Hello. New chapter. Also a big thank you to lexifrank221 for your review. And sorry i didn't realize i had nit updated it last week because my scedule was very hectic. So sorry. And a sorry gift.

Chapter 26: Good public transport is hard to come by.

Will's Pov

Everyone settles down as Father starts to read.

10. I RUIN A PERFECTLY GOOD BUS

"what has happened till now," Silena asks. "I was claimed and given a quest to retrieve the lightning bolt," Percy explains to her eyeing Luke. He winced lightly, which most didn't see but I did. Of course, he was the lightning thief. I sneer mentally.

It didn't take me long to pack.

"Good. The first rule of a quest is to travel lightly." Heracles nods lightly.

I decided to leave the Minotaur horn in my cabin, which left me only an extra change of clothes and a toothbrush to stuff in a backpack Grover had found for me.

"That's weird. Most heroes prefer to travel with their spoils." Athena looks critically at her. She shrugs back.

The camp store loaned me one hundred dollars in mortal money and twenty golden drachmas.

"Golden?" All the demigods of the past exclaim.

These coins were as big as Girl Scout cookies and had images of various Greek gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. The ancient mortal drachmas had been silver, Chiron told us, but Olympians never used less than pure gold.

"Ohh!" They nod in understanding,

Chiron said the coins might come in handy for non-mortal transactions—whatever that meant.

"Iris message!" Reyna makes a face. The gods look confused. " Iris takes messages for demigods too." Lady Demeter asks us. "Sometimes." Comes the reply.

He gave Andrew and me each a canteen of nectar and a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares, to be used only in emergencies, if we were seriously hurt. It was god food, Chiron reminded us. It would cure us of almost any injury, but it was lethal to mortals. Too much of it would make a half-blood very, very feverish. An overdose would burn us up, literally.

Lee and I nod in agreement.

Andrew was bringing his magic Yankees cap, which he told me had been a twelfth-birthday present from his mom. He carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, to read when he got bored, and a long bronze knife, hidden in his shirt sleeve.

Lady Athena looks at her son proudly.

I was sure the knife would get us busted the first time we went through a metal detector.

"I didn't know about the mist." She replies to our judging looks

Grover wore his fake feet and his pants to pass as human. He wore a green rasta-style cap, because when it rained his curly hair flattened and you could just see the tips of his horns. His bright orange backpack was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. In his pocket was a set of reed pipes his daddy goat had carved for him, even though he only knew two songs: Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 12 and Hilary Duff's "So Yesterday," both of which sounded pretty bad on reed pipes.

"Hey, you can't say anything about them. They are classical and much better than Thalia's punk rock band Green Day and stuff. Those are just pure loud noise." Grover defends " Hey! At least, I don't like country music. They can be so boring." She retorts. " Excuse me! Country music is better than any punk music or 90's music ." "Hey!" And with that we all start a very heated discussion on whose music is better.

"QUIET!" someone shouts but no one listens to him. "Oh for fate's sake, can you all calm down. We have to finish 12 books. And Apollo stop listening to music on your glasses." Lady Athena admonishes us. We all look guilty whereas Dad just pouts.

We waved good-bye to the other campers, took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, then hiked up Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus.

"Do you really have to remind us that," Thalia asks exasperated.

Chiron was waiting for us in his wheelchair. Next to him stood the surfer dude I'd seen when I was recovering in the sick room. 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 I could only see extra peepers on his hands, face and neck.

Lady Hera beams while glaring at lord Hermes at the same time.

"This is Argus," Chiron told me. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things. "

"Bad pun!" Katie remarks making a face.

I heard footsteps behind us.

Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes.

"Hey!" he panted. "Glad I caught you. "

My eyes lit up. We have grown to be great friends in the past few days.

Luke shifts in his seat knowing how well he had treated his friend in the coming years.

"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke told me. "And I thought . . . um, maybe you could use these. "

He handed me the sneakers, which looked pretty normal. They even smelled kind of normal.

