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Percy stretched his arms over his head as he stepped out from his father's cabin. He was the sole person that used it and as a result, his night's rest was far greater than it used to be back when he had been unclaimed or his parental lineage unknown. He would miss having others nearby to speak with, play with or simply enjoy the conversations that would pop up, but when he seldom spent any time inside of his father's cabin outside of sleep as a result of the lack of others being present, it wasn't too bad.
"Percy!" Grover greeted as he came over with the typical gait of his kind. "Good morning, Percy. Have a good night's rest?"
"Mostly. I miss Annabeth," Percy looked away from Grover and in the direction that Artemis' Hunters had gone off to. "If only they would have arrived a few seconds sooner or if I was able to beat Doctor Thorn. We'll have to go and find her soon, as soon as we can. Staying here doesn't make sense."
Grover's left leg kicked at the ground and tossed up a bit of dirt as he made a contemplative noise. "She'll be back before too long. We can get her or somebody else will… don't be too reckless this time, Percy. Please."
Percy held up his hands. "I'll be patient. We'll hear what they want to do before too much longer, I think. It'll all go well or we can go on our own little quest. Come on, right? Look what we did last year. This time, we'll beat Doctor Thorn and get Annabeth back."
That seemed to be the end of that brief conversation, and then, the two found themselves moving towards the camp of the Hunters. They had set one up under Zoe's watchful eyes when they had arrived at the camp rather than strictly using Artemis' cabin, which stuck out as strange to Percy. He heard something about them liking the open night sky so that they could see the star constellations and other such visuals that were important to them, but he didn't know all that much about the Hunters.
That was by design too, from what he could tell. Artemis didn't like it when any boy looked too closely at any of her Hunters and Zoe especially would be vocal about how she felt towards boys or men or even man-things. There was a story there that he wasn't all that certain about. If Annabeth were with him, she probably would know it by heart or come to learn it from Zoe easily. Percy was supposed to be the one that was good with others, but Zoe wouldn't even give him a chance… maybe he could gradually fix that by visiting her, and speaking with her and Bianca.
Yeah. That would be cool if it worked. He could show Zoe and the other Hunters that not all men were evil, bad or whatever thoughts they had about them. That could help her English too, the others were already getting on her for her usage of 'Thee' or 'Thou' as it was, and she was slowly improving even if she complained about how often the language changed.
"What do you know about Artemis' Hunters, Grover?" Percy asked as they grew closer and closer to the small camp the girls had put up.
Grover shrugged. "Not much. They don't seem to dislike me, but I hope that's not because they don't think of me as a boy… hmm. Oh, they're really good hunters, I can tell you that much."
Percy laughed and hit his friend on the back. "The Hunters of Artemis are really good Hunters? You don't say, Grover."
"I do," Grover said with a nod before he laughed too, realising what Percy meant. "Are we actually going to go and talk with them instead of having an early start on breakfast? I could really go for some ca—"
"Percy! Grover!" Came the voice of Nico, Bianca's brother and the more energetic and youthful of the two siblings as he sprinted over to Percy and Grover. "You're both awake, finally! I've been waiting for you both. I wanted to see Bianca, but when I went over, one of the other girls shooed me away. Can you help me find her? It's been a day, and that's more than it's been in a long time."
Percy didn't want to go and find Bianca exclusively, he would much rather speak with Zoe on account of his earlier thoughts, but Nico and Bianca felt as if they were partly his responsibilities even if they were at the camp with him by this point. Bianca may be a Hunter of Artemis now and immortal as a result, but that was only just the case. Not even a week prior and she was the same as her brother, a younger Half-Blood that needed help just as much as any of the others when they were first experiencing the world of… no-longer mythology.
"Let's go and find her then, we were just on our way to speak with Zoe," Percy finally said with a nod to the younger boy and again, just like that, the group of them were off and headed towards the temporary Hunters camp.
It didn't take too long before the three boys were at their destination, much to the annoyance of the gathered middle-school-aged girls.
That didn't bother Percy all that much. With a smile on his face, he waved to the group before him — including the annoyed-looking Zoe — and spoke to them. "Good morning."
