GODS AND MONSTERS , pjo

09 , Apollo knocks me out

Over the next half hour, all we thought about was getting away safely. We changed trains twice. I had no idea where we were going, but after a while we lost the helicopter.

Unfortunately, when we finally got off the train we found ourselves at the end of the line, in an industrial area with nothing but warehouses and railway tracks. And snow. Lots of snow. It seemed much colder here. I felt like I was going to die of hypothermia.

We wandered through the railway yard, thinking there might be another passenger train somewhere, but there were just rows and rows of freight cars, most of which were covered in snow, like they hadn't moved in years.

A homeless guy was standing at a trash-can fire. We must've looked pretty pathetic, because he gave us a toothless grin and said, "Y'all need to get warmed up? Come on over!"

We huddled around his fire, Thalia's teeth were chattering. She said, "Well this is g-g-g-great."

"My hooves are frozen," Grover complained.

"Feet," Percy corrected, for the sake of the homeless guy.

"Maybe we should contact camp," Bianca said. "Chiron-"

"No," Zoe said. "They cannot help us anymore. We must finish this quest ourselves."

I gazed miserably around the rail yard. Somewhere, far to the west, Annabeth was in danger. Artemis was in chains. A doomsday monster was on the loose. And we were stuck on the outskirts of D.C., sharing a homeless persons fire.

"You know," the homeless man said, "you're never completely without friends." His face was grimy and his beard tangled, but his expression seemed kindly. "You kids need a tain going west?"

"Yes, sir," I said. "You know of any?"

He pointed one greasy hand.

Suddenly I noticed a freight train, gleaming and free of snow. It was one of those automobile-carrier trains, with steel mesh curtains and a triple-deck of cars inside. The side of the freight train said SUN WEST LINE.

"That's...convenient," Thalia said. "Thanks, uh..." She turned to the homeless guy, but he was gone. The trash can in front of us was cold and empty, as if he'd taken the flames with him.

"That was weird" Aella and I said in sync. I tried not to laugh at how shocked she was. I seem to do that a lot.

An hour later we were rumbling west. There was no problem about who would drive now. because we all got our own luxury car. Zoe and Bianca were crashed out in a Lexus on the top deck. Grover was playing race car driver behind the wheel of a Lamborghini. And Thalia had hot-wired the radio in a black Mercedes SLK so she could pick up the alt-rock stations from D.C.

      "I thought you hated green" I nearly jumped out of my seat. I hadn't even noticed Aella enter the car. I spun around to face her in the backseat. I didn't even register what she said until she pointed towards my new bracelet.

      "Oh that" I looked down at the bracelet Estella gave to me "Estella gave it to me for 'good luck'" I put air quotes around the words 'good luck'. I spun all the way around so I was now sitting backwards in the driver seat.

      "Where did she get it from" Aella asked reaching forwards to touch it.

      I shrugged "She said she got it from Cara" I said.

      "Explains the green" Aella nearly laughed. Aellas smile dropped a second later and she pulled her hand away from the bracelet.

      "What" I asked, immediately noticing her frown.