The Sons of Light and Dark

Yes Sir, We Did Find Her on the Side of the Road

Percy POV

Zoe's plan was crazy. We were going against a fates given prophecy. But I felt confident that it was going to work. Especially with that special help, Zoe enlisted.

We reached Hoover Dam by the next morning. I guess Hermes did something like Apollo did last time. Super speed train. Sounds cool, is dangerous. Never play next to train tracks, that's a good way to get killed. In many different ways. Anyways, where was I? Oh yeah, Hoover Dam.

When we got off the train, the girls went to get coffee while Killian and I stayed behind. He was still wearing his new Nemean Lion hoodie which he probably slept in while on the train. We were talking about life as a demigod when we heard something peculiar. I hushed him and listened again. It sounded like...the clatter of bones. Oh, gods.

"Go!" I whisper shouted at Killian. "Skeleton dudes!" Killian paled and started running with me on his tail. We got about ten feet before a Spartus walked out from behind a tree in front of us. It brought a walkie talkie to its skeletal mouth before clattering into it. "That's bad," I breathed. "Put your hood on, Killian." He did it without question. The skeleton walked towards us and I stepped in front of Killian. The Spartus stopped and took his gun from his holster. My eyes widened as it took aim at me and pulled the trigger. Killian thrust his arm in front of my chest, sleeves covering his hands and wrists, and a loud, metallic ting rang through the surrounding area. I caught the bullet in my hands, and it was hot. "Ow! Ow, hot, hot, hot." Once the bullet had cooled, I stared at Killian incredulously. "Well, dam Wonder Woman." The Spartus shot another bullet. Killian blocked it again. I caught the bullet again, cursing at the heat. "You need a sword, Diana?" I felt my sword appear in my hand and I gave it to him.

He stared at it like he was thinking, What the heck am I supposed to do with this?

"Fight the Spartus, dummy," I told him. "That hoodie makes you invulnerable. Just hack away at it until it falls apart or dissolves into dust. Or you could try burning him as you did with the-"

I didn't get another word in as the Spartus burst into flames that had sprouted from Killian's hand. I blinked. "That's handy," I heard someone comment. I spun around the see Zoe and the two other girls, without coffee, and covered in scratches. Wait, there was supposed to be one other girl. Where was the blonde-oh. Schist.

"Did they really-"

"Yes," Zoe answered. "They surprised us and took Kelly out. We slowed them down but they aren't dead."

I looked at Killian. "Do you want to kill more?" He smiled a smile I didn't know he knew how to make. I thought he was innocent!

"I'll be right back," he said before slipping away. The brunette girl, who I finally learned was named Chloe, was crying and Zoe and I comforted her until Killian came back, holding several bullets and casings. He was smiling like an idiot.

He knelt down next to Chloe and pulled something from his hoodie pocket. He handed her a piece of—was that bone?

"From the lead Spartus," he murmured. Next, he pulled out an arrowhead that was painted green. He handed both to her. "One of the arrowheads from her quiver." I already knew what he held back. What was left of it. Chloe cried even harder as she took the two things from the son of Hyperion. After a few minutes, Zoe helped me get her on my back so that I could carry her down the long trail since she wasn't going to be moving for a while. Zoe took the items and slipped them into her pack. Chloe wrapped her arms around my neck and rested her head in the crook of my neck before falling asleep. I held onto her by her legs, which we wrapped around my waist.

"She's always been fine with males," Zoe said with a small smile, one that I returned. Killian walked ahead of us, fiddling with the folds of his hoodie. We were halfway down the hill when Killian suddenly stopped. Walking up the hill were two girls. One had brown hair and fair skin. The other had tanned skin and a blue hijab. Interesting pair. The hijab-wearing girl was taller and helping the other girl walk.