𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄
𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒃𝒖𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒂𝒅 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒚

❛ her endurance was outstanding
    but so was her          intelligence ❜

𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀 𝐁𝐔𝐒 𝐈𝐒 𝐁𝐀𝐃 𝐏𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐘, 𝕿ony Stark was very well an impulsive person, it was a strong personality trait he had acquired in his many years of life. And unfortunately for Aurora, on many occasions she'd be involved in those infamous impulsive decisions — whether it'd be from his money or mechanics, Aurora could always be found stood straightly behind him.

And on many of those passionate adventures, they'd always ventured towards a new location. For example, on one of these many instances Tony thought it was a splendid idea to take his daughter to Paris, seeing as she was fluent in French they had a wonderful time. However, he failed to mention their little journey to a very worried Pepper.

                         One thing Aurora managed to learn in this escapades, is that if your going to be impulsive make sure you pack light. Which was exactly what she did in order to get ready for the quest before her. Besides the extra changes of clothes in her black duffel bag, she had also managed to pack a stack of mechanical engineering books she had translated from English to Greek.

When she bid her farewells to the people around her — including a very stern Silena and Kaiya, she met up with the others . . . almost giggling when she saw Annabeth hauling her own Architecture book.

Grover wore his fake feet and his pants to pass as human. He wore a green rasta-style cap, because when it rained his curly hair flattened and you could just see the tips of his horns. His bright orange backpack was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. In his pocket was a set of reed pipes his daddygoat had carved for him, even though he only knew two songs: Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 12 and Ariana Grandes "Problem," both of which sounded pretty bad on reed pipes.

Aurora cringed at his attire wanting nothing more than to dress him herself. Everyone knew orange and green weren't compatible, right?

They waved good-bye to the other campers, took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, then hiked up Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus.

Aurora lightly placed the palm of her hand up against the tree, missing the girl she used to call her best friend, "I'll come back to you, Thalia," she whispered, a sad frown on her face. "I promise."

"Hey," a voice sounded behind her.

She abruptly pulled her hand back from the rough bark and turned around in surprise, only to be met with Percy's face. His ocean eyes once again reeling her in.

He nodded his head towards the tree now behind her, "Did you know her?"

Aurora glanced back at the tree before looking at him once again a glint of sorrow in her earthly eyes, "Something like that."

                         By her response, he knew she didn't want to talk about it so all he merely did was nod. It must have been a touchy subject, but once she sent him a grateful nod, he forgot about it.

                         Chiron was waiting for them in his wheelchair. Argus stood next to him wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so you could only see extra peepers on his hands, face and neck.

                         "This is Argus," Chiron told Percy. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things."

                         Aurora sent him a smile before the thunderous sound of footsteps invaded everyone's ears drawing their attention. With a quick turn of her head, she caught sight of Luke running up the hill towards their direction carrying something in his hands. It wasn't until he was close enough that Aurora managed to see what it was . . . a pair of unusual basketball shoes.

                        "Hey!" he panted as sweat beaded down his forehead. "Glad I caught you."

                         Aurora smirked and placed her hands on her hips when she saw Annabeth's aura burn a bright pink. Her cheeks turning a pretty pink as well. The only reaction Annabeth made when either the boy she admired was around or when Aurora paid her a compliment.

                         "Just wanted to say good luck," Luke told Percy, while also sending a nod to the others. "And I thought . . . um, maybe you could use these."

                         He handed Percy the sneakers, which looked pretty normal. They even smelled kind of normal which Aurora found odd, considering they were owned by a male. She peered over Percy's shoulder to get a better look, and once he noticed what she was doing he brought them closer to her.

                         Luke said, "Maia!"

                         White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels, startling Percy so much, he dropped them and in doing so knocked his head back against Auroras causing her to cry out in pain. However, the shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared.

                         Percy profusely apologized to the girl as he helped her back on her feet, while Grover smiled in delight at what the shoes had just did.

                         "Awesome!" Grover said.

                         Luke smiled at his enthusiasm, "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days .  . ."

                         His expression fell turning grim contrary to the smile on his face seconds ago.

                         "Hey, man," Percy said. "Thanks."

                         "Listen, Percy . . ." Luke looked uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just . . . kill some monsters for me, okay?"

                         Percy nodded a smile on his lips as they shook hands.

