˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
BOOK TWO
CHAPTER ONE.
❝ alright, pipe down, loverboy ❞
WAKING UP on the last day of school was like waking up to find out you've won the lottery.
The alarm clock on Aria's bedside table blared loudly, the red letters proudly declaring it 6:00 am. The girl leaned over and tapped the clock aggressively, clearly not pleased about this sudden interruption.
Getting out of bed with a groan, Aria pulled on her pink fluffy slippers, a parting gift from her new friend Aurora. The green bow that the girl had given to her last year still rested on her dresser, and Aria picked it up to admire it.
Placing it back down, she tiredly sauntered over to her drawn curtains, the off white material blocking out the sun. She drew back the curtains, and the early morning rays cast its gentle light over her room.
Her room was quaint, with a king single bed shoved in the corner next to a wall where posters took up the entire space. A baby pink quilt cover was thrown over her mattress, and a plush cream bunny sat on top. Her desk was in another corner of her room, and sheets of music were stacked precariously high. Easels were located in any spare place she could find, paintings of anything and anyone adorning her space.
Throwing on some clothes for the day, the now fully awake girl headed to the bathroom located outside her bedroom. After successfully managing to comb her hair nicely, she hurriedly brushed her teeth, wiping away the remaining toothpaste with her thumb.
The sound of metal hitting metal echoed through the apartment, and Aria could already guess that Mrs Roberts was making something. Being a daughter of Hephaestus, the older woman always had her hands on some form of machinery, her grey hair pulled into a tight bun atop her head. She wore denim overalls and a grey t shirt underneath, her kind brown eyes greeting her as she walked into the room.
"Morning!" she yelled over the noise of the machine, and Aria watched as she wiped the grease off her forehead with a cloth.
"Morning Mrs Roberts," she greeted, wandering over to the kitchen.
"Excited for your last day of school?"
Aria beamed. "For once, I'm excited to go that hell hole."
The woman laughed, the sound mixing with the gentle hum of the... whatever she was holding. Aria had failed design and tech.
"Have a good day sweetheart! Don't forget about camp!"
Aria picked an apple off the counter and waved goodbye, grabbing her bag on the way out, the door shutting seamlessly behind her.
She just had to make it through one more day.
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SOCIAL STUDIES was not Percy's strong suit. The class sat in silence as they worked on drawing latitude/longitudinal maps, the teacher tapping her pen each second as if trying to make him go crazy. It was working.
He opened his notebook, the blue paper cover flipping over easily. Inside he stared at the photo - a picture of Aria and Mrs Roberts, their smiles wide, their cheeks full. Percy realised that it was a little weird to have a photo of his sworn enemy and a random old lady that he had never met in his school book, but the way that Aria smiled had made him smile too.
He only kept the photo because he didn't have the heart to throw it out. That was the only reason.
Percy wished that Aria, Grover and Annabeth were there with him. He struggled to get along with mortal friends, their relentless taunts and borderline bullying casting a dent in Percy's pride. He missed having someone to talk to about...godly things. He hadn't talked to Aria or Annabeth in weeks, their last Iris call being a run down of how Annabeth's home life was going. He had also been having strange dreams about Grover, and he desperately wanted to talk to Aria about it. Her being the daughter of Apollo and all that, she was good at visions. He wondered if she had the same dreams.
Percy was about to close his notebook when Matt Sloan reached over and ripped the photo out of the rings.
"Hey!" Percy protested.
Sloan checked out the picture, his eyes going straight to Aria. His eyes got wide. "No way, Jackson. Who is that? Is she your-"
Percy felt his ears get hot. "Give it back!"
Sloan handed the photo to his friends who snickered at the image. Their grubby hands began to rip the photo, attempting to turn it into spit wads. They were new kids who must have been visiting, because they were all wearing those HI! MY NAME IS: tags from the office. Percy noticed they also had a weird sense of humour, as all of their name tags were filled out with odd names like: MARROW SUCKER, SKULL EATER, and JOE BOB. Sometimes Percy was embarrassed to be a teenage boy.
"These guys are moving here next year," Sloan bragged, like that was supposed to make Percy run for his life. "I bet they can pay the tuition, too, unlike your stupid little friend."
