chapter fifty-five

─── we take part in fast and furious, the knockoff version

          𝖂e were just crossing the Potomac when I spotted the black military helicopter that I'd last seen at Westover Hall before everything hit the fan.

"They know the van," I said. "We've got to ditch it."

Zoe swerved into the fast lane. The helicopter was gaining.

"Maybe the military will shoot it down," Grover said hopefully.

"The military probably thinks it's one of theirs," I said. "How can the General use mortals, anyway?"

"Mercenaries," Zoe said bitterly. "It is distasteful, but many mortals will fight for any cause as long as they are paid."

"But don't these mortals see who they're working for?" Brooke asked. "Don't they notice all the monsters around them?"

Zoe shook her head. "I do not know how much they see through the Mist. I doubt it would matter to them if they knew the truth. Sometimes mortals can be more horrible than monsters."

The helicopter kept coming, making a lot better time than we were through D.C. traffic.

"There!" Bianca said. "That parking lot!"

"We'll be trapped," Zoe said.

"Trust me," Bianca said.

Zoe shot across two lanes of traffic and into a mall parking lot on the south bank of the river. We left the van and followed Bianca down some steps.

"Subway entrance," Bianca said. "Let's go south. Alexandria."

"Anything," Brooke agreed.

I bought us all tickets and we got through the turnstiles, looking behind us for any signs of pursuit. A few minutes later we were safely aboard a southbound train, riding away from D.C. As our train came above ground, we could see the helicopter circling the parking lot, but it didn't come after us.

Grover let out a sigh. "Nice job, Bianca, thinking of the subway."

Bianca looked pleased. "Yeah, well. I saw that station when Nico and I came through last summer. I remember being really surprised to see it, because it wasn't here when we used to live in D.C."

Grover frowned. "New? But that station looked really old."

"I guess," Bianca said. "But trust me, when we lived here as little kids, there was no subway."

Brooke and I shared a look before she sat forward. "Wait a minute. No subway at all?"

Bianca nodded.

"Bianca," Zoe said. "How long ago..." Her voice faltered. The sound of the helicopter was getting louder again.

"We need to change trains," I said. "Next station."

Over the next half hour, all we thought about was getting away safely. We changed trains twice. I had no idea where we were going, but after a while we lost the helicopter.

Unfortunately, when we finally got off the train we found ourselves 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. I was glad for my new lion's fur coat, even if I did look like a wanted criminal.

We 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. We must've looked pretty pathetic, because he gave us a toothless grin and said, "Y'all need to get warmed up? Come on over!'

We huddled around his fire, Brooke's teeth were chattering. She said, "Well this is g-g-g-great."

"My hooves are frozen," Grover complained.

"Feet ," I corrected, for the sake of the homeless guy.

"Maybe we should contact camp," Bianca said. "Chiron—"

"No," Zoe said. "They cannot help us anymore. We must finish this quest ourselves."

I gazed miserably around the rail yard. Somewhere, far to the west, Andi and Annabeth was in danger. Artemis was in chains. A doomsday monster was on the loose. And we were stuck on the outskirts of D.C., sharing a homeless persons fire. 

This wasn't something that had happened to me in many years, not since I was on the run.

"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," I said. "You know of any?"

He pointed one greasy hand.

Suddenly I 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," Brooke muttered. "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.

An hour later we were rumbling west. There was no problem about who would drive now, because we all got our own luxury car. Zoe and Bianca were crashed out in a Lexus on the top deck. Grover was playing race car driver behind the wheel of a Lamborghini. And Brooke had hot-wired the radio in a black Mercedes SLK so she could pick up the music stations from D.C.

"Join you?" I asked her.

She shrugged, so I climbed into the shotgun seat.

The radio was playing AC/DC. I knew that one after spending time with Sally Jackson and Andi. They played the band as often as they could, rocking out in the space of their kitchen, whilst I would watch on and laugh.

"Nice coat," Brooke muttered. "You look like..."

"Like I sell drugs for a living?" I inputted, both of us laughing, though it was bittersweet. That was an Andi joke if ever I'd heard it. 

"Unfortunately the Nemean Lion wasn't what we were looking for."

"Whatever this mystery monster is, the General said it would come for you. They wanted to isolate you from the group, so the monster will appear and battle you one-on-one." I told her.

"He said that?"

"Well, something like that. Yeah."

"That's great. I love being used as bait."

"No idea what the monster might be?"

She shook her head morosely. "But you know where we're going, don't you? San Francisco. That's where Artemis was heading."

Half-Bloods couldn't live in San Francisco.

"What's so bad about San Fran?" Brooke asked.

"The Mist is really thick there because the Mountain of Despair is so near. Titan magic—what's left of it—still lingers. Monsters are attracted to that area like you wouldn't believe."

"Cheerful,"

"Tell me about it," I muttered. The Mountain of Despair and I went way back.

"Have the Hunters tries to recruit you yet?"

"Yeah, they have," Brooke murmured. "But a long time ago. They asked me, but I didn't want to leave Puck, now, I don't know what to do. Zoe told me that something would go wrong, it always did with men."

"Sounds a bit harsh on Zoe's behalf," I sighed. "But she's not wrong. If Puck appears, there is the possibility that we might have to fight him."

"I know, I know," Brooke nodded. "Just some part of me still believes that my baby brother is in there. That he's still gonna come back to Camp to follow you and me around like a lost puppy because he's too shy to make friends."

