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chapter vi.
( the lightning thief )
❝ fury on a greyhound ❞
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AS SOON AS I STEPPED BACK INTO MY CABIN, Lee, Will, Jenna, Kylie, Michael and Jay all were standing in the middle of the room, awaiting my news.
"So?" Jay asked, "What did Chiron say?"
I pretended to look sad, and every single one of my siblings sighed sadly, but soon I broke out into a grin and their eyes widened hopefully.
"I got a quest," I said, on the balls of my feet in excitement.
Before I knew it, I was bombarded with hugs. I tensed, not sure where I was in the many squabbles of Apollo children, but soon Lee pulled everyone back.
"All right, all right, hugs later, right now, we need to get our dear sister ready."
Jay stayed with me while everyone hurried around the cabin. I hadn't moved a spot, and in the end, I still standing wide-eyed at the door. Soon, Jenna rushed towards me with a green backpack.
"Okay, inside you have two sets of spare clothes, toiletries, a long roll of celestial bronze string for your bow, just in case, food, Will added a small canteen of ambrosia and nectar, and Lee's gone to get you some money from the camp store." I was about to protest but she shushed me. "They're loaning you some anyway. You'll need both mortal cash and drachmas. Now, all you need to do is make Apollo cabin proud!" She grinned. "Oh, this is gonna be so good. We've never had a camper take a quest before for as long as Lee's been here, or you for that matter."
I suddenly felt the determination to make my siblings proud, but Jenna's words placed a pressure on my shoulders, and I couldn't help but swallow hard.
"Shush, Jenna," Jay said. "You're pressuring her." He turned to me with a kind smile. "You'll do amazing, those monsters won't know what is coming."
I felt myself grinning. "Thanks, Jay Jay."
"No problem, Claire Bear."
The door opened, and Lee appeared, but he seemed flushed and wide-eyed. He passed me a pouch full of drachmas and one hundred dollars, but he didn't move from the doorway.
"Claire," He said. "There's someone at the edge of the woods to meet you."
I frowned. "Who?"
"You might want to see for yourself."
He then ushered me outside, and I watched as he closed the door behind me, and I could see all my siblings waving and grinning from the windows. I chuckled before making my way to the woods.
It wasn't until I reached the edge that I realised I forgot my bow and my dagger.
"Oh, Styx," I swore quietly, and thunder crashed overhead and the rain poured down even harder.
"Didn't your mother tell you not to swear, Claire?"
I froze. The voice, it was so familiar. It made my body grow warm and my heart and stomach clench. I slowly turned around to see a handsome man leaning against a tree trunk. In the dark storm, his body seemed to radiate a light across the damp grass and bark. He had tousled golden blond hair and black sunglasses. He gave me a smile.
It was Apollo. My father.
"Dad." I could just say. "... hi?"
His smile turned into a grin. "Why hello, my daughter."
I then frowned, and my anger grew. "What are you doing here," I said harshly. "You're meant to be at a meeting up in Olympus."
He either didn't realise my harsh tone or decided to ignore it. Apollo shrugged. "I was there for the main stuff, now it's just Zeus and Poseidon bickering non-stop."
Thunder and lightning clashed up above, and Apollo looked to the sky. "You know it's true!" He called up. He then turned his attention back to me. "Now, how are you feeling? Your first quest, ooh, how exciting!"
I didn't smile, eying my father with an unimpressed glare, and Apollo sighed.
"Look, I understand why you're mad at me, and believe me when I say I couldn't intervene with your powers until this morning, the Fates were always strict on me. God of prophecies and such ... anyway!" He took a step towards me. "This quest will help you more than anything, Claire, and Percy will, no matter how much to don't like it, aid you in finding its purpose. The both of your destinies are tied together. What's that saying? You know, the one a son of Hecate was told all those years ago?" I shook my head, frowning. "Ah! That's it! You and Percy are like two sides of the same coin, and no matter how you wish it not so, it is true."
