❛005❜

DYONISUS CALLED A COUNCIL of cabin leaders to discuss the prophecy.

the council was held round a ping-pong table in the rec room. dionysus waved his hand and supplied snacks: cheez whiz, crackers and several bottles of red wine. then chiron reminded him that wine was against his restrictions and most of them were underage. mr d sighed. with a snap of his fingers the wine turned to diet coke. nobody drank that either.

mr d and chiron (in wheelchair form) sat at one end of the table. zoë and bianca di angelo (who had kind of become zoë's personal assistant) took the other end. thalia and grover and percy sat along the right, and the other head councillors, beckendorf, silena beauregard, and the stoll brothers, sat on the left with ivy. the ares kids were supposed to send a representative, too, but all of them had got broken limbs (accidentally) during capture the flag, courtesy of the hunters. they were resting up in the infirmary.

zoë started the meeting off on a positive note. "this is pointless."

"cheez whiz!" grover gasped. he began scooping up crackers and ping-pong balls and spraying them with topping.

"there is no time for talk," zoë continued. "our goddess needs us. the Hunters must leave immediately."

"and then go where?" ivy asked. at first she had held respect for the hunters, but after the way they've been acting towards camp and their inhabitants she was starting to get annoyed. this was her home, and now some group of girls with a grave superiority complex were criticizing and damaging it just because they could.

"west!" bianca said. ivy was amazed at how different she looked after just a few days with the hunters. her dark hair was braided like zoë's now, so you could actually see her face. she had a splash of freckles across her nose, and her dark eyes vaguely reminded her of someone famous, but ivy couldn't think who. she looked like she'd been working out, and her skin glowed faintly, like the other hunters, as if she'd been taking showers in liquid moonlight. "you heard the prophecy. six shall go west to the goddess in chains. we can get six hunters and go."

"yes," zoë agreed. "artemis is being held hostage! we must find her and free her."

"you're missing something, as usual," thalia said. "campers and hunters combined prevail. we're supposed to do this together."

"no!" zoë said. "the hunters do not need thy help."

"your," thalia grumbled. "nobody has said thy in like three hundred years, zoë. get with the times."

zoë hesitated, like she was trying to form the word correctly. "yerrr. we do not need yerrr help."

thalia rolled her eyes. "forget it."

"i fear the prophecy says you do need our help," chiron said. "campers and hunters must cooperate."

"or do they?" mr d mused, swirling his diet coke under his nose like it had a fine bouquet. "one shall be lost. one shall perish. one left behind. that sounds rather nasty, doesn't it? what if you fail because you try to cooperate?"

"mr d," chiron sighed, "with all due respect, whose side are you on?"

dionysus raised his eyebrows. "sorry, my dear centaur. just trying to be helpful."

"we're supposed to work together," ivy said.

thalia leaned forward stubbornly. "it's not like any of us are pleased about it, zoë, but you know prophecies. you want to fight against one?"

zoë grimaced, but ivy could tell they had scored a point. she and thalia shared a subtle look of triumph.

"we must not delay," chiron warned. "today is sunday. this very friday, december twenty-first, is the winter solstice."

"oh, joy," dionysus muttered. "another dull annual meeting."

"artemis must be present at the solstice," zoë said. "she has been one of the most vocal on the council arguing for action against kronos's minions. if she is absent, the gods will decide nothing. we will lose another year of war preparations."

"are you suggesting that the gods have trouble acting together, young lady?" dionysus asked.

"yes, lord dionysus."

mr d nodded. "just checking. you're right, of course. carry on."

"i must agree with zoë," said chiron. "artemis's presence at the winter council is critical. we have only a week to find her. and possibly even more important: to locate the monster she was hunting. now, we must decide who goes on this quest."

"three and three," percy said.

everybody looked at him. even thalia forgot to ignore him, since she has been giving him the you-don't-exists-to-me treatment since their stand off at the creek.

"we're supposed to have six," percy said, shrinking into himself self-consciously. noting this, ivy sent him a reassuring smile. he straight up on his seat. "three hunters, three from camp half-blood. that's more than fair."

thalia and zoë exchanged looks.

"well," thalia said. "it does make sense."

zoë grunted. "i would prefer to take all the hunters. we will need strength of numbers."

