EIGHT, st. louis
❀ ✿ ❀ ✿
ALTHOUGH THAT NIGHT WASN'T the most unpleasant that Aster had ever experienced, it certainly wasn't amazing. Not wanting to stay too long in Medusa's den, in case anything came for them, the four of them camped about a hundred feet off from the road. They had to clear out flattened soda cans and candy wrappers from where the local kids had obviously held a party, but Aster used the roots nearby to help her clean. While she did, a scowl never left her face. Aster believed that littering should be punishable by death. A little extreme, some might say, but Grover, at least, agreed with her.
When Percy offered to take the first watch, Aster didn't hesitate to make her way to the nearest tree. She willed it to make a comfortable place for her to lie near the ground, and passed out on a bundle of soft leaves.
But, unfortunately, being on a quest didn't mean she could have a dreamless sleep.
Aster was back at Half-Blood Hill, but something was different. The air wasn't full of life; it felt almost heavy—like something else. An ominous feeling washed over her. She turned towards Thalia's pine tree, but Thalia wasn't there like she normally was in her dreams. Aster searched for her, but she was nowhere to be found.
"Silly little demigod," a booming voice sounded. It had appeared in her dreams before, but it was louder than the other times. Closer.
Aster's blood ran cold. It was dark and sinister, and felt ancient, laced with old magic and myth. Aster turned in a circle, but there was no body that held the empty voice. "You have no idea who you are, do you? What you are."
Aster spoke loudly, trying to appear confident. Though she had a feeling that the voice could smell her fear as her heart thumped loudly in her chest. "What do you mean? Who are you?"
"I am everything you are not," the voice said. "I've been watching you—and you will never be ready. The Fates made a grave mistake with your destiny." It sounded like it was coming from under Aster now, like from the earth. No, under the earth.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Aster asked, and the voice chucked, its malicious laughter sending a chill down her spine.
"Silly demigod. You will see, in time. Though it will be too late," the voice rumbled. "Go ahead, allow the gods to use you for their agenda. They will never see me coming."
Aster's heart skipped a beat.
"I'm not a pawn of the gods," Aster stood her ground. Thunder sounded overhead, but she ignored it. "The gods know everything. They can see everything."
"Not everything, little demigod," the voice replied. "The age of the gods is coming to an end. They are nothing more than a blink of the cosmos. And this is what I will do to your precious camp when they are gone."
Aster spun around, horrified at the sight before her. Camp Half-Blood was in ruins; every building was on fire, and the strawberry fields had shriveled up to nothing. The cabin fire spread to the woods, and Aster could't stand what she saw. The voice laughed again, amused at the destruction it caused. Overjoyed at the decimation of her home.
A hand landed on Aster's shoulder, and she turned to see Thalia, her electric blue eyes narrowed in determination. "Aster Reed, you cannot listen to him. He will not win. You will have to stop him." Although the daughter of Zeus's voice was not her own, Aster focused on her former friend. Tears pricked at her eyes.
"I– How–" Aster tried, but she couldn't find the right words.
The girl grabbed her by both shoulders now. "Wake up, Aster. Wake up!"
Aster shot up, nearly colliding with Annabeth. She thrashed for a moment, but calmed when she saw her surroundings. She was not at Camp Half-Blood, it was not burning to the ground; Aster was on a quest with Percy, Annabeth, and Grover. She rested against the tree trunk, breathing heavily. Aster tried to think through the dream, but none of it made sense. She had a budding headache just thinking about it.
"You alright, Aster?" Annabeth asked. She eyed her with concern, edged with suspicion. "Bad dream?"
"Yeah," Aster breathed, sitting up. The sun was rising, and Aster turned back to Grover, eyebrows furrowed. "Guys!"
Annabeth looked back at Grover, who looked up at her confused.
"What?" he replied, confused, swiveling his head around to see if there was any immediate danger.
"Did you guys let me sleep all night?" Aster asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "We were supposed to split the watch."
"Maybe..." Grover's voice was an octave higher than usual. "In my defense, I let all of you sleep. Annabeth only got up like ten minutes ago."
Aster glanced over to her left, and sure enough, Percy was snoring away. He was drooling onto the blanket he had rolled up into a pillow. It must've been a usual thing for him, then.
"That's not any better!"
"You do need to sleep, Grover," Annabeth added.
