Lilia sprinted out of the mall towards the Air and Space Museum, she couldn't go through or she'd be killed immediately. She reached the doors. The group turned to look at her wide eyed.
Percy was stood in front of them his breathing heavy.
"Lilia I-" he said horror crossed his face as he realised what he'd done.
"You left me in there!" She cried out scared and angry.
"I-"
Everyone froze, a loud growling sounded through the museum. Then a few adults screamed.
Something enormous bounded up the ramp, it was the size of a pick up truck, with silver claws and golden fur.
"The Nemean Lion." Thalia said. "Don't move."
"Separate on my mark." Zoë said, " try to keep it distracted.
"Until when?" Grover asked.
"Until I think of a way to kill it. Go!"
Lilia pulled off her bracelet, growing instantly into a bow. The arrows came magically, never running out.
She ran to the right and climbed up a balcony opposite Zoë and Bianca. The three of them shot arrows at it, but they just bounced off harmlessly.
"They're not doing anything!" Lilia cried out worriedly to Zoë.
Grover was playing a high pitched cadence on his reed pipes frantically as it neared him. Thalia stepped in its path, holding up Aegis, the lion recoiled. "ROARRR!"
"Back!" Thalia shouted at it.
The lion growled and clawed the air, but it retreated as if the shield were a blazing fire.
For a second it seemed like Thalia had it under control, but then the lion crouched.
"It's about to pounce!" Lilia hissed.
"Hey!" Percy shouted. He ran at the lion and stabbed his sword into its chest, but again it bounced off, and the lion pounced at Percy.
Percy jumped landing on the wing of an aircraft and the lion followed.
Everyone ran toward the balcony.
"The mouth! Aim for its mouth!"
The monster lunged at Percy again and he fell to the ground floor, sliding down a huge model of the Earth.
"Bianca, Zoë and Lilia readied their bows at the monster but the arrows missed.
"There's no clear shot Percy." Bianca cried out.
"Get it to open its mouth more!" Zoë yelled.
Percy looked around, "Thalia, keep it distracted." He said before running off to the gift shop.
She nodded grimly.
"Hi-yah!" She pointed her spear and a spidery arc of blue electricity shot out, zapping the lions tail.
"This really isn't the time to be buying things kelp head!" Lilia shouted.
"Trust me on this Houdini!" He yelled back. "Grover clear the area!" He said, the lions weight was too much for the aircraft, it was going to fall any minute.
Grover gathered the screaming mortals away from the lion just as it fell.
Percy ran back out with glittery silver packets.
They were still shooting arrows at the lion but had no luck. Thalia jabbed the monster and backed up.
"Percy," Thalia said "Whatever your going to do-"
The lion roared and swatted her like a cat toy, she went flying into the wall hitting her head as she slid to the floor.
Percy ran towards the lion. "Hey!" He shouted, chucking the silver packets into the lions mouth.
It gagged like it had a big fur ball in its mouth.
"Now!" Percy yelled to us. Three arrows shot out simultaneously piercing the lions throat, then another three. The lion thrashed wildly falling to the floor, and then it stilled.
Alarms wailed through the museum, people flocked towards the exits paying them no mind.
We jumped down from the balcony, Grover knelt next to Thalia helping her up. She seemed okay, just slightly dazed.
"That was... an interesting strategy." Zoë said eyeing Percy cautiously.
"Hey, it worked."
She didn't argue.
The lion melted away, as monsters do until all that was left was a glittering fur coat.
"Take it." Zoë said handing it to Percy.
"Isn't that like, an animal right violation or something?" He said confused.
"It's a spoil of war." She took him. "It's rightly thine."
"You killed it." He said.
She shook her head. " I think the ice cream sandwiches did that, fair is fair Percy Jackson, take the fur."
He took it from her hand. "Not exactly my style." He murmured.
"We need to go, the security guards won't stay confused long."
"You did that?" Lilia asked with a proud grin.
"Yeah." He said embarrassed. "It's just a simple confusion song, it will only last a few more seconds."
"They're the least of our worries." Thalia said pointing. There was a group of men in grey, walking across the lawn, they were too far to see their eyes, but Lilia could feel their gaze on them.
"Go." Percy said. "They're hunting me, I'll distract them."
"No," Zoë said. "We go together."
"But you said-"
"You're part of this quest now," Zoë said begrudgingly, " I do not like it but there is no changing fate, you're the fifth quest member. And we are not leaving anyone behind."
She turned to Lilia, "And you, I got you wrong child of Aphrodite, you're part of this to now so come on."
➳
They were crossing the Potomac when Percy pointed up to the sky. A black helicopter was trailing them, way above.
