Theo's POV
I didn't have much to pack anyway. I decided to leave the Odontyrannos horn and the arrow on my bedside table in cabin 8. I ended up packing an extra few sets of clothes and a toothbrush in a black backpack a camper named Selina Beauregard gave me.
It would've takes us a few hours to fly from New York to Los Angeles, but that's not an option. A train would be the next best thing, but it would take 2 to 3 days to take us to LA, and another 2 to 3 day to get back to New York. So, assuming we only get held up once or twice for no more than a few hours at a time, we should be able to retrieve the master bolt and bring it back to Olympus in about 7 days, max.
When it comes to money, I didn't have any. So I went to the camp store, and they lent me $100 and 20 golden drachmas, which are basically coins the size of Girl Scout cookies. The drachmas were for non-mortal transactions, according to Chiron.
He gave Annabeth, Percy, and me each a canteen of nectar and a Ziplock bag full of ambrosia squares, to be used only in emergencies, if we were seriously hurt. They were god food, so it was good for us in small amounts (an overdose would literally burn us up), but lethal to mortals.
As for weapons and equipment, I decided to take Eric's sword with me and put on my Adidas sneakers. A feature I discovered about the sword accidentally was that it can turn itself into a small bronze flashlight. All I had to do was press the button on the side and it shifts back into a sword.
I still needed to go to Beckendorf to get my--
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
Theo: Who is it?
???: It's me.
Well, that'll make things easier.
I went to the front door and opened it, seeing Beckendorf and a girl with ginger hair dyed with a shock of bright green standing on the porch. Beckendork was holding a box, while the girl was holding something, but I couldn't see what it was because she was standing behind Beckendorf, who was much larger than her.
Theo: (smiles) Hey, Beck.
Beckendorf: (smiles) Hey, Theo. How are you holding up?
Theo: Nervous. I've only been here for a week, and I'm already going on a quest.
I chuckled nervously, which caused Beckendorf and the girl to chuckle as well.
Theo: (to the girl) And you are?
Kayla: I'm...I'm Kayla Knowles, from cabin 7.
Played by: Sophia Lillis
Theo: Apollo, right?
Kayla: (smiles) Right.
Beckendorf: Speaking of the quest. I figured these would help.
He gave me the box. I opened it and smiled once I saw what was inside.
Theo: You finished it?
Beckendorf: (smiles) Hell yeah. Just the way you wanted them.
He turned to Kayla and nudged her.
Kayla: Right, uh...Here. Lee Fletcher wanted me to give you this.
She handed me a silver bow, and a brown hip quiver full of arrows.
Theo: Wow. This is great.
Kayla: (smirks) Well, we couldn't not help our cousin out a bit.
Theo: (chuckles) Thanks, guys.
Beckendorf: Don't mention it. Good luck on your quest.
Kayla: See you around, cuz!
They turned around and left, and I smiled as I closed the door. Suddenly, the bow turned into a bracelet on my left wrist and the quiver turned into a fanny pack.
Oh, yeah. That'll do nicely.
Percy's POV
It didn't take me long to pack. I decided to leave the Minotaur horn in my cabin, which left me only an extra change of clothes and a toothbrush to stuff in a backpack Grover had found for me. After that, I got $100 and 20 golden drachmas from the camp store, as well as a canteen of nectar and a Ziplock bag full of ambrosia squares for emergencies.
Annabeth was bringing her Yankees cap, which she told me had been a 12th birthday present from her mom. 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. I was sure the knife would get us busted the first time we went through a metal detector.
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 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.
Theo wore a pair of jeans, his Adidas sneakers, his arrowhead necklace, a fanny pack strapped to his left hip, a silver bracelet on his left wrist, and a red jacket over his T-shirt. He had an iPod with a reflective back cover and earphones in his left hand and a bronze flashlight in his left hand as he stuffed them both in his pockets.
We waved goodbye to the other campers, took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, and 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. Next to him stood the surfer dude I'd seen when I was recovering in the sick room. 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.
Chiron: This is Argus. He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things.
I heard footsteps behind us. I turned around and saw Luke running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes.
Luke: Hey! Glad I caught you.
Annabeth blushed, the way she always did when Luke was around. Theo noticed and shook his head in amusement.
Luke: Just wanted to say good luck. And I thought...um, maybe you could use these.
He handed me the sneakers, which looked pretty normal. They even smelled kind of normal.
Luke: Maia!
White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels, just like Theo's shoes. They ended up startling me so much, I dropped them. The shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared.
