CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
—stupid wine gods

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—JUDITH hadn't expected to be woken up by the son of Poseidon. She hadn't expected him and it made her shoot a hand out dangerously to shove him away from her.

Percy grunted as he fell backwards to the floor, an indignant cry spewing out as he went. Judith could only watch with wide eyes as she came to. At his pained face, she frowned. She saw no reason for her to apologize — he should have known that she would be startled by his presence.

"What are you doing in here?" Judith asked, looking around for Mark or Ellis. Their bunks were empty.

Percy rubbed at his backside as he stood back up. "Well, I was coming to tell you about the meeting, but you were asleep, so I thought I'd wake you up. My mistake, obviously."

The girl swung her legs over the side of her bed and laced up her boots as she spoke, "I told Mark to tell me about the meeting."

"I don't see him in here," Percy said as he rocked back and forth on his feet.

Judith gave him a deadpan look. "What have you got, 20/20 vision? No dip, he's not here. Mark wouldn't let you within ten feet of this cabin. Where is he?" She stood up, stretching out her limbs.

"He's headed to dinner with Ellis," Percy answered. He paused for a moment, looking antsy. "Anyway, do you want to hear what happened?"

Judith rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Shoot."

And then he spilled. He spilled everything in two breaths. The boy made sure to voice his dislike for Zoë and her aversion to the male population multiple times — Judith hid her smile as he bashed on the Hunter. And then he confessed he was a little hurt that Grover was going to go, same with Thalia; though, he confessed it wasn't her fault and he no longer held anything against her for the capture the flag game. He was just downtrodden that it couldn't be him who went.

"And?" Judith asked as he finally concluded his tirade, breathing heavily.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "And what?"

She blinked as if it were obvious. "And ... what are we going to do about it?"

By the look on his face, Judith assumed he hadn't thought about it. He looked down at her feet for a moment, clearly in deep thought, his head tilting back and forth as he had inner debates. Judith sighed, knowing it would take him a moment to come up with something. He clicked his tongue before chuckling to himself.

"What's so funny?" She narrowed her eyes.

"You said 'we.' 'What are we going to do about it.'" He looked back up, eyes shining with surprise and amusement. "We're going to do something?"

"Don't think so far into it." Judith scowled, lightly shoving him away from her as she walked to the door. "So, any plans?"

Percy smirked before joining her on the walk to the pavilion. "A few."

The plans were all a little outrageous and dramatic, and Judith was nothing short of unsurprised. Leave it to Percy Jackson to have a keen eye for theatrics. Judith shot down every mention of water transportation through major rivers; she'd reached her limit of water that year. It just so happened that those ideas were the majority of what he had. They were walking up on the pavilion where they would have to split for the night and they'd gotten no where.

Judith rubbed her temples. "Percy, this all sounds like you're winging it."

The boy snapped to attention before mumbling. "Winging it — winging ... "

"You're crazy," she whispered before starting to walk away, but he caught up and grabbed her elbow. She snatched it back but stopped to face him.

"We will be winging it," he stated proudly. "Blackjack."

The pegasus from Luke's ship. The ebony black, winged horse. The one that was practically smitten with Percy ever since he'd been released from the son of Hermes' clutches. Judith considered the boy thoughtfully. The idea didn't involve water, didn't require money. She actually approved. She bit her cheek and nodded once. Percy grinned and blew a stream of air from his mouth as if relieved by her reaction.

They then both walked into the pavilion before branching to their separate tables, both thinking about the trip they would be 'winging.'

—THE plan was implemented before the sun had even reached the horizon. Judith hadn't even gotten five hours of sleep, and it didn't help that it was a nightmare. The girl swore she could still feel herself being crushed beneath unimaginable weight, like a constant onslaught of pressure on her shoulders that restricted her breathing and made her head dizzy. Judith hadn't given death-by-suffocation a lot of thought, but it was definitely worth thinking about.

Judith guessed Percy's short nap wasn't all that great either; he jumped sky high when she jabbed him in the back to announce her presence.

"Gods, Judith. Don't do that." She didn't say anything, choosing only to poke him again in jest. He lightly smacked her hand away. "Are you ready?"

Judith blinked and forcefully jammed her fingers into his side making him wince and softly cry out in pain. "Would I be out here if I wasn't?"

"I was just asking out of courtesy," he hissed. "I'm just waiting for them to leave." He nodded his head to the open clearing within the horseshoe of cabins.

Judith peeked around his shoulder to see Zoë, Bianca, Thalia, and Grover congregating beside Chiron.

"They're headed out. Nico was out here earlier, but I sent him off to bed."

Judith glanced at Bianca closely, seeing the jittery girl adjust her coat multiple times. "He's worried about her," she guessed.

Percy nodded. "Yeah, he made me promise to keep her safe."

