Showtime - Roy Ziv
0:37 ━❍━━━━━ 3:01
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THEY WERE CROSSING THE POTOMAC when the helicopter came into view. It was a sleek, black military model just like the one at Westover Hall. And it was coming straight toward them.
"They know the van," Percy said. "We have to ditch it."
Zoe swerved into the fast lane. The helicopter was gaining.
"Maybe the military will shoot it down," Grover said hopefully.
"The military probably thinks it's one of theirs," Y/N said. "How can the General use mortals, anyway?"
"Mercenaries," Zoe said bitterly. "It is distasteful, but many mortals will fight for any cause as long as they are paid."
"But don't these mortals see who they're working for?" Percy asked. "Don't they notice all the monsters around them?"
Zoe shook her head. "I do not know how much they see through the Mist. I doubt it would matter to them if they knew the truth. Sometimes mortals can be more horrible than monsters."
The helicopter kept coming, making a lot better time than they were through D.C. traffic.
Thalia closed her eyes and prayed hard. "Hey, Dad. A lightning bolt would be nice about now. Please?"
But the sky stayed gray and snowy. No sign of a helpful thunderstorm.
"There!" Bianca said. "That parking lot!"
"We'll be trapped," Zoe said.
"Trust me," Bianca said.
Zoe shot across two lanes of traffic and into a 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 bought tickets and got through the turnstiles, looking behind for any signs of pursuit. A few minutes later they managed to safely aboard a southbound train, riding away from D.C.
As the train came above ground, Y/N noticed the helicopter circling the parking lot, but it didn't come after them.
Grover let out a sigh. "Nice job, Bianca, thinking of the subway."
Bianca looked pleased. "Yeah, well. I saw that station when Nico and I came through last summer. I remember being really surprised to see it, because it wasn't here when we used to live in D.C."
Grover frowned. "New? But that station looked really old."
"I guess," Bianca said. "But trust me, when we lived here as little kids, there was no subway."
Thalia sat forward. "Wait a minute. No subway at all?"
Bianca nodded.
"Bianca," Zoe said. "How long ago..." Her voice faltered. The sound of the helicopter was getting louder again.
"We need to change trains," I said. "Next station."
Over the next half hour, all cared about was getting away safely. They changed trains twice, but after a while they lost the helicopter.
Unfortunately, when they finally got off the train it was at the end of the line, in an industrial area with nothing but warehouses and railway tracks. And snow. Lots of snow.
As the group wandered through the railway yard, Y/N noticed that there were just rows and rows of freight cars, most of which were covered in snow, like they hadn't moved in years.
A homeless man was standing at a trash-can fire. He gave them a toothless grin and said, "Y'all need to get warmed up? Come on over!'
Y/N breathed out, drawing the flames around him like a firey blanket. The snow melted underneath him, and the fire charred the burnt grass. The trash can glowed much brighter, and the group all sat around it.
"My hooves are frozen," Grover complained.
"Feet," Percy corrected, glancing at the homeless guy, who didn't seem fazed by Y/N at all.
"Maybe we should contact camp," Bianca said. "Chiron—"
"No," Zoe said. "They cannot help us anymore. We must finish this quest ourselves." Y/N gazed miserably around the rail yard. Somewhere, far to the west, Annabeth was in danger. Artemis was in chains. A doomsday monster was on the loose. And they were stuck on the outskirts of D.C., sharing a homeless persons fire.
"You know," the homeless man said, "you're never completely without friends." His face was grimy and his beard tangled, but his expression seemed kindly. "You kids need a train going west?"
"Yes, sir," Percy said. "You know of any?"
He pointed one greasy hand.
Suddenly Y/N noticed a freight train, gleaming and free of snow. It was an automobile-carrier trains, with steel mesh curtains and a triple-deck of cars inside. The side of the freight train said SUN WEST LINE.
"That's... convenient," Thalia said. "Thanks, uh..."
She turned to the homeless guy, but he was gone. The trash can in front of them was cold and empty, as if he'd taken the flames and Y/N's fire blanket with him.
.
.
.
