Answers to reviews:
KINGKAIJU5: Are you just now realizing this? But yeah, their first meeting will be what you'd expect from Devil May Cry.
WhereIcannotbecrucified: Ignoring the wonderbra bit, here you go.
Bromega2477: Well, motherhood changed her.
ultima-owner: I don't think Artemis would EVER weak makeup.
shirkahn: Oh, Damian will be like that. Though that may come later.
ayatoamagiri3425: Thanks.
Disclaimer: I do not own Devil May Cry or Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I only own the OC Damian Redgrave.
About ten minutes after Percy went to see the Oracle, the son of Poseidon came back down from the attic, looking quite pale. Having been told what the Oracle was, Damian figured anyone would feel the same as Percy if they saw a corpse... save for himself of course.
"You okay?" He asked his friend.
"Y-Yeah." Percy nodded, taking a seat and inhaling deeply before exhaling.
"Well?" Chirion asked expectantly.
"She said I would retrieve what was stolen." Percy said after a moment to gain his wits back.
Grover sat forward, chewing excitedly on the remains of a Diet Coke can. "That's great!"
"What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron pressed. "This is important."
"She... she said I and another would go west and face a god who had turned. I would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."
"I knew it," Grover said.
Chiron didn't look satisfied. "Anything else?"
Damian looked at Percy, seeing hesitation in his eyes and knew there was something else he had been told by the Oracle, but whatever it was... troubled Percy greatly.
"No. That's about it." Percy lied. Damian stared at him but said nothing, however he would find out what was troubling Percy at a later time.
Chiron seemed to come to the same conclusion as he studied Percy's expression before giving a small nod. "Very well, Percy. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass."
"So, this god that has turned... who could that be?" Damian asked the centaur.
"And which god can be found west?" Percy added.
Ah, think, Percy," Chiron said. "If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain?"
"Somebody else who wants to take over?" Percy guessed.
"Yes, quite. Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken."
"Hades." Damian said with a frown.
Chiron nodded. "The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility."
A scrap of aluminum dribbled out of Grover's mouth. "Whoa, wait. Wh-what?"
"A Fury came after Percy," Chiron reminded him. "She watched the young man until she was sure of his identity, then tried to kill him. Furies obey only one lord: Hades."
"Yes, but—but Hades hates all heroes," Grover protested. "Especially if he has found out Percy is a son of Poseidon..."
"Two hellhounds got into the forest," Chiron continued. "Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Hades must have a spy here. He must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill this young half-blood before he can take on the quest."
"Great," Percy muttered. "That's two major gods who want to kill me."
Damian was about to say something when his attention focused on something over Chiron's shoulder, a ripple in the air as if someone was moving... but he couldn't see them. However, it became clearer when a scent hit his nose. It smelt a little like vanilla shampoo and the smell of ink could also be found, and there was only one person he knew who smelled like that.
'Didn't know you had it in you. Annabeth.' Damian thought with a small smirk as he looked in the direction of the ripple and gave a discreet winking, hearing a quiet, gasp of surprise.
"So let me get this straight," Percy said, bringing Damian's attention to the conversation at hand and he realized he must've missed a bit while seeking out Annabeth. "I'm supposed go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead."
"Check," Chiron said.
"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe."
"Check."
"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days."
"That's about right."
Percy sighed before he looked at Damian first, but the son of Artemis had a firm expression on his face as he crossed his arms.
"You ain't doing this alone. I'm with you, every step of the way." He said, fist bumping Percy who gave him a grateful smile. He knew he could count on Damian to have his back as always. He then looked at Grover.
"Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" he asked weakly.
"You don't have to go," Percy told him. "I can't ask that of you.
"Oh ..." He shifted his hooves. "No ... it's just that satyrs and underground places ... well..."
He took a deep breath, then stood, brushing the shredded cards and aluminum bits off his T-shirt. "You and Damian saved my life, Percy. If ... if you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let you down."
Percy smiled. "All the way, g-man."
