𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓: 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐃𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝
December 17, 2019
ALICE SAW THE SMALL KITTEN ON HER WAY BACK TO THE CAR. She hissed at Alice as she passed. But there was like, zero time to worry about her lecturing them in meows. Alice ignored the cat and told Zoë to put the pedal to the metal and get them the Hades out of there.
They'd been crossing the Potomac when they realized they were still being followed. Bianca pointed out the sleek, black military model. "It looks just like the one at Westover Hall," she said.
"They know the van," Percy said. "We have to ditch it."
Zoë swerved into the fast lane. Alice sucked in a breath as she noticed the helicopter was gaining.
"Maybe the military will shoot it down," Grover said hopefully.
"It's a military model. They'll probably thinks it's one of theirs," Alice pointed out.
"How can the General use mortals, anyway?" Percy asked.
"Mercenaries," Zoë replied bitterly. "It is distasteful, but many mortals will fight for any cause as long as they are paid."
"But don't these mortals see who they're working for?" Percy asked. "Don't they notice all the monsters around them?"
"Something called the Mist gets in the way of that, dingus," Alice huffed, turning to look at Percy.
"Why are you so snippy?" he asked.
"I didn't even want to be here," Alice answered. "That's why."
"Besides, I doubt it would matter to them if they knew the truth," Zoë said. "Sometimes mortals can be more horrible than monsters."
"Yeah, ask my mom," Alice muttered.
"Was she anything like Annabeth's dad?" Percy asked.
"I wish," Alice grumbled.
"Or Alisha's bio-mom," Grover said. "She's not quiet about her hatred of that lady. She'll tell anyone who asks."
"Who's Alisha?" Bianca asked, her brows furrowed.
"Olivia's mom," Alice told her. "Long story short, she's from ye old ancient days and through time shenanigans, she ended up in the present day."
"You know Alisha's backstory?" Percy asked.
"Yes, Perseus," Alice replied. "As the first person to befriend Olivia and Annabeth when they got to camp all those years ago, I know a lot about them. Stop asking me dumb questions."
Percy rolled his eyes and turned back towards the window. Alice looked up again, seeing that the helicopter kept coming. Easily finding them through the D.C. traffic.
Thalia closed her eyes and prayed hard. "Hey, Dad. A lightning bolt would be nice about now. Please?"
But rather than lightning, snow was all that fell upon them.
"There!" Bianca said. "That parking lot!"
"We'll be trapped," Zoë said.
"Trust me," Bianca said.
Zoë sped through two lanes of traffic and into a mall parking lot on the south bank of the river. Without hesitation, the group left the van and followed Bianca down the stairs into the subway.
"Let's go south," Bianca said. "Alexandria."
"Anything," Thalia agreed.
They hastily bought tickets and got through the turnstiles, constantly checking over their shoulders for any signs of pursuit. Just minutes later, they were safely aboard a southbound train, riding away from D.C. When the train came above ground, they could see the helicopter circling the parking lot, but it didn't come after them.
Grover let out a sigh. "Nice job, Bianca, thinking of the subway."
Bianca looked pleased. "Yeah, well, I saw that station when Nico and I came through last summer. I remember being really surprised to see it, because it wasn't here when we used to live in D.C."
Alice paused. "What do you mean? That station's definitely old as hell. I'm pretty sure Alisha was there when it was first built.l
Percy poked her arm. "Seriously?"
"What?" Alice demanded. "That thing was definitely as old enough to have been made at least twenty years ago."
"No, trust me," Bianca disagreed, "when we lived here as little kids, there was no subway."
Thalia sat forward. "Wait a minute. No subway at all?"
Bianca nodded. Everyone else passed around confused looks. "Bianca," Zoë called, leaning forward. "How long ago..." Her voice faltered. The sound of the helicopter was getting louder again.
"Next station, we switch trains trains," Alice ordered. Nobody argued.
They spent the next half hour switching trains. Eventually, they managed to lose the helicopter. The downside to that was that when got to the end of the line, they left the train only to end up in an industrial area with nothing but warehouses and railway tracks. And snow. Lots of snow. It seemed much colder here. Even Alice felt affected. They wandered their way through the railway yard, endless rows of snow covered freight cars surrounding them.
