Adore

Chapter Nine

 First Day on the Road.

It really didn't take me long to get packed for the 'stupidly dangerous yet could save the whole world' quest. All I took was the spare change of clothes and toiletries that were in the bag Luke got me the first day in camp. I left the Minotaur Horn at my cabin. What? You thought that it was stolen by Hermes' Cabin? Naaah. Turns out, most of them just steal just because they were expected to. They still were masters at the art, sure, but that doesn't mean they steal everything they can. Well, except Travis and Connor, but there's always exceptions to the rules. And when I trusted them not the steal the spoil, they respected me and refrained from touching my stuff. Good guys, huh?

Anyways, the camp store loaned me one hundred dollars mortal cash, and twenty golden drachmas. Wow. I thought drachmas were supposed to be silver, but Chiron told me that the gods never use anything but solid gold. Huh. Wonder how they got Lord Hades to cough out the gold. I mean, he is the one in charge of all the precious metals, seeing as they are in his domain, right? Well, Chiron just coughed slightly and not so subtly changed the topic. Great. Another god Zeus bullied. Now, I'm not siding with the Lord of the Dead or anything, but the more I learn about the King of the Gods, the more I understand why Hades took his weapon. I mean, come on! Isn't he supposed to be fair and benevolent and all of that stuff? No wonder Dad and Lady Hera forced him to make that oath. Not that it helped any, but still, it's the thought that counts, right?

Anyway, Chiron gave Ethan a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares and a canteen filled with nectar. He also warned us not to overdose on those things, or else, we'll combust. Literally. So we have to be responsible. Ethan took one look at Luke and nodded, instantly stashing the items in his own pack. Luke just pouted like a little kid denied his favorite toy. "I swear, Luke, you're channeling too much Travis and Connor for my liking." Luke just smirked at my direction. "From whom do you think they learned all of those things, Mademoiselle?" I just groaned and facepalmed.

Ethan was also bringing with him his dual swords, both Xiphos styled. I looked at Ethan in confusion when he mentioned Xiphos. Chiron noticed my look and kindly explained to me that the Xiphos was the standard blade used in Ancient Greece. It was smaller than a regular broadsword, with a much more defined tip. I was surprised to note that Ethan looked much more at ease when he showed me how to hold the two swords than with the one-handed swords we use in the arena. If he was skilled enough to beat campers on a sword that wasn't his preferred style, then how good is he? Ethan saw my wondering gaze and smiled at me. "I may be good, sis, but Luke's on a different league from me. And so are you." I smiled, a giddy feeling rising up inside of me. I thought it was just a fluke when he called me his sister when he was busy trying to catch Luke earlier, but he really thought of me as his sister. It wasn't just me thinking that I wanted him to be family. He did too. He stashed his swords and ruffled my hair affectionately.

Grover wore his fake feet and his pants to pass as human. He wore a green rasta-style cap, because when it rained his curly hair flattened and you could just see the tips of his horns. His bright orange backpack was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. In his pocket was a set of reed pipes his daddy goat had carved for him, even though he bashfully admitted that he wasn't very good with them yet.

Luke was bringing his Converse sneakers he said was a gift from his dad from his last quest. As he was talking about his dad, I saw a faint spark of frustration and loneliness in his eyes. That had me curious, but seeing as he was skirting the topic of his last quest, I just contented myself in knowing that he'll tell me anyways. Well, when he's ready. Back to the shoes, I asked Luke if they were like the flying shoes Hermes has. Luke winked at me and looked at his shoes. "Maia!" Instantly the pair sprouted wings. I looked at the shoes with wonder. "Cool."

