo of her holding her daughter in her hands and kissing her forehead. Seeing the photo, she could see why everyone had so much difficulty believing that she was actually a millenia year old goddess. Her small size, enthusiasm and obvious inexperience made her look like an elder sister rather than a mother.
"Why, my little doe, do you have to put yourself in danger when I had given you an out?"
X-X-X-X-X
Note : In this story, Grover told Percy about his mother's decision to marry Gabe right before he left to search for Pan in hopes of making Percy feel better.