ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜱɪx : ꜱʜᴇ ᴀꜱᴋᴇᴅ, ᴀʀᴇ ᴡᴇ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀ ᴀʀʀᴇꜱᴛ?

Why is Grover's snoring so loud?

I just woke up from a terrifying dream. I stare at the ceiling, remembering the god that was about to kill me. We are on a train, back on track for our quest. I fidget with the ring given to me and wish Clarisse was here. She would keep this quest on track, no doubt about it.

"Hey, you asleep?" Percy questions. I don't respond for a second, wondering what to say.

"Yes," I reply. Now, my eyes are slowly shutting. Great. I turn to see him facing the ceiling.

"I've never asked you this, but what's your story?" Percy asks me, slightly turning his head to me.

"Well, I've always been interested in Greek mythology, specifically Aphrodite. Every time we would do a project on Greek gods, I always tried to find some way to tie her into it. At the time, I didn't know she was my mom. But I felt a strong connection to her not even my best friend could compare to. Once I hit middle school, I struggled with all of the demigod stuff. ADHD, dyslexia, but also OCD. I have always been obsessive with something, rather counting each of my steps or making sure I would chew equally on both sides of my mouth," I explain. Percy nods.

"Well, as I saw flyers for volleyball, I thought it was a great opportunity to make friends and have fun. Until the monsters. The girls on my team were turning against me, even though I was amazing at it. There were a few girls, but Grover visited me for a week to help me. I didn't have a protector, just my dad. My dad would be gone for most of the day, so this one babysitter would come to visit. She tried to kill me once, and I told my dad. He told me I was crazy. That's when I lost my shit. This was the day before my volleyball championship, and..." I told the story you have already heard from me. Once I wrapped it up, I could hear Percy sniffling.

"Do you still have it?" He asks.

"Have what?" I question.

"You know, the OCD thing," Percy says.

"Oh, yeah. I try to hide it, but I feel embarrassed during meal times. I'm not anorexic. I mean, I was. Well-" Okay, now I am oversharing.

"Hey, are you okay?" Percy questions, concern written all over his face. His nose is crinkled and scrunched up.

"Yeah I'm fine now...any other questions?" I say, returning to the normal conversation.

"Yeah. Why are you so protective over me? And Grover?" Percy asks after a moment. I take a moment to think.

"Well, there was this other demigod girl. Her name was Summer, and she was Savanna's step-sister. Savanna gave me this ring and lives in my cabin," I explain, pointing to my shimmering ring. "Well, they used to go to my school. They were 2 grades ahead, so now 9th grade. Listen, they were escaping to camp a few weeks before me. A Minotaur tried attacking them, but Summer told Savanna to. It's similar to Thalia's story. Summer got into camp and was claimed as soon as she walked in. She was Apollo's child. She tried to escape and ran into the Minotaur again. Somehow, she is in Hades right now. Maybe I can save her. But, I don't want the same thing that happened to my friend to happen to my quest mate." Percy looks at me with sympathy.

"Don't worry, we'll get Summer," Percy reassures.

"And we'll get your mom, I promise," I say. I notice Percy smiling at what I said. We hear Grover groan in annoyance.

"You awake?" Percy questions. Grover sighs.

"Well I am now, thanks," Grover says sarcastically. I laugh quietly.

"Are you okay?" Percy wonders.

"He's super grouchy when he doesn't get enough sleep," I explain, assuming. Grover rolls his eyes.

"'He's super grouchy when he doesn't get enough...'nah!" Grover mocks. He huffs quietly.

"Wow," Percy mutters, having to deal with Grover's sleepiness.

"You've never been on the road with a stressed, exhausted satyr after a volleyball tournament," I mention. Percy chuckles. "A little different than a froofy boarding school."

"Who's froofy? You're froofy? What's froofy?" Grover repeats, seeming tired but annoyed. "I think I need to eat."

"Yeah, I'm starving. These spicy chips will not hold me over, since I'm saving them for when we need them," I agree. I take a look out of the train window, hoping that my mom will somehow come and rescue me.

~

I'm sitting on the train, looking at a photo of camp. It is a Polaroid picture of Summer that Savanna gave me when I first arrived. Her blonde hair gives her a very passionate, caring look. It matches Apollo's appearance a lot. The god of the sun's daughter being very extroverted and bright? Yeah, that adds up. I can hear Percy and Grover whispering something about me, probably Percy asking questions that I won't answer to Grover.

"I understand now. I just wished she would open up a little more," Percy mumbles. Guys suck at whispering, so I can easily hear their conversation.

"Well, you do understand she is friends with Clarisse, right? Plus, you are a new arrival. Give it some time, and maybe y'all won't be enemies for long," Grover explains, patting Percy on the shoulder. I look up at them and see Percy looking into my eyes. Grover looks over at him and sees how awkward it is.

"Two days until we reach Los Angeles. Plenty of time before our deadline to reach the Underworld," Grover says, snapping the blondie out of his trance.

"Can I ask a dumb question?" Percy asks. I sigh.

"It's like you need me to make fun of you," I reply. Grover allows Percy to ask.

"I've never been to Los Angeles before. I'm guessing neither of you have been to Los Angeles. So, how will we have any idea where we're going?" Percy wonders. I grew up in New York and have only visited Florida, Las Vegas, and places out of the country.

"No idea. But that's like, step 37, and we're still on step 4. Cross that bridge when we get there," Grover mentions. I nod in agreement.

"Follow up stupid question," Percy adds.

"Seriously blondie," I remark. He looks over at me.