"It was a very good morning, you are right," Zoe said as she drew a few steps closer to Percy and his two companions. "For what purpose have you come to our camp, Percy? My Lady has told you oft when added to myself about our thoughts related to men, or in your case, boys, and yet you persist in your visiting of us. There must be a reason instead of innate juvenile curiosity."
Percy shrugged. "I wanted to see how you all were doing and if you've heard anything from Artemis."
Zoe looked unimpressed with Percy's words. "My Lady hasn't returned from her hunt, and there has been no information regarding your companion who was taken captive. Your Camp Elder would tell you if there was anything, I am sure."
"Maybe. Maybe not too, he might think I'd run off after her," Percy said with a smile and grin.
"You would," Grover said nervously. He opened his mouth to say more, but he stopped and remained quiet, closing his mouth.
"Enlightening. If th— you would see this conversation finished elsewhere, I would be pleased," Zoe gestured back whence they had come, but paused for a second or thereabout when she saw Nico. "You may visit with your sister briefly, child. I would not keep family from one another should they have roots as deeply entwined with one another as the pair of you possess."
Nico didn't say anything more than the briefest of 'thank yous' before he was off in a direction of his own, one that had been pointed out by Zoe. It led to a few tents further away from the centre of the camp.
"Thanks for letting him visit Bianca, and thanks for allowing us to stop by," Percy said politely to Zoe when it was not but the three of them. "Grover and I will leave you to whatever it is that you're all doing today. I'll let you know if I hear anything about Artemis or Annabeth too."
Zoe didn't say anything in response to Percy's parting words. She simply raised one eyebrow and watched in silence as the two boys turned to leave. There was a hint of animosity or dislike in her gaze, but it was better than outright hatred the likes of which he had seen when first they spoke. It was close enough to that, he supposed.
One of these days, he would wear her down until they became friends.
When Percy rose this morning, it was after a far more restless night of 'rest'. He had dreamt of Annabeth with Luke, and in the former's case, she was lifting up the roof of some cave or something of that nature. He knew that his dreams, like most dreams of those at the camp, could be important. Often times he would speak with Annabeth about them, for her wisdom and overall expertise in planning were the greatest gift he could ever ask to have in a friend. Without her here to help him go over the meaning, he was stuck.
What do I do?
That question weighed heavily on his mind, especially as time continued on past him. A time that Annabeth wasn't nearby to call him seaweed-brain or fish-boy. If there wasn't news about Annabeth soon, he would go on his own journey to find her. His father would get a good offering, and Percy would see to that since he would most assuredly need all the help he could get.
Percy felt anxious and helpless. There wasn't much if anything he could do at this current point in time to help Annabeth. He had promised Grover to be patient and wait, but if time continued to pass him by with no progress or word, he would simply do what he had to so that he could ensure she was safe and sound.
He left the cabin of his father with that thought on his mind, and as he always would do on the morning, he sought out the company of Grover. It didn't take too long before he found his friend, and as soon as he did, the two were off in a usual direction; the Hunters' camp.
Percy wanted to visit them once more. Zoe was smart — if also very rude — and perhaps, maybe, he could take the time to learn a bit from her. She was certainly old based on how she spoke, so that had to count for something.
"What do you think, Grover?" Percy asked as they continued on the little path that would eventually see them at the sight of the Hunters' camp.
"What do I think about what?" Grover asked as he stopped his chomping on a small tin can, a little frown on his face as he stopped his morning snack.
Percy let out a little laughter after seeing his friend's face, but he focused back on what mattered and brought the previous matter back to the centre of their conversation. "Annabeth and everything else? I had a dream that she was holding a ceiling of a cave, Luke was in it, but that was it. I don't know what it means, I don't know why she'd be in a cave, I don't even know why it's taken as long as it has for us to go after her."
Grover went silent in thought. All that could be heard was distant laughter or conversation thanks to their fellow campers, the noises of birds or other beings in the woods the further they entered them, and finally, as they drew even closer, the smell of smoke from the fires the Hunters had made.
Only then, when they were within fifty feet or so of the camp and the tents were starting to appear before them, did Grover finally respond. It was in his usual fashion too, contrary to the hopes of Percy.