Grover: Awesome!
Luke: (smiles) 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.
I didn't know what to say. It was cool enough that Luke had come to say goodbye. I'd been afraid he might resent me for getting so much attention the last few days. But here he was giving me a magic gift...It made me blush almost as much as Annabeth.
Percy: Hey, man. Thanks.
Luke: Listen, Percy. A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just...kill some monsters for me, okay?
We shook hands, Luke patted Grover's head between his horns, gave a goodbye hug to Annabeth (who looked like she was about to pass out), then dapped up Theo.
Luke: Sorry I didn't have anything to give you.
Theo: It's fine. I already got my own pair.
Luke: (chuckles) Just watch your 6, okay?
Theo: You got it.
Luke flashed Theo a smile before leaving. Once he was out of sight, I turned to Annabeth.
Percy: You're hyperventilating.
Annabeth: Am not.
Percy: You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?
Annabeth: Oh...why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?
Theo: Let's just move, okay?
Annabeth stomped down the other side of the hill, and Theo was close behind. A white SUV waited on the shoulder of the road, and Argus followed, jingling his car keys.
I picked up the flying shoes and had a sudden bad feeling.
Percy: (to Chiron) I won't be able to use these, will I?
Chiron: Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air...that would not be wise for you.
I nodded, disappointed, then I got an idea.
Percy: (to Grover) Hey, Grover. You want a magic item?
Grover: Me?!
Soon enough, we'd laced the sneakers over his fake feet, and the world's first flying goat boy was ready for launch.
Grover: Maia!
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, and he screamed as he flew sideways across the ground like a possessed lawnmower towards the van.
Chiron: Practice! You just need practice!
Grover: AAAAAAHHHHHH!
Theo started running after Grover, yelling some hints at him.
Theo: STOP FLAILING AROUND! SHIFT YOUR WEIGHT TO YOUR HIPS! USE YOUR CORE STRENGTH TO BALANCE YOURSELF!
Grover: I DON'T HAVE ANY CORE STRENGTH! AAAAAAHHHHHH!
Before I could follow them, Chiron caught my arm.
Chiron: I should have trained you better, Percy. If only I had more time. Hercules, Jason—they all got more training.
Percy: That's okay. I just wish—
I stopped myself because I was about to sound like a brat. I was wishing my dad had given me a cool magic item to help on the quest, something as good as Luke's or Theo's flying shoes, or Annabeth's invisible cap.
Chiron: What am I thinking? I can't let you get away without this.
He pulled a pen from his coat pocket and handed it to me. It was an ordinary disposable ballpoint, black ink, removable cap. Probably cost thirty cents.
Percy: Gee, thanks.
Chiron: Percy, that's a gift from your father. I've kept it for years, not knowing you were who I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You are the one.
I remembered the field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art when I'd vaporized Mrs. Dodds. Chiron had thrown me a pen that turned into a sword. Could this be...?
I took off the cap, and the pen grew longer and heavier in my hand. In half a second, I held a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a leather-wrapped grip, and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs. It was the first weapon that actually felt balanced in my hand.
Chiron: The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into," Chiron told me. "Its name is Anaklusmos.
Percy: Riptide.
Chiron: Use it only for emergencies, and only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals unless absolutely necessary, of course, but this sword wouldn't harm them in any case.
Percy: What do you mean it wouldn't harm mortals? How could it not?
Chiron: The sword is celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, cooled in the River Lethe. It's deadly to monsters, to any creature from the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion. They simply are not important enough for the blade to kill. And I should warn you: as a demigod, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable.
Percy: Good to know.
Chiron: Now recap the pen.
I touched the pen cap to the sword tip and instantly Riptide shrank to a ballpoint pen again. I tucked it in my pocket, a little nervous, because I was famous for losing pens at school.
Chiron: You can't.
Percy: Can't what?
Chiron: Lose the pen. It is enchanted. It will always reappear in your pocket. Try it.
I was wary, but I threw the pen as far as I could down the hill and watched it disappear in the grass.
Chiron: It may take a few moments. Now check your pocket.
Sure enough, the pen was there.
Percy: Okay, that's extremely cool. But what if a mortal sees me pulling out a sword?
Chiron: (smiles) Mist is a powerful thing, Percy.
Percy: Mist?
Chiron: Yes. Read The Iliad. It's full of references to the stuff. Whenever divine or monstrous elements mix with the mortal world, they generate Mist, which obscures the vision of humans. You will see things just as they are, being a half-blood, but humans will interpret things quite differently. Remarkable, really, the lengths to which humans will go to fit things into their version of reality.
