Lilia was sat in the Pegasus stables, she hadn't slept much, as sad as it was,she enjoyed their company.
She heard a creek as somebody walked in through the door. She stayed quiet for a moment, hidden from who ever it was.
"Hey blackjack" the boy said quietly. The Pegasus, blackjack, neighed in response.
"How many times have I said, don't call me boss." The boy said again.
Was he talking to the Pegasus?
She stood up quietly to see Percy stood at the other end.
"What are you doing?" She said causing him to jump.
"Holy shit!" He cried out, staring at her wide eyes.
"Why are you in here at five in the morning?" He asked.
"Why are you in here at five in the morning?" She countered.
"Nothing. Just talking to blackjack." He shrugged.
"Talking?"
"Yes, I speak horse." He said matter of factly.
"You're up to something."
"No I'm not."
"Yes you are."
"No I'm n-"
"Percy shush. I know you're up to something so tell me." She said with charmspeak.
He glared slightly trying to fight it off but she was good.
"Fine I'm going to follow them, I need to find Annabeth." He said with foggy eyes.
"You can't do that."
"Yes I can."
"Percy, Zoë doesn't want you on this quest. I want to find Annabeth just as much as you do but we can't just go whenever we please."
"So you didn't leave camp three years ago without telling anyone?" He said with a raised eyebrow.
"That's different, besides-" it was his turn to interrupt.
"Look Lilia I'm going whether you approve or not. So either let me go and don't say anything to anyone or come with me." He said.
"Fine." She huffed. "I'm coming with you."
Percy mounted blackjack and then held out his hand for her.
"Oh my Gods, I can't believe this is happening, I don't even know you." She muttered slightly as she hopped on.
"Then get to know me Houdini." He smirked patting blackjack to take off. The Pegasus reacted fast and before she could even think they were in the air.
She gasped gripping her arms round his waist tightly so she didn't fall out of the sky, Again.
Once they were in the air, Lilia settled slightly. "Houdini?" She questions thinking back to what he'd called her.
"Yes. You're the disappearing girl, no better name for you than Houdini, the greatest disappearance from history ever!" He laughed.
"Whatever kelp head." She rolled her eyes, but a small smile appeared on her face.
"What's your favourite colour?" He asked.
"Red. What's yours?"
"Blue."
"Figures."
"I could say the same for you." He chuckled.
The two talked, both of them were nervous and this helped keep them distracted.
➳
Lilia was freezing and really regretting her choices as they flew further away from camp.
"Celia is going to kill me." She muttered into Percy's back. She was clinging on tightly and her face was pushed right up against him to try and keep warm. It also didn't help that she was now deathly afraid of heights.
It wasn't too hard keeping up with the van, because of traffic at this time of day they hadn't gone to far.
They were at the top of the Chrysler building, Percy was talking horse again (which made Lilia feel quite left out) but as they were about to jump off a vine creeped round blackjacks legs almost making him throw them.
"Going somewhere?" Mr D asked.
He was 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.
Blackjacked neighed, Lilia wasn't to sure what he said.
Me D sighed in exasperation "The new person, or horse, who calls me the wine dude will end up in a bottle of Merlot!" That confirmed it for her.
"Mr. D." Percy said. "What do you want?"
"Oh, what do I want? You thought, perhaps, that the immortal, all-powerful director of camp would not notice you two leaving without permission?"
"Well... maybe."
"I should throw you off this building, minus the flying horse, and see how heroic you sound on the way down."
"Why do you hate me so much? What did I ever do to you?" Percy asked.
Purple flames flickered in his eyes. "You're a hero, boy. I need no other reason."
"I have to go on this quest! I've got to help my friends. That's something you wouldn't understand!"
"Did I ever tell you about Ariadne?" Mr. D asked. "Beautiful young princess of Crete?
She helped a young hero called Theseus, also a son of Poseidon. She gave him a magic ball of yarn to let him find his way out of the Labyrinth. And do you know how Theseus rewarded her?"
"They got married," Percy sighed. "Happily ever after. The end."