                         Luke patted Grover's head between his horns, then gave a good-bye hug to Annabeth, who looked like in any moment she would pass out. He stood in front of Aurora with a smirk on his face as he ruffled her hair causing her to squeal.

                         "Not the hair, Castellan!"

                         He rolled his eyes but placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a squeeze, "Take care, Stark."

                         His hand lingered on her shoulder before turning around and leaving.

                         After Luke was gone, Percy told Annabeth, "You're hyperventilating."

                         "Am not."

                         Aurora peeked over Percy's shoulder and stared at the blush on Annabeth's cheeks, "The blush on your cheeks says otherwise"

                         Annabeth growled at her best friend, "There's no blush!"

                         "Okay, then why is your aura pink?"

                         Percy rose his eyebrows, "What does that mean?"

                         Grover nudged his side, "It's a trait most of the Children of Aphrodite have. They can tell the different stages of love by the color of a person's aura. Pink means attracted."

                         Percy's lips twitched up in amusement as he turned back towards Annabeth, "You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?"

                         Aurora tried to stifle the giggles threatening to leave her lips at the glare Annabeth was sending her way.

                         "Oh . . . Why do I want to go anywhere with either of you?"

                         She stomped down the other side of the hill, where a white SUV waited on the shoulder of the road. Argus followed, jingling his car keys. Percy picked up the flying shoes and stared at them for a moment as if observing them before looking at Chiron.

"I won't be able to use these, will I?"

Chiron shook his head, "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air . . . that would not be wise for you."

Percy nodded, disappointed, but then perked up, "Hey, Grover. You want a magic item?"

His eyes lit up with excitement, "Me?"

Pretty soon they'd laced the sneakers over his fake feet, and the world's first flying goat boy was ready for launch.

"Maia!" he shouted.

He got off the ground okay, but then fell over sideways so his backpack dragged through the grass. The winged shoes kept bucking up and down like tiny broncos. Aurora immediately ran after her friend.

"Practice," Chiron called after him. "You just need practice!"

"Aaaaa!"

Grover went flying sideways down the hill like a possessed lawn mower, heading toward the van. Before they could follow, Chiron caught Percy's arm, halting him. Yet, Aurora ran around him to continue to chase her friend.

"I should have trained you better, Percy," he said. "If only I had more time. Hercules, Jason — they all got more training." His eyes were cloudy, a grim look on his face was present, and Percy could only assume he's seen far greater than he could ever comprehend.

"That's okay. I just wish—"

"What am I thinking?" Chiron cried. "I can't let you get away without this." He pulled a pen from his coat pocket and handed it to him. It was an ordinary disposable ballpoint, blackink, removable cap. Probably cost thirty cents.

"Gee," Percy said. "Thanks."

"Percy, that's a gift from your father. I've kept it for years, not knowing you were who I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You are the one."

Percy took off the cap, and the pen grew longer and heavier in his hand. In half a second, He held a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a leather-wrapped grip, and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs.

Percy looked over to his friends as he waved the newfound sword around. Aurora was still yelling and chasing after a flying Grover who was begging her to help him. The sight was pretty bemusing, a memory that would probably keep him alight if it weren't for their ultimate doom ready to ride them into the sunset.

"The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into," Chiron told him admiring the way the sword gleamed underneath the sunlight. "Its name is Anaklusmos."

"'Riptide,'" Percy translated tracing his index finger along the blade.

"Use it only for emergencies," Chiron said, "and only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals unless absolutely necessary, of course, but this sword wouldn't harm them in any case. Unlike Aurora's weapons." Percy looked at the wickedly sharp blade and to a panting Aurora.

                         "What do you mean it wouldn't harm mortals? How could it not?"

                         "The sword is celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, cooled inthe River Lethe. It's deadly to monsters, to any creature from the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion. They simply are not important enough for the blade to kill. And I should warn you: as a demigod, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable."

                         "Good to know."

"Now recap the pen." Percy touched the pen cap to the sword tip and instantly Riptide shrank to a ballpoint pen again. He tucked it in his pocket, looking a little nervous.

"Grover! Stop yelling at me I'm trying!"

"We'll try harder!"

"You can't," Chiron looked at Percy with a twitch of his lips.

Percy furrowed his eyebrows, "Can't what?"

"Lose the pen," he said. "It is enchanted. It will always reappear in your pocket. Try it."

