☠︎
With feet drumming on the narrow corridors of the train, the four of them try to get as far away as physically possible from that thing in the carrier.
The police officers rushing after them and completely ignoring the monster that's following, don't really help their situation either.
Annabeth locks a door with a chain, letting the demigods catch their breath. "Percy", Morana breathes out, plucking the stinger from his shoulder, making him wince. "Sorry", Morana mumbles. "It's nothing", he mumbles back.
"Wait what is that?" Grover asks and Annabeth yells, "It's a stinger". They all have to steady themselves with their hands on the walls of the narrow corridor as the train swings from side to side.
"Any monsters come to mind?" Annabeth asks, Morana shaking her head at the same time as Percy.
"I mean. Nothing good probably", Grover struggles, Morana throwing her head back in annoyance but asking, "You feeling okay?" From Percy who tilts his head in confusion at her, "I think so. Why? You think it's poisonous or something?"
"Probably", Morana answers him and starts walking away from the door that's chained shut.
"What are you doing?" Annabeth asks just as the train tips dangerously from side to side while also jolting forward.
They all turn towards the banging sound, the police officers included.
The door of the next compartment hallway gains a dent as the train jolts once again. Morana starts stumbling back, "Getting as much space between us and that as possible", she answers and opens the next door.
The train stops and they rush out, stopping on the tracks, all panting and trying to see if the monster's following them.
"Why isn't it still following us?" Percy asks. "I'm not complaining. Let's go", Morana says, starting to walk away, the others jogging after her, Annabeth talking something about the monster learning to hunt.
"This seems like the hunting part", the wise girl says.
☠︎
"I can't have one fucking normal day!" Morana groans as they hurry down an alley. "We're not gonna be able to outrun them for very long", Grover realizes.
"We don't need to. We just need a safe place to hole up", Annabeth states, her braids swinging as she walks hurriedly.
"Some place safe. Any idea where we might find one of those?" Percy asks impatiently.
Annabeth thinks for a moment before stating confidently, "I do. A sanctuary, dedicated to Athena. Built by one of her demigod children a long time ago".
"There's an Athenian temple hidden somewhere in the middle of downtown St. Louis?" Grover pries, sounding a bit disbelieving. If there's something Morana has learned, it's that you should never doubt Annabeth.
"Yes", the girl states. "Except it's not all that hidden".
The Gateway Arch reveals itself ahead, Morana looking up in slight amazement.
"It's 630 feet wide. 630 tall. Both to within an inch", Annabeth tells them and Morana is pretty sure that she'll forget the information after fife minutes.
"It's got no internal support. Each side is balanced perfectly against the other. The Arch is held up by symmetry. It's held up by math!"
"And it's earthquake proof, so Poseidon can't ruin it", Annabeth finishes her lesson. "Nice", Percy comments, earning a small amused scoff from Morana.
They shove through a group of students, blending in quite well. "This is how you show Athena your love. A monument to the power of perfection", Annabeth says proudly.
Morana furrows her brows, "I just got my dad a cheeseburger for his birthday last year". Annabeth frowns at her like she's just insulted all of Olympia.
"He liked it", Morana raises her hands in surrender, Annabeth scoffing and turning to Grover as he says, "It's a monument to some other stuff too".
And indeed there's a lot of junk at the base of the arch. Animal skulls and guns on podiums, paintings on the walls and a whole lot of people piling in and out. "You're talking about what some humans want this place to be about. I'm talking about what it actually is".
It's kind of adorable how dedicated to her mother Annabeth is. Morana has never really liked the gods, other than the ones who have proven themselves to be decent. But the way Annabeth is talking about her passion, makes Morana think it's all worth it.
"We're safe here, right?" Grover asks. "No monsters can enter. Not even Echidna", Annabeth assures them.
"Great. Well. Since our train exploded. I'm gonna see if there's another we can get tickets on. We can't stay here forever", Grover offers before stating, "Just because we're prey, doesn't mean we have to be helpless".
Annabeth and Percy press their lips in thin lines and nod, the former walking after the boy, leaving Morana with Percy, an awkward silence filling the air.
"He doesn't like it when people mess with animals", Percy states, staggering towards the staircase and then turning to face Morana again.
"I know", Morana says bluntly, not getting why Percy's telling her the fact she already knows. But he just wants to fill the silence.
"Wonder if Athena's around", he wonders out loud. "Be right there just going to the potty", Percy says in a high voice which breaks multiple times.
Morana huffs out a laugh, shaking her head in amusement and looking down at her feet briefly. "You're an idiot", she tells him, raising her head to look into his sea-green eyes.
"I have a gift".
"Of idiocy?"
"Yeah. Have a problem with it?" The boy tilts his head as if asking a real question. He looks like a puppy which makes Morana want to smile.
"No. No", Morana says slowly, a grin pulling at her lips which she forces to stay hidden.
"So a cheeseburger", the boy teases, trying to make her laugh. It doesn't work. Morana huffs again. "Yeah. He asked for it", Morana tells him and he detects the far away look in her eyes.
"I know most demigods pray to their parents, do stuff like-", Morana motions around herself, "-this". "To get their attention. But. . ." She trails off.
"It's not how it should be", Percy finishes for her, stepping a step closer. Morana snaps her head at him and nods, "Exactly". She notices the purple circles around his eyes and frowns. But doesn't comment because she figures she must not look much better either.
"But you know. Temple is a temple. Maybe you could talk to your dad while we're here", Morana suggests, but Percy's face falls, "No thanks".
