Chapter Nine:
A Gold Medal, Olympic Dive.
— Leash-less confusion,  I wander
the concrete, wonder if better now
having survived !

The quartet spent two days on the Amtrak train, heading west through hills, over rivers, and past amber waves of grain.

Surprisingly enough, they weren't attacked once. That did nothing for their paranoia though. None of them could relax, they remained tense and constantly looked over their shoulders. Eventually, that would become instinct. One reason that Annabeth Chase didn't relax was because it felt like they were traveling around in a display case, being watched from above and below, something waiting for the right opportunity to attack. She could tell that Percy had begun to hunch in on himself whenever someone even slightly glanced at him. He was trying to keep a low profile, she could tell that much. When both he and Grover were immersed into their own conversation, Colette had told Annabeth about the front pages of several East Coast newspapers that had Percy's face plastered on them that she'd seen. The Trenton Register News showed a picture taken by a tourist when the four had been getting off of the exploded Greyhound bus.

There must've been a wild look in their eyes, especially his due to the sword in his hands that looked like a metallic blue, easily mistaken for a baseball bat or a lacrosse stick. Colette read the caption aloud in her best news reporter voice, putting on a really good American accent that disguised her French twinges: Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson, wanted for questioning in the Long Island disappearance of his mother two weeks ago, is shown here, fleeing from the bus where he accosted several elderly female passengers. The bus exploded on an East New Jersey roadside shortly after Jackson fled the scene. Based on eyewitness accounts, police believe that the boy may be traveling with three teenage accomplices. His stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, has offered a cash reward for information leading to his capture.

               "Don't worry," Annabeth told the fugitive, "mortal police could never find us." She tried for reassurance, but she knew that she didn't sound too sure about it. The look of doubt in his eyes told her he'd caught on to it, too.

The rest of the day, Annabeth watched as Percy spent half of his time alternatively pacing the length of the train. Whether it was out of anxiety or ADHD, she didn't know, but she knew her eyes and head hurt from watching him. The other half of his time was spent looking out the windows and she could see why he was. They'd spotted a family of Centaurs galloping across a wheat field, bows at the ready, as they hunted lunch. The little boy Centaur caught Percy's eyes and waved. Nobody else in the passenger car had noticed, thank gods for the mist. The adult riders had their faces buried into their laptops or magazines. Later, towards the evening, she saw Colette's eyebrows furrow in interest. Apparently, the blonde had seen a lion, its fur glinting gold in the evening light. It had lept through the trees before it disappeared.

Unfortunately, the reward money for returning Gladiola, the poodle, had only been enough to purchase tickets as far as Denver. They couldn't get berths in the sleeper car, so they dozed in their stiff seats. Annabeth winced at the position Percy's neck was in when he tried to sleep. She bit the inside of her lip to stifle a laugh when she realized he was trying not to drool because she was next to him. She looked across from her to find Colette staring at her with amused eyes and raised eyebrows. Grover kept snoring and bleating in his sleep, waking Percy up every time. He had shuffled around at some point and his fake foot fell off. Colette, despite her wide eyes, had been quick to put it on before any of the other passengers noticed.

               "So," Annabeth began once her best friend had settled back into her seat comfortably, "who wants your help?" She saw the blonde slap a hand to her forehead at her blunt question and shaking her head tiredly and she winced.

She knew she lacked tact sometimes.

               "Whatchu' mean?"

               "When you were asleep just now, you mumbled, 'I won't help you.' What were you dreaming about?" The brunette noticed how he seemed reluctant to answer or say anything at all and opened her mouth to tell him that he didn't have to say anything if he didn't want to, but it was too late. His dream seemed to have bothered him so much that he ignored their rivalry for a second to tell her. When he was done, she was quiet as she shared cryptic looks with her best friend, who had gears turning in her head as she stared at the boy with an intense, scrutinizing gaze that he didn't seem to notice. "That doesn't sound like Hades. He always appears on a black throne, and he never laughs."

               "He offered my mom in trade. Who else could do that?"

