Son of the Moon

30

-Percy-

He had been dozing for a little while when he felt his ride, Hank, shift waking him up "Where do you guys want us to land?" Hank asked, the giant metal automaton shooting up to avoid a flock of birds.

"Down there!" Zoe said as she pointed "By the Embarcadero Building!".

"You and Chuck can blend in with the pigeons!" he added getting an amused laugh from the two metal statues, an exasperated sigh from Zoe, a slightly amused chuckle from Castor and Katie, while Thalia laughed rather forcefully.

"I like you kid!" Hank said with a smile "It's about time we meet a demigod with a sense of humor.".

They quickly landed, scaring off a homeless man who ran away screaming about 'metal angels from Mars' which caused him to Zoe and ask "Does Ares actually have those?".

"No Percy," Zoe groaned in exasperation but he could see relief in her eyes, likely at the fact that he was willing to crack a joke again no matter how bad it as "Lord Ares isn't exactly the Angel type.".

"Are you guys going to need any more help?" Hank asked, the statue sounding concerned for them as it did so.

"I think we're good," he said shaking his head "but if you can try to fly up to my Uncle Apollo, let him know we'll be entering Othryss soon so any help the gods can offer would be appreciated.".

"You got it Percy," Hank said with a nod "we'll rally the troops, you lead the invasion." Before the automaton angel shot into the air, the second following suit a moment later.

"Alright guys," he said turning to his companions "while she was technically 'banished' Zoe was once a Hesperides and, as such, always is able to tell where her garden is and can lead us there.".

"But where exactly is the Garden?" Castor asked with a raised eyebrow "How far away?".

"It can only be entered at sunset and during this day and age it rests upon Mount Tamalpais," Zoe explained "it would be impossible to reach without a car.".

"Then why did we send away Chuck and Hank?" Thalia asked in irritation.

"Because we're going to war," he growled "we don't know what sort of forces the Titans have mustered up there so we're going to need the gods ready to give backup. Now as for a car that's easy, Hephaestus keeps a garage of vehicles for demigods in case of emergency in some of the larger cities and San Fran is no exception.".

Thirty minutes later they were roaring down the road, weaving around the cars at breakneck speeds while Zoe drove them as fast as possible towards the mountain and he rode Shotgun, his quest mates panicking in the back. "You're gonna get us arrested!" Thalia yelled as the daughter of Zeus gripped doorframe tightly.

"The car produces its own mist field!" he yelled back over the roar of the engine "It was built by Hephaestus himself for emergency escapes so we can go as fast as we want and not get pulled over, we just have to make sure we don't crash.".

"We ARE going to crash!" Thalia screamed as Zoe brought them around a tight corner.

"She's been driving since cars were invented!" he yelled back "And we need to get there as soon as possible!". The rest of the trip was spent in silence, apart from the screaming engine, until they reached the part of the mountain that concealed the entrance into the garden. "Alright," he called out "it's going to open in a couple minutes so be ready.

"We're ready Percy," Castor said with a nod, the son of Dionysus preparing for battle and reading his weapons "lead us to victory.".

Before he could respond the plant around them began to shift and part to reveal a tunnel towards a beautiful and lush garden, "Let's move!" he called out as he took off down the tunnel, his friends' footsteps echoing behind him as they raced down the passage. "Halt!" a female voice commanded when they passed through the passage fully, "Who dares enter our garden?".