Chapter Eleven Seaweed Brain goes missing
We were nearing the end of our second day on the train. It was June 13th, eight days before the summer solstice. As we passed into St. Louis, the Gateway Arch came into view. My eyes grew wide and I stared out the window at the arch.
The arch was pure beauty. I envied Eero Saarinen, the architect who designed the arch. I have always wanted to be an architect. It seemed so exciting to design and build buildings.
I analyzed the arch. Being 630 feet both wide and tall made it the tallest monument in the United States. We had to go see the arch when the train came to a stop! It would be great for me to get an idea of what to design in the future!
"I want to do that," I sighed.
I was completely unaware I had spoken until Percy asked, "What?"
"Build something like that. You ever see the Parthenon, Percy?" I asked.
"Only in pictures."
Me too, unfortunately. "Someday, I'm going to see it in person." I declared.
The Parthenon was dedicated to Athena. One day, I was going to visit Greek and see the temple my mother was so proud of.
"I'm going to build the greatest monument to the gods, ever. Something that'll last a thousand years." Wait, did I just say that out loud?
Percy laughed. "You? An architect?"
I flushed. That's what you get if you share your dreams with a seaweed brain. "Yes, an architect. Athena expects her children to create things, not just tear them down, like a certain god of earthquakes I could mention."
Percy was silent.
"Sorry," I mumbled. "That was mean."
"Can't we work together a little?" Percy asked. "I mean, didn't Athena and Poseidon ever cooperate?"
I thought about it. There was the time Athena built the first ship to sail over Poseidon's domain, the sea.
"I guess..." I started.
Wait. I didn't know if the example would make him mad "Athena intruding onto Poseidon's domain." A better and safer example would be the time Athena and Poseidon worked together to make the chariot. Athena had invented the chariot and Poseidon had made the horses out of the waves. So in order to do that, they had to cooperate.
"The chariot." I said tentatively. "My mom invented it, but Poseidon created horses out of the crests of waves. So they had to work together to make it complete."
"Then we can cooperate, too. Right?" Percy asked.
I didn't answer him for a long time and kept my eyes steady on the Arch. How could I, a daughter of Athena, cooperate with her rival, Percy, a son of Poseidon? But I knew we had to cooperate in order to do this quest.
After a while when the Arch disappeared behind a hotel, I responded. "I suppose."
When the train finally pulled into the station, the driver came on the intercom and told us we'd have a three-hour layover before departing for Denver.
I grew excited. Finally, my chance to go to the top of the Gateway Arch! It could be my only chance! I had to take it.
Grover stretched and muttered, "Food," before he was even fully awake.
