Phaedra walked into her cabin, where her siblings were waiting.
"So, what did Chiron say?" Micheal asked her.
"So, we talked and I'm being sent on a quest with Annabeth and Percy. We have to find something that was stolen." Phaedra told them
Everyone began to cheer and hug Phaedra. Phaedra was startled by the amount of noise that came about so suddenly. Phaedra felt happy that her siblings cared so much. She never had so many people care about her so much. Well, except for Luke and Annabeth. But no matter how much her and her siblings fight or make fun of each other, they always look out for each other and celebrate with one another.
"Ok, guys. We gotta help Phae get ready for her quest! Stat!" MIcheal yelled and everyone began frantically running around the cabin getting things to put in a bag for Phaedra. Speaking of Phaedra, she was standing in the middle of the cabin with Will still hugging her, not wanting to let go. Phaedra was starting to get a little overwhelmed with the amount of support she got. A tear slipped from her eye.
"What's wrong, P?" Will asked her, looking up at her from the hug as he was shorter than her because he was nine.
The whole cabin stopped even though they were almost finished packing and looked at her. They all tilted their heads in confusion and amongst them they muttered something along the lines of "What's wrong?" while rushing to her.
She shook her head. "Nothing, I just never had so many people being supportive of me all at once. Thank you, guys." And she wipes another tear from her face.
"Awwww!" they all chorused as they went back in for another hug, WIll hugging on tighter.
"Ok, guys! Let's finish packing our sister up." Lee said after a few moments and they went back to frantically putting things into a bag for her.
The camp store loaned each quest member one hundred dollars in mortal money and
twenty golden drachmas. Chiron said the coins might come in handy for non-mortal transactions. He gave Annabeth, Phaedra and Percy each a canteen of nectar and a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares, to be used only in emergencies, if they were seriously hurt. It was god food, Chiron reminded them. It would cure them of almost any injury, despite having an Apollo kid who can heal them, but it was lethal to mortals. Too much of it would make a half-blood very, very feverish. An overdose would burn them up, literally.
Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap. She carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, to read when she got bored, and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve.
Phaedra had brought her bow and quiver along with her dagger.
My bow and my quiver of arrows are called plague. It's disguised as a watch. My dagger is called sun and it's disguised as an ear cuff. It's pretty cool because I can just tap a button on the watch and it transforms, while my ear cuffs, I just have to take it off and its a dagger for close range fighting.
Grover wore his fake feet and his pants to pass as human. He wore a green rasta-style cap, because when it rained his curly hair flattened and Phaedra could just see the tips of his horns. His bright orange backpack was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. In his pocket was a set of reed pipes his daddy goat had carved for him, even though he only knew two songs:
Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 12 and Hilary Duff's "So Yesterday," both of which sounded pretty bad on reed pipes.
"Ok, WIll, you have to let go of me now. I have to leave." Phaedra told her brother who was hanging onto her.
"No, I don't want you to leave!" He said back. Phaedra looked at Annabeth for help, and the girl just looked away, her face amused.
"Some friend you are, A. OK, but Will you need to get off? Lee, I need some assistance!" As Will only held on tighter. Lee quickly jogged over and began trying to pry Will off.
"How adorable." Percy said. Phaedra blushed and said "Shut up, Percy."
Come on Will. You're embarrassing me in front of Percy....not that it matters. I just dont need people seeing me be soft, except for Annabeth and Grover, and Luke, and...you get it.
They finally got Will off of Phaedra and she bent down to his height and cupped her little brother's face and told him "Will, I'll be back ok. Don't worry about me. Lee or Micheal will tuck you in at night and they will help you out, right Lee?" as she sent him a scary glare for confirmation.
Lee flinched, sighed and said "Yeah, yeah, yeah. We'll help. Come on, buddy." Will gave her one last hug before he let go and left with Lee.
They waved good-bye to the other campers, took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, then hiked up Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus.
"Bye, Thals." Phaedra said as she patted the tree's trunk
Chiron was waiting for them in his wheelchair. Next to him was Argus. He was the camp's head of security. He had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. Today, though, he was wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so Phaedra could only see extra peepers on his hands, face and neck.
"This is Argus," Chiron told Percy. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things."
Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes.
"Hey!" he panted. "Glad I caught you."
Annabeth blushed, the way she always did when Luke was around. Phaedra started making kissy faces at Annabeth because of her illegal crush. Annabeth slapped her arm.
"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke told Percy. "And I thought...um, maybe you could use these."
He handed him the sneakers. Luke said, "Maia!"
White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels, startling him so much, I dropped them. The shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared.
"Awesome!" Grover said.
Luke smiled. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days...." His expression turned sad.
Percy blushed
What the hell is he blushing for? So now everyone has a crush on Luke?
"Hey, man," Percy said. "Thanks."
"Listen, Percy..." Luke looked uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just...kill some monsters for me, okay?"
They shook hands. Luke patted Grover's head between his horns.
Luke hugged Phaedra and said "Be safe. I don't want someone who I care for to get hurt out there." She smiled and said "Of course, Lukey. I don't want to worry you."
Luke continued to hug the girl. She slowly patted his back, knowing that the rest of them were still watching. "Ok...Luke you can let go now." And the boy finally let go and said "all of you be safe. Trust no one."
He then gave a good-bye hug to Annabeth, who looked like she might pass out. After Luke was gone, Percy told Annabeth, "You're hyperventilating."
"Am not."
"Yes, you are, Owl girl." Phaedra said as Annabeth glared at her.
"You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?" Percy said.
"Yes you did. She told me her entire plan." Phaedra outed.
"Phaedra! Shut up." Phaedra shrugged and said "No, but you love me anyways, babe." And walked towards the car.
"So you did?" Percy asked her.
"Oh...why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?"
She stomped down the other side of the hill, where a white SUV waited on the shoulder of the road. Argus followed, jingling his car keys.
Percy picked up the flying shoes. He looked at Chiron. "I won't be able to use these, will I?"
He shook his head. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air...that would not be wise for you."
He nodded, disappointed, but then he got an idea. "Hey, Grover. You want a magic item?"
His eyes lit up. "Me?"
Pretty soon he'd laced the sneakers over his fake feet, and the world's first flying goat boy was ready for launch.
"Maia!" he shouted.
He got off the ground okay, but then fell over sideways so his backpack dragged through the grass. The winged shoes kept bucking up and down like tiny broncos.
"Practice," Chiron called after him. "You just need practice!"
"Aaaaa!" Grover went flying sideways down the hill like a possessed lawn mower, heading toward the van.
Phaedra began laughing as Annabeth tried to help Grover.
Argus drove the group out of the countryside and into western Long Island. Phaedra and Grover sitting next to Percy and Annabeth next to Phaedra.
"So far so good," he told Annabeth. "Ten miles and not a single monster."
She gave him an irritated look. "It's bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain."
Oh my fucking Gods. Here comes the arguing again. So annoying.
"Remind me again-why do you hate me so much?"
"I don't hate you."
"Could've fooled me."
She folded her cap of invisibility. "Look...we're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals."
"Really, Annabeth? That's such a weak reason to not like someone. That's like saying that I have to be friends with Percy because my dad and his dad formed a rebellion together." Phaedra told her as she rolled her eyes at Annabeth.
"Why are our parents rivals?" Percy asked Annabeth.
She sighed. "How many reasons do you want? One time my mom caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena's temple, which is hugely disrespectful."
Girlfriend is not how i would describe it, Annie. But go off, I guess.
"Another time, Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron god for the city of Athens. Your dad created some stupid saltwater spring for his gift. My mom created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her." Annabeth finished
"They must really like olives." Phaedra laughed and Percy smiled slightly at her.
"Oh, forget it."
"Now, if she'd invented pizza-that I could understand." Phaedra laughed harder and leaned against Percy because Annabeth had pushed her.
"I said, forget it! Phaedra, you're my friend. You are supposed to be on my side!" She yelled at Phaedra.
"I'm sorry, he's just really funny. He's sassy, and it's hilarious." She said, not really looking sorry.
In the front seat, Argus smiled. He didn't say anything, but one blue eye on the back of his neck winked at Percy.
I saw that Argus.
Traffic slowed them down in Queens. By the time they got into Manhattan it was sunset and starting to rain.
Argus dropped them at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side. Taped to a mailbox was a soggy flyer with Percy's picture on it: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY?
Percy ripped it down and Phaedra saw but didn't say anything.
Argus unloaded their bags, made sure they got their bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch us as he pulled out of the parking lot.
Grover gazed down the street in the direction Percy was looking. "You want to know why she married him, Percy?"
Percy stared at him. "Were you reading my mind or something?"
"Just your emotions." He shrugged. "Guess I forgot to tell you satyrs can do that. You were thinking about your mom and your stepdad, right?" He nodded.
"Your mom married Gabe for you," Grover told him. "You call him 'Smelly,' but you've got no idea. The guy has this aura....Yuck. I can smell him from here. I can smell traces of him on you, and you haven't been near him for a week."