"Nah, the environment fuels me," Grover joked, his eyes dancing with amusement.
Aster rolled her eyes. "You get some rest. We can watch until this kelp head wakes up."
"I don't need sleep. I was going to go explore the woods a bit. See if I can find any animals who could point us in the right direction."
Before Aster or Annabeth could protest, Grover had set off into the thicker part of the forest, and she and Annabeth sat in silence. She thought about the voice in her dream; it could have been Hades. He was ancient, and his voice could have been coming from the Underworld, which was underground. But the more she thought about it, the less sense it made. Why would Hades talk about the fall of the gods? He was a god. He could have meant the fall of his brothers, or the Olympian Gods. He wasn't one of those, after all, and he was bitter about it. But it sounded more sinister than Hades had ever been portrayed. Aster shook off her thoughts, but still felt deeply unsettled. Whoever—or whatever—the voice had been, it knew who she was, and supposedly about her destiny. I've been watching you. It was enough to send a chill down her spine, glancing around nervously. The tree branches gathered closer to her, in comfort.
To distract herself, Aster returned to Medusa's snack bar and found a couple bags of nacho-flavored corn chips for them to eat for breakfast. When she got back to their camp, she rested against the same tree trunk while they waited for Grover to come back.
To pass the time, Aster grew different flowers around her. She arranged them like her father would, and his voice rang in her head.
"Oh, Petal, you can't have the lilies and the marigolds together. They'll fight."
The memory brought a ghost of a smile to Aster's face, but nothing more. Her throat suddenly stung as she laid the bouquet down, gently. Against her better judgment, Aster wished her father was here to hold her, like he'd done often when she had bad dreams. It was a moment of weakness, she knew, but she longed for the time when her father's arms had been able to shield her from anything.
Soon enough, Grover returned, trailed by a dirty, bright pink poodle.
"What is that?" Annabeth asked, dropping her bag of chips and pointing at the dog. It yapped at her, and it somehow sounded violent.
"This is Gladiola," Grover told her, scratching the poodle between the ears. "He wants you to say hello."
Aster had almost forgotten that satyrs could speak to animals. She blinked. "Say hello?"
Grover nodded. "Yes. It's the only way he'll help us. He appreciates manners."
Gladiola growled.
Annabeth said hello to the poodle.
Though Aster really didn't want to, she said hello to the poodle.
"So how can Gladiola help us?" Annabeth asked, sitting cross legged across from Grover. She tossed him a bag of chips, which he split with the poodle, as Aster opened her own bag.
"I ran into Gladiola while searching through the forest for help. He's from a rich family, but they don't ever pay him any attention. They just sent their last kid off to summer camp, and he lost it. Apparently there's a two hundred dollar reward for his return."
"And why would he go back?" Aster swore Gladiola glared at her when she asked.
"We've become good friends, actually," Grover said, "and he's willing to help out an ally to the animals. He said we could turn him in to get the money so we can fund our quest."
Aster nodded. "Thanks, Gladiola. That's very noble."
Aster never thought she would be thanking a poodle for helping them, but here she was. The poodle just whined, and Aster swore it sounded snooty, like Gladiola thought he was better than her. In all fairness, he was probably richer and more fabulous than she would ever be.
"I saw some tracks down there, is there a train nearby?" Annabeth asked. All three of them both looked expectantly at Gladiola, who yipped a series of different poodle sounds.
"Yes, there's an Amtrak station half a mile from here," Grover translated. "He says the next train leaves at noon."
"We have to get on that train," Aster said, then heard stirring from behind her. Percy sat up, looking quite shaken. "Well, well, well," she teased, "Sleeping Beauty awakens from his slumber."
Percy didn't quip back, which was unusual. He was almost trembling, but Aster didn't mention it. "How long was I asleep?"
"Long enough for me to cook breakfast." Aster tossed him the last bag of chips she grabbed from Aunty Em's. "And Grover went exploring. Look, he found a friend."
Percy squinted, and looked like he didn't know what he was seeing. Gladiola yapped at him suspiciously, just like he had Aster. "No, he's not," Grover told the poodle.
Percy blinked. "Are you... talking to that thing?"
"I was just as surprised as you are," Aster said.
"This thing," Grover warned, "is our ticket west. Be nice to him."
Percy looked taken aback. "You can talk to animals?"
Grover ignored the question. "Percy, meet Gladiola. Gladiola, Percy."