"You smelled them?" Jason asked confused. "Just to check them!" She replies back, blushing.

Luke said, "Maia!"

Lord Hermes's shoes also sprout wings. "Maia." He replies hastily and it becomes normal. "Can you at least warn me before you are doing something like that!" He scowls at Dad. Dad pouts childishly.

White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels, startling me so much, I 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.

Lord Hermes was ecstatic and sad at the same time.

I didn't know what to say. It was cool enough that Luke had come to say good-bye. I'd been afraid he might resent me for not taking him for the quest. But since Andrew had all but volunteered. So I couldn't do anything about it. And yet here he was giving me a magic gift. . . . It made me blush hard.

Lord Poseidon blinks and then raises his eyebrow at Percy, "Is there something I am missing here."She shakes her head in negative. Both Piper and Lady Aphrodite were looking at them contemplatively.

"Hey, man," Andrew said proudly, his eyes warm. "Thanks. "

Andrew sighs I pat his back. It must be hard for him to see his family fighting on opposite sides of a war.

"Listen, Percy . . . " Luke turned to me, looking uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just . . . kill some monsters for me, okay?" He said giving me a goodbye hug.

Luke patted Grover's head between his horns, then shook hands with Andrew, who beamed at him.

After Luke was gone, he told me, "You're hyperventilating. "

Luke suffers the glare of elder Olympians making all of us hide our smirks as he shrinks back in his seat.

"Am not." I defended blushing, "And you let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?"

"Oh . . . why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?"

"Of course I did! He was my family!" Andrew replies to all the questioning glances. " And here I thought you were smart to send him to capture the flag because he is the son of the god of thieves." Lord Poseidon looks at him pointedly. "That was one of the reasons. " Andrew amends.

He 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.

I picked up the flying shoes and had a sudden bad feeling. I looked at Chiron. "I won't be able to use these, will I?"

"Nope. It will still be Dad's domain how low you fly." Thalia glower "Then it's a good thing she didn't. " Dad smirked.

He shook his head. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air . . . that would not be wise for you. "

I nodded, disappointed, but then I got an idea. "Hey, Grover. You want a magic item?"

"You are a very good friend, Percy!" Lord Pan nodded.

His eyes lit up. "Me?"

Pretty soon wed laced the sneakers over his fake feet, and the world's first flying goat boy was ready for launch.

"You are making it sound like a space shuttle." We all laughed

. Dad pointed at Hermes and then his shoes and Lord Hermes took them off.

"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.

Lord Pan and Lord Hermes winced.

"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.

" I am forbidding you from watching horror movies." Thalia joked, laughing with us.

Before I could follow, Chiron caught my arm. "I should have trained you better, Percy," he said. "If only I had more time. Hercules, Jason

The gods turned to Jason. " Not me!" He shook his head. " The first one," Hera said disgustedly. Typical Hera. Hating her own champion.

—they all got more training. "

"That's okay. I just wish—"

I stopped myself because I was about to sound like a brat.

"You are a brat. No need to worry about it!" Dionysus muttered.

I was wishing my dad had given me a cool magic item to help on the quest, something as good as Luke's flying shoes, or Andrews invisible cap.

"Did I ?" " Yep, it saved me a lot of times too."

"What am I thinking?" Chiron cried. "I can't let you get away without this. "

He pulled a hair clip from his coat pocket and handed it to me. It was a simple tic-tack clip, encrusted with small white pearls surrounding a large green one.

"You gave your daughter a hair accessory." Lord Zeus asks incredulously. " Must be to keep her hair out of her face. You remember mother used to tie his hair before going to war each day since he was shit at managing it." Lord Hades teased his brother. Lord Zeus and his sisters chuckled loudly while lord Poseidon looked offended. Percy threw them a wicked smile knowing what was going to happen next.