"you'll be retracing the goddess's path," chiron reminded her. "moving quickly. no doubt artemis tracked the scent of this rare monster, whatever it is, as she moved west. you will have to do the same. the prophecy was clear: the bane of olympus shows the trail. what would your mistress say? too many hunters spoil the scent. a small group is best."

zoë picked up a ping-pong paddle and studied it like she was deciding who she wanted to whack first. "this monster– the bane of olympus. i have hunted at lady artemis's side for many years, yet i have no idea what this beast might be."

everybody looked at dionysus, ivy guessed because he was the only god present and gods are supposed to know things. he was flipping through a wine magazine, but when everyone got silent he glanced up. "well, don't look at me. i'm a young god, remember? i don't keep track of all those ancient monsters and dusty titans. they make for terrible party conversation."

"chiron," percy said, "you don't have any ideas about the monster?"

chiron pursed his lips. "i have several ideas, none of them good. and none of them quite make sense. typhon, for instance, could fit this description. he was truly a bane of olympus. or the sea monster ketos. but if either of these were stirring, we would know it. they are ocean monsters the size of skyscrapers. your father poseidon would already have sounded the alarm. i fear this monster may be more elusive. perhaps even more powerful."

"that's some serious danger you're facing," connor said. (ivy liked how he said you and not we.) "it sounds like at least three of the five are going to die."

"one shall be lost in the land without rain," beckendorf said. "if i were you, i'd stay out of the desert."

there was a muttering of agreement.

"and the titan's curse must two withstand," silena said. "what could that mean?"

ivy saw chiron and zoë exchange a nervous look, but whatever they were thinking, they didn't share it.

"one shall perish by a parent's hand," grover said in between bites of cheez whiz and ping-pong balls. "how is that possible? whose parent would kill them?"

there was a heavy silence round the table.

could an olympian parent turn against his half-blood child? ivy wondered.her mind drifted to percy and thalia, they had the prophecy on their back. she suppressed a shiver at the memory of the haunting words, she preferred not to think about the prophecy or what that meant for her friends.

"there will be deaths," chiron decided. "that much we know."

"oh, goody!" dionysus said.

everyone looked at him. he glanced up innocently from the pages of wine connoisseur magazine. "ah, pinot noir is making a comeback. don't mind me."

"percy is right," silena beauregard said. "three campers should go."

"oh, i see," zoë said sarcastically. "and i suppose you wish to volunteer?"

silena blushed. "i'm not going anywhere with the hunters. don't look at me!"

"a daughter of aphrodite does not wish to be looked at," zoë scoffed. "what would thy mother say?"

silena started to get out of her chair, but ivy pushed her back. she stood up herself, stalking towards zoë with a deadly look. "you'll get to look at me alright when i shove my knife up your snobby ass," she growled, pink light at a high temperature forming from her hand.

"stop it," beckendorf said, putting himself between ivy and zoë. he gently pushed her back into the chair, the brunette took a deep breath and the pink light disappeared. percy snorted. "let's start with the hunters. which three of you will go?"

zoë stood. "i shall go, of course, and i will take phoebe. she is our best tracker."

"the big girl who likes to hit people on the head?" travis asked cautiously.

zoë nodded.

"the one who put the arrows in my helmet?" connor added.

"yes," zoë snapped. "why?"

"oh, nothing," travis said. "just we have a t-shirt for her from the camp store. he held up a big silver t-shirt that said artemis the moon goddess, hunting tour 2002, with a huge list of national parks and stuff underneath. "it's a collector's item. she was admiring it. you want to give it to her?"

ivy knew the stolls were up to something. they always were. ivy kept her mouth shut, whatever they did must be funny enough for her to laugh at later. zoë just sighed and took the t-shirt. "as i was saying, i will take phoebe. and i wish bianca to go."

bianca looked stunned. "me? but... i'm so new. i wouldn't be any good.'

"you will do fine," zoë insisted. "there is no better way to prove thyself."

bianca closed her mouth.

"and for campers?" chiron asked. his eyes set on percy, but ivy couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"ivy fitzgerald," zoë said in all confidence.

the brunette raised an eyebrow in surprise. she had just tried to hit her and zoë still wanted her in her quest. "count me in," ivy said.

she didn't know zoë's reasoning behind her decision, but this was her chance to save annabeth. she wasn't going to lose it.

"i don't believe this is wise," chiron said. "ivy has yet to grasp control in her powers. i think it's best if you stay at camp."

"no," ivy protested. "i have better control of my powers when i'm under pressure. like the bus thing. and last summer's quest."

chiron didn't look too convinced.

