CHAPTER NINE:
MY DEATH MISSION

That night I didn't go to bed.

Instead I found myself standing at the edge of the lake.

I believe I mentioned this either, but I've always been scared of the water. Mainly oceans, but I guess it kinda spread to lakes.

This doesn't really make sense to me. I mean, it makes sense, but it doesn't at the same time.

It explains why my mom said my dad was lost at sea, but if it wasn't true why do I still feel terrified by the water.

I feel like my biggest fear is becoming true. The ocean is taking me away, away from my life, away from myself. And I hate it.

I feel like I want to scream, but I know I can't because if I do 99% of the camp will be here in seconds armed for a fight.

"River" my head snapped over to the girl.

Aella was there, standing in the dark. Her face perfectly silhouetted in the moonlight.

Was there anything that wasn't perfect about this girl.

"What are you doing here" what is she doing here?

"Sitting" I paused. I'm not sitting "uh—standing" I corrected.

"Are you okay" she walked closer to me. She had rapped herself in a blanket. A blue blanket.

"I'm fine" I said.

"Then you should be fine with me joining you" I don't understand why she would want to. She looks tired as if she had just woken up from a 3 hour nap.

"Yeah, im fine with that"

I'm not sure if I actually was.

"What are you doing here"

"I told you I'm standing"

She rolled her eyes "no. What are you doing here" she emphasized the 'here'.

"Standing" I repeated. She gave me an 'I'm not that stupid Look' which I 100% believe.

I stood for another second before deciding this would be easier sitting down. So I sat, Aella following short after.

"I think everyone hates me" I finally spoke.

"Why" I'm not sure if she actually wanted to know. It sounded like it, but I don't know maybe I'm wrong.

I scrunched my nose and shrugged.

Aella let out a short sigh "River" she paused, probably thinking of what to say "you can't choose who your parents are. Some people are lucky and they get a minor god that has done nothing wrong, sometimes they get the ones that actually care about their children, like Apollo, or Demeter. I mean even Ares seems to at least pay attention to his kids. But sometimes they get the ones that ignore you or the ones, that by having you, mark you with a curse."

"You knew her didn't you" I didn't mean to interrupt her, it just came out.

Aella looked over at me a little confused.

"The girl, in the tree"

Something in Aellas eyes went cold. I've never seen her look so mean.

She sucked in a breath and only slightly relaxed. "Thalia" she corrected me.

"Sorry"

"No, it's fine" she looked down at her hands. "I knew her."

I'm not sure if she wanted to say anything else, so I didn't ask.

We sat in silence for about 5 minutes, which was actually a really long time considering we both had major ADHD.

"We should probably go back to the cabin" Aella slowly began to stand up "you know, before the sun rises"

Aella held out her hand for me. I took it with no hesitation.

She was right. She is always right.

The next morning, Chiron moved us to cabin three.

I didn't have to share with anybody, besides Percy. We had plenty of room for all our stuff: Percy's Minotaur's horn, one set of spare clothes each, and a toiletry bag. We got to sit at our own dinner table, pick all our own activities, call "lights out" whenever we felt like it, and not listen to anybody else.

And I was absolutely miserable. But I mean, at least I wasn't alone.

The other campers steered clear of us as much as possible. Cabin eleven was too nervous to have sword class with me and Percy after what we'd done to the Ares folks in the woods. So percy would practice with Luke, and I would with Aella, who was thankfully not ignoring me.

Annabeth still taught us Greek in the mornings, but she seemed distracted. Every time once us said something, she scowled at us, as if we had just poked her between the eyes.

After lessons, she would walk away muttering to herself: "Quest... Poseidon?... Dirty rotten... Got to make a plan..."

Even Clarisse kept her distance, though her venomous looks made it clear she wanted to kill percy for breaking her magic spear. And apparently me, for being related to him. I wished she would just yell or punch me or something. I'd rather get into fights every day than be ignored.

I knew somebody at camp resented us, because one night we came into our cabin and found a mortal newspaper dropped inside the doorway, a copy of the New York Daily News, opened to the Metro page.

The article took me almost an hour to read, because the angrier I got, the more the words floated around on the page.

