THREE. THE QUEST OF THE YEAR

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PERCY WAS NOT LYING when he said he was going to get Matheo early in the morning.

It was before dawn when Matheo was shaken awake, Percy standing above him as he carefully looked around the Hermes cabin — making sure he hadn't waken anyone up.

Matheo grumbled as he sat up on his bed, glaring at Percy through his untamed hair. "Come on, we have to go now." Matheo tried to not be annoyed as he got up from his bed, throwing a hoodie over his head.

"Percy, if we weren't surrounded by everyone I would kill you right now." Matheo grumbled as he grabbed an already packed bag. Percy's eyes widened as he awkwardly smiled, carefully tiptoeing out of the cabin — Matheo following not too far behind.

It was a lot colder at that time than it was during the day. "Any reason why we're leaving now?" Matheo complained as he followed Percy down a path. Percy simply pointed just past Half-Blood hill, and Matheo saw the quest-goers getting ready to leave. But there only seemed to be four of them, which Matheo thought was a little weird.

"I see." Matheo didn't realize that some quests had you leaving just barely after the sun started to rise. "Come on, now. Blackjack is waiting on us." Matheo was confused, but only for a moment. It took a second to remember that Blackjack was a pegasus that Percy had befriended a year prior.

"You're gonna have to hold on." Percy told the boy, and Matheo grumbled once again, pulling his hood over his head as he jumped up onto Blackjack, wrapping his arms around Percy. "Let's fly."

Within moments, the two were in the sky, above the low clouds, but getting attacked by the icy weather and cold rain. They were both keeping an eye on the car that was being driven, and if one lost sight, the other would point it out.

It stayed like that for at least forty-five minutes. There was a moment where Percy landed on the top of a building, but was shocked when the van just kept driving. "Where's Argus taking them?" Percy muttered — mostly to himself.

"Which girl?" It was almost as though Percy was having a conversation with himself, but Matheo was smart enough to know that he was actually talking to Blackjack. "Zoë?"

"Uh—No, we can't get donuts. You're a. . . flying horse." Matheo stifled his laughter, placing a gentle hand over his mouth as he did. "Well. Let's go after them."

Blackjack whinnied just as a weird something started to wrap itself around Matheo's legs, making it to where it were impossible to move. When he looked down, there were grapevines holding him, Percy, and Blackjack down.

He was starting to get real tired of Mr. D. "Going somewhere?" Speak of the devil.

Matheo grumbled for the thousandth time that morning and tiredly let his head fall onto Percy's back, too tired to deal with Dionysus. "The next person, or horse, who calls me the 'wine dude' will end up in a bottle of Merlot!"

"Mr. D." Matheo could tell that Percy was trying to not sound annoyed, but he was failing miserably. "What do you want?" Mr. D looked at him with a raised eyebrow, looking at the two of them and the pegasus. "Oh, what do I want? You thought that the immortal, all-powerful director of camp would not notice the two of you leaving without permission?"

Matheo was a little shocked that he even noticed he was there. He never once spoke to him.

"Well. . . maybe." Percy said, but he was honestly just trying to save his guts. "I should throw you off the building, minus the flying horse, and see how heroic you sound on the way down." Percy placed a hand on Matheo's arm, and it was then that he noticed he was starting to squeeze Percy the more he got agitated. He subtly loosened his grip.

"Why do you hate me so much? What did I ever do to you?"

"You're a hero, boy. I need no other reason."

"I have to go on this quest! I've got to help my friends. That's something you wouldn't understand!" Matheo wondered if Percy knew how to shut his mouth, because he was really starting to doubt it at that moment. The grape vines got tighter to the point where it was uncomfortable now.

"Did I ever tell you about Ariadne?" Mr. D asked, purple fire burning in his eyes. "Beautiful young princess of Crete? She liked helping her friend, too. In fact, she helped a young hero named Theseus, also the son of Poseidon. She gave him a ball of magical yarn that let him find him find his way out of the Labyrinth." Matheo lifted his head slightly and looked at the van that was getting further and further away from them. "And do you know how Theseus rewarded her?"

Percy pursed his lips as he looked at the God, very obviously trying to swallow back some hateful words. "They got married. Happily ever after. The end."

"Not quite. Theseus said he would marry her. He took her aboard his ship and sailed for Athens. Halfway back, on a little island called Naxos, he. . . What's the word you mortals use today?. . . he dumped her." Matheo raised an eyebrow at that, finally turning his head to look at Dionysus. "I found her there, you know. Alone. Heartbroken. Crying her eyes out. She had given up everything, left everything she knew behind, to help a dashing young hero who tossed her away like a broken sandal."