An hour later they were rumbling west. There was no problem about who would drive now, because they all got their own luxury car. Zoe and Bianca were crashed out in a Lexus on the top deck. Grover was playing race car driver behind the wheel of a Lamborghini. And Thalia had hot-wired the radio in a black Mercedes SLK so she could pick up the alt-rock stations from D.C., with Y/N laying across the back seat.
"Join you?" Percy said. She shrugged, so he climbed into the shotgun seat.
"Nice coat," Y/N mumbled, his face smushed into the leather seat like a pillow.
Percy pulled the brown duster around him, thankful for the warmth. "Yeah, but the Nemean Lion wasn't the monster we're looking for."
"Not even close." Thalia sighed. "We've got a long way to go."
"Whatever this mystery monster is, the General said it would come for you. They wanted to isolate you from the group, so the monster will appear and battle you one-on-one."
"He said that?" Thalia raised an eyebrow.
"Well, something like that. Yeah."
"That's great. I love being used as bait."
"No idea what the monster might be?" Y/N said.
She shook her head morosely. "But you know where we're going, don't you? San Francisco. That's where Artemis was heading."
"Why?" Percy asked. "What's so bad about San Francisco?"
"The Mist is really thick there because the Mountain of Despair is so near. Titan magic—what's left of it—still lingers. Monsters are attracted to that area like you wouldn't believe."
"What's the Mountain of Despair?"
Thalia raised an eyebrow. "You really don't know? Ask stupid Zoe. She's the expert."
She glared out the windshield. Percy decided to keep his mouth shut.
Y/N sat up, stretching. "I need to get out. This car within a train situation is making me feel cramped." He mumbled. Y/N opened the car door, before making his way to the back of the train.
Percy glanced at Thalia. The afternoon sun shone through the steel-mesh side of the freight car, casting a shadow across her face. He thought about how different she was from Zoe—Zoe all formal and aloof like a princess, Thalia with her ratty clothes and her rebel attitude. But there was something similar about them, too. The same kind of toughness. Right now, sitting in the shadows with a gloomy expression, Thalia looked a lot like one of the Hunters. Then it hit him.
"That's why you don't get along with Zoe." Percy said
Thalia frowned. "What?"
"The Hunters tried to recruit you," he guessed.
Her eyes got dangerously bright, but she just sighed. "I almost joined them," she admitted. "Luke, Annabeth, and I ran into them once, and Zoe tried to convince me. She almost did, but..."
"But?" Percy said.
Thalia's fingers gripped the wheel. "I would've had to leave Luke and Annabeth."
"Oh."
"Zoe and I got into a fight. She told me I was being stupid. She said I'd regret my choice. She said Luke would let me down someday."
"That's harsh," Percy said. "Hard to admit Zoe was right."
"She wasn't right! Luke never let me down. Never."
"We'll have to fight him," Percy said. "There's no way around it."
Thalia didn't answer.
"You haven't seen him lately," he warned. "I know it's hard to believe, but—"
"I'll do what I have to."
"Even if that means killing him?"
"Do me a favor," she said. "Get out of my car."
Percy didn't even say a word. As he was about to leave, she said, "Percy." When he looked back, her eyes were red.
"Annabeth cares a whole lot more about Y/N then she ever will about you. Maybe you should think about why." Then she raised the power windows and shut him out.
.
.
.
Percy sat in the driver's seat of Grover's Lamborghini. Grover was asleep in the back. He'd finally given up trying to impress Zoe and Bianca with his pipe music after he played "Poison Ivy" and caused that very stuff to sprout from their Lexus's air conditioner.
Y/N sat in the back seat next to grover, looking out the window. "I don't feel like going to sleep." He mumbled. "I'm kinda afraid of what I might dream."
"Tell me about it." Percy sighed.
"Oh, don't be afraid of dreams," a voice said right next to him.
They both looked over. There was the homeless guy from the rail yard sitting in the shotgun seat. His jeans were so worn out they were almost white. His coat was ripped, with stuffing coming out. He looked like a teddy bear that had been run over by a truck.
"If it weren't for dreams," he said, "I wouldn't know half the things I know about the future. They're better than Olympus tabloids." He cleared his throat, then held up his hands dramatically:
Dreams like a podcast,
Downloading truth in my ears.
