My Discord - /DbNtv2wyhN
Driving through the winding roads of the Alaskan mountains in an old pickup truck that four teenagers were packed into like a can of sardines, Fletcher couldn't be happier. Looking out at the beautiful landscape that flew past them, he couldn't believe he was outside of Camp Freedom's walls. He hadn't been outside those walls in such a long time that it was honestly starting to affect his sanity. Sure, camp was an amazing place that he considered home but sometimes you just had to get out and explore. Get some fresh air and go see things you might not have had the chance to see if you stayed. Rolling down the window and feeling the cool breeze push his golden hair out his face, he almost laughed aloud at the feeling. He was giddy at the prospect of going on an important quest.
Being picked for this was something he always wanted to be a part of especially after hearing the stories about Percy's quest. It was a chance to prove himself. To prove to his friends and to Percy that he was a capable demigod. He had the chance to do that in the battle against the Olympian demigods and he felt he did the best he could but there were still some things he wanted to work on. He didn't want to hesitate when asked to be put in an uncomfortable position of leadership like the last time Percy asked which was why he jumped at this opportunity. He hoped he wouldn't screw it up. He couldn't, not when other people's, people he cared about, lives were at stake.
"Fletcher, roll up that window! It's cold!" Abby whined, curling up in a ball as she leaned away as far as she could from the harsh Alaskan wind filling the inside of the truck.
"Na, it's okay, Fletchy. Have all the cold air you want." Mike pitched in, liking how close Abby was getting to him which immediately caused the blonde-haired demigod to roll up the window faster than the blink of an eye. Mike noticed his friend's sudden anger and gave him a teasing wink at just how smitten he was over the girl before softly pushing her off of him.
"Came here for Pangea and instead I'm doing another damn quest." Grover could be heard muttering to himself as he drove the truck, both of his hands deathly white as he death-gripped the steering wheel.
"Aw calm down there, Grover. Percy did give that bag of tin cans for you to munch on along the way. It can't be that bad." Mike annoyingly slapped the Satyr's shoulder, causing him to give him a side glare. Never before had anyone seen Grover this angry before and it was honestly offputting to the rest of the team.
"I came here all the way from New York, risked my life escaping the Gods with my council, and left some really good friends and my girlfriend behind to see Pangea in all of its glory! Instead, I'm driving all the way to California with a bunch of demigods who have never even been on a quest before to try to find a giant who hasn't been seen since the war!"
"Don't forget that we don't know anything about where to look for him. We're essentially going in blind." Mike interrupted, causing Grover's mood to sour even further to the point of wanting to just swerve the truck off the cliff without a second thought.
"That's enough." Abby warned her demigod companion with a stern look before apologizing to the satyr and giving her thanks for helping them on this quest. "We have a long way to go. Try not to make it any more miserable than it has to be."
That was easier said than done when you're packed in a square-bodied pickup truck that didn't have any backseats and barely functioning heating and air conditioner. Laughing at their misery, Mike did his best to make himself comfortable and tried to get some sleep. Fletcher tried to do the same but with Abby sitting next to him and feeling just how warm she was, his heart was beating too fast to get any shut-eye. He tried to think of ways to start up some conversation in the otherwise awkward setting but he was drawing a blank. He couldn't think straight with how close she was to him. The slight perfume smell she had on her was enough to cause his head to feel heavy. Deciding it was best to just stay silent and not embarrass himself, he instead occupied his mind with looking out the window. Beautiful mountains, a stray animal or two, vast river systems, and the zombie-looking woman peeking out from behind a tree…Wait, what?
"The hell was that?" He muttered to himself, looking back to see what exactly that thing was.
"What's wrong?" Abby questioned, barely able to hide the blush appearing on her face with how close the boy was to her. Not noticing her reaction, Fletcher did his best to look out the back window but Grover had already made a turn around the mountain pass, preventing him from being able to see where they were just were.
"I-I don't know. Thought I saw something weird like a monster." He replied unsure, sitting back normally once more.
"I don't smell anything. Might've been a bear or something. They're still in hibernation during February but they're known to move around a little bit during this month." Grover answered automatically.
Fletcher nodded but was unsure if that really was an animal. It looked too skinny to be a bear and too human to be any other type of animal. Maybe it was just his eyes playing tricks on him. He hadn't gotten enough sleep these past few nights and exhaustion was probably just setting in. Leaning his head back against the seat, he decided to try to get some rest, no matter how hard it was to obtain.