Percy looked over at Aster, and she could tell he was trying to figure out if he was being serious. Aster just nodded, with no trace of amusement.
"I'm not saying hello to a pink poodle," Percy said, shaking his head. "Forget it."
"Percy," Aster said, and he turned to her. "I said hello to the poodle. Annabeth said hello to the poodle. You say hello to the poodle. That's how this works."
Gladiola growled.
Percy said hello to the poodle.
Grover explained everything about Gladiola to Percy as he had to Aster and Annabeth. Percy just stared blankly at him during the entire conversation. Aster didn't know if this strange circumstance was the reason for his silence, or if something had bothered him in his sleep.
"How does Gladiola know about the reward?" Percy asked.
"He read the signs," Grover said. "Duh."
"Of course," Percy said. "Silly me."
"So we turn in Gladiola," Annabeth explained the simple plan she had come up with, "we get money, and we buy tickets to Los Angeles. Simple."
"Not another bus," Percy said warily.
"Definitely not," Aster agreed. She pointed downhill, towards the train tracks she had spotted earlier. "There's an Amtrak station half a mile that way. According to Gladiola, the westbound train leaves at noon."
– ❀ –
APPARENTLY NATURE HADN'T FUELED Grover, as he passed out as soon as the train left the station. Annabeth drifted off to sleep soon after him, which left Aster and Percy in silence.
They only had enough money to get them as far as Denver, which was a few days away.
Aster hadn't been able to get her dream off her mind, as she tried to think it through as she stared out the window. The train seemed to go through the natural route, but even the distant sight of forests and wildflowers did calm her down.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Aster looked across from her, where Percy sat next to Grover.
"What?" Aster said.
"You just look... troubled."
"So do you, Seaweed Brain," Aster smiled softly, and Percy frowned.
"If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to," Percy said. "Just say it."
Aster sighed. "No, it's... I just don't trust people very easily. Apparently it makes me come off as 'cold and stand-offish.'" Steve and Katie told her regularly that she should work on her trust issues, but Aster didn't think they were hurting anyone.
"That's an understatement."
Aster rolled her eyes. She'd tell Percy just so it would prove him wrong. "I had a dream last night. A really weird one, and it's freaking me out."
Percy's expression turned from frustrated to surprised. "You're kidding."
"I'm very much not kidding."
"No, that's not– I had a dream last night," Percy explained, and Aster straightened. "It was weird too."
"Really?" Aster said. "They mean things sometimes. Demigod dreams can show things that are happening in real time, or represent things that are. A lot of times, gods try to talk to us through them since they can't always communicate with us in this realm."
"I don't know if that's what it was." His eyes drifted towards the forest in the distance.
"Tell me about it."
Percy explained his dream in great detail. He spoke of a dark cavern with a gaping pit, which seemed never ending. There were spirits who tried to keep him away, but he felt drawn to it. Something in the pit felt evil, according to Percy, like something was trying to escape it. The thing in the pit was talking to Percy, trying to convince him to join him and bring him the master bolt. Its exact words were, help me rise. It showed him his mother, frozen in a golden mist, perfectly preserved in her last moments, screaming. Aster pretended not to see the tears that lined his eyes. The voice said he would trade Percy's mother for the lightning bolt. It then tried to pull him in the pit, but the ghosts had woken him up before he could fall in.
Aster nodded as Percy finished his story. "It could be Hades, but it doesn't sound like him. Usually he appears on a dark throne, like an overzealous king. But if there was dead around, it would mean you were in the Underworld. But I've never heard of Hades laughing. Most accounts have him as a pretty serious dude."
"So if it is Hades, why would he need my help to 'rise?'" Percy asked. "Couldn't he just do it himself?"
"He might mean to rise from the Underworld. If he wanted to start a war with the other Olympians, he would want a hero's help. But why ask you to bring him the master bolt if he already has it?"
Percy shrugged, but looked conflicted. "He would have access to my mother."
"Yeah, he would," Aster said. "But he might not hold to his end of the bargain. Even the god of death knows the consequences of bringing someone back to life." Though Percy didn't respond, she continued. "Percy, you can't barter with Hades. I don't care if his Kindly Ones weren't as aggressive this time–"
"This time? You mean you've run into them before."