They tell me cool stuff
"Apollo?" Percy guessed.
He put his finger to his lips. "I'm incognito. Call me Fred."
"A god named Fred?" Y/N raised an eyebrow.
"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?" Percy asked.
"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?" Y/N said.
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?"
He frowned. "Oh, you mean that girl you lost? Hmm. I don't know."
Y/N tried not to feel mad. The gods had a hard time taking mortals seriously, even half-bloods. They lived such short lives, compared to the gods.
"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, seek 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," Y/N 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." Y/N muttered.
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 when you return, I expect a good haiku about your journey!"
Y/N tried to protest about not being tired, but Apollo snapped his fingers, and the next thing he knew he was closing his eyes.
.
.
.
In his dream, Y/N was somebody else. He was wearing an old-fashioned Greek tunic, which was a little too breezy downstairs, and laced leather sandals. He was running somewhere, being pulled along by a girl who was tightly gripping his hand.
"Hurry!" she said. It was too dark to see her face clearly, but Y/N could hear the fear in her voice. "He will find us!"
It was nighttime. A million stars blazed above. They were running through tall grass, and the scent of a thousand different flowers made the air intoxicating. It was a beautiful garden, and yet the girl was leading him through it, as if they were about to die.
"I'm not afraid," Y/N tried to tell her.
"You should be!" she said, pulling him along. She had long dark hair braided down her back. Her silk robes glowed faintly in the starlight.
They raced up the side of the hill. She pulled him behind a thorn bush and they collapsed, both breathing heavily. Y/N didn't know why the girl was scared. The garden seemed so peaceful. And he felt strong. Stronger than he'd ever felt before.
"There is no need to run," Y/N told her. HIs voice sounded stronger, much more confident. "I have bested a thousand monsters with my bare hands."
"Not this one," the girl said. "Ladon is too strong. You must go around, up the mountain to my father. It is the only way."
The hurt in her voice surprised him. She was really concerned, almost like she cared about Y/N.
"I don't trust your father," Y/N said.
"You should not," the girl agreed. "You will have to trick him. But you cannot take the prize directly. You will die.'"
I chuckled. "Then why don't you help me, pretty one?"
"I... I am afraid. Ladon will stop me. My sisters, if they found out... they would disown me."
"Then there's nothing for it." Y/N stood up, rubbing hia hands together.
"Wait.'" the girl said.
She seemed to be agonizing over a decision. Then, her fingers trembling, she reached up and plucked a long white brooch from her hair. "If you must fight, take this. My mother, Pleione, gave it to me. She was a daughter of the ocean, and the ocean's power is within it. My immortal power."
The girl breathed on the pin and it glowed faintly. It gleamed in the starlight like polished abalone.
"Take it," she told him. "And make of it a weapon."
Y/N laughed. "A hairpin? How will this slay Ladon, pretty one?"
"It may not," she admitted. "But it is all I can offer, if you insist on being stubborn."
The girl's voice softened his heart. He reached down and took the hairpin, and as he did, it grew longer and heavier in his hand, until Y/N held a familiar bronze sword. One that he had seen in action quite often.
"Well balanced," Y/N said. "Though I usually prefer to use my bare hands. What shall I name this blade?"
"Anaklusmos," the girl said sadly. "The current that takes one by surprise. And before you know it, you have been swept out to sea."
Before he could thank her, there was a trampling sound in the grass, a hiss like airescaping a tire, and the girl said, "Too late! He is here!"
Y/N sat bolt upright in the Lamborghini's drivers seat. Grover was shaking his arm.
"Y/N," he said. "It's morning. The train's stopped. Come on!"
He tried to shake off his drowsiness. Percy, Thalia, Zoe, and Bianca had already rolled up the metal curtains. Outside were snowy mountains dotted with pine trees, the sun rising red between two peaks.
Percy had his pen out of his pocket and was fiddling with it. Anaklusmos, the Ancient Greek name or Riptide. A different form, but Y/N was sure it was the same blade he'd seen in his dream.
And he was sure of something else, too. The girl he had seen was Zoe Nightshade.
A/N: bored
heheheha