"i shall have ivy on my quest," zoë looked daringly at chiron. "would thy prefer an experienced camper or a novice to take on this quest?"

ivy gave him a look, passing him a secret message. no matter what you do, i am going on that quest.

the centaur sighed in defeat, knowing ivy enough to know she'll carry on with her promise. "alright, who else?"

"me!" grover stood up so fast he bumped the ping-pong table. he brushed cracker crumbs and ping-pong ball scraps off his lap. "anything to help artemis!"

zoë wrinkled her nose. "i think not, satyr. you are not even a half-blood."

but he is a camper," thalia said. "and he's got a satyr's senses and woodland magic. can you play a tracker's song yet, grover?"

"absolutely!"

zoë wavered. "very well, and the third camper?"

"i'll go." thalia stood and looked around, daring anyone to question her.

"whoa, wait a sec," percy said as he stood up. "i want to go, too."

ivy bit down on her bottom lip, not knowing what to say to him. chiron glanced at ivy before turning to percy with sad eyes.

"oh," grover said, suddenly aware of the problem. "whoa, yeah, i forgot! percy has to go. i didn't mean... i'll stay. percy should go in my place."

"he cannot," zoë said. "he is a boy. i won't have hunters travelling with a boy."

"you travelled here with me," percy reminded her.

"that was a short-term emergency, and it was ordered by the goddess. i will not go across country and fight many dangers in the company of a boy."

"what about grover?" he demanded.

zoë shook her head. "he does not count. he's a satyr. he is not technically a boy.'

"hey!" grover protested.

"i have to go," percy insisted. "i need to be on this quest."

"why?" zoë asked. "because of thy friend annabeth?"

percy blushed. "no! i mean, partly. i just feel like i'm supposed to go!"

ivy knitted her eyebrows. she was well aware that her little crush on the son of poseidon went unrequired, but the thought of him liking another girl made her insides burn in jealousy. annabeth and percy had been spending a lot of time together in the city, was it because they liked each other?

the brunette hasn't opened up to anyone about her crush. not even silena or annabeth. so she couldn't hold it against her best friends for acting on her own feelings. ivy could see why she would like percy, he was funny, loyal, good-natured, and a good person in general. and well, she could see why he would like annabeth too, she was smart, brave, and kind.

everything that ivy wasn't.

she hated comparing herself to annabeth, but she simply couldn't help it. during quests, ivy had always felt a bit like the extra one. percy had his powers and didn't hesitate to put his life for the other. annabeth always came up with the plans and saved their asses at the last minute. and what did she put in? fashion tips? ivy figured percy deserved someone like annabeth, someone at his range, a hero just himself. not a puny daughter of aphrodite who only knew how to look pretty.

"no," zoë's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "i insist upon this. i will take a satyr if i must, but not a male hero."

chiron sighed. "the quest is for artemis. the hunters should be allowed to approve their companions."

percy sat back down and stared at the floor. immensely put out of being unable to help annabeth.

"so be it," he said. "ivy, thalia and grover will accompany zoë, bianca and phoebe. you shall leave at first light. and may the gods –" he glanced at dionysus – "present company included, we hope – be with you."

after that, percy didn't even show up to dinner. ivy hoped he would make his appearance even a little late, wanting to talk to him. she was going in the quest to save artemis, but her priority was annabeth. just like it was percy's, even if his reasoning made her hollow on the inside. the boy didn't show up at all.

just when everyone was making their way to the campfire, ivy noticed grover and chiron walking towards cabin three instead of following the crowd. she thought about going with them, but ultimately decided against it. mostly because she was too much of a coward to face him now that she realized where she stood, on the sidelines. that has always been her place, hasn't it? it just took her too long to realize it.

that night, ivy didn't remember falling sleep, but she did remember her dream.

she was back in that barren cave, the ceiling heavy and low above her. annabeth was kneeling under the weight of a dark mass like a pile of boulders. she was too tired even to cry out. her legs trembled. any second, ivy knew she would run out of strength and the cavern ceiling would collapse on top of her best friend.

"how is our mortal guest?" a male voice boomed.

it wasn't kronos. kronos's voice was raspy and metallic, like a knife scraped across stone. she'd heard it taunting her many times before in her dreams. this voice was deeper and lower, like a bass guitar. its force made the ground vibrate.

luke emerged from the shadows. he ran to annabeth, knelt beside her, then looked back at the unseen man. "she's fading. we must hurry."

the hypocrite, ivy thought. like he really cared what happened to her.

the deep voice chuckled. it belonged to someone in the shadows, at the edge of her dream. then a meaty hand thrust someone forward into the light – artemis – her hands and feet bound in celestial bronze chains.

ivy gasped. her silvery dress was torn and tattered. her face and arms were cut in several places, and she was bleeding ichor, the golden blood of the gods.