Matheo sympathized for Ariadne. He had heard her story, but now that he was being forced to thing about it, he wondered how the woman had been able to handle it. It was almost like what he went through, except for the fact that people actually liked her at some point. He wondered if Percy would do the same to him once he got bored — or saw how bad of a person he really was.

"That's wrong. But that was thousands of years ago. What's that got to do with me?" Percy asked him, not understanding why he was standing there and wasting there time when they could already be caught up with the van by now.

"I fell in love with Ariadne, boy." Dionysus said suddenly. "I healed her broken heart. And when she died, I made her my immortal wife on Olympus. She waits for me even now. I shall go back to her when I am done with this infernal century of punishment at your ridiculous camp." He finished, looking directly at Percy as he said that last part.

Percy could only stare at him as he revealed his marriage. "You're—You're married? But I thought you got in trouble for chasing a wood nymph—."

"My point is that you heroes never change. You accuse us gods of being vain. You should look at yourselves." Even though Matheo knew what he was saying, he couldn't help but glare at the God, his eyes narrowing. "You take what you want, use whoever you have to, and then you betray everyone around you. So you'll excuse me if I have no love for heroes. They are a selfish, ungrateful lot. Ask Ariadne. Or Medea. For that matter, ask Zoë Nightshade."

Matheo perked up at that, tilting his head slightly to the side as he tried to figure out what Mr. D had meant by that. "What do you mean, ask Zoë?" Percy asked.

Dionysus simply waved his hand and the vines that were winding around the feet suddenly fell to the ground, disappearing as if they were never there in the first place. "Go. Find your silly friends."

"You're. . . you're letting us go? Just like that?" The younger asked in shock, fully expecting to have to argue his way out. "They prophecy said at least two of you will die. Perhaps I'll get lucky and you'll be one of them. Son of Poseidon, live or die, you will prove no better than the other heroes."

And with the snap of his fingers, the God was gone, and the tow of them were left to sit in a moment of silence. Percy shook his head as he suddenly remembered that the van was getting out of sight. "Come on, Blackjack. I'll buy you some donuts in New Jersey."

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THEY DID NOT GO to New Jersey. It had been a few hours before they could even rest — only being able to do so because the van pulled into a rest stop in Maryland. It was obvious that Blackjack was tired, and the way the pegasus stumbled only further proved that point.

Percy jumped down onto the concrete below them, giving the pegasus a grateful pet — or two — before he turned to look at the other boy with him. "Stay here," said Percy as he fished a Yankees cap out of his pocket. "I'm going to scout." Matheo simply nodded at that and got off of Blackjack as well, giving the Pegasus time to breathe.

He watched as Percy slipped the hat onto his head, and he turned invisible. After that, it was impossible for him to know where he was, so he turned to look at Blackjack, running a gentle hand over his coat.

"I know you're tired, Blackjack." Matheo said, sympathetic for the pegasus. "Hopefully we can get you something to eat soon." He knew he couldn't understand the pegasus like Percy could, but he could basically hear the grateful whinny. Matheo pressed his lips into a thin line as he started to look around, making sure they weren't noticed by anyone.

It was then that he noticed Zoë, Bianca, Thalia, and Grover walking into the same convenience store that Percy had just a few minutes prior.

He straightened up a little bit as he waited for Percy to return, knowing he was most likely going to tell him what he had seen or heard.

The Titan's curse must one withstand.

What exactly was that supposed to mean? Matheo leaned back against a rugged pillar as he thought about to. He wasn't even sure what the Titan's curse was. . . did anyone? He wondered if Percy had any idea what the prophecy meant.

He had no time to ponder about it, because a few seconds later, Percy appeared right in front of him. "We have to go. Blackjack, I'm sorry you didn't get to rest longer." He seemed as though he were in a rush, and sure enough, the white van was pulling out of the rest stop. Matheo gave Blackjack a sad look as he pulled himself onto him, wrapping his arms around Percy yet again.

"They're heading toward D.C." Percy said as Blackjack lifted himself off the ground, rising until they were above the clouds. "And apparently Zoë has been around since the first cars. Crazy, right?"

"Sure."

The two of them went silent as they focused on watching the huge van. And it wasn't long before they had crossed the Maryland-Washington border, either. But the closer they got, the lower they got. It was painfully obvious how tired Blackjack was.

How could he not be? They had been on his back all day and he had hardly had any breaks. "You okay?" Percy asked, and Matheo just knew he wasn't the only one who had noticed Blackjack's pain. "You don't sound so good."

