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BOOK ONE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
❝ you give off cheetah. ❞
IN THE dim glow of the diner's parking lot, Ares awaited their arrival. The group approached him with stern expressions, Percy seething with anger, and Aria shooting fiery glares.
"What was that stunt, Ares?" Percy spat out, his voice a low growl. "You knew it was a trap."
Aria, arms crossed, chimed in, "I don't remember signing up to be in a reality show rigged by the gods. Do you, Jackson?"
"No, I can't recall ever doing that either, Silvers," Percy replied back to her.
Ares, unapologetic, merely chuckled. "Did you get my shield?"
Percy reluctantly handed over the item, eyeing Ares with a glare. "Yeah, here's your precious shield."
Ares pointed across the street to a rugged looking truck. "That's your ride. It'll take you straight to LA, with a quick stop to Vegas."
The van had a large sign on the back that even Aria with her demigod dyslexia could make out. It read: KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT: LIVE WILD ANIMALS.
"Oh my," Annabeth squeaked out.
"I feel ill," Grover added.
"Are you actually joking?" Percy asked.
"Guys, be honest, do I give off cheetah or giraffe vibes?" Aria pondered, and the group, including Ares, turned to look at her weirdly. Funny enough, Ares was the one to speak up.
"You give off cheetah," he said firmly.
"Thank you! I feel very cheetah," Aria replied.
"Can we go back to the fact that we are riding in a truck with freaking animals," Percy said, rather annoyed at Aria and Ares' interaction.
"It's a free ride west you little shit. Stop complaining."
Aria stepped forward, blocking Ares' path with a determined look. Annabeth shot her a warning glance, but Aria wasn't one to back down easily.
"Now that we've done your dirty work, Ares," Aria said, "you owe Percy some information about his mother. That was the deal."
Ares glanced back at her, a smirk playing on his lips. "You're a bold one, aren't you?"
Ignoring the comment, Aria crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him. "Spill it, or we're not going anywhere with your so-called ride."
Ares chuckled, seemingly amused by her audacity. He reached into his leather jacket and pulled out a small, blue bag. Tossing it to Percy, he said, "There's twenty bucks, some random food, a few drachmas, and fresh clothes in there. Consider it a parting gift."
Percy caught the bag, eyeing it suspiciously. "I don't want your lousy—"
Grover quickly stepped in, his voice dripping with gratitude, "Thank you, kind Ares. We appreciate your generosity."
Ares shot them a wry smile before turning to leave again. Aria, however, wasn't done. She took a step closer to him, her gaze unwavering.
"Now, the information," she demanded.
Ares sighed, clearly irritated but realising he had little choice. "Fine, Jackson. Your dear mother is alive. She was taken away before the Minotaur got to her. She was turned into a shower of gold, right? That's metamorphosis, not death. She's being kept."
A look of confusion passed on Percy's face. "Kept? Why?"
"Clearly you know nothing about war. She's a hostage. You take somebody to control somebody else."
"No-one is controlling me," Percy said defiantly.
Ares grinned. "I wouldn't be so sure of that. See ya, kid."
However Percy wasn't ready to say goodbye just yet. Raising his voice a little, he yelled out. "You're pretty smug for a guy who runs from cupid statues."
Ares balled up his fists. "We will meet again, Percy Jackson. Next time you're in a fight, watch your back."
With a final deathly glance at the group, Ares departed down Delancey Street, leaving nothing but smoke in his wake.
"Well he's a bundle of joy isn't he," Aria muttered, and Annabeth shot her another look.
"That wasn't smart, Percy,"
"Whomp whomp," the boy replied.
"Real mature," Annabeth said.
Grover, his sensitive satyr senses on high alert, twitched nervously. "Guys, if we want to leave, we need to move. Fast."
The group hastily sprinted across the street, their footsteps echoing in the empty parking lot. The night air felt tense as they piled into the truck, their breaths visible in the chilly darkness. Percy unsheathed Riptide, shedding light inside the vehicle.
The interior of the truck was a chaotic mix of exotic scents and mysterious shapes. The dim light of the sword revealed a menagerie of zoo animals, each confined in makeshift cages. A zebra stamped its hooves nervously, a lion gazed back with unsettling intensity, and a peculiar antelope-like creature paced restlessly.
A discarded sack of turnips sat sullenly in the corner, as if the animals themselves rejected the food, and their cages were decorated with just a handful of hay. Grover glared at the bars, as if staring at them would make it all go away.
Percy, noticing Grover's distress, asked, "Hey, Grover, you okay?"
Grover clenched his fists. "These poor animals. Look at how they're treated. It's not right."