Chiron laughed a little at my reaction. "Child, you mustn't undermine your own magic item." I looked at him, confused for a moment before remembering and bringing out the magic pen he gave me. Chiron smiled and nodded. "Yes, Percy. That one. Have you noticed that you can never lose it?" "Really?" Chiron laughed a little. "Yes, Child. It returns to your pockets once you are disarmed or you let go of it." Really? Then I wouldn't have to worry about losing it! Chiron smiled indulgently at me, looking at the blade again. "Tell me, have you noticed the engravings on the blade itself?" I shook my head, uncapping the pen. The blade shimmered to its full size. Luke's eyes were wide and Ethan looked surprised as they looked at the blade in fascination. "So THAT'S why I haven't seen that blade in the armory!" Luke's astonished voice almost had me breaking down in giggles, but the light engravings on the flat side of the blade captured my attention. Ανακλυσμός. "Riptide." Chiron nodded as he gazed at the blade with a solemn air. "That's correct, Percy. Anaklusmos, a blade with a long tragic history, if wielded by others not from Poseidon's blood. It was a gift from your father. I had an audience with the Oracle long ago, but I didn't know you were the one who I was waiting for. It is truly yours, child." I looked at the centaur, exasperated. "You knew who Dad was, didn't you?" He just smiled softly at me. "You weren't exactly subtle about it, child." I just shook my head, smiling. Crazy, well-meaning, soft-hearted centaur.

We were heading for Half-Blood Hill, the name for the hill with Thalia's tree on the top, when Luke suddenly stopped. "Vlacas! I forgot my new weapon at Percy's cabin!"Chiron raised an eyebrow at his statement, clearly wondering why Luke's weapon was inside my cabin. Grover was trying to refrain from smiling, while Ethan was scowling at Luke. I just sighed and gestured at the others to go ahead. Chiron and Grover nodded and continued on, but Ethan stayed where he was, still scowling. "I'm not leaving you with him alone again, sis." Luke was sheepishly rubbing his head, while maintaining a distance from me. "I tell you, dude, it's all a misunderstanding! I heard a scream last night when I was practicing with my new sword and went to check it out!" Ethan just stared at him, clearly not believing a word he's saying. "It's true, Ethan. I had one of my dreams last night. I woke up screaming, and the next thing I knew, Luke was knocking at my door." Luke was gesturing 'See!?', but Ethan was still unconvinced. "Why, then would he spend the night in your cabin? With only the two of you?" I laughed nervously. "Maybe because I cried on him until I fell asleep?" Uh-oh. Ethan's scary aura is appearing again. "Percy slept with you!?" Luke, by this time, was sweating bullets again. "She was clinging to me! I couldn't leave her!" Luke then mumbled something I didn't hear, making Ethan lighten up and clap him on the shoulder. WHAT? I stared at them, horribly confused. Wasn't Ethan on the verge of mutilating Luke all over again? Ethan just smiled reassuringly at me, which totally didn't reassure me at all. He then mumbled something to Luke, making him as pale as marble, but he nodded resolutely, determined. Ethan smiled a little at him, and squeezed his shoulder, making Luke wince. WHAT IN HADES' NAME IS GOING ON!? I looked at Luke, determined on questioning him, but he just smiled at me. Okay. Boys are weird.

As we were nearing my cabin, Annabeth came running from Cabin Six, gaze solely focused on Luke. "Luke, can I talk to you for a second?" Luke looked surprised, but nodded, turning away from us and walking towards the back of Cabin Seven, making several children of Apollo to look at them curiously. Though, as Luke was walking away, he was gesturing something with his hands behind his back, making Ethan 'hmm' in amusement and grab my arm. "Ethan?" "We're following them." "What? Are you crazy? Annabeth will be furious!" "Just follow me, sis." He then tugged me to the opposite end of the cabin. What? How exactly would we hear what they're saying? When we got there, I ohhed in realization. The opposite part was littered with thick underbrush, perfect for hiding. Hmm. So this is how news travels fast around here. There were hiding places everywhere! Ethan just nodded and put a finger to his lips, signaling me to be quiet. I nodded, and we crept closer and closer to the two. We stopped a few feet of them, and we could clearly hear Annabeth's pleading tone.

