(Just a general content warning. More of a trigger warning. This chapter will have scenes and dialogue that may be seen as upsetting or triggering to people.)
[Percy's POV]
We were crossing the Potomac when we spotted the helicopter. It was a sleek, black military model just like the one we'd seen at Westover Hall. And it was coming straight toward us.
"They know the van," I said. "We have to ditch it."
Zoe swerved into the fast lane. The helicopter was gaining. "She might just be trying to kill us and save them the trouble!" Y/N groaned, trying to stay upright in the van.
"Maybe the military will shoot it down," Grover said hopefully. "The military probably thinks it's one of theirs," I said. "How can those guys use mortals, anyway?" Y/N questioned.
"Mercenaries," Zoe said bitterly. "It is distasteful, but many mortals will fight for any cause as long as they are paid."
"But don't these mortals see who they're working for?" I asked. "Don't they notice all the monsters around them?" Zoe 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."
"I hate to say it..." Y/N started, looking incredibly worried. "But I agree with her." The helicopter kept coming, making a lot better time than we were through D.C. traffic. Thalia closed her eyes and prayed hard. "Hey, Dad. A lightning bolt would be nice about now. Please?" But the sky stayed gray and snowy. No sign of a helpful thunderstorm.
"Oh great, he'll knock a couple of kids and a mother off the road but he won't help his daughter! Typical!" I shouted.
"There!" Bianca said. "That parking lot!"
"We'll be trapped," Zoe said. "Trust me," Bianca said. Zoe shot across two lanes of traffic and into a mall parking lot on the south bank of the river. We left the van and followed Bianca down some steps. "Subway entrance," Bianca said. "Let's go south. Alexandria."
"Anything," Thalia agreed.
We bought tickets and got through the turnstiles, looking behind us for any signs of pursuit. A few minutes later we were safely aboard a southbound train, riding away from D.C. As our train came above ground, we could see the helicopter circling the parking lot, but it didn't come after us.
Everyone let out a collective sigh. "Nice job, Bianca, thinking of the subway." Grover patted her on the back. Bianca looked pleased. "Yeah, well. I saw that station when Nico and I came through last summer. I remember being really surprised to see it, because it wasn't here when we used to live in D.C."
Grover frowned. "New? But that station looked really old."
"I guess," Bianca said. "But trust me, when we lived here as little kids, there was no Subway." Thalia sat forward. "Wait a minute. No subway at all?" Bianca nodded. Y/N looked her over with a strange sense of understanding in his eyes. He looked like he'd seen Bianca before, but that would be crazy. I thought about what the younger girl had said.
Sure, I pretty much knew nothing about D.C., but I didn't see how their whole subway system could be less than twelve years old. I guess everyone else was thinking the same thing, because they looked pretty confused.
"Bianca," Zoe said. "How long ago..." Her voice faltered. The sound of the helicopter was getting louder again. "Of course they found us. I need to stop acting surprised." Y/N groaned.
"We need to change trains," I said. "Next station." Over the next half hour, all we thought about was getting away safely. We changed trains twice. I had no idea where we were going, but after a while we lost the helicopter.
Unfortunately, when we finally got off the train we found ourselves at the end of the line, in an industrial area with nothing but warehouses and railway tracks. And snow. Lots of snow. It seemed much colder here. I was glad for my new lion's fur coat.
We wandered through the railway yard, thinking there might be another passenger train somewhere, but there were just rows and rows of freight cars, most of which were covered in snow, like they hadn't moved in years.
A homeless guy was standing at a trash-can fire. We must've looked pretty pathetic, because he gave us a toothless grin and said, "Y'all need to get warmed up? Come on over!'
We huddled around his fire, Thalia's teeth were chattering. She said, "Well this is g-g-ggreat." "My hooves are frozen," Grover complained.
"Feet," I corrected, for the sake of the homeless guy. Y/N stood back from the homeless man cautiously, shivering in the cold, and spewing frozen air from his nose. When I wondered why, I got too far from the fire and pulled my attention away from my friend.
"Maybe we should contact the camp," Bianca said. "Chiron-"
"No," Zoe said. "They cannot help us anymore. We must finish this quest ourselves." I gazed miserably around the rail yard. Somewhere, far to the west, our friend was in danger. Artemis was in chains. A doomsday monster was on the loose. And we were stuck on the outskirts of D.C., sharing a homeless person's fire.