Percy balled his hands up at his sides in barely contained anger. He rolled his shoulders, and spoke through gritted teeth, "He's not stupid."
"You're such a loser, Jackson. Good thing I'm gonna put you out of your misery next period."
Percy fumed at the use of his last name. He only allowed one person to call him that.
Sloan and his huge buddies chewed up the photo, and Percy had to fight back the urge to pulverise them. However he tried to calm down as he remembered Chiron's strict orders to never fight mortals, no matter how mean, or annoying. Percy thought it was a stupid rule.
The bell rang.
As Percy and his friend Tyson were leaving class, Percy swore he heard a girl's voice whisper his name.
He glanced anxiously around the locker area, but nobody was paying him any form of attention.
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ARIA STARED at the same maths question that she had been attempting to work out for the last twenty minutes. Why maths had to include numbers, she wasn't sure, but apparently some idiot thought it was a good idea.
The clock ticked in dusty corner of the classroom and Aria watched as the hands moved around the white circle. Could this day go any slower.
Aria was beginning to think that this maths class might be her demise. She imagined her tombstone.
ARIA SILVERS. DEATH BY PYTHAGORUS THEOREM.
A flash of white in front of her face forced her back to the sad reality of school, as multiple notes were tossed onto her broken down desk. The girl knew better than to read the notes seeing as they were probably quite nasty, and she stuffed the crumpled paper into her backpack.
She turned around to see three large boys silently snickering at her. She envisioned a new tombstone.
ARIA SILVERS. DEATH BY THREE MEATY HIGH SCHOOL BOYS WHO LOOK LIKE THEY HAVE HAD NO ORIGINAL THOUGHT IN THEIR LIVES.
The daughter of Apollo could only recognise one of the offenders, a tall sporty boy by the name of Harrison Heke. Aria shot them an angry glance and returned to her maths, continuing to stare at the equation until the bell rang.
Thank fuck.
Lunchtime was always a lonely time for the girl. She hadn't really bothered to make any new friends while she was here.
Walking into the cafeteria was like walking into hell. Maybe Aria couldn't make that comparison anymore, due to the fact that she had quite literally been to the Underworld, but she didn't know how else to describe the area.
Faded tables and benches lined every square inch of the space, and cafeteria ladies worked tirelessly behind the serving area, their once white clothing now stained with hundreds of school lunches.
Aria loved the lunch ladies, and her conversations with them were the most enjoyable ones she had had all year at the school. She had to admit that it was a little sad...but Aria loved the ladies regardless.
The girl grabbed a grubby blue tray from the table and slid it across the bench, the familiar scraping noise echoing throughout the hall. Her favourite lunch lady grabbed her some food, heaping a nice large amount on her plate.
"Here ya go sugar," the older woman said, dumping some extra chips on the tray, giving Aria a sly wink.
"You spoil me, Mrs Fitz," Aria said, smiling at her now overfilled plate.
"Anything for you baby. How's that maths class of yours going?"
Aria sighed. "Terrible. I'm going to fail for sure."
Mrs Fitz made a tsk noise with her mouth. "You're a smart girl Aria. Don't ever let anyone, or anything make you feel any less of that."
Aria gave the woman a warm smile and goodbye, and wandered over to her usual table in the back corner.
She was stopped though as she spots a boy sitting there. At her table. Hers.
The boy looked up through his long dark curls.
"Sorry. Did I take your seat?" he asked innocently.
"S'okay. I'll just take a seat outside," Aria assured, already opening the back doors to the oval.
The boy followed her out, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets.
The last time Aria had gotten chased by a boy, he had a knife and was trying to kill her. She didn't have a very good experience with this sort of thing.
"Can I help you?" Aria asked once she made it to the bleachers, sitting on top of the cold seats.
The boy nodded. "Actually, yes. I was wondering if you could tutor me?"
Mrs Fitz had definitely placed some sort of intelligence spell on her extra chips.
Aria blinked in surprise. "Tutor you in what exactly?"
"Greek mythology. I don't know if you ever noticed but I'm in your history class and I'm really struggling. I can see that you're super good at Greek stuff so...I was wondering if you could give me a few lessons?"
Aria didn't think that anyone really noticed her contributions to class. She wasn't sure whether she should feel flattered or creeped out.
"I mean uh sure... when did you want to start?"