"So... wanna join as well, Annabeth?" Damian asked loudly, staring directly at where the ripple appeared. Percy and Grover looked surprised while Chiron did not. Just behind the centaur, Annabeth appeared with her cap in hand.
"I've been waiting a long time for a quest, seaweed brain," she said. "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up."
"If you do say so yourself," Percy said. "I suppose you have a plan, wise girl?"
Annabeth blushed. "Do you want my help or not?"
Percy nodded. "A quartet. That'll work."
Annabeth looked at Damian. "How did you know I was there?"
Damian just tapped his nose. "The nose knows."
"Excellent," Chiron said. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own."
Lightning flashed. Rain poured down on the meadows that were never supposed to have violent weather.
"No time to waste," Chiron said. "I think you should all get packing."
Damian nodded and they all dispersed to go get packing.
Damian went to his mother's cabin, straight to his section of it, and started packing some essentials like blankets, food supplies, first aid kid, ambrosia, viles of nectar, spare clothes. Afterwards, he grabbed his sword, guns and bow. He put his sword on the back of his hooded trench coat, along with the arrow quiver, then slung the bow over as well. He tied his gun holsters on the back of his waist underneath the coat, then adjusted the coat so they were well hidden.
Grabbing some drachma, Damian stuffed them into the pack as well along with mortal money. He doubted drachma would be accepted on buses and trains.
Now fully geared up and ready, Damian exited his room and shut the door which locked automatically and sealed up, ensuring nobody woukd enter... even though nobody would even enter the cabin for fear of earning Artemis' wrath. Damian exited the cabin, shutting the door behind him.
"Damian!" He heard and looked to see Silena and Clarisse approaching. The two girls frowned when they saw his weapons and backpack, with Silena asking. "Are you going somewhere?"
"Yeah, I am." Damian nodded. "Chiron may announce it at dinner tonight but I'll let you know now. I'm going on a quest with Percy, Annabeth and Grover."
While Silena didn't say anything, Clarisse did not exactly look to happy. "Why the hell are you all going on the quest and I'm not?! You, I understand since you hunt demons and have insane skills, as well as experience, but why Prissy and the blonde princess?" Clarisse said with a bit of venom.
Damian shrugged. "Percy was the one given the quest, Grover is his protector and Annabeth was already there when we agreed to go with him and made it clear she was coming with us."
Clarisse grumbled something under her breath, but it was so quiet that Damian didn't catch a word of what she said. He looked at Silena who had a worried expression on her face since Damian mentioned going on a quest.
"Hey, I'll be okay." He assured her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We all will."
"I-I know, it's just... there hasn't been a quest for a while and the last one didn't go so well." Silena said with worry. Although she was worried about all four of them not coming back, she was feeling more worried for the possibility of Damian not coming back. They were pretty good friends and, if she didn't know any better, she'd think she was developing a crush on the son of Artemis.
Damian pulled the raven-haired daughter of Aphrodite into a hug which she returned and hugged him tightly, burying her face into the crook of his neck. Clarisse watched the two, smirking slightly. Oh she was going to have fun teasing Silena about this. She can tell, just from the way they looked at each other, there was something developing between Silena and Damian.
Damian pulled back a little from the hug, his cheeks red but he placed his hands on Silena's shoulders. "I'll be back, I promise."
"You better... or Clarisse and I will kick your ass." Silena said with a small smile, getting a smirk and nod from Clarisse.
Damian rolled his eyes in amusement but grinned. "Okay, sure. I better go, the others will be waiting for me."
"You better do us proud, wolf boy. I won't tolerate disappointment." Clarisse said sternly.
Damian smirked at her. "Noted, war girl." With that, he walked away after giving them a wave of goodbye.
Coming up near Thalia's tree, Damian saw Chiron waiting in his wheelchair. Next to him stood a surfer-looking dude. According to Grover, the guy was the camp's head of security. He supposedly had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. Today, though, he was wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so Damian could only see extra peepers on his hands, face and neck.