"Gee," I said. "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. "

I remembered the field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, when I'd vaporized Mrs. Dodds. Chiron had thrown me a clip that turned into a sword. Could this be . . . ?

Everyone from the past looked at the book interestingly.

I roamed my hand over the green pearl, and the clip grew longer and heavier in my hand. In half a second, I held a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a leather-wrapped grip, and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs. The pearls were embedded in the hilt. 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 me. "Its name is Anaklusmos. "

"Riptide," I translated, surprised the Ancient Greek came so easily.

Everyone's eyes widened and they looked at her. She removed the aforementioned clip from her hair, touching the pearl and a five-foot-long sword sprang in her hand. Both Zoes' looked proud while Heracles turned away.

"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. "

I 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. Its deadly to monsters, to any creature from the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first.

"Provided!" She agreed.

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. "

" I would love to tell Rachel she is not important enough," Andrew muttered, red.

"Good to know. "

"Now touch it again. "

I touched it back and instantly Riptide shrank to a clip again. I pinned it in my hair, a little nervous, because I was famous for losing pins at school.

"You can't," Chiron said.

"Can't what?"

"Lose the clip," he said. "It is enchanted. It will always reappear in your hair. Try it. "

Everyone again looked at her for demonstration. She rolled her eyes but threw the clip out of the window. A few seconds later, it materialized in her hair. The sea family beamed as lord Ares rubbed his hands gleefully, "Nice trick." "But there was one time…" Andrew added looking pained reminiscing of the quest to save Percy and Lady Artemis. " Yeah, I remember it too. The magic on the clip didn't work then because of that place's own magic." Thalia nodded. " Eh! It doesn't matter. I also had other weapons at that time." Percy replied playing with her trident necklace.

I was wary, but I threw the clip as far as I could down the hill and watched it disappear in the grass.

"It may take a few moments," Chiron told me. "Now check your hair. "

Sure enough, the clip was there.

"Okay, that's extremely cool," I admitted. "But what if a mortal sees me pulling out a sword?"

Chiron smiled. "Mist is a powerful thing, Percy. "

"Mist?"

" You didn't know about the mist?" "Nope."

"Yes. Read The Iliad. It's full of references to the stuff. Whenever divine or monstrous elements mix with the mortal world, they generate Mist, which obscures the vision of humans. You will see things just as they are, being a half-blood, but humans will interpret things quite differently. Remarkable, really, the lengths to which humans will go to fit things into their version of reality. "

I put Riptide back in my hair.

For the first time, the quest felt real.

"First quests can be scary." Frank shuddered. All the demigods old and new nodded.

I was actually leaving Half-Blood Hill. I was heading west with no adult supervision, no backup plan, not even a cell phone. (Chiron said cell phones were traceable by monsters; if we used one, it would be worse than sending up a flare. ) I had no weapon stronger than a sword to fight off monsters and reach the Land of the Dead.

"It is the best weapon you will need," Heracles said. "Not necessary." Remembering the canons and muskets used during the wars.

"Chiron . . . " I said. "When you say the gods are immortal. . . I mean, there was a time before them, right?"

"What are you on about, sweety ?" Sally asked.

"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?"

Katie and I understood what she was trying to ask and sighed. Poor Percy. Her first quest and she was caught in the big threes' squabble.

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, 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. "

"Zeus warmed too much to them," Hera said derisively.

"But the gods can't die now, right? 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?"

"Don't be so pessimistic!" Sally consoled her.

Chiron gave me a melancholy smile. "No one knows how long the Age of the West will last, Percy. 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, child, is follow our destiny. "

"Aww! Chiron. You really care about us so much." Lady Aphrodite placed her hand on her chest.

"Our destiny . . . assuming we know what that is. "

"Relax," Chiron told me. "Keep a clear head. And remember, you may be about to prevent the biggest war in human history. "

"Relax," I said. "I'm very relaxed. "

"No pressure!" Lord Hermes soothed.