"I don't know why she'd be holding up a cave room with Luke. The Gods take as long as they want to too, your dad was actually a little more helpful than I thought he'd be last year, actually. Most people never get that level of helpful interference. Annabeth will be fine, you'll see," Grover finished with a reassuring smile and a loud bite into the can, right as the pair were stopped in their tracks by another Hunter.
"Go no further, Percy Jackson. Lady Zoe will not have you today. She is ill and clouded in ill-fated dreams, and company would only make her feel worse and her mind more troubled," the girl said, her hands on her hips and her eyes filled with a steely resolve; she almost looked ready for a fight, but Percy wouldn't give her one.
He shrugged. "Wish her to feel better for me, please. We'll visit another time — thank you."
The girl furrowed her brows as Percy and Grover promptly turned around and left whence they came. Percy wasn't too bothered by it. There was more that he could do and maybe, finally, he could get to speak with Mister D. or anybody who could do more than the bare minimum. If he were lucky, perhaps he would even find himself on another quest. He would trade the next fifty he would get if it meant he could save his friend with just this one.
Zoe Nightshade was gone on a quest.
Not just her either. She had taken Bianca as a replacement, Thalia who had seemed giddy beyond belief for the chance and Grover. Grover, his friend and the person who had been at his side for longer than Percy had known the truth. Grover, his companion on an earlier quest and perhaps his best friend… tied with Annabeth. All of them were gone on a quest to Mount Tamalpais. Percy had overheard the quest, he was near to Zoe when it had been given, and so that was why he was doing what he currently found himself in the middle of.
He packed a backpack full of food and clothes for himself. Everything that he could get ahold of, from money and food to clothes and an extra pair of shoes, he grabbed all that he would need for a quest of his own. Zoe hadn't picked him on account of her dislike for men and she claimed that a Satyr was fine. Maybe they would do just fine, maybe all of them would be alright and make it to Artemis and Annabeth, but there was the chance that something bad happened.
In the quest itself, it was claimed that, at the very least, one wouldn't return. Percy knew of the dangers that quests could face. He wasn't that stupid, especially since he had seen them firsthand. He couldn't leave Grover to whatever faced him by himself, just the same as he couldn't let Annabeth linger any more than she already had just for this question to be officially started; he would follow Grover and the others to make sure that they were safe, and during the final fight, he would make sure he jumped in to help them. It sounded easy enough, but then again, planning for potential problems or stuff similar to that wasn't exactly his speciality.
No. He was more of a person that would charge in, get through with his skill or luck and make sure that everybody was alright. That was all that he had to do, and it would work. It had worked.
Percy nodded a few times to himself, uttered a prayer to his father and then, he left through the front of his cabin. Every step he took would see him farther and farther away from his father's cabin and closer to his friends. Everything would be back to the way it was supposed to be before too much longer. He cou—
"Percy? Where are you going?"
It came from Nico. The younger boy was only a few steps behind Percy when he looked over his shoulder, and he was dressed warmly, and in black. There seemed to be no small amount of anxiety and other nervousness on his face, and if even Percy could tell, that meant the boy was feeling really bad.
Percy smiled softly and whispered to the boy. "Could you keep a secret?"
Nico nodded animatedly. "Yeah," he said, whisper-yelling as he drew closer to Percy.
"I'm going after your sister, Grover and the others," Percy said to him. "You can't tell anybody. I need this to be a surprise — I'm not supposed to go with them, but I can't leave them by themselves, you know?"
"Can I come with you?" Nico asked. It was a question that Percy dreaded, but still, he shook his head in the negative despite the crestfallen appearance that appeared on the younger boy's face as a result.
"No," Percy said finally. "It'll be dangerous. I won't be able to make sure we're both safe, and I can't risk letting anything happen to you. Your sister would beat me up if I did."
Nico laughed, but after a few seconds, he looked closer at Percy and with a seriousness that somebody as young as him shouldn't be able to manage. "When you find her, will you keep her safe like you will with Grover? He's your friend just like Bianca and I are, right? I've heard people say that you do everything for your friends."
Percy wanted to say that he couldn't promise anything. If he did, it could go wrong or he could fail. He didn't want anybody to be hurt or killed, and he didn't want anybody to be taken, but there wasn't anything that he could do to stop Thorn. That man had beaten him, Grover and Annabeth.
