Y/n's POV
It didn't take me long to pack. A change of clothes and a toothbrush being the only thing in my bag. The camp store even loaned me one hundred dollars in mortal money and twenty golden drachmas. The coins were as big as Girl Scout cookies and had images of various Greek gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. The ancient mortal drachmas had been silver, Chiron told us, but Olympians never used less than pure gold. Chiron said the coins might come in handy for non-mortal transactions-whatever that meant. He gave Annabeth, me, and Percy each a canteen of nectar and a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares, to be used only in emergencies, if we were seriously hurt. It was god food, Chiron reminded us. It would cure us of almost any injury, but it was lethal to mortals. Too much of it would make a half-blood very, feverish. An overdose would burn us up, literally.
Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap, which she told us had been a twelfth birthday present from her mom. She carried a book on famous architecture written in Ancient Greek, to read when she got bored, and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve. She told me that I probably should hide my dirk, or we might get into trouble. But I merely smiled as I spoke a line of ancient Greek. I didn't know what it meant exactly but when I spoke the sheath and dirk around my belt turned invisible.
"You're not the only one with magical items." I said to her.
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 you could just see the tips of his honrs. 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.
We 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.
Chiron was waiting for us in his wheelchair. With a surfer dude looking guy standing next to him. According to Grover the guy was the camp's head of security. He supposedly had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. Today, though, he was wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so I could only see extra peepers on his hands, face and neck.
"This is Argus," Chiron told me. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things."
I stifled a laugh at the centaur's dad joke as we heard footsteps from behind us.
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.
"Just wanted to say good luck,"" Luke told Percy. "And I thought . . . um, maybe you could use these."
He handed him the sneakers, which looked pretty normal.
Luke smiled, "Mala!"
White birds wings sprouted out of the heels, startling Percy so much, he almost 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.
"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?"
He shook hands with Percy. I got a high five, Grover got a pat between his horns. And he gave a goodbye hug to Annabeth, who looked like she might pass out.
After Luke was gone, Percy told her, "You're hyperventalating."
"Am not."
I turned to Grover who was standing next to me. Whispering under my breath so the two couldn't hear.
"It's like you can just feel the tension in the air."
"You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?" Percy continued.
"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 when a realization seemed to hit him.
"I won't be able to use this 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 looked over at the satyr beside me. "Hey Grover. You want a magic item?"
His eyes lit up, "Me?"
Pretty soon we'd laced the sneakers over his fake feet, and the world's first flying goat boy was ready for launch.
"Mala!" he shouted.
He got off the ground okay, but then fell over sideways as 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 down the hill like a possessed lawn mower, heading toward the van.
"I'll get him."
I was about to move start following Grover. But realized I had forgotten to say goodbye. Turning towards Thalia's tree as I placed a hand on it. Saying a silent farewell. Again it might have been stupid to say. But I really was gonna miss it.
I then turned back around and ran down to make sure Grover was okay. Helping him regain his footing and get his shoes situated again. And soon Percy came down the hill to join us. Looking back up the grass we saw Chiron now standing in full horse-man form, holding his bow high in salute. Just your typical sumer camp send-off by your typical centaur.
Argus drove us out of the countryside and into western Long Island. Percy on the left, Annabeth in the middle, and me on the right. With Grover tucked in the back row.
"So far so good," Percy 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."
"Remind me again-why do you hate me so much?"
I turned back to Grover and mouthed "feel the tension?"
"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."
"Why?"
I decided to ignore them as I unconsciously slid my dirk out of its inivisble sheath. Making it look like I was creating a blade out of thin air. And soon I was holding my night black stygian iron weapon. Grover looked at it uneasily from behind me while Percy and Annabeth were to busy fighting for them to notice. I felt that presence in the back of my mind laugh again as I ran my hand along the metal. And frankly I was getting tired of hearing it. Turning inwards as I decided to confront the thing.
"Hey, I know you're in my mind somewhere! Come out and talk!" I yelled out into the void.
And surprisingly a visage emerged from the darkness. I peered closer trying to get a good look. My breath catching in my throat as I saw myself. A pitch-black version of myself. Tendrils of darkness seeming to wrap around him and float off behind him like wisps of smoke. Looking around I saw that everything around me was completely dark as well. But despite that, I could still see him perfectly. Somehow, he was even darker. Like the area around him was completely devoid of any light. It was how dark I imagined a black hole to look.
"Well, hello." He said as he gave me a mocking bow.
The words seemed to catch in my throat as I tried to respond. I wasn't used to this. The presence inside my head had never appeared in a physical form before. And it put me off balance.
"Uh hello." I responded.
He chuckled lightly as he took a step closer.
"You know I never got to talk to you in this manner before. Not quite strong enough to create a vessel such as this for you to see in your mind. But the fact that I am able to know. Means we are getting closer. That weapon your holding is a sign of that."