When I got to the bottom of the hill, I looked back. Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Chiron was now standing in full horse-man form, holding his bow high in salute. Just your typical summer-camp send-off by your typical centaur.

"Typical!" We cracked a smile.

* * *

Argus drove us out of the countryside and into western Long Island. It felt weird to be on a highway again, Andrew and Grover sitting next to me as if we were normal carpoolers. After two weeks at Half-Blood Hill, the real world seemed like a fantasy. I found myself staring at every McDonald's, every kid in the back of his parents' car, every billboard and shopping mall.

"So far so good," I told Andrew. "Ten miles and not a single monster. "

"You will jinx it." Lady Athena looked at her angrily.

He gave me 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 us." Lady Demeter said sarcastically.

"Could've fooled me. "

Lady Demeter smirked at her brothers.

He folded his cap of invisibility. "Look . . . were just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals. "

"That is…the stupidest reason to dislike someone. Just because your parents don't like each other doesn't mean you have to do it too." Lady Persephone frowned. All the other gods raised their eyebrows at her. " Leave it at that, Persephone. They may be gods, but they are children at heart." We hid our smirks as Lady Amphitrite winked at us.

"Why?"

We groaned not wanting to listen to Andrew's history lecture.

He sighed. "How many reasons do you want? One time my mom caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena's temple, which is hugely disrespectful.

Percy and Grover were staring at Andrew, hard, who had his face in his hand. Did they face Medusa in one of their quests?

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. "

"Which does not make any sense. They could have used the water for washing, cleaning, or boiling it for drinking. There are thousands of uses of water." Jason looked hyped up. Lord Poseidon looked smugly at Lady Athena.

"They must really like olives. "

"Oh, forget it. "

"Now, if she'd invented pizza—that I could understand. "

"I said, forget it!"

Lady Athena looked like she would explode any time. Andrew, on the other hand, was looking at his girlfriend fondly.

In the front seat, Argus smiled. He didn't say anything, but one blue eye on the back of his neck winked at me.

Traffic slowed us down in Queens. By the time we got into Manhattan it was sunset and starting to rain.

Argus dropped us at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, not far from my mom and Gabe's apartment. Taped to a mailbox was a soggy flyer with my picture on it: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS GIRL?

The sea family looked murderous.

I ripped it down before Andrew and Grover could notice.

"We did!" They said.

Argus unloaded our bags, made sure we got our bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch us as he pulled out of the parking lot.

I thought about how close I was to my old apartment. On a normal day, my mom would be home from the candy store by now. Smelly Gabe was probably up there right now, playing poker, not even missing her.

Grover shouldered his backpack. He gazed down the street in the direction I was looking. "You want to know why she married him, Percy?"

"Many of us want to know." Piper agreed silently.

I stared at him. "Were you reading my mind or something?"

"Only your emotions." Lord Hermes and Mr D smirked.

"Just your emotions. " He shrugged. "Guess I forgot to tell you satyrs can do that. You were thinking about your mom and your stepdad, right?"

I nodded, wondering what else Grover might've forgotten to tell me.

Grover winced. What? Oh, he didn't tell her about being Thalia's protector too.

"Your mom married Gabe for you," Grover told me. "You call him Smelly, but you've got no idea. The guy has this aura…. Yuck. I can smell him from here. I can smell traces of him on you, and you haven't been near him for a week. "

Everyone other than Andrew, Grover, me, Travis, Conner, Luke and Clarisse were looking at Sally and Percy in disbelief. Percy gave her mum a knowing smile.

"Thanks," I said. "Where's the nearest shower?"

"You should be grateful, Percy. Your stepfather smells so repulsively human he could mask the presence of any demigod. As soon as I took a whiff inside his Camaro, I knew: Gabe has been covering your scent for years.

"Yes, and I have repaid his kindness to the best of our ability." She smirked devilishly. Everyone frowned. "But aren't you not allowed to kill mortals." "I didn't. Mum did." She replied looking at her. Now everyone looked excited to know his fate.