The boy grimaced. "Is now a good time?"
Aria shrugged, putting her tray down beside her. "We can start now if you want."
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THE LAST day of school had turned out to be much more exciting than Percy had expected. To shorten it down for you, Percy almost got beat up in PE class by a monster, but somehow Annabeth showed up in time and helped him. He had then introduced Athena's daughter to Tyson his friend, but Annabeth seemed a little...on edge about the boy, though Percy wasn't sure why. After their little monster fighting session, they had hopped on the next train ride to Aria's school where Annabeth was refusing to tell Percy about why she had shown up.
That was basically what happened.
"I see her!" Annabeth exclaimed, pointing to Aria who was sitting on the oval.
Percy groaned. "Annabeth, just tell me what's going on. I'm feeling very excluded."
"I'll tell you after we get Aria. I'm not in the mood for repeating things," Annabeth replied sharply, her gaze still on the brunette.
Percy hesitated before speaking. "Were you... watching me all morning?"
Annabeth looked at him straight in the eye, her pupils twinkling. "I saw the photo in the binder that's for sure."
Percy wanted to crawl into a hole and die.
Annabeth continued to grumble under her breath. "And you guys claim to hate each other but then act like this..."
Percy rolled his eyes dramatically. "Obviously I don't like her. I just forgot to take the photo out of my binder that's all."
Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "Alright, pipe down loverboy."
Tyson, who was sat next to Percy, used his muscular hand to try and fan his face. "It's hot," he complained, and Percy noticed Annabeth inch away from his friend.
What was her deal?
Percy peeked over the rocks to catch a glimpse of Aria who was talking to a... was that a boy?
Percy furrowed his brows as he motioned to the duo sitting on the grass, clearly engrossed in some form of conversation. "Who the hell is that?" Percy asked.
Annabeth shrugged. "How the fuck would I know? I'm seeing the same thing you are."
Percy felt a tightening in his chest, but he wasn't sure why. He had never felt like this before.
He didn't like it.
He watched as Aria playfully hit the boy in the shoulder, both of them laughing hysterically.
Percy narrowed his eyes at the boy as if his glare could turn the teenager to dust. He wished it would.
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"AND THAT'S why Zeus is a little...paranoid," Aria finished, her tutoring session now complete.
Andy, the boy who she now considered somewhat a friend, smiled gratefully at her. "Thank you for this. It's been super helpful."
Aria gave him a grin in return. "Of course, I'm always happy to help. Greek mythology is my area of expertise."
"I can see that," Andy replied, standing up and brushing off his dark long sleeve top.
Out of the corner of her eye, Aria saw her history teacher walking down the grounds towards them, a glistening item clenched in her fist. Behind her wandered Harrison Heke, a stupid grin on his stupid face.
That's when Aria saw the sword in her teacher's hand.
It got worse from there. Harrison began to grow to an immense size, his shirt bulging at his rapidly growing muscles.
Andy noticed Aria's gaping mouth and he turned to look at the incoming duo, not sensing the impending danger. Aria quickly grabbed him by his shirt, dragging him behind a graffitied wall.
"Uhh just wait here for a few minutes, I'll be back. I just have to...get into character for a-a play!"
Andy looked at her confused. "A play?"
Aria nodded. "Yep! I'm uh putting on a play to show you some different greek mythology stories. Just- wait here until I come get you, okay?"
"Um okay?"
"Great!" Aria said, sprinting off and heading back to the oval.
The monsters, spotting the demigod, honed in on her, evil grins etched on their faces.
"Aw man," Aria said to her teacher. "I've been getting straight A's the whole year and this is how you repay me?"
The monster snarled in response.
Aria withdrew her dagger, skilfully throwing it at the teacher. The woman screamed for a moment before disintegrating into a pile of sand on the floor. Harrison, who was now extremely large, growled at the girl and began to run towards her, brown curls bopping with each step. Aria, now weaponless, retreated further back into the bleachers trying to devise a plan.
A plan wasn't needed though as the boy turned to dust in front of her face.
"What the hell?" Aria muttered, looking around the space.
Blonde curls met her gaze.
"Oh, hey, Jackson," she greeted, bouncing down the metal stairs.
"What's up, Silvers?" he replied, flashing her a grin, riptide resting at his side.
"Where's Annabeth?"
At that moment, her best friend stepped out from behind the bushes, a large boy following in her wake. Annabeth did not seem too pleased with this formation.
Aria immediately rushed to her, embracing her in a tight hug. She pulled away slowly, giving the now trio a confused look.
"Why are you guys here? Not to sound ungrateful or anything...." Aria asked, her eyes flicking from Annabeth to their new found friend.
"I don't know. Annabeth wouldn't tell me until we got you," Percy answered, shooting Annabeth an accusatory glance.
The girl rolled her eyes in response.
"Ready to go?" Annabeth asked Aria who was looking at the wall where Andy was still waiting.
"I just gotta say goodbye to Andy," she said, walking over to the boy.
Percy turned his nose up at the mention of him, although Aria wasn't sure why. Percy had never met Andy before.
"Why?" he asked, following Aria while Annabeth stayed behind.
"Because he's nice."
Percy scoffed. "I'm nice."
"Sure you are buddy," Aria snickered. Percy didn't look too happy with this answer.
Aria turned the corner to find Andy still waiting, his arms crossed as he watched something in the distance.
"Hey!" Aria said, and Andy turned his head to see her.
"Play's done?" Andy asked, although his eyes wandered to Percy's looming figure.
"Play?" Percy uttered, but no one payed him any attention.
"Oh uh, I'm so sorry but something came up. Maybe another time?" Aria said apologetically.
Andy gave her a reassuring nod. "Yeah that's cool. Maybe I could get your num-"
He was cut off by Percy grabbing Aria's arm.
The son of Poseidon looked down at a non existent watch on his bare wrist. "Oh geez would you look at that? We really ought to be going! It was great meeting you though Adam."
"Oh it's actually Andy but.."
"Yeah, I don't remember asking but, I am unfortunately going to have to take Aria from you so. See ya," Percy shot, and Aria furrowed her eyebrows at the boys strange behaviour.
As they walked away from Andy, Aria freed herself from Percy's remaining grip.
"What was all that about?" she asked, a little bit annoyed that Percy had pulled her away so quickly.
"He was sketchy. I didn't like him," Percy said, his statement being half true.
"Since when did you care who I talked to?" Aria shot back, and Percy looked surprised for a second as if asking himself the same question.
"I don't care. I was just merely getting us out of here quicker."
Aria stormed off towards Annabeth.
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WALKING OUT of the school, Percy introduced a now much calmer Aria to Tyson, who gawked shamelessly at the brunette.
"Silvers, meet Tyson. He's a friend from school."
"Beautiful," Tyson muttered, staring intently at her.
Aria blushed and gave Tyson a wide smile.
"Thank you, Tyson. You have a lovely...eye," she replied not unkindly, dimples that Percy didn't even know she had appearing on her cheeks.
Percy was trying to think of a way that he could somehow drown himself.
He cleared his throat and everyone turned to look at him, Aria angrily crossing her arms at the interruption that Percy had instigated for the second time today.
He was about to dismiss the fact that he ever cleared his throat, but then he noticed Aria staring at Tyson, mouth open.
Percy would say that Tyson was alright looking, but he wasn't sure if he was gaping mouth good looking. Percy wondered if Aria thought Tyson was beautiful, just as he had claimed that she was. For some reason, he really hoped not.
Aria seemed to take note that Percy had caught her in the act and she closed her mouth. "Sorry, Tyson."
The brunette boy shrugged, seemingly unbothered. "It's okay, pretty girl."
Percy couldn't deny that there was a pit forming in his stomach at the conversation between the two. It was just how he had felt when he saw Andy and Aria together. Although, Percy couldn't name this feeling.
"What?" Percy asked, confused on the whole matter.
Aria gave Annabeth a side eye, as if communicating telepathically. Percy had to admit, he felt a little out of the loop.
"At least someone is seeing through the Mist," Annabeth uttered.
Percy was even more confused now.
Tyson, still mystified by Aria, reached for her hand to do something. Percy didn't let anyone find out though, as he pulled the boy's hand away.
"Guys, I really appreciate you all showing up. But can someone tell me why you're here? And why is Jackson's shirt a little burnt?"
"Laistrygorians," Annabeth said simply.
"What is that word?" Percy asked. "I can't even pronounce that. What is that in english?"