Judith tensed up. "Did you? Make the promise, I mean?"

He shrugged, not noticing her change in demeanor. "Yeah, why?"

"You don't just promise those kinds of things. The prophecy talks of dying, Percy," she smacked him with the back of her hand. "Bianca could be the one to get hurt, even if you do your best to protect her. You can't save everyone."

Percy's shoulders slumped. "I can try. Besides, what was I supposed to tell him?"

"The truth, Jackson. He can handle the truth, and if he can't, then he'll learn to. Don't make promises that you know you can't keep for certain," she said with finality and he went silent.

They watched as the questing group trudged up Camp Half-Blood's hill, the sun barely illuminating their forms. Judith stared out at the blooming orange color in the sky and wondered how Apollo felt about his sister disappearing. She didn't have to guess, remembering how she'd felt when her and Clarisse were separated on their quest for the Fleece. She'd been ... worried.

Shaking the thought out of her head, Judith followed Percy to the stables, making sure to look out for harpies on the way. The last thing they needed was an encounter with one of those.

The stables were quiet, the horses and pegasi still sleeping. All except one.

The inky pegasus whinnied quietly as Percy approached, stamping on the ground with one of his hooves. Judith held back and allowed the son of Poseidon to tame the guy. It surprisingly on it took a few soothing words.

"Hey, big guy. Shh, we don't need everyone waking up," Percy said.

The reaction was immediate, like he understood what the message was. Judith gaped as Blackjack immediately chilled, lowering his head.

"Horse whisperer," Judith chuckled.

Blackjack must have heard her because he snorted and trampled again. Percy glared at her for riling up the pegasus.

"He says he doesn't like to be called a horse," Percy told her.

"'He says?'" She repeated incredulously. "What do you mean, 'He says?'"

The boy only smirked and climbed on Blackjack's back with ease. "It's a son of Poseidon thing."

"Of course," Judith whispered to herself. She walked over and tapped Percy's offered hand away from her face, choosing to get on herself with difficulty. She may have rejected his help, but she knew she had to hold onto him when flying, unfortunately.

She wrapped her arms loosely around the boy, keeping her hands clasped together as they trotted away from the stables. She felt Percy tense up and she immediately switched so her hands were just clenching the fabric of his hoodie at his sides.

"Don't say anything," she spat.

She could see him shake his head vigorously. "Wasn't gonna."

Judith thought she would be able to get away with holding onto him like that for their flight, but Blackjack wasn't particularly graceful. The gusts of wind created more turbulence than she anticipated and Judith was left scrambling to wrap her arms around Percy hastily. She could hear him laughing and she pinched his stomach bitterly.

"Ow!" He cried and smacked her hand.

The reckless flying never let up and Judith wanted to attribute it to Percy's awful flying skills, but the wind was relentless and it had started to rain — pour actually. They were getting pelted with watery pellets. Judith was grateful to have actual insulated pants instead of her normal jeans, but her hoodie was doing absolutely nothing.

The girl was in charge of tracking the white van that Zoë, Bianca, Grover, and Thalia were in. She was doing a pretty good job considering they were flying through the clouds while they obstructed her view.

"Uh, Percy?" She felt something on her ankle and tried to kick it away unsuccessfully. "We have a situation."

They both looked down to see vines creeping up around Blackjack's legs and forcing them down towards the rooftop of a building. The pegasus' beating wings were nothing compared to the strength of the vines and they were soon stuck on the building, tethered down unwillingly. Just as Judith was about to yank her belt out and show the vines who's boss, a voice drawled from across the rooftop.

"Going somewhere?" The familiar voice of Dionysus called out. Both Percy and Judith turned to see the god leaning against the fire escape wall casually, legs crossed. His Hawaiian shirt was unbuttoned at the top just as it always was and the rain seemed to miss him as it came down.

Mr. D sighed in exasperation after a pause. "The next person, or horse, who calls me the 'wine dude' will end up in a bottle of Merlot!" Judith could guess that Blackjack just insulted the god and she put her hand down on his back with a pat, proud of the animal.

"Mr. D." Percy said as calmly as possible as their legs were bound by his vines. "What do you want?"

"Oh, what do I want? You thought, perhaps, that the immortal, all-powerful director of camp would not notice you two leaving without permission?"

"Wouldn't be the first time," Judith mumbled.

"I should throw you off this building — minus the flying horse — and see if your attitude changes." His head cocked to the side as he stared her down.

Judith only crossed her arms, knowing when to back down.

Percy angrily clenched his fists. "Why do you hate me so much? What did I ever do to you?"

Purple flames flickered in the god's eyes. "You're a hero, boy. I need no other reason."

"We have to go on this quest! I've got to help my friends. That's something you wouldn't understand!"

