[̲̅B][̲̅u][̲̅t][̲̅t][̲̅e][̲̅r][̲̅f][̲̅l][̲̅y] | Percy Jackson x oc | PJO x HP |

Chapter 11 | I Choke On Sour Airheads |

    “I- um- Percy, you’re not supposed to be here!” I exclaimed, shimmying out from underneath him.

    Zoë and Bianca had their bows raised, prepared to shoot. “You! How dare you show thy face here?” Zoë yelled at him, not lowering her bow.

    “Percy! Thank goodness.” Grover said, and Zoë glared at him. “I mean, um, gosh. You're not supposed to be here!”

    “Luke,” Percy said, panting. “He’s here.”

    “Where?” Thalia asked, her hand rested on her silver bracelet.

    He told us about the Natural History Museum where had run into Dr. Thorn, Luke, and the General.

    “The General is here? That is impossible! You lie.” Zoë said, stunned.

    “Why would I lie? Look, there's no time. Skeleton warriors-” Percy tried to say, but I cut him off.

    “There are skeleton warriors and you didn’t bother to mention that?! How many?” I demanded, frustratedly.

    “Twelve,” He said, finally getting a hold of his breath. “And that’s not all. That guy, the General, he said he was sending something, a ‘playmate,’ to distract you over here. A monster.”

    “We were following Artemis’s trail," Grover said, sharing a look with Thalia. “I was pretty sure it led here. Some powerful monster scent…She must've stopped here looking for the mystery monster. But we haven't found anything yet.”

    “Zoë, if it is the General-” Bianca said, nervously.

    “It cannot be!” Zoë snapped. “Percy must have seen an Iris-message or some other illusion.”

    “Illusions don’t crack marble floors,” Percy said, and Zoë took a deep breath.

    “If Percy is telling the truth about the skeleton warriors,” She said, “We have no time to argue. They are the worst, the most horrible… We must leave now.”

    “Good idea.” Percy said as if no one would care if he just tagged along with the mission.

    “I was not including thee, boy,” Zoë said. “You are not part of this quest.”

    “Hey, I was trying to save your lives!”

    “You shouldn’t have come, Percy,” Thalia said, grimly. “But you’re here now. Come on. Let's get back to the van.”

    “That is not thy decision!”

    “You’re not the boss here, Zoë. I don’t care how old you are! You’re still a conceited little brat!”

    You never had any wisdom when it came to boys, you never could leave them behind!”

    Darn it, they were arguing. I hated when they argued.

    Then…there was a growl. A growl that was slightly similar to one Moony would make when he was in wolf form.

    Some adults screamed while a little kid yelled, “Kitty!”

    A large lion with golden, glistening fur and silver claws bounded up the ramp, and I gasped as I recognized it as the Nemean Lion.

    “The Nemean Lion,” Thalia said as she recognized it as well. “Don’t move.”

    The lion roared and Zoë said, “Separate on my mark. Try to keep it distracted.”

    “Until when?” Grover asked, somewhat nervously.