There was a random homeless guy standing at a trash-can fire, too.
They had to have looked pathetic, because even he looked at them with pity. He smiled at them, his grin toothless. "Y'all need to get warmed up? Come on over!"
They huddled around his fire, awkwardly trying to be polite. Thalia's teeth were chattering. She stammered, "Well this is g-g-g-great."
"My hooves are frozen," Grover complained.
"Feet," Percy corrected.
"Maybe we should contact camp," Bianca said. "Chiron-"
"No," Zoë said. "They cannot help us anymore. We must finish this quest ourselves."
"Alice?" Grover called, reaching out to her. "You okay over there?"
Alice shrugged. "Don't really like fire," she said. "Bad... bad memories."
Percy looked up at her and frowned. "But it's so cold. You really just gonna sit there like it's not freezing?"
"Hey, dingus, my personal experiences play a part in all this, so butt out," Alice huffed.
Percy shrugged, but turned away.
"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 train going west?"
"Yes, sir," Percy responded. "You know of any?"
He pointed one greasy hand. Alice felt a warmth creeping up on her and turned to see a freight train, gleaming and free of snow. It was an automobile-carrier trains, with steel mesh curtains and a triple-deck of cars inside. The side of the freight train said SUN WEST LINE.
Okay, is this guy Apollo or something? Alice wondered.
"That's... convenient," Thalia said slowly. "Thanks, uh..."
She turned to the homeless guy, but he was gone. The trash can in front of them was cold and empty, as if he'd taken the flames with him.
Yep, Alice thought. That was probably Apollo.
🌣⸻➳⸻🌣
THEY WERE RUMBLING WEST AN HOUR LATER.
They each grouped into their own luxury car. Zoë and Bianca were crashed out in a Lexus on the top deck. Alice joined Grover, who was playing race car driver behind the wheel of a Lamborghini. And the children of the Big Three were in a Mercedes SLK. Thalia had got-wired the radio so she could pick up the alt-rock stations from D.C.
Grover had ended up bothering the hell out of the Hunters, who eventually kicked him out back to his car. Alice sat in the passenger seat, short hair partially pinned up. "How you holding up?" she asked Grover, slowly turning to face him.
"What do you mean?" he asked, frown betraying his emotions.
"Pan, Olivia," Alice listed off. "It's probably a lot on you. How you doing these days?"
Grover was silent for a long time before he sighed. "It's... tiring. And I just have this lingering sense of doubt every time I think I've made a breakthrough. I feel like last summer really tripped me up."
Alice processed Grover's words, rubbing his back soothingly. "It'll be okay."
"Not to mention the Hunters kicked me out of their car," he mumbled.
"Grover," Alice chastised. "They will never love you."
"But they're the Hunters," he said dreamily. "They're all about nature."
"And they don't care about romance," Alice replied. "Stop pursuing them. You look like a pervert."
Grover snorted, shaking his head. "I guess I do look like a weirdo, huh?"
"You look like Zeus," she said. "They keep saying no and you don't listen. It's fucking weird, dude."
Grover ran a had through his barely-there facial hair. "Gods, I'm a loser," he sighed.
"Yep," Alice agreed.
"I need a nap," he decided. "Today has been exhausting and I deserve to nap after how much I embarrassed myself in the Hunters' car."
Alice laughed when he crawled into the backseat and was knocked out fifteen seconds later. She turned the radio on and flipped through the stations until she heard something familiar.
"Of all songs to play on the radio, they picked Cruel Summer?" she scoffed, hearing the bridge of the song. "It's December. Pick something else. Like Daylight or something, I don't know."
The next song that came on kept her attention. For whatever reason, this station couldn't stay in one place. After Cruel Summer, they were jumping to Dancing Queen.
The door opened in the middle of the intro and Alice turned to see Percy Jackson standing there. "Mind if I sit?"
Alice shrugged. "Sure, dingus."
"Good music taste," Percy said, sitting in the driver's seat.
"Are you trying to make small talk with me?" Alice questioned. "Why?"
"I don't know," Percy replied. "Thalia's being Thalia, so I figured I could come here instead."
"I don't give a shit about you being here," Alice said dryly. "I asked why you're making small talk."
Percy shot her an exasperated look, shaking his head. "Because you're on this quest for the same reason as I am. To save Olivia."