"'And you shall fail to save what matters most in the end.' Back in Jersey, I told you the Oracle said this quest would fail, and no one's mentioned it since. Seems like something we oughta be taking a little more seriously," Percy explains. His voice trails off as he looks out of the window. I follow his gaze. "Hey, look at that. Are those-"

"Centaurs," I finish, seeing multiple people with horse bodies. They gallop around, not having a care in the world. At least they don't have to get a lightning bolt from Hades anytime soon.

"No one even knows they're there," Percy notes.

"There used to be a lot here, now..." I space out, again. I see a scene of a god with a shield and a spear, slowly walking toward me.

"Listen, demigod. You will pay for your mother's mistakes. I hate her with my guts, and I can't stand to see you working with this brave demigod. Turn back before it's too late. Run away, young one. Before I get to you first," the god says. It charges to me, and I come back to reality.

"Your uncle we found at Medusa's, Ferdinand, was he a Searcher?" Percy asks. Grover stays silent for a few seconds as I try to process what that god just said to me. I turn to face Percy.

"The Oracle didn't exactly say the quest would fail. 'Fail to save what matters most.' That could mean anything. That's how prophesies work, that's how fate works. It could mean a lot of things," I explain to the demigod. "The harder you work to understand, the harder it gets to understand. Sometimes you just gotta let it come to you when it's ready." Percy nods at me as a police officer walks up to the three of us.

"Excuse me. Can I see your tickets, please?" The police officer questions. I pull out the tickets from my emergency bag and hand them to him. He peers at the slips of paper.

"You're at cabin 17B?" He asks. I nod as he urges us to come with him. We follow him down the narrow train hallway to our area. When we get in, we see the windows shattered and glass spread across the floor.

"You wanna explain?" The police officer says. I hold my breath.

"Wait, wait, do you think we did this?" Grover asks the officer. I look up at the man.

"Did you?" Percy starts getting angry.

"What, no, why!" Percy exclaims.

"Sir, when we left to get breakfast, everything was intact. We don't know his this happened," Grover explains to the policeman.

"We got a witness here, says she heard the window smash and then heard children's voices," the officer adds. I look over to see a lady in her 40s with brown hair. She looks over at me and notices my staring. She looks extremely familiar like I have seen her before.

"Oh, come on," Percy mutters.

"Can you tell me what time you left the cabin?" The police officer asks. I start to get irritated and feel tears coming down my face.

"Are we under arrest?" I question, a tear rolling down my cheek.

"I don't think you want to take that tone with me, little girl," the police officer states. I notice Percy's anger on his face as he steps in front of me.

"She asked, are we under arrest?"

~

The police officers walk back and forth, watching our booth. I huff as I fiddle with my thumbs.

"So we're just killing time til we find out that guy's like a werewolf or something, right?" Percy asks, looking across at Grover. This time, I'm sitting next to Percy.

"The train is arriving at St. Louis Gateway station in ten minutes," the speaker announces.

"I don't think he's a monster," I answer. He hasn't really tried to harm us or anything.

"Hard to say," Grover replies.

"Well, if he's not a monster, what's going on here? Why would anyone tear our room apart?" Percy inquires.

"Maybe they were looking for something," Grover justifies.

"But we don't have anything."

"The people who think you stole Zeus's master bolt might disagree," I explain. Percy sighs next to me.

"Right."

"Well, look, they're not gonna find something we don't have," Grover mentions, making me more calm.

"Although, we are not spending the day answering questions in the St. Louis police station. We need to get out of here before we get delayed," I say as a lady taps Percy's shoulder. I turn and see a concerned woman. She's the lady from before with brunette hair.

"Do you mind if I sit?" The lady asks, stuttering. She sighs. "Oh, you poor dears. Your parents aren't here, are they? Isn't that right, precious?" She turns to a bag with an animal inside. I can assume it's a dog, but I might be wrong.

"Don't children get scared when they're all alone? It's okay. I'm a mom. I know how scared you must be," the lady sympathizes. She turns to the policewoman. " excuse me. Would you mind giving us a little space? I think, I think you're making them nervous." The policewoman nods and gives me one last look. It's a if you need help, call me look. I guess girls supporting girls still applies, even in trains. Then, she walks away. The lady turns to us with a smile on her face.

"I want you to know I don't actually think that you made that mess back there. I just wanted a moment alone with you. There are some things I need you to understand-"

"You have something on your jacket. It looks like, it looks like glass," Grover points out. The realization hits me. "No one smashed out the window from inside our cabin. Someone smashed them in from the outside." The lady smiles, and I am starting to remember who she is. She was my old babysitter, and her name started with an E or A. I can't exactly remember, but she's probably dangerous.

"Hm, Oh!" The lady exclaims, turning to her animal in the cage. "Yes, sweetheart. I know, I know. You're impatient. Oh, but we're almost there." The lady stands back up and gives us a creepy smile.

"This isn't your fault. But sadly, you're going to have to bear the burden of your parents' mistakes today," the lady states, her tone becoming more serious.

"Listen, lady. I don't know who you are, but I think I know what you are. We've run across a few monsters like you and we've sent them all packing," Percy threatens. The lady scoffs.

"Monsters like me? Well, of course, they're like me. They were my children." Grover and I give a knowing look to each other. The mother of all monsters. What's her damn name?

"Children? What does that mean?" Percy wonders.

"The mother of all monsters," Grover says.

"Echidna." I finish, slowly looking up at her. She smirks at us, and this doesn't mean anything good.

𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔨𝔰 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔦𝔫𝔤 🫶