Percy's eyes started scanning the area, probably looking for a place to be set down. Thankfully, he didn't have to look for long, because Matheo had pointed out that the van was slowing down, before it pulled off and parked. "Set us down there," Percy said as he pointed to an empty area near the Washington Monument that wouldn't raise questions. "That's close enough."

Blackjack didn't waste a second getting down on the ground. Matheo had to grip onto Percy a little tighter because of a sudden drop, but he couldn't be mad. When Blackjack's hooves hit the concrete, Matheo immediately got off of him, trying to save him at least some of his energy. Percy seemed to have done the same thing, as he was right next to Matheo in seconds — looking out into the distance.

When Matheo had followed his gaze, he noticed that he had been looking at the van — which was only parked a few blocks away. Once he had confirmed the location, he turned around to look at Blackjack. "I want you to go back to camp. Get some rest. Graze. I'll be fine." Percy let a hand rest of Blackjack's muzzle.

"You've done enough already. We'll be fine," the boy said, giving Blackjack a comforting smile. "And thanks a ton."

Percy must've been listening to whatever Blackjack had to say, because it was painfully quiet for a moment or two. "We'll be careful, don't worry." The pegasus whinnied before he finally took off, heading back the way that they had came.

Matheo watched as everyone piled out of the van, the satyr pointing at a seemingly random building that lined the mall. Percy turned to look at the red-haired boy before he started to trudge forward, a determined look on his face.

Matheo stood still for a moment before he started to follow the younger, letting his cold hands rest in his pockets in hopes of them warming up — but after being above the clouds all day he was very doubtful. After a second, Percy completely froze, and Matheo furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to see what Percy had.

There was a man that had gotten out of a black sedan. His gray hair was cut into a buzz cut, and he was wearing a dark overcoat and a pair of sunglasses. "Is that the same—."

"Yes, he's been following them." Percy said before Matheo could finish his question. "That can't be good." Percy took the words right out of Matheo's mouth as the older pursed his lips. "I'm going to put the cap on since he'll recognize me. You should be fine, but grab my hand so we don't lose each other." Percy instructed and Matheo hummed, sticking his hand out.

"It's the vice principal I told you about." That definitely makes Matheo feel better about this quest and his limited knowledge about them. He felt a small wave of uneasiness wash through him, and he swallowed the feelings down, allowing himself to be dragged along by Percy.

It was pretty obvious that Matheo was holding someone's hand, so he loosened his grip so it just looked like he was just a normal guy walking. The two of them followed the guy from a distance, making sure to not seem out of place. It seemed like the guy was doing the same thing with the group of four that he was following.

Matheo's eyes shot up as the group of four stopped in front of a building. NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM. Matheo didn't know that such a place existed. Thalia reached toward to check on the door — which ended up being open, so the four quest goers went inside. It seemed like the guy that Percy and Matheo was following hesitated for a moment before he ultimately turned and walked in a different direction.

Matheo stumbled a little at Percy jerked him in the direction of the man, following him to the other side of the mall. It wasn't long before the man climbed up the steps to a different museum. The Museum of Natural History. A sign above the door read CLOSED FOR PRIVATE EVENT, and Matheo couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

He felt Percy stop, and so he did as well, knowing that Percy was about to ask him to stay behind. It made sense, considering that he was visible while Percy wasn't, but he felt himself getting agitated. "Stay here," said Percy, confirming Matheo's thoughts. "I'll be back before you know it." Matheo hummed, trying to mask his annoyance as he walked over to a bench, taking a cautious seat.

It wouldn't hurt to keep an eye out for Percy while he was in there, so he kept his eyes peeled for anything or anyone that he assumed might be a danger.

It was cold enough to the point where Matheo could see his breath, and his fingertips had a pinkish hue to them. It made him wonder exactly how cold it was.

He didn't mind it one bit as he slid his hands in the pockets of his hoodie.

Maybe fifteen to twenty minutes later, Matheo watched as Percy hurriedly ran outside. He couldn't particularly see him, but he could see the footprints that quickly appeared in the snow. A few moments later, the footprints stopped in front of him, and Percy removed the hat. "Come on, we've gotta go."

"Did they see you?"

"Not really, but they knew I was there." He slipped the cap back on as he pulled Matheo to his feet, starting to drag him across the mall — back toward the Air and Space Museum. "They have an army of. . . zombies? Or something, I don't know. But Luke was there." Luke?

The same Luke that had betrayed them?

"I have no time to explain, we need to go warn the others." Percy's grip on his arm tightened as he started to run faster, pummeling through the building. "Percy, hold on—." Matheo didn't have time to warn him about Thalia, who he had just quite literally crashed into.