MOTHER AND CHILDREN STILL MISSING AFTER FREAK CAR ACCIDENT
BY EILEEN SMYTHE

Sally Jackson and twins Percy and River are still missing one week after their mysterious disappearance. The family's badly burned '78 Camaro was discovered last Saturday on a north Long Island road with the roof ripped off and the front axle broken. The car had flipped and skidded for several hundred feet before exploding.

Mother, daughter, and son had gone for a weekend vacation to Montauk, but left hastily, under mysterious circumstances. Small traces of blood were found in the car and near the scene of the wreck, but there were no other signs of the missing Jacksons.

Residents in the rural area reported seeing nothing unusual around the time of the accident.

Ms. Jackson's husband, Gabe Ugliano, claims that his stepchildren are troubled children who have been kicked out of numerous boarding schools and has expressed violent tendencies in the past.

(That made me so mad i almost ripped the page. How dare he call me troubled and violent)

Police would not say whether either children are suspects in their mother's disappearance, but they have not ruled out foul play. Below are recent pictures of Sally Jackson, River and Percy. Police urge anyone with information to call the following toll-free crime-stoppers hotline.

Percy wadded up the paper and threw it away, then flopped down in his bunk bed in the middle of the empty cabin.

"Lights out," he mumbled miserably, mainly to himself.

I stepped terribly.

When I woke, or at least when I thought I woke up. It was raining very heavily. I could hear the waves crashing to the shore from my bed.

I slid off my bed. The moment my feet hit the ground I was ankle deep in water.

I looked around the cabin, but there was no sign of Percy.

"Percy" I called out.

No answer.

I look around the cabin once again before I made my way to the door.

It was dark outside. Maybe like 1 or 2 in the morning. It was so eerie.

I walked down the porch steps. The weird thing, every where I stepped the water was the same level. Like, from my cabin floor, to the stars, to the grass outside.

There was a loud crack of thunder and I saw a very large stripe of lightning strike the lake.

That was strange right? Like I know lightning it more attracted to tall things, metal things, and water, but something about that felt strange. It was like it had been waiting for me, to show me.

Was now a good time to mention I'm also scared of thunder/lightning storms. It's a combination between the loud bangs and the random electric bolts that just zap anything. Not to mention the last time there was lightning I almost got blown to pieces.

Speaking of which, the moment I took my first step a bolt of lightning struck right in front of me.

I froze, every muscle in my body tensed. I have officially decided not to move.

"Hello half-blood" the deep voice sent shivers down my spine.

"Hello mysterious voice" my voice was clearly shaking.

It didn't say anything else instead I noticed that the ground seemed to be sinking, or maybe I was I don't know.

The water was rising, and if possible getting darker. I tried to run away but not only did the lightning strike every time I tried to run, but my feet seemed to be stuck in place.

The water was halfway up my body and I was honestly freaking out. At this point I didn't care about the lightning, I cared about getting the fuck out of here.

I fought and fought, but I was stuck and the water was just below my chin.

I tried taking deep breaths but I was too panicked. I'm pretty sure I was hyperventilating.

Just before the water was able to cover my face, my body snapped up. I was awake.

I was still in bed in cabin three. My body told me it was morning, but it was dark outside, and thunder rolled across the hills. Just like my dream.

I heard a clopping sound at the door. A hoof knocking on the threshold.

"Come in?" Percy's voice scared the shit out of me.

Grover trotted inside, looking worried. "Mr. D wants to see you."

"Why?"

"He wants to kill... I mean, I'd better let him tell you."

I don't have a good feeling about this.

      Nervously, I threw on a sweater and followed, sure that we were in huge trouble.

      Over Long Island Sound, the sky looked like ink soup coming to a boil. A hazy curtain of rain was coming in our direction. Much lighter then it was in my dream.

      Percy asked Grover if we needed an umbrella.

      "No," he said. "It never rains here unless we want it to."

      I pointed at the storm. "What the hell is that, then?"

      He glanced uneasily at the sky. "It'll pass around us. Bad weather always does." I realized he was right. In the week I'd been here, it had never even been overcast. The few rain clouds I'd seen had skirted right around the edges of the valley.

      But this storm... this one was huge.

      At the volleyball pit, the kids from Apollo's cabin were playing a morning game against the satyrs.

      Dionysus's twins were walking around in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow.

      Everybody was going about their normal business, but they looked tense. They kept their eyes on the storm.