Annabeth pondered for a second. "Canadians."
"It's always the Canadians," Aria muttered, shaking her head.
Annabeth spoke again. "We need to get out of here."
"The police'll be here soon looking for us," Percy said.
"There's bigger trouble at camp. Police are the least of our problems right now."
"My Mom was going on about camp too! But how is the camp in trouble?"
Aria had a quizzical look on her face. She had clearly not been informed by Mrs Roberts about this.
"I don't know the details," Annabeth said. "But there is something going on and we need to get there right away."
Percy stopped them before the group could leave the alleyway that they had relocated themselves to. "Wait. I think Grover is in trouble too."
Aria rushed to his side, looking up at him with green eyes. "Did you have a dream?" she asked, practically shaking.
"Yeah...did you?"
Aria nodded, finally relieved that someone else had had the same experience. "Grover was in a white-"
"Wedding dress," Percy finished for her, feeling like a weight had been lifted off his chest. "I saw him in my dream. He was in this dark cave, crying out for help."
"I saw the cave too, but I didn't see Grover. I just kept hearing the words 'honey' and 'veil' over and over," Aria admitted, still in very close proximity to the son of Poseidon.
Tyson raised his hand like he was still in class. "Canadians in the gym called Percy something...son of the sea god?"
Percy felt like Tyson had the right to know.
"Big guy," he said. "You ever heard those old stories about the greek gods? Like Zeus, Poseidon, Apollo-"
"Yes," Tyson answered, not fazed about this conversation yet.
"Well...those gods are still alive. They kind of follow Western Civilisation around, living in the strongest countries, so like now they're in the U.S. And some times they have kids with mortals. Kids called half-bloods."
"Yes," Tyson said.
"Uh, well, Aria, Annabeth and I are half-bloods. We're like...heroes-in-training. And whenever monsters pick up our scent, they attack us. That's what those giants were in the gym. Monsters."
"Yes."
Tyson looked like he was waiting for Percy to just get to the point already. Percy was extremely surprised that Tyson was taking this so well.
"But you are..Son of the Sea God?" Tyson asked.
"Yeah," Percy admitted. "My dad is Poseidon."
Tyson frowned. Now he looked confused. "But then..."
A siren wailed. A police car raced past their alley. Tyson moved closer to Aria, spooked by the sudden sound. She gave him a light pat on the shoulder.
"We'll talk in the taxi," Annabeth said.
Aria nodded, seemingly already aware of what this taxi business was.
Percy hesitated. "What about Tyson? We can't just leave him. He'll be in trouble, too."
"Yeah," Annabeth agreed, although she looked grim. "We definitely need to take him. Now come on."
Percy still didn't understand why Annabeth hated Tyson so much, talking about him like he wasn't even there. Was there something he was missing?
Together, the four of them snuck through the side streets of downtown.
"Here." Annabeth stopped on the corner of Thomas and Trimble. She fished around in her backpack. "I have one around here..."
She pulled out a golden drachma. "Stêthi," she shouted in Ancient Greek. "Ô hárma diabolês!"
Percy looked over to see Tyson's reaction, but the tall brunette's face was impassive, a calm demeanour on his face.
Annabeth threw her coin into the street, but instead of clattering on the tarmac, the drachma sank right through and disappeared.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then, just where the coin had fallen, the tarmac darkened. It melted into a rectangular pool about the size of a parking space-- bubbling red liquid like blood. Then a car erupted from the ooze.
It was a taxi, but unlike every other taxi in New York, it wasn't yellow. It was smoky grey. It looked like it was woven out of smoke, like someone could walk right through it.
There were two English words now written on the side of the vehicle.
"Gyar Tissers," Percy mumbled out loud, trying to decipher what the words were.
"Gray Sisters," Aria assisted. For once, Percy was happy that she had corrected him.
The passenger window rolled down, and an old woman stuck her head out. She had a mop of grizzled hair covering her eyes, and she spoke in a weird mumbling way, like she had just had a shot of novocain.
"Passage? Passage?"
"Four to Camp Half-Blood," Annabeth said, opening the cabs back door and getting in. Aria got in after her and she waved for the other two to join like it was completely normal.
"Ach!" the old woman screeched. "We don't take his kind!" She pointed a bony finger at Tyson.