At the same time, the look that Nico was giving him and the hope the boy needed were evident. Nico was scared for his sister. He was probably nervous since he had spent so much time with her too, so what could Percy really do? There was only one option the way that he saw it, and he wasn't all that excited about it.
"I'll keep her safe. I'll bring Bianca back for you," Percy finally said.
Nico smiled at him and left after a bit of urging, leaving Percy with his thoughts and a very long journey ahead of him. He hoped he would make it to the others before too much time passed. Whensoever they camped out for the night, he would do the same, and he would make sure that he stayed nearby. Grover wouldn't be taken like Annabeth was, Bianca had to be taken care of now that he'd promised and the others… Zoe and Thalia would make it too, even if Zoe seemed to hate him and Thalia didn't need the help.
In a way, they were all his friends whether they knew it or not. Now, Percy just had to hope that Dionysus didn't go after him, Chiron either. As long as those two stayed put, Percy could see his plans through.
Annabeth would be saved from Luke. Artemis, wherever she was, would be rescued too and everybody else on the quest would be just fine; he'd make sure that Annabeth didn't think about joining the other girls either. She wouldn't be a good hunter. Annabeth would be far better at Camp, with him, where she belonged.
Percy finally stopped in the woods with his sword in his hand. His sleeve was ripped from where the skeletons hadn't gotten ahold of him, but it hadn't been horrible. He may be a bit bloody from the grab, but he had learned from following after the Thorn. Percy learned of a man named 'the General' and he saw Luke, but most of all, he confirmed two very important things. Annabeth was alive — and mostly well — and was, in fact, holding up some sort of ceiling. The rest of the details were secondary, mainly that Zoe's group was being hunted by skeletons… or were going to be hunted by skeletons. Percy knew that those creatures would be going after him now instead of the group. It was a good trade. He could escape from them as often and easily as he needed to, but fighting them would require far more effort.
He wasn't even sure if he could destroy them. They were made from dinosaur teeth and seemed just as strong as they were quick-acting. He half-thought after all that he had learned that it would be worth telling the others and outing himself as following their group. That didn't sound as if it were too bad of an idea to him, not initially.
Zoe would be angry, he knew that. Bianca was sweet and kind, she thought of him as a helpful person on account of what he'd done for her and her brother with the others. Thalia was his rival, but also his friend. Grover was Grover.
I won't tell them. Not yet. I'll keep watching and distracting whoever's chasing them. If they can get to Annabeth without anybody stopping them, she'll be saved and they'll be out of the way of danger. Gods, she'd be mad if I was trying to do all this by myself… in hindsight, maybe charging ahead and grabbing the cloth that belonged to Zoe wasn't the greatest idea I had.
Percy huffed and sought out Blackjack. They would follow after the others from a safe distance so that he didn't distract them, and maybe when they were nearly together and if a time came when he needed to show himself, he wouldn't be that far away from them. Still, he'd have to keep some level of distance just thanks to Zoe. She wasn't used to the huge cities or all that good with English, but he figured that she'd be able to tell if he was tailing them too closely with however many centuries of experience that she had.
Based on her English too, that was a whole lot of centuries.
Percy had seen off Blackjack. His trusty friend — and friend worked — had finally left him at the urging of Percy. He was increasingly harder to get around on thanks to all the people that were moving around and not only that, but Percy knew that he was being hunted while he was on the ground. It didn't make sense for him to risk Blackjack's safety with all of those skeletons chasing after him.
The mist would change them too. They could look like anybody to regular people, but what they looked like didn't matter, it was the danger they represented that did. Thus far, however, all had been well or well enough. The skeletons hadn't attacked him, which meant they were behind him tracking him; they couldn't ambush him unless their masters were just as smart as Annabeth. That wasn't because he had a plan either, it was because he was following the others and going from sidewalk to sidewalk, building to building or just about anywhere that you could think about.
At the moment, he was watching them while they ate some street food, hot dogs, he thought. They had them wrapped up in some napkins as they ate them voraciously, and Percy was watching them talk as they took that breather for food. None of them looked so much as scratched, nor did they look out of breath, nervous or anything of the sort. They actually looked energetic and happy, excited too, as if the journey ahead wasn't as dangerous as he now knew it to be.