"Not quite. How about you Lilia, do you know?" He looked at her expectantly.
"He said he'd marry her, he took her on a ship and they sailed to Athens, but halfway there he dumped her, and left her on a little island called Naxos." She said quietly, she knew the story well.
"Yes that's right. I found her there, you know. Alone. She'd given up everything, left it all behind to help this dashing hero, and then he tossed her away like a broken sandal.
"That's wrong," Percy said. "But that was thousands of years ago. What's that got to do with me?"
Mr. D regarded me coldly. "I fell in love with Ariadne, boy. I healed her broken heart.
And when she died, I made her my immortal wife on Olympus. She waits for me even now. I shall go back to her when I am done with this infernal century of punishment at your ridiculous camp."
"You're... you're married? But I thought you got in trouble for chasing a wood nymph" Gods this boy was stupid.
"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 Zoe Nightshade."
"What do you mean, ask Zoe?"
He waved his hand dismissively. "Go. Follow your silly friends."
The vines uncurled around their legs.
Lilia blinked in disbelief. "You're... you're letting us go? Just like that?"
"The prophecy says at least two of you will die. Perhaps I'll get lucky and you'll be one of them. But mark my words, Son of Poseidon, live or die, you will prove no better than the other heroes." He said to Percy. Harsh.
With that, Dionysus snapped his fingers. His image folded 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.
"That was weird." Lilia said.
"Very." Percy shook his head and they took off again. The two stayed silent, both thinking the same thing. The fact Mr D let them go meant he really thought they weren't going to make it back.
They followed Zoë towards Maryland and stopped when they finally pulled over at a test stop.
If they'd gone any further blackjack probably would have fell from the sky.
Percy jumped off blackjack, whispering for them both to stay there. Neither of them argued.
He pulled out a hat, Annabeth's hat, and disappeared.
He came back shortly, making her jump slightly as he pulled the hat off.
"They're heading south."
"South? But the prophecy said north?" She questioned him.
"Grover did some kind of tracking spell." He said shrugging. "Now come on we have to keep up with them.
As they got closer to Washington, Blackjack started to slow down. The poor Pegasus had been flying for half a day no wonder he was tired. Lilia felt quite bad.
"You can set us down here, this is close enough." He said patting Blackjack.
He flew down to the ground and they got off.
"I want you to fly back to camp, get some rest, you've helped enough." Percy said.
Blackjack neighed. And Percy said thank you, before he flew off leaving the two halfbloods stood a safe enough distance from the van.
Thalia, Grover, Zoë and Bianca trudged out of the van towards one of the big buildings lining the mall. Lilia had only just realised the two other hunters, Phoebe and Willow weren't with them.
"Where are the other hunters?" She looked up at Percy.
"There was satyr blood in the T-shirts, they're back at camp." He said with a grimace.
"Connor and Travis." She muttered. He nodded with a slight smirk but then something caught his eyes. She turned to see what he was looking at, a man with a military buzz cut got out of a blacked out car.
Lilia had seen the car a few times along the motorway, he'd followed the van.
"Shit." Percy muttered dragging Lilia out of sight.
"What? Who is he?" She asked picking up on Percy's stress.
"The monster that took Annabeth." He said gravely.
"Oh."
The monster stayed far behind their friends, and they followed even further behind him. Grover stopped outside a big building that said NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM.
Thalia checked the door. It was open, but not many people were going in. They slipped through.
The monster hesitated, Percy and Lilia gave each other a confused look. He didn't go in, he turned and headed across the mall.
They made the quick decision to follow him. He crossed the street and climbed the steps of the museum of history, there was a big sign on the door.
"Closed for pirate event?" Percy whispered in confusion.
"Private event." Lilia corrected, he gave her an embarrassed look.
They followed Dr. Thorn inside, through a huge chamber full of mastodons and dinosaur skeletons. There were voices up ahead, coming from behind a set of closed doors.
Two guards stood outside. They opened the doors for Thorn, and they had to sprint to get inside before they closed them again.
Inside.
