The Moon and the Stars || Heroes of Olympus

Chapter 3

I was forced to stand in the back of the chariot, leaning on Leo for support. There was no other option but it sounds more dramatic if I say I was forced.

I seemed to be stuck with these three now, and it felt pretty weird. True friendship was a foreign concept to me, I just had people I talked to and people I'd prank.

In the front, Butch handled the pegasi and Annabeth fiddled around with a bronze navigation device, similar to a compass.

The chariot rose over the canyon and the wind cut through my clothes, making me shiver. It was a pretty bumpy ride. I was worried I'd fall out the back.

Leo was clearly impressed. "This is so cool!" He spat out a stray Pegasus feather. "Where are we going?"

"Hopefully somewhere we won't die." I said.

A look of guilt passed over Jason's face. "I'm really sorry about that."

I waved him away. "It was my fault anyway. Don't worry about it."

"We're going to a safe place." Annabeth said. "The only safe place for people like us. Camp Half-Blood."

"Half-Blood?" Piper asked, immediately on guard. Annabeth didn't seem to be insulting her but you can never be too careful. With all this talk of the Greeks, it had something to do with them.

"She means we're demigods," Jason said. "Half god and half mortal."

Annabeth looked back. "You seem to know a lot, Jason, but yes, demigods. My mom is Athena, goddess of wisdom. Butch here is the son of Iris, the rainbow goddess."

I nodded slightly though my brain was malfunctioning just trying to process the idea. Sure, I had parents, but from a young age I'd known I was adopted and that, somewhere out there, were my biological parents. I used to dream that they would come for me and sweep me away from my mom and dad's the ridiculously high expectations. Eventually though, I stopped. There was no use fantasising about something that wasn't going to happen. I learned to live with the disappointment that clouded over my father's eyes when he caught me in his gaze. No matter what I did, it would never leave.

Leo choked. "Your mom's the goddess of rainbows?"

"You got a problem with that?"

"No, no," Leo said, barley concealing his mirth. "Rainbows. Very macho."

"Leo!" I punched him.

"Butch is our best equestrian," Annabeth said. "He gets along great with the pegasi."

"Rainbows, ponies," Leo muttered.

I punched him again.

"Demigods," Piper said. "You think you're .... You think we're - "

Lightning flashed. The chariot shuddered and Jason yelled. "Left wheel's on fire."

The wind howled and there were smoky, dark shapes shifting in the clouds. More Anemoi thuellai, charging towards the chariot. These were more equestrian than human, though.

"Why are they - ?" Piper started.

Annabeth interrupted. "Anemoi come in different shapes, sometimes human, sometimes stallions, depending on how chaotic they are. Hold on tight."

Butch flicked the reins and the pegasi put on a burst of speed. I nearly passed out again we were going so fast. I shut my eyes.

When I opened them, we were somewhere completely different. On our left, the cold grey ocean stretched out, and on the right, snow-covered fields, roads and forests were spread. Directly below us there was a huge green valley.