He had to give it to Zoe too after hearing the prophecy. Somebody wouldn't make it back and she was already one short on the quest, which meant each of their odds went a bit higher when it came to the end, but she continued to move forward knowing all of that. She would have made a good friend if she didn't hate boys.
Percy looked over his shoulder at that point, and when he did, he saw something in the distance that was incredibly obvious. Two skeletons were walking slowly along one of the sidewalks and ignoring all of the looks that were sent towards them. They were dressed in grey police uniforms and moving alongside one another. The disguise made sense when he thought about it, but that would also prove problematic if anything had to happen. He would be fighting with cops for anybody to see, and who knew how that would end?
No, he had to move and he had to get the others to do the same. The General guy, Luke or any other person that was working with or for them could be just behind the skeletons or even ahead of them if they seemed to know as much about this quest as they thought they did. Percy would have to speak with the others, he would have to reveal himself and tell them what he had heard and seen as well as what he had done, and after doing so, he would separate from them to draw the skeletons away. It was the best that he could do. It was the best chance that they, Annabeth and Artemis too, maybe, would have.
"Where are you going?" Thalia asked, her tone far less angry than it had been when she had found out he had been following after them.
"I'm going away from here," Percy said with a shrug and smile as he gestured across the street and down aways. "The Skeletons aren't after Zoe or Bianca. I stole the cloth before they could get their scents, so they're only after me. I'll lead them away, Gods, they're really close — I saw two of them before I met up with you to tell you about them."
Grover seemed nervous at the prospect of Percy leaving and he spoke up. "It's more dangerous if you go by yourself. You should stay with us. Zoe's already said you could."
Percy shook his head. "I can buy you some time and distract the skeletons. That's more important and it'll let you guys handle whatever else they've set up for you. I'll be fine, Grover. When do I ever get hurt?"
"Don't be daft, cretin," Zoe said suddenly and without even turning her head to look at Percy. "If the words with which you speak are true, then it was no dinosaur tooth that those skeletons are spawned from. They were made from the teeth of dragons, and oft times tales have been told of their indestructibility. You'll not be able to defeat them alone, perhaps not even with us, but numbers stand greater chances when faced with a conflict that must be overcome."
Percy shook his head one more time. "I can buy you time and make sure they don't get in your wa—" he dove to the side with the others as something lept past them… he was very thankful the museum they found themselves in was empty. He wasn't sure how the mist would cover that up.
"Nemean Lion, My Lady, how I wish thou were here," Zoe muttered as she grabbed the bow off from her back and readied it with an arrow knocked in one fluid motion as she barked out an order to Bianca. "Go, Bianca. Find somewhere high and strike the beast before us true."
Percy shook his head and drew out riptide, the sword forming within a second while Thalia took to her spear. Grover stayed back with his slingshot, but he was exceedingly nervous… Percy was too. He had seen one of these creatures before and it was a sight to see. He wasn't sure how he could beat it, but with Zoe and the others here, they had to try. There wasn't much time either, not with those skeletons only Gods knew where.
Thus, he did the only thing that he could think of despite how stupid a plan it was. He charged the Lion with riptide raised in the air, Thalia did the same at his opposite side all the while Zoe and Bianca rained down arrows on the lion's pelt. Perhaps they would land a lucky shot in its eye or nose, or maybe Percy would have to kill it himself.
He would find out soon enough.
Percy drove forward and danced around to the lion's left when it swiped one very large, very sharp-clawed paw at him. The miss was narrow, but it was a miss nonetheless and Percy took that chance to get a slash of his own. Riptide, his trusty sword that had served him well previously, did nought but bounce off of the paw of the lion with no blood or trace of it. This Nemean Lion made Percy wish that Artemis was here too if only for the knowledge the Goddess possessed. She most of all would know how to slay the Nemean Lion.
"Percy!" He heard yelled out by a girl moments before the Lion managed to hit him with one of its giant club-like paws. He was lucky that the claws didn't get him, but even then, the impact sent him flying until his back connected with the solid wall, and after doing so, he felt incredibly winded.
