Percy didn't have many personal belongings. The only thing he even tried to bring to camp didn't make it, which made packing to leave that much easier. Sure, there was the Chimera horn, but he wasn't about to go lugging that thing across the country. He handed it off to the Demeter cabin, trusting that they could keep it out of the hands of Travis and Connor until he could get back.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Percy said as he and Chiron reached the crest of Half-Blood hill, stopping beneath the pine tree. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the pen-sword, holding it out expectantly for the centaur to take back. "I've been meaning to return this. Sorry I kept it for so long."
Chiron raised an eyebrow as if he didn't recognize what was being handed to him before he gently closed Percy's hands back around the pen. "My boy, if I was worried about you possessing it I would have asked you to give it back. It was given to me long ago, a gift from Lord Poseidon himself. I assumed for the longest time that I was holding it for a son of Poseidon, but I see now. It was meant for you."
Percy clicked the pen, watching as it grew to its full length. Still the only sword he could wield without feeling like he was trying to sling a sledgehammer around with one hand. "Really? Thanks, Chiron."
Chiron watched him with a light smile as he swung the sword a few times. "It has a name. Anaklusmos."
Percy furrowed his eyebrows, then lit up. "Riptide? Aw, man, that's so cool."
"Ah, your Greek lessons are going well, then?"
"Yeah. Annabeth is a really good teacher."
"Oh, speaking of Annabeth-"
Annabeth's blonde hair became visible over the crest as soon as her name left Chiron's mouth. Her face was flushed, which Percy assumed was from running all the way up the hill. She carried a beat-up shoe box under one arm.
"Sorry, I was saying goodbye to Luke," she huffed, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead before suddenly shoving the box into Percy's hands. "He wanted me to give this to you. Said it would help you on the quest."
Percy tossed the top of the box off to reveal a pair of beat-up high top Converse shoes. "Oh, gee. Thanks. Used shoes."
Annabeth smacked him upside the head. "They're magic, Cinder Brain. Maia!"
The trigger word caused the shoes to sprout wings and begin fluttering around Percy's head.
"Whoa." he grinned. "That's awesome."
"Unfortunately," Annabeth slapped the shoes back in the box and took it right back from him, "you can't fly. Not unless you want to get sent to Hades the hard way."
Percy scoffed and puffed out his chest. "I'm fireproof! A little lightning won't stop me!"
A bolt of lightning the size of the Chrysler building struck a nearby boulder sending shards of gravel exploding in every direction.
Chiron and Annabeth both raised an eyebrow down at Percy, who rubbed the back of his reddening head and chuckled, "Point taken."
"Luke meant well, I'm sure," Chiron said, patting Percy on the shoulders. "Some things aren't meant to be."
Annabeth scrunched up her nose. Percy could tell by the look in her eyes that she wasn't about to give up on a free potentially useful magical item. "Grover! Get over here!"
It was Grover's turn to gallop over the hill, red in the face. "Sorry, guys! I was saying bye to Juniper. But you'll never guess what the council told me! They said if we succeed on this quest, I can get my Searcher's license!"
Percy wasn't sure whether or not that was a good thing. Ever since Grover had told him that since he was unconscious when the two of them entered camp that he had technically failed in his duties as a Protector, he had been feeling guilty. Grover hadn't let it get to him, but by the way he wistfully spoke about getting his Searcher's license, Percy knew it was a big deal. One that he had potentially screwed up. The fact that Grover was getting another chance was awesome, but that line of the prophecy just wouldn't shut up. A traitor once trusted will strike to an end.
Percy kept telling himself that there were a lot of ways a prophecy could be interpreted. That they were vague on purpose because nothing could be easy in this crazy stupid world, and an even louder part of his brain knew that Grover wouldn't betray him. They were best friends. They had put their lives on the line for each other, and Percy was fully prepared to do it again. As many times as it took to make sure Grover got that Searcher's license.
A much smaller voice, one deep and evil that turned Percy's overheated blood to ice every time it spoke, goaded him, saying things like he resents you. You're the reason that he didn't get his Searcher's license.
He did his best to push that voice deep down, but once he did that, it left Annabeth. All Percy could do about that was pray that Annabeth wouldn't do such a thing, because while he did so desperately hope that she was trustworthy, he simply hadn't known her as long as Grover.