If you hadn't lived with him every summer, you probably would've been found by monsters a long time ago. Your mom stayed with him to protect you. She was a smart lady. She must've loved you a lot to put up with that guy—if that makes you feel any better. "

It didn't, but I forced myself not to show it. I'll see her again, I thought. She isn't gone.

"Oh, Penny! I would go to the end of the world to protect you. You are my baby." Sally said, hugging her daughter tightly. Lady Hera threw her a jealous look.

I wondered if Grover could still read my emotions, mixed up as they were. I was glad he and Andrew were with me, but I felt guilty that I hadn't been straight with them. I hadn't told them the real reason I'd said yes to this crazy quest.

Lord Hades and lord Zeus looked angrily at their brother while their sisters held their breath.

The truth was, I didn't care about retrieving Zeus's lightning bolt, or saving the world, or even helping my father out of trouble.

The more I thought about it, I resented Poseidon for never visiting me, never helping my mom, never even sending a lousy child-support check. He'd only claimed me because he needed a job done.

Those looks turned into pity as Poseidon was staring at his daughter, trying to ask if she still did so. "Percy…" "Just read." She replied with a smile.

All I cared about was my mom. Hades had taken her unfairly, and Hades was going to give her back.

They sighed in relief, while lord Poseidon still looked troubled. We blinked. "Aren't you all worried about her going to the underworld ?" Perseus asked Lady Hestia. " Of course not. Hades is not unfair. He knows how to differentiate between good and bad. Also, she is his only mortal niece from Poseidon's side of the family. He knows how to behave." She replied giving a pointed look at her brother.

You will be betrayed by one who calls you a friend, the Oracle whispered in my mind. You will fail to save what matters most in the end.

Shut up, I told it.

"You know, talking to yourself is a sign of madness." "Yeah! Well, that explains why you do it all the time, being the god of madness!" She smirked at him. He looked angry but didn't say anything with the glares from gods and demigods thrown at him.

The rain kept coming down.

We got restless waiting for the bus and decided to play some Hacky Sack with one of Grover's apples.

Everyone turned to the three of them incredulously. "We were two hyperactive 12-year-olds and a not-yet-matured satyr. Of course, we would get bored easily." Andrew defended.

Andrew was unbelievable. He could bounce the apple off his knee, his elbow, his shoulder, whatever. I wasn't too bad myself.

The game ended when I tossed the apple toward Grover and it got too close to his mouth. In one mega goat bite, our Hacky Sack disappeared—core, stem, and all.

We all burst up laughing.

Grover blushed. He tried to apologize, but Andrew and I were too busy cracking up.

Finally the bus came. As we stood in line to board, Grover started looking around, sniffing the air like he smelled his favorite school cafeteria delicacy—enchiladas.

Uhu. Monsters! Everyone turned serious.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing. "

"Trust your instincts, Satyr. Or you will get them killed." Lady Artemis scolded him. He nodded back, blushing.

But I could tell it wasn't nothing. I started looking over my shoulder, too.

I was relieved when we finally got on board and found seats together in the back of the bus. We stowed our backpacks. Andrew kept slapping his Yankees cap nervously against his thigh.

As the last passengers got on, Andrew clamped his hand onto my knee. "Percy. "

Silence existed in the room. Then " Can you stop reading it so dramatically?" Lady Artemis scowled at Dad. Dad pouted back, " But it was so much fun!" She slapped her forehead in exasperation. "Fine, fine I will read it properly." He replied to all the threatening looks.

An old lady had just boarded the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face, and she carried a big paisley purse. When she tilted her head up, her black eyes glittered, and my heart skipped a beat.