Damian sent the centaur a nod before raising an eyebrow at the other guy. "The heck is this?"
"This is Argus," Chiron explained. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things."
Damian nodded then looked around, seeing he was the first to arrive. However, a couple of minutes passed fore Annabeth arrived next. She had brought her magic Yankees cap, which she told me had been a twelfth-birthday present from her mom. She carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, to read when she got bored, and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve. She was dressed in simple blue skinny jeans with blue converses and a grey shirt and jacket.
"If we go through a metal detector, that knife is going to get us into trouble." Damian said when he saw the knife.
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about it, we'll be fine. Besides, what about you?"
"I'll just say I'm acting for a movie." Damian shrugged.
Annabeth grinned. "Then I'll do the same."
Damian rolled his eyes. "Now you're just stealing my ideas."
"If it works, it works." Annabeth shrugged.
The next to come up the hill was Grover, who was back to wearing his fake legs. He wore what he use to wear when Damian knew him back in Yancy except he was wearing a multi coloured rasta-style hat on his head.
Then finally, Percy walked up with his backpack slung over his right shoulder. Once Percy had arrived, Chiron motioned to Argus and explained who he was and his purpose.
As the group began to walk down the hill and head towards the van they heard someone shout for them to wait. They turned to see Luke running up the hill and heading towards them while in his hands was what looked to be a pair of running shoes.
Percy and Annabeth greeted him while Damian and Grover hung back a little. Damian could also swear he saw Annabeth blush slightly when Luke appeared in front of her.
The three began to talk as Damian figured Luke was a little bummed out that he could not have gone with them just like Clarisse had been earlier.
The older blonde then stuck out his hand and handed over a pair of converses towards Percy who began to look them over with Annabeth doing the same.
Luke said, "Maia!"
White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels, startling Percy so much, he dropped them. The shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared.
"Awesome!" Grover said.
Luke smiled. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days..." His expression turned sad.
Damian frowned. He began to put the dots together that Luke must have been on the mission that did not end well. Looking the older blonde over and seeing the scar on his face, Damian took a wild guess to say that scar was a result of that quest. A scar to give him a reminder of the failure of the quest.
"Listen, Percy, Damian ..." Luke looked uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just ... kill some monsters for me, okay?"
Damian and Percy nodded. Luke patted Grover's head between his horns, then gave a good-bye hug to Annabeth, who looked like she might pass out.
After Luke was gone, Percy told her, "You're hyperventilating."
"Am not."
"You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?"
"Oh ... why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?"
She stomped down the other side of the hill, where a white SUV waited on the shoulder of the road. Argus followed, jingling his car keys.
Percy looked at the shoes. "Will I be able to use these?"
"Percy, the God of the Sky wants to kill you right now and you want to go into his domain which is the sky?" Damian asked with a raised eyebrow. "Do you not see the problem here?"
"Damian is correct." Chiron nodded. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air ... that would not be wise for you."
Percy nodded, disappointed, but then he got an idea. "Hey, Grover. You want a magic item?"
His eyes lit up. "Me?"
Pretty soon they'd laced the sneakers over his fake feet, and the world's first flying goat boy was ready for launch.
"Maia!" he shouted.
He got off the ground okay, but then fell over sideways so his backpack dragged through the grass. The winged shoes kept bucking up and down like tiny broncos.
"Practice," Chiron called after him. "You just need practice!"
"Aaaaa!" Grover went flying sideways down the hill like a possessed lawn mower, heading toward the van.
"Flying air goat. Never thought I'd see the day." Damian chuckled.
Before Damian and Percy could follow, Chiron caught their attention. "I should have trained you better, Percy," he said. "If only I had more time. Hercules, Jason—they all got more training."
"That's okay. I just wish—" Percy stopped himself as he cast a glance at the flying shoes Luke had given them, as well as a glance at Damian's bow and arrows. He wished his dad had given him something cool.
"What am I thinking?" Chiron cried. "I can't let you get away without this."
