V. DON'T Buy Elektra Doughnuts.

In Elektra's defence she hadn't visited the mortal world
in about, maybe, six years ( she was eight when she arrived to camp, fifteen now- did the maths math? ). So maybe she wasn't very focussed on following camp's van with her eyes.

She gaped at the traffic in New York, at the small little cars with all sorts of shapes and colours and numbers on the rear. Trucks were her favourite, they were big and brightly coloured. Traffic, Elektra thought, was pretty amazing.

Percy had to keep Blackjack in the clouds- which fortunately were low in winter so the brunette could stare closer at the beeping cars.

They darted around, and if it was cold on the ground, it was seriously cold in the air, with icy rain stinging their skin. Elektra didn't really mind, she was used to cheek-pinching cold, the trick? Just clench your jaw and push through it, ( Luke had taught her that trick when they were on the run, she missed him okay ).

They lost the van twice, twice they had a discussion that Elektra totally won. Percy had a pretty good sense that they would go into Manhattan first, so it wasn't too difficult to pick up their trail again.

Percy landed Blackjack near the top of a place called the Chrysler Building ( Elektra had only heard it mentioned by other campers, but hadn't been in- on, it ). Percy watched the white camp van while the daughter of Hebe trailer her eyes over every building in sight .

"Where's Argus taking them?" He muttered.

"Sightseeing," the brunette joked.

He looked at her as if she was a hydra who had just sprouted two more heads. "Was that a joke?" He quipped his lips. "Oh this is gold."

She twitched her nose, somewhat annoyed. She had half forgotten she had been slightly mean toward Jackson- so he wasn't able to appreciate her fantastic personality. "I can joke, you know. I'm great fun."

He opened his mouth about to reply, then shut it quickly again. "Zoë is driving."

"What?" She shook her head. Really, how on Earth did he know? She then remembered stupidly that he could talk with horses. "She drives like a maniac!"

"'Thought you didn't notice, with all that staring at the traffic." There was a certain teasing tone to him.

"Oh shush," and then, because she was a big mouth, continued, "I've never been out of camp- not in a long while anyway."

"No?"

"Let's go after them." Her tone was slightly defensive, even if she didn't know why. There wasn't malice in his voice or really anything odd- just surprise.

He stepped after her, as she approached Blackjack. "No- wait! I didn't say it like, badly. Like curiously. The-"

She turned around. "No, don't worry. I get what you meant."

They hadn't noticed the vines wrapping around their ankles until it was too late.

"What a lovely display of affection." Mr. D said dryly. He was leaning against the building with his feet levitating in the air, his leopard-skin warm-up suit and black hair whipping around in the wind.

"You gotta be shitting me." Elektra said.

"Yes, Elizabeth. I am shitting you."

"Mr. D." Percy's voice was calm as the grape vines continued to wrap around his legs. There was only a tight one around the brunette's ankle. "What do you want?"

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

"Well... maybe." Elektra said honestly. "It's not like you care much about us in general."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Nothing to care much about."

Percy balled up his fists and Elektra feared he was about to say something Jackson-will-become-a-crab worthy. "Why are you so... so... rude."

Purple flames flickered in his eyes. "You're a hero, boy. Why wouldn't I be?" He scoffed. "You only want to go on this quest to take all the glory and adventure."

"That's not true! I've got to help my friends. That's something you wouldn't understand!"

Mr. D looked at Elektra. "And what's your great reason?"

She shrugged. "I do want glory and adventure." She obviously let out the tiny part about maybe, seeing Luke and proving herself to him.

The god stared at her unimpressed.

The grape vines coiled tighter around Percy, not Elektra. Below them, the white van was getting farther and farther away. Soon it would be out of sight. The daughter of Hebe gulped nervously.

"Did I ever tell you about Ariadne?" Mr. D asked Percy- he knew Elektra knew the story. "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?"

"They got married," Percy said. "Happily ever after. The end."

The brunette cringed. "Oof, wrong answer."

Percy turned his head towards her. "Then-"

Mr. D sneered. "Not quite. Theseus said he would marry her. He took her aboard his ship and sailed for Athens. Halfway back, on a little island called Naxos, he... What's the word you mortals use today?... he dumped her. I found her there, you know. Alone. Heartbroken. Crying her eyes out. She had given up everything, left everything she knew behind, to help a dashing young hero who tossed her away like a broken sandal."

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

Mr. D regarded the son of Poseidon 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."

Percy stared at him. "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." Elektra asked. Anyone who was angry at dashing perfect heroes were her friend- or liked them enough.

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

The vines uncurled around them.

The brunette blinked in disbelief. "You're... you're letting us go?"

"The prophecy says at least two of you will die. Perhaps I'll get lucky and Perry will be one of them. But mark my words," he turned at Percy, "Son of Poseidon, live or die, you will prove no better than the other heroes." He looked at Elektra. "You should know better than to go with this company."

She slumped her shoulders and said nothing.

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.

"Come on," Percy said, in an attempt to sound upbeat. "I'll buy you some donuts in New Jersey."