"They know the van, we need to ditch it." He said.
Zoë swerved into first lane, the helicopter was gaining fast.
"Won't the military, like shoot it down?" Lilia asked.
"They probably think it's one of their. How does the general use mortals anyway?" Percy replied.
"Mercenaries." Zoë said bitterly. "They'll fight for any cause, as long as they're paid."
"But don't they see who they're working for?" Percy asked.
"Sometimes mortals are worse than monsters Percy." Grover said nervously.
The helicopter kept coming, making way better time than they were.
"Hey dad, a lightning bolt would be great right about now, please?" Thalia prayed but the sky remained grey and cloudy.
"There," Bianca said. "That parking lot!"
"We'll be trapped." Zoë said.
"Trust me." Bianca said.
Zoë shot across two lanes of traffic and into the mall parking lot on the south bank of the river. They left the van and followed Bianca down some steps.
"Subway entrance," Bianca said. "Let's go south, Alexandria."
"Anything." Thalia agreed.
They got their tickets and a few minutes later they were safely heading south away from D.C. As the train came above ground they could see the helicopter circling the carpark. It didn't come after them.
"Good nob thinking of the train Bianca." Grover said relieved.
Bianca smiled, pleased with herself, "Yeah well, I saw this station when Nico and I came through here. I removed being g really confused because it wasn't there when we used to live here."
Everyone frowned. Lilia hadn't been to D.C. for a long time but she knew that this station was old, way older than Bianca.
"But this train station looks really old." Grover frowned.
She shrugged, "I guess, but trust me when me and Nico lived here as kids, there was no train station."
"None at all?" Thalia asked.
She nodded.
"Bianca how long ago..." Zoe's voice faltered, the sound of the helicopter was getting close again.
Over the next half hour they changed trains twice trying to lose the helicopter, and as they did they reached the end of the line.
"Now what do we do?" Lilia asked shivering, it had somehow gotten colder and snowier.
They wondered about hoping to find another passenger train. They must have looked pretty pathetic, because a homeless man gave them a toothy grin. "y'all need to get warmed up? Come on over!"
They huddled round his fire, teeth chattering in the cold.
"Well this is g-g-g-great." Thalia muttered.
"My hooves are frozen." Grover complained.
Lilia coughed loudly. "Feet." She hissed at him, for the sake of the homeless man.
"Maybe we should contact camp-"
"No. They cannot help us now, we need to finish this on our own."
Lilia sat miserably, somewhere west, Annabeth was being held captive, and they weren't having much luck so far.
"You know." The homeless man said with a grin. "You're never completely without friends." His eyes were kind and almost familiar. "You kids need a train going west?"
"Yes sir. Do you know any?" Percy said.
The homeless man pointed one greasy hand towards a freight train, gleaming and snow free. It was an automobile carrier train, with mesh curtains and a triple deck of cars inside.
"That's convenient." Lilia muttered.
"Thanks uh-" Thalia turned but the man had disappeared along with the fire.
➳
An hour later we were rumbling west. Zoë and Bianca were crashed out in a Lexus on the top deck, Grover was playing racing car behind the wheel of a Lamborghini, and Thalia had hot wired the radio of a black Mercedes so she could listen to some kind of alt-rock music.
Lilia had settled herself in a white Porsche, she was curled up in the back seat with no hope of sleep. A knock on the window got her attention, it was Percy.
"Mind if I join?" She shrugged, scooting over so he could sit in with her.
"Hi." He said with a nervous grin.
"Hi." She muttered back.
"Lili. Can I call you Lili?" He asked.
"Yes." She smiled slightly.
"I'm really sorry I left you back there, I wasn't thinking, I just had to do something and-" he was rambling.
"It's okay."
"What?"
"It's okay. I'm okay aren't I?"
"Well yeah, but-"
"Then I forgive you. Just don't leave me behind ever again." She said sternly, sticking her pinky out.
He smiled and intertwined their pinkies. "I promise."
Percy's expression changed, like he was thinking really hard on something.
How long have you been at camp?" He said his eyes trailed to the beads on her necklace.
"My whole life." She frowned, "Chiron says i was left at the border by my mother, she left a note, but that's then most I've ever had from her." She shrugged.
"What did the note say." He asked curiously, he knew he was being nosy but he couldn't help it. This girl was a mystery.
She pulled out a small piece of paper from her pocket.
"You keep it with you?" She nodded, handing it to him.
'This is where you belong.'
"Vague." He whispered, handing it back to her. She nodded again.
"I was in and out of foster care until I was four, Chiron brought me back to camp then and I've been there ever since." She smiled sadly.