I scrunched my nose up. I didn't say anything, but by the looks of my father's amused expression, he understood anyway.
"I'm afraid, Claire, that that is all the Fates allow me to say about your future." Apollo sighed. "But I will say this: This is only the beginning, my daughter, only the beginning."
My frown, if possible, deepened. "What do you mean, 'the beginning'?"
Apollo had a strained face, but he didn't answer my question, instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a golden, old fashioned key that was attached to a piece of string. He held it out to me, and I cautiously took it, turning it in my fingers.
"It's a spare key to my Sun Chariot, in case you will – might use it." He coughed up his mistake. "It's also a weapon. Spin it in your hands."
And so I did, and I gasped when I saw the very light around me bend into a magnificent recurve bow, while I felt the weight of a quiver on my back. Gold vines encircled the bow from the lower limp to the upper limp. An engraving was carved into the grip: Ήλιος-κομιστής.
"Ílios-komistís." I muttered. "Sun-bearer."
"Indeed." Apollo nodded. "The bow string will never break, and your quiver of arrows will never run out. Just think of what arrow you need and it will be there. To turn it back, just tap it against your quiver strap. And as you forgot your dagger ..." he once again slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a leaf-shaped, nine inch, celestial bronze knife. I stared at it with wide eyes as I took it from my father's hands.
"H-how did you?" I muttered, nodding to his jacket pocket. Apollo shrugged.
"They're bigger on the inside." I narrowed my eyes at the Doctor Who reference. "Hey, I gave that idea to the creator. He was a child of Apollo, you know?"
I coughed in surprise, my brows shooting up high, and Apollo grinned.
"I should go now," He said. "Good luck on your quest." He then disappeared in a flash of light, and I had to cover my eyes. I stared at the bow and dagger in my hands, and hesitantly, I moved my bow to my quiver strap over my shoulders, and it shrunk back into a key, the weight of my quiver lessened to nothing, and with that done, I slipped my dagger into my boot before running to Thalia's tree where Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Chiron and Argus were waiting.
When they saw me, Percy frowned.
"Where the hell have you been?" He asked, and I stopped in front of him, pulling the necklace over my head and tucking the key under my shirt.
"I was busy." Was all I replied with.
Annabeth narrowed her eyes, giving me a calculating look. In her arms was a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek. Poking out of her pocket I could see her Yankees Cap, and sheathed under her shirt sleeve was her long bronze dagger. She didn't say anything, but I knew she was going to ask later.
Grover wore his fake feet and his trousers to pass as human, on top of his curly hair was a green rasta-style cap, in his pocket was his magical reed pipes and slung over one shoulder was his orange backpack.
Percy was possibly the plainest of them all, in just shorts and a t-shirt. He didn't have a weapon, apart from his backpack, if he really wanted to slam a monster really hard to dust.
Which would never work.
"Ah, Claire," Chiron said, sitting in his wheelchair. "I trust your talk was very informative?"
I nodded, glancing at all three of my friend's curious gazes, but didn't answer any of them. "It was very ... interesting."
The centaur nodded before turning to Argus. He was the camp's head of security. People believed that every ounce of his skin was covered in eyes, which was a pretty educated guess since you could usually see eyes on his arms and legs and neck. Today, he was dressed in a chauffeur's uniform, so the only visible extra eyes were on his hands, face and upper neck.
"This is Argus," Chiron said to Percy. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things."
I heard footsteps behind me and I turned around to see Luke, and I smiled in greeting.
He came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes.
"Hey!" He panted. "Glad I caught you."
I wiggled my eyebrows at Annabeth when I could see her blush, and she gave me a look.
"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke said. "And I thought ... um, maybe you could use these."
He handed Percy the shoes, and I smirked knowingly when I recognised the magical engraving on the bottom.
"Maia!" Luke chanted, and white bird's wings sprouted from the heels of the sneakers. Startled, Percy dropped them. The shoes flapped around on the ground before the wings folded up and disappeared.
"Awesome!" Grover grinned.