      We walked up to the front porch of the Big House. Dionysus sat at the pinochle table in his tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt with his Diet Coke, just as he had on my first day. Chiron sat across the table in his fake wheelchair. They were playing against invisible opponents two sets of cards hovering in the air.

      "Well, well," Mr. D said without looking up. "Our little celebrities." I waited.

      "Come closer," Mr. D said. "And don't expect me to kowtow to you, mortal, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father."

      Was I Crazy to think my dad might actually kick his ass.

      A net of lightning flashed across the clouds. Thunder shook the windows of the house.

      Apparently not.

      "Blah, blah, blah," Dionysus said.

      Chiron feigned interest in his pinochle cards.

      Grover cowered by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth.

      "If I had my way," Dionysus said, "I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm."

      "Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron put in.

      "Nonsense," Dionysus said. "They wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself. I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father."

      "Mr. D-" Chiron warned.

      "Oh, all right," Dionysus relented. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness." Dionysus rose, and the invisible players' cards dropped to the table. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the kids are still here when I get back, I'll turn them into an Atlantic bottlenose. Do you understand? And Jackson's, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do."

      Dionysus picked up a playing card, twisted it, and it became a plastic rectangle. A credit card? No. A security pass.

      He snapped his fingers.

      The air seemed to fold and bend around him. He became a hologram, then a wind, then he was gone, leaving only the smell of fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind.

      I hate the smell of grapes.

      Chiron smiled at us, but he looked tired and strained. "Sit, please. And Grover." We did.

      Chiron laid his cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn't gotten to use.

      "Tell me, Percy," he said. "What did you make of the hellhound?"

      Just hearing the name made me shudder.

      "It scared me," percy said honestly. "If you hadn't shot it, I'd be dead."

      "You'll meet worse, Percy. Far worse, before you're done."

      Now I'm confused again "Done... with what?" I asked

      "Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?" I glanced at Percy, who was looking at Grover, who was crossing his fingers.

      What's a quest? Are we about to go all Dora or something?

      "Um, sir," Percy said, "you haven't told me what it is yet."

      Chiron grimaced. "Well, that's the hard part, the details."

      Thunder rumbled across the valley. The storm clouds had now reached the edge of the beach. As far as I could see, the sky and the sea were boiling together.

      "Poseidon and Zeus," percy said. "They're fighting over something valuable... something that was stolen, aren't they?"

      Chiron and Grover exchanged looks.

      Chiron sat forward in his wheelchair. "How did you know that?"

      "The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting. Then I talked to Annabeth, and she'd overheard something about a theft. And... I've also been having these dreams."

      "Last night" I asked before even had a chance to think about it. Percy nodded.

      "I knew it." Grover said.

      "Hush, satyr," Chiron ordered.

      "But it is his quest!" Grover's eyes were bright with excitement. "It must be!"

      "Only the Oracle can determine." Chiron stroked his bristly beard. "Nevertheless, you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt."

      I laughed nervously. "A what?"

      "Do not take this lightly," Chiron warned. "I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives."

      "Oh."

      "Zeus's master bolt," Chiron said, getting worked up now. "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Eta and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."

      "And it's missing?"

      "Stolen." Chiron said.

      "By who?"

      "By whom," Chiron corrected. Once a teacher, always a teacher. "By you." Looking between me and Percy.

      My mouth fell open. "Excuse me?" I am a lot of things but I am not a thief.

      "At least" Chiron held up a hand "that's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. The usual nonsense: 'Mother Rhea always liked you best,' 'Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters,"—sea disasters are worse in my opinion—"etcetera. Afterward, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it."

      "But I didn't—"

      "Patience and listen, child," Chiron said. "Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother's lightning. Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the master bolt, and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. Now Poseidon has openly claimed you as his children. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could easily have snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief."

      "But I've never even been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!" Percy yelled.

      Chiron and Grover glanced nervously at the sky. The clouds didn't seem to be parting around us, as Grover had promised. They were rolling straight over our valley, sealing us in like a coffin lid.

      "Er, Percy...?" Grover said. "We don't use the c-word to describe the Lord of the Sky."

      "Perhaps paranoid," Chiron suggested. "Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question thirty-eight on your final exam..." He looked at me and Percy as if he actually expected me to remember question thirty-eight, even if I did there was a 75% chance I got it wrong.