This fight was beyond them. None of their arrows would pierce the thing's hide and none of their attacks by way of spear or sword were doing anything. If that continued for much longer, they would have to cut their losses and retreat before anybody was truly wounded… unless he could think of something.
There was food nearby. He remembered seeing the packages of astronaut food — it was dehydrated junk that nobody really cared to have, least of all the astronauts that it was meant to feed. Maybe, just maybe, they could get some of that and throw it to the Lion. If people hated it, animals should too, or so he figured.
"Thalia! Move back," Percy yelled as he took off in a sprint towards the nearby food that was now spread throughout a good deal of the museum thanks to the Lion. As soon as his hands found purchase in it, he ripped off the lid and turned to face the Lion as it approached him, one arrow, two arrows, three arrows, all of them fell harmlessly from its back as it drew ever closer.
It roared at him. Those sharp teeth and the horrible, bone-chilling sound nearly stunned him, but Percy was brave. He threw the food towards the mouth of the creature and when it entered, it began to heave and raise its mouth so that it could send out whatever he had thrown inside of it, and it was at that moment that somebody struck. One arrow went inside of it's giant, gaping maw and that was all it took before the Nemean Lion, one of the most fearsome beasts, was nought but a pelt on the ground.
"Did we do it?" Grover yelled from his place a good thirty or forty feet away.
Percy laughed at his friend's distance and nodded as he answered him. "Yeah," he said as he beckoned Grover closer to him. "Yeah, we've done it. Come on, Grover, get over here."
Thalia walked up to Percy's side now that everything was over. She had a few faint scratches that tore up the front of her shirt, and there seemed to be a bit of spittle in her hair from the rawr, but she looked as if she had gotten away from the Lion with barely any scratches when compared to him. Gods, he was stupid to try and fight it. She had pulled away and stuck to taking opportunistic jabs whilst he had practically tried to fight it all by himself with nought but archers as support.
I really need Annabeth back before I get myself killed.
"You're crazy," Thalia said dryly at him before she smiled wide and punched him in the shoulder. "That was awesome! You were fighting a Nemean Lion even though you knew you couldn't hurt it. You're hardcore, Percy."
"He has the same bravery that only the most reckless warriors throughout history have had. It is a burden on those who care for them, for with that bravery comes death and heartache, in time," Zoe added as she approached with Bianca at her side, the pair still having their bows out even as the former grabbed the pelt, rubbed a hand on it… before passing it over to Percy. "Take it, Percy Jackson, 'tis yours more so than mine."
Percy shook his head and didn't reach out to take the pelt from Zoe's arms. "You shot the arrow that killed it. That should be yours."
"If not for the clever idea that caused the Lion to open its maw in disgust, the shot with which I ended its life would not have happened, for the opportunity, I would not have had — you are clever and deserving of your reputation. Take the pelt, son of Poseidon, before I force it upon thee," Zoe shot him a look that told him she wasn't joking at that point, and so with a smile on his face at her action, he raised his hands in surrender and made to accept the pelt.
No sooner than it was in his hands and out of hers, did it turn into some sort of jacket or coat. He wasn't sure how or why that was, but he wore it nonetheless… for all of a few seconds before he shrugged it off and decided to put it on another.
"Bianca," Percy called. "Here. Put this on."
Zoe side-eyed him as he drew closer and made to hand over the jacket to the younger girl. There was an obvious hint of distrust in her eyes and how she looked at him. "You know not the prize you give away, brave fool."
Percy smiled at her and smiled wider when Bianca put it on after a few seconds of hesitation. "I know exactly what I'm giving up, but I've decided that she needs it more. She's younger than the rest of us and she isn't used to this. You picked a strong girl with a lot of willpower, but I'd like to make her as safe as I can," he leaned a bit closer to Bianca, though he was certain to keep his distance on account of Zoe; he wanted to hug the girl, but he refrained. "I'll get something for your brother too. I can't play favourites."
Bianca smiled shyly and looked away from him under the scrutiny of Zoe, but even under that scrutiny, the girl didn't forget her manners. "Thank you, Percy."