Percy was wary, but he threw the pen as far as he could down the hill and watched it disappear in the grass, almost nailing a very frustrated Stark in the head.

"It may take a few moments," Chiron told him. "Now check your pocket."

Sure enough, the pen was there.

"Okay, that's extremely cool," He admitted. "But what if a mortal sees me pulling out a sword?"

Chiron smiled, "Mist is a powerful thing, Percy."

"Mist?"

"Yes. Read The Iliad. It's full of references to the stuff. Whenever divine or monstrous elements mix with the mortal world, they generate Mist, which obscures the vision of humans. You will see things just as they are, being a half-blood, but humans will interpret things quite differently. Remarkable, really, the lengths to which humans will go to fit things into their version of reality."

"For Gods sake!" Aurora huffed trying to jump up and catch Grover. "Brainiac! Come help, I'm struggling out here!"

Everyone waited for her response, "NO!"

Aurora wasn't very happy with that.

"Chiron . . . " Percy said. "When you say the gods are immortal . . . I mean, there was a time before them, right?"

"Four ages before them, actually. The Time of the Titans was the Fourth Age, sometimes called the Golden Age, which is definitely a misnomer. This, the time of Western civilization and the rule of Zeus, is the Fifth Age."

Percy awkwardly shifted, "So what was it like . . . before the gods?"

Chiron pursed his lips, "Even I am not old enough to remember that, child, but I know it was a time of darkness and savagery for mortals. Kronos, the lord of the Titans, called his reign the Golden Age because men lived innocent and free of all knowledge. But that was mere propaganda. The Titan king cared nothing for your kind except as appetizers or a source of cheap entertainment. It was only in the early reign of Lord Zeus, when Prometheus the good Titan brought fire to mankind, that your species began to progress, and even then Prometheus was branded a radical thinker. Zeus punished him severely, as you may recall. Of course, eventually the gods warmed to humans, and Western civilizationwas born."

"But the gods can't die now, right? I mean, as long as Western civilization is alive, they're alive. So . . . even if I failed, nothing could happen so bad it would mess up everything, right?"

The sound of Aurora struggling fell in line with their conversation, but they didn't let it interrupt them.

Chiron gave Percy a melancholy smile, "No one knows how long the Age of the West will last, Percy. The gods are immortal, yes. But then, so were the Titans. They still exist, locked away in their various prisons, forced to endure endless pain and punishment, reduced in power, but still very much alive. May the Fates forbid that the gods should ever suffer such a doom, or that we should ever return to thedarkness and chaos of the past. All we can do, child, is follow our destiny."

"Our destiny . . .  assuming we know what that is."

"Relax," Chiron told Percy. "Keep a clear head. And remember, you may be about to prevent the biggest war in human history."

"Relax," Percy said. "I'm very relaxed."

Chiron nodded towards Aurora who had her hands placed on her knee, catching a quick break, "I think she needs your help."

Percy nodded the corner of his lips twitching up in amusement, "Yeah."

Percy jogged towards them cashing Aurora smile, finally having help, "Thank the gods! I was beginning to let the air current take him."

With Percy's help, they managed to knock off both of the flying shoes off of his feet.

Aurora rose her hand in victory towards Percy, "Nice Work, ocean eyes, we did it!"

Percy rose an eyebrow at the nickname, "Ocean eyes?"

Aurora shrugged, trying to hide the pink on her cheeks, "Yeah," she bit her lip trying to act as nonchalant as possible. "Your eyes are the same color as the ocean, probably because of your father."

She looked a bit closely at his eyes, not knowing that Percy's ears were turning red. She then took a step back and nodded in satisfaction, "Pretty."

Before Percy had the chance to respond, she was already making her way towards the van with Grover muttering how he could really eat some enchiladas right about now.

When they got to the bottom of the hill, they looked back. Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughterof Zeus, Chiron was now standing in full horse-man form, holding his bow high in salute. Just your typical summer-camp send-off by your typical centaur.

Argus drove the four out of the countryside and into western Long Island.

Annabeth had the window seat right behind the driver, next was Grover and Aurora was placed between him and Percy as if they were normal carpoolers. Aurora's eyes were glued on her book.

                         "So far so good," Percy told Aurora, but was heard throughout the group, "Ten miles and not a single monster."

                         Aurora cringed.

                         Annabeth peered over Grover and gave Percy an irritated look, "It's bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain."