"And he's out now too. Is it really that easy for boys to fall asleep?" Abby asked, admiring Fletcher's relaxed face.
"You'd be surprised. Percy was like that too when we were on quests but it was more due to pure exhaustion than anything else. We had trouble looking for us constantly." Grover answered, smiling slightly as he reminisced about the old days. It wasn't fun in the moment but looking back on it, those really were the days. Traveling the country with two of his best friends, the threat of war and death looming over their heads constantly, really wasn't comparable to anything else. Sitting here in the truck with these three demigods he had just met reminded him of those times but it just wasn't the same. Not without Percy and Annabeth.
"Annabeth." Grover sighed sadly to himself, thinking back on his long-time friend. He wished things were different with her. He just wished she was with them right now, standing alongside Percy and their other friends. He would never understand why she stayed back. Why she stayed loyal to the Gods even after all they've done to demigods. The Annabeth he knew over the years would jump at the opportunity to stuff it to the Olympians. Yet…she stayed, broke Percy's heart, and continued to aid the Gods in this desperate war to retain their power. It confused him beyond belief.
Not to mention the new guy she was seeing. Well, they weren't seeing each other but the guy was definitely closer than Grover would like him to be. He didn't tell Percy about him because he didn't know the right time to and admittedly, he was scared of what his reaction might be. His best friend wasn't…stable right now for lack of a better term, that much he could tell. One little slip-up could cause Alaska to be underwater if he wasn't careful. He knew at some point though, he would have to tell him. Percy deserved that even if it hurt him. It came out of nowhere which surprised Grover. Maybe they were seeing each other as soon as Percy left Camp Half-Blood, he really didn't know. Annabeth wasn't the type of person to cheat but that new guy came out of leftfield. It didn't help when the Iris message of Percy promising to burn Olympus played in front of everyone at camp which only fueled her theory that she was right about Percy becoming Luke.
That certainly didn't look good on Percy's part, he would admit but she should know better. Percy obviously wasn't the one who attacked camp nor did he want to kill all the demigods that were against him. He wasn't a power-hungry person. He just wanted his friends to live their lives without the fear of death, war, and quest looming over their heads. Ironically, that was exactly what was happening to them right now but if he could win the war against Zeus, that would stop…hopefully.
"What was Percy like when he was younger?" Abby leaned in, eager at the prospect of learning about the infamous demigod. She admittedly didn't know much about him besides the stray story or two which she didn't know if she could believe or not. What she was told made him sound more like a God rather than a demigod.
"Impulsive, angry, sarcastic, and spiteful." Grover immediately deadpanned. "He wanted nothing to do with the Gods or our world for that matter when he first learned who he was. He only wanted to get his mother back from Hades and would do anything to achieve it, even sending the head of Medusa to the Gods just to show how pissed off he was at them."
"Well, I mean that sounds like current-day him. Seems like every time I see him he's out of the camp's walls going on a quest, breaking into a military compound, or on the verge of killing everything near him." Abby mused.
"Yeah that sure sounds like him but he was also caring, loyal, and brave. I was amazed to see those qualities in him at such a young age especially since his childhood wasn't kind to him."
The daughter of Apollo gave the satyr a mystical look at that statement. She'd never heard of any stories about Percy's childhood nor did anyone else that she knew. There were stories about his quest and his time at Camp Half-Blood sure but that was it. Whatever came before that was practically unknown even to the older demigods who had known him for a long time.
"What was his childhood like?" She asked but Grover shook his head.
"It's not my place to tell you that. I can't betray his trust when he told me those things. All I'm gonna tell you is that if you had a good childhood, the best that you can have for a demigod, be grateful for that."
The ride became silent besides the snores coming from the boys next to her. She could appreciate the loyalty of Grover to Percy but that didn't mean she still didn't want to know. Even if she was a daughter of Apollo, she'd been told numerous times that she had the curiosity of a child of Athena. She could gather that Percy's childhood probably wasn't the best but how? If it were really as bad as Grover said it was then why didn't he turn out to be such a terrible guy? Why was he the Hero that everyone looked up to rather than the person who was feared and razed Olympus to the ground? Well…he was kind of both the more she thought about it. From her view, Percy was the hero. To Olympus and its demigods, however, he was the devil. The devil that had already slaughtered hundreds of demigods in this war. The devil that would lead a hundred thousand soldiers to the steps of Heaven. The devil who had the power of a God.