Aster didn't respond. Her hand instinctively went to her golden necklace, and she glanced over at sleeping Annabeth next to her. The memory of all three Furies attacking her, Luke, Annabeth, and Thalia would never leave her. Running from them was the most terrifying twenty-four hours of her seven-year-old life. The image of lightning striking the ground as Thalia sacrificed herself flashed before Aster's eyes, but she pushed it away.
"Let's just say I've got no love for the Lord of the Dead," Aster said, her voice hard. "You can't be tempted to make a deal for your mom."
"What would you do if it was your dad?"
"That's easy," Aster said. "I'd leave him to rot."
Percy's eyes widened. "You're not serious?"
Aster fixed her gaze on him. "I used to think my father cared about me. We lived in a small town in Vermont, about two hundred people. He had the best flower shop for miles, but that was mostly because of me. We were happy, but then..."
"But then what?"
Aster hesitated. Only Chiron knew the details of her past, out of necessity. Annabeth knew bits and pieces, but Aster had never sat down and told her. Sometimes she felt guilty about it; there were nights when she held Annabeth while her friend sobbed, wondering why her dad didn't want her. Annabeth had told her everything, but Aster could barely stand to tell Chiron anything, even if it was for her safety. She'd wanted to, sometimes, but it's like her body stopped her. She physically couldn't After her father had left—almost like a betrayal—Aster couldn't trust very easily. She would put her life in Annabeth or Luke's hands, but her heart and secrets were a different story.
But Steve had urged her to try and become more trusting. And she'd promise her brother—and to herself—that she'd try. Looking into Percy's sea green eyes, she saw the pain that simmered deep inside them. It mirrored the pain she'd felt once, pain that still lived inside of her—that might always live there. Maybe that's why she continued telling him her story—or maybe she didn't have as much to lose with telling him, seeing as she'd only known him for two weeks.
"But then, he got arrested," Aster said quietly, looking out the window. "He was involved in a string of bank robberies, and someone from his team turned him in for a plea deal. On one of their jobs, a guard died. Was shot in the chest, then bled out on the scene. He didn't even make it into the ambulance. They never released who specifically had shot him, and I never knew what my dad's involvement was, so there was a possibility... The point is, he had everything he could need. The shop was stable, he had me, but it wasn't enough. Greed consumed him, and it ultimately destroyed him." Aster discreetly wiped the tear that fell down her cheek.
"Social services came with the police to collect me while they took my dad. But I couldn't stand any other alternative than being with my dad, or being shipped off somewhere unknown. So I ran, and I never looked back."
Aster would never forget the look on her father's face as the police officers grabbed him, leading him towards the squad car. "I love you, petal," he'd said. "I always will."
Aster turned from the window to look at Percy, bracing for the pity that she assumed would be there. Instead, compassion shone in his eyes, and the corner of her mouth tipped up. "I've never told anyone that before," she said, almost a whisper.
Percy returned her ghost of a smile. "My mom married a really awful guy," he told her. "He did some messed up stuff to me and my mom. Grover said she did it to protect me, to hide me in the scent of a human family. Maybe he was trying to protect you too. In a way you didn't know, until it was too late."
"I don't know, maybe." Aster breathed deeply. "I'll never know, either way. It's not like I'll ever be able to visit him, even if I wanted to. Chiron would never authorize a trip to the Vermont State Penitentiary." They shared a laugh. "But no matter his motivations, he still risked everything, and the cost was too high. He didn't care enough to not put us in danger. I wrote to him once, the first time I got to camp. He never answered. If he cared, he would have. Instead, he probably forgot about me, rotting away in a jail cell, his money gone."
"How old were you when you ran away?"
"Same age as when I started camp. Seven."
Percy looked shocked. "But... you couldn't have gotten all the way to Half-Blood Hill by yourself."
"Not alone, no," Aster said. "Demeter sent me signs to point me in the right direction, and the forests were a big help. The trees whispered to me and led me to safety. Eventually, I made a few unexpected friends who took care of me—for a short time, anyway."
Aster glanced at Annabeth for a moment, but looked away before Percy could see. He sighed, and Aster couldn't tell if he was uncomfortable or not. She was prepared to be embarrassed for oversharing, but then he asked, "What was your dream like?"
Aster hesitated, but then told him about the terrifying voice from underground, the camp going up in flames. Percy was silent when she mentioned that they had to stop them, and then they met eyes for a few moments.