"Did I ever tell you about Ariadne?" Mr. D asked like he told stories frequently, when in actuality, he did his best to limit interaction with everyone. "Beautiful young princess of Crete? She liked helping her friends, too. In fact, she helped a young hero named Theseus, also a son of Poseidon. She gave him a ball of magical yarn that let him find his way out of the Labyrinth. And do you know how Theseus rewarded her?"

Judith recalled the story. Percy hadn't been taking classes at camp, but she had so she answered. "He promised to marry her but then left her to die on Naxos."

Dionysus skimmed his eyes over her. "Tossed her away like a broken sandal," he agreed.

"That's wrong," Percy said. "But that was thousands of years ago. What's that got to do with me or us?"

Mr. D regarded him coldly. "I fell in love with Ariadne, boy. 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."

Judith rolled her eyes at his dramatics but couldn't say she would love to be in his position either. Percy just stared in disbelief. "You're ... you're married? But I thought you got in trouble for chasing a wood nymph —"

"My point is you heroes never change. You accuse us gods of being vain. You should look at yourselves. 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."

"What do you mean, ask Zoë?"

He waved his hand dismissively. "Go. Follow your silly friends."

The vines uncurled around their legs.

"You're... you're letting us go? Just like that?" Percy asked as Judith prepared to smack him upside the head for questioning the god. She wasn't going to risk Mr. D changing his mind; the gods were prone to doing that.

"The prophecy says at least two of you will die. Perhaps I'll get lucky and you'll be one of them, maybe both of them. But mark my words, Son of Poseidon, Daughter of Ares, live or die, you will prove no better than the other heroes."

With that, Dionysus snapped his fingers. His image folded up like a paper display. There was a pop and he was gone, leaving a faint scent of grapes that was quickly blown away by the wind.

"Always pleasant to talk with him," Judith grumbled. "What was even the point of that if he was going to let us go in the end?"

Percy only shook his head. "Come on, Blackjack," He said, trying to sound upbeat. "I'll buy you some donuts in New Jersey."

Well, Percy planned to, but it ended up being Judith who had to buy the donuts. Luckily, she had a small amount of money on her. The van didn't stop in New Jersey, and instead kept driving, but Judith had forced Percy to land so she could take a quick bathroom break in a café. Unfortunately, the counter person had made her pay for something before leaving.

She had scowled and was about to just buy a single glass of water to chug, but changed her mind to getting a donut for Blackjack. He had started to get a little restless with no food and she wanted them to catch up with the van once she got out.

So Judith ran out of the café with one last withering glance at the barista, seeing him recoil in fear. The girl raced to the dark alley they had landed in and hopped onto the pegasus' back. "I got you something."

Percy looked at her in surprise. "Me?"

Judith narrowed her eyes and shoved the pastry in Blackjack's face. "No, not you."

"Oh, right," Percy mumbled. "He says you're the coolest spawn of Ares he's ever met."

"I better be," Judith said. "Now let's go! We're wasting time."

Soon, they were in Maryland where Zoë had finally pulled over at a gas station. Percy landed Blackjack on the roof of the tallest building he could find with a fire escape. "Alright, I'm going to go scout things out with them."

"But we'll be seen," Judith said.

"First of all, you are staying here to make sure Blackjack stays hidden. Second, I have this." He whipped Annabeth's hat out of his pocket.

Judith nodded, but gave him an angry look. "And third of all, never tell me what to do. I will volunteer myself to stay behind and watch Blackjack," she pointed a finger close to his face and he went cross eyed to look at it, "but not because you told me to."

Percy held his hands up defensively. "Noted." He placed the cap on his head and she heard the rattle of the fire escape as he trekked away.

In his absence, Judith wandered around the rooftop, converting her belt into her sword, deciding she'd get her daily practice in. She spoke while she swung her blade strategically. "So ... Percy can understand you, huh?"

Blackjack didn't respond, obviously.

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe he's just lying. It seems like a dumb power to me."

Still no response. Judith gave up and went back to focusing on her movements. She was so in the moment that she didn't notice Percy climbing back up the ladder. He walked closer and placed a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. Judith, startled, tensed and swung her sword around to catch him in a headlock with the blade against his throat.

"Judith!"

"Ugh! You should have known that was a bad idea," Judith growled and let him fall. "You don't walk up and scare someone practicing with a sword."

"Sorry," Percy brushed off his shirt to try and play off his mistake. "Anyway, they're headed to Washington D.C."

"D.C.? Why?" They hopped on Blackjack's back and took to the sky. The rain had let up and the wind had calmed so Judith only fisted his jacket this time around.

Percy shook his head. "Grover did some tracking trick and they all agreed that was where they should go next. I have no idea what he saw."

"Zoë would kill him if he led them astray."

"Let's hope he doesn't then."

NOTES;

edited : 07 / 11 / 2020