Chapter 5 What about no trespassing is so hard to understand?

I will be posting my minyrant from my other story at the end of this chapter. You have been warned.

Location: Alaska

Thalia POV

I continued to trudge through the woods, cursing Percy every step of the way. Why did he make his house so hard to find? We knew he was likely on one of the Aleutian Islands, but there were so many. We had been searching for five days, and had searched several islands, but not a trace had been found. I could not appreciate the quiet beauty of the woods over the complaining of my companions. That was when Nico decided to be helpful.

"Hey Thalia? Is there a chance that he could have told someone where he lives? I mean, he has to have food delivered to him if he's on a island right?" That was the first useful thing he had said or done on this quest so far.

I nodded. "it's possible." I said. "When we get back to Juno, let's call the supermarkets to see if they deliver food to anyone in particular. That's better then what we are doing. This approach is taking too long and at this rate we will never find him."

I entered the phone booth and opened the directory while Nico and Grover waited outside. I picked up the phone and started dialing. But the idea seemed doomed. Randall's, target, and Kroger all said they did not deliver. Amazon and Sam's club refused to disclose information on clients. Finally, the systematic calling proved useful, as we got something from Walmart. According to them they delivered to the pier on Kodiak island for a man named "Perry Johnson". Hmmm... That was very close to Percy Jackson. And, if my memory serves, that was a name he had been called by Dionysus once. I left the phone booth and grabbed my two partners.

"I think I found him. Walmart delivers to a man named Perry Johnson on Kodiak island. I think that's him. Good idea Nico. I think we should approach by water. If he is smart he will have some kind of anti-air defense set up, and if we come by water he might recognize us and not attack us."

Nico nodded. "Thanks. I agree, and I call being duffer!"

Grover and I stared at him. He sighed. "It means I carry all the luggage. I'm a son of hades, there is no way I am driving a boat on Posiedons domain."

Thalia glared. "But we don't have any luggage."

Nico smirked. "Exactly."

"But I'm Zeus' daughter. I can't drive a boat any more than you can. And I doubt Grover knows how!"

Nico snapped his fingers and a skeleton appeared. "I know what we can do. Jules" Here he addressed the skeleton. "Can you pilot a boat?" The skeleton nodded. "Great! There, problem solved. Now let's go. We have a quest to finish.

Some time later...

After an eventful encounter, involving an old hippie, an exploding gas can, and a pool noodle fight with an 83 year old grandma (long story) we finally managed to arrive at the pier with a (somewhat) intact motor boat. We stepped ashore and put our hands on our weapons. Not that the scenery was intimidating, it wasn't. The forest was beautiful and the scent of pine was in the air. The trees were the exact opposite of foreboding. Yet something felt different... And dangerous. Everyone felt it. Nico stepped in the direction of the woods and read a sign.

"It says that that this is private property, and any trespassers will be forcefully evicted, and/or injured." He looked at us. "This is Percy we are talking about right?"

I shrugged. "He's bluffing."

Nico took a step towards the woods... Then froze in midstride. "Hit the deck!" He yelled as he hurled himself away. We did as he said, and not a moment too soon. There was a click, and then it looked like part of the beach exploded. A giant cloud of sand filled the air, stinging and suffocating everyone within reach. When the cloud settled, we looked ahead. Where there had been a pristine beach, was now a giant hole in the ground.

Grover was the first to recover. "Land mines? He planted land mines? Those could have killed us!"

I shook my head. "In Percy's defense, he did post a warning. And I don't think that would have killed us, the exsplosion wasn't big enough. It felt more intended to harm and produce a factor of both shock and the fact that he is serious. We have to be careful." I lead the way inland, watching where I was stepping. As soon as we enters the innocent looking fires, things got even harder. With the dappled shadows on the forest floor, and the leaves that had fallen from the canopy, there were disguises for snares everywhere. And whoever had set the had used them to their full advantage. A blunt bear trap got Grover, and we had to waste time to free him. I got caught in a net with iron weights attached. Nico fell into a pit trap. Then there were the darts that came flying at us. After we got past that and the tripwires, we wondered straight into a bunch of boxing glove tipped arrows. Finally I lost it. "How many traps did he put out here!" I yelled in frustration, disarming the knockout gas trap under a pile of leaves.

Grover shook his head. "I don't know. But we can't get through much more of this."

Finally, stiff, sore and covered in bruises, we neared the edge of the forest. Then there was a low growl, and we caught a glimpse of fiery red eyes in the shadows. This was our undoing. When we were distracted, suddenly the world turned upside down untill we were hanging from our ankles. The growl returned untill we saw a group of hellhounds, some of them massive, looking at us. "Mrs. O' Leary, down girl."

Rang out a familiar voice. Percy Jackson strolled into our views, a crossbow slung over his shoulder. He leaned against a tree, staring at us. "Well well, what do we have here? You guys are lucky your not dead right now. We disabled most of the more deadly traps. If Anabeth didn't still feel a kinship with you Thalia, you three would be dead now. So," He took out his crossbow and aimed it at us. "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

A/N Omega Alpha Hydra, I picked my name for two reasons. One, because it sound cool. Beginning of Rant. Two, because to me, the aftermath of 9/11 was the last time America got behind anything worthwhile. I personally think American society is in a bad place right now. What with all these rich people raising a fuss about abortion, and gay people, and black lives matter. I do not believe in abortion. I believe in natural conception until natural death. If you kill a unborn baby, you are commiting an act of murder. I am a Catholic, and proud of it. I belive those who back the black lives matter movement are either ignorant blacks or people who refuse to see the truth. I have nothing against blacks, some of my best friends are blacks, but I find the "cops are targeting black men" ridiculous. Take Micheal brown in ferguson. He attacked and almost killed a police officer. After he had just robbed a store down the street. The cop shot to kill. I support that. If you fight a cop, you get what you deserve. And there was no reason for the days of rioting that cost millions of dollars in damages. If the founding fathers saw America today, they would not recognize it for its values.