"That's awesome, G-man," he raised a fist, which Grover readily bumped. "By the way, you still haven't told me, how did you manage to get a girlfriend?"
Grover ignored his question and approached Annabeth, who began explaining how the flying shoes worked.
Percy stared out over the hill. Argus, a guy covered head to toe in eyeballs and the head of camp security detail, was busy making treks to and from the unmarked white van with school bags and supplies.
He turned back to his teacher, his tongue heavy in his mouth. "Chiron… what happens if I fail?"
Chiron simply shook his head and ruffled his hair up. "It will be hard, Percy. Harder than anything you've ever done in your life. But if you keep thinking like that, you're only going to get in your own way. Take things one step at a time, and only worry about the end when you arrive."
Percy didn't want to cry in front of his teacher, so he simply gave the old horse a hug and hurried down to the van.
Argus gave him a thumbs up before sliding into the driver's seat, just as Annabeth and Grover arrived to toss their belongings in.
"So, that tree," Percy spoke up as the van tore off down the road. Even as they got so far that Half-Blood hill was no longer visible the top of that pine tree still stuck right out. A beacon for all demigods to find their way to safety. "How exactly does it protect the camp from monsters?"
Percy, being the idiot that he was, and having been the first to get in the van, was stuck with the middle seat, which made it all the more awkward when neither of his companions gave him so much as a cough in response.
"O-kay. Forget I asked."
Thankfully Argus drove quickly because the rest of that car ride was extremely awkward. It took over an hour to reach the greyhound station, significantly longer than Grover's driving in the other direction. Upon arrival, Argus paid for their tickets before hopping back in his van and heading back to camp.
"How come nobody noticed that he's got like a gazillion eyes?" Percy asked as they took a seat to wait for the bus.
"The Mist," was Annabeth's answer, "It conceals the mythical world from mortals. There are plenty of things out there that, if they could see, would drive them crazy. To everyone else, Argus looks totally normal."
"It's the same reason that Mrs. Dodds looked like an old lady most of the time," Grover added, "the Mist works on demigods too. More so before they know who they are, but still."
The bus rolled into the station a few minutes later. Annabeth managed to shove her way to the front of the line and scored the three seats right beside each other in the very back, and while it was nice to be seated together, it made waiting for all the other passengers to board feel that much more drawn out. Finally, after at least ten minutes, the bus took off down the road. As it rolled, making more steady progress that Percy was really trying to be happy with, Grover began sniffing. For a moment Percy thought he was crying, maybe because he had to leave his girlfriend behind for this quest, but once he actually looked at Grover's face he realized that wasn't the case at all.
"What is it?"
Grover scrunched up his nose as if he were disappointed in himself. "I'm not sure. I thought I smelled a monster, but-"
Annabeth began tapping at Percy's shoulder. When he didn't immediately turn his head she quickly evolved her technique to full-on punching.
"Ow, ow! Stop it! What's your problem?!"
She wordlessly pointed toward the front of the bus. It was difficult to see over the countless heads what specifically she was looking at, but as soon as his eyes caught that familiar leather jacket he knew.
"It's Mrs. Dodds," he hissed to Grover, "how did she come back so quickly?"
"Her sisters, too," Annabeth said, pointing to two other old ladies sitting one row across from Mrs. Dodds. "Come on, Percy, are you positive that you didn't steal the bolt?"
Percy gave her the most poisonous glare he could muster before returning his gaze to the three monsters up the way. "What do we do now?"
Annabeth drummed her fingers against her knees but made no move to get up or start a fight. "They won't attack us while there are witnesses. There are no emergency exits back here and the windows won't pop out, so we either wait until the bus gets to its next stop and try to escape with the crowd, or we crash the bus."
Percy blinked at her. That was the best that the daughter of Athena could come up with right now? "Are you serious?"
"Look, Percy, you may have accidentally been able to kill your math teacher once, but trying to fight all three, especially in a tight space like this, is asking to get dragged down to the Fields of Punishment. So yes, I am dead serious. Make your choice."
"Why are you making me choose? You're the smart one!"
"You're the one that they're after!"
"Gah! I hate that you're right all the time!"
He glanced back up at the three demons. They were so obviously here for him, why wouldn't they look at him? What were they waiting for? Even with all the witnesses, it would be so easy for them to move to the seats the next row up and tell them directly, Don't move or we will cut you into spaghetti and serve you to lord Hades with a soup and side of bottomless breadsticks.