Those words made him grin at her, and then he pointed at the exit. "It's time to get going, right? Unless we're waiting for those skeletons."
The group didn't seem too fond of that idea, and so they exited the empty portion of the museum, leaving through 'locked' doors and going through a few sets of them until they were out and in a wide-open area with many, many people. It was far busier than any place had any right to be, and yet, there were hundreds of people milling about.
"Do you think anybody will raise an alarm or something because of the part we fought in?" Grover asked, the question leaving the other boy's mouth a few seconds before Percy nearly said something similar.
"I don't know," Percy answered with a shrug. "Maybe they'll raise the alarm if they have one, but the mist has a funny way of handling any problems like that. Who knows what it'll do about everything we've… just… done. They're here."
Percy spotted two of them right as he finished speaking. Two of the skeletons were with them now, and this time, they were dressed as security guards with the mist concealing what monsters they truly were to the many people smiling politely at them or those that waved at them. If only they knew.
"There's not a ton that we can do while the people are here, and there's not a ton that they can do short of stopping us… if we can get away until we're off of the museum's premises, they won't even be able to do that," Thalia said as she hastened the group's pace, Zoe doing the same with Bianca as she ensured the newest hunter's safety.
I know what I've got to do here, don't I? We'll never make it with them constantly on our tails.
"You know, they're only after me and that Lion was probably hunting all of you," Percy said aloud as they continued nonchalantly through the tightly-packed museum, their eyes and destination being one of the many sets of twin doors that would see them safely out of the building.
"Speak plainly your meaning," Zoe said from behind him, her words as short-sounding as ever.
He didn't look at her, but he winked at Grover before he patted the other boy on the shoulders. "I can do what I told you I'd do earlier — I'll distract them and lead them the wrong way. If that Lion was the only thing after you and these skeletons are after me, we can see the rest of the way's clear if I can get rid of them. It sounds good to me."
"It's dangerous," Grover said, shaking his head.
Thalia stayed silent while Bianca seemed to agree with Grover, muttering something about boys' love for dangerous things, but the most adamantly outspoken person against his plan was the person he would have thought would go for it the most. Especially since it would mean that he was out of the group.
"Do you wish to die and have your name be ingrained in a tale of your own, Percy Jackson?" Zoe asked him, no spite in her tone despite the viciousness with which her words were said. "In your possession is a wondrous blade, and at your back are friends of the truest manner. Should thee wish it, mine self will strike you down when you prove disloyal or yourself to be a cretin. Until such a time comes, tho— you are the fifth member of our quest. Your safety and health are my responsibility, and every moment we delay is a moment in which my Lady Artemis may be hurt or felled. Make haste lest I haft tie you to the back of the Satyr."
"Don't tie him to my back, he's heavy," Grover complained as he moved a bit faster and further away from Percy.
"If we can't bea—" Percy started, slightly frustrated since this was putting all of them in danger's way instead of solely himself.
Zoe shook her head. "You forget thineself, brave fool," she said. "Beat them, we cannot in a matter of force but too often men and boys choose not to use the greatest weapon the Gods gave to them."
"It's their brain, isn't it?" Thalia asked with a snort. "I can believe that. They always just try to fight and then they'll win and say they were right, or they'll die. I'd rather not have anybody die if it can be helped."
"Death will not claim one today so long as I can help it, now go. We'll make to lose them in the woods, for there is no better tracker or ranger than mine self short of our Lady Artemis, and if we mean to conceal ourselves, I know the ways we can do so safely and most effectively," Zoe said, gesturing into the distance, where the woods would eventually creep upon them.
That was quite a ways away though, and unless they could get there fast, the skeletons would be on them. There were only two that they could see, after all, which meant all of the others were only Gods know where. If they were before them and laying in wait, that could be problematic… maybe they could go for the metro.
"I have an idea," Percy said suddenly. "Thalia, do you know how to get to the subway?"
Thalia furrowed her brows for a few seconds before she slowly nodded. "I think I do, why? Are we going to take a train somewhere?"
Percy nodded rapidly as they continued their quick walking away from the pursuing skeletons. "We'll lose them on the trains, and once we've lost them, we'll make a break for it. They won't be used to the crowds or the trains like we are."