Luke smiled. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days ..." I curled my lip when his expression went sad.
"Hey, man," Percy said gratefully. "Thanks."
"Listen, Percy ..." Luke looked uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just ... kill some monsters for me, OK?"
They shook hands. Luke patted Grover's head between the horns. Gave a goodbye hug to Annabeth, who looked as though she might pass out before finally turning to me. He looked to me and gave me a smile before placing his hands on either of my shoulders.
"Look after yourself, got it, Claire?" He said, and I nodded. "And ... just don't do anything stupid." I frowned at his tone but pushed it away.
"You can count on me, Luke," I said, and he grinned, before pulling me into a hug. He ruffled my hair as he left, and I flattened it with a scowl on my face as Percy turned to Annabeth.
"You're hyperventilating."
"Am not."
"You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?"
Annabeth's face went even redder. "Oh ... why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?"
She then stomped downhill to where a white SUV was waiting on the shoulder of the road. Argus followed, jingling his car keys.
Percy picked up Luke's magical shoes after Annabeth left and frowned at them, before turning to Chiron. "I won't be able to use these, will I?"
He shook his head. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air ... that would not be wise for you."
Percy nodded, disappointed, but soon, his eyes lit up and he turned to Grover. "Hey, Grover. You want a magic item?"
Grover's eyes widened. "Me?"
Soon, Percy had tied the shoes over Grover's fake feet, and he was ready for take-off.
"Maia!" He shouted.
Grover got off the ground OK, but then fell over sideways so his backpack dragged through the grass. The sneakers kept on bucking up and down like tiny broncos.
"Practice!" Chiron called after him. "You just need practice!"
I laughed at my goat friend, before waving goodbye to Chiron and following Grover down the hill. Leaving Percy and Chiron by themselves.
*
ONCE PERCY FINALY ENTERED the car, Argus took off. He drove us out of the countryside and into western Long Island. I stared out at the window, a grin on my face when I saw the real world. Every person in a car, every McDonalds, every building was interesting to me. When we passed a billboard, Percy leaned over me to look through the window to read the words.
"Could you not?" I said to him, and he frowned at me before sitting properly again.
"So far so good," He said to me, glancing at Grover on his other side and Annabeth on the other front seat. "Ten miles and not a single monster."
"Don't talk like that," I said roughly, giving him an irritated look. "You'll give us bad luck, Water Boy."
Percy sighed. "Remind me again – why do you hate me so much?"
"I don't hate you."
"Could've fooled me."
"I just find you ... overly annoying."
Percy rolled his eyes. "So, you do hate me."
"Oh, forget it," I growled.
"I was just asking –"
"I said, forget it!"
I didn't not-see a blue eye on Argus's neck wink in Percy's direction, and I made a pointer to throttle him later.
I didn't pay much attention the rest of the trip, I could tell Percy created a conversation with Annabeth, which was pretty civil, in which she described the rivalry between Poseidon and Athena, and Percy left it there.
I even didn't realise I had fallen asleep until Percy shook me awake and I almost hit him in surprise.
"We've arrived." He said and I sighed, before stepping out of the SUV onto Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It was already sunset and was beginning to rain.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Percy rip something taped to a mailbox. I pretended I didn't notice, as I could see whatever it was, he was furious about it.
Argus unloaded our bags, made sure we had our bus tickets, before driving away, one eye on the back of his hand starring at us as he pulled out of the parking lot. Once he left, Annabeth came up to me.
"Are you ready for this?" She asked and I glanced to her, before quickly nodding. "Just stay alert, that's your problem, don't get distracted."
Once again, I nodded, finding nothing to say. Annabeth smiled, before taking my hand. "We'll stick together, yeah? Like all those years ago."
A smile formed on my face. "Yeah," I said to her. "We'll get through this together. We'll make sure Percy doesn't get butt-kicked together."
She let out a laugh in which I followed. She then turned serious, and muttered lowly. "Your talk you had earlier ... was it with your father?"