He pulled a pen from his coat pocket and handed it to Percy. It was an ordinary disposable ballpoint, black ink, removable cap. Probably cost thirty cents.
"Gee," Percy said dryly. "Thanks."
"Percy, that's a gift from your father. I've kept it for years, not knowing you were who I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You are the one."
Percy frowned as he eyed the pen. It looked... like the one he used at the museum against Mrs. Dodds. Could it be...? Without another word, he took off the cap, and the pen grew longer and heavier in his hand. In half a second, he held a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a leather-wrapped grip, and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs. It was the first weapon that actually felt balanced in my hand.
"The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into," Chiron told him. "Its name is Anaklusmos."
"'Riptide,'" Percy translated, surprised the Ancient Greek came so easily.
"Use it only for emergencies," Chiron said, "and only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals unless absolutely necessary, of course, but this sword wouldn't harm them in any case."
Percy looked at the wickedly sharp blade. "What do you mean it wouldn't harm mortals? How could it not?"
"The sword is celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, cooled in the River Lethe. It's deadly to monsters, to any creature from the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion. They simply are not important enough for the blade to kill. And I should warn you: as a demigod, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable."
"Good to know." Percy nodded.
"And Damian..." Chiron took out another pen and handed it to Damian. Curious, Damian took the cap off before his eyes widened when it transformed from a simple pen into a hunting knife that looked straight out of the Rambo movies. "This mysteriously showed up on my desk a few hours after you were claimed, so it was no doubt a gift from your mother."
'Thanks mom.' Damian thought with a smile as he held the knife in his grip, testing the weight and doing some flips with it.
"Now, recap them." Chiron told the boys.
They did so, and instantly their respective weapons shrank to a ballpoint pen again. "Neat." Damian commented, tucking it into his pocket as Percy did the same.
"You can't lose these, by the way." Chiron said, getting their attention again. "These are enchanted. It will always reappear in your pocket."
"Nice." Damian grinned and Percy nodded in agreement.
"Chiron ..." Percy said. "When you say the gods are immortal... I mean, there was a time before them, right?"
"Four ages before them, actually. The Time of the Titans was the Fourth Age, sometimes called the Golden Age, which is definitely a misnomer. This, the time of Western civilization and the rule of Zeus, is the Fifth Age."
"So what was it like ... before the gods?"
Chiron pursed his lips. "Even I am not old enough to remember that, child, but I know it was a time of darkness and savagery for mortals."
"Kronos ruled the fourth age, didn't he?" Damian asked. Chiron nodded warily, clearly he did not like hearing the Titan Lord's name.
"Kronos, the lord of the Titans, called his reign the Golden Age because men lived innocent and free of all knowledge. But that was mere propaganda. The Titan king cared nothing for your kind except as appetizers or a source of cheap entertainment. It was only in the early reign of Lord Zeus, when Prometheus the good Titan brought fire to mankind, that your species began to progress, and even then Prometheus was branded a radical thinker. Zeus punished him severely, as you may recall. Of course, eventually the gods warmed to humans, and Western civilization was born."
"But the gods can't die now, right?" Percy asked with a frown. "I mean, as long as Western civilization is alive, they're alive. So ... even if I failed, nothing could happen so bad it would mess up everything, right?"
Damian looked at Percy. "Not all of the Titans were killed during the Great War, Percy. Nearly all of them were imprisoned in Tartarus, deep in the Underworld. Kronos was chopped into pieces with his own scythe, but that doesn't mean he may not return one day. Let's just hope something like that never happens."
"No one knows how long the Age of the West will last." Chiron said, getting their attention again. "The gods are immortal, yes. But then, so were the Titans. They still exist, locked away in their various prisons, forced to endure endless pain and punishment, reduced in power, but still very much alive. May the Fates forbid that the gods should ever suffer such a doom, or that we should ever return to the darkness and chaos of the past. All we can do, children, is follow our destiny."
"Our destiny ... assuming we know what that is." Percy said.
"Relax," Chiron told me. "Keep a clear head. And remember, you may be about to prevent the biggest war in human history."
