Cressida was ploughed down by nothing as she fell back, groaning in pain at the top of Half-Blood Hill.
"You ok?" asked a voice she couldn't see and it took her a moment to put it together.
"Watch where you're going, Fish Face," she groaned as she sat up, two bags slung over her shoulder, Percy recognising one that he'd packed that he'd left in his cabin.
"Sorry. Are you ok?" he asked, invisible hands helping her up. Her hand wrapped around his throat while the other felt up his face. "What are you doing?" he questioned nervously before she ripped the cap off his head.
"Where the hell were you? You weren't at the pavilion."
"Nico was there. Long story. I'll explain on the way. Uh, how are we going to keep up with them in the van?"
"Didn't get that far. I can slow down the van so that we might be able to keep up with it if we run?"
"Guess that's all we got, but I swear, Wine Vine, you better not make yourself too tired," Percy warned before they heard the beating of huge wings. Blackjack landed next to them, nuzzling a few tufts of grass that stuck through the ice.
She had no idea what the pegasus said to Percy but he suddenly began pushing her towards the horse.
"Yeah, let's fly," Percy said as he let Cressida climb up first, the girl holding the two bags in front of her before Percy climbed up behind her and Blackjack took to the skies.
Cressida couldn't believe that she didn't think of this earlier, to be fair though, flying a pegasus in winter is completely crazy, especially because they were trying to stay hidden. Even after putting on the extra jackets Cressida had the foresight to pack, both of them were still shivering as icy rain beat down on them.
Percy had told her about Zoë's dream. And when he mentioned the unfortunate incident that had befallen both Phoebe and Catherine, he could feel her grin as if she'd had something to do with it. But when he told her about Nico and the promise he forced Percy to make, she'd simply leaned back on his chest as she guided his arms to wrap around her, the closest that she could get to hugging him right now. Not only did it make him feel better but it also warmed him up, his cheeks especially.
They stayed like that the entire ride to Manhattan. They did lose the van twice but Cressida knew the route they took so they found it pretty quickly, not to mention that traffic was bad with the holidays and weather.
Percy landed Blackjack near the top of the Chrysler Building, thinking that the van would be pulling into the bus station but it just kept driving.
"Where is Argus taking them?" he muttered.
"Do you pay attention to anything? Argus isn't driving," Cressida said.
"Boss lady is right boss," Blackjack added. "That girl is."
"Which girl?"
"Zoë, obviously. The girl has some control issues. But if Thalia could drive, she probably would've fought for the wheel," Cressida answered.
Blackjack neighed and Percy then began explaining the logistics of taking a flying horse through the drive-thru of a doughnut shop and why that would be a bad idea.
"Shall we go now or do you want to explain what it would be like to take Blackjack to an amusement park?" Cressida asked and he rolled his eyes.
"Let's go," Percy relented.
They were about to leap off the Chrysler Building when Blackjack whinnied in alarm and almost threw them. Something was curling around their legs like a snake, except Cressida's. Percy reached for his sword, but when he looked down, there was no snake. Vines – grapevines – had sprouted from the cracks between the stones of the building. They were wrapping around Blackjack's legs, lashing down their ankles so they couldn't move.
"What the hell are you doing?" Percy asked.
"This isn't me!" Cressida exclaimed.
"Well can you undo it?"
She raised her hands, but the vines didn't respond. "I can't control them!"
"Who can?"
"The only person I can think of -"
"Going somewhere?" a voice asked, and they turned to see Mr D leaning against the building with his feet levitating in the air, his leopard-skin warm-up suit and black hair whipping around in the wind. Now it made sense why Cressida wasn't entangled with them.
Blackjack whinnied again and her father sighed in exasperation. "The next person, or horse, who calls me "the wine dude" will end up in a bottle of Merlot!"
"Papa, what are you doing?" Cressida asked as she slid off Blackjack.
"Jewel, did you really think that your all-powerful, immortal father would not notice you leaving camp without permission? Or with the sea spawn?" he asked.
"Positive thinking is a powerful thing," Cressida said sheepishly, Percy just glared at her.
"Is it now?" Mr D remarked. "What power might it have if I were to throw Johnson over there off this building, minus you and the flying horse, and see how heroic he sounds on the way down?"