"You know," the homeless man said, "you're never completely without friends." His face was grimy and his beard tangled, but his expression seemed kindly. "You kids need a train going west?"
"Yes, sir," I said. "You know of any?"
He pointed with one greasy hand.
Suddenly I noticed a freight train, gleaming and free of snow. It was one of those automobile-carrier trains, with steel mesh curtains and a triple-deck of cars inside. The side of the freight train said SUN WEST LINE.
"That's... convenient," Thalia said. "Thanks, uh..."
She turned to the homeless guy, but he was gone. The trash can in front of us was cold and empty, as if he'd taken the flames with him. Y/N let out a tired sigh, trying to breathe warmth into his hands. We piled into a train car and waited.
***
Not long after the train got moving, conflict was brewing again. Y/N had done nothing but state how we needed to come up with a better plan than just charging headfirst after Artemis. Zoe countered that with a slew of rapid insults.
"Why do you think you have any say in this quest! It's your fault any of this happened!" Zoe sounded manic. "You've disparaged my lady's good name by being here. She doesn't need your help, and it's your doing that she went looking for that stupid girl!"
I could've sworn Y/N was about to explode. His jaw was clenched tight, and his eye twitched, looking almost psychotic. "First off," he growled, taking a deep breath and blinking slowly.
"Annabeth is smarter than everyone in here put together. Second, I'm only on this stupid quest because you and those hunters decided to try and shoot Thorn while she was on his back!" He took another shaky breath. "Zoe, I didn't ask for this. If I could be at camp with her, with my friends right now, I would be."
"You've tainted my lady's name by being here! You've done nothing but ruin her immortal life since you were born!" Y/N's expression changed from furious, to blank. "I would change so much about myself if I could. I want nothing to do with 'your lady'. I couldn't care less that she's in danger right now. I'm here for Annabeth. That's it. Artemis can rot for all I care."
Thalia had to grab Zoe by the arms to keep her from trying to stab Y/N again. She hurled more insults his way. He started laughing. Weakly, and shakily, he chuckled, until that turned into soft cries.
"I mean, what do you want me to say? You want me to say I wish I hadn't been born? Just to save you lady's legacy? Is that what you want to hear, Zoe?" his voice sounded pained and cracked.
His words were so poignant, even Zoe paused in concern. Tears were free falling from Y/N's eyes now, as he stared at his shaking hands. "Because I do... I have for... for a while." he croaked.
He shook his head and wheezed sad laughter. "Since I was born, I've been cursed! With this prophecy, with a mother who wants me dead, and this fucking monster stuck inside of me! I didn't ask for this! I didn't want this! And it's people like you that make me regret not following through last year."
He went stiff, almost looking like he didn't mean to say that. But he kept talking anyway. It was like a flood of words. "You know, I almost did it... I almost put everyone's misery to rest. But you know what? I couldn't! I tried, and I failed."
His whole body was shaking now. "The demon wouldn't let me. I would've tried again since it's locked away. But someone showed me that I was wanted. Annabeth made me realize maybe I shouldn't just give up! I mean, yeah I'm probably just destined to die in some horrific fashion, so I figured why keep Hades waiting? Why go through all the pain! But she kept me going through all of this, and you want me to what?! You want me to just forget about her?! Just- just you can go on this quest without me?! I can't do that!"
Tears were streaming down his face. This felt like something that had been building for a while. Y/N was always good at hiding his actual emotions, but this time it just spilled over. He couldn't take it anymore. It shocked us. No one could say anything. He never told any of us about this.
"All I wanted to do is go on this quest and save her. But you had to make it personal. What problem do you have with me!?"
Zoe was stunned. She even looked remorseful. So were the rest of us. Thalia tried to reach out a hand, saying "Y/N-"
But he just swatted her hand away, whimpering, "No, Thalia. No..." he shuddered, and glared a sad hole through Zoe. "I don't get what I've done to make you and so many people mad at me for just being alive. Maybe I could change your mind. If you'd just give me a chance!"
"Then again..." he wheezed. "If everyone wants me to go, maybe I just should." He gave a fake, wheezing laugh, and turned slowly to the other side of the car, loading into a spacious limousine. "Save them the trouble." he choked out as he slammed the car door shut.
Thalia called out, "Y/N, wait!" Grover put a hand on her shoulder, and stared worriedly at him. I turned to Zoe. "What the hell is your problem!" I asked. Thalia glared at her. "He's done nothing to you, and you treat him like this! There's no good reason for you to act this way!"