"You fell in love with a grandma?" Lady Aphrodite asked looking up from her nails. "WHAT !" everyone shouted. That lady is the most unhinged person I have seen. "What! Heart skips only in love or in battle. Hard to believe you will have to fight in a bus." We all gave her who made you this stupid look. Gods! Isn't that what the title just said. They ruined the bus. How does she think they did that? Dancing! Everyone else was thinking around the same as Piper asked her mother, "Mum! Are you listening to the book at all?" "Nah, just the fun part. Otherwise, it's just about boring demigod life." We rolled our eyes. Typical.

It was Mrs. Dodds. Older, more withered, but definitely the same evil face.

I scrunched down in my seat.

"Now the fun begins!" Lord Ares cheered excitedly looking between lord Hades and lord Poseidon, whose left eye was ticking.

Behind her came two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise they looked exactly like Mrs. Dodds—same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses. Triplet demon grandmothers.

"Di immortales! All three." Lord Triton was hyperventilating.

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 we headed through the slick streets of Manhattan. "She didn't stay dead long," I said, trying to keep my voice from quivering. "I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime. "

"I said if you're lucky," Andrew said. "You're obviously not. "

"I was never lucky!" Percy groaned.

"All three of them," Grover whimpered. "Di immortales!"

"It's okay," Andrew said, obviously thinking hard. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. Well just slip out the windows. "

"They don't open," Grover moaned.

"A back exit?" she suggested.

There wasn't one.

"See I told ya!" she said cheerfully. Everyone looked at her as if she had grown a third head.

Even if there had been, it wouldn't have helped. By that time, we were on Ninth Avenue, heading for the Lincoln Tunnel.

"They won't attack us with witnesses around," I said. "Will they?"

"Mortals don't have good eyes," Andrew reminded me. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist. "

"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?"

"more likely the other way around," Chris muttered.

He thought about it. "Hard to say. But we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof . . . ?"

We 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.

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.

A beat. Then another passed. Everyone was looking at lord Hades, who was hiding his face in his hand muttering something about furies having no tact.

They all started coming down the aisle.

"I've got it," Andrew said. "Percy, take my hat. "

"What?"

"You're the one they want. Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away. "

"That's a.. better plan, especially for Percy. A god might see through your invisibility but furies won't be able to detect you even if they can smell you. Still, they will attack Andrew and Grover." Lady Amphitrite pointed out.

"But you guys—"

"There's an outside chance they might not notice us," Andrew said. "You're a daughter 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!"

My hands trembled. I felt like a coward, but I took the Yankees cap and put it on.

"You can be slow most times, but you are not a coward. Leaving your position doesn't mean running away. Sometimes it is important to restrategize and regroup." Lady Athena explained begrudgingly.

When I looked down, my body wasn't there anymore.

"And you just proved my point." She huffed.

I started creeping up the aisle. I managed to get up ten rows, then duck into an empty seat just as the Furies walked past.

Mrs. Dodds stopped, sniffing, and looked straight at me. My heart was pounding.

Apparently she didn't see anything. She and her sisters kept going.

I was free. I made it to the front of the bus. We were almost through the Lincoln Tunnel now. I was about to press the emergency stop button when I heard hideous wailing from the back row.

We leaned forward in our seats.

The old ladies were not old ladies anymore. Their faces were still the same—I guess those couldn't get any uglier—

"I am telling them that! " Nico muttered, smirking up at Percy, who looked back at him in horror.

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.

The Furies surrounded Grover and Andrew, lashing their whips, hissing: "Where is it? Where?"

"It! " All the gods exclaimed. Lord Poseidon and Lady Athena looked like they had found the last piece of the puzzle as they were looking in between Lord Hades and lord Zeus. "Don't even dare say a word. I can read your face. You know why both of them are after us. But if you ruin it, I swear, I will never talk to you." Percy warned them. Lord Poseidon clamped down but still looked worried. Lady Athena glared back at Percy. "That stands for you too, mother," Andrew added. She backed down.

The other people on the bus were screaming, cowering in their seats. They saw something, all right.

"She's not here!" Andrew yelled. "She's gone!"

The Furies raised their whips.