"So you've been at camp for ten years?" Percy hesitated trying to do the maths.
"Seven."
"Right."
They dissented into silence.
Lilia yawned.
"Have you slept?"
"No." She sighed, stifling another yawn.
"Why?" He asked in confusion.
"I don't like dreaming." She said, her dreams worried her, and recently they had made no sense.
"Don't be afraid of dreams." A voice from the front of the car said causing the two to jump.
It was the homeless guy from the station.
"If it weren't for dreams I wouldn't know half the stuff I do." He said with a big grin. He cleared his throat dramatically:
"Dreams like a podcast,
Downloading truth in my ear,
Tells me cool stuff."
"Apollo?" Percy questioned.
"I'm incognito, call me Fred." He said placing a finger to his lips.
"A God named Fred?" Lilia smirked.
"Eh, well... Zeus insists on certain rules. Hands off, when there's a human quest. Even when something really major is wrong. But nobody messes with my baby sister. Nobody!"
"Can you help us, then?"
"Shhh. I already have. Haven't you been looking outside?"
"The train. How fast are we moving?"
Apollo 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."
"But where is Artemis?"
His face darkened. "I know a lot, and I see a lot. But even I don't know that. She's... clouded from me. I don't like it."
"And Annabeth?" Lilia asked worriedly.
He frowned. "Oh, you mean that girl you lost? Hmm. I don't know."
"What about the monster Artemis was seeking?" Percy asked. "Do you know what it is?"
"No," Apollo said. "But there is one who might. If you haven't yet found the monster when you reach San Francisco, seck out Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea. He has a long memory and a sharp eye. He has the gift of knowledge sometimes kept obscure from my Oracle."
"But it's your Oracle," Percy protested. "Can't you tell us what the prophecy means?"
Apollo sighed. "You might as well ask an artist to explain his art, or ask a poet to explain his poem. It defeats the purpose. The meaning is only clear through the search."
"In other words, you don't know."
Apollo checked his watch. "Ah, look at the time! I have to run. I doubt I can risk helping you again, but remember what I said! Get some sleep! And Percy, when you return, I expect a good haiku about your journey!"
Then he turned to Lilia. "I'm looking out for you Goldie!" He winked, and maybe she was just tired but his appearance seemed to shift.
They turned away and he was gone in a big glow of light.
"Did he just-" she turned to Percy.
"Flicker? Totally." He yawned.
Lilia suddenly felt a heavy wave of tiredness and just like that she fell asleep.
➳
In her dream she was stood at the foot of a lake, the water was clearer than any she'd seen before. The water swirled slightly and flashes of images appeared infront of her.
A man stood before her in the reflection, his blonde curls glowed in the setting sun. A woman appeared infront of him.
Mother.
There was no doubt the woman in the reflection was Aphrodite, her beauty was almost blinding.
"She does not belong here." Aphrodite hissed at the man.
"She's my daughter." His voice was filled with authority, you wouldn't expect someone to talk to a God that way.
"She is not like you." Aphrodite said, a hint of anger curled through her words.
"She is stronger than most, is that not enough." He pleaded. Lilia felt tears sting in her eyes, this was her dad it had to be.
"It is to dangerous, when the time comes she will return. But for now she is not ready." Aphrodite glared.
The reflection faded and the water sat still as though untouched.
"What does that mean?" Lilia cried out to the sky. "Why take my memory away just to show me this?"
"Hey Goldie!" A voice from beside her said. She jumped, Apollo sat beside her glowing under the sun. His appearance, yet again, shifting slightly.
"Apollo? I thought you weren't allowed to help anymore." She sighed.
"Technically yes. But this isn't about the quest." He grinned at her.
"What is it about then?" She asked.
He cleared his throat, the same way he had in the car:
"Dreams are like puzzles,
You can not see the full truth,
Without every piece."
Lilia stared at him. He grinned back.
"Is that all I get?"
"Patience Goldie." He said. "It will all come eventually!" He began to walk away.
"How long will that be!" She wined. He winked at her before disappearing into the distance.
She groaned as she suddenly felt the familiar sensation of sinking. The view around her began to change and shrink until all she could see was darkness.
She woke up with a start. She sat up straight, blushing like mad when she realised she'd been leaning against Percy's shoulder.
"Thank the Gods no one saw that." She muttered to herself.
AN-
Percy and Lilia! Yayyyy!
This is where we get the not so slow, slow burn happening, I know they just met but who are we kidding if we met Percy we'd be head over heels with in hours. Why else are we all here?
But on a serious note I'm not going to rush the romance to much, just get them all bestied up! 🥳
Lots of love 🤍