The Forbidden Daughter | PJO Book One

fifteen

UNEXPECTED VISITOR

"Thalia's tree must be almost dead." Grover wailed. "We have to get the Fleece back tonight!"

"How are we supposed to do that?" Clarisse voice trembled. "We're hundreds of miles away. No money. No ride. This is just like the Oracle said. It's your fault, Jackson! If you hadn't interfered-"

"Percy's fault?!" Annabeth exploded. "Clarisse, how can you say that? You are the biggest -"

"Stop it!" Ariana said, opening her eyes.

She was on the pavement, her head in Annabeths lap. The Golden Fleece was thrown over her.

Annabeth turned to her, with an angry expression. "See! This is why I said not to use your powers. You fainted!"

She reminded Ariana of a mother.

Ariana groaned and sat up, throwing the fleece off her. Annabeth frowned and opened her mouth. Ariana stopped her.

"Clarisse," Ariana said, "what did the Oracle tell you exactly?"

She looked up. Ariana thought she was going to tell her off too, but instead she took a deep breath and recited her prophecy:

You shall sail the iron ship with warriors of bone,
You shall find what you seek and make it your own,
But despair for your life entombed within stone, And fail without friends, to fly home alone!

"Ouch." Grover mumbled.

"No." Percy said. "No ... wait a minute. I've got it."

Percy searched his pockets for money, and found nothing but a golden drachma.

"Does anybody have any cash?"

Annabeth and Grover shook their heads morosely. Clarisse pulled a wet Confederate dollar from her pocket and sighed. Ariana didn't even bother looking, her eyes kept dropping.

"Cash?" Tyson asked hesitantly. "Like ...
green paper?"

Percy looked at him. "Yeah."

"Like the kind in duffel bags?"

"Yeah, but we lost those bags days a-g-g-"

Percy stuttered to a halt as Tyson rummaged in his saddle pack and pulled out the airtight bag full of cash that Hermes had included in their supplies.

"Tyson!" Percy said. "How did you "

"Thought it was a feed bag for Rainbow." he said. "Found it floating in sea, but only paper inside. Sorry."

He handed him the cash. Fives and tens, at least three hundred dollars. Percy ran to the kerb and grabbed a taxi that was just letting out a family of cruise passengers.

"Clarisse." Percy yelled. "Come on. You're going to the airport. Ariana, give her the fleece."

He took the Fleece letter jacket from Ariana, tucked the cash into its pocket, and put it in Clarisse's arms.

Clarisse said, "You'd let me -"

"It's your quest." Ariana said. "We only have enough money for one flight. Besides, neither me or Percy can travel by air. Zeus would blast us into a million pieces. That's what the prophecy meant: you'd fail without friends, meaning you'd need our help, but you'd have to fly home alone. You have to get the Fleece back safely."

Ariana could see her mind working - suspicious at first, wondering what trick Percy was playing, then finally deciding they meant what they said.

She jumped in the cab. "You can count on me. I won't fail."