"𝚟𝚒𝚡𝚎𝚗" | 𝚙. 𝚓𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚜𝚘𝚗

𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗, 𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚎

The ground seemed to spin beneath him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean she was taken away from the Minotaur before she could die. She was turned into a shower of gold, right? That's metamorphosis. Not death. She's being kept."

"Kept." Stelle repeated thoughtfully. "She's a hostage." 

"Atta girl." Ares chuckled, "You take someone to control someone else."

"Nobody's controlling me."

He laughed, "Oh yeah? See you around, kid."

Percy balled up his fists. "You're pretty smug, Lord Ares, for a guy who runs from Cupid statues."

Behind his sunglasses, fire glowed. He felt a hot wind in his hair. "We'll meet again, Percy Jackson. Next time you're in a fight, watch your back."

"That strategy would make Athena weep." Stelle noted, rubbing her throat. "Why do I ever stick around?"

"You love me?"

"I love staying alive a lot more."

Annabeth sighed, "Amen."

"Hey, guys," Grover 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, we need to hurry." Grover said.

Percy didn't like it, but they had no better option. Besides, he'd seen enough of Denver.

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

The first thing that hit Stelle was the smell. It was like the world's biggest pan of kitty litter. She let out a quiet, disgusted groan.

The trailer was dark inside until Percy uncapped Anaklusmos. The blade cast a faint bronze light over a very sad scene. Sitting in a row of filthy metal cages were three of the most pathetic zoo animals he'd 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. 

"Oh." Stelle pursed her lips, staring at the depressing view. "Kindness International is a tad misleading."

"This is kindness?" Grover yelled, "Humane zoo transport?!"

He probably would've gone right back outside to beat up the truckers with his reed pipes, and Percy would've helped him, but just then the trucks 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. Grover 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 Stelle pointed out it wouldn't do much good until the truck stopped moving. Besides, she had a feeling they might look a lot better to the lion than those turnips.