      How could anyone accuse me of stealing a god's weapon? I couldn't even steal a slice of pizza from Gabe's poker party without getting busted. Chiron was waiting for an answer.

      "Something about a golden net?" I guessed. I remember Aella mentioning something about it the other day.

      "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods . .. they, like, trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler, right?" Percy finished.

      "Correct." Chiron said. Wait I was right. "And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt. He took great offense at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war. And now, you've come along the proverbial last straw."

      "But we're just kids!"

      "Percy," Grover cut in, "if you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you, then your brother suddenly admitted he had broken the sacred oath he took after World War II, that he's fathered a new mortal hero who might be used as a weapon against you... Wouldn't that put a twist in your toga?"

      He says that as if Zues hasn't already broken said oath.

      "But we didn't do anything. Poseidon—our dad—he didn't really have this master bolt stolen, did he?" Percy seemed a lot more defensive about this then I was.

      Chiron sighed. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style. But the Sea God is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice. That's June twenty-first, ten days from now. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date. I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense. But your arrival has inflamed Zeus's temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a full-fledged war would look like?"

      "Bad?" I guessed.

"Imagine the world in chaos. Nature at war with itself. Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight."

"Bad." I repeated.

"And you, Percy and River, would be the first to feel Zeus's wrath."

It started to rain. Volleyball players stopped their game and stared in stunned silence at the sky.

"So I have to find the stupid bolt," Percy said. "And return it to Zeus."

"What better peace offering." Chiron said, "than to have the children of Poseidon return Zeus's property?"

"If Poseidon doesn't have it, where is the thing?"

"I believe I know." Chiron's expression was grim. "Part of a prophecy I had years ago... well, some of the lines make sense to me, now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle."

"Why can't you tell me where the bolt is beforehand?"

"Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge."

"Good reason." Percy mumbled looking down slightly.

"You agree then?"

Percy looked at Grover, who nodded encouragingly. Then to me, I nodded. This was a bad idea.

"All right," Percy said. "It's better than being turned into a dolphin."

"Then it's time you consulted the Oracle," Chiron said. "Go upstairs, Percy Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."

Once Percy was gone Grover turned to Chiron "why shouldn't River go with him?" He asked

There was suddenly a voice behind me that made me jump "just in case it goes badly" Aella stood in the doorway. Her eyes locked on me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked turning to fully look at her. I didn't mean it in a mean way and I hope she knew that.

"Chiron summoned me" she said nodding towards the horse-man.

I looked over at Chiron confused. "I was hoping Aella would be will to join you on your quest" he said. Aella's face dropped "after all it is what your mother had said. Correct?" I looked back at Aella still confused.

"You think it's starting" She asked the horse-man. I didn't hear him reply but I knew he nodded.

Aella looked down at the ring on her finger, nervously fiddling with it before she looked up at me. "Okay"

My mind ran back to the moment when she got here "what do you mean 'just in case it goes badly'" I asked Aella.

Aella looked back and forth between me and Chiron "nothing" i hate that answer.

"oh my god" i slapped my hands over my mouth "you mean if he dies"

Aella looked away from me, trying to hide her facial expression. "Oh my god he's gonna die"

"Who's gonna die" I snapped towards the stairs where Percy was currently standing. Oh thank god.

Wait. Am I supposed to say gods now?

"Well?" Chiron asked him.

Percy slumped into a chair at the pinochle table. "She said I would retrieve what was stolen."

That's a relief.

Grover sat forward, chewing excitedly on the remains of a Diet Coke can. "That's great!"

"What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron pressed. "This is important."

"She... she said I would go west and face a god who had turned. I would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."

"I knew it." Grover mumbled. Aella, who was still by the door, didnt look so sure.

Chiron didn't look satisfied. "Anything else?"

"No." He said. "That's about it."

I felt the slight shiver in the back of my mind. It was different this time. This time it was cold.

Chiron studied his face. "Very well, Percy. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass."

"Okay," Percy said, anxious to change topics. "So where do I go? Who's this god in the west?"

"Ah, think, Percy," Chiron said. "If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain?"

"Whoever wins" I mumbled. Nobody seemed to pay attention to what I said.

"Somebody else who wants to take over?" Percy said.