                         "Remind me again, why do you hate me so much?"

                          "I don't hate you."

                          "Could've fooled me."

                          "She just doesn't like you very much."

                         Percy looked at Annabeth with a falsely written smile on his face after what Aurora had slipped out without looking at either of them. Her eyes glued on her book doing her best to read despite her constant battle with her dyslexia.

                         Annabeth folded her cap of invisibility, "Look . . . we're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals."

                         "Why?"

                         Aurora eyebrows shot up and an amused smile overtook her features and for the first time in a while, she looked up from her book, "Hell of a story, ocean eyes. What would you prefer? The long version or the short summary?"

                         Percy frowned, "Short summary?"

                         Annabeth sighed, "Well the main reason is that both Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron god for the city of Athens. Your dad created some stupid saltwater spring for his gift. My mom created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her."

                         "They must really like olives."

                         Aurora released a breath of amusement and turned the page.

                         Annabeth rolled her eyes and huffed before going back to looking out of the window, "Oh, forget it."

                         "Now, if she'd invented pizza that I could understand."

                         "I said, forget it!"

                         Traffic slowed them down in Queens. By the time they got into Manhattan it was sunset and starting to rain. Argus dropped them off at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side.

                         Taped to a mailbox was a soggy flyer with a picture of Percy on it: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY? He ripped it down before Annabeth and Grover could noticed. However, Aurora got a chance to catch a slight glimpse at it.

                         She rose her eyebrows at Percy, but merely got a head shake in response. Aurora hoped that meant they'll talk about it later.

                         Argus unloaded their bags, made sure they got their bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch them as he pulled out of the parking lot. Grover shouldered his backpack.

                         At the sight of other people, Aurora pulled her hoodie over her head wanting to conceal herself to the best of her ability. People did not need to know that Tony Stark's daughter was running around with a supposed delinquent.

                         "You want to know why she married him, Percy?"

Sensing it was a personal conversation, Aurora walked over towards her best friend, and placed her head on her shoulder. It was a constant habit they had both developed, seeking comfort in one another if they never found it anywhere else.

Annabeth laid her head on top of Aurora's, "Have you talked to your father?"

Aurora briefly closed her eyes, "I sent him a quick text before I left, but I haven't heard back," she shrugged trying to hide the frown on her face. "But he's probably busy, he deserves his rest. It's only been three weeks after the whole . . ." She trailed off, not wanting to remember the grueling events from before.

Annabeth knew, of course she did. She along with Kaiya and Silena spent hours on the phone with a sobbing Aurora curling up in her father's bed wanting nothing more than to have her father back.

She laid a hand over Aurora's, "I know," she squeezed. "Don't worry, I know."

                         She was glad she did.

The rain kept coming down. They got restless waiting for the bus and decided to play some Hacky Sack with one of Grover's apples. Annabeth was unbelievable. She could bounce the apple off her knee, her elbow, her shoulder, whatever. Aurora came in a close second since she stumbled a bit at the end as she felt her back pocket vibrate. The slight stumble caused her Apple to sail away from her and right at Percy's forehead with a thunk.

"Ow!" He groaned.

Speaking of Percy he wasn't too bad himself. The game ended when he tossed the apple toward Grover and it got too close to his mouth. In one megagoat bite, their Hacky Sack disappeared-core, stem, and all. Grover blushed. He tried to apologize, but the demigods were too busy cracking up.

Finally the bus came. As they stood in line to board, Grover started looking around, sniffing the air almost looking for something.

"What is it?" Percy asked.

"I don't know," he said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing."

Aurora was relieved when they finally got on board and found seats together in the back of the bus. They stowed their backpacks. Annabeth kept slapping her Yankees cap nervously against her thigh while Aurora fiddled with her hair. As the last passengers got on, Annabeth clamped her hand onto Percy's knee and nudged her best friend with an elbow.

"Guys!"

Aurora winced in pain, "Ow! Gods, can you ever be gentle with me?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Hush and look!"

An old lady had just boarded the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange knit hat that shadowed her face, and she carried a big paisley purse. When she tilted her head up, her black eyes glittered. Aurora shuttered at the being, knowing it was no human. Because no human ever looked at her like they wanted to devour her whole.

"I blame Percy," Aurora spoke up sending the said ocean-eyed boy a glare.