They were in a huge round room with a balcony ringing the second level. At least a dozen mortal guards stood on the balcony, plus two monsters reptilian women with double-snake trunks instead of legs. I'd seen them before. Annabeth had called them Scythian dracaenae.
But that wasn't the worse of it. Standing between the snake women was the boy she once called her brother, Luke. He looked terrible. His skin was pale and his blond hair looked almost gray, as if he'd aged ten years. Lilia's heart broke knowing she'd never see him the same way she has when she was ten.
Next to him, sitting down so that the shadows covered him, was another man. All they could see were his knuckles on the gilded arms of his chair, like a throne.
"Well?" Asked the man in the chair. His voice was deep and scary, it seemed to fill the whole room even though he wasn't yelling.
Dr. Thorn took off his shades. His two-colored eyes, brown and blue, glittered with excitement. He made a stiff bow, then spoke in his weird French accent: "They are here, General."
"I know that, you fool," boomed the man.
"But where?"
"In the rocket museum."
"The Air and Space Museum, Luke corrected irritably.
Dr. Thorn glared at Luke. "As you say, sir"
I got the feeling Thorn would just as soon impale Luke with one of his spikes as call him sir.
"How many?" Luke asked.
Thorn pretended not to hear.
"How many?" the General demanded.
"Four, General," Thorn said. "The satyr, Grover Underwood. And the girl with the spiky black hair and the how do you say -punk clothes and the horrible shield."
"Thalia," Luke said.
"And two other girls Hunters. One wears a silver circlet."
"That one I know," the General growled.
Everyone in the room shifted uncomfortably.
"Let me take them," Luke said to the General. "We have more than enough"
"Patience," the General said. "They'll have their hands full already. I've sent a little playmate to keep them occupied."
"But_"
"We cannot risk you, my boy."
"Yes, boy," Dr. Thorn said with a cruel smile. "You are much too fragile to risk. Let me finish them off."
"No." The General rose from his chair.
He was tall and muscular, with light brown skin and slicked-back dark hair. He wore an expensive brown silk suit like the guys on Wall Street wear, but you'd never mistake this dude for a broker. He had a brutal face, huge shoulders, and hands that could snap a flagpole in half. His eyes were like stone.
"You have already failed me, Thorn," he said.
"But, General-"
"No excuses!" Thorn flinched.
"I should throw you into the pits of Tartarus for your incompetence," the General said.
"send you to capture a child of the three elder gods, and you bring me a scravny daughter of Athena."
"But you promised me revenge." Thorn
protested. "A command of my own!"
"I am Lord Kronos's senior commander," the General said. "And I will choose lieutenants who get me results! It was only thanks to Luke that we salvaged our plan at all.
Now get out of my sight, Thorn, until I find some other menial task for you."
Thorn's face turned purple with rage.
"Now, my boy." The General turned to Luke. "The first thing we must do is isolate the half-blood Thalia. The monster we seek will then come to her."
"The Hunters will be difficult to dispose of," Luke said. "Zoe Nightshade"
"Do not speak her name!"
Luke swallowed. "S sorry, General. I just-"
The General silenced him with a wave of his hand. "Let me show you, my boy, how we will bring the Hunters down."
He pointed to a guard on the ground level. "Do you have the teeth?"
The General silenced him with a wave of his hand. "Let me show you, my boy, how we will bring the Hunters down."
He pointed to a guard on the ground level. "Do you have the teeth?" The guy stumbled forward with a ceramic pot. "Yes, General!"
"Plant them," he said.
In the center of the room was a big circle of dirt, where a dinosaur exhibit was supposed to go. They watched nervously as the guard took sharp white teeth out of the pot and pushed them into the soil. He smoothed them over while the General smiled coldly.
The guard stepped back from the dirt and wiped his hands. "Ready, General!"
"Excellent! Water them, and we will let them scent their prey."
The guard picked up a little tin watering can with daisies painted on it, which was kind of bizarre, because what he poured out wasn't water. It was dark red liquid, and Lilia got the feeling it wasn't Hawaiian Punch.
