( Chapter Nine ━━━ There Is A Swelling Storm ! )
Almost immediately after jumping off of the Arch, I came to terms with death. I was going to have to sooner or later and I figured it was better to do it before Percy and I smacked into the water of the Mississippi. Then, I thought something more rational: AHHHHHHHHH!
Percy's grip on my hand was nearly tight enough to break it. I'm sure mine on his wasn't much looser as the river raced toward us like a train. As soon as we hit the water, we would probably die fairly quickly.
Well, I thought that anyway. The impact was soft as if the water had caught us, cradling us like we were babies again. Percy and I sank through the murk of the Mississippi, settling on the bottom of the river. Silt and trash floated around us.
It took me a few moments to notice that I could no longer feel the Chimera's poison and the flames on my clothes had gone out. I was also completely dry. I could feel the water around me, it was cold. When I touched my clothes, they were perfectly dry.
Percy found a cigarette lighter. When he flicked it, a tiny flame appeared. At the bottom of the Mississippi River, the lighter sparked and formed a flame. He grabbed a soggy McDonald's hamburger wrapper. When he picked it up, the paper dried and he lit it with no problem. As soon as Percy let it go, it became soaked again.
I already knew I could breathe perfectly fine underwater, but I'm sure it was a big shock to Percy. It freaked me out found when I first figured it out too.
Gently, I let out a sigh of relief. We should have been dead, both of us. The fact that we were still breathing was a miracle. A women's voice I had never heard before found it's way into my head: Kids, what do you say?
Percy must've heard it too because he glanced at me. "Thank you... Father," we said at the same time.
Why did our dad save me? Did he really care for me all that much? I mean, I was grateful and all. I liked that I hadn't died at fourteen. Percy and I hadn't stood a chance against the Chimera. It was too powerful and no amount of training could have prepared anyone except for the best of heroes for that battle. Percy and I were no heroes, no matter what anyone said.
A riverboat passed above us, making the river darker. Not even five feet away, the hilts of our swords were glimmering as the blades were embedded in the mud.
The woman's voice worked its way back into our heads: Children, take the swords. Your father believes in you. I knew I wasn't imagining it now. Her words rippled through the water around us as Percy and I looked around, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from.
"Where are you?" Percy called out to the voice.
Right after, in the murk of the water, we spotted her. She was the same color as the water, seemingly transparent, how you would expect a ghost to be. She had long hair and though her eyes were barely visible, they were as blue as the ocean. They were the same as Percy's, the same as mine when they changed color.
"Mom?" Percy questioned.
No, children, she replied. Only a messenger, though your mother's fate is not as hopeless as you believe. Go to the Santa Monica beach.
We glanced at each other for a few moments. "What do you mean?" I asked her. To Percy, if this quest was just about saving his mother, I didn't mind. I would help him do it, no matter what.
It's your father's will. Before descending into the Underworld, you must go to Santa Monica. Please, children, I cannot stay long. The river is far too foul for me.
Percy tried to speak more to her, the words getting caught in his throat.
I cannot stay, brave ones, she said. The woman reached out to us as if she was going to caress our cheeks and I swear, I felt the current do it for her. You must go to Santa Monica! And, Percy, Amara, do not trust the gifts...
Her voice faded. I wanted to reach out to her, grab her, and force her to stay. I wanted her to give us answers. We needed straight answers from someone and she seemed like she could give them to us.
The woman's image faded. As I stared in her direction, Percy waded toward our swords. He grabbed them both, handing me Marina. We capped our swords together, kicking up from the bottom of the river, swimming for the surface.
We walked onto shore next to a McDonald's. Percy and I were now a block away. The Arch was so crowded with citizens as well as every emergency vehicle in St. Louis.
"Mama! They walked out of the river!" a little girl exclaimed, desperate for her mother's attention. Her mother only craned her neck to look at an ambulance. "They're dry!"
We passed a news lady talking to a camera. She told the camera that it more than likely wasn't a terrorist attack and then something about there being survivors.
Those words caused relief to surge through my body. Perhaps the family and that park ranger made it to safety. I had hoped that Annabeth, Grover, and Colton were also safe.
"Channel Five has learned that security cameras show a young boy and a young girl, a bit older than him, causing quite the commotion on the observation deck," another reporter said.
Percy and I decided to walk away with our heads down, hopefully keeping them off of our backs. We had to travel a long way around the perimeter. News reporters and first responders were crawling everywhere.
"Perrrr-cy! Amarrrr-a!" a familiar voice bleated, making us turn around. Percy was tackled by Grover in a hug.
Annabeth wrapped her arms around me quickly and once she let go, Grover took her spot. "We thought the two of you had gone to Hades the hard way!"
The Chase girl now stood behind Grover, next to Colton who couldn't take his eyes off of me. I could tell she was attempting to look mad at Percy and I (mostly my brother), but her eyes were filled with relief. "We can't even leave the two of you alone for five minutes. What happened?"
Percy and I shared a look. "We sort of fell," he answered.
"Six hundred and thirty feet?" Colton asked quickly, having picked up the fact from Annabeth.
A cop shouted behind us, the crowed parting as a couple of paramedics rolled out a woman on a stretcher. It was the mother of the little boy from the observation deck. "And then there was this huge fire-breathing Chihuahua--" she tried to explain before the paramedic cut her off, telling her to calm down.
"I'm not crazy! These two kids, a boy and a girl, jumped out of the hole and the monster disappeared." Her eyes landed on Percy and I. "There they are! There's the kids!"
The two of us turned quickly, disappearing into the crowd. Annabeth looked between the two of us. "Was she talking about the Chihuahua on the elevator?"
I shrugged. "You could say that," I told her. Percy and I went on to explain the whole story about the Chimera and Echidna, our graceful high-dive act, and the underwater lady and her message.
"You can't ignore summons from your dad. We've got to get you to Santa Monica!" Grover told us as we passed another news reporter. He was saying Percy's name, mentioning that there was a girl--me--with him they didn't know the name of.
We went around the news van, ducking into an alleyway.
"We've got to get you guys out of town," Grover said as we started in the direction of Amtrak station.
Somehow, we made it there without being noticed. We were able to get on the train just before it pulled out to head to Denver. On this ride, Colton and I sat together again, but Percy, Annabeth, and Grover sat by themselves, near us.
I stared out the window, watching the darkness fall over the St. Louis skyline with police lights still pulsing in the city behind us.
As I dozed off, my head against the cool, glass window, Colton nudged my arm. I sat up, looking over at him, waiting for what he had to say.
"I just wanted to tell you that I'm glad you're okay, water girl."
I gave him a smile and nodded a bit. Maybe he wasn't all that bad.
AUTHOR SPEAKS !
coltonamara CRUMBS
for you guys