Andrew drew his bronze knife. Grover grabbed a tin can from his snack bag and prepared to throw it.

What I did next was so impulsive and dangerous I should've been named ADHD poster child of the year.

"You and Leo share that title for this century," Piper remarked as Leo and Percy fist-bumped. Katie noticed Luke giving them a sad smile and pointed it to me.

The bus driver was distracted, trying to see what was going on in his rearview mirror.

Still invisible, I grabbed the wheel from him and jerked it to the left. Everybody howled as they were thrown to the right, and I heard what I hoped was the sound of three Furies smashing against the windows.

All the older demigods and gods yelped. " These metal boxes are like a mortal killing machine." Lord Poseidon said worriedly.

"Hey!" the driver yelled. "Hey—whoa!"

We wrestled for the wheel. The bus slammed against the side of the tunnel, grinding metal, throwing sparks a mile behind us.

We careened out of the Lincoln Tunnel and back into the rainstorm, people and monsters tossed around the bus, cars plowed aside like bowling pins.

Nico, Bianca, Zoe( dead one), Andrew and Grover turned green. Percy and I raised our eyebrows questioningly. "Your driving is as bad as Pinecone face's," Nico replied to Percy. Thalia smirked. "At least Percy was 12 then," Grover added. " Thalia, on the other hand, drives like lord Hades is chasing her. No offence, lord Hades."

"Non-taken, Satyr. She takes that after her father. He was also always a reckless driver when driving the chariot. "Lord Hades needled. "Oh, I remember I had to heal all those poor horses. Good thing, he lost interest in chariot racing centuries ago." Lord Poseidon moaned. "Just like he does in literally everything," Hera remarked bitingly. We were trying to control our chuckles as lord Zeus turned a deep shade of red.

Somehow the driver found an exit. We shot off the highway, through half a dozen traffic lights, and ended up barreling down one of those New Jersey rural roads where you can't believe there's so much nothing right across the river from New York. There were woods to our left, the Hudson River to our right, and the driver seemed to be veering toward the river.

"Wait! Water. Just crash into the river." Theseus cried. " No! I can't because I have to take everyone into account." Percy defended. The older heroes and Dionysus were surprised.

Another great idea:

We all groaned knowing how bad her ideas were.

I hit the emergency brake.

"That's surprisingly a good idea," Clarisse grunted.

The bus wailed, spun a full circle on the wet asphalt, and crashed into the trees. The emergency lights came on. The door flew open. The bus driver was the first one out, the passengers yelling as they stampeded after him. I stepped into the driver's seat and let them pass.

"You are way too self-sacrificing for our peace of mind," Bianca remarked.

The Furies regained their balance. They lashed their whips at Andrew while he waved his knife and yelled in Ancient Greek, telling them to back off. Grover threw tin cans.

I looked at the open doorway. I was free to go, but I couldn't leave my friends. I took off the invisible cap. "Hey!"

We again groaned silently agreeing to Hazel.

The Furies turned, baring their yellow fangs at me, and the exit suddenly seemed like an excellent idea. Mrs. Dodds stalked up the aisle, just as she used to do in class, about to deliver my F- math test.

Some chuckled but most remained tense.

Every time she flicked her whip, red flames danced along the barbed leather.

Her two ugly sisters hopped on top of the seats on either side of her and crawled toward me like huge nasty lizards.

"Penelope Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said, in an accent that was definitely from somewhere farther south than Georgia. "You have offended the gods. You shall die. "

"I liked you better as a math teacher," I told her.

"I like her better as a lawyer!" Nico muttered. I shushed him.

She growled.

Andrew and Grover moved up behind the Furies cautiously, looking for an opening.

"I don't think it is that easy to defeat the furies." Perseus being the most experienced one, leaned forward.

I took the clip out of my hair and touched the green pearl. Riptide elongated into a shimmering double-edged sword.

The Furies hesitated.

"As they should!" Clarisse cracked her knuckles.