"Some part of me wants to believe that as well," I told her. "But he has tried to kill me a couple of times already, and I don't know what he's going to do if he sees you."

"Night, Luke," I nodded, knowing this conversation was now over and hopping out of her car and into Grover's. The sun was slowly going down and I sighed, wondering how Andi and Annabeth were getting on. But, I was worried that if I went to sleep, the dreams would be worse and I might see them dead.

"Oh, don't be afraid of dreams," a voice said right next to me.

I looked over. Somehow, I 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?" I guessed, sighing at the terrible haiku.

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 sister. Nobody."

"Can you help us, then?"

"I have been. Haven't you been looking outside?"

"How fast are we moving?" I looked outside, my eyes narrowed.

Apollo chuckled. "Fast enough. Unfortunately, we're running out of time. It's almost sunset . But I imagine we'll get you across a good chunk of America, at least."

"But where is Artemis?"

His face darkened. "I know a lot, and I see a lot. But even I don't know that. She's...clouded from me. I don't like it."

"And Andi? Annabeth?"

He frowned. "Oh, you mean that girls you lost? Hmm. I don't know."

I blew out the air in my mouth, trying not to punch the god.

"What about the monster Artemis was seeking?" I asked. "Do you know what it is?"

"No," Apollo said. "But there is one who might. If you haven't yet found the monster when you reach San Francisco, seek out Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea. He has a long memory and a sharp eye. He has the gift of knowledge sometimes kept obscure from my Oracle."

"But it's your Oracle," I protested. "Can't you tell us what the prophecy means?"

Apollo sighed. "You might as well ask an artist to explain his art, or ask a poet to explain his poem. It defeats the purpose. The meaning is only clear through the search."

"In other words, you have no idea."

Apollo checked his watch. "Ah, look at the time! I have to run. I doubt I can risk helping you again, Luke, but remember what I said! Get some sleep! And when you return, I expect a good haiku about your journey!"

I wanted to protest that I would rather die that write terrible poetry, but Apollo snapped his fingers, and the next thing I knew I was closing my eyes.

In my dream, I was somebody else. I was wearing an old-fashioned Greek tunic, and laced leather sandals. The Nemean Lion's skin was wrapped around my back like a cape, and I was running somewhere, being pulled along by a girl who was tightly gripping my hand.

"Hurry!" she said. It was too dark to see her face clearly, but I could hear the fear in her voice. "He will find us!"

It was night time. A million stars blazed above. We were running through tall grass, and the scent of a thousand different flowers made the air intoxicating. It was a beautiful garden, and yet the girl was leading me through it, as if we were about to die.

"I'm not afraid," I tried to tell her.

"You should be!" she said, pulling me along. She had long dark hair braided down her back. Her silk robes glowed faintly in the starlight.

We raced up the side of the hill. She pulled me behind a thorn bush and we collapsed, both breathing heavily. I didn't know why the girl was scared. The garden seemed so peaceful. And I felt strong. Stronger than I'd ever felt before.

"There is no need to run," I told her. My voice sounded deeper, much more confident. "I have bested a thousand monsters with my bare hands."

"Not this one," the girl said. "Ladon is too strong. You must go around, up the mountain to my father. It is the only way."

Ladon. That name. I knew that name.

"I don't trust your father," I said.

"You should not," the girl agreed. "You will have to trick him. But you cannot take the prize directly. You will die.'"

I chuckled. "Then why don't you help me, pretty one?"

"I...I am afraid. Ladon will stop me. My sisters, if they found out...they would disown me."

"Then there's nothing for it." I stood up, rubbing my hands together.

"Wait.'" the girl said.

She seemed to be agonizing over a decision. Then, her fingers trembling, she reached up and plucked a long white brooch from her hair. "If you must fight, take this. My mother, Pleione, gave it to me. She was a daughter of the ocean, and the ocean's power is within it. My immortal power."

The girl breathed on the pin and it glowed faintly. It gleamed in the starlight like polished abalone.

"Take it," she told me. "And make of it a weapon."

I laughed. "A hairpin? How will this slay Ladon, pretty one?"

"It may not," she admitted. "But it is all I can offer, if you insist on being stubborn."

The girl's voice softened my heart. I reached down and took the hairpin, and as I did, it grew longer and heavier in my hand, until I held a familiar bronze sword.

"Well balanced," I said. "Though I usually prefer to use my bare hands. What shall I name this blade?"

"Anaklusmos," the girl said sadly. "The current that takes one by surprise. And before you know it, you have been swept out to sea."

Before I could thank her, there was a trampling sound in the grass, a hiss like air escaping a tire, and the girl said, "Too late! He is here!"

I sat bolt upright in the Lamborghini's drivers seat, panic gripping at my chest. Ladon. I knew that name, I knew that beast and I knew that sword. Andi had swung it at me on more than one occasion. Grover was shaking my arm, pulling me from the drivers seat.

"Luke," he said. "It's morning. The train's stopped. Come on!"

I tried to shake off my drowsiness. Brooke, Zoe, and Bianca had already rolled up the metal curtains. Outside were snowy mountains dotted with pine trees, the sun rising red between two peaks.

And I was sure of something else, too. The girl I had seen was Zoe.

∘☽༓☾∘

Hiya,

So, Apollo does just show up to give bad haikus and Luke and Brooke had a little talk about Puck and what they would do when they saw him. I miss when Puck was sweet, but oh well.

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx