CHAPTER ELEVEN
☽ 𓆉
THERE WAS a long stretch of silence for the car ride until they crossed over the Potomac. Percy and Estella leaned over and looked out the window, their cheeks almost pressing together. A sleek black helicopter was on their trail, one that was similar to Westover Hall.
"They know the van," Percy broke the silence. "We have to ditch it."
Zoë moved into the fast lane, but the helicopter was gaining.
"Maybe the military will shoot it down," Grover said hopefully.
"The military probably thinks it's one of theirs," Percy said. "How can the General use mortals, anyway?"
"Mercenaries," Zoë said bitterly. "It is distasteful, but many mortals will fight for any cause as long as they are paid."
"Not surprising," Estella said.
"But don't these mortals see who they're working for?" Percy asked. "Don't they notice all the monsters around them?"
Zoë shook her head. "I do not know how much they see through the Mist. I doubt it would matter to them if they knew the truth. Sometimes mortals can be more horrible than monsters."
Estella's eyes were still on the helicopter, which managed to lessen the distance between them. Zoë was having trouble managing the traffic.
Thalia closed her eyes and prayed. "Hey, Dad. A lightning bolt would be nice about now. Please?"
The sky stayed the same: grey and snowy.
"There!" Bianca said. "That parking lot!"
"We'll be trapped," Zoë said.
"Trust me," Bianca said.
Zoë made her way across the lanes of traffic and to the mall parking lot. The helicopter was somewhere in the distance because Estella had trouble finding it in the sky. They left the van and followed Bianca down some steps.
"Subway entrance," Bianca said. "Let's go south. Alexandria."
"Anything," Thalia agreed.
They quickly bought their tickets and made it onto the southbound train, heading away from D.C. When the train came above ground, they all peered out the window to see the helicopter circling the parking lot.
Grover let out a sigh of relief. "Nice job, Bianca. Thinking of the subway."
Bianca smiled. "Yeah, well, I saw that station when Nico and I came running through last summer. I remember being surprised to see it because it wasn't there when we used to live in D.C."
Grover frowned. "New? But the station looked really old."
"I guess," Bianca said. "But trust me, when we lived here as kids, there was no subway."
Thalia sat forward, intrigued. "No subway at all?"
Bianca nodded.
Estella knew there was no way the subway could've been built in only a few years. She didn't live in D.C, but it didn't take a rocket scientist to know that the subway system was a lot older than Bianca made it seem. The rest of the group seemed to think the same thing because they all looked quite confused.
"Bianca," Zoë said. "How long ago..." Her voice faltered at the sound of the helicopter coming closer.
"We need to change trains," Percy said. "Next station."
The next thirty minutes consisted of them changing multiple trains in hopes to get rid of the helicopter. Eventually, they lost the helicopter. But the price was that they ended up at the end of the line, in the middle of an industrial area decorated with snow.
Estella gently tucked Percy's lion's fur coat over her torso. She was glad he gave it to her.
They wandered through the railway yard, hoping for another passenger car that could take them further. However, the only thing they found was a homeless man warming himself on a trash can fire.
"Y'all need to get warmed up? Come on over," he offered.
Nobody hesitated in heading towards the warmth. They huddled around the fire, while Thalia's teeth chattered.
"Well, this is g-g-g-great."
"My hooves are frozen," Grover complained.
"Feet," Percy corrected because there was a mortal in their proximity.
"Maybe we should contact camp," Bianca said. "Chiron—"
"No," Zoë said. "They cannot help us anymore. We must finish the quest ourselves."
Estella frowned, wondering how they were going to get out of this mess. Annabeth was somewhere trapped amongst horrible monsters, and all they could do was stay put by a fire.
"You know," the homeless man said, "you're never completely without friends. You kids need a train going West?"
"Yes," Estella said, feeling oddly comfortable around the stranger. Something about his mannerisms seemed familiar, but she couldn't pinpoint what. "Do you know of any?"
He pointed a finger, revealing a train that was gleaming and without snow. It read SUN LINE WEST, on the side.
"That's... convenient," Thalia said. "Thanks, uh..."
She turned to the homeless man who was already gone. The trash fire was out as well.
Soon enough they were traveling somewhere out West. It had been an hour into their trip, and Estella and Percy were relaxing in a Mercedes.
Percy rustled in the passenger's seat. "I think I'm going to find Thalia," he told her.
Estella nodded. "Okay, see you later."
Percy wordlessly climbed out of the vehicle, going to find Thalia. Estella stayed put in the driver's side and reclined the seat, hoping to get some shut-eye.
In her dream, Estella stood on a cliff looking at her mother. Hecate was bent down, staring into the dark depths below the peak. She sprinkled some sort of magical substance over the edge and whispered an inaudible spell.
With your power, I will continue to rise. The voice was deep, dark, and all too familiar. Kronos. He was what lurked in the shadows below the cliff.
"Yes, Lord Kronos. I seek an Olympus that respects the minor Gods as you do," she said.
Kronos chuckled darkly. Yes, I believe that the lesser Gods, especially a fellow titan like you, should be respected among the ages. If only you got dear Estella on board as well.
A swift, cold breeze blew around the girl, and she quickly knew that her presence was sensed here.
Hecate turned around, connecting her fierce violet eyes with the girl. She looked back over the edge, masking her expression from Estella. "I am the Goddess of crossroads. I will not sway my child to favor one side. She must choose on her own, as it is written by the Fates."
If you will not do what I ask, then I must take this upon myself. Your child will determine the outcome of the new world, as will Percy Jackson.
"And I respect that of you, Lord Kronos," Hecate said.
Join me, Estella. Kronos' voice was coaxing, in a mesmerizing way. His voice wrapped around her feet and made her match forward, towards the edge of the cliff.
Estella passed her mother, who looked down at her with a stoic expression. Estella wished to cry out for her mother to help her, but the words were unable to come out.
She reached the cliff, where the darkness looked back at her. The girl knelt and clawed at the ground, trying her best to stop her feet from carrying her over the edge.
Come to me.
Dirt was in her nails as they turned red from her wish to stay as far away from the Titan Lord as possible.
Estella looked up at her mother, who gave the same expressionless face. It was daunting to look at as she struggled for her free will. Her mother didn't want to force things upon Estella herself, but will let the ruthless Kronos?
Her hands were then ripped away from the dirt, and she suddenly felt her body be thrown over the cliff. But before she could plummet into the dark abyss that laid Kronos, soft hands shook her awake.
Estella jerked forward in her seat. Bianca jumped back, startled by her outburst.
"Bad dream?" She asked.
"You could say that," Estella whispered.
"The train has stopped and we're leaving now," Bianca told.
Estella nodded, trying to shake off the horrible feeling that she was so close to succumbing to Kronos' power, and only from a dream.