"Thanks," Percy said. He seemed upset about that. "Where's the nearest shower?"
"You should be grateful, Percy. Your stepfather smells so repulsively human he could mask the presence of any demigod. As soon as I took a whiff inside his Camaro, I knew: Gabe has been covering your scent for years. If you hadn't lived with him every summer, you probably would've been found by monsters a long time ago. Your mom stayed with him to protect you. She was a smart lady. She must've loved you a lot to put up with that guy-if that makes you feel any better."
The group got restless waiting for the bus and decided to play some Hacky Sack with one of Grover's apples. Annabeth was unbelievable. She could bounce the apple off her knee, her elbow, her shoulder, whatever. Phaedra was pretty good at it, being friends with Annabeth, she was able to pick up some stuff. Percy wasn't too bad.
The game ended when Percy tossed the apple toward Grover and it got too close to his mouth. In one mega goat bite, our Hacky Sack disappeared- core, stem, and all.
Grover blushed. He tried to apologize, but they were too busy cracking up.
Finally the bus came. As they stood in line to board. Phaedra kept her bag with her. she got a bad feeling about this bus.
Grover started looking around, sniffing the air like he smelled his favorite school cafeteria delicacy-enchiladas.
"What is it?" Percy asked.
"I don't know," he said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing."
Percy started looking over his shoulder, too. They finally got on board and found seats together in the back of the bus. We stowed our backpacks. Annabeth kept slapping her Yankees cap nervously against her thigh.
As the last passengers got on, Annabeth clamped her hand onto Percy's knee.
"Percy."
An old lady had just boarded the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face, and she carried a big paisley purse.
Aphrodite must be bawling at this abomination. I am too...on the inside. Who the hell would pair those things together? Monsters. That's who.
When she tilted her head up, her black eyes glittered. Percy scrunched down in his seat. Behind her came two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise they looked exactly like Mrs. Dodds-same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses.
Great. Even more abominations boarding this bus. Percy must be really hated. That's rough buddy.
They sat in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, making an X. It was casual enough, but it sent a clear message: nobody leaves.
The bus pulled out of the station, and the group headed through the slick streets of Manhattan. "She didn't stay dead long," Percy said. "I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime."
"I said if you're lucky," Phaedra said.
"You're obviously not." Annabeth finished. Percy gave them a weird look.
"All three of them," Grover whimpered. "Di immortales!"
"It's okay," Annabeth said, obviously thinking hard. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows."
"They don't open," Grover moaned.
"A back exit?" she suggested.
There wasn't one. Even if there had been, it wouldn't have helped. By that time, they were on Ninth Avenue, heading for the Lincoln Tunnel.
"They won't attack us with witnesses around," Percy said. "Will they?"
"Mortals don't have good eyes," Phaedra reminded him. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist."
"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?"
Phaedra chuckled nervously, "Yeah, yeah they will..." Percy sighed and Annabeth slapped her arm.
Annabeth spoke next. "Hard to say. But we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof...?"
They hit the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle. It was eerily quiet without the sound of the rain. Mrs. Dodds got up. In a flat voice, as if she'd rehearsed it, she announced to the whole bus: "I need to use the rest-room."
"So do I," said the second sister.
"So do I," said the third sister. They all started coming down the aisle.
Ah shit. Fuck my life.
"I've got it," Annabeth said. "Percy, take my hat."
"What?"
"Why are you asking questions? Just do it." Phaedra told him.
"You're the one they want. Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away."
"But you guys-"
"There's an outside chance they might not notice us," Phaedra said. "You're a son of one of the Big Three. Your smell might be overpowering."
"I can't just leave you."
"Yes you can. We will be fine. Ok?" She gave him a soft smile to reassure him.
"Don't worry about us," Grover said. "Go!"
His hands trembled. Phaedra sighed and took the Yankees cap from Annabeth and
put it on percy. He disappeared.
The furies stopped, sniffing, and looked around. Phaedra started to get scared.
Apparently she didn't see anything. She and her sisters kept going. Phaedra thought they were going to be safe. She should have known they weren't going to be lucky.
All of a sudden there was hideous wailing from the back row where the rest of the group was sitting.
The old ladies were not old ladies anymore. Their faces were still the same-Phaedra guessed those couldn't get any uglier-but their bodies had shriveled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat's wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws. Their handbags had turned into fiery whips.
The Furies surrounded Grover, Annabeth and Phaedra, lashing their whips, hissing: "Where is it? Where?"