               The look on Colette's face easily said that she could think of a list, but Annabeth decided to focused on Percy's predicament for a moment. "I guess ... if he meant, 'Help me rise from the Underworld.' If he wants war with the Olympians. But why ask you to bring him the master bolt if he already has it?"

               The blonde readjusted the cap on Grover's head when he turned his head in his sleep so it would cover his horns. "Percy, you can not barter with Hades, if it is him. He is not someone you can negotiate with. Unless his wife is there by his side, you have no chance. It does not matter if his Kindly Ones were not as aggressive this time—"

               "—this time?" he asked. "You mean you've run into 'em before?" His gaze flickered back and forth between the best friends. It didn't help that Annabeth had paled at his question and ducked her head down from his view.

               Colette let her hand reach for her necklace, twirling the glazed white bead that was painted with the image of a pine tree, one of the end-of-summer tokens. "Yes," she answered simply, but didn't elaborate, "I hold no grudges with the Lord of the Dead, but he is not in my favor. You cannot be tempted to make a deal for your mom."

               "What'd you do if it was ya' mom?"

               Annabeth opened her mouth to snap at the boy for being insensitive — he didn't know about Colette's life, he shouldn't have questioned her about it — but her best friend held a hand up. "She has been dead for a while now, there is nothing I can do to change that. I do not like to mess with fate." The blonde replied calmly to his question, but her eyes held something deeper than that. The brunette knew that her best friend was a tortured soul.

               Percy gaped like one of the fishes he was related to, not expecting that. He stammered to apologize, but she waved him off. He turned to Annabeth then, gulping at the warning look in her eyes. "What'd you do if it was ya' dad?"

               "That's easy," she shrugged, not at all bothered, "I'd leave him to rot."

               "You not serious?"

               His question was answered when she fixed her gray eyes on him intensely. "My dad's resented me since the day I was born, Percy." She tried to explain. "He never wanted a baby. When he got me, he asked Athena to take me back and raise me on Olympus because he was too busy with his work. She wasn't happy about that. She told him that heroes had to be raised by their mortal parent."

               "But how ... I mean, I guess you wasn't born in a hospital ..."

               "I appeared on my father's doorstep, in a golden cradle, carried from Olympus by Zephyr the West Wind. You'd think my dad would remember that as a miracle, right? Like, maybe he'd take some digital photos or something, but he always talked about my arrival as if it were the most inconvenient thing that ever happened to him. When I was five, he got married and totally forgot about Athena. He got a 'regular' mortal wife, had two 'regular' mortal kids, and tried to pretend I didn't exist."

Colette leaned over from her seat, taking Annabeth's hand into her own and squeezing comfortably. The brunette had expressed before how difficult that story was to tell, but her best friend was proud that she was opening up. The blonde gave her a sunny smile that made all her worries go away.

               "My mom married an awful guy," Percy told her, "Grover said she did it t'protect me, t'hide me in the scent of a human family. Maybe that's what ya' dad was thinkin'?" It was sweet how he tried to be optimistic for her.

               Annabeth started fiddling her own necklace, pinching her dad's gold college ring that hung with the beads. Sometimes she wondered why she still held it. Her best friend told her that it must've been a sign of hope. "He doesn't care about me." She sounded so certain, it was heartbreaking. "His wife — my stepmom — treated me like a freak. She wouldn't let me play with her children. My dad went along with her. Whenever something dangerous happened — you know, something with monsters — they would both look at me resentfully, like, 'How dare you put your family at risk.' Finally, I took the hint. I wasn't wanted. I ran away."

               "How old was you?"

               "Same age as when I started camp: Nine."

               "But ... you couldn't have gotten all the way to Half-Blood Hill by ya'self."

               "Not alone, no. Athena watched over me, guided me toward help. I made a couple unexpected friends who took care of me, for a short time, one still is." Annabeth shot a smile to her best friend who was looking at her sadly.

               Percy seemed to have more questions, but he took the hint when she turned her head away from him. His gaze shifted to the blonde across from them. She raised an eyebrow at him. "What 'bout you? What's ya' story?"