"Luke, please listen to me. Please don't go on this quest! There are four of you! That's already breaking the rules! And please! Remember the last quest you went on! I don't want you to get killed!" Annabeth was begging. Holy Poseidon, Annabeth, the most stubborn person I've had the pleasure of knowing (well, except for myself, but that's a different case), was begging Luke not to go. What? I looked at Ethan, but he was staring at the two, his gray eyes narrowed. I looked at the two, and blinked, when I noticed that Luke was shaking his head. "Annabeth, I value your opinion, but this time, I have to do this. I care about Percy too much to leave her with Ethan and Grover. Not that I don't trust them, but I'm the only one in this camp that has experience with quests. I need to be there." Luke's words left a warm feeling inside my chest, and I'm pretty sure my face was pink, but I ignored it in favor of the current conversation. Annabeth was turning red pretty quickly. "Why do you care about her so much? Why do you side with her? Why, Luke? I thought we'd always be a family? The three of us, Luke. Why do you place her above me!?" She grabbed the front of his shirt and brought her head to his chest. Ethan was scowling, whether at Luke or Annabeth, I have no idea. And I know that I have a crush on Luke, but why on earth is my heart thudding so loudly inside my chest, like it was going to break any second? I was roused from my thoughts as Luke pulled Annabeth from him, holding her at arm's length. "Annabeth, we are family. I love you like a little sister-," At this, Annabeth sobbed a little, shaking her head. "-but I need to do this. I-I know you were counting on me liking Thalia, but she's my best friend. And she knows that. She knew. But when we found you, we agreed that we'd be your parents. Though, now I see that was a bad decision. Annabeth, I wasn't in love with Thalia. Besides, she likes older guys. And I was too happy for her tastes. Annabeth, I know this is shattering your childhood, but you need to know. And as for Percy, I-," "Luke, stop. Just stop." Annabeth was sobbing harder now, her stormy gray eyes looking like a hurricane with her emotions running through. Luke stopped talking, though, he still didn't let go of her. She was shaking like a leaf. "I know I'm a child of Athena, and that I'm supposed to always think rationally, but now, I don't know what to think. Please, Luke. Please, leave me alone." Luke was reluctant, but her heartbroken tone forced him to nod and release her. The moment she was free, Annabeth quickly ran away, leaving Luke standing there, with a sad frown on his face.

When Annabeth left, Ethan rose from his crouch, prompting me to stand as well. Luke sighed as he faced us, looking at Ethan's direction. Ethan nodded a little, sporting a small smile. I blinked. So, Ethan knew all of the things Luke said? Luke must've noticed my confusion, because he directed a sad smile towards me. "When Annabeth and I came here without Thalia, I was a wreck. Ethan just arrived a few days ago before us, so I felt comfortable sharing with him everything that happened to me. To the three of us." So, Annabeth and Luke were the two demigods who befriended Thalia. Gods. Grover must be taking this quest hard. I have to talk to him later. To Luke, I just nodded, giving him an encouraging smile. "She'll understand, Luke. She's your family." Luke smiled, the somber air disappearing. "Yeah, she is. Though, so are you guys." I just laughed a little as Ethan bopped Luke on the head and calling him an immature dramatic sap. We headed back to my cabin, a lighter atmosphere surrounding us. Though, none of us noticed the shadows that were forming behind us, with malicious golden eyes that were glinting in the sunlight.

When we were a few feet from the cabin, Luke immediately headed straight for the porch, stopping beside the stairs and kneeling. I followed, curious. Was there a storage area there? As it turns out, the stairs were hollow, with the side panel being loose. Luke pulled out the plywood, revealing a sheathed sword. He pulled it out, and replaced the plywood, then stood up. I felt Ethan stop behind me, looking curiously at the sword. "So, this it?" "Yeah." Luke unsheathed the sword, making me blink with the curious shape of its blade. It was shaped like a machete, only a little shorter and slimmer than a regular machete. "What's that?" Luke smiled at me, holding the sword up to the light, making it shine and glimmer. "This, Perce, is called a Makhaira. It's a sword used for cutting back in Ancient Greece." "And what, exactly, is your ability that's compatible with this?" Luke had a glimmer of mischievousness on his eyes. "You'll find out." I growled, irritated. Luke just laughed and winked at me, while Ethan just shook his head at Luke's wheedling.

We headed back to Thalia's tree and found that Argus, wearing a chauffeur's uniform, was also there, nodding every now and again to whatever conversation Grover and Chiron were having. When they saw us, Grover suddenly waved us, excited. "Guys! Look at this! Annabeth loaned it to me!" He then held out the Yankees cap that I saw back in Capture the Flag. I wondered what was so special about the cap, especially because Luke froze in his tracks, disbelief coloring his whole face. "I can't believe she'll part with her treasured cap." I plucked Ethan's sleeve, silently asking why Luke was acting like that. Ethan quietly told me that the cap was given to Annabeth by her mother, Athena. It also turned the user invisible, so it was invaluable to the Daughter of the Wisdom Goddess. Wow. Now I get it. Ethan just nodded and approached Luke. "Luke, snap out of it." Luke turned to Ethan, worry and guilt clouding his normally bright blue eyes. "Was I wrong, Ethan?" "No. You did the right thing, dude. She has the right to know." "Yeah."