Mrs. Dodds had felt Riptide's blade before. She obviously didn't like seeing it again.

"Submit now," she hissed. "And you will not suffer eternal torment. "

"They are too easy on her." Lady Persephone muttered thoughtfully, bringing her husband's attention to herself. Lord Hades frowned.

"Nice try," I told her.

"Percy, look out!" Andrew cried.

Mrs. Dodds lashed her whip around my sword hand while the Furies on the either side lunged at me.

"HADES!" Lord Zeus and two of his sisters were looking at him angrily. Lady Hestia looked disappointed. This was weird since Lord Poseidon was supposed to be the angriest, yet he was too deep in his thoughts. On noticing this, everyone turned towards him. "Poseidon! He hurt our Percy. Aren't you going to do something about it?" Lady Demeter roused him back to reality. "Who did ?" He asked surprised and angry. "Hades's minions. Those furies." He blinked, looking first at his brother and then at Lady Athena. Sighing, he said "We will talk about it later. "

My hand felt like it was wrapped in molten lead, but I managed not to drop Riptide. I stuck the Fury on the left with its hilt, sending her toppling backwards into a seat. I turned and sliced the Fury on the right. As soon as the blade connected with her neck, she screamed and exploded into dust. Andrew got Mrs. Dodds in a wrestler's hold and yanked her backward while Grover ripped the whip out of her hands.

"Woohoo! Go, Andrew. Show those demonic grandmas who's the boss." Leo and Clarisse cheered.

"Ow!" he yelled. "Ow! Hot! Hot!"

The Fury I'd hilt-slammed came at me again, talons ready, but I swung Riptide and she broke open like a piñata.

We clapped while lord Hades was half-annoyed, half-worried looking in between Poseidon and Percy.

Mrs. Dodds was trying to get Andrew off her back. She kicked, clawed, hissed and bit, but Andrew held on while Grover got Mrs. Dodds's legs tied up in her own whip. Finally they both shoved her backward into the aisle. Mrs. Dodds tried to get up, but she didn't have room to flap her bat wings, so she kept falling down.

"Oh fates, the paperwork!" He moaned. Nico had once told me that every time one of Hades's minions were killed the paperwork required to bring them back was over the roof. That's why he rarely sent furies or his other servants for the job.

"Zeus will destroy you!" she promised. "Hades will have your soul!"

"Braccas meas vescimini!" I yelled.

The Romans laughed. The older generation was confused. "What language is that?" "Latin."

I wasn't sure where the Latin came from. I think it meant "Eat my pants!"

"I do now." She replied sadly "non quod profuit cognita!" Reyna patted her arm.

Thunder shook the bus. The hair rose on the back of my neck.

Lightning. Everyone thought so too and glared at Zeus.

"Get out!" Andrew yelled at me. "Now!" I didn't need any encouragement.

We rushed outside and found the other passengers 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 my photograph before I could recap my sword.

Again we groaned. "These mortals have turned into pests," Odysseus complained.

"Our bags!" Grover realized. "We left our—"

"So much bad Tyche." Andromeda frowned. "That's just the beginning," Andrew smirked. Poseidon had his hand tightly on the trident.

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 me Mrs. Dodds was not yet dead.

"ADELFÓS!" The ground started to shake, the second time in two days as Poseidon shouted. "Oh, so you shouted at me for sending that lightning bolt but not at Hades for sending his minions," Zeus replied indignantly. Hades smirked and opened his mouth but Persephone elbowed him to stay silent. Percy sighed and got up from next to us, picked her baby self and dumped her in their father's lap. Penny gave him a toothless smile and Poseidon calmed down considerably only giving Zeus a death glare, wrapping his arms protectively around the baby.

"Run!" Andrew said. "She's calling for reinforcements! We have to get out of here!"

We plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind us, and nothing but darkness ahead.

"And the end. Ok, who's next!" Dad asked cheerfully.