"What could it hurt?" Morana asks, tilting her head a bit. Percy looks down briefly before looking into Morana's eyes again, her tilting her head up to see into his.
"You and your dad. . . Annabeth and her mom. . . I get it, it's different. Your ways work for you but-", he tackles in his words and licks his lips. "My father. . .", he pauses as if looking for words. Then he shakes his head while saying, "I don't want anything from him. He's had his chances!"
"Honestly, you've done more for me in the past few days my father's done in my whole entire life", the boy points at her and she gives him a sympathetic look.
"If I have to stick with someone I-", he stops himself, glancing down and around the room. Morana raises her brow and teases, "Careful. I think you're about to call me a friend".
Percy looks at her face, his vision blurring as she jokes, "Somewhere around her the Oracle is laughing at us-".
Percy collapses.
Morana gasps in shock, catching the boy in her arms and setting him on his knees to the ground. Grover and Annabeth run to them, Morana's hand on Percy's back as he breathes heavily.
"What happened?!" Grover presses immediately. "I think those stinger things were poisonous", Percy grumbles, Morana knitting her brows together in worry. She looks to Annabeth for answers who says, "I have an idea. Come on".
Percy clings to Morana's arm as she hoists him up. Then he wraps his arm around her neck, Grover hurrying to his other side to give more support and with team effort they follow Annabeth.
☠︎
"It's not working", Morana states as she sits on the edge of the water fountain, glaring at anyone who looks at them too long.
"The water cured him back at camp", Annabeth argues, splashing more water on the boy who's sitting in the ankle deep water, his hair and clothes wet from his two friends scooping the water on him like they're in a very unenthusiastic water fight.
"Yeah. You know what? I think it's working", Percy groans, trying to stand up, "This was a great call". It's a straight up lie and even without detecting that in his voice, Morana would know as he falls back to the water and says, "Or not".
His face is sickly white, eyes red and dark circles under them.
Then Morana senses something she hoped she wouldn't.
"She's here", she states, making the two stop sloshing water on the poor son of Poseidon.
Something crashes in the distance and sirens start blaring and a car flips into their line of sight. "We need to get back inside!" Annabeth ushers, Grover arguing, "No, we need to keep trying!"
"Does it look like we're stopping his evident death? No! Does it look like she's going to evidently kill us all? Yes! Let's go!" Morana puts in, lifting Percy up from the fountain, him clinging to her frame as she helps him out and then starts running with him towards The Arch.
"We'll go to the Altar!" Annabeth says as they run, making Grover stop. That makes Percy stop which makes Morana groan in annoyance.
"Where is there an Altar?" Grover quizzes, Morana grinding her teeth together. "The highest point the best view!" Annabeth answers. "Okay but what good is that going to do us?" Grover puts in again.
Annabeth takes a breath and says, "We're gonna get to the Altar and we're going to ask my mom for help".
All of them fall quiet, sirens filling the silence.
"I thought we don't ask for help", Percy says weakly from next to Morana.
"Come on Seaweed brain", Morana tugs him moving, Grover and Annabeth rushing after them.
Suddenly Annabeth calls, "Guys, d- did you hear that?" Making them turn and face her with worried eyes, "Hear what?"
Annabeth glances behind her at the tauntingly walking woman. "Never mind".
"She's watched Terminator a few too many times", Morana grumbles as she turns her and Percy back around and rushes towards the Arch again. Percy chuckles tiredly next to her. "Right? Guess we'll now know how the characters manage to die even when he walks half a mile in an hour", he jokes back, Morana throwing him a look which he answers to with a, "What you started!"
"Guys! Stop fighting and let's go!" Grover ushers them forward, Morana speeding up, making Percy cling tighter to her as his legs try to match the speed.
They make it inside an elevator, slumping in chairs, all panting but Percy more than the rest of them.
He looks like he's actually dying. Morana keeps her power at bay, not exactly too keen on knowing his life stats at the moment.
"What was that? What did you hear?" Percy asks Annabeth who looks uncomfortable. "She spoke to you", Morana realizes, tilting her head a bit.
Even with death nearing up on him, Percy looks to the girl and identifies the tilt as a curious gesture.
"Alecto did that with me back in the museum in New York", Percy tells them, Morana's face twisting with disgust at the name.
"I wish Hades would banish her already", she mutters, Percy hitting her arm to signal her that it's not the time for judging the god of the dead.
"What did she say?" Grover asks, all of them looking at Annabeth whose head slowly looks down.
Morana senses the presence of Tartarus again and turns to look outside. That's when the doors of the elevator close and the others turn as well.
Echidna and a shadow of a huge monster with horns. Then the doors slide shut.
"Was that the Chimera?" Grover asks weakly, Morana swallowing thickly as she nods. "I think. . . I think that was the Chimera!" Grover yells and Annabeth's head drops to hang low.
Percy shivers next to Morana, grunting in pain. Without thinking, Morana presses her hand on his arm that's leaning on his knees. It doesn't take much to take some of his pain away, since the boy is roughly two minutes away from death.
Grover yells something but Percy turns to Morana, his brows furrowed. "What are you doing?" He questions lowly. Morana doesn't know how to answer. What would she say? 'Yeah your so close to death that I can take your pain so you'd not die painfully'.
Doesn't really sound like the sort of thing to say right now.
"What did Echidna say to you, Annabeth?" Morana asks forcefully, making the wise girl take a deep breath and tell them, "She said, my impertinence wounded my mother's pride. And that that will be my doom".
Well shit.
☠︎