𝑨𝑪𝑻 𝑻𝑾𝑶 ━ 𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑵𝑰𝑵𝑬

𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐘 a helicopter, Iris didn't know. The group had barely crossed the Potomac when the helicopter came into view—a sleek, black military model, eerily similar to the one they'd seen at Westover Hall. It flew straight toward them, cutting through the snowy sky like a predator zeroing in on its prey.

Iris, sitting in the back of the van, glanced up at the approaching aircraft, her stomach tightening. 

   "They know the van," Percy said from the front. "We have to ditch it."

Zoe swerved into the fast lane, her expression calm but her knuckles tight on the wheel. The helicopter was closing the gap.

   "Maybe the military will shoot it down," Grover said hopefully, gripping the seat in front of him.

   "The military probably thinks it's one of theirs," Percy said. He turned to Zoe. "How can the General use mortals anyway?"

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

Iris frowned, leaning forward. "But wouldn't they notice who they're working for? You know, all the monsters and everything?"

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 roared closer, its blades slicing through the icy air. It made far better time than their van, especially in the mess of D.C. traffic.

Thalia pressed her hands together, closing her eyes. "Hey, Dad. A lightning bolt would be nice about now. Please?"

But the sky stayed gray and heavy with snow, offering no sign of Zeus's intervention. "There!" Bianca said suddenly, pointing. "That parking lot!"

   "We'll be trapped," Zoe argued, glancing in the rearview mirror.

   "Trust me," Bianca insisted.

Zoe gritted her teeth and shot across two lanes of traffic, skidding into a mall parking lot on the river's south bank. The group piled out of the van in a hurry, Percy pulling Iris along when she hesitated to grab her backpack.

   "Subway entrance!" Bianca called, leading the way down a set of icy steps. "Let's go south. Alexandria."

   "Anything," Thalia agreed, shivering against the biting wind.

They hurried through the turnstiles, buying tickets with frantic speed. Moments later, they were aboard a southbound train, the warmth of the subway car hitting them like a small blessing.

From her seat, Iris peered out the window, watching the helicopter circle the parking lot. It didn't pursue them, but it wasn't far away either.

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

Bianca shrugged, a small smile on her lips. "I remembered it from when Nico and I came through here last summer. I thought it was odd because the station wasn't here when we used to live in D.C."

Grover frowned, his brow furrowing. "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."

Thalia leaned forward, her tone skeptical. "Wait a minute. No subway at all?"

Bianca nodded, and Iris shared a confused glance with Percy. The timeline didn't make sense.

   "Bianca," Zoe said. "How long ago..." Her voice faltered. Zoe opened her mouth to respond but froze, her sharp gaze snapping toward the window. The sound of the helicopter was back, louder now.

   "We need to change trains," Percy said, already standing. "Next station."

For the next half hour, all they focused on was evading their pursuers. They switched trains twice, never staying on one line for too long. The helicopter's presence gradually faded, but when they finally disembarked, they were at the end of the line, in an industrial area that felt deserted and bleak.

Snow covered everything in thick blankets, and the air felt even colder here. Percy adjusted his new lion's fur coat, but the chill still seeped into his bones.

   "Where are we?" Iris asked, hugging her arms.

   "Nowhere good," Percy muttered as they wandered through the railway yard. Rows of freight cars stood like frozen giants, snow coating their steel shells.

A trash-can fire flickered nearby, and a homeless man stood beside it, warming his hands. His face was grimy, and his beard tangled, but his smile was kind. "Y'all need to get warmed up? Come on over."

The group hesitated, but the cold left them little choice. They huddled around the fire, grateful for even a small reprieve.

Thalia shivered violently. "Well, this is g-g-g-great."

   "My hooves are frozen," Grover complained.

   "Feet," Percy corrected quickly, glancing at the man.

Bianca spoke up. "Maybe we should contact camp. Chiron might—"

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

Iris gazed around the empty rail yard, her heart sinking. Somewhere far away, Annabeth was in danger. Artemis was still captured. And yet here they were, stranded, relying on a stranger's fire.

   "You know," the man said suddenly, his voice calm and knowing. "You're never completely without friends. "You kids need a train going west?"

Percy turned to him. "Yes, sir, you know of any?"

The man pointed with one greasy hand. Iris followed his gesture and spotted it—a gleaming freight train, untouched by snow. The words SUN WEST LINE were painted in bright letters on its side.

"That's. . . convenient," Thalia said warily. "Thanks, uh..."

She turned to the man, but he was gone. The fire had vanished with him, leaving only a cold, empty can.

𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐀𝐍 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄 rumbling west. There was no problem about who would drive now, because they had all gotten their own luxury car. Zoe and Bianca were crashed out in a Lexus. Grover was playing race car driver behind the wheel of a Lamborghini. Thalia had hot-wired the radio in a black Mercedes SLK and Iris had gotten a Maserati Quattroporte but right now she was with Thalia.

   "Join you?" Percy asked, glancing at Thalia.

She shrugged, so Percy climbed into the shotgun seat, though Iris had already been sitting in the middle.

The radio was playing The White Stripes. Percy recognized the song; it was one of the few CDs he owned that his mom liked. 

   "Nice coat," Thalia told him, her eyes flicking briefly over the golden-brown duster.

Iris, sitting quietly beside Percy, noticed the coat too. It looked far too grand for someone like him, though she could see how it had its uses. She gave a small, approving nod.

Percy pulled the duster tighter around him. "Yeah, but the Nemean Lion wasn't the monster we're looking for."

   "Not even close. We've got a long way to go," Thalia said, her voice grim.

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

   "He said that?" Thalia asked, glancing at him briefly.

   "Well, something like that. Yeah." Percy felt the weight of their situation. "That's great. I love being used as bait."

Iris's thoughts drifted. "No idea what the monster might be?" Thalia asked, her tone softer than before.

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

Percy remembered something Annabeth had said at the dance: how her dad was moving to San Francisco, and there was no way she could go. Half-bloods couldn't live there.

   "Why?" he asked. "What's so bad about San Francisco?"

   "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."

   "What's the Mountain of Despair?" Percy asked, his curiosity piqued.

   "You don't know?" asked Iris and for the first time Percy looked at her. She looked tired. 

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "You really don't know? Ask stupid Zoe. She's the fucking expert."

Iris glanced at Thalia, then back at Percy, sensing there was more behind the words than she was saying. But Thalia kept her eyes fixed on the road, clearly frustrated.

Percy wanted to ask what exactly Thalia meant, but he didn't. 

The afternoon sun shone through the steel-mesh side of the freight car, casting a shadow across Thalia's face. 

Iris shifted uncomfortably in the seat, suddenly feeling like an outsider. Her eyes lingered on Percy, trying to understand what he was thinking.

Then, suddenly, Percy's eyes widened as the thought hit him: "That's why you don't get along with Zoe."

Thalia frowned. "What?"

   "The Hunters tried to recruit you," Percy guessed

   "How did you guess that?" asked Iris but he just shrugged.

Thalia's eyes sparked with something dangerous. Percy thought she might snap at him, but instead, she just sighed. "I almost joined them," she admitted. "Luke, Annabeth, and I ran into them once, and Zoe tried to convince me. She almost did, but..."

   "But?" Percy prodded, his voice gentle.

Thalia's fingers tightened on the wheel. "I would've had to leave Luke."

   "Oh."

Iris exchanged a glance with Percy. "Zoe and I got into a fight," Thalia continued. "She told me I was being stupid. She said I'd regret my choice. She said Luke would let me down someday."

Percy could feel the tension thick in the air. The silence stretched as the sun outside flickered through the mesh side of the car. It felt like the shadows had taken on a life of their own.

   "That's harsh," Percy said quietly. "Hard to admit Zoe was right."

   "She wasn't right! Luke never let me down. Never." Thalia's voice trembled with a kind of fierce conviction.

   "We'll have to fight him," Percy said, his tone low, knowing how hard the truth would be to accept. "There's no way around it."

Thalia didn't answer immediately. Her knuckles turned white on the steering wheel.

   "You haven't seen him lately," Percy warned. "I know it's hard to believe, but—"

   "I'll do what I have to," Thalia snapped, cutting him off.

   "Percy stop." Iris tried to stop him. "Even if that means killing him?" Percy's voice was strained, his chest tightening at the thought of it.

"Do me a favor," Thalia said sharply. "Get out of my car."

Iris could feel the weight of her words hanging in the air. She felt bad for Thalia—caught in her grief, her anger, and the choices she had made. It was clear there was more to this than just the fight with Zoe. She didn't argue, sensing that it would do no good.

Just as Percy was about to leave, Thalia's voice stopped him.

   "Percy."

He turned back, his heart heavy with the unsaid things. Thalia's eyes were red, but he couldn't tell if it was from anger or something else, something deeper.

   "Annabeth wanted to join the Hunters, too," Thalia said quietly. "Maybe you should think about why."

Before Percy could respond, Thalia raised the power windows, effectively shutting him out from further conversation.

Iris sat quietly, unsure of what to say. She knew about Annabeth wanting to go with the Hunters, she had confessed to her one night when they were walking. But right now, she couldn't think about that. She didn't want to.

𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐒 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐆𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈 𝐓𝐎 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊 up to the sky, the stars looked beautiful. She tilted her head back to look at the sky, where the stars shimmered faintly through the mesh walls of the freight car. For a moment, their beauty almost made her forget how chaotic everything was.

The sound of approaching footsteps made her stiffen. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Percy walking toward her, his expression was sheepish, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

   "Hey," he said awkwardly, stopping a few steps away.

   "Hey," she replied, her tone neutral. She turned her gaze back to the stars.

Percy hesitated, rocking on his heels before speaking again. "I, uh. . . I wanted to say sorry. For earlier. For snapping at you."

Iris crossed her arms, still looking up. "You were stressed. It's fine."

   "No, it's not," Percy insisted, stepping closer. "I shouldn't have taken it out on you. You're just... you're just trying to help, and I was an asshole. So, yeah. Sorry."

Her lips twitched into a small smile, though she didn't look at him. "Okay, I'll admit you were kind of an asshole. But. . . I wasn't exactly innocent either. I've been on edge too." She sighed. "So, I'm sorry too."

Percy nodded, the tension between them easing slightly. They stood in silence for a moment, the sounds of the train rumbling beneath them blending into the background.

   "The stars are really something tonight," Iris said softly, finally breaking the quiet.

Percy glanced up at the sky, then back at her. "Yeah, they are," he said, though his eyes lingered on her instead.

Iris finally turned to face him, and their eyes met. There was something unspoken in the air, a fragile understanding that hadn't been there before. The corners of Percy's mouth lifted into a hesitant smile, and Iris found herself smiling back.

   "Maybe this won't be too bad," she said lightly, trying to break the tension.

Percy chuckled. "Yeah, maybe."

The space between them seemed to shrink, and for a brief moment, the danger of their journey faded into the background. 

Percy took a small step closer, and Iris didn't move away. His hand lifted slightly, as if he wasn't sure what to do with it, but her gaze stayed locked on his.

Her breath hitched as Percy leaned in, his face inches from hers. Her heart pounded like a drum, and she couldn't tell if it was fear, excitement, or a mixture of both.

Then, a loud, obnoxious snort shattered the moment.

They both jumped and turned toward the sound. Grover was sprawled in the backseat of the Lamborghini, his head lolled to the side, snoring loudly. A faint bleat escaped his lips as he shifted in his sleep.

Iris blinked, the spell between them broken. Her face flushed crimson as she realized what had almost happened. "I—I should go," she stammered, taking a step back.

   "Wait, Iris—" Percy started, but she was already turning away.

   "Goodnight, Seaweed Brain," she called over her shoulder, her voice a little too high-pitched. Before he could say another word, she disappeared into the shadows, leaving him standing.

Percy sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Thanks, Grover," he muttered under his breath, glancing back at the snoring satyr.

He looked up at the stars one more time before heading back to the Lamborghini, still feeling the lingering warmth of what almost was.

Percy jolted awake as Grover shook his arm insistently. Blinking rapidly, he tried to piece together his scattered thoughts. He then remembered everything that had happened last night, Iris, Apollo, the dream. Everything.

   "Percy," Grover urged, his voice a mix of urgency and excitement. "It's morning. The train's stopped. Come on!"

Groaning, Percy sat up in the driver's seat of the Lamborghini. He stretched his stiff limbs, the weight of the Nemean Lion's coat still draped over him like a blanket. Outside, sunlight seeped through the edges of the metal curtains, casting long golden beams into the car.

Thalia, Iris, Zoe, and Bianca were already awake, rolling up the metal curtains to reveal their surroundings. Percy climbed out of the Lamborghini, his boots crunching on the thin layer of frost that had settled on the freight car floor overnight.

The landscape outside was breathtaking. Snow-covered mountains loomed on either side, their rugged peaks tinged with fiery hues from the rising sun. Pine trees dotted the slopes, their branches heavy with snow. The red-orange light of dawn spilled between two peaks, illuminating the valley below in a warm, ethereal glow.

Iris stood near the edge of the freight car, staring out at the view.

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❪ ៸ 𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 ━━━━━ ! ﹆◞ ❫
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━━━━━ . . .
❪ . . . the 9th chapter for act 2 of LOVE STORY everyone, 😘😘 ❫
❪ . . . wowowowowow PERCY IRIS ALMSOT KISS 🤭🤭 This is about 2.7k words ❫
❪ . . . PLEASE tell me how you guys feel about it ??❫
❪ . . .PLEASE don't be a ghost reader, comment and vote, I love to reply to everyone and interact with my readers, love all of you darlings <33 ❫