"Sounds like we have some pretty messed up subconsciouses," Percy joked.
Aster snorted. "Yeah."
They traveled for two days on the Amtrak train, most of which was spent staring out the window and lots of rounds of I Spy, which Percy sucked at, much to Aster's delight. Eventually, Percy got wind of his face on the front of some East Coast newspapers, along with the story that he was an evil mastermind working for terrorists, traveling with three other accomplices.
"Don't worry," Aster had told him. "Mortal police could never find us." Though she was trying to reassure herself more than anyone.
Toward the end of their second day on the train, June 13, eight days before the summer solstice, they passed through some golden hills and over the Mississippi River into St. Louis.
Annabeth craned her neck to see the Gateway Arch, and Aster smiled at her friend. She knew that Annabeth had been wanting to go there for forever.
"I want to do that," she sighed, looking out the window.
"What?" Percy asked.
"Build something like that. You ever see the Parthenon, Percy?"
"Only in pictures."
"Someday, I'm going to see it in person. I'm going to build the greatest monument to the gods, ever. Something that'll last a thousand years."
"You? An architect?"
Aster gave him a death glare. "And what about it?"
Percy held up his hands in defense, and looked back to Annabeth.
Her cheeks flushed. "Yes, an architect. Athena expects her children to create things, not just tear them down, like a certain god of earthquakes I could mention."
Aster looked out the window, watching the churning brown water of the Mississippi below. She could see out of the corner of her eye Percy watching it too.
"Sorry," Annabeth said. "That was mean."
"Can't you at least tolerate me, just a little?" Percy pleaded. "I mean, didn't Athena and Poseidon ever cooperate?"
Annabeth had to think about it. "I guess... the chariot," she 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?"
They rode into the city, Annabeth watching as the Arch disappeared behind a hotel.
"I suppose," she said at last.
Fat chance, Aster thought. But miracles could happen.
When they had learned they would have a three-hour layover until they continued on to Denver, Aster knew that Annabeth would want to go see it.
Grover stretched in his seat. Before he was even fully awake, he said, "Food."
"Come on, goat boy," Annabeth said. "Sightseeing."
"Sightseeing?" Percy asked.
"The Gateway Arch," Annabeth said. "This may be my only chance to ride to the top. Are you coming or not?"
Percy looked to Aster, who shrugged. He and Grover exchanged a look, but they eventually agreed.
"As long as there's a snack bar without monsters," Grover said.
The Arch was about a mile from the train station. This late in the day, the lines to get in weren't that long. The group made their way through the underground museum. Annabeth told them interesting facts as they went along, and Aster could tell that she was boring Percy. She almost asked for a jellybean from Grover, but decided against it.
Percy kept looking around cautiously at the other people in line. "You smell anything?" he murmured to Grover.
The satyr took his nose out of the jelly-bean bag long enough to sniff. "Underground," he said distastefully. "Underground air always smells like monsters. Probably doesn't mean anything."
Even though she had no reason to doubt him, Aster was still on edge. Reasonable, considering how the last week had gone.
"Guys," Percy said after they had made it through a good bit of the museum. "You know the gods' symbols of power?"
Aster had been in the middle of reading about the construction equipment used to build the Arch with Annabeth, but she looked over. "Yeah?"
"Well, Hade–"
Grover cleared his throat. "We're in a public place... You mean, our friend downstairs?"
"Um, right," Percy said. "Our friend way downstairs. Doesn't he have a hat like Annabeth's?"
"You mean the Helm of Darkness," Annabeth said. "Yeah, that's his symbol of power. We saw it next to his seat during the winter solstice council meeting."
"That's right," Aster nodded.
"He was there?" Percy asked.
Annabeth nodded. "It's the only time he's allowed to visit Olympus—the darkest day of the year. But his helm is a lot more powerful than my hat, if what I've heard is true..."
"It allows him to become darkness," Grover confirmed. "He can melt into shadow or pass through walls. He can't be touched, or seen, or heard. And he can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do you think all rational creatures fear the dark?"
"But then..." Percy paused, and looked around ominously, "how do we know he's not here right now, watching us?"
Annabeth and Grover exchanged looks. A chill went down Aster's spine.
"We don't," Grover said.
"Thanks for that one, Seaweed Brain," Aster said.
"Don't think that made me feel any better," Percy said. "Got any blue jelly beans left?"