Closing her eyes to get some rest, she decided not to think of it anymore. She didn't want to think about it. She knew though that in four months' time…she would see that devil in action. And it would be the most terrifying thing she would ever see in her lifetime.
"We're here." Grover's voice awakened the demigods from their slumber. Rubbing her eyes, she couldn't believe that it was already nighttime. It only felt as if she had taken a quick thirty-minute nap but that was clearly not the case. Looking out the window to find America's favorite symbol, the big, yellow-golden arches of McDonald's, she stretched her legs as she got out of the truck.
"We're already in California?" Mike yawned, causing both Abby and Fletcher to roll their eyes.
"No, we're at the Alaska-Canadian border. I figured it would be best to take a break and get some food before we cross. We've been driving for over ten hours now." Grover replied, already walking inside the fast food restaurant. He did love their salads and was eager to eat something else besides tin cans. Don't get him wrong, he loved cans but he could only eat so much before it grew tiresome. Abby and Fletcher both side-eyed one another, chucking at the Satyr's eagerness before following him inside. Smelling the scent of grease and unhealthiness, the demigods practically drooled. They hadn't had food like this in quite some time. Camp Freedom's food was great, don't get that wrong, but it was almost too healthy sometimes. Obviously, it did wonders for their bodies. They were in the best shape of their lives, especially Fletcher who had just recently hit a growth spurt and had packed on some muscle. The thing was though, you just couldn't take the fast-food-loving American out of them.
After ordering their food and sitting down, they began to go over the plan once again.
"We take the Alaskan highway. From there we merge on another highway to the U.S. border in Vancouver. From there we take I-5 which should lead us straight to Cali. Once we get there, we have to be in and out as quickly as possible. The Romans are probably all over the place especially at the coast to watch for any movement of Percy's army." Grover said through a mouthful of salad in his mouth.
"You think we'll have to go to the coast?" Fletcher questioned.
"Most likely. Briares will probably want to stick close to it in case he wants to head back to Atlantis which is why when we do see him, we need to be as non-threatening as possible. One wrong move and he'll be running straight for the ocean. We need to play it cool."
"If we do find him, what then? How are we going to get him to make armor and weapons for us if he's this scared as you say he is." Abby asked. She didn't get how a giant hundred-handed one as infamous as Briares could be such a pussy for the lack of a better term. She remembered hearing the stories about him, like how he fought in the first Titan War and threw countless boulders that rained down on the Titans or forging the Big Three's signature weapons. He was an important figure in their world and to hear how he ended up really confused her.
"I'll do the talking. He should remember me but if he makes a run for it, you do all that you can to stop him. We have to get him on our side." Grover answered before digging into his meal once more, the conversation seemingly ended.
"Order sixty-six!" The worker loudly announced, causing the demigod's heads to perk up like a dog getting told it's dinner time.
"I'll go get it." Fletcher got up from his seat, practically skipping over to the counter. Thanking the worker, he grabbed the tray but was stopped by a cold, pale hand grabbing his arm, preventing him from taking another step. Looking up, he found himself staring into cold, black eyes that held no light in them. The worker, a woman no older than twenty, was creepily smiling at him, her breath reeked of death.
"Please enjoy." She softly said, her voice coming out trance-like. Thanking her once more with an awkward smile, he had to practically rip his arm out of her grip before walking briskly back to his table. Sitting down and staring at the food he was given, he almost didn't want to eat it anymore. That woman was weird and there was no telling if she did anything to the food or not. Smelling its alluring scent, however, he just couldn't hold himself back. Inhaling the food in seconds, he leaned against the seat in satisfaction, glad that he was finally able to get a little taste of home in him. Abby, who was still eating her burger, looked at the boys in disgust, mentally comparing them to starving Hyenas.
After finishing their food and resting for a while longer, the gang was ready to get back on the road again. They still had a long way to go and if they were to delay any longer than necessary, they could miss their chance of catching Briares.
"I'm gonna go use the restroom real quick." Fletcher said, knowing this might be the last chance he got before they crossed the border.