"Why do you hate me so much?" Percy snapped.
"Do you ever shut up?" Cressida snapped back as purple flames flickered in her father's eyes.
"You're a hero, boy. One that has taken my only daughter out of the safety of my camp for the third time. I need no other reason," the god replied.
"Papa, I'm in the prophecy. I have to go. We have to go. We have to help Annabeth and Artemis, who is also your sister. And I have to help my friend," Cressida reasoned.
"Not that you'd understand that," Percy muttered and Cressida balled her fists as she turned to him again.
"If you don't shut up, I'm going to be the one to throw you from this building," she warned as the white van was getting further and further away.
"Did I ever tell you about Ariadne?" Mr D asked. "Beautiful young princess of Crete? She liked helping her friends, too. In fact, she helped a young hero named Theseus, also a son of Poseidon. She gave him a ball of magical thread that let him find his way out of the Labyrinth. And do you know how Theseus rewarded her?"
"They got married," Percy said impatiently. "Happily ever after. The end."
Mr D sneered. "Not quite. Theseus said he would marry her. He took her aboard his ship and sailed for Athens. Halfway back, on a little island called Naxos, he – what's the word you mortals use today? – he dumped her."
His daughter nodded, confirming that he used it properly.
"I found her there, you know. Alone. Heartbroken. Crying her eyes out. She had given up everything, left everything she knew behind, to help a dashing young hero who tossed her away like a broken sandal."
"Cressida told me the rest," Percy said. "Ariadne is her stepmother. You married her and she waits for you on Olympus. I saw her once. I still don't understand what it has to do with me considering this was thousands of years ago."
Her father's face darkened as his eyes flamed. "'My point is you heroes never change. You accuse us gods of being vain. You should look at yourselves. You take what you want, use whoever you have to, and then you betray everyone around you. So, you'll excuse me if I have no love for heroes. They are a selfish, ungrateful lot. Ask Ariadne. Or Medea. For that matter, ask Zoë Nightshade."
"What do you mean, ask Zoë?" Percy wondered but Mr D's eyes darkened further as he landed on the roof, his jaw tense.
"And it is only a matter of time before you put my Jewel in the same position that Ariadne was left in."
"He won't, Papa," Cressida defended before she took a deep breath. "Papa, he swore on the River Styx."
And the fire in Mr D's eyes died out instantly, before Cressida continued.
"He swore to always be my friend. He won't leave me behind, Papa. If I fall on this quest, it won't be because of him and it won't be without a fight. But you know me, Papa, and you know that I'll be ok."
He didn't know that, and she knew that, but he needed the reassurance if they were going to do this - even if it was a flat-out lie.
Dionysus simply held out his hand and Cressida's shoulders fell as she barrelled into his arms in a hug, the god's hand holding her head to his shoulder before he addressed Percy.
"Despite the oath you swore, you will prove no better than the other heroes. And should you prove to not be one of the two said to fall in the prophecy, should you return without my daughter...."
Dionysus didn't need to finish his threat as his eyes flamed once more, a deeper and darker shade of purple that promised Percy a lot of pain and agony.
"I'll see you at the solstice, Papa," Cressida promised as she stood on his toes to kiss his cheek.
"You'd better, Jewel. I think I'll go give your brothers a hard time for helping you defy me."
And Cressida only rolled her eyes as her father waved his hands and the vines sank. And then he snapped his fingers, his image folding up like a paper display. There was a pop and he was gone, leaving a faint scent of grapes that was quickly blown away by the wind.
"I swear, one day I'm not going to be able to save you from the trouble your mouth gets you into," Cressida sighed as she turned back to Percy.
"If your father had it his way, you wouldn't be saving me at all," Percy said as he offered her his hand and this time, she climbed up behind him, her arms wrapping around his waist.
"I wonder why?" she asked sarcastically, and Percy just rolled his eyes as he patted Blackjack's neck.
"Come on, Blackjack," he said, "we'll buy you some doughnuts in New Jersey."
And they took to the skies.