"Relax," Percy said. "I'm very relaxed."
With that said, Percy went off down the hill to join the others at the van. Damian made to follow when Chiron stopped him by his arm.
"Damian, please protect them." Chiron pleaded. "I know I should not be asking you of this but with Percy not having been trained enough, Grover's low confidence and my fear that Annabeth may get in too deep, I must ask you to watch over them. You are the only one with real experience and I fear for them. I know they will do fine when the time comes but my nerves can't help but be worried."
Damian nodded. "I will. They'll come home safe and sound, I promise."
Chiron nodded gratefully before Damian followed after them. He got into the van, sitting next to Annabeth before he closed the door and the van headed off towards the city with Chiron watching.
Argus drove them out of the countryside and into western Long Island. For Damian, it felt weird to be on a highway again, After two weeks at Half-Blood Hill, the real world seemed like a fantasy. The son of Artemis stared out the window, watching the mortals go about their normal lives, every kid in the back of his parents' car, every billboard and shopping mall.
"So far so good," He heard Percy say to Annabeth. "Ten miles and not a single monster."
The daughter of Athena gave the son of Poseidon an irritated look. "It's bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain."
"Remind me again—why do you hate me so much?"
"I don't hate you."
"Could've fooled me."
She folded her cap of invisibility. "Look ... we're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals."
"Why?"
She sighed. "How many reasons do you want? One time my mom caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena's temple, which is hugely disrespectful. Another time, Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron god for the city of Athens. Your dad created some stupid saltwater spring for his gift. My mom created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her."
"They must really like olives."
"Oh, forget it."
"Now, if she'd invented pizza—that I could understand."
Damian sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before looking at Grover. "What are the odds of this happening all the way to the Underworld and back?" He asked.
"100." The Satyr replied.
In the front seat, Argus smiled. He didn't say anything, but one blue eye on the back of his neck winked at Percy.
Traffic slowed them down in Queens. By the time they got into Manhattan it was sunset and starting to rain.
Argus dropped them at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side. Damian saw Percy glancing in one direction and knew why; his mom's apartment was not far from here. He watched Percy rip something off a mailbox, but Annabeth and Grover didn't notice.
Argus unloaded their bags, made sure they got our bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch the demigods and Satyr as he pulled out of the parking lot.
Percy had a look of longing on his face as he looked in the direction he knew his mother's apartment was. Grover talked to him quietly while Damian stood with Annabeth, who was reading a book she had brought with her to pass the time.
"You should try and play nice, Annabeth." Damian said after a moment of silence. "He didn't ask to be the son of Poseidon."
Annabeth sighed and lowered her book. "It's not easy, Damian. My mother and his father are rivals-"
"But are you Athena and is he Poseidon?" Damian countered, sending her a stern look. Annabeth said nothing and looked away from him until he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Just because your parents don't get along, doesn't mean you have to do the same with him. Just... try and be nice."
Annabeth was silent, then looked away from him before she exhaled. "I'll try. But don't expect me to be best friends with him in one day."
Damian nodded. "I'm not. The sins of our parents shouldn't be placed upon our shoulders. I've read many stories of the Greek Gods, what they've done, they ain't all good... even my mother." He swallowed a lump as he recalled the many stories he read of his mother in ancient times, not all of them were good.
But he still loved her. No matter what she's done in the past, he still loved her because she was his mother.
He shook his head and focused on Annabeth. "We are not our parents, Annabeth; leave the squabbling to them."
They got restless waiting for the bus and decided to play some Hacky Sack with one of Grover's apples. Annabeth was unbelievable. She could bounce the apple off her knee, her elbow, her shoulder, whatever. Percy wasn't too bad himself. Damian... Damian was out of this world as he managed to let the apple roll across his limbs, body, balance it on the tip of his nose, then his finger before passing it to the next person.
The game ended when Percy tossed the apple toward Grover and it got too close to his mouth. In one mega goat bite, the Hacky Sack disappeared—core, stem, and all.