"You! How dare you show thy face here?" It was Zoë Nightshade. She and Bianca di Angelo had their bows aimed directly at Percy's chest, keeping a cautious eye on Matheo as well. "Percy! Thank goodness." Grover breathed out a sigh of relief, but when he noticed the glare he got from Zoë, he froze and blushed.

"I mean, um, gosh. You're not supposed to be here!" He feigned, and Matheo rolled his eyes. "Luke," Percy said through labored breaths. "He's here." That seemed to get the attention of Thalia — who had dropped the angry act. "Where?" She asked she placed a hand on the silver bracelet on her wrist.

Percy proceeded to give them the same rundown that he had told Matheo, adding a few extra details that he couldn't tell him as they were running.

Zoë seemed to get increasingly more angry with Percy as he told the story. "The General is here? That is impossible! You lie." She huffed. Matheo wondered how old she really was because of how she talked. "Why would I lie?" Percy asked in disbelief.

"Look, there's no time. Skeleton warriors—."

"What? How many?" Thalia demanded, not giving Percy a chance to explain anything else. "Twelve," he told her. "And that's not all. That guy, the General, he said he was sending something, a 'playmate,' to distract you over here. A monster."

Matheo stood where he was. It was obvious that no one was going to say anything to him, so he decided it was best to keep an eye out at they told to each other.

"We were following Artemis's trail. I was pretty sure it led here. Some powerful monster scent. . . She must've stopped here looking for the mystery monster. But we haven't found anything yet." Grover said from where he stood, and Matheo could tell he was getting increasingly more nervous. "Zoë," Bianca spoke up from where she stood. "If it is the General—."

"It cannot be!" Zoë was starting to get on Matheo's nerves. "Percy must have seen an Iris-message or some other illusion." Percy scoffed and looked at her as he got onto his feet, finally. "Illusions don't crack marble floors."

Zoë sighed in annoyance. "If Percy is telling the truth about the skeleton warriors we have no time to argue. They are the worst, the most horrible. . . we must leave now."

"Good idea."

"I was not including thee, boy," said Zoë, glaring daggers at Percy. "You are not a part of this quest."

"That must suck because we are now." Matheo defended from where he stood, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah! I'm trying to save your lives!" Percy grumbled. "You shouldn't have come, Percy," said Thalia from where she stood, looking around cautiously. "But you're here now. Come on, let's get back to the van."

Zoë turned to look at her in shock. "That is not the decision!" She snapped at Thalia, she couldn't believe they were all okay with this. "You're not the boss here, Zoë. I don't care how old you are! You're still a conceited little brat!"

Oh.

"You never have any wisdom when it came to boys. You could never leave them behind!" Zoë snapped back.

Oh.

There was a moment of silence where Matheo was almost positive Thalia was going to hit Zoë, but as everything went together, a growl tore through the air. Thalia halted.

Below them, a few adults shrieked in terror, yelling for their kids, who yelled, "Kitty!" There was something climbing up the ramp that was so big it was shaking the building.

It was. . . a lion with golden fur and silver claws. It was enormous. It definitely intimidated Matheo a little, he couldn't lie. "The Nemean Lion." Thalia whispered from where she stood. "Don't. Move."

It opened it's jaws and revealed its two lines of sharp teeth, glistening in the light. A loud roar erupted through the air, blowing Matheo's hoodie around his body.

"Separate on my mark. Try to keep it distracted." Zoë muttered from where she stood. "Until when?" Grover nervously asked. "Until I think of a way to kill it. Go!"

With that, the six of them ran off in different directions, leaving the lion confused for a moment before it decided who it was going to chase. It tried biting at Grover, who was hurriedly playing a tune on some reed pipes. It wasn't long before Thalia was where he was, swinging her shield as she defended the satyr.

It seemed as though it were going to stop, as it went completely still. But as Matheo looked closer, he could see the way that its leg muscles tensed. It was as though it were getting ready to jump. "Hey!" He heard Percy shout as he started to run toward the lion.

Matheo wondered if Percy ever thought about his own life.

Percy swung his sword, but when it hit the lion, it erupted into sparks like some flint and steel.

And then Percy jumped down into another exhibit. Matheo thought his heart was going to beat out of his chest as he watched the lion follow. He made himself move after a moment or two, leaning over the edge to watch his friend.

Bianca and Zoë had their bows ready and aimed, trying desperately to hit the lion. As Percy jumped down into another exhibit, one with spacecrafts, he yelled, "Zoë! Target the mouth!"