"Yes, quite. Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken."

"Hades." Percy said, Chiron nodded. "The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility."

I wouldn't say only, but It does make sense.

A scrap of aluminum dribbled out of Grover's mouth. "Whoa, wait. Wh-what?"

"A Fury came after Percy," Chiron reminded him. "She watched the young kids until she was sure of their identity, then tried to kill them. Furies obey only one lord: Hades."

"Yes, but but Hades hates all heroes," Grover protested. "Especially if he has found out Percy and River are children of Poseidon..."

"A hellhound got into the forest," Chiron continued. "Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Hades must have a spy here. He must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy or River to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill these young half-bloods before they can take on the quest."

"Great," I muttered. "That's two major gods who want to kill us. Isn't life just amazing" my head fell into my hands.

"But a quest to . .." Grover swallowed. "I mean, couldn't the master bolt be in some place like Maine? Maine's very nice this time of year."

"Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt," Chiron insisted. "He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon. I don't pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead's motives perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain. Percy and River must go to the Underworld, find the master bolt, and reveal the truth."

"We are so Dead" I Said my voice mainly muffled by my hands.

Grover was trembling. He'd started eating pinochle cards like potato chips.

"Look, if we know it's Hades," Percy told Chiron, "why can't we just tell the other gods? Zeus or Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and bust some heads."

"Suspecting and knowing are not the same," Chiron said. "Besides, even if the other gods suspect Hades- and I imagine Poseidon does they couldn't retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross each other's territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they're bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero's actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?"

"You're saying we're being used."

"I'm saying it's no accident Poseidon has claimed you now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs you."

My dad needs me. I can't tell if that made me happy or mad.

I looked at Chiron. "You've known we were Poseidon's children all along, haven't you?"

"I had my suspicions. As I said... I've spoken to the Oracle, too."

I got the feeling there was a lot he wasn't telling me about his prophecy, but I decided I couldn't worry about that right now.

"So let me get this straight," Percy said. "I'm supposed go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead."

"Check," Chiron said.

"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe."

"Check."

"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days."

"That's about right."

Percy looked at Grover, who gulped down the ace of hearts.

"Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" Grover asked weakly.

"You don't have to go," Percy told him. "I can't ask that of you."

"Oh..." He shifted his hooves. "No... it's just that satyrs and underground places... well..."

He took a deep breath, then stood, brushing the shredded cards and aluminum bits off his T-shirt. "You saved my life, Percy. If... if you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let you down."

"All the way, G-man." Percy turned to Chiron. "So where do we go? The Oracle just said to go west."

"The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America."

"Where?"

Chiron looked surprised. "I thought that would be obvious enough. The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles."

"Oh," I said. "That actually makes sense"

"Naturally. So we just get on a plane—" Percy was quickly interrupted

"No!" Grover shrieked. "Percy, what are you thinking? Have you ever been on a plane in your life?" Now that I think about it, I actually haven't. My mom would always say we didn't have the money. Besides, her parents had died in a plane crash so I kinda thought maybe she was scared.

"Percy, think," Chiron said. "You are the son of the Sea God. Your father's bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you in an airplane. You would be in Zeus's domain. You would never come down again alive."

Overhead, lightning crackled. Thunder boomed.

"Okay," Percy said "So, I'll travel overland."

"That's right," Chiron said. "Usually you would get two companions to accompany you, but since I had chosen Aella to join you, and River must also go, you are aloud two more. Grover is one. The other has already volunteered, if you will accept her help."

That's new information.

"Gee," Percy said, feigning surprise. "Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a quest like this?"

The air shimmered behind Chiron. I jumped and almost screamed. Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket.

"I've been waiting a long time for a quest, seaweed brain," she said. What did she just call him? "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up."

"If you do say so yourself," Percy said. "I suppose you have a plan, wise girl?"

Her cheeks colored. "Do you want my help or not?" A small smile made its way onto my lips at the interaction. I sent a look over to Aella who seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"Alright" Percy nodded.

"Excellent," Chiron said. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own."

Lightning flashed. Rain poured down on the meadows that were never supposed to have violent weather.

"No time to waste," Chiron said. "I think you should all get packing."

This is gonna be fun.

AUTHOR TALKS!!
i love this book more then myself.
FYI River and Aella are major percabeths shippers.