Percy sat up and gave her an incredulous look.

Aurora only shrugged at the look she received, "What?!" she frowned. "You're the one that jinxed us!" She whisper yelled.

"I didn't actually think this would happen!"

"Guys!" Annabeth intervened. She nudged the bickering demigods and gestured for them to take another look.

Behind the first old lady came two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise they looked exactly like the first one same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses.

Triplet demon grandmothers.

They sat in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, making an X. It was casual enough, but it sent a clear message: nobody leaves.

The bus pulled out of the station, and they headed through the slick streets of Manhattan.

"She didn't stay dead long," Percy said, trying to keep his voice from quivering. He turned towards the chocolate eyed girl, "Aurora, I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime."

"I said if you're lucky," Aurora said. "You're obviously not. So again, I blame you!"

"All three of them," Grover whimpered. "Di immortales!"

"It's okay," Annabeth said, obviously thinking hard. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows."

"They don't open," Grover moaned.

"We can break them!"

Annabeth shook her head, "That'll attract too much attention. What about a back exit?" she suggested.

There wasn't one.

Even if there had been, it wouldn't have helped. By that time, They were on Ninth avenue, heading for the Lincoln Tunnel.

"They won't attack us with witnesses around," Percy said. "Will they?"

"Mortals don't have good eyes," Annabeth reminded him. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist."

"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?"

She thought about it, "Hard to say. But we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof . . . ?"

They hit the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle. It was eerily quiet without the sound of the rain. The monster stood up. Aurora unconsciously gripped her left bangle with her right hand.

                         In a flat voice, as if she'd rehearsed it, a grand-demon announced to the whole bus: "I need to use the restroom."

                         Aurora furrowed her eyebrows in disgust.

                         "So do I," said the second sister.

                         "So do I," said the third sister. They all started coming down the aisle.

                         Aurora nervously glanced at Annabeth, "Braniac, Would you please do us all a favor and use that Olympus sized brains of yours?"

                         "I've got it," Annabeth said. "Percy, take my hat."

                         "What?"

                         "You're the one they want. Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away."

                         "But you guys-"

                         "There's an outside chance they might not notice us," Annabeth said. "You're a son of one of the Big three. Your smell might be overpowering."

                         "I can't just leave you guys!"

                         "Don't worry about us," Grover said.

                         "Go!" Percy's hands trembled. He glanced at Aurora with fear in his eyes. She gave him a reassuring smile and placed a perfectly manicured hand on his shoulder.

                         "We'll be fine" She said, but Percy's eyes searched hers. Trying to find any sign to stay, but instead found . . . comfort. "Go"

                         Percy's body moved without his command, it was odd. He tried to stop it, but one look at Aurora had him moving.

                         Percy took the Yankees cap and put it on. He completely vanished. Aurora watched as the furies began to walk in their direction.

                         Aurora glanced at Annabeth who had a tight grip on her bronze knife, "Don't do anything unless they attack. Our scent can possibly be masked. When they're in the back we take them out quietly."

                         Annabeth opened her mouth to protest but looked in her best friend's eyes. The determination oozed out of her and all Annabeth did was nod.

                         When Stark's weren't sarcastic, they sure knew how to lead.

                         Aurora kept her brown eyes locked on the furies ahead of them, hoping to the gods that they wouldn't notice Percy at all.

                         Her heart stuttered when the main Fury stopped, sniffing, and looked straight at something out of Aurora's line of sight. Her jaw clenched in uneasiness. It stood there for a good five seconds before continuing her stalk towards the demigods in the back.

                         The old ladies were closer now. Aurora tilted her body so her chest was facing the aisle but turned her head behind her, towards Annabeth and Grover. Her goal was to be kept between the furies and her friends. However, her plan failed and she almost shot out of her seat, when she heard hideous wailing right in front of her.

                         The old ladies were not old ladies anymore. Their faces were still the same, but their bodies had shriveled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat's wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws. Their handbags had turned into fiery whips. The Furies surrounded the demigods and satyr lashing their whips, hissing: "Where is it? Where?"

                         The other people on the bus were screaming, cowering in their seats. They saw something, all right.

                         Aurora gritted her teeth, "So much for doing things quietly!"

                         "He's not here!" Annabeth yelled. "He's gone!"

                         The Furies raised their whips.