"It isn't my problem." Zoe staggered, in disbelief at what had just happened, turning to face us. "It is Artemis'. She-" Grover bleated in annoyance. "Why?! What could he have done?! Do you not see what this is doing to him!!" Zoe sighed, looking down in shame. "I'm forbidden from telling."
Thalia scoffed. "You're only forbidden from telling him! You said that." she said. Zoe bit the inside of her lip cautiously. "Artemis... My lady. She was supposed to be a maiden eternally. Then... she wasn't."
"Yeah, we can tell." I spat. "There's no way that's the only reason!" Zoe sighed tiredly. "It isn't. If you would be patient, I may be able to tell thee the story." Thalia smacked me on the shoulder, and I shut up quickly, as Zoe worked to gather the courage to speak.
"Y/N... was the result of something I wouldn't dare mention in my lady's presence. It is the worst moment in her immortal life. Someone Artemis trusted. Someone she... loved. A man named Orion."
Zoe shuddered as though the very name blew even colder air down her spine. "What about him? Didn't Apollo kill him?" I asked, not understanding where this was going. "Apollo wounded him. The god took Orion's sight and sent him off to die."
"Well, why would he do that? I thought you said she loved him." Thalia said. "She did. She trusted him with everything when she thought he was only a mortal man." It was as if the air was sucked from the train car. "He... he wasn't mortal?" Grover fumbled out.
Zoe shook her head. "Orion was a titan born of Gaea and some wayward mortal. Created to oppose two gods. Those two gods..."
"Artemis and Apollo." Thalia deduced. Zoe nodded somberly. "Orion gained her affection through deceit. He hunted many great beasts over the course of years, the goddess watching over him. His mother, Gaea, promised him that as long as he could see the earth, he would be stronger than almost anyone, mortal or god."
"Hang on..." I interrupted. "This still doesn't explain what the problem is. She hates him because of some random titan?" Thalia, Grover, and Bianca glared at me. It looked like they figured something out that I hadn't.
"She doesn't hate him. She fears him. What he could become. If he were to turn out like his father." Zoe had almost broken down to tears. "The half-titan took advantage of a slight moment of vulnerability from my goddess. He..." she choked on her words.
Bianca held her hand tightly. Zoe took a deep breath and looked back up at me. "He tormented her. Orion violated her. Betrayed her trust, and her love. He took something from her that could never be returned."
My heart sank down into my stomach. Grover looked horrified, and Thalia looked sick. "He..." I managed, choking on my words.
"The half-titan Orion is Y/N's father. Your friend is the result of something so foul, that the very moment Apollo found out, he put arrows through the titan's eyes, blinding him, and he sent that foul creature off to die, blind and alone."
Thalia looked up swiftly, the gears in her brain turning. "Wait a minute." she said firmly. "That had to have happened millenia ago."
That also struck me as odd. The story of Orion, however false it now seemed to be, took place in the original time of Greek heroes. "Indeed. My lady believed she would be able to undo what had already happened, and find a way to remove herself from the burden of child."
"But-" I started, being silenced by Grover's nervous bleating. When he stopped, Zoe continued.
"She went through the entire pantheon, searching for someone with magic strong enough to stop this, and she thought she found it in Hecate. For thousands of years, the idea of Artemis having a child was forgotten, as she formed the Hunters, and tracked down many great hunts. But just over fifteen years ago... Something broke that spell. Something we still don't fully understand. And nothing would rectify the issue. Thus, your friend was born."
An eerie silence took over. No one was really interested in looking at each other. I spared multiple glances at the limo my friend was in, and saw Thalia and Grover shared looks of a desire to talk to him. Zoe commanded our attention once again. "I swore an oath to never speak of this to him. You must not share this information!"
"What?!" I shrieked. "Why not!" Thalia and Grover started bickering with her as well. "He deserves to know!" the daughter of Zeus said. "Maybe if he knew, there wouldn't this much animosity! Maybe he wouldn't be thinking about hurting himself anymore!" my satyr friend yelled.
"It is unfortunate that I have snapped at such a vulnerable moment for him. But my lady said it would be her responsibility to tell him when she is ready!" Zoe said with finality, beckoning Bianca to follow, and leaving the three of us to stew in the information just shared with us.