Percy looked pretty opposed to getting in the tiny little elevator car to get to the top of the Arch, but Aster and Annabeth had convinced him that it wasn't that bad, and it was only a few minutes long. Though she'd regretted her statement when they got shoehorned into the car with this big fat lady and her dog, a Chihuahua with a rhinestone collar. The guards said nothing about it, which was strange since there was a sign that had told them NO PETS ALLOWED. Maybe it was a service dog or something.
The elevator ride was uncomfortable, to say the least. Percy looked like he was going to be sick when they reached the curve of the elevator, and Aster wasn't too thrilled by it either. The old lady kept trying to make conversation as well, which made it even more awkward.
"No parents?" the fat lady asked them. She had beady eyes; pointy, coffee-stained teeth; a floppy denim hat, and a denim dress that bulged so much, she looked like a blue-jean blimp.
"They're below," Aster told her. "Scared of heights."
"Oh, the poor darlings," the woman crooned, but she didn't seem that sincere.
The Chihuahua growled. The woman said, "Now, now, sonny. Behave." The dog had beady eyes like its owner, intelligent and vicious.
"Sonny. Is that his name?" Percy asked.
"No," the lady replied. She smiled, as if that cleared everything up.
Though the elevator ride was uncomfortable, the view was worth it. It looked over the city on one side and the Mississippi on the other. Aster looked down, and her stomach dropped. Yeah, she wasn't a big fan of heights. It was a nice observation deck, but Aster was done after about five minutes. She kept wanting to hurl up her lunch after looking down at the window.
Annabeth kept talking about structural supports, and how she would've made the windows bigger, and designed a see-through floor. She probably could've stayed up there for hours, but luckily for them the park ranger announced that the observation deck would be closing in a few minutes.
Percy steered Annabeth, Grover, and Aster toward the exit, loaded them into the elevator, but he stopped when he realized that there were already three tourists inside with them. The park ranger told Percy and Aster they had to wait, since Grover and Annabeth were already inside.
"We'll get out," Annabeth said. "We'll wait with you."
"Nah, it's okay," Percy waved them off. "We'll see you guys at the bottom."
Grover and Annabeth exchanged a nervous glance, but they let the elevator door slide shut. Their car disappeared down the ramp.
Now the only people left on the observation deck were Aster, Percy, a little boy with his parents, the park ranger, and the fat lady with her Chihuahua.
Aster and Percy smiled at the fat lady. She smiled back, her forked tongue flickering between her teeth.
Forked tongue?
Percy and Aster exchanged a look, and he looked just as worried as she felt. Then, the Chihuahua jumped down and started yapping at them.
"Now, now, sonny," the lady said. "Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here."
"Doggie!" said the little boy. "Look, a doggie!"
His parents pulled him back.
The Chihuahua bared his teeth, foam dripping from his black lips.
"Well, son," the fat lady sighed. "If you insist."
Aster's blood went cold. "Um, did you just call that Chihuahua your son?" she asked.
"Chimera, dear," the fat lady corrected. "Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake to make."
She rolled up her denim sleeves, revealing that the skin of her arms was scaly and green. When she smiled, I saw that her teeth were fangs. The pupils of her eyes were sideways slits, like a reptile's.
"That's not normal," Percy whispered to her, pointing at the monster.
The Chihuahua barked louder, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size of a Doberman, then to a lion. The bark became a roar.
The little boy screamed. His parents pulled him back toward the exit, straight into the park ranger, who stood, paralyzed, gaping at the monster.
The Chimera was now so tall its back rubbed against the roof. It had the head of a lion with a blood-caked mane, the body and hooves of a giant goat, and a serpent for a tail, a ten-foot-long diamondback growing right out of its shaggy behind. The rhinestone dog collar still hung around its neck, and the plate-sized dog tag was now easy to read: CHIMERA—RABID, FIRE-BREATHING, POISONOUS—IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS—EXT. 954.
Aster pulled the knives from her sleeves, but Percy looked paralyzed. They were ten feet away from the Chimera's bloody maw, and it looked ready to pounce.
The snake lady made a hissing noise that might've been laughter. "Be honored, Percy Jackson and Aster Reed. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test heroes with one of my brood. For I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!"
The two demigods stared at her.
"Isn't that a kind of anteater?" Percy asked.