For the first time, the quest felt real. I was actually leaving Half-Blood Hill. I was heading west with no adult supervision, no backup plan, not even a cell phone. (Chiron said cell phones were traceable by monsters; if we used one, it would be worse than sending up a flare.) I had no weapon stronger than a sword to fight off monsters and reach the Land of the Dead.
Percy: Chiron...When you say the gods are immortal...I mean, there was a time before them, right?
Chiron: Four ages before them, actually. The Time of the Titans was the Fourth Age, sometimes called the Golden Age, which is definitely a misnomer. This, the time of Western civilization and the rule of Zeus, is the Fifth Age.
Percy: So what is it like...before the gods?
Chiron: Even I am not old enough to remember that, child, but I know it was a time of darkness and savagery for mortals. Kronos, the lord of the Titans, called his reign the Golden Age because men lived innocent and free of all knowledge. But that was mere propaganda. The Titan king cared nothing for your kind except as appetizers or a source of cheap entertainment. It was only in the early reign of Lord Zeus, when Prometheus the good Titan brought fire to mankind, that your species began to progress, and even then Prometheus was branded a radical thinker. Zeus punished him severely, as you may recall. Of course, eventually the gods warmed to humans, and Western civilization was born.
Percy: But the gods can't die now, right? I mean, as long as Western civilization is alive, they're alive. So...even if I failed, nothing could happen so bad it would mess up everything, right?
Chiron: (smiles) No one knows how long the Age of the West will last, Percy. The gods are immortal, yes. But then, so were the Titans. They still exist, locked away in their various prisons, forced to endure endless pain and punishment, reduced in power, but still very much alive. May the Fates forbid that the gods should ever suffer such a doom, or that we should ever return to the darkness and chaos of the past. All we can do, child, is follow our destiny.
Percy: Our destiny...assuming we know what that is.
Chiron: Relax. Keep a clear head. And remember, you may be about to prevent the biggest war in human history.
Percy: (sarcastically) Relax. I'm very relax.
When I got to the bottom of the hill, I looked back. Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Chiron was now standing in full horse-man form, holding his bow high in salute. Just your typical summer-camp send-off by your typical centaur.
Theo's POV
Argus drove us out of the countryside and into western Long Island. I was squished between Annabeth and Percy, and Grover was sat between Percy and the right window.
Percy: So far so good. 10 miles and not a single monster.
Theo: (groans) Oh, for the love of...
Annabeth: It's bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain.
Percy: Remind me again--Why do you hate me so much?
Annabeth: I don't hate you.
Percy: Could've fooled me.
Annabeth: Look...We're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals.
Percy: Why?
Annabeth: (sighs) How many reasons do you want? One time my mom caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena's temple, which is hugely disrespectful. 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.
Theo: Wow.
Percy: They must really like olives.
Annabeth: Oh, forget it.
Percy: Now, if she invented pizza—That I could understand.
I snorted.
Annabeth: I said, forget it!
Percy gave me a look that said, "Dude, she's crazy," and I chuckled.
Traffic slowed us down in 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. I saw Percy immediately walk to a mailbox that had a flyer. The flyer had a picture of Percy and text above it that said, "HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY?"
Percy ripped it off the mailbox, and turned around, only for him to widen his eyes when he sees me. I just mimed zipping up my lips and breaking off the zip before throwing it away. Percy slumped his shoulders and nodded, thanking me.
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.
Grover said that satyrs can sense emotions and had told Percy that his mother, Sally, had married his stepfather, Gabe, simply because he smelled so repulsively human, that it hid Percy's scent (or that of any demigod for that matter) from monsters.
Percy did tell me about his mother and stepdad, who he appropriately called "Smelly Gabe," and I have never felt more tempted to punch Gabe's teeth so far down his throat, that he'd need to stick a toothbrush up his ass in order to brush them.
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. She might give Roberto Carlos a run for his money.
Percy wasn't bad, either. Whereas I decided to show of and balance the apple on my nape and flicked my head up to throw it in the air before balancing it on my chest.
The game ended early when Percy threw the apple a little too close to Grover's mouth. In one massive bite, the apple was gone—Core, stem, and all.
Grover blushed as he tried to apologize, but Annabeth, Percy, and I were too busy laughing our asses off.