                         Aurora instinctively stood up yelling, "Sai!"

                         At her request the bangles on her wrist broke off and transformed into a golden Sai in her right hand while her familiar shield gauntlet was neatly place on her left. Sai consist of a long blade with a prong on either side of the blade, much like a trident with a elongated center prong. Her grip was tight and her eyes were deadly, waiting for any fury to attack with their whips and one of them was about to but the bus made harsh jerk to the left.

                         Since Aurora was standing she was very close to being sent flying towards the left windows only for Annabeth to take a firm grip of her best friends shirt and yank her back towards her and Grover in order to avoid her sailing across the bus.

                         "Bangle!" Aurora yelled in fear of her Sai injuring an innocent civilian. She felt a familiar weight on her left hand signifying that her request was made. The only think she had to defend her herself with was the shield gauntlet in her right hand.

                         The bus slammed against the side of the tunnel, grinding metal, throwing sparks a mile behind them. They careened out of the Lincoln Tunnel and back into the rainstorm, people and monsters tossed around the bus, cars plowed aside like bowling pins. Somehow the driver found an exit. They shot off the highway, through half a dozen traffic lights, and ended up barreling down one of those New Jersey rural roads where you can't believe there's so much nothing right across the river from New York. There were woods to their left, the Hudson River to their right, and the driver seemed to be veering toward the river.

                         When Aurora believed it would continue, the bus halted. Sending her head crashing into the seat in front of her with a groan. The bus driver was the first one out, the passengers yelling as they stampeded after him.

                         Aurora sighed as she saw The Furies regained their balance.

                         They lashed their whips at the girls. Annabeth waved her knife and yelled in Ancient Greek, telling them to back off. Aurora was blocking as many hits as she could with her shield gauntlet, and Grover threw tin cans.

                         Tin cans?

                         "Hey!" Aurora glanced up and saw Percy completely visible with the Yankee hat in his left hand.

                         The Furies turned and bared their yellow fangs at him. One Fury stalked up the aisle, in the direction of Percy. Every time she flicked her whip, red flames danced along the barbed leather. Her two ugly sisters hopped on top of the seats on either side of her and crawled toward him like huge nasty lizards.

                         "Perseus Jackson," The monster said, in an accent that was definitely from somewhere farther south than Georgia. "You have offended the gods. You shall die."

                         "I liked you better as a math teacher," Percy told her. She growled menacingly her eyes flickering every so often.

                         Aurora hauled Annabeth up and moved up behind the Furies cautiously, looking for an opening. Percy took the ballpoint pen out of his pocket and uncapped it. Riptide elongated into a shimmering double-edged sword. The Furies hesitated. The first had felt Riptide's blade before. She obviously didn't like seeing it again.

                         "Submit now," she hissed. "And you will not suffer eternal torment."

                         "Nice try," Percy told her.

                         "Percy, look out!" Annabeth cried.

                         The Fury lashed her whip around sword hand while the Furies on either side lunged at Percy. Percy stuck the Fury on the left with its hilt, sending her toppling backward into a seat. He turned and sliced the Fury on the right. As soon as the blade connected with her neck, she screamed and exploded into dust.

                         "Annabeth! Hold her," Annabeth did as told and got her in a wrestler's hold and yanked her backward. Aurora approached the Fury with a Sai in her right hand. The Fury raged as she realized she lost.

                         "Zeus will destroy you!" she promised. "Hades will have your soul!"

                         "Braccas meas vescimini!" Percy yelled. Aurora roughly translated it to "Eat my pants!" and almost face palmed at the insult.

                         She began to realize she'd face palmed a lot when she was around Percy.

                         Thunder shook the bus. The hair rose on the back of everyone's neck.

                         "Get out!" Annabeth yelled at Percy "Now!"

                         Aurora's eyes widen in panic, "Great idea!"

                         They rushed outside and found the other passengers wandering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around in circles yelling, "We're going to die!"

                         A Hawaiian-shirted tourist with a camera snapped Percy's photograph before he could recap his sword.

                         "Our bags!" Grover realized. "We left our-"

                         BOOOOOM!

                         The windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof, but an angry wail from inside told Aurora that the Fury was still not dead.

                         "Run!" Annabeth said. "She's calling for reinforcements! We have to get out of here!"

                         They plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind them, and nothing but darkness ahead.

                         "Damn you, Percy!"

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