               Colette sighed heavily and it made Annabeth worry. The blonde could go from a happy, go-lucky teenage girl to someone much older, much more haunted than a kid should be. The way her eyes darkened and shattered gave away her true dilemma. She was broken. "I was seven when my maman died. She was killed by a Chimera. My dad arrived after I killed it. I spent nearly a year with my Aunt Arty before she left me with Annabeth and her friends." Percy could only blink at her, clearly in shock, and it made her shift uncomfortably.

               "Story time's over." Annabeth declared when she noticed her best friend's unease. The trio lapped into the silence after that. All of them turning to look out of the window, thoughts and memories overcoming them all.

Towards the end of the second day on the train — June 13th, eight days before the summer solstice — they passed through some golden hills and over the Mississippi River, and into St. Louis. Annabeth craned her neck to see the Gateway Arch more clearly. She was in awe of the architecture. She could recall the very history of when it was built and why. As soon as she saw it, all the facts flooded through her brain. She couldn't see it, but Colette was looking at her with a small smile. Those heart eyes of hers were absolutely adorable. Her gray eyes softened completely and her guard was down for once. It was nice to see her so relaxed and entranced by something that she loved.

               "I wanna do that." She sighed dreamily as she stared up at it in awe.

               Colette smiled at her with soft eyes, knowing exactly what she wanted to do and encouraged her for it, but Percy frowned curiously. "What?"

               "Build something like that." The brunette elaborated on her statement easily, sensing his utter confusion by her vague statement. "Have you ever seen the Parthenon, Percy?"

               "Only in pictures."

               "Someday, I'm gonna see it in person. I'm going to build the greatest monument to the gods, ever." Her smile was so wide then, dreamy.

               "Yes, you are." The blonde nodded along, patting her best friend's thigh in added confidence, and relishing in her flushed nose at the attention and affection.

               Percy laughed. "You? An architect?"

               Annabeth flushed even further, the flustered, pink spreading from her nose to the apple's of her cheeks. "Yes, an architect. Athena expects her children to create things, not just tear them down, like a certain God of Earthquakes that I could mention."

               "Come on!" Colette threw her head back against the back of her seat and groaned. Despite the brunette's defensive mindset, she couldn't help but find the sight of her best friend attractive. The movement exposed the sharpness of the blonde's jawline and the bare, pale skin of her neck. "Can't you both work together now?" The French girl knew she'd captured both of their attention then. "You are not your parents, but if you want to continue to act like you are, think of the chariot. Athena invented it, and Poseidon created horses out of the crests of waves. If they could cooperate for once, you guys can, too, at least try ... for my sake? I swear Grover and I have gotten nonstop headaches from your constant arguing, and Satyrs are immune!"

Percy and Annabeth shared a look. Sure, the two couldn't ever find anything to agree on, but they had common ground: Colette and Grover. They had to make it work if they wanted this quest to go right. They nodded and sighed.

               "I suppose." Annabeth said at last.

               "Yeah, we can do that." Percy nodded.

               "Thank the gods."

               Finally, the train pulled into the Amtrak station downtown. The intercom told them that they'd have a three-hour layover before departing for Denver. Grover stretched. Before he was even fully awake, he was still mumbling. "Food."

               "Come on, goat boy." Annabeth teased him lightly. "Sightseeing."

               "Sightseeing?"

               "The Gateway Arch," she told him, "this may be my only chance to ride to the top. Are you coming or not?" She put her hands on her hips as she watched the two boys exchange looks. She knew they didn't want to go, but splitting up wasn't a good idea on a quest, not ever. She knew her best friend was going with her, there was no doubt she'd have protection against monsters if they truly didn't want to go. "You guys don't have to go if you don't want to, I have Lettie with me; She'll protect me if anything happens." She shrugged nonchalantly at them.

               Grover shrugged as well. "As long as there's a snack bar without monsters."