Zoe interjected then. "The cover of nature is not so far away, and I know not of these trains that you speak of. Explain thoroughly, Thalia."
Thalia was just about to do as much when Percy spotted something from out of the corner of his line of sight. Two more of the Skeletons had arrived, and with them now nearby and the other two after them, they were slowly being pinched into a tight spot without the others even taking notice of their new friends. Percy nodded a few times to himself as he went over what he could do, and there was one resolution that stuck out most of all.
It was the best he could do, and should the worst come to pass, he still had Annabeth's cap. His Wise Girl's hat… with that, maybe he could skedaddle away from the skeletons if they really managed to pack him into a corner. He could pray to the gods that would be the case.
"Grover," Percy whispered, getting the other boy's attention as Thalia continued to explain to Zoe what a train and subway station was. "Make sure nothing happens to them, can you do that?"
Grover looked at Percy nervously and curiously. "You'll do a better job of that than I do. You're the brave one, I'm just the handsome one."
Percy laughed with his friend and patted him one more time on the back. "I'll see you soon, Grover."
"Wha—"
Like that, Percy tore away from his companions in a dead sprint back towards the portion of the museum whence they had come from. He heard his name be called by multiple people, and the loudest of all was by Grover. The others, well he couldn't quite make out thanks to the sudden uproar of the crowd around him as he ran, inciting panic, but he could see that the skeletons were all closing in on him and moving with a degree of speed he hadn't thought they were capable of.
Maybe this wasn't his best idea, but this was what had to be done and if that was the case, he would see it through.
Percy ignored the calls of his friends as he ran into the museum, and like that, he was away from them once more with those pesky skeletons nipping at his heels. Gods did he wish Annabeth was here with him. She would have come up with a plan on the fly, but now that was his job.
He was gasping for breath and his lungs felt as if they were on fire, but still, Percy went on. The muscles of his legs were burning in anguish, he was certain he'd rolled an ankle, but finally, with his hands on his knees and his head looking down at the ground, he was certain he had lost the skeletons. It had taken crowd after crowd of people, three trains, a few busses and even one trip near an airport, but he finally thought that he had gotten rid of them… now he had to find the others again.
Percy ditched his shirt and the pair of pants he had worn in two different locations in the hopes of his scent sending the skeletons astray. If that bought him some time whilst he looked for the others, that would be great, but he didn't know all that much about them save for their sense of smell or ability to track, or whatever it was that they did with that cloth of his that they'd taken.
"You alright, young man?"
Those few words made Percy nearly jump out of his skin as he turned around as fast as he could to look at the source of the voice. It was an older man perhaps seventy or eighty years old and in a fine suit. He looked healthy and well-kept and he had an air about him that seemed to fit that of a grandfather.
"I'm alright, I guess. I've been… exercising a lot today, so I'm just catching my breath," Percy said with a polite smile as he went into a fully-standing position. He didn't completely trust the old man, there were too many beings capable of disguising themselves and while this person could be friendly, he didn't want to be caught off-guard.
"I see. Exercising is quite good for you, but not if you're lacking something to recover with — here," the old man reached into his pocket, withdrew a wallet that nearly had Percy jump with the quickness of his action, and finally, he took out a few bills to hand over, at which point he said the word 'here' for Percy. "Fifty-three dollars. Grab something to eat and keep the rest."
Percy blinked a few times. "Are you sure you don't need this?"
The old man waved him off. "Take it, take it," the man said with a scoff. "Go on, I'm sure you've got more to do than speak to an old man. Travel safely, young man. You best get back to your exercising before you forget your way home."
That's a weird thing to say.
"Thank you, sir," Percy said respectfully before he promptly got away from the creepy older man.
Those words and his kindness went at odds with one another, but Percy shrugged it off and started back towards the museum as a baseline. If he could find some sort of clue as to where they had gone after he'd taken the skeletons away, maybe he could catch up to them. If not, he'd have to get Blackjack back or find some other means of travel so that he could catch up to them. That would be pretty difficult, but he'd manage. He had to.
His part in the quest, in the journey to save Annabeth and Artemis, couldn't be over quite yet. There was much more that he could do to save the pair of them, and he would see it through.