Finally the bus came. As we stood in line to board, Grover started looking around, sniffing the air just like I've seen Eric do a bunch of times whenever he smelled guacamole.
Percy: What is it?
Grover: I don't know. Maybe it's nothing.
But I just know it wasn't nothing, so I kept looking over my shoulder.
As we were slowly boarding, I bumped into a guy who was in front of me. He turned around and started yelling at me in Spanish. But even though I don't speak it, I somehow understood him perfectly.
Man: ¡Mira a dónde vas, niño! (Watch where you're going, kid!)
Theo: Lo siento mucho, pero no hablo español. (I'm so sorry, but I don't speak Spanish.)
Wait, did I just speak Spanish? And I spoke it like a native as well?
I saw Grover, Annabeth, and Percy looking at surprised, while the man scowled at me.
Theo: Huh. Resulta que puedo hablar español. (Turns out I can speak Spanish.)
The man shakes his head and turns to the front again.
Man: (mutters) Maldito gringo. (Fucking gringo.)
Percy: (to Theo) I didn't know you speak Spanish.
Theo: Neither did I.
Percy and Grover gave me a confused look, while Annabeth looked like she was figuring something out in her head.
Before anyone asked any more questions, much to my relief, we finally got on the bus 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 passenger got on board, Annabeth clamped her hand on my knee.
Annabeth: Theo. Percy.
Percy and I looked at where she was looking and saw an old lady boarding 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 her head up, her black eyes glittered, and Percy's face paled immediately.
Theo: (whispers) Is that...?
Percy: (whispers) Mrs. Dodds? Yep.
Theo: (whispers) Shit.
There's a fucking Fury on the bus. But wait, there's more.
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.
THERE'S THREE FUCKING FURIES ON THE BUS!
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 was leaving.
Then the bus pulled out of the station and moved through the streets of Manhattan.
Percy: (whispers) She didn't stay dead long. (turns to Annabeth) I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime.
Annabeth: (whispers) I said if you're lucky. You're obviously not.
Theo: (whispers) Of course. Not even 2 hours and shit's already hit the fan.
Grover: (whispers) All three of them. Di Immortales!
Annabeth: (whispers) It's okay. The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows.
Grover: (whispers) They don't open.
Annabeth: (whispers) A back exit?
Theo: (whispers) There is no back exit.
It wouldn't have mattered anyway. By that time, we were on Ninth Avenue, heading for the Lincoln Tunnel.
Percy: (whispers) They won't attack us with witnesses around, will they?
Annabeth: (whispers) Mortals don't have good eyes. Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist.
Theo: (whispers) So they'll see three grandmas beating the crap out of four 12-year-olds. Got it.
Annabeth: (whispers) I don't know what they'll see exactly. But we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit on the roof...?
We 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.
Then one of the Furies—Mrs. Dodds—got up and spoke up in a flat voice as if she had rehearsed it beforehand.
Mrs. Dodds: I need to use the restroom.
Fury 2: So do I.
Fury 3: So do I.
They all started coming down the aisle.
Annabeth: (whispers) I got it. Percy, take my hat.
Percy: (whispers) What?
Annabeth: (whispers) You and Theo are the ones they want. Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away.
Percy: (whispers) Why me? Why not Theo?
Theo: (whispers) You've got a bigger target on your back than I do. I'm only an accomplice, remember?
Percy: (whispers) But you guys—
Annabeth: (whispers) There's an outside chance they might not notice us. You're a son of one of the Big Three. Your smell might be overpowering.
Percy: (whispers) I can't just leave you.
Grover: (whispers) Don't worry about us. Go!
Percy reluctantly put on the Yankees cap, and he disappeared.
The Furies stopped walking and Mrs. Dodds sniffed the air. I guess she didn't smell anything, since she and her sisters moved on.
They were getting dangerously close, so I slowly rolled up my sleeves, revealing what I had Beckendorf make for me before we left the camp. A pair of bronze bracers on my forearms. They both had a certain mechanism on the underside, and there was a digital watch on the top of the left bracer. The watch itself told the time and date, and it had 3 buttons (one on each side, and one on the bottom).
I then took out the flashlight and rested my thumb on the button. Then the Furies shifted. Their faces were still the same, 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.
They surrounded me, Annabeth, and Grover and hissed at us as the rest of the passengers were screaming and cowering in their seats.
Furies: Where is it? Where?
Wait, did they just say, "it?" Not "they," not "he?" "It?" Were they talking about the master bolt?
Annabeth: He's not here! He's gone!
