Over the next half hour, all they thought about was getting away safely. They changed trains twice. Percy had no idea where they were going, but after a while they lost the helicopter.
They had decided to ditch the van when they noticed the helicopters that surrounded the museum. The following chain of events had gone exactly the same as the previous time around.
Unfortunately, when they finally got off the train they found themselves at the end of the line, in an industrial area with nothing but warehouses and railway tracks. And snow. Lots of snow. It seemed much colder here.
They wandered through the railway yard, thinking there might be another passenger train somewhere, but 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 guy was standing at a trash-can fire. they must've looked pretty pathetic, because he gave us a toothless grin and said, "Y'all need to get warmed up? Come on over!'
Percy honestly wanted to laugh at how oblivious he had been. Already knowing the identity of the homeless man, he wondered how he hadn't caught on the last time.
Apollo's hair, although grimy and dirty, still shone with a radiant glow, and his bright blur eyes hele thousands of years of knowledge.
They huddled around his fire, Thalia's teeth were chattering. She said, "well this is g-g-g-great."
"Maybe they should contact camp," Bianca said. "Chiron—"
"No," Zoe said. "They cannot help us anymore. they must finish this quest ourselves."
"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 Percy noticed a freight train, gleaming and free of snow. It was one of those 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 us was cold and empty, as if he'd taken the flames with him.
"I think his name was Fred." The boy couldn't help himself from uttering those words.
Perseus was seated cold and alone in a probably very expensive sports-car on a train which was their ticket of going west without actually walking! Percy mean- imagine four tired looking teenagers, -led by one in a silver parka with a bow slung over her shoulder to top it all off- in battered clothing walking all the way from Long Island, New York to the west... Their destination was rather ambiguous... All they knew was that they had to move west.
Well... ambiguous to anyone who wasn't Percy or Zoe. He knew perfectly well that their destination was of course Mount Tamalpais, the Garden of the Hesperides.
As Percy watched the sun go down, Percy was afraid to go to sleep. He was worried about what he might dream.
"Oh, don't be afraid of dreams," a voice said right next to me.
He looked over. Percy wasn't surprised to find 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 kind of 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 wasn't guessing. He actually knew the identity of the man beside him.
He put his finger to his lips. "I'm incognito. Call me Fred."
"A god named Fred?"
"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 they moving?" As fast as the sun across the sky. He knew the answer.
Apollo chuckled. "Fast enough. Unfortunately, they're running out of time. It's almost sunset. But I imagine they'll get you across a good chunk of America, at least."
"But where is Athena?" Another question he knew the answer to. He had to keep up appearances.
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."
"What about the monster Artemis was seeking?" Percy asked. "It's the Ophiotaurus, isn't it?"
Apollo checked his watch. "Ah, look at the time! I have to run. I doubt I can risk helping you again, Percy , but remember what I said! Get some sleep! And when you return, I expect a good haiku about your journey!"
He wanted to protest that he wasn't tired and He'd never made up a haiku in his life, but Apollo snapped his fingers, and the next thing Percy knew, he was closing his eyes.
He expected his dream to remain the same... He expected to see himself in the gigantic boots of Heracles as Zoe offered him Anaklusmos.
Instead his dream was different. Completely different...
Ω
He was himself. That much was obvious.
He could see himself in the mirror in front of him.
He was still in his own body. He looked the almost exactly the same as before he was sent back in time.
He seemed to look older, probably around sixteen.
There was one more thing different.
His hair was longer, almost falling to his shoulders.
A single gray streak framed his face on the left side.
Percy looked around, he seemed to be back in his own house.
He was wearing regular clothes.
A nice blue button-up shirt and navy blue formal trousers. Almost as though he was dressed for a date.
A pair of tan coppery arms enveloped his form.
He couldn't see the face.
"You ready?"
Her voice- it obviously belonged to a girl- was familiar, but the boy couldn't put a finger on it.
"Yeah."
Percy mumbled into the figure's dark hair.
The girl's hair had a gray streak too.
He took a deep breath but smelt nothing.
He could smell nothing in his dream.
He idly remembered Annabeth mentioning something similar to not having all five of your senses in a dream.
"Today is going to be best day ever!"
The girl's voice was- Chirpy. Alive. Happy.
Still familiar...
"Of course it's gonna be great! It's our one year anniversary!"
The girl giggled.
"You make it sound as though we are already married!"
Her voice was teasing.
"I plan on it"
Percy's smirk caught the girl off guard.
"I love you, Percy!"
He smiled at her, completely turning around.
He stared deep into her pitch black eyes.
The color of volcanic rocks.
"I love you too... Zoe"