"Yeah," I said, but I didn't continue, and Annabeth understood. I really didn't want to tell anyone about Percy being "one side of a coin" and me being the other, or the fact that this quest was only the beginning of something, by the looks of my father's face, was horrible.
The rain continued to pour, and in the end, after the four of us began to get restless waiting for the bus, I decided to take one of Grover's apples and started up a game of Hacky Sack. I guess it was my father's gift of accuracy and hand-eye coordinate, but I was quite good at the game. Together, Annabeth and I took turns in doing tricks, bouncing it on our knees, shoulders and elbows. Percy wasn't so bad himself either, keeping the apple up for at least five times before he would pass. The game ended when he passed it to Grover and it got too close to his mouth. The satyr ate the apple – stem, core and all.
Grover blushed, and tried to apologise, but we were all busy laughing.
Finally, the bus came, and we all lined up to board. I was behind Percy and Grover, and I could hear their conversation. The satyr nervously sniffed the air, making Percy frown.
"What is it?" He asked.
"I don't know," Grover said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing."
He pretended to dismiss it, but I found myself reaching behind me to take hold of Annabeth's hand tightly, she squeezed it in reassurance. But when Percy glanced back at me, I glanced into his sea-green eyes, and I felt myself calming down, hearing the sound of waves in the distance. Without realising, I gave him a small smile.
I was even more relieved when we finally boarded and made our way to the back seat. I sat in the middle, while Percy and Grover sat on my right and Annabeth on my left. The others stowed their backpacks, but I had a feeling inside me that made me keep mine in my lap, my arms wrapped around it tightly.
The last passengers walked onto the bus, and my eyes widened when I saw an old lady enter. She was wearing a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face, but when I caught a glimpse, I had a bad feeling in my stomach, and I knew who it was.
It was Mrs Dodds, Percy's ex pre-algebra teacher.
I let out a short gasp and clamped my hand on Percy's knee. "Percy." I whispered to him harshly, nodding at Mrs Dodds.
He looked up and his eyes widened before he quickly scrunched down in his seat.
My eyes went even wider when three more ladies followed her, they were exactly the same instead they had different coloured hats. I glanced at Annabeth worriedly, and she bit her lip, her eyes fixed on the three Furies that sat down in the front row. The two on the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, making an 'x'. It was casual enough, but it sent a clear message: nobody leaves.
The bus pulled out of the station and started to head down the streets of Manhattan.
"She didn't stay dead long," Percy said to me in a rushed whisper, his voice quivering ever now and then. "I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime."
"No, I didn't," I said to him.
He gave me a confused look and I sighed.
"They only get dispelled for a lifetime if you're lucky. Obviously, you're not."
I expected Percy to say a smart reply, but he didn't. Instead, Grover whimpered from beside him. "All three of them, di immortals!"
"It's OK," Annabeth said, and I could tell she was thinking hard. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows."
"They won't open." Grover moaned.
"A back exit?" The daughter of Athena tried.
I glanced around. There wasn't one. But even If there had of been one, it wouldn't've helped, we were already on Ninth Avenue, heading straight for the Lincoln Tunnel.
"Oh, marvellous," I muttered angrily. "Of all the monsters to attack us, it had to be them."
"They won't attack us with witnesses around," Percy asked. "Will they?"
"Mortals don't have good eyes." Annabeth replied. "Their brains can only process what they see through the mist."
"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?"
Annabeth pursed her lips in thought. "... Hard to say. But we can't count of mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof ...?"
Just as she had finished, we hit Lincoln Tunnel and I sighed angrily, banging my head on the back of my seat. "You have got to be kidding me."
The first Fury, 'Mrs. Dodds', got up, and my breath hitched in my throat. In a flat voice, as though she rehearsed it in front of a mirror, she announced to the whole bus, "I need to use the restroom."
"So do I," then came the second sister.
"So do I," and the third.
They all started coming down the aisle and my brain racked for an idea, until I glimpsed at Annabeth and I got one.