The soil began to bubble.
"Soon," the General said, "I will show you, Luke, soldiers that will make your army from that little boat look insignificant."
Luke clenched his fists. "I've spent a year training my forces! When the Princess Andromeda arrives at the mountain, they'll be the best-"
"Ha." the General said. "I don't deny your troops will make a fine honor guard for Lord Kronos. And you, of course, will have a role to play-"
"but under my leadership, the forces of Lord Kronos will increase a hundredfold. We will be unstoppable. Behold, my ultimate killing machines."
The soil erupted. The two stepped back nervously, Percy's arm going up infront of her slightly.
In each spot where a tooth had been planted, a creature was struggling out of the dirt.
The first of them said:
"Mew?"
It was a kitten, a little orange tabby with stripes like a tiger. And then another appeared, until there were a dozen.
Everyone stared at them in disbelief. The General roared, "What is this? Cute cuddly kittens? Where did you find those teeth?"
The guard who'd brought the teeth cowered in fear. "From the exhibit, sir! Just like you said. The saber-toothed tiger."
"No you idiot! I said tyrannosaurus, gather those... infernal fuzzy things and take them outside. Never let me see your face again!"
"You. The General pointed to another guard. "Get me the right teeth. NOW!"
The new guard ran off to carry out his orders.
"Imbeciles,' muttered the General.
"This is why I don't use mortals," Luke said. "They are unreliable."
"They are weak-minded, casily bought, and violent," the General said. "I love them."
A minute later, the guard hustled into the room with his hands full of large pointy teeth.
"Excellent," the General said. He climbed onto the balcony railing and jumped down,
twenty feet.
Where he landed, the marble floor cracked under his leather shoes. He stood, wincing, and rubbed his shoulders. "Curse my stiff neck."
"Another hot pad, sir?" a guard asked. "More Tylenol?"
"No! It will pass." The General brushed off his silk suit, then snatched up the teeth. "I shall do this myself."
He held up one of the teeth and smiled.
"Dinosaur teeth ha! Those foolish mortals don't even know when they have dragon teeth in their possession. And not just any dragon teeth. These come from the ancient Sybaris herself! They shall do nicely."
He planted them in the dirt, twelve in all.
Then he scooped up the watering can. He sprinkled the soil with red liquid, tossed the can away, and held his arms out wide. Rise!
The dirt trembled. A single, skeletal hand shot out of the ground, grasping at the air.
The General looked up at the balcony.
"Quickly, do you have the scent?"
"Yesssss, lord," one of the snake ladies said. She took out a sash of silvery fabric, like the kind the Hunters wore.
"Excellent," the General said. "Once my warriors catch its scent, they will pursue its owner relentlessly. Nothing can stop them, no weapons known to half-blood or Hunter. They will tear the Hunters and their allies to shreds. Toss it here!"
As he said that, skeletons erupted from the ground. There were twelve of them, one for each tooth the General had planted. They were nothing like Halloween skeletons, or the kind you might see in cheesy movies. These were growing flesh as they watched, turning into men, but men with dull gray skin, yellow eyes, and modern clothes gray muscle shirts, camo pants, and combat boots. If you didn't look too closely, you could almost believe they were human, but their flesh was transparent and their bones shimmered underneath, like X-ray images.
Lilia watched in horror as the snake lady released the scarf and it fluttered down toward the General's hand. As soon as he gave it to the warriors, they would hunt Zoe and the others until they were extinct.
Percy ran putting the invisibility hat on and jumped leaving Lilia standing scared, he plowed into the warriors and snatching the scarf out of the air.
"What's this?" bellowed the General.
He landed at the feet of a skeleton warrior, who hissed.
"An intruder," the General growled. "One cloaked in darkness. Seal the doors!"
"It's Percy Jackson!" Luke yelled. "It has to be."
Lilia took this as her sign to go slamming open the doors they'd came through, she took one glance back and saw Luke staring at her in horror. Tears welled in her eyes as she ran faster than she ever had before.