Alice hummed softly. "Yeah," she said. "But even if Olivia's a common interest we share, why now? You never talked to me at camp. When both of us hang out with Olivia, it's like we're having two conversations with her at once. So I ask again, Peter Johnson, why now?"
Percy looked unimpressed with her decision to call him Peter. "You know my name, Alice," he grumbled. "But as I was saying, we're on this quest for her, and I thought we should work together. Since... we have a mutual friend and all that."
A random thought Alice in that moment. "How'd you escape camp, anyway?" she asked. "Annabeth told me how you did it this summer, but it's too cold for hippocampi to help you now."
"I, uh..." Percy said, scratching the back of his neck. "I rode a pegasus to the museum."
"And my dad didn't stop you?" Alice questioned. Percy's awkward silence made her suspicious. "He let you go, didn't he?"
"He said it was to make sure you were safe," Percy said.
"Damn, you folded like a lawn chair," Alice mused, turning away. "Not surprising, though. Of course he makes me go on a dangerous quest but then sends me a guard dog."
Percy looked like he had something else to say, but Alice chose to let him keep it to himself. In the peaceful silence, she was able to focus her thoughts on the quest and clear her mind of all the chaos today had brought. "I guess I get how chaotic this whole thing can be," she finally said. "Quests and all their dangers. It's a lot less intense when you hear it from someone else."
Percy nodded in agreement. "Yeah, they sound cool and you forget the danger that came with the cool stuff."
Alice looked at him. "You aren't that bad, dingus," she said. "Good for you."
Percy snorted, stifling a laugh. "Good for me?" he questioned.
"Yeah," Alice said, smiling softly. "Good for you."
As she watched the sun go down, she wondered what awaited them.
"Oh, don't be afraid of dreams," a voice behind them said.
Alice looked behind her. So did Percy. Somehow, Apollo's homeless form was far from surprising to see in the backseat. He was next to Grover, who curled up in a ball in one seat. His jeans were so worn out they were almost white. His coat was ripped, with stuffing coming out.
"If it weren't for dreams," he said to Percy, "I wouldn't know half the things I know about the future. They're better than Olympus tabloids."
He cleared his throat, then held up his hands dramatically:
"Dreams like a podcast,
Downloading truth in my ears.
They tell me cool stuff."
Apollo?" Percy guessed.
"Did you just realize that?" Alice questioned.
He put his finger to his lips. "I'm incognito. Call me Fred."
"A god named Fred?" Percy asked incredulously.
"Eh, well... Zeus insists on certain rules," Apollo said. "Hands off, when there's a human quest. Even when something really major is wrong. But nobody messes with my baby sister. And absolutely nobody touches my Sunshine. No matter what."
"Can you help us, then?" Percy asked.
"Shhh. I already have. Haven't you been looking outside?"
"The train," Alice gasped, finally realizing they were moving faster than they should. "How fast are we moving?"
Apollo chuckled. "Fast enough. Unfortunately, we're running out of time. It's almost sunset. But I imagine we'll get you across a good chunk of America, at least."
"But where are Via and Artemis?" Percy demanded.
The god's face darkened. "I know a lot, and I see a lot. But even I don't know that. She's... they're clouded from me. Both of them. I don't like it."
"What about the monster Artemis was seeking?" Percy asked. "Do you know what it is?"
"No," Apollo said. "But there is one who might. If you haven't yet found the monster when you reach San Francisco, seek out Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea. He has a long memory and a sharp eye. He has the gift of knowledge sometimes kept obscure from my Oracle."
"But it's your Oracle," Percy complained. "Can't you tell us what the prophecy means?"
"Dude, if his prophet daughter can't tell you the exact meanings of a prophecy, I doubt he can," Alice huffed.
Apollo sighed. "Exactly. You might as well ask an artist to explain his art, or ask a poet to explain his poem. It defeats the purpose. The meaning is only clear through the search."
"In other words," Percy said, "you don't know."
Apollo checked his watch. "Ah, look at the time! I have to run. I doubt I can risk helping you again, Percy, but remember what I said! Get some sleep! And when you return, I expect a good haiku about your journey!"
Apollo snapped his fingers, and Alice felt her eyes close before she could process the sound.
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