I didn't know what he was talking about. Quickly looking down at my hand to find that I was indeed holding my dirk.
"What do you mean closer? And what does that have to do with this." I said as I help up the weapon. While the dark apparition in front of me only seemed to become more amused. Laughing under his breath once more.
"If only you could remember Y/n." he laughed in mocking tones. "But sadly, my presence has already stripped you of so much. It is a pity really."
"I don't understand."
"You can't. Or at least you won't for the time being. Only when I deem that you are ready. But I will offer you this."
He pointed down at the blade I was holding.
"That weapon. What did the centaur call it again?"
"Stygian iron." I responded. "She gave it to me before we- I" I corrected quickly, "Before I fled remember."
"Ah yes. Well I will tell you this. That blade is much more than you think. Stygian iron." He spat the term in disgust. "That blade is so much more. It would be demeaning to call it that."
He laughed to himself once more. That empty void like darkness seeming to stretch around him. Growing until it encompassed all.
"Do not worry Y/n. It will all make sense soon. But only when you are ready."
A tidal wave of shadow seemed to manifest behind him. Crashing down on me like a torrenting river. I felt like I was drowning. Thrashing around as I struggled to stay afloat. When suddenly I felt someone shaking me.
"Hey! Y/n! Wake up."
I opened my eyes to see Annabeth shaking my shoulder. Holding my head to my hand as I tried to steady myself. Trying to calm my breath and keep the world from spinning.
"Are you alright?" she asked me.
"Oh yeah. I'm fine." I tried to sound reassuring. Annabeth nodding slowly as she turned away. Her concerned face not seeming to change despite my words.
Glancing over I even saw Percy looking over at me worriedly. But I motioned that I was okay, and they seemed to accept it. I knew I should tell them what was going on. But frankly I didn't know what was happening myself. And I hated burdening other people with my problems. And in some weird way this felt like a personal matter. So, if I could figure this out on my own I would.
Traffic began to slow us down as we made it into Queens. By the time we got into Manhattan it was sunset and starting to rain.
Argus dropped us at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side. At least that was what Percy told me. As a California Bay Area native I could hardly understand the New York area lay out.
Argus unloaded our bags, made sure we got our 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.
The rain kept coming down.
We 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. Percy wasn't that bad either. I on the other hand was god awful. As I mentioned before sports were never my forte.
But luckily for me the game ended when Percy tossed the apple towards 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 Annabeth, Percy and I were too busy cracking up.
Finally, the bus came. As we stood in line to board, Grover started looking around, sniffing the air like he smelled something off.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I don't know," he said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing."
But I could tell it wasn't nothing. I started looking over my shoulder, too. It was that familiar sense of being stalked. I had felt it constantly during my trip across the country, but it felt off somehow.
All in all, I was relieved when we finally got on board and found seats together in the back of the bus. We stowed our back packs. Annabeth kept slapping her Yankees cap nervously against her thigh.
As the last passengers got on, Annabeth clamped her hand onto Percy's knee and tapped me on the shoulder. "Guys."
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. When she tilted up her black eyes glittered. I felt my throat tighten slightly. It was an aura that I knew all too well. She was nothing but a monster in disguise. I looked over and saw Annabeth with a similar reaction. Percy having a moment of recognition as he seemed to recede farther into his seat.
Behind her came two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise, they looked exactly like the other. The same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses. Triplet demon grandmothers.
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 we headed through the slick streets of Manhattan. "She didn't stay dead long," Percy said as he stifled a quiver.
"Wait you fought those things?" I responded.
Percy turned and nodded to me slightly as he spoke. "Yeah, well one of them. She used to be my math teacher."
I wasn't really sure how to respond to that. But honestly, I'd rather fight an old lady than have to do pre-algebra equations.
Grover seemed to whimper behind us as he spoke.
"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."
The name sounded familiar. I scoured my mind. Looking back at my dad's Greek myth lectures. But I was having a hard time remembering anything useful.
"They don't open," Grover moaned.
"A back exit?" I suggested.
But looking around there wasn't one. Even if there had been, it wouldn't have helped.
"They won't attack us with witnesses." Percy said hopefully.
"I wouldn't count on that. In my experience monsters don't particularly care who's around if they see a good demi-god meal. And mortals' vision is unreliable at best. Who knows what they're really seeing through the mist." I explained.
"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?" Percy asked in a half joking half real question.
Annabeth answering for me this time. "Hard to say. But we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof . . . ?"
We were just approaching the Lincoln Tunnell when the first old lady got up slowly. And in a flat voice, as if she'd rehearsed it, she announced to the whole bus: "I need to use the restroom."
"So do I," said the second sister.
"So do I," said the third sister.
They all started coming down the aisle.
"I've got it," Annabeth said. "Percy, take my hat."
"What?"