[Y/N's POV]
My whole life I had always been wondering what I was here for. What purpose my life had. Every day felt wrong. It felt like I was getting pulled underwater. I tried to get out of it. I tried to save myself and the others from all the damage I was going to do. But I couldn't.
When I tried, the demon took over, and prevented me from ending it all. Then, when it was out of the picture, I seriously considered it. I had it all planned out and everything.
Quick and easy. Virtually painless.
But I realized I couldn't. Not because I didn't want to, but because I couldn't do that to Annabeth. She had always been such a good friend to me, and if I left her like that, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. She's lost enough friends. And if I had to keep suffering just so she'd be happy, I'd do it.
Then there was my fate. My prophecy kept me on my toes. From the very moment I heard it, I knew the road ahead would be difficult. Though, I never knew how just tough it would be.
Given hindsight, I'd have just stayed a gerbil, or a guinea pig or whatever I was, on Circe's island. I mean, when the very person who brought you into this world wants you dead, there's not a lot to hope for, as far as the future goes. Sure, I've got amazing friends. One of which is in life-threatening danger at the moment.
I don't like saying this sentence, but Zoe's right. It is my fault that Annabeth is missing. If I hadn't gotten so caught up with her, in whatever it is that I feel about her, then maybe I would have noticed Percy slip away. I would have noticed Thorn taking Bianca and Nico. Maybe I could've stopped him. Maybe she'd be safe now.
I've been more exhausted than I ever have been in my life lately. But I knew I couldn't sleep. If I had another dream about Annabeth, my sanity might go straight out of the window. I was terrified of what they might've been doing to her.
"Oh, don't be scared of dreams. Dreams can tell you a lot." a voice said right next to me. In an instant, the backseat of the limo felt warmer. It got brighter for a second, and on my right, was the 'homeless guy' from before. I sighed
"What do you want, uncle?" Apollo rolled his eyes and in a flash became his usual self. "Should've known you'd have your mom's perceptiveness. Not a lot gets past her." the god waved his hand through his striking blonde hair and looked at me from across the car seat.
"My mother... That's all anyone wants to talk about anymore." I grumbled. Apollo clicked his tongue. "Yeah... That is what I'm here to talk about. Sorry." My eyes met Apollo's. He smiled softly at me, and put his hands on his knees. "Look, Y/N..."
I put a hand up. "Save it. If you're just here to tell me how she doesn't actually hate me, then you're a bit late. Hermes already gave me that spiel." The sun god sighed, sitting back against the car seat. "Your mom doesn't hate you." he emphasized.
"Yeah, I doubt that."
The god raised a hand. "Would you let me finish?" He took a deep breath. "She hates that you might turn out like your dad." I went to open my mouth and ask the same question that I had never had answered, when the god shook his head. "Can't say, unfortunately. Your mom made us olympians swear on the Styx. But you'll find out eventually. Trust me."
I pulled the sword scabbard off of my back and laid it down at my side, fiddling with the ring on my finger. "So what did he do? That she's so scared I might be like him." Apollo thinned his lips, running through lines in his head. "Your father was an awful creature. It got to the point where I had to kill him."
I felt my blood boil. "WHAT?!"
I had to consciously stop myself from trying to stab the god. I mean, this whole time I'd been wondering who my dad is, only to find out that Apollo killed him. The concept of him doing something wrong slipped by in the moment.
The sun god waved his hands in defense in front of him. "Just wait a minute!" I felt my body move against my will and sit still. Apollo puffed a deep breath, sitting up straight and flattening his curly hair. "Your father was the last man your mother loved. The last one she trusted. But he lied to her, and he attacked your mom. He forced himself on her."
I could've sworn my heart had crawled up into my throat. "Wh... What."
The god nodded solemnly. "After that. I put out his eyes and... However long later... You showed up."
I was at a loss for words. "Every time she sees you, she's reminded of your father. And what he did to her. You have his eyes. He..." A moment of pause from the god. He swallowed a lump in his throat. He clenched his fists nervously.
"He did things to your mother that no one should experience. God or mortal. If nothing else, at least understand that she's trying to get past it. She never wanted anyone to hurt you. Her little archers, misguided as they may be, think that by hurting you, they're hurting your father. And Zoe has always hated demigods anyway. She's had a bit of trouble with them."
"But-" I tried, but no words would come out.
Apollo looked at his folded hands now. He was struggling to recall the situation.