I was about to say something to Luke, to comfort him, but I heard a sudden thundering of footsteps, all coming towards us. When I turned to look, Travis, Connor, Silena, and Will were all running towards us, with Clarisse leisurely following them behind. "Percy!" Connor took a running leap towards me, but Ethan suddenly appeared in front of me, and instead of him tackling me to the ground, Connor collided with Ethan's chest, hard. And seeing that Ethan was a bigger than Connor, it resulted in him receiving most of the damage. He plopped onto the ground, face first, with stars dancing above his head. "Why does this always happen to me?" he groaned, his words muffled by the ground. Travis just laughed as he arrived and poked his brother by his foot. "'Coz, bro, you never learn. You don't put on moves on Percy if Luke and or Ethan are with her." Will just sighed as he knelt to the ground, already reciting hymns to Apollo for Connor's recovery. Silena, meanwhile, shoved a very heavy bag on my arms. "Silena, what's this?" Silena just tutted at me, looking through my bag. Wait. When did she get that? It was on my shoulders, for Poseidon's sake! As I gaped at her, Silena dropped my bag onto the ground, then put her hands on her shapely hips. "Honestly, Percy dear. Those aren't clothes to bring out on a quest! You're going to L.A.! Vegas, hun! You need to look the part! Now, I've gotten the cabin together and got these clothes for you four. They're all second-hand, but well taken care of. I've got night dresses for Percy, and suits for the guys. I've also stuffed in there matching heels and shoes for the outfits! Oh, and all of your toiletries, dear. Now, have fun and save the world for me, hun!" She then kissed me on both cheeks, blew a kiss on Grover's direction, and waved at Luke and Ethan. Ethan nodded at her, while Grover was starstruck. If this was a cartoon, I would've pictured him with hearts for eyes, the way he was looking at the gorgeous Daughter of Aphrodite. Luke, he was looking at us, a strained smile on his lips. I knew he wasn't really there, so I just nodded and excused myself from Silena, while glancing at Ethan. She took one look at me, winked and mouthed 'I'll distract him, hun.' She then started to mother Ethan, making him cough, embarrassed. I took the chance to go to Luke.

"Hey." Luke looked at me, startled at my proximity. He glanced at Ethan, then snorted a little, seeing as Ethan was busy fielding of Silena. "Hey, Mademoiselle." I smiled at him, making him smile a little back. "You know, I really don't know what to say to you, Luke, seeing as I really don't know the history between you and Annabeth, beside what you've told us, but now, I think she's just worried about you, so she's loaning us her treasured cap so we don't fail. She cares about you a lot, Luke. I think you're the only family she thinks she has left. And, awhile ago, did you seriously say all those things to purposely hurt her?" Luke shook his head vehemently. "I'd never do that to her." I smiled at him. "See? You're doing this for her. What do you say, when we get back, I'll go and extend the olive branch out to her?" Luke's smile strengthened a little, making mine even wider. "You're a gem, Perce. A gem." I laughed a little, hitting his arm. "You're really a Casanova, you know that?" His smile turned teasing, his eyes shining with mirth. "And now, I really can't call you Mademoiselle anymore, seeing as we know Poseidon's your dad. How about Kalogriés?" I gaped at him. He DID NOT seriously name me 'Damselfish'. Luke took one look at my face and laughed. "Damselfish it is!" My face was feeling really, really hot right about now. "You're an idiot." Luke just smiled softly at me, his eyes twinkling like stars. "I like you too, Perce." I gaped at him, stunned by his words. Wait. Was that like 'as a friend' like, or like 'as a girlfriend' like? I was about to ask him, but before I could utter out a single syllable, someone cleared their throat behind us. We turned to look, and Clarisse was there, looking at us with a glint in her eyes. "Chiron's calling you guys, and nobody noticed because they're still squabbling." Sure enough, Silena was getting on everyone's cases by now, even criticizing Will, who was helping Connor up to his feet. I just shook my head and started to head back, with Luke doing the same. "Oh, and Castellan?" I turned to look back at Clarisse, though she was looking at Luke, the look in her eyes promising pain. "Percy comes back hurt, you're dead. Got that?" Luke gulped and nodded. Satisfied that she made her point, she trudged back up to where the rest were, blending in with the background once more. Luke just looked at me, exasperated. "What is it with you that attract people who want to harm me?" "Don't blame me! I don't know, either!"