"Percy," I whispered harshly, "Listen to me. Take Annabeth's hat."
"What?" Percy and Annabeth said at the same time.
"You're the one they want. Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away."
Annabeth, understanding the plan, quickly handed Percy her cap. He took it, shaking his head at me. "But you guys –"
"There's a chance they might not see us." I interrupted him. "You're a child of the Big Three, you're smell is overpowering."
But Percy was still being stubborn. "But you told me with your pow—"
I paled, he had a point. "Compared to you ... I might still go unnoticed."
"But what if you don't?"
"Then we'll fight. Now, go!"
"I can't just leave you."
"Percy, just put on the damn hat!" I said harshly, shoving the hat in his hands towards his chest.
"Don't worry about us," Grover said. "Go!"
Percy's hands were trembling, but he finally nodded and slipped on the hat and turned invisible.
I knew I couldn't use my bow in such close proximity, so I slowly reached down to my boot and took out my knife, before sliding it up my sleeve. Then Annabeth, Grover and I slid to the floor, hiding behind the back of the row before us. I risked peeking out the edge. The three Furies continued to make their way down before they suddenly stopped, and I waited with bated breath when Mrs Dodds turned swiftly to the right, sniffing. But soon, she left it, and continued on with her sisters.
We were nearly out of Lincoln Tunnel when the Furies reached the back row, and I closed my eyes before standing up, eyeing the three sisters with my deadliest glare I could muster. Annabeth and Grover hesitated before doing the same thing. A cruel smile grew on Mrs Dodds face before her and her sisters each let out an identical wail and began to transform.
Their bodies shrivelled to leathery brown hag bodies, big bat wings protruded from their back and talons grew from their fingertips and feet. Their purses each turned into long, fiery whips.
I was completely terrified, but I stayed my ground. All around us passengers screamed and children cried, cowering behind their seats.
The Furies surrounded us, their whips lashing. "Where is it?" They hissed. "Where?!"
"Go away, he's not here!" I yelled at them. "He's gone!"
The Furies raised their whips and both Annabeth and I drew our daggers, while Grover grabbed a tin can from his snack pack and readied to throw it. I took hold of my backpack in my left hand, ready to use it if I must.
That was when suddenly, the bus lurched. I yelped in surprise when I was thrown to the right along with passengers and monsters alike. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the driver wrestling for the wheel with an imaginary person, and I grinned. Go Percy.
"Hey!" The driver yelled. "Hey – whoa!"
I gasped when the bus slammed against the side of the tunnel, grinding metal, I could see sparks flying out behind us. When suddenly, we were all once again thrown to the left. I glanced to Annabeth and Grover.
"Take hold of something!" I held to them, and they nodded. Grover grabbed a bar, while Annabeth took hold of the handle on the side of the chair, and I took the one by the chair I had fallen into. "This better work, Water Boy." I muttered to myself.
We careened out of Lincoln Tunnel, sliding on the wet road. The screams and yells from the passengers were accompanied by the alarmed hisses from the three Furies. Cars ploughed out of the way like bowling pins.
Somehow, the driver found and exit, and we shot off the highway, through a dozen stop lights, and ending up barrelling our way down a road with woods on our right and the Hudson River on the left, and my eyes widened when we seemed to be nearing the river.
Then suddenly, the emergency brake hit.
The bus wailed, spinning a full circle on the wet road. Everything was a blur around me, but I managed to take hold of my backpack which I had dropped as it slid along the aisle. When I caught a glimpse of the nearing trees, I quickly braced myself almost without thinking – it must have been the ADHD – and gritted my teeth when we went crashing into the trees.
The emergency lights came on, the door flew open. The bus driver was the first to scramble out, the passengers stampeding after him.
I quickly stood up and readied myself into a stance as the Furies regained themselves. They thrashed their whips at Annabeth, Grover and I. Annabeth yelled at them in Ancient Greek, telling them to back off. Grover threw tin cans. I spun my dagger in my hand, stepping back from on lash. I didn't know what to do, how to fight them.