"you heard the boy," said the man in the shadows. "decide!"

artemis's eyes flashed with anger. ivy didn't know why she just didn't will the chains to burst, or make herself disappear, but she didn't seem able to. maybe the chains prevented her, or some magic about this dark, horrible place.

the goddess looked at annabeth, and her expression changed to concern and outrage. "how dare you torture a maiden like this!"

"she will die soon," luke said. "you can save her."

annabeth made a weak sound of protest. her heart felt like it was being twisted into a knot. ivy wanted to run to her best friend, but she couldn't move.

"free my hands," artemis said.

luke brought out his sword, backbiter. with one expert strike, he broke the goddess's handcuffs.

artemis ran to annabeth and took the burden from her shoulders. annabeth collapsed on the ground and lay there shivering. artemis staggered, trying to support the weight of the black rocks.

the man in the shadows chuckled. "you are as predictable as you were easy to beat, artemis."

"you surprised me," the goddess said, straining under her burden. "it will not happen again."

"indeed it will not," the man said. "now you are out of the way for good! i knew you could not resist helping a young maiden. that is, after all, your speciality, my dear."

artemis groaned. "you know nothing of mercy, you swine."

"on that," the man said, "we can agree. luke, you may kill the girl now."

"no!" artemis shouted.

luke hesitated. "she – she may yet be useful, sir. further bait."

"bah! you truly believe that?"

"yes, general. they will come for her. i'm sure."

the man considered. then the dracaenae can guard her here. assuming she does not die from her injuries, you may keep her alive until winter solstice. after that, if our sacrifice goes as planned, her life will be meaningless. the lives of all mortals will be meaningless."

luke gathered up annabeth's listless body and carried her away from the goddess.

"you will never find the monster you seek," artemis said. "your plan will fail."

"how little you know, my young goddess," the man in the shadows said. "even now, your darling attendants begin their quest to find you. they shall play directly into my hands. now, if you'll excuse us, we have a long journey to make. we must greet your hunters and make sure their quest is... challenging."

the man's laughter echoed in the darkness, shaking the ground until it seemed the whole cavern ceiling would collapse.

ivy woke up with a gasp. dawn was breaking over the long island sound. swallowing thickly, she got up from her bed. there was a quest she needed to get to, and she had to take annabeth out of luke's filthy grip.

PERCY LOVED FLYING ON his pegasus. it wasn't so enjoyable during the daytime though, given that if you're not careful, you can cause a serious traffic accident on the long island expressway. he had to keep blackjack up in the clouds, which were fortunately pretty low in the winter. they darted around, trying to keep the white camp half-blood van that carried the quest group. and if it was cold on the ground, it was seriously cold in the air, with icy rain stinging his skin.

he wished he'd brought some of that camp half-blood orange thermal underwear they sold in the camp store but, after the story about phoebe and how the t-shirt given the her by the stolls had centaur blood on it, percy wasn't sure he trusted their products any more.

they lost the van twice, but he had a pretty good sense that they would go into manhattan first, so it wasn't too difficult to pick up their trail again.

traffic was bad with the holidays and all. it was mid morning before they got into the city. percy landed blackjack near the top of the chrysler building and watched the white camp van, thinking it would pull into the greyhound station, but it just kept driving.

"where's argus taking them?" percy muttered.

oh, argus ain't driving, boss, blackjack told him. that girl is.

"ivy?"

no, not lady boss. the hunter girl. with the silver crown thing in her hair.

percy felt heat creeped up his face at blackjack's words. one from embarrassment, he was glad ivy didn't understand horses because blackjack has called her nothing but that. and two from the reminder of the hunter.

he had been a stranger to the emotion the hunters brought up from him, but he wasn't oblivious. at least, not completely. he knew he was jealous and acting on defense.

ivy is his oldest friend– or acquaintance? old enemy turned friend? whatever. point is, percy has known her longer than he knew grover, even if they had been at each other's throats at the early stages. and he had been excited to see her after months of limited contact. he had missed her.

but then a band of merry barbaric girls popped out of nowhere and ruined everything by trying to get ivy to join them. to get her to leave him.

and it made percy angry. more than he'd like to admit. he didn't understand why ivy would want to join. immortality sounded nice, sure, saving yourself from the immediate horrendous death of a demigod. but at what cost? abandoning everyone and everything for a life longer than average? living up to that fucking stupid vow refuse boys for the rest of her life? ugh, just thinking about worked him up all over again.

