The Nature of a Demigod

Family Business

"Be careful," I told them.

"We will," Grover said. "Okay, um... Bessie? We're going to Long Island. It's east. Over that way."

"Moooo?" Bessie said.

"Yes," Grover answered. "Long Island. It's this island. And... It's long. Oh, let's just start."

"Mooo!"

Bessie lurched forward. He started to submerge and Grover said, "I can't breathe underwater! Just thought I'd mention-"

Under they went, and I hoped my father's protection would extend to little things, like breathing. "Well, that is one problem addressed," Zoe said. "But how can we get to my sisters' garden?"

"Thalia's right," I said. "We need a car. But there's nobody to help us here. Unless we, uh, borrowed one." I didn't like that option. I mean, sure this was a life or death situation, but still, it was stealing, and it was bound to get us noticed.

"I haven't quite perfected hotwiring yet, but I do think there's someone around here we can ask." Y/N said, scratching his chin nervously.

"Wait," Thalia said. She started rifling through her backpack. "He's right. There is somebody in San Francisco who can help us. I've got the address here somewhere."

"Who?" I asked.

"Annabeth's dad." Y/N said, as Thalia fished a small map cutout from her bag.

[Y/N's POV]

I'd seen Annabeth's dad twice. Once in a vision created by the sirens, and another time at the top of Half Blood Hill, at the end of the summer where we retrieved the lightning bolt.

With all of her complaints, I'd have thought her dad acted like some evil ghoul or something. But no. He was just some guy. Some really weird guy. You could tell right away though, that this was Annabeth's dad.

He wore an old fashioned pilot's cap, with the goggles down. When he opened the door, I could have sworn that his eyes were going to pop right out of his head. We all jumped when he rushed onto the porch, his excitement palpable as he looked down at us.

"Hello," he said in a friendly voice, "Are you delivering my airplanes?" Thalia, Zoe, Percy, and I looked at each other warily. "No... No airplanes, sir," I said.

"Drat," he said. "I need three more Sopwith Camels."

"Okay... Mr Chase-" I swallowed a lump in my throat. Not really sure how to talk to people's dads. Considering I've never even met mine. "We're some of Annabeth's friends."

"Annabeth?" He straightened as if I'd just given him an electric shock. "Is she all right? Has something happened?" I went to say something, but whatever would have come out, got gun shy. None of us could bring ourselves to answer, but he must have seen something on our faces that gave him the answer he needed.

He took off the cap and goggles. It looked like he hadn't shaved in a couple of days, and his shirt was buttoned wrong, so one side of his collar stuck up higher than the other side.

"You'd better come in," he said.

This house looked lived in, to say the least. Not like Annabeth told me. At the dance in the military academy before this whole extravaganza started, she said that her dad had sprung the move to San Francisco onto her with little to no warning.

Lego robots were stamped in pieces on the stairs. Two cats were out cold on the couch in the living room. Magazines were covering the coffee table, and a little kid's winter jacket was underfoot.