When we got back to the others, Silena had thankfully laid off everyone, making them sigh in relief. Ethan was eying Luke and me with a suspicious gaze, eyes cutting back to Silena, who was smiling angelically at him. Chiron cleared his throat, effectively cutting all chaos and making us focus on him. "Heroes, the time has come. Just relax, Questers, and always keep a clear head. Remember, children, of the events that hinge on your journey. Do your best, and follow your destinies." After those words, final hugs were given ("Why won't you let me hug Percy, Luke!?" "I know you, Connor. Now stop before Ethan goes into 'overprotective mode' again!"), and goodbyes were said ("Take care of yourselves." "Kill some monsters for me, hun!" "Remember what I said, Castellan."), then we trudged down the hill, towards the same strawberry van that took me to my mom, that changed my life. Argus was already waiting for us, though when he looked at us, he faced the van and clicked what must've been the van's alarm system. Though, instead of making a racket, the van shimmered and formed an SUV. "Cool." I heard Grover's voice behind me. I just nodded, stunned. As we were boarding the car, with Luke, who was ignoring Ethan's scowl, helping me up, I looked back up at the top of the hill. There, in all of his glory, Chiron stood, with his bow raised in salute. Travis and Connor were waving both arms while jumping up and down while Silena and Will were just waving, expressions nervous but happy. Clarisse had her arms crossed over her chest, looking out at us with a serious frown. I just smiled and waved at them back. Just a typical sendoff by your typical campers at a demigod camp.

Argus drove us out of the countryside and into western Long Island. It felt weird to be on a highway again, Luke and Grover sitting next to me, and Ethan was out front in the passenger's seat, as if we were normal carpoolers. After two weeks at Half-Blood Hill, the real world seemed like a fantasy. I found myself staring at every McDonald's, every kid in the back of his parents' car, every billboard and shopping mall. Luke noticed what I was doing and smiled. "It feels weird, doesn't it? The normalcy?" "Yeah. And to think, I thought I was part of it the first twelve years of my life." Luke hmmed, though I could tell my words affected him more than he showed. After that, I tactfully changed the topic to whether the next Capture the Flag would feature Ares getting revenge on Athena. Luke lightened up and stated that they probably will.

Traffic slowed us down in Queens. By the time we got into Manhattan it was sunset and starting to rain. Argus dropped us at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, not far from my mom and Gabe's apartment. Argus unloaded our bags, made sure we got our bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch us as he pulled out of the parking lot. I looked at the direction my old apartment was, wondering whether my mom made it safe. She didn't see the Fates, so she should be fine. Though, with what fine meant, what with Smelly Gabe always there, mooching off her hard earned money for his beer and poker. I swear, if I find out he's doing more than just living off my mom's money, he's gonna regret having messed with my mother.

Grover shouldered his backpack as he gazed down the direction I was staring at. "Your mom's safe, Mare. She's a formidable woman." I looked at him, eyebrow raised. That was the nth time he managed to guess correctly what was on my mind. Were satyrs capable of reading minds? Grover laughed a little at my reaction. "I guess your mom didn't know. Satyrs could read emotions." Ah. So that explains how easily he could read me. Grover laughed as he pulled me to the bench to sit.

Turns out, the bus took longer than we expected, so to pass the time, Grover took one of the apples in his pack and started to play Hacky Sack with it. Ethan and Luke joined in while I just watched them. Luke was pretty amazing. He could bounce the apple everywhere. Ethan was laughing as he tried to take the apple away from him, but Luke kept evading him. Well, until a mistimed toss up in the air had the apple too close to Grover's mouth, and the Hacky Sack disappeared, core, stem and all. I laughed so hard I fell out of my seat. Luke and Ethan were at the same boat while Grove was pretty much the color of a tomato.