That was when Percy reappeared at the front of the bus. "Hey!" He yelled, and the Furies spun to look at him. I won't admit it, but for the first time, I was glad to see the Son of Poseidon.
Mrs Dodds stalked up the aisle towards him. Every time she flicked her whip, red flamed danced along the barbed wire. Her two sisters hopped up onto the chairs on either side of her and crawled along the top of them like lizards.
"Perseus Jackson," Mrs Dodds said in a raspy voice. "You have offended the Gods. You'll shall die."
"I liked you better as a Math's teacher." Percy replied angrily.
She growled.
I glanced at my friends and we all shared a nod before we started to cautiously follow up behind the other two furies, looking for an opening. I stayed with Grover, seeming as he only really had a tin can as a weapon. Not that I underestimated him, he can kick butt if he really wanted to.
Percy took a ballpoint pen from his pocket and uncapped it. My eyes went wide when I saw a celestial bronze, leaf-shaped, double-edged sword.
Since when did he have a magical item?!
The Furies hesitated at the sight of the sword.
"Submit now," Mrs Dodds said. "And you will not suffer eternal torment."
"Nice try." Percy said.
"Look out!" Annabeth cried suddenly and I saw Mrs Dodds lash her whip around Percy's wrist while the other two Furies lunged at him. Somehow he managed to keep his sword in his grip and he slammed the hilt against the Fury on the left, sending her my way, in which I brought my backpack across her dazed face, sending her stumbling away, I then dropped the bag to the ground and readied my dagger. Okay, everything bad I said about bags as weapons before? I take it all back.
Percy turned to the Fury on the right and sliced her through and through. As soon as the blade touched her neck, she screamed and exploded into dust. Annabeth got Mrs Dodds into a headlock and yanked her backwards while Grover ripped the whip from her hands.
"Ow!" He yelled. "Ow! Hot! Hot!"
I ducked a lash from the remaining sister, stepping to the side. I backtracked another slash before waving my palm across me, I felt a warm tug in my body before the light around me slashed across the Fury's face with a flash and she cried out, now temporally blinded. I took my chance, stepping forward and digging my blade into her chest, and she exploded into dust with a wail.
Percy dropped his blade from the air, missing the chance to kill the Fury himself. I grinned at him, giving him a 'snooze you lose' look before turning to where Grover and Annabeth battled Mrs Dodds.
The Fury was trying to get Annabeth off her neck. She flailed, kicked and thrashed, but the child of Athena held on while Grover got Mrs Dodds leg's somehow tied up in her own whip. Finally, they shoved her backwards into the aisle.
I casually cleaned my dagger and slipped in back into my boot as she tried to stand up, but her tied wings kept making her fall back to the ground.
"Zeus will destroy you!" She cried. "Hades will have your soul!"
"Braccas meas vescimini!" Percy yelled at her. I frowned at the Latin, having no idea where he got it from, but I had a feeling it meant, "Eat my pants!"
That was when thunder shook the bus, and the hair rose on the back of my neck.
I glanced at Annabeth, who didn't waste a moment.
"Get out!" She yelled. "Get out now!"
We didn't need to be told twice. We rushed outside and found the other passengers wandering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around in circles, yelling, "We're going to die!"
I would have laughed, but a Hawaiian-shirted tourist with a camera snapped a picture of Percy's face before he could recap his sword, and 'lucky me' found myself in the picture as well.
"Our bags!" Grover suddenly said, and my eyes widened in realisation. "We left our –"
BOOM!
The windows of the bus exploded, and the passengers ran for cover. I took a deep, fearful breath at the site of where lightning had shredded a huge crater in the roof. However, an angry wail told me Mrs Dodds hadn't died in the blast but was still alive and well.
But it wasn't just an angry wail.
"Run!" I found my voice. "She's calling for reinforcements! We have to get out of here!"
So we plunged into the woods as the heavy rain poured down. Leaving the bus in flames and entering the darkness ahead of us.