"Extra pay," Annabeth promised. "Three more drachma on arrival."
"Done!" the woman screeched.
Tyson jumped into the cab and settled next to Aria, who gave him a small smile. Reluctantly, Percy got in after, just managing to squeeze in.
The interior was also smoky grey, but it felt solid enough. The seat was cracked and lumpy - no different than most taxis. There was no plexiglas screen separating them from the three old ladies driving. All three were crammed in the front seat, each with stringy hair covering her eyes, bony hands, and a charcoal-coloured sackcloth dress.
The one driving said, "Long Island! Out-of-metro fare bonus! Ha!"
She floored the accelerator, and Percy saw Aria's head slam against the backrest. He stifled a laugh, but felt bad once he saw Tyson gently pull her back, checking that she was okay. He didn't find it very funny anymore.
A pre-recorded voice came on over the speaker: Hi, this is Ganymede, cup bearer to Zeus, and when I'm out buying wine for the lord of the skies, I always buckle up!
Percy looked down to see a large black chain instead of a seatbelt. He didn't put it on.
The cab sped around the corner of west broadway, and the grey lady sitting in the middle screeched, "Look out! Go left!"
"Well, if you'd give me the eye, Tempest, I could see that!" the driver complained.
Percy didn't have time to ask questions as the driver swerved to avoid an oncoming delivery truck, running over the curb with a jaw-rattling thump, and then proceeded to fly into the next block.
"Wasp!" the third lady said to the driver. "Give me the girls coin! I want to bite it."
"You bit it last time, Anger!" said Wasp. "It's my turn!"
"Is not!" yelled Anger.
Tempest screamed, "Red light!"
"Brake!" yelled Anger.
Instead, Wasp floored the accelerator and rode up on the curb, screeching around another corner, and knocking over a newspaper box. Percy's stomach was somewhere back on Broome street.
"Excuse me," Percy said to the ladies, his face a bit green. "But...can't you see?!"
"No!" screamed Wasp from behind the wheel.
"No!" screamed Tempest from the middle.
"Of course!" screamed Anger by the shotgun window.
Percy leaned forward in his seat to stare at Annabeth. "You got us a blind taxi?"
"Not completely," Annabeth defended. "They have an eye."
"An eye!?"
"Yeah."
"Each?" Percy asked hopefully.
"No. One eye total."
Beside him, Tyson groaned and grabbed the seat. "Not feeling so good."
"Hang in there, big guy. Anybody got a garbage bag or something?" Percy said.
The three grey ladies were too busy squabbling to pay him any attention.
"We've had famous people in this cab!" Anger exclaimed. "Jason! You remember him?"
"Don't remind me!" Wasp wailed. "And we didn't have a cab back then, you old bat. That was three thousand years ago!"
"Give me the tooth!" Anger tried to grab at Wasp's mouth, but Wasp swatted her hand away.
"Only if Tempest gives me the eye!"
"No!" Tempest screeched. "You had it yesterday!"
"But I'm driving, you old hag!"
"Excuses! Turn! That was your turn!"
Wasp swerved hard onto Delancey street, causing Tyson to fall on Percy. He thought that his lungs might actually collapse.
The lady punched the gas and they shot up Williamsburg Bridge at ninety miles an hour.
The three sisters were fighting for real now, slapping each other as Anger tried to grab at Wasp's face and Wasp tried to grab at Tempest's. With their hair flying and their mouths open, screaming at each other. None of the sisters had any teeth except for Wasp, who had one mossy yellow incisor. Instead of eyes, they just had closed, sunken eyelids, except for Anger, who had one bloodshot green eye that stared at everything hungrily, as if it couldn't get enough of anything it saw.
Finally Anger, who had the advantage of sight, managed to yank the tooth out of her sister Wasp's mouth. This made Wasp so mad she swerved towards the edge of the Williamsburg Bridge, yelling. "I'vit back! 'Ivit back!"
Tyson groaned and clutched his stomach.
"Uh, if anybody's interested," Percy said. "we're going to die!"
"Don't worry," Annabeth said, although her own voice sounded worried. "The Gray Sisters know what they're doing. They're really very wise."
They were skimming along the edge of a bridge a hundred and thirty feet above the East River.