At long last, though, the bus finally came. Though, as we were waiting in line to board, Grover, who was in front of me, suddenly was tense, sniffing the air. "Hircum?" "I smell something different, Mare. Be careful." I nodded, then repeated the warning to Luke and Ethan behind me. They nodded, gripping their bags, where they kept their weapons, more securely. I put my hand on my jeans pocket and grabbed Riptide, ready for anything. As we sat on our seats at the very back of the bus, I relaxed a little, thinking it safe, though Ethan and Luke never put their packs down. Grover was about to stow away his, but Luke stopped him. "Don't. You never know what'll happen, Grove." He nodded, sitting back down, the hold on his bag tightening.

As it turned out, Luke was right. When the last of the passengers got on board, I heard Grover take in a sharp intake of breath. "Bla-ha-ha! Percy!" An old lady had just boarded the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face, and she carried a big paisley purse. When she tilted her head up, her black eyes glittered, and my heart skipped a beat. Oh gods. She was older, wrinklier, but I'd definitely recognize that face anywhere.

It was Mrs. Dodds.

Behind her came two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise they looked exactly like Mrs. Dodds-same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses. Triplet demon grandmothers. They sat in the front row, right behind the driver. 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.

"Di immortales! All three! All three at once!" Grover was panicking. I could tell he was remembering a different time than present, with his whimpering. Luke and Ethan, thankfully were trying to find ways to escape. "Windows?" Ethan, seeing he was sitting beside the window, tried to open it, but it won't budge. "Locked." "Back exit?" "Greyhounds don't usually have back exits." I moaned, then slouching on my seat so that my head was barely visible from the front. Anyways, it wouldn't be the safest thing to do, seeing as we were on Ninth Street, heading for Lincoln Tunnel. "An emergency exit on the roof, then?" Luke was scanning the top of the bus, finding any evidence of an exit. Though, as he was gazing up, we entered the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle. It was eerily quiet without the sound of the rain.

Mrs. Dodds got up. "I need to go to the restroom." The second and third copies of her echoed her statement before all three of them started to move towards the back. Towards us. Luke suddenly jolted, shaking Grover from his memories. "I've got it! Annabeth's cap! Loan it to Percy for a moment. She's the one they want. She can leave, and we can rendezvous elsewhere!" I was shaking my head. "No! I won't leave you guys! Not now, not ever!" Ethan grabbed my shoulders reassuringly. "Percy, you're more important than us. Your scent is stronger, more powerful. If you get away, there's the chance that they won't notice us." "Please, Perce." Luke looked at me with those pleading blue eyes, and I knew I caved in. I nodded, grabbing the cap that Grover was holding in front of me, and jabbing it on my head. When I looked at myself, my body had vanished. "Goodluck." "Be safe." Luke whispered. I nodded, though I knew they didn't see it.

I started creeping up the aisle. I managed to get up ten rows, then duck into an empty seat just as the Furies walked past. Mrs. Dodds stopped, looking straight at me. She was sniffing the air. I was sure that she would find me not by smell, but by the loud pounding of my heart in my chest. Thankfully though, she moved past me. I was free. I made it to the front of the bus. We were almost through the Lincoln Tunnel now. I was about to press the emergency stop button when I heard hideous wailing from the back row.

The Furies had transformed. Their faces were still the same but their bodies had shriveled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat's wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws. Their handbags had turned into fiery whips. They had surrounded Ethan, Luke and Grover, all the while lashing their whips, hissing the same question over and over. "Where is it!? Where is it!?"

The other people on the bus were screaming, cowering in their seats. For mortals, they saw something else than three friendly grandmothers, that was for sure. Luke was shouting at one, "She's not here! She's already gone!" The Furies had raised their whips, preparing to strike them. Ethan brought out one of his swords, Luke had unsheathed his, and Grover took out his reed pipes.