The other people on the bus were screaming, cowering in their seats.
I hate it here.
"He's not here!" Annabeth yelled. "He's gone!"
Am I the only one who heard "It"?
The Furies raised their whips. Annabeth drew her bronze knife. Phaedra drew her dagger.
This is close range fighting. I can't use my arrows. Fuck
Grover grabbed a tin can from his snack bag and prepared to throw it.
The furies kept getting closer to the group. All of a sudden the bus jerked. Everybody howled as they were thrown to the right, and the three Furies smashed against the windows.
"Hey!" the driver yelled. "Hey-whoa!"
He looked like he was wrestling someone for the wheel. The bus slammed against the side of the tunnel, grinding metal, throwing sparks a mile behind them.
The bus careened out of the Lincoln Tunnel and back into the rainstorm, people and monsters tossed around the bus, cars plowed aside like bowling pins.
Somehow the driver found an exit. They shot off the highway, through half a dozen traffic lights, and ended up barreling down one of those New Jersey rural roads where people can't believe there's so much nothing right across the river from New York. There were woods to their left, the Hudson River to our right, and the driver seemed to be veering toward the river.
Suddenly the bus wailed, spun a full circle on the wet asphalt, and crashed into the
trees. Phaedra held on for dear life. The emergency lights came on. The door flew open. The bus driver was the first one out, the passengers yelling as they stampeded after him.
The Furies regained their balance. They lashed their whips at Annabeth and Phaedra; she waved her knife and yelled in Ancient Greek, telling them to back off. Grover threw tin cans.
Percy took off the invisible cap. "Hey!"
"Really? You couldn't have just followed directions?" Phaedra asked
The Furies turned, baring their yellow fangs at him, and the exit suddenly seemed like an excellent idea. Every time she flicked her whip, red flames danced along the barbed leather.
Her two ugly sisters hopped on top of the seats on either side of her and crawled toward Percy like huge nasty lizards. Phaedra gagged.
"Perseus Jackson," the one in the middle said, "You have offended the gods. You shall die."
"I liked you better as a math teacher," he told her.
This is why you get into the problems you do.
She growled.
Annabeth, Grover and Phaedra moved up behind the Furies cautiously, looking for
an opening.
Percy took the ballpoint pen out of his pocket and uncapped it. Riptide
elongated into a shimmering double-edged sword.
The Furies hesitated.
"Submit now," she hissed. "And you will not suffer eternal torment."
"Nice try," he told her.
"Percy, look out!" Annabeth cried.
Mrs. Dodds lashed her whip around his sword hand while the Furies on the either side lunged at him.
Percy stuck the Fury on the left with Riptide's hilt, sending her toppling
backward into a seat. Percy turned and sliced the Fury on the right. As soon as the
blade connected with her neck, she screamed and exploded into dust.
Annabeth got Mrs. Dodds in a wrestler's hold and yanked her backward while Grover ripped the whip out of her hands.
"Ow!" he yelled. "Ow! Hot! Hot!"
"You're not supposed to grab the whip, Grover!" Phaedra yelled.
The Fury Percy had hilt-slammed came at Phaedra this time, talons ready, but she ducked when the Fury swiped at her and stabbed her in the neck, and sliced through and she broke open like a piñata.
Mrs. Dodds was trying to get Annabeth off her back. She kicked, clawed, hissed and bit, but Annabeth held on while Grover got Mrs. Dodds's legs tied up in her own whip. Finally they both shoved her backward into the aisle.
Mrs. Dodds tried to get up, but she didn't have room to flap her bat wings, so
she kept falling down.
"Zeus will destroy you!" she promised. "Hades will have your soul!"
"Braccas meas vescimini!" Percy yelled.
Phaedra wasn't sure where the Latin came from. She thought it meant "Eat my pants!"
Thunder shook the bus. The hair rose on the back of her neck.
"Get out!" Annabeth yelled out.
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Phaedra said already halfway out of the bus with her bag still with her.
They rushed outside and found the other passengers wandering around in a
daze, arguing with the driver, or running around in circles yelling, "We're going to die!" A Hawaiian shirted tourist with a camera snapped Percy's photograph before he could even recap his sword.
"Our bags!" Grover realized. "We left our-"
BOOOOOM!
The windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover.
"Damn...well, I still have my shit, so..." Phaedra said.
Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof, but an angry wail from inside
told me Mrs. Dodds was not yet dead.
"Run!" Annabeth said. "She's calling for reinforcements! We have to get out of here!"
The group plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames
behind them, and nothing but darkness ahead.
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