"We'll wait outside." Abby replied, already walking out the door with Mike and Grover in tow. Walking inside the dimly lit bathroom that smelt just as bad as it looked, the demigod proceeded to do his business in the urinal, barely noticing the bathroom door had opened signaling that someone else was in there with him. Once he was done, he went to the sink and began to wash his hands, not noticing that someone was behind him directly in the mirror.
"I can't believe it's you." A woman's voice said from behind, startling him as he looked up at his reflection. Sure enough, it was that same woman again, staring at him with the same creepy smile plastered on his face. "When you came up to me, I really couldn't believe it but when I smelt you…I knew. I knew that it was really you."
"Uhhh, do I know you?" Fletcher asked.
"No, but I know you, Fletcher. I can recognize that distinct smell both you and your father have. I absolutely adore it." She said, causing his heart to begin to race. His father? How did she know who his father was? And his smell, what was that about? That was something a monster would say. With shaky hands, he attempted to slyly get his knife out, knowing that things were about to turn ugly. She was definitely a monster, she had to be. The question remained, however, what was she?
"Nuh uh uh, I see what you're doing there, mister. We're not gonna play that game." She said, pushing up against him with her hand that somehow turned to claws around his neck. The blonde demigod felt the sharp black claws scrape against his skin, drawing a droplet of blood that slid down his neck. His breath quickened as he realized the predicament he was in. He was trapped in a McDonald's bathroom with a crazy woman who apparently knew his father. His friends were outside unaware of the situation and one wrong move could spell the end of him.
"Gods I love the smell of your blood. It's so warm and delicious." The woman said, taking her claws that were stained with his blood before licking them clean. Her eyes were shut as she enjoyed his essence, offering a moment of opportunity for him to escape. Without any hesitation, Fletcher flung his head backward, hitting her square in the face and sending her flying onto the bathroom floor below. Attempting to leave, he flung the door open to escape but was stopped by the monster who was already getting back up. Tackling him to the floor, she tried to stab him in the legs with her sharp claws to prevent him from moving but was sharply kicked in the face sending her into a stall.
"I can't kill you. Master's orders." She said, wiping the black blood dripping from her mouth. "But that doesn't mean I can't beat you to an inch of your life."
Kicking his feet backward, the blonde-haired demigod attempted to get his knife out but the woman wouldn't allow him to have that chance. Flinging herself onto him, he did all he could to stop the black claws from penetrating his chest. Her strength was crazy for such a frail body, her claws slowly pressing downward even with both his hands trying to prevent that. Looking up to see her smiling with long, sharp teeth, and blood-filled eyes he panicked. This was a monster he had never seen or heard of before. She looked more zombie than anything else. In desperation and quick thinking, he risked the chance to let go of one of her hands before delivering a haymaker straight to her jaw. Thankfully, he had enough strength behind the punch to daze her which allowed him to tackle her to the ground. Getting on top of her, he pulled out his bronze knife and proceeded to stab her as many times as he could.
Heaving like an animal, Fletcher let his mind go blank as he stabbed and stabbed and stabbed. The squelches from the monster's caved-in skull quickly filling the air along with his own heavy breathing. Black blood coated his knife and hands, the smell making him want to throw up. He didn't know what this thing was but whatever it was, it was definitely a monster. Hearing its gurgles and gasps for air, the demigod didn't let up his attack until the entire bathroom floor was coated in black blood that was quickly flowing into the drain in the middle. Leaning back on his knees, he stopped for a moment to catch his breath. The adrenaline was starting to wear off and the knife in his hands was slowly starting to become heavy. Looking down at the blob that was once a woman, he stood up. He needed to get out of here. There was no telling if there were more monsters out there.
Turning to the exit, he found himself staring at another woman who had fear stricken across her face. She looked on the verge of passing out as she scanned the scene. He could tell she was a regular mortal by just how scared she looked. To her, he looked as if he had just stabbed a woman to death.
"Mur-mur-Murderer!" The mortal cried out, flailing backward as Fletcher pushed past her. "Help! Help! That guy just killed someone!"
Fletcher wasted no time in running out of the restaurant, noticing that the mortals around him were already on their phones calling the police. Sprinting to the truck, he wasted no time jumping in, Abby looking at his state with wide frightened eyes.
"W-What happened?!" She yelled out in concern, noticing he was drenched in black blood.
