𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐋 𝐃𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑, percy jackson

CHAPTER 11! cherry reached out, and pressed her palm against percy's heart

"i want you to know, i don't actually think that you made that mess back there. i just wanted a moment alone with you. there are some things i need you to understand.." the woman trailed off.

"you have something on your jacket." grover cut her off, analyzing the shards." it looks like.. it looks like glass. no one smashed out the windows from inside our cabin. someone smashed them in from the outside."

"hm. oh!" the woman turned to the bag beside her, which contained an angry animal. "yes, sweetheart. i know, i know. you're impatient. but we're almost there."

the woman turned back.

cherry had no idea what was happening.

despite the woman having moved up from her seat to stand in front of her, percy hadn't moved away from the redhead beside him.

"this isn't your fault. but sadly, you're going to have to bear the burden of your parents' mistakes today." the woman subtly threatened.

"listen, lady. i don't know who you are, but i think i know what you are. we've run across a few monsters like you and we've sent them all packing." percy scoffed, staring at her.

"monsters like me? well... of course they're like me. they were my children."

"children? what does that mean?"

annabeth was quick with an answer.

"the mother of monsters. echidna." she informed.

the animal in the bag was getting angrier as each second passed.

"monster. it's an odd word, considering my grandmother is your great-grandmother, and this has always been a family story. but.. to my eye, the demigod is the more dangerous creature." echidna sighed. "disruptive. violent. if i exist for anything, it is to stand in the way of monsters like you."

the woman motioned to the bag. "my little one here. she's just a pup now. bless her heart. today, you will be her prey."

percy leaned more and more into cherry, as if he were covering her.

annabeth pulled the knife she'd receieved from cherry days earlier, out of her pocket, slowly.

"are you afraid yet? oh. it's all right. fear is natural. it's also essential to the hunt. your fear. your doubt. your confusion. i needed you to understand what was happening so that she could track the scent. so that she could learn and grow, because... that's what a good mother does for her children. not that you would know." exhidna explained, as the bag unzipped.

finally, it came all the way open.

"you should run now." the woman advised.

the bag popped open.

the monsters tail made a slashing sound, hitting percy right in the chest.

annabeth plunged the knife down into the creature.

"no, sweetheart!" echidna cried out.

"go!" annabeth called, to the trio seated at the table.

cherry shoved percy, pushing him forward, and out of the train.

the group of children ran to the very far end of the train.

all of the officers made their way after them.

finally, they got to the exit.

annabeth locked the door behind them.

suddenly, cherry reached out, and pressed her palm against percy's heart.

she yanked out the stinger that had lodged itself into his skin.

"ow! what is that?" percy looked down at the thin object in between the girls red nails.

"it's a stinger." annabeth realized. "do you know what kind of monster has one of those?"

"i don't know. i mean, nothing good probably." grover guessed.

"are you good?" cherry questioned him.

"i think so. do you think it's poisonous or something?" percy looked up the trio.

"hopefully." cherry spoke, over the loud bangs of the officers pounding their fists against the door.

suddenly, a couple doors down began to crack open.

the monster was getting closer and closer.

"we gotta move." grover suggested.

« ───── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ───── »

the group successfully made their way out of the train.

"why isn't it still chasing us?" percy questioned, looking back.

"echidna said whatever she was hiding in that carrier, it's young. it won't venture too far from her mother. she's learning to hunt.. and this seems like the hunting part." annabeth explained to them.

"this is percy's time for sacrifice." cherry looked over at the blonde beside her.

"not if i give you up first." percy threatened.

grover rolled his eyes.

"we aren't gonna be able to outrun them for very long. we don't need to. we just need a safe place to hole up. some place safe." grover suggested, looking around the group.

"any ideas where we might find one of those?" percy questioned, with a scoff.

"i do. a sanctuary, dedicated to athena, built by one of her demigod children a long time ago." annabeth realized.

"there is an athenian temple hidden somewhere in the middle of downtown st. louis?" grover questioned.

"yes. except it's not all that hidden." annabeth spoke.

she led the trio behind her to a building a couple blocks away from them.

in front of it, was a giant arch.

cherry admired the bright sun.

for the first time on their entire trip.. she felt nice.

just being in nature made her feel better. even if percy was standing right beside her, and ruining it.

"it's 630 feet wide, 630 feet tall, both to within an inch. it's got no internal support. each side is balanced perfectly against the other. the arch is held up by symmetry. it's held up by math." annabeth led them inside the building, moving past children. "and it's earthquake-proof, so poseidon can't ruin it."

"nice." percy nodded.

"this is how you show athena your love. a monument to the power of perfection." annabeth looked around.

grover observed the room.

him and cherry shared the same aggravated expression.

"it's a monument to some other stuff, too." grover looked down at the preserved animal skulls.

"you're talking about what some humans want this place to be about. i'm talking about what it actually is." annabeth comforted.

"whatever. we're safe here, right?"

"no monsters can enter. not even echidna. we're safe."

"great. well, since our train exploded, i'm gonna see if there's another one we can get tickets on. we can't stay here forever. just because we're prey, doesn't mean we need to be helpless."

grover turned away.

"he doesn't like it when people mess with animals." percy explained, as he walked away.

"me neither." cherry agreed, and followed after her friend.