The Path Of Glory (Annabeth Chase x Male Reader)

13. Trip In An Eighteen-Wheeler

"Hey, guys," Ethan said. "I hate to interrupt, but..."

He pointed toward the diner. At the register, the last two customers were paying their check, two men in identical black coveralls, with a white logo on their backs that matched the one on the KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL truck.

"If we're taking the zoo express," Ethan said, "we need to hurry."

Y/N didn't like it, but they had no better option. Besides, he had seen enough of Denver.

They ran across the street and climbed in the back of the big rig, closing the door behind them.

The first thing that hit him was the smell. It was the world's biggest pan of kitty litter.

The trailer was dark inside until Percy uncapped his sword—it cast a faint bronze light; what more could you ask for? Sitting in a row of filthy metal cages were three of the most pathetic animals he had ever beheld: a zebra, a male albino lion, and some weird antelope thing he didn't know the name for.

Someone had thrown the lion a sack of turnips, which he obviously didn't want to eat. The zebra and the antelope had each gotten a Styrofoam tray of hamburger meat. The zebra's mane was matted with chewing gum, like somebody had been spitting on it in their spare time. The antelope had a stupid silver birthday balloon tied to one of his horns that read OVER THE HILL!

Apparently, nobody had wanted to get close enough to the lion to mess with him, but the poor thing was pacing around on soiled blankets, in a space way too small for him, panting from the stuffy heat of the trailer. He had flies buzzing around his pink eyes and his ribs showed through his white fur.

"This is kindness?" Grover yelled. "Humane zoo transport?"

He and Ethan would've probably gone right back outside to beat up the truckers with reed pipes and quarterstaff, and Y/N would've helped them, but just then the truck's engine roared to life, the trailer started shaking, and they were forced to sit down or fall down.

They huddled in the corner on some mildewed feed sacks, trying to ignore the smell and the heat and the flies. Ethan talked to the animals in a series of goat bleats, but they just stared at him sadly. Annabeth was in favor of breaking the cages and freeing them on the spot, but Percy pointed out it wouldn't do much good until the truck stopped moving. Besides—but he thought it would be rude to the lion to say it aloud—Y/N had a feeling they might look a lot better to the lion than those turnips.

He found a water jag and refiled the animals' bowls, then Percy used his sword to drag the mismatched food out of their cages. He gave the meat to the lion and the turnips to the zebra and the antelope.

Grover calmed the antelope down, while Annabeth used her knife to cut the balloon off his horn. She wanted to cut the gum out of the zebra's mane, too, but they decided that would be too risky with the truck bumping around. Y/N, Annabeth and Percy told Ethan and Grover to promise the animals they'd help them more in the morning, then they settled in for the night.

Grover curled up on a turnip sack; Annabeth opened the bag of Double Stuf Oreos and nibbled on one halfheartedly; Ethan played with his banana sunhat; Percy looked lost in his thought; Y/N tried to juggle with his ring.

"Hey, Y/N," Annabeth said, "I'm sorry for freaking out back at the water park."

"That's okay," he said.

"It's just..." She shuddered. "Spiders."

"Because of the Arachne story," he guessed. "She got turned into a spider for challenging your mom to a weaving contest, right?"

Annabeth nodded. "Arachne's children have been taking revenge on the children of Athena ever since. If there's a spider within a mile of me, it'll find me. I hate the creepy little things. Anyway, I owe you."