Grover blushed. He tried to apologize, but Damian, Annabeth and Percy were too busy cracking up.
Finally the bus came. As they stood in line to board, Grover started looking around, sniffing the air like he smelled his favourite school cafeteria delicacy—enchiladas. Damian sniffed the air too and frowned. The scent was small but there was a small smell of decay in the air.
"What is it?" Percy asked.
"I don't know," he said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing."
"Keep your guard up." Damian said with narrowed eyes, Annabeth already doing so as Percy started looking over his shoulders every few seconds. All of them tense.
A sigh of relief was heard when they finally got on board and found seats together in the back of the bus. Annabeth, Percy and Grover stowed their backpacks while Damian held his bag on his lap. Annabeth kept slapping her Yankees cap nervously against her thigh.
As the last passengers got on, Damian's eyes widened and he grabbed Annabeth's right hand, getting the daughter of wisdom's attention. "Shit." He cursed quietly.
"What is it?" Annabeth asked him.
"Look." He nodded his head in the direction of the front of the bus. Annabeth looked and her eyes widened, her grip tightening on Damian's hand.
"Guys." She whispered to Percy and Grover, gaining their attention and she directed their gazes to the front of the bus as well.
There at the front of the bus was none other than Mrs Dodds, along with two other women. One was in a green hat while the other was wearing a purple hat. Otherwise they looked exactly like Mrs. Dodds—same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses.
They looked like demon grandmothers to Damian, but he knew what they really were; the Furies.
They sat in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, making an X. It was casual enough, but it sent a clear message: nobody leaves.
The bus pulled out of the station, and they headed through the bustling streets of Manhattan. "Ms. Dodds didn't stay dead long," Percy said in a shaky tone. "I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime." He looked towards Annabeth with a look.
"I said if you're lucky," Annabeth said. "You're obviously not."
"What are the odds she's pissed about what happened at the museum?" Damian asked.
"I'd say very." Grover said nervously. "All three of them. Di immortales!"
"It's okay," Annabeth said, obviously thinking in overdrive. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows."
"They don't open," Grover moaned.
"A back exit?"
There wasn't one. And even if they did get out, they'd be trapped in the oncoming tunnel.
"They won't attack us with witnesses around," Percy said. "Will they?"
"There's the Mist Percy, it'll keep the mortals from noticing anything wrong. We sometimes get the shorter end of it at the worst possible time." Damian frowned, reaching for one of his guns underneath his coat, as he had his sword next to him along with his bow and arrow quiver.
"Mortals don't have good eyes," Annabeth added. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist."
"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?"
She thought about it. "Hard to say. But we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof ... ?"
They hit the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle. It was eerily quiet without the sound of the rain.
"We need to think of something before shit hits the fan." Damian whispered to the others. "Percy, we need to get you hidden as it'll be you they're here for."
Mrs. Dodds got up. In a flat voice, as if she'd rehearsed it, she announced to the whole bus: "I need to use the rest-room."
"So do I," said the second sister.
"So do I," said the third sister.
They all started coming down the aisle.
"I've got it," Annabeth said. "Percy, take my hat."
"What?"
"Percy, you're the one they want. Put Annabeth's hat on and go invisible, then make for the front of the bus. Once it arrives at the next bus stop, get off as quick as you can." Damian explained quickly, seeing Annabeth's idea and approving.
"But you guys—" Percy started.
"We'll be fine." Damian assured him.
"There's an outside chance they might not notice us," Annabeth said. "You're a son of one of the Big Three. Your smell might be overpowering."
"I can't just leave you."
"Don't worry about us," Grover said. "Go!"
Damian took the cap from Annabeth and placed it on Percy's head, to which he disappeared a second later. Damian kept an arm behind his coat, ready to spring one of his guns out and fire if need be. As the Furies got close, their forms changed. The old ladies were not old ladies anymore. Their faces were still the same—I guess those couldn't get any uglier— but their bodies had shriveled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat's wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws. Their handbags had turned into fiery whips.