"you mean zoë?" he asked, trying to hide his bitterness from the pegasus.

that's the one. hey, look! there's a doughnut shop. can we hit the drive-thru?

percy tried explaining to blackjack that taking a flying horse through the drive-thru would give every cop in the doughnut shop a heart attack, but he didn't seem to get it. meanwhile, the van kept snaking its way towards the lincoln tunnel. it had never even occurred to him that zoë could drive since she didn't look sixteen. then again, she was immortal.

"well," percy said. "let's get after them."

they were about to leap off the chrysler building when blackjack whinnied in alarm and almost threw percy. something was curling around his leg like a snake. he reached for his sword, but when he looked down, there was no snake. vines – grapevines – had sprouted from the cracks between the stones of the building. they were wrapping round blackjack's legs, lashing down his ankles so they couldn't move.

"going somewhere?" mr d asked.

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.

god alert! blackjack yelled. it's the wine dude!

mr d sighed in exasperation. "the next person – or horse –who calls me the wine dude will end up in a bottle of merlot!"

"mr d." percy tried to keep his voice calm as the grapevines continued to wrap round his legs. "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."

"i should throw you off this building, minus the flying horse, and see how heroic you sound on the way down."

percy balled his fists, trying his best to keep his temper in check. he knew he should keep his mouth shut, but mr d was about to kill him or haul him back to camp in shame, and he couldn't stand either idea. "why do you hate me so much? what did i ever do to you?"

purple flames flickered in his eyes. "you're a hero, boy. i need no other reason."

"i have to go on this quest! i've got to help my friends. that's something you wouldn't understand!"

um, boss, blackjack said nervously. seeing as how we're wrapped in vines three hundred meters in the air, you might want to talk nice.

the grapevines coiled tighter around percy. below them, the white van was getting further and further away. soon it would be out of sight.

"did i ever tell you about ariadne?" mr d asked. "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 thread that let him find his way out of the labyrinth. and do you know how theseus rewarded her?"

the answer percy wanted to give was i don't give a fuck! but he didn't figure that would make mr d finish his story any faster.

"they got married," percy said. "happily ever after. the end."

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," percy said. "but that was thousands of years ago. what's that got to do with me?"

mr d regarded him coldly. "i fell in love with ariadne, boy. i healed her broken heart. and, when she died, i made her my immortal wife in 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. in a few years, maybe you doom her to the same fate."

percy didn't understand what he meant by that last part, but something else he said caught his ear. "what do you mean, ask zoë? and her? who's her? and doom her to what?"

he waved his hand dismissively. "go. follow your silly friends."

the vines uncurled from round percy's legs.

percy blinked in disbelief. "you're... you're letting me go? just like that?"

"the prophecy says at least two of you will die. perhaps i'll get lucky and you'll be one of them. but mark my words, son of poseidon, live or die, you will prove no better than the other heroes."

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.

too close, blackjack said.

percy nodded, though he almost would have been less worried if mr d had hauled him back to camp. the fact that he'd let him go meant he really believed we stood a fair chance of crashing and burning on this quest.

"come on, blackjack," he said, trying to sound upbeat. "i'll buy you some doughnuts in new jersey."

zoë drove south like a crazy person, and they were into maryland before she finally pulled over at a service station. blackjack nearly tumbled out of the sky, he was so tired.

i'll be okay, boss, he panted. just... just catching my breath.

"stay here," percy told him. "i'm going to scout."

'stay here' i can handle. i can do that.

percy put on annabeth's cap of invisibility and walked over to the convenience store. it was difficult not to sneak. he had to keep reminding myself that nobody could see him. it was hard, too, because he had to remember to get out of people's way so they wouldn't slam into him.

he thought he'd go inside and warm up, maybe get a cup of hot chocolate or something. percy had a little change in his pocket. he could leave it on the counter. wondering if the cup would turn invisible when he picked it up, or if he'd have to deal with a floating hot chocolate problem, was when his whole plan was ruined by ivy, zoë, thalia, bianca and grover all coming out of the store.

"grover, are you sure?" ivy was saying.

"well... pretty sure. ninety-nine per cent."

ivy raised an eyebrow, drinking her chocolate milkshake. percy kinda wished he had the forever warm thing she had, it would definitely make his life a lot easier. "ninety-nine point ninety-nine per cent sure?"