"Donuts?" Elektra asked. Those were definitely better than traffic.

He nodded. "I'll get you some too."

"No gods- if you get me donuts I'll spartan-catapult launch them at you. I'm not joking." The thought of Jackson- or anyone- having to buy her something as simple as donuts was strangely mortifying.

He laughed, apparently not taking her very serious threat serious. "Noted."

As it turned out, Percy didn't buy Blackjack or Elektra donuts in New Jersey. Phew.

Zoë drove south like a crazy person, and they were into Maryland before she finally pulled over at a rest stop. Blackjack darn near tumbled out of the sky, he was so tired, the poor creature. Elektra could only pat and caress him as support.

"Stay here," Percy told the horse. "I'm," he looked at Elektra before she could argue, "we're, going to scout."

Percy put on his cap of invisibility and walked over to the convenience store. Elektra blurred into the crowd, nobody noticed she was there. It was a handy trick she had learnt from some Athena kids- how to camouflage.

"Grover, are you sure?" Thalia was saying.

"Well... pretty sure. Ninety-nine percent. Okay, eighty-five percent."

"And you did this with acorns?" Bianca asked, like she couldn't believe it. She kind of sounded like Nico. Elektra was beginning to miss Nico and Camp.

Grover looked offended. "It's a time-honored tracking spell. I mean, I'm pretty sure I did it right."

"D.C. is about sixty miles from here," Bianca said. "Nico and I..." She frowned. "We used to live there. That's... that's strange. I'd forgotten."

"I dislike this," Zoë said. "We should go straight west. The prophecy said west."

"Oh, like your tracking skills are better?" Thalia growled.

Zoë stepped toward her. "You challenge my skills, you scullion? You know nothing of being a Hunter!"

"Oh, scullion You're calling me a scullion? What the fuck is a scullion?"

"Whoa, you two," Grover said nervously. "Come on. Not again!"

"Grover's right," Bianca said. "D.C. is our best bet."

Zoë didn't look convinced, but she nodded reluctantly. "Very well. Let us keep moving."

"You're going to get us arrested, driving," Thalia grumbled. "I look closer to sixteen than you do."

"Perhaps," Zoë snapped. "But I have been driving since automobiles were invented. Let us go."

As Blackjack and the two half-blood continued south, following the van, Elektra wondered whether Zoë had been kidding.

She didn't know exactly when cars were invented- granted she could barley read English or do proper math- but she figured that was like prehistoric times- back when people watched black-and-white TV and hunted woolly mammoths for dinner.

How old was Zoë? And what had Mr. D been talking about? What bad experience had she had with heroes? Too many questions with no answer.

Elektra didn't voice her questions to Percy, he seemed lost in thought too- probably thinking about how he would smooch Annabeth when they finally reunited.

As they got closer to Washington, Blackjack started slowing down and dropping altitude. He was breathing heavily.

"Is he okay?" Elektra asked Percy worriedly.

There was a short pause, there were probably having a mental conversation. "He's tired."

Blackjack neighed in protest. Or Elektra thought it was a protest.

Fortunately, the van started to slow down. It crossed a river into central Washington.

"Set us down there," Percy told Blackjack. "That's close enough."

He dropped toward the Washington Monument and set them on the grass. The van was only a few blocks away. Zoë had parked at the curb.

Percy looked at Blackjack, they were having another one of their mental conversations.

Elektra stared awkwardly at her Converse- a present from Luke- and then at everything that surround them; the people, how they dressed, what they carried, where they were going or anything she could make out of them-

"Blackjack says you're pretty cool." Percy snapped the brunette out of her thoughts.

The brunette stared at the horse and then at Percy. "He's pretty cool too."

The pegasus neighed. Then took off, circling twice around the monument before disappearing into the clouds.

They looked over at the white van. Everybody was getting out. Grover Underwood pointed toward one of the big buildings lining the Mall. Thalia nodded, and the four of them trudged off into the cold wind.

Elektra and Percy started to follow. But then suddenly he froze.

"What..."

A block away, the door of a black sedan opened. A man with gray hair and a military buzz cut got out. He was wearing dark shades and a black over-coat.

Now, maybe in Washington, you'd expected guys like that to be everywhere. But it dawned on Elektra that she had seen this same car a couple of times on the highway, going south. It had been following the van. See, watching the traffic was actually quite useful.

"Percy!" She smacked his arm- not really wanting to hurt him. "That car has been following the van!"

"You sure?" He rubbed his arm.

The brunette nodded.

The shady guy took out his mobile phone and said something into it. Then he looked around, like he was making sure the coast was clear, and started walking down the Mall in the direction of the questers.

"It's Dr. Thorn." Percy said suddenly. "He's the monster that took Annabeth over the edge with him."

- more boring chapter GUYS IM SORRY EUGHH

- how is elektra so bipolar omfg we get it you're a child in a 15 y/o body who hasn't touched a book in her life &&& can't stop thinking about her brother

- anyways!!!

Flo <3