"Drive now!" Fletcher wasted no time in saying, already hearing the distant sirens of the police. Looking out the window, he noticed that the McDonald's workers were staring at them from inside, their smiles eirly similar to the monster he had just killed. "Oh Gods, there's more! Grover fucking drive now!"
Grover wasted no time and pressed his hoove against the gas pedal, the screeches of the tires against the pavement quickly filling the air. The old pickup truck was pushed beyond its limit, flying down the street at speeds that shouldn't be possible for its age.
"What the fuck happened back there?! Why are you covered in blood?!" Abby screamed, running her hands over his body to check for any wounds like a concerned girlfriend.
"Monsters. I-I don't know what they were but it was definitely monsters. One cornered me in the bathroom. She had her fucking claws right up against my throat. I killed her but a mortal saw me and I guess the mist had her think I just killed a woman. Grover pick it up man I can see the blue lights getting closer!"
"I'm trying but there's only so much an old truck can do! Wished we had a Mustang or something!"
"That wouldn't be good for the environment though, Grover." Mike pointed out, causing the others to give the son of Ares a blank look.
"Are you really fucking making jokes right now?! Are you fucking serious?!" Abby screamed causing Mike to throw up his hands in surrender.
"Hey, I'm sorry, okay! Just thought it could relax the mood is all."
"We're getting chased by police and monsters! What makes you think this is the right time?!"
"You see, Fletcher, when you're a demigod. Anytime is the right time. You never know if today might be your last day on this Earth." Mike said, sounding more like a poet than a demigod.
"Just shut the fuck up and Grover you better be reaching over one hundred miles an hour!" Fletcher yelled, noticing that the truck was slowing down.
"We're at the border! I can't drive past it!" The satyr pointed out to all the traffic in front of them.
"Oh, Godsdamnit!" Both Abby and Fletcher cried out in unison as the truck came to a halt. Looking back, they could see the police come into view from a distance, a promising sign that they would soon catch them.
"We're gonna have to run! The truck can't get past all this traffic!" Fletcher said, opening the side door but was stopped by Abby's hand.
"We won't be able to get past the border patrol. Our best bet is to run for the woods and wait it out!" She said. Before he could respond though, Fletcher was flung to the side, and tackled by yet another woman.
"I have you! The master will be proud!" A monster, the same as the last one he had killed, said, her long teeth and terrible breath brushing against his face. Wasting no time, he grabbed his knife and thrust it upward straight into her lower jaw, sending black blood and brain matter raining downward onto him. Kicking the monster off him, he got up and noticed that the scene had turned into pure chaos. Zombie-like monsters came running into the area, tackling anyone who dared get out of their cars. Watching innocent mortals be dragged out onto the street and bitten by their long fangs, he desperately wanted to help.
"Now's our chance, Fletcher!" Mike said, stabbing into a monster with his sword and pointing to the border that was now unguarded. It seemed the border patrol was either killed by the monsters or helping the mortals. Watching the police finally arrive only to meet a similar fate as the other mortals, there wasn't much that he could do besides escape. Watching Abby shoot an arrow straight into a mortal's head who had just been turned into a monster, he knew they had to leave. He couldn't risk their lives to help these people. It was already too late. With screams and gunfire raining down over their heads, he opened the door to a black Mustang that was left abandoned. Yelling for the others to get inside, he wasted no time in slamming on the gas and flying past the border. Watching in the rearview mirror as the monsters feasted on the mortals trapped at the border, he cringed at the sight. It was their fault that all those people had died. Innocent families torn to shreds all because of them.
"Well, Grover, you got your wish for a Mustang! Maybe Fate really is on our side!" Mike laughed, slapping Grover across the shoulders. The poor satyr looked to be on the verge of a panic attack, not that Fletcher could blame him. Looking at Abby who sat in the passenger seat next to him, he could see her trying to hide her shaking hands. Abby was a strong person, he knew that. One of the strongest people he knew. But she was just like him. She had never been on a quest before. She had never seen innocent mortals be killed like that. It was…a little bit too much to bear. Even though they had seen plenty of people die on the battlefield before. This was different. Those people at the border were innocent families and children who didn't know any better.
"We're alive." Fletcher said, reaching over to grab her shaking hands. The daughter of Apollo looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. Grasping his hands like a lifeline, Abby did her best to relax and took a deep shuddering breath.
"We're alive." She repeated.