The Arch was about a mile from the train station. Late in the day, the lines to get in weren't too long. The quartet threaded their way through the underground museum, looking at covered wagons and other things from the 1800s. It wasn't all that thrilling to three fourths of the group, but Annabeth kept spewing interesting facts about how the Arch was built. Colette was staring at her with intrigue despite not knowing what half of the words she was saying meant, listening to every last fact, and storing it for later. Grover continuously passed Percy jelly beans, so it kept him complacent. Despite the blonde's full attention on her best friend, she was looking over her shoulder. Annabeth noticed it and appreciated the sentiment.

               "You smell anythin'?" Percy murmured to his best friend.

               The satyr took his nose out of the jelly bean bag long enough to sniff around. "Underground," he said distastefully, "underground always smells like monsters. Probably doesn't mean anything."

               Annabeth knew his reassurance meant nothing. They were traveling with a son of the Big Three, monsters were bound to sniff them out. "Guys," Percy drew their attention to him, "you know the gods' symbols of power?"

               Despite her eavesdropping, the brunette was in the middle of reading about the construction equipment used to build the Arch, but she looked over at him. "Yeah?"

               "Well, Hade—"

               Colette coughed loudly, interrupting him at the same time as Grover cleared his throat obnoxiously. "We're in a public place ... you mean, our friend downstairs?"

               Percy blinked. "Um, right," he nodded slowly, "our friend way downstairs. Don't he got a hat like Annabeth's?"

               "The Helm of Darkness." Colette confirmed his theory for him.

               Annbeth nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, that's his symbol of power. I saw it next to his seat during the winter solstice council meeting."

               "He was there?" Percy looked confused.

               "It's the only time he's allowed to visit Olympus — the darkest day of the year. But the Helm is a lot more powerful than my invisibility hat, if what I've heard is true ..."

               "It allows him to become darkness, even if Erebus is the embodiment of it. He can melt into shadow or pass through walls. He can't be touched, seen, or heard. He can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart, though that is Fear and Terror's job." Colette shrugged lightly as she finished her best friend's train of thought.

               Grover nodded rapidly. "Why do you think all rational creatures fear the dark?"

               "I second that."

               Annabeth smothered a smile at her best friend's input. "But then ... how do we know he's not here right now, watchin' us?" Percy started looking around anxiously.

               The blonde raised an intrigued eyebrow at the theory. "We don't, but I doubt he'd waste his time watching us. If he was here, why not apprehend us right now?"

               The Son of Poseidon pursed his lips. "Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better," he smiled sarcastically and turned to his best friend, "got any blue jelly beans left?"

The elevator to get to the top of the Arch was tiny, so small that it was almost questionable and a probable safety hazard. The four got shoehorned into the car with a large lady and her dog, a Chihuahua with a rhinestone collar. It must've been a surface dog because none of the guards said a word about it being in the building. They started going up, inside the Arch.

               "No parents?" The lady questioned the quartet curiously. She had such beady eyes, pointy and coffee stained teeth, a floppy denim hat, and a denim dress that bulged so much; She really looked like a blue-jean blimp.

               "They're below," Annabeth lied smoothly, "scared of heights."

               "Oh, the poor darlings." The Chihuahua growled in her arms. "Now, now, sonny. Behave." The dog had the same beady eyes as its owner, intelligent and vicious.

               "Sonny. That his name?" Percy asked, trying to be polite.

               "No." The lady answered with a smile, as if her response cleared everything up.

At the top of the Arch, the observation deck resembled a tin can with carpeting, but Annabeth saw it as much more than that.

Rows of tiny windows looked out over the city on one side and the river on the other side. The view was okay, but it would've been better if the space wasn't so confined. A small space that was six hundred feet in the air wasn't at all safe. She noticed how fidgety Percy had become, she knew he wanted to leave soon, but she couldn't help herself. She kept talking about structural supports, how she would've made the windows bigger, and designed a see-through floor. If it wasn't for the park ranger announcing that the observation deck would be closing in a few minutes, she would've stayed for hours. Colette steered Annabeth and Percy steered Grover towards the exit, loading each other into the incoming elevator. The Hispanic boy was about to get in, but he realized there was already someone else inside, no room for him.

               The park ranger looked between the group and Percy awkwardly. "Next car, sir."