The Furies raised their whips. Annabeth raised her bronze knife, I pressed the button and turned it into its sword form, while Grover grabbed a tin can from his snack bag and prepared to throw it.
Then suddenly the bus jerked to the right, and I ended up hitting my head in one of the windows, cracking it, and throwing everyone inside the bus either off balance or on the other side.
Then the bus started erratically turning left and right, often hitting the sides of the tunnel. Either the bus driver was smoking some weed and thought he was a Formula 1 driver warming up his tires during the formation lap or...
Fucking Percy Jackson.
While this was happening, the bus got out of the tunnel and barreled down one of the rural New Jersey roads. On the right, there was the Hudson River, and on the left, woods.
Then the bus lost its grip and did a full spin before crashing into a tree. 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 while she waved her knife and yelled in Ancient Greek, telling them to back off. Grover threw tin cans, and I immediately pressed the bottom button of the watch, making a circular bronze shield with an arrow engraved on it appear on my left forearm.
???: HEY!
The Furies turned around and saw Percy, completely visible, and bared their yellow fangs at him.
What the hell is he doing?
Mrs. Dodds stalked up the aisle as her two sisters hopped on top of the seats on either side of her and crawled toward Percy like huge nasty lizards.
Mrs. Dodds: Perseus Jackson. You have offended the gods. You shall die.
Percy: I liked you better as a math teacher.
Annabeth, Grover, and I moved up behind the Furies cautiously, looking for an opening.
Percy took the ballpoint pen out of my pocket and uncapped it. Riptide elongated into a shimmering double-edged sword.
The Furies hesitated. Mrs. Dodds had felt Riptide's blade before when Percy used it. She obviously didn't like seeing it again.
Mrs. Dodds: Submit now, and you will not suffer eternal torment.
Percy: Nice try.
Annabeth: PERCY, LOOK OUT!
Mrs. Dodds lashed her whip around Percy's sword hand while the Furies on the either side lunged at him. He somehow didn't drop the sword and instead struck the Fury on the left with its hilt, sending her toppling backward into a seat.
I immediately ran over to the Fury on the right, slid under her legs, and sliced her ACL (at least I think it was her ACL). She fell on her knees, then I sliced her neck, making her explode into dust.
The third Fury grabbed me from behind and slammed me back first into one of the windows on the side before wrapping her claws around my throat, making me drop my sword.
She got close to my face and snarled as I put my hands around her claws to try to pry them off, but her grip was too strong.
Theo: (straining) You really need a breath mint.
Fury 3: Theodore Miller. You shall know only pain and suffering in life and death.
I looked away and saw Annabeth on Mrs. Dodds' back, putting her in a wrestler's hold while Grover ripped her whip off her hands.
Grover: OW! OW! HOT! HOT!
Guess I'll have to use them now.
I let go of the Fury's claw, put both my fists in front of her eyes, and flicked my wrists up. The second I did, two 12-inch bronze blades came out of the underside of the bracers and stabbed the Fury in both her eyes.
She screamed in agony as she let go of my throat, allowing me to fall back to the ground. I coughed as I tried to control my breathing as the Fury covered her bleeding eyes in pain. Seeing that she was distracted, I jabbed my right hidden blade into the side of her throat, which caused her to explode into just.
I turned and saw Mrs. Dodds still trying to get Annabeth off her back...and she was about to.
Theo: ANNABETH, LET GO!
She looked at me as if I was crazy.
Theo: TRUST ME!
Annabeth let go of Mrs. Dodds, and I immediately rushed at her while she wasn't looking. She turned around to face me, only for me to jump and back her in the head with my shield, stunning her.
Grover used Mrs. Dodds' whip to tie her legs together, then Annabeth and I pushed her backwards 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.
Mrs. Dodds: Zeus will curse you! Hades will have your soul!
Percy: Braccas meas vescimini!
Really? "Eat my pants?" That the best you could do, Percy?
Thunder shook the bus. The hair rose on the back of my neck.
Annabeth: GET OUT! NOW!
I didn't need any more encouragement. I retracted my blades and shield, picked my sword up from the ground, and ran out the bus along with Percy, Annabeth, and Grover. We 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!"
Grover: Our bags! We left our—
BOOM!
A bolt of lightning struck the bus, making it explode as the passengers ran for cover. I can hear Mrs. Dodds' wails from inside, and I knew what that meant.
Theo: She's calling for reinforcements! We gotta run!
We plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind us, and nothing but darkness ahead.