"okay," grover admitted "eighty-five per cent."

"and you did this with acorns?" bianca asked, like she couldn't believe it.

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 towards her. "you challenge my skills, you scullion? you know nothing of being a hunter!"

"oh, scullion? you're calling me a scullion? what the hell is a scullion?" thalia said furiously.

"seriously, zoë? a classist joke? we're not in the ice age anymore. those jokes aren't funny." ivy glared at zoë with those intense blue eyes of hers, it wasn't easy not to squirm under that glare. he'd been at the end of it enough time to know.

a part of him felt smug at the hostile answer ivy gave zoë. maybe... maybe she wouldn't leave after all.

"whoa, you two, now you're getting ivy involved?" grover said nervously. "come on. stop it!"

"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 like a maniac," thalia grumbled. "i actually look my age."

ivy waved her hand sarcastically for attention. "and i actually know how to drive out of us three."

percy had to stop himself from laughing. remembering how on his birthday his mother let them take the car for a spin. ivy did know how to drive, but much like zoë she was an aggressive driver. yelling at the card that annoyed her, honking every five minutes, and going over the speed limit. after ten minutes of her being behind the wheel percy had asked her to switch with him.

"perhaps," zoë snapped. "but i have been driving since automobiles were invented. let us go."

as blackjack and the son of poseidon continued south, following the van, he wondered whether zoë had been kidding. he didn't know exactly when cars were invented, but he figured that was like prehistoric times – back when people watched black-and-white tv and hunted dinosaurs.

how old was zoë? and what had mr d been talking about? what bad experience had she had with heroes?

as they got closer to washington, blackjack started slowing down and dropping altitude. he was breathing heavily.

"you okay?" percy asked him.

fine, boss. i could... i could take on an army.

"you don't sound so good." and suddenly percy felt guilty, because he'd been running the pegasus for half a day, nonstop, trying to keep up with highway traffic. even for a flying horse, that had to be rough.

don't worry about me, boss! i'm a tough one.

percy figured he was right, but he also figured blackjack would run himself into the ground before he complained, and he didn't want that.

fortunately, the van started to slow down. it crossed the potomac river into central washington. percy started thinking about air patrols and missiles and stuff like that. he didn't know exactly how all those defences worked, and wasn't sure if pegasi even showed up on the typical military radar, but he didn't want to find out by getting shot out of the sky.

"set me down there," percy told blackjack. "that's close enough."

blackjack was so tired he didn't complain. he dropped towards the washington monument and set him on the grass.

the van was only a few blocks away. zoë had parked at the kerb.

percy looked at blackjack. "i want you to go back to camp. get some rest. graze. i'll be fine."

blackjack cocked his head sceptically. you sure, boss?

"you've done enough already," he said. "i'll be fine. and thanks a ton."

a ton of hay, maybe, blackjack mused. that sounds good. all right, but be careful, boss. i got a feeling they didn't come here to meet anything friendly and handsome like me.

percy promised to be careful. then blackjack took off, circling twice round the monument before disappearing into the clouds.

looking over at the white van, everybody was getting out. ivy pointed to one of the stores lining the mall, smiling brightly and batting her eyelashes at thalia. whatever she said made thalia roll her eyes amusedly, shaking her head in disapproval. then grover pointed towards one of the big buildings lining the mall. thalia nodded at that one, and they all trudged off into the cold wind. grover dragging ivy away from the store of an expensive brand percy didn't even recognize.

the son of poseidon started to follow. but then he froze.

a block away, the door of a black sedan opened. a man with a grey military haircut got out. he was wearing dark shades and a black overcoat. now, maybe in washington, there were guys like that everywhere. but it dawned on percy that he had seen this same car a couple of times on the highway, going south. it had been following the van.

the guy took out his cell 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 his friends.

the worst of it was: when he turned towards him, percy recognized his face. it was dr thorn, the manticore from westover hall.

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ﾟ。 a's notes
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I'M SORRY I SAID I WOULD GET PERCY'S THOUGHTS ON IVY'S GLOW UP BUT THEN I DECIDED TO CHANGE WHERE IT HAPPENS LAST MINUTE I FEEL SO GUILTY AAAAA BUT I'LL PROMISE U'LL GET IT SOON.

this chapter feels long and short at the same time it's weird

soft for ivy helping percy w his confidence 😩😩

ivy's fatal flaw popping in left and right dudes

percy's big mad at the hunters

thoughts???