Percy bit his tongue as they entered the Lincoln tunnel. It would be stupid to crash the bus while they were in here. There would be nowhere to run. But as soon as they popped out the other side…
He brought his right hand close to his chest and began praying, please, please, PLEASE let this work. Don't be a bunch of sparks again and look stupid.
His hands tingled, veins beginning to glow as the power gathered in his fingertips.
"Uh, Percy, are you sure that's a good-" Grover tried, but Percy had already committed. The end of the tunnel was coming in…
Three…
Two…
One…
Percy aimed his hand for the floor, shouted, "THERE'S A FIRE!" and let it rip.
Unfortunately for everyone in a fifty foot radius, he ripped too hard. The flames came out closer to a stick of dynamite than the blowtorch he intended and every window on the back half of the bus exploded as it hopped off the ground like a rabbit after three cups of coffee. Forty New Yorkers learned how to fly for about two seconds before crashing back in their seats as the bus ground to a halt. Both the rear tires had been blasted clean off the rims.
Annabeth looked mildly impressed. Grover looked like he was going to vomit.
"Nice work," she said, staring down at the car door-sized hole that had been blown straight through the shell of the Greyhound, "easy escape route, too. The Kindly Ones will be stuck trying to fight their way back through that crowd for a while."
She didn't hesitate to slip out through the red-hot hole, though she almost instantly sliced her palm open on a shard of glass. "Ow! Mother- Ngh!"
Grover went second. He didn't want to spend any more time in a cramped space with math teachers than necessary, and Percy couldn't blame him. He tried to follow, but something took hold of his arm and yanked him back into the smoldering hull.
"You're making this much more difficult than it needs to be." It was one of Mrs. Dodds's sisters. What were their names… Tis-something? Megaphone?
Gah! Curse you, ADHD brain! Now is NOT THE TIME! He swore to himself as he tried his best to thrash out of her grip. "I killed your sister once! Don't think I won't do it again!"
She simply stared at him, the same way that a grandmother might look at a toddler. "Come, now. Lord Hades-"
Her sentence was cut short by a bronze dagger bursting from her throat. She barely had time to gasp before melting into gold dust. Percy glanced out the window from whence the dagger had come to see Annabeth in the final stages of a throwing arc.
"What a shot!" he called, but she wasn't interested in compliments.
"Not the time! Come on!"
A demonic screech kicked his butt into the highest gear it could go. He risked a wild dive for the hole in the floor when something heavy landed right next to him, flattening the back of the bus to the street. He was only a few inches from getting his arm squashed right along with it.
"Surrender!" Mrs. Dodds's other sister snapped so violently that Percy thought she might take his entire head off in one bite, "Unless you would rather give Zeus the satisfaction!"
Mrs. Dodds herself took Percy by the other arm, pulling him so tight against her sister's grip that he feared for a moment they would each be taking half of his corpse down to the Underworld.
Then, a sickly smell filled the air. Percy's hair stood on end as both of the remaining Furies hesitated.
"GET OUT OF THERE!" Grover cried in the distance, but there was nothing he could do as a lightning bolt tore through the roof and struck him right on the head. Nothing but pray.
Not like this, he thought, I've barely even begun. I can't die here. I will NOT die here.
It was less than a second that the lightning touched him, but it felt like minutes. It was like every molecule in his body was trying to run in different directions. Mrs. Dodds and her sister both reeled back and hissed, burned but still very much alive.
Percy unshouldered his backpack, now thoroughly scorched along with all of his supplies. He hucked it right in Mrs. Dodds face and took a swing of his sword at her sister, still screaming as she crumbled to ozone-scented dust. He grabbed Annabeth's dagger off the floor and slashed a hole in Mrs. Dodds' left wing before taking a desperate leap out the nearest window. He rolled through glass shards, hearing the sounds of the mortal passengers snapping pictures and whispering.
A pair of converse shoes hurriedly approached his side and he was lifted to his feet. Grover sighed in relief and dragged him into the woods where Annabeth was waiting.
"We need to run, before she calls for reinforcements," she said, leading the charge deeper into the woods. They sprinted, the sound of Mrs. Dodd's screeching chasing them through the trees.