"Once you were born, your mom gave you to me. And said to take you somewhere safe. She couldn't look at you without being reminded of him. So, I took you to camp half blood. I left you on the border, and sent a message to the satyrs to come and find you. You were only a few hours old, max, when I left you." the god continued.
There it was again. I was left at camp as a newborn. But Chiron met me at twelve years ago. As if reading my mind, Apollo said, "I'm still not sure what happened with that. But I know that answers are out there, ready to be found. Some are inside of you." I looked at my chest, just now feeling how hard my heart was beating.
"Look, Y/N, I know you're only on this quest to find your friend. I know that you don't like your mom, but for me, at least, could you please try and save her? I know it sounds crazy, but you're the only one who can. None of your friends can handle what's coming. And as much as she's not sure she can bring herself to show it, your mom does love you."
I swallowed a massive lump in my throat, before nodding solemnly at the god, still struggling to process each new piece of information I was being handed. I was the result of my mom being wronged.
I reminded her of him. Her attacker. The person who betrayed her love.
I couldn't forgive my mother right now for everything, but I knew deep down in my heart, that some day, I might be able to.
Some day.
My heart panged with guilt. All those years I'd hated her guts, all those years I'd thought she was shunning me for no reason. That was her attempt at forgetting my father. At what he did to her.
She tried. She did try to send me somewhere safe after my birth. My prayers were answered last summer, most of them. Nature had always been there for me. That was her domain. And I'm starting to think those chipmunks weren't there by coincidence.
And she'd never meant to hurt me.
It was still tough to swallow, though. Everything that was said on Olympus, but now I knew that she only said it because of my father. Because of his disgusting actions.
And yet. That answer evaded me. I'm fourteen now. I was left at camp's edge not long after my birth. But Chiron took me in two years later.
My head started pounding. I saw lights flash, and I gripped the sides of my head, clamping my eyes shut, trying not to lose myself.
A flood of images came into my mind. A man shrouded in darkness stood over me, grinning horribly. His dark, jagged expression struck a chord in my heart. I was scared.
The man's hands were pulsing with dark tendrils, and glowing black magic. I remember the pain. The cackling. But all of this was fuzzy. It was hard to tell whether this was a nightmare, or whether this was a memory.
Suddenly, I felt hands on my shoulders, shaking me. Apollo was saying something. "Kid, what is going on with you!?" was the first thing I heard, before the god felt comfortable in letting me go.
"Where are they being held?" I asked the god, taking a very deep breath. He looked at me with uncertainty for a moment, before pulling that wide and bright smile on me. I could have sworn I was going to go blind. "Where are Annabeth and my mom?" The god shrugged. "Can't say."
I felt like slapping myself. "You're joking, right?" He shook his head. "Afraid not, kid. We gods are only allowed so much leniency as far as helping with quests goes." My face fell into my hands. "So are you going to help us?"
Apollo laughed at me as if that were an incredibly stupid question. When he realized I was serious, he coughed, clearing his throat and said, "I've already been helping you. Do you know how fast this train is going?" I shook my head. Apollo rolled his eyes.
The god chuckled. "Fast enough. Unfortunately, we're running out of time. It's almost sunset. But I imagine we'll get you across a good chunk of America, at least."
"Where are they?" I tried again. The god didn't smile this time. He turned serious.
His expression was grim. His eyes didn't have that same joyful grin. They were darker now. Worried.
"I... I don't know. That's what worries me. They're being hidden from me. I know and see quite a bit, but I haven't been able to find them. Otherwise I'd go get them myself. I know how much that girl means to you." I laid back against the seat chair, wondering about my next move.
"And?" the god asked. He knew I had another question before I had even asked it. "Go on, kid. It'll hit you soon enough. I know you've got more you want to know about."
The question did find its way out of my mouth. "You said Zoe had problems with demigods. What happened?" Apollo bit the inside of his lip in thought. "Let's just say that Zoe Nightshade trusted the wrong hero."
"Did she-"
Apollo shook his head, relieving me of something that would have made me sick to my stomach. If Zoe and my mother had suffered the same trauma of trusting the wrong person. "No, Zoe was hurt another way. But that's for her to share if she ever wants to."
I sat in silence for a few moments, wondering what to do next. The god just tapped his foot, and switched on the stereo. 'Send me on my way' started playing. The god smirked, mouthing along with the lyrics. "This one's a few years old, but I like it."