I had no time to think about what they were talking about because my mind was overrun by intense need to help my friends. And, lo and behold, my eyes landed on the wheel the driver was holding loosely, seeing as he was trying to see what the commotion at the back of the bus was all about. I just about cursed myself for thinking of this crazy plan, but crazy is better than nothing, right? So, I tugged the wheel to the left, making the bus careen hazardously to the lane for incoming traffic. Everybody panicked as they were thrown to the right, the Furies included. I dearly hoped they were the ones who smashed against the windows.

The driver was shocked, but quickly pulled the wheel to the right, trying to right our position on traffic. "Hey! What the hell's going on here!?" We wrestled for the wheel. The bus slammed against the side of the tunnel, grinding metal, throwing sparks a mile behind us. Somehow the driver found an exit. We shot off the highway, through half a dozen traffic lights, and ended up barreling down one of those New Jersey rural roads where you can't believe there's so much nothing right across the river from New York. There were woods to our left, the Hudson River to our right, and the driver seemed to be veering toward the river. And, Poseidon help me, as much as I wanted the bus to go straight to the river, the mortals with us could drown pretty quickly, so I did the next best thing that popped into my mind; I hit the emergency break.

The bus wailed, spun a full circle on the wet asphalt, and crashed into the trees. The emergency lights came on. The door flew open. The bus driver was the first one out, the passengers yelling as they stampeded after him. I stepped into the driver's seat and let them pass. The Furies had regained their balance, cracking their whips at the three once again. Ethan was jabbing in the direction of one of the Furies, yelling that I wasn't there anymore. Grover was playing a distorted tune that sounded suspiciously like Hillary Duff's So Yesterday, making the other one snarl and lash her whip while shaking her head against the horrible noise. Luke was facing off Mrs. Dodds herself, his sword slashing through the air, making her snarl in frustration seeing as she couldn't reach him. By this time, I've had enough. I took off the cap. "Hey! Over here!"

The Furies turned, baring their yellow fangs at me, and the open exit beside me suddenly seemed like an excellent idea. Mrs. Dodds stalked up the aisle, just as she used to do in class, about to deliver my F- math test. Every time she flicked her whip, red flames danced along the barbed leather. Her two ugly sisters hopped on top of the seats on either side of her and crawled toward me like huge nasty lizards. "Persis Jackson. You have offended the gods. You shall die."

"You were better as a math teacher." I said as I took out Riptide and uncapped it, taking on it true form, shimmering and glimmering like it was submerged underwater. The three hesitated, seeing my blade. Luke, Ethan and Grover were quietly creeping up behind the three, looking for an opening. "Submit now, and you will not suffer eternal torment." I scoffed. Really now. Who would believe that statement when the Torturers of the Underworld themselves were after you. "Nice try."

Apparently, they've had enough talking, as Mrs. Dodds lashed her whip around my sword hand while the Furies on the either side lunged at me. I was running on pure adrenaline as I managed to evade the whip, then strike the Fury to my left with the hilt of my sword. She backed up, howling, before a long, glimmering sword erupted from her stomach, making her explode in golden sand. Ethan was grim faced as he straightened out from his crouch. He then quickly got to the back of the bus to retrieve our stuff. I then turned and found that Grover was wrestling with the Fury on the right, determinedly holding her off with both hands gripping hers. "Mare!" "Got it!" He ducked as I swung Riptide, and beheaded her. She exploded into sand, covering Grover. As I turned to look at Mrs. Dodds, it turns out Luke had severed her wings, making her unbalanced. She kept falling down on the aisle, cursing. "Zeus will destroy all of you! Hades will have your soul! I will enjoy tormenting you for all eternity!" "Erre es korakas!" I figured, if that wasn't foul language in Ancient Greece, I don't know what is. Suddenly, though, thunder shook the bus, making the hair on my arms stand up. Ethan was running, all of our bags on hand, leaping over the fallen and still shrieking Mrs. Dodds. "Hurry! Get out now!"

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!" A Hawaiian-shirted tourist with a camera snapped my photograph before I could recap my sword.

BOOOOOOOM!

The windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof, but an angry wail from inside told me Mrs. Dodds was not yet dead. Luke tugged us all deeper into the forest. "Run! She's going to call for reinforcements!" We didn't have to be told twice. Ethan distributed our stuff, and with a bag each on our shoulders, we plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind us, and nothing but cold darkness up ahead.