"Get ready." Damian whispered to Annabeth and Grover. "When they attack, I'll try and draw most of their attention while you two make for the front."
"We're not leaving you!" Annabeth said firmly.
"Just do it, Annie!" Damian shot back.
However, just as the three Furies were about to lunge at the three the bus suddenly swerved, causing the three Furies to smack into the side of the bus. But it also caused everyone to fall out of their seats from the surprise.
"The fuck?!" Damian shouted in surprise as he tried to get to his feet, only to go back down when the bus swerved again.
The bus was making hard lefts and rights which were throwing everyone all over the bus. Damian had managed to get back in his seat and grabbed Annabeth and Grover and held them tightly to him to keep them from being thrown across the bus. Annabeth had her eyes closed, not liking the surprised experience and had her head on Damian's shoulder. Damian could see the driver was struggling with the wheel and it looked like he was fighting someone for control.
Then Damian knew what happened and sighed. "Dammit Percy." He whispered.
Then, as quick as it started, the bus came to a screeching halt that made the bus do a 180 spin before stopping. Everyone including the driver piled out before it was just their group and the Furies left.
The Furies regained their balance before snarling at them with their whips twirling around in their hands.
"Hey!" Someone shouted and they looked to see Percy reappear, causing Damian, Annabeth and Grover to groan. Damian grabbed Dawn and Dusk, whipped them out their holsters and fired at the Furies, who screeched in pain as the bullets pierced their hides.
One of them whirled around, lashing her whip out which caught Damian off by surprise and his guns were smacked out of his hand. However, he was quick to duck the next attack, grabbed the whip, wincing and grimacing at the burning pain that followed, before he fought through it enough to yank on the whip which pulled the Fury into a hard punch to the face, sending her flying into her two sisters.
"Take them down!" Damian shouted to the others as he quickly grabbed his guns, then his other weapons.
The other three got over their surprise and engaged the Furies. Percy engaged Mrs Dodds as he began dodging her fire whip and Annabeth and Grover engaged one of the others. The one that Damian attacked focused on the son of Artemis.
"Die!" The Fury snarled as she swung her whip, but Damian sidestepped it and delivered a kick to the monster's stomach before he drew his hunting knife and jammed it right into where her heart was. The Fury screeched before exploding into golden dust.
Damian took a deep breath and turned around to see Annabeth on the back of one of the other Furies with Grover throwing a tin can at it that hit it in the head before rebounding and hitting Annabeth, which made the blonde shout at Grover. She then drove her bronze dagger into the Fury's neck. halting its movements before it too broke into golden dust and Annabeth landed on her feet.
"Zeus will destroy you!" They heard Mrs. Dodds snarl and looked to see her still fighting with Percy. "Hades will have your soul!"
Percy swung Riptide, which got the Fury across the chest, then the son of Poseidon pushed her to the back of the bus where she stumbled and fell on to her back with her wings getting caught in the luggage that was left behind by the other passengers.
Suddenly, thunder rumbled above them in the sky.
"We need to get off the bus! Now!" Damian shouted to the others, pushing Annabeth forward, then Grover. Damian made sure he had everything before quickly grabbing his bag, knowing he didn't have time to grab the others but his did have essentials that they'd need for this quest. He quickly ran after the others, uppercuting Mrs. Dodds along the way to knock her back down.
Jumping off the bus, Damian met up with the others. The other passengers were wandering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around in circles yelling, "We're going to die!" A Hawaiian-shirted tourist with a camera snapped Percy's photograph before he could recap his sword.
"Our bags!" Grover realized. "We left our—"
BOOOOOM!
The windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof, but an angry wail from inside told them Mrs. Dodds was not yet dead.
"Run!" Annabeth said. "She's calling for reinforcements! We have to get out of here!"
They plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind them, and nothing but darkness ahead.
And that's it for this chapter, folks. We're on the quest and already it's started off quite troubling with the arrival of the Furies.