And she did just that, but she failed at actually hitting it. Matheo could only watch as the lion got closer to the boy, a frown finding itself on his face. "Grover! Clear the area!" His voice sounded so much smaller now because of how far apart they were.

Matheo became suddenly aware of all the kids that were running around — some screaming, all confused. Thalia jumped over the railing of the second floor and landed right near Percy as Grover tried to usher the kids away from the lion. It seemed as though the lion were trying to decide which one to attack first, as he kept looking between the two.

"No clear shot!"

Matheo bolted down the ramp as Zoë shouted those words wt Percy. Of course, Matheo wasn't sure if his plan would work, but there was no harm in trying.

On the topic of his plan, Matheo bolted into the gift shop of the museum, eyes scanning the shelves and racks. His eyes caught sight of something shiny, and he furrowed his eyebrows. Maybe that could work?

He decided there was no time to think about it, and he grabbed a hand full of stone and glass souvenirs, all in the shapes of rockets to planets. He assumed that was the biggest thing in the gift shop that could help.

"Get ready to fire!" He balanced out the souvenirs in his hand, pulling his arm back as he closed one of his eyes to aim better.

The lion turned toward him because of the commotion, and roared. Matheo took this as his chance to chuck the souvenirs at the lion. He screwed his eyes shut and focused his energy to his hand, a light pink light flowing around his hand.

And then the souvenirs in his hand flew out of his grip, lodging themselves into the lion's throat.

It froze immediately, leaning onto its hind legs as it tried to cough up the souvenirs. However, he was taking for too long, and the two hunters finally had the opportunity to shoot at it. Multiple arrows found home in its maw, before it eventually turned and fell to the ground, going completely still.

"That was . . . an interesting way to go about." Matheo heard from near him. When he turned, he saw Zoë looking directly at him, eyebrows raised. "Uh-huh." He stated coldly before he turned on his heel and made his way over to Percy. He knelt down and held a hand out. "That was. . . awesome! You need to show me your powers more often, dude!" Percy smiled happily at Matheo, who shook his head with a small smile.

"Maybe some other time," said Matheo as he hoisted Percy onto his feet, checking the boy for any injury as he did so. When the two boys turned to face the lion in the middle of them, they noticed it had seemed to be melting. It was a weird sight to see. It was like the lion disappeared into the floor, the only remnants being. . . some fur?

"Take it," Matheo looked up and saw Zoë looking at Percy, who pointed at himself with a raised eyebrow. "What, the lions fur? Isn't that, like, an animal rights violation or something?" Percy questioned. Zoë shook her head at the misinformation. "It is a spoil of war," she told the boy. "It is a rightly thine."

"You killed it." Percy pointed out, probably trying to get her to take it instead — despite how cool he thought it was. "I think thy running around did most of that. Fair is fair, Percy Jackson. Take the fur." Percy turned to look at Matheo, locking eyes with him. Matheo simply gave him a nod, and it seemed as though that were enough for him.

When Percy did lift it up, he seemed to inspect it for a moment, looking quite confused. His confusion only grew when the fur morphed into a golden-brown long coat. "Not exactly my style."

Of course that's what he was worried about. Matheo chuckled quietly upon hearing those words and shook his head. "We have to get out of here," interjected Grover from where he stood, still looking as nervous as ever. "The security guards won't stay confused for long."

After Grover had pointed out the security guards, Matheo noticed how they seemed to be dazed and confused, running around in circles or just running in any direction that wasn't toward them. "You did that?" Percy asked from where he stood.

"A minor confusion song," Grover nodded, his cheeks warming up ever-so-slightly. "I played some Barry Manilow. It works every time. But it'll only last a few seconds." Oh, they needed to move immediately.

"The security guards are not our biggest worry. Look." Zoë muttered, gesturing to a group of men who were walking across the lawn. Their gray skin made them look sickly, and their grey suits did not help with the matter. "Go, they'll be hunting me." Percy said, already getting ready to draw his sword. "I'll distract them."

Zoë shook her head. "No. We go together."

"But, you said—."

"You two are a part of this quest now," Zoë interrupted before Percy could even say anything, pointing at both him and Matheo. "I do not like it, but there is no changing fate. You are the sixth quest members. And we are not leaving anyone behind."

"Got it." Percy said, his voice smaller than before. Matheo could tell he was trying to contain his excitement about being on this quest. "Let us go." Zoë said, starting to the lead the way out of the museum.

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VANA'S CORNER !
new chapter!!! what're we thinking so far?

"but grab my hand so we don't lose each other," JUST SAY YOU'RE GAY AND MOVE ON!