******************************************************************
They didn't end up getting Blackjack doughnuts in New Jersey because Zoë was driving south like a crazy person meaning that they were in Maryland before she finally pulled over at a service station. Blackjack was exhausted despite the few bunches of grapes that Cressida had stashed in her bag and Percy began feeding to the pegasus as they went.
"Stay here," Percy said to both of them as Cressida rubbed Blackjack's flank. "I'll scout," he explained as he pulled out Annabeth's cap.
"Fine. But I get to do it next time. I'm going to go get more grapes for Blackjack," she replied.
"Don't go too far," he said as she chuckled coldly.
"The last time you said that, you went too far."
Percy just rolled his eyes. "Just feed the pegasus. I'll be back soon."
And he vanished as he put the cap on.
The only thing Percy had to report when he came back was Grover's acorn tracking spell and Thalia and Zoë at each other's throats.
Percy eagerly snacked on the grapes Cressida grew as they climbed back onto Blackjack and continued south. He was also wondering if Zoë was serious when he'd overheard her say that she'd been driving cars since they were invented. Clearly, the whole immortality concept was lost on him.
They were curious about what Mr D had to say about Zoë being betrayed by a hero.
"BJ, are you ok?" Cressida asked, sitting in front of Percy this time as she rubbed his neck as he dropped altitude and breathed heavily as they neared Washington.
"You don't sound so good," Percy said, Blackjack clearly talking to him in his head.
"He needs to rest. We could jack a car and follow them the rest of the way," Cressida said and Percy furrowed his brow.
"Neither of us knows how to drive," he pointed out.
"Can't be worse than Thalia," she remarked, and she had a point.
"They're slowing down," Percy pointed out as they crossed the Potomac River into central Washington. "Blackjack, set us down there. It should be close enough."
Blackjack was so tired he didn't complain as he dropped towards the Washington Monument and set them down on the grass. The van was a few blocks away where Zoë had parked by the kerb.
"I want you to go back to camp. Get some rest. Graze. We'll be fine," Percy told the pegasus, but Blackjack cocked his head sceptically.
"We'll be fine," Cressida assured him as she stroked his nose. "You've done more than enough. The rest is up to us. Go home and rest. My brothers will get you all the grapes you desire," she promised and the horse nickered as if that sounded good to him.
He said something more to Percy because he stroked his neck and promised his friend that they'd be ok. Eventually, Blackjack took to the sky, circling twice around the monument before disappearing into the clouds.
The two of them shouldered their bags as Cressida sighed, staring at the white van.
"Ready to do this?" Percy asked her and she turned to him, one hand gripping her bag strap.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"Hold up," Percy said, pulling her arm back as he pointed to the black sedan that was parked a block away and a man with a military haircut got out. "Is that who I think it is?"
While Cressida only now realised that the car had been following the van, it was the driver that spoke into his phone before following after their friends which made her jaw drop.
"Thorn," Cressida snarled as she remembered with vivid clarity the face of the creature that kidnapped her best friend. "When I get my hands on him -"
"Hey!" Percy protested as he grabbed both her arms and pulled her back to face him. "Grapevines, sure, use them all you want. But you are not getting into his head and making yourself tired for nothing."
"But Annabeth -"
"We will find her. How about we do the smart thing and recon first? Make sure he's the only one here before we attack him for information."
"What would you know about doing the smart thing?" Cressida asked with furrowed brows.
"I think wearing Annabeth's cap is doing more than turning me invisible," he guessed before she ripped her arms out from his hold.
"You take the cap. I'll be fine following on my own."
"Whoa, hang on. You can't just -"
"I can and I will," she smiled sweetly. "I've spent half my life at camp, meaning I've actually taken stealth training class more than the mandatory first class that I'm not even sure you attended last summer. I will be fine."
"But Grape Girl -"
"We're wasting time. Let's go," she cut in before beginning to head after Thorn.
"This whole interrupting me thing is really annoying, you know that?" Percy murmured as he followed after her.
Cressida only spun on her heel, walking backwards, as she gave him a smile that could make any guy weak in the knees, including Percy.
"Annoying like you."
And Percy stuck Annabeth's cap on as he vanished along with his blush - only she could make him blush by insulting him. He didn't understand it one bit.