Aria, understanding the innocent guilt that Grover possessed, gently patted him on the back. "I know, Grover. It's terrible. We'll try to make it right. I swear."
The truck rumbled to life and Aria fell on top of Percy harshly, the boy wincing as her elbow stuck into his stomach.
"My bad," Aria somewhat apologised.
Annabeth snickered at the sight of the two demigods on the floor, but at the next abrupt turn, she joined them. Grover sat down on his own terms, huffing as he tucked his hooves under his knees. Grover looked over sadly at the animals, who were now laying on the floor, their heads resting on the hard flooring.
"I hate humans," Grover finally said.
"I hate most of them too," Aria agreed, standing up and outstretching her hand to Grover.
"What are you doing?" Grover asked, taking her hand and joining her.
"We're going to help the animals."
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PERCY HAD always known Aria was beautiful. But here in the dimly lit transport van where she was tenderly caring for the animals, as well as making sure Grover was okay every ten seconds, Percy had never thought she looked prettier. Maybe it was the way she would carefully feed the animals, or the way she patted Grover's back when he was overwhelmed. Percy was seeing a whole new side to her. A kinder, softer one. Percy liked this Aria, in an enemy way obviously, but then again, he liked all Aria's. Mean or not. He liked the way they would bicker, he liked her sarcastic attitude, he liked the way that the name Jackson sounded on her tongue, he liked-. Nope, Percy thought. Not going there. Not ever, ever, ever going there. Aria was his enemy, a girl he fought with on the daily. He would make sure it stayed that way. He would never let her intrude his thoughts like this again. He refused to be vulnerable, especially to her. Percy had grown up in a house where there was only a love between him and his mother. His dad had left him, and his mother and so called 'smelly gabe' had never shown each other love. The fear of repeating the same pattern tinged his every nightmare. He was just a boy who had never grown up watching people love each other.
His thoughts are waved off as Annabeth quietly speaks.
"Guys, I need to apologise for back there," she began, her voice filled with sincerity. "I freaked out, and I know it wasn't helpful. It's just... spiders, you know?"
"It's okay, i'm so proud of you," Aria said, squeezing her hand. Annabeth smiled at her in return.
"Yeah, its alright Annabeth, you did really well," Percy croaked out, his voice a little rugged from not speaking for a while.
When he is only met with a nod from Annabeth he continued.
"Arachne, right? She's the reason you hate spiders?"
"Yeah. It's an old story. Arachne challenged Athena to a weaving contest and so Athena turned her into a spider. Ever since then, Arachne's children have come after us. To take revenge I guess. Anyway, I owe you guys," Annabeth said.
"You don't owe us anything Annabeth. We're a team. And Grover saved us with his awesome shoes anyway," Percy said, smiling at Grover, who seemed much happier now that he and Aria had fed the animals and given them some water.
"Goodness, it's hard to carry this quest," Grover joked, smiling for the first time in a while.
Annabeth handed a spare oreo to Percy.
"Did Luke really say nothing else?" Annabeth said, eating her own oreo happily.
Percy, casting a brief glance at Grover, who seemed to carry a burden of his own, took a moment before responding. "Yeah, he did. He mentioned... well, that you and him go way back." Percy's eyes locked with Annabeth's, searching for any reaction.
Annabeth's expression remained composed. "And what else?" she prodded.
"He said that Grover wouldn't fail this time. Nobody would turn into a pine tree."
Grover's melancholic bray echoed through the van.
Grover, unable to meet their eyes, finally spoke. "I should've told you from the beginning. I thought if you knew I was a failure, you wouldn't want me to come along."
"You were the satyr who tried to save Thalia, daughter of Zeus," Percy asserted, the pieces falling into place.
Grover nodded solemnly, confirming Percy's deduction. "I tried, but I couldn't. She sacrificed herself to save us."
Percy's gaze shifted to Annabeth, a realisation dawning. "The other two half-bloods Thalia befriended, the ones who got safely to camp... It was you and Luke, wasn't it?"
Annabeth met Percy's eyes with a mix of sorrow and resolution. "Yes," she admitted, her voice carrying the weight of history.
She swallowed down her oreo, no longer content with the biscuit.
"As you mentioned, a seven-year-old demigod wouldn't have lasted long on their own. Athena's guidance led me to assistance. Thalia, at the age of twelve, and Luke, at fourteen, had both fled their homes, much like I did. They welcomed me into their company. They were exceptional monster fighters, even without formal training and we journeyed north from Virginia without a clear roadmap. For about two weeks, we confronted various monsters before Grover finally discovered us.."