"Yes, wise!" Anger grinned in the rearview mirror, showing off her newly acquired tooth. "We know things!"
"Every street in Manhattan!" Wasp bragged, still hitting her sister. "The capital of Nepal!"
"The location you seek" Tempest added.
Immediately her sisters pummelled her from either side, screaming, "Be quiet! Be quiet! He didn't even ask yet!"
"What?" Percy said. "What location? I'm not seeking any--"
"Nothing!" Tempest said. "You're right, boy. It's nothing!"
"Tell me."
"No!" they all screamed.
"The last time was told, it was horrible!" Tempest said.
"Eye tossed in a lake!" Anger agreed.
"Years to find it again!" Wasp moaned. "And speaking of that--give it back!"
"No!" yelled Anger.
"Eye!" Wasp yelled. "Gimme!"
She whacked Anger on the back. There was a sickening pop and something flew out of Anger's face. Anger fumbled for it, trying to catch it, but she only managed to bat it with the back of her hand. The slimy green orb sailed over her shoulder, into the backseat, and straight into Percy's lap.
The Son of Poseidon jumped so hard, his head hit the ceiling and the eyeball rolled away.
"I can't see!" all three sisters yelled.
"Give me the eye!" Wasp wailed.
"Give her the eye!" Annabeth screamed.
"I don't have it!" Percy shouted back.
"It's by your foot!" Aria yelled. "Don't step on it!"
"I'm not picking that shit off the ground!"
The taxi slammed against the guardrail and skidded along with a horrible grinding noise. The whole car shuddered, billowing grey smoke as if it were about to dissolve from the strain.
"Going to be sick!" Tyson warned.
"Annabeth!" Percy shouted. "Let Tyson use your backpack!"
"Are you serious? Get the eye!"
Wasp yanked the wheel, and the taxi swerved away from the rail. They hurtled down the bridge toward Brooklyn, going fast than any human taxi. The Gray sisters screeched and pummelled each other and cried out for their eye.
Percy ripped off a chunk of his tie-dyed gym T shirt, which was already falling apart due to the burns it had sustained, and used it to pick the eyeball up off the floor. He failed to notice how Aria was staring at where the rip in the shirt was.
"Nice boy!" Anger cried, as if she somehow knew Percy had her missing eye. "Give it back!"
"Not until you explain," he told her. "What were you talking about, the location I seek?"
"No time!" Tempest cried. "Accelerating!"
Percy looked out the window. Sure enough, trees and cars and whole neighbourhoods were now zipping by in a grey blur. They were already out of Brooklyn, heading through the middle of Long Island.
"Percy," Annabeth warned, "they can't find out destination without the eye. we'll just keep accelerating until we break into a million pieces."
"First they have to tell me," he said. "Or I'll open the window and throw the eye onto oncoming traffic."
"No!" the grey sisters wailed. "Too dangerous!"
"I'm rolling down the window."
"Wait!" the Grey sisters screamed. "Thirty, thirty-one, seventy-five, twelve!"
They shouted it out like a drill sergeant in the Army.
"What do you mean?" Percy said. "That makes no sense!"
"Thirty, thirty-one, seventy-five, twelve!" Anger wailed. "That's all we can tell you. Now give us the eye! Almost to camp!"
They were off the highway now, zipping through the countryside of northern Long Island. Percy could see Half-Blood Hill ahead of them, with its giant pine tree at the crest--Thalia's tree, which contained the life force of a fallen hero.
"Jackson!" Aria exclaimed urgently. "Give them the eye now!"
Percy knew better than to argue with a worried Aria. He threw the eye into the Wasp's lap.
The old lady snatched it up, pushed it into her eye socket like somebody putting in a contact lens, and blinked. "Whoa!"
She slammed on the brakes. The taxi spun four or five times in a cloud of smoke and squealed to a halt in the middle of the farm road at the base of Half-Blood Hill.
"All right," Percy told the Grey Sisters. "Now tell me what those numbers mean."
"No time!" Annabeth opened her door. "We have to get out now."
At the crest of the hill was a group of campers. And they were under attack.
camp notes
5000 words for you my children
imma try and make the sea of monsters focus a lot on aria and percy. not them getting together, but maybe making them realise they don't actually hate each other?? progress i guess?? thoughts??
- gracie