"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," Annabeth said. "You're a son of one of the Big Three. Your smell might be overpowering."
Percy turned towards me trying to get a gauge on what I was thinking.
"Don't look at me like I have a plan. Annabeth's got the best option we have."
Even after this Percy still seemed conflicted.
"I can't just leave you guys."
"Don't worry about us." Grover said. "Go!"
And with trembling hands Percy slid the cap over his head. Dissapearing as I assumed he started making his way up the aisle. I watched barely breathing as one of the old ladies turned down an aisle. Sniffing intently where Percy was surely standing. But she didn't seem to find anything as her and her sisters moved on.
And suddenly a loud wailing filled the bus. And the old ladies were not old ladies anymore. Their faces were still the same-I guess 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 I. Lashing out with their whips and hissing: "Where is it? Where?"
But by the time they had approached I was already out of the seat. Whipping out my dirk as I rushed towards them. One swiped at me with her whip but I slid under it. Slicing her across the calf as I slid by her. Getting up on the other side of the three as I brandished my blade.
I prepared to charge again but the bus suddenly jerked to one side. Sending everyone flying to the right. I saw two Furies thrown into the window with a howl. The other to the window next to them. I tried to redirection myself but found no way to as I was thrown to the window as well. Crashing into the monster as I heard the loud crack of glass shattering. And in an instant, I found myself tumbling out of the bus into the street and rolling out to the grass.
I groaned in pain as I heard a loud growl from a few feet away. I tried to get my hands and feet under me as I pushed myself up. And as I touched the wet ground beneath me it was like a jolt of energy and adrenaline was sent through me. Propping myself back up gripping my dirk as I faced the monster that had tumbled out of the bus with me. Razor sharp talons glinting in the moonlight as she stared me down.
I let out a deep breath as my legs tensed. And in a second we charged at each other. As soon as I was within reach, she swiped across my head which I promptly ducked under. Bringing up my blade as I pierced her attacking arm. Sending her reeling back in pain. She pulled out her whip once more. Lashing out at me in anger as I tried to dodge. I did my best to move around them, but I still earned a few strikes across my body. But I had to keep her on the defensive. And end this fight quickly. But her whip kept me from getting anywhere near her. And suddenly I got an idea.
I didn't know if it would work but I had no other option. I focused back on the first day of camp. When I had created that crater. I didn't know how or why I was able to do it, but it would be pretty helpful right now. So, stretching out my arm I focused on the ground around me. Feeling the motions and presence of the very rock and grass beneath me. It was like I could feel its life force. And as she brought back her whip to strike at me once again. A vine erupted from the ground. Shooting up as it wrapped itself around her arm. In shock she tried to pull away, but it held firm. And soon more erupted from the ground. Wrapping around her legs and arms as they brought her to her knees. Pinning her limbs as she thrashed and screamed in anger. But there was nothing for her to do as I stepped forward. That same green fire blazing in my eyes as I gripped my blade. And as I brough it back and plunged it into her chest I felt him laugh. That same horrible endless laugh that filled my head no matter what I did. And as the blade slid into the monster's skin. Tendrils of shadowy void seemed erupt from the weapon. Ensnaring the monster in front of me as her very being seemed to be drawn into it. The tendrils growing in darkness as she thrashed and screamed in agony. And soon there was nothing but a pile of ash in front of me.
I had to steady myself as I panted. Looking down at my weapon in fear as I saw the night black blade. Thin tendrils of darkness seeming to seep forth snaking their way along the hilt and onto my hand. Making me drop the blade in surprise. But to my horror the lines of darkness continued to snake their way up my arm seeping into my skin. And soon I felt renewed energy fill my body. The pain receding as a surge of pure adrenaline rushed through me. In an odd way it felt like ambrosia. But this had a taint to it. A taint that I could not stomach. Trying to calm myself down I looked back at the dirk which was now lying on the ground. Part of me wanted to leave it there. Forget about it completely and let it go. But she had given it to me. And I couldn't just let it go. So, I hesitantly picked it back up. Sliding it into my sheath as I made my way back up the road. The being within my head laughing at me all the while.
I turned back to the tunnel I had last seen the bus careening down. Groaning in irritation as I started sprinting down the tunnel. It couldn't have been that long, but it felt like forever. But eventually I found myself emerging out the other side. Quickly seeing the bus driven onto the side of the road. Passengers rushing out as a bolt of lightning seemed to erupt from the clouds above. Careening down towards the vehicle like a precision airstrike. And in a matter of seconds the bus erupted in flames a loud boom echoing through the area. A loud wail emitting from the inside which I could only assume was the last of the Furies. I quickly turned back towards the fleeing passengers. Catching a glimpse of Percy, Annabeth, and Grover retreating into the woods. Quickly sheathing my dirk as I sprinted after them. Mumbling to myself as I ran.
"This is not going well."