               "We'll get out," Colette offered helpfully, "we'll wait with you."

               Annabeth nodded along with her words in agreement, making Grover do the same. Percy narrowed his eyes slightly at the lady that stayed up with him as well. "Nah, it's a'ight. I'll see you guys at the bottom." He gave them a tight smile, watching as the three share looks, but let the elevator door slide shut. The only people left on the observation deck were him, a little boy with his parents, the park ranger, and the large lady with her Chihuahua.

The next thing Annabeth knew, she and her two companions were watching as their fourth quest mate dived from the top of the St. Louis Arch into the body of water below it. They were in complete disbelief at what happened before them. Their eyes were wide and their mouths were gaping. She was surprised by the sheer terror in Colette's expression when they watched him basically cannon ball into the water. While she knew that without Percy, the quest would fail, she didn't understand why her best friend was so concerned, but that was a question for another time. She'd get answers eventually.

"... an adolescent boy," a reporter was saying, "Channel Five has learned that surveillance cameras show an adolescent boy going wild on the observation deck, somehow setting off this freak explosion. Hard to believe, John, but that's what we're hearing. Again, no confirmed fatalities ..."

When the trio finally found sight of their fourth member out of water, they ran toward him. Grover bleated loud enough to earn his attention. "Perrr-cy!" When the boy turned, the Satyr tackled him into a bear hug. "We thought you'd gone to Hades the hard way!"

Annabeth tried to look angry, and she was in a sense. Percy's fall had made Colette terrified and she didn't like seeing her best friend so scared, ever. However, she couldn't hide her relief at the sight of him. "We can't leave you alone for five minutes!" She reprimanded. "What happened?" She cried out in concern.

"I sort of fell."

"Six hundred and thirty feet?" Colette questioned quietly, but her tone was incredulous. Her eyes were red rimmed and her jaw was set, looking angry and worried.

Behind them, a cop was shouting. "Gangway!"

The crowd parted and a couple of paramedics hustled out, rolling a woman on a stretcher. She was the mother of the little boy who'd been on the observation deck and she was rambling. "And then this huge dog, the huge, fire-breathing Chihuahua—"

"Okay, ma'am," the paramedic humored her, "just calm down. Your family is fine. The medication is starting to kick in."

"I'm not crazy! This boy jumped out of the hole and the monster disappeared." Her eyes were glancing around wildly until she saw Percy. "There he is! That's the boy!"

Colette was quick to grab Percy and pull him after her. Annabeth and Grover followed the pair until they disappeared into the crowd. "What's going on?" The brunette demanded answers from him. "Was she talking about the Chihuahua on the elevator?"

Percy was quick to tell them the whole story of the Chimera, Echidna, his high-dive act, and the underwater lady's message. "Woah," Grover breathed out in shock, "we've got to get you to Santa Monica! You can't ignore a summons from your dad."

Before Annabeth could say anything, the quartet passed another reporter doing a news break. "Percy Jackson. That's right, Dan. Channel Twelve has learned that the boy who may have caused this explosion fits the description of a young man wanted by the authorities for a serious New Jersey bus accident three days ago. And the boy is believed to be traveling west. For our viewers at home, here is a photo of Percy Jackson." The four ducked around the news van and slipped into an alley.

"First things first," Percy told them. "We gotta get outta town!"

Somehow, the quest mates managed to make it back to the Amtrak station without getting spotted. They boarded onto the train just before it pulled out for Denver. The train trundled west as darkness fell, police lights still pulsing against the St. Louis skyline behind them. It was one Hell of a day. Annabeth still couldn't believe everything that'd happened so quickly.

Colette had whispered something in her ear that made her smile though.

Percy would've definitely gotten a gold medal for his Olympic level dive.

ICARUS INQUIRES:

^^^^^^^^^^^Percy fr

It never occurred to me how terrified I would've been if I was Annie or Grover, watching Percy literally plunge from the Arc and into the water until I wrote this chap. Like wtf??? My heart would've fallen out of my ass.

I would've def wanted to see Annie or Grover's reaction had the chapter been in their point of view in the actual book.