Grover shed a tear and Aria offered her the sleeve of her jumper. "I was only supposed to escort Thalia back to camp. I was on strict order by Chiron but.. I couldn't just leave them. I thought- I thought that I could save everyone. It was my fault the Kindly ones caught up to us. If I had just been quicker.."
"Stop it," Annabeth snapped, not mad at Grover, but rather at the fact he blamed himself for what happened. "No one blames you. Thalia didn't blame you either."
"Her death was my fault. The Council of Cloven Elders said it was."
Percy tried to make him feel better. "That's not fair. You saved two other kids."
Annabeth grabbed his hand. "Luke and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you, Grover. Screw the council."
"Of course, me, the most miserable excuse of a satyr, finds the two forbidden children. Gods I have great luck."
"You aren't a miserable excuse of a satyr, Grover," Aria exclaimed. "I happen to think you're wonderful. I'm sure Percy is as grateful to have you here as I am."
When Percy didn't respond, Aria punched him in the shoulder.
"Ow! I was going to speak geez! But yeah, Grover, I couldn't have asked for a better best friend/satyr to come with me. You are the kindest out of all of us and I know for a fact that you are going to be the first to find Pan."
They were met with silence and Annabeth withdrew her hand from Grover's unconscious one.
"He's asleep," she whispered as to not startle him.
"He continues to amaze me," Percy said, marvelling at the face that the satyr could fall asleep so quickly.
"That was a really nice thing you said Percy," Annabeth told him sincerely.
"I meant every word."
The animals moved around in their restless sleep as the drive continued, occasionally making an odd sound that made Percy jump.
Percy noticed Annabeth rubbing her signature neckalce, deep in thought. He wondered what she was thinking of. Luke, perhaps? Or maybe just the quest. He wasn't sure.
He pointed to her necklace. "That pine tree bead. Is it from your first year?"
She looked down. "Yeah. Every August, the counselors pick the most important event of the summer, and they paint it on that year's bead. I've got Thalia's pine tree, a Greek trireme on a fire, a centaur in a prom dress-- that was an odd bead to recieve.."
"Is the college ring your father's"
Aria shot Percy a warning look.
Annabeth just sighed. "Yes. Not that it's any of your business."
"Sorry. We don't have to talk about it."
Annabeth looked to Aria for comfort and the girl gave her a reassuring look.
"No no it's okay. My dad, he sent it to me two summers ago. The ring was... a keepsake perhaps, from Athena. He wouldn't have gotten his degree without her but that's a story for another emotional truck ride. Anyway, he told me he loved me and wanted me to have it. He said he was sorry for being a jerk and that he missed me. He wanted me to come home."
"That doesn't sound all that bad," Percy said.
"I thought so too at first. And so I went back to live with him. I tried to go back home but... my stepmother was the same as ever. She didn't want to put her children in danger. I didn't even make it through winter break. And so I called Chiron and that was that. I was back at camp half blood."
"Would you ever try again? With your dad?" Percy couldn't help but ask.
"Would you?"
All Percy could do was shrug. His thoughts went back to smelly old Gabe. Stupid, sad, old man.
"I don't want to hurt myself again," Annabeth answered truthfully.
"You shouldn't give up yet. You should write him a letter."
"I don't want your family advice," Annabeth snapped, and Aria's eyes widened. Annabeth noticed Aria's look on her face and her features relaxed. "I'm sorry Percy. This is just a sensitive topic. I didn't mean to snap."
"It's all good. I get it," Percy said. He truly did get it. Family issues messed people up. He would know.
"Moving on. What's your backstory Percy?" Annabeth asked, lying down on the floor now.
"My mom married this smelly weird dude," Percy put it simply. "Grover said she did it to protect me."
"Mama Jackson sounds like a great lady," Annabeth said.
"She is. She really is. She would like you, Annabeth."
At that, Annabeth smiled and rolled over, sleep taking over her tired body.
"What you did for Grover was really sweet," Percy said to Aria.
She turned to face him, her face full of surprise at the sudden compliment.
"I know what it's like to see something you care about be hurt. I don't want his poor heart to have to bear that weight."
"You're a better friend to him than I am. I don't think he likes me all that much anymore."
"Are you kidding? Grover would do anything for you. He's on this quest, for you! He said he would go into the tunnel of love with you, even though he was scared for his life. He trusts you. More than anyone. Don't doubt it for a second."
Percy smiled and looked over at Grover's sleeping body.
"Thank you," Percy mumbled to Aria.
"For what?"
"For coming down to the tunnel of love with me."
"Someone's gotta take care of you," she uttered.
He was glad it was her.
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camp notes ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁
are these chapters a good length
or should i make them longer
⤷ gracie