Another question struck me. "What's the monster mom was looking for?" I asked. Apollo frowned, clearing his throat again. "Do you know what it is?"
"No." Apollo said. "But I know who might. If you don't find the monster in San Francisco, you're going to want your friend Percy to find Nereus. Old man of the sea. He's got a memory and a wit as sharp as that blade at your side. He has the gift of some knowledge that even my oracle can't see."
"Well... since it's your oracle, could you explain a few lines for me?" Apollo tilted his head, and sucked on his teeth. "Nope." he said simply. I wanted to protest, leaning forward in my seat, pointing emphatically at the god, but he held a finger up to his lips, signaling for me to be quiet.
The god of the sun sighed deeply. "That's like asking an abstract artist to explain what he painted, or asking some poet to explain the rhymes between the lines, or some other artsy reference I can't come up with right now. The whole point of the masterpiece is to figure it out. Otherwise, the piece is moot. If I tell you now, it would be spoiling the fun of figuring it out, wouldn't it?"
"You don't know, do you?" I asked the god, unimpressed with his ramblings. He laughed nervously and looked at his wrist. "Oh look at that. It's time for me to go see Percy. Need to share a few things with him."
"You don't even have a watch." I mumbled, tiredly, hearing the god's fingers snap, and my eyelids became exponentially heavier. "Sorry, kid. All in due time. Good luck."
With that, I fell asleep.
I dreamed, again, alright. But not about Annabeth.
It was a clearing in the forest. The moon's silver light shone over the woodland. A group of girls ran through, pursuing a large boar. As they pursued though, one of the older girls groaned, and stumbled, coming to a rest, sat up against a tree.
"It is coming. I cannot stop it any longer." The girl said, grunting in pain. The other, younger girls gathered around her. They all glowed silver.
"My lady, what does thou want us to do?" A girl directly in front of her said. I knew this girl. It was Zoe. She glittered with her silvery tiara, and that only keyed me into what was going on.
Artemis said, "Deliver it. There's no stopping this now." she barely managed, wiping sweat off of her forehead.
The goddess groaned, and strained, shouting many swears as her hunters stared on in shock. "Push, my lady." Zoe said, reaching her hands down to catch something.
Artemis screamed in pain, trying not to cry. She steadied her breathing and shouted again. With a final push, she stopped, and her breathing slowed. Zoe held the baby in her hands, shakily.
The lieutenant hunter muttered with terror, raising the infant into the soft glow of the stars.
"It is a boy..."
Artemis shuddered, trying to keep her composure. A Hunter handed Zoe a blanket, and she wrapped it around the baby, cradling it with uncertainty.
"Do you want to name... him, my lady?" Zoe choked. Artemis stared at the child, as he opened his eyes. Bronze with silver stars dotted around. My eyes. The goddess looked panicked, as if she were having a memory.
With a deep breath, she was handed a cloth, and snapped out of her trance, wiping her face, sitting up straight against the tree trunk, taking me from Zoe.
She swallowed a whimper in her throat, and said, "Set up the camp. Reach Apollo. Tell him it is urgent."
A couple hunters nodded and went to do what my mom instructed them to. The camp was up in less than a few minutes. Artemis stood, rocking the child back and forth, looking sparingly down at me, her expression nervous, and when Zoe came up to her and informed that she called Apollo, the goddess nodded.
My mom smiled sadly, looking down at me, her breathing ragged.
She spoke in a whisper, "I am sorry. I can not care for you now. But you will be brought somewhere safe. I promise." She whispered a soft blessing into the baby's ear. It giggled and smiled at her joyfully, like only a baby could.
Artemis' expression lightened as she held her finger out for the baby to hold onto.
"Welcome to the world..." her voice was a whisper.
"Y/N"
"Y/N."
"Y/N!"
I woke and sat bolt upright, meeting Thalia's vibrant blue eyes, looking at me with the ghost of concern on her features. "Let's go. The train stopped."
I exited the limo, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Zoe, and Bianca had already rolled up the metal curtains of the train car. In the distance, I could see snowy mountains dotted with pine trees, the sun rising red between two peaks.
I met eyes with Grover, who looked nervous, and Thalia, who looked like she wanted to say something to someone really badly. Zoe looked at me now. Her eyes didn't hold that same malice. She just looked, not angry, I'd almost say she looked sad. And she looked tired. When I turned to see Percy, he was standing there stunned. He held out his pen and glared at it with wide, manic eyes.