Annabeth Chase and the Lightning Thief

Chapter 13 - I piggy-back a Fury

I waited with baited breath as the Furies continued to march down the aisle towards Grover and me. I didn't know where Percy had gone but I could only hope that he was far from us.

At one point Alecto stopped and began sniffing the air, head darting around suspiciously. I almost felt like I was having a heart attack. Then she kept moving and relief came over me. It was short lived.

The Furies reached Grover and I and instantly surrounded us. Then they noticed that Percy was gone and began wailing, like they were torturing cats or something. I stared in horror as they began to change, their wrinkled, ugly bodies turning into wrinklier and uglier bodies. Wings sprouted out of their backs and their bags morphed into flaming whips. Only their faces remained the same, which was disappointing. I'd hoped for an improvement, but that obviously seemed impossible.

"Where is it?" One of them hissed, lashing her whip.

"Where?" Added another, scraping her claws against the back of my seat and shredding it to leathery strips. I did not want to end up as Annabeth Mcstrips.

"He's not here!" I yelled. "He's gone!"

The Furies didn't seem to believe me. They raised their whips to strike so I grabbed my knife and prepared to defend myself. Grover had a tin can, although I didn't know what he intended to do with that. Eat it perhaps?

I didn't have time to think about it as the bus suddenly lurched to the right, sending me crashing into Grover as he smashed into the window. He moaned as his horns collided with the glass, making a chip in it.

The Furies slammed into the seats, their whips cracking over head. One nearly caught my wrist but I managed to flick it out of the way with my knife as the bus lurched again. This time we hit the side of the Lincoln Tunnel, scraping along with sparks flying.

I had no idea what was going on but I had an idea who was causing it. The one person who seemed to break whatever he touched: Percy.

The Furies were trying to clamber to their feet, but I shot out my foot and sent them tumbling over again. Grover was still squished against the side, his goat feet kicking feebly.

The other passengers were screaming their heads off, clutching at the seats and the railings as the bus shot out of the Lincoln Tunnel and back into the rainstorm. It was lurching down a rural road when the emergency brake suddenly came on.

I screamed as we spun in a circle, causing me to crash into the Furies as they struggled to get back up. We all fell over in a huddle as the bus crashed into some trees, the emergency lights coming on.

I scrambled away from the Furies as the doors opened and the passengers scrambled out. Alecto tried to lash her whip at me but I waved my knife threateningly.

"Back off!" I yelled in Ancient Greek.

Grover was throwing tins, but they were just bouncing off the Furies, making them more confused than hurt. I was wondering how long it would be before he ran out, but it didn't look like anytime soon.

I didn't think it could get any worse when Percy suddenly appeared at the front of the bus.

"Hey!" He yelled, drawing the Furies attention.

They forgot about Grover and me immediately, turning to face the son of the Sea God. Alecto led the way towards him, lashing her whip threateningly. I followed stealthily, Grover just behind me. We just had to wait for the right moment . . .

"Perseus Jackson," Alecto hissed. "You have offended the gods. You shall die."

"I liked you better as a maths teacher," he told her, taking Riptide out of his pocket and uncapping it. It grew into a long, celestial bronze, double-edged sword that seemed to glow with power.

The Furies paused on seeing it. I wasn't sure whether it was because of the sword itself or the celestial bronze it was made off, but they didn't seem to like it at all.

"Submit now," Alecto demanded, freeing her whip so it would be easier to move. I watched it, trying to work out the best way to neutralize it. "And you will not suffer eternal torment."

"Nice try," Percy said.

He was too busy distracted talking to notice the whip. But I did.

"Percy, look out! I yelled, lurching forward to stop Alecto.

But she was faster than me and lashed her whip, curling it around Percy's sword hand while her sisters leapt at him from either side. He cried out, but managed to knock Tisiphone away with the hilt of Riptide, causing her to be sent sprawling into a seat. I ran forward as he slashed Megaera across the neck, causing her to scream as she disintegrated. Then I leapt straight onto Alecto's back, catching her in a wrestlers hold.

I yanked her backwards as Grover grabbed her whip and pulled if out of her hands. It must have been made of molten lava or something like the fabulous flaming souls of the Underworld, because Grover was yelling with pain as he juggled it in his hands.

"Ow! Ow! Hot! Hot!" He cried, doing an Irish jiggle.

Percy slashed Tisiphone to dust while I clung onto Alecto. She was bucking like a bronco, bumping me into seats and clawing and kicking at me. I was just managing to hold on, but I didn't know how much longer I could.

Grover had gotten over the pain and was tying Alecto's legs together with her own whip. We shoved her over into the aisle, the seats pinning her wings down so she couldn't get us.

"Zeus will destroy you!" She screeched. "Hades will have your soul!"

"Braccas meas vescimini!" Percy yelled.

I didn't have time to wonder why a Fury would want to eat his pants as thunder started to rumble outside, shaking the bus. That was not a good sign.

"Get out!" I yelled, shoving Percy towards the exit. "Now!"

We scrambled out into the rain, finding ourselves among the dazed and Mist-tified passengers. They were either screaming, rocking on the ground, or praying. One guy snapped a photo of Percy.

"Our bags!" Grover yelled. "We left our -"

BOOOOOM!

Lightning blasted the bus, making the windows explode and shredding the roof. We threw ourselves to the ground as glass showered us, pouring down nearly as heavily as the rain.

I looked back to see the bus totally trashed. It had caved in at the middle and was burning, looking all twisted and deformed. No one could have survived that. No one but a monster.

Angry wails sounded from the wreck, rising in volume and fury. My blood turned cold on hearing it.

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

Percy looked dazed, so I grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the woods, Grover following in our wake. We had to get as far away from there as possible, before something worse than Furies found us.