She howled, her reptilian face turning brown and green with rage. "I hate it when people say that! I hate Australia! Naming that ridiculous animal after me. For that, Percy Jackson, my son shall destroy you!"
"Really Percy?" Aster said, and the Chimera charged, its lion teeth gnashing.
Percy and Aster managed to leap aside and dodge the bite.
Percy ended up next to the family and the park ranger, who were all screaming now, trying to pry open the emergency exit doors. Aster stood at the other side of the deck, separated from him by the huge body of the Chimera. Percy finally uncapped his sword, shielding the family from the monster.
Before she could think, Aster yelled, "Hey Chihuahua! Over here!"
The Chimera turned faster than she thought was possible.
Before she could throw a knife at it, it opened its mouth, emitting a stench like the world's largest barbecue pit, and shot a column of flame straight at her.
Aster rolled, dodging the explosion. The carpet burst into flames; where she was standing before was a ragged hole in the side of the Arch, with melted metal steaming around the edges.
Great, she thought. We just torched a national monument.
Aster was too distracted staring at the hole in the arch to see the Chimera coming.
"Aster, look out!" Percy yelled, but he was too late.
The Chimera's serpent tail whipped around and sank its fangs into her calf.
Her whole leg was on fire. Aster might've been screaming, but she could barely hear anything over the roaring in her head. She tried to throw a knife into the Chimera's mouth, but the monster easily dodged it and it skittered across the floor, out of reach. Aster tried to reach for her ear to grab another knife, but the pain was already racing up her other limbs.
"Hey, Chihuahua! Big, ugly Chihuahua!"
The Chimera turned swiftly to where Percy was standing behind it, sword at the ready.
The monster lunged at him, but Percy feigned ha strike, then slid under the monster's legs, slicing its belly as he went. The Chimera let out an ear-splitting roar as Percy came to Aster's side.
"Are you okay?" he asked, helping her to her feet.
"Obviously not !"
Aster leaned heavily onto him, and she knew she probably couldn't stand on her own. She could feel the poison racing up to stop her heart. Aster remembered that the Chimera's poison was one of the most deadly among monsters, and killed its victims within minutes. If she didn't get some ambrosia soon, she wouldn't survive.
The Chimera approached them, and Percy backed up—toward the hole in the wall. The monster advanced, growling, smoke curling from its lips. The snake lady, Echidna, cackled. "They don't make heroes like they used to, eh, son?"
The monster growled. It seemed in no hurry to finish them off now that Percy was supporting Aster. Percy made a few swipes with his sword, but he wasn't close enough to do any significant damage.
Aster glanced at the park ranger and the family. The little boy was hiding behind his father's legs. They had to protect these people. Aster may have been on the brink of death, but they didn't have to be.
Aster gritted her teeth against the pain. "Percy, you have to let me go."
"What?" Percy didn't look at her. "No."
"I'll distract the Chimera, and you can attack it from behind. We have to save those people."
"You can barely stand!"
"I don't need to stand to throw a knife. Those people are going to die if we don't do something."
"No one's going to die."
"I'm already dying, Percy!" Aster tried to push off of him, but his grip was tight.
Percy looked at the people, then at the hole behind them that was getting closer and closer as the Chimera approached. Far, far below, the river glittered in the sunlight. There was no place to go.
He swiped at the Chimera again, but the monster just grabbed his sword with its teeth and threw it. Aster watched as the sword fell out the hole, falling into the river.
"If you are the son of Poseidon," Echidna hissed, "you would not fear water. Jump, Percy Jackson. Show me that water will not harm you. Jump and retrieve your sword. Prove your bloodline."
Aster's heart nearly stopped. A jump this high would be like jumping onto solid asphalt; they'd splatter on impact.
The Chimera's mouth glowed red, heating up for another blast.
"You have no faith," Echidna told me. "You do not trust the gods. I cannot blame you, little coward. Your friend is dying. The gods will not save her; the poison has reached her heart."
Percy's jaw clenched as he looked over at her. Then, his eyes went to the water.
He asked her, "Do you trust me?"
Aster coughed. "What?"
"Die, faithless ones," Echidna rasped, and the Chimera sent a column of flame toward them.
"Father, help me," Percy muttered under his breath.
Aster started. "Percy, what are you–"
But he turned and jumped out the hole, pulling Aster with him. With their clothes on fire, poison coursing through her veins, they plummeted toward the river.