The Adventure That Lies Ahead | PJO x HP

CHAPTER 16

According to L.A. news, the explosion at Santa Monica beach had been caused when a crazy kidnapper fired a shotgun at a police car. He accidentally hit a gas main that had ruptured during the earthquake.

The crazy kidnapper (a.k.a. Ares) was the same man who had abducted Isa five years ago, Percy, and two other adolescents in New York and brought them across the country on a ten-day odyssey of terror.

Poor little Percy Jackson and Isa Potter weren't international criminals, after all. They'd caused a commotion on the Greyhound bus in New Jersey trying to get away from his captor (and afterward, witnesses would even swear they had seen the leather-clad man on the bus⎼"Why didn't I remember him before?"). The crazy man had caused the explosion in St Louis Arch. After all, no two kids could've done that. A concerned waitress in Denver had seen the man threatening his abductees outside her diner, gotten a friend to take a photo, and notified the police. Finally, brave Percy Jackson and Isa Potter had stolen a gun from their captor in Los Angeles and battled him shotgun-to-rifle on the beach. Police had arrived just in time. But in the spectacular explosion, five police cars had been destroyed and the captor had fled. No fatalities had occurred. Percy Jackson, Isa Potter, and their two friends were safely in police custody.

The reporters fed them their whole story. They just nodded and acted tearful and exhausted (which wasn't hard), and played victimized kids for the cameras.

"It was horrible!" Isa cried. "I was kept in the basement with no windows! None at all! And he barely gave me food!"

"All I want," Percy said, choking back his tears, "is to see my loving stepfather again. Every time I saw him on TV, calling me a delinquent punk, I knew... somehow... we would be okay. And I know he'll want to reward each and every person in this beautiful city of Los Angeles with a free major appliance from his store. Here's the phone number." The police and reporters were so moved that they passed around the hat and raised money for four tickets in the next plane to New York.

Isa knew there was no choice but to fly, even if she didn't want to admit it. She hoped Zeus would cut her some slack, considering the circumstances. But it was still difficult for all three of them⎼Annabeth, Percy, and Grover⎼to force the girl on the plane ("You've fought multiple Greek monsters, Medusa, Echidna, the Chimera, Ares and you're scared of a plane? Get on!").

Even if Isa told Percy that she wasn't scared, she felt something she hadn't in a long time. And that was fear, itself. The stunt Zeus pulled off years ago traumatized her, and will forever traumatize her. She was afraid of doing anything with heights and the sky. Takeoff was a living nightmare for Isa. Every turbulence was scarier than anything she's ever done in her life. She didn't unclench her hands from the armrest until they touched down safely in La Guardia, and she kept her eyes closed tight for the whole ride. She kept muttering a prayer in Ancient Greek to first her father, then to Zeus, then ended up praying to every single god and goddess she could think of (aside from Ares of course). Isa was so terrified she might've cried a bit.

Isa was surprised Percy made it through. Though she was sure, he took some pleasure in watching his sister be terrified even if it was cruel. Isa admits, if she watched someone as ridiculous as her, she would've been laughing. But she didn't mind, she was glad that Percy had a distraction instead of focusing on dying like she was.

Once they stepped out of the plan, Isa immediately collapsed on the floor and started hugging it like it was her best friend. ("Oh how I've missed you! You're so beautiful!"). They had to wait a good ten minutes for the girl to calm down, and be grateful for the floor below them.

The local press was waiting for them outside security, but they managed to evade them thanks to Annabeth, who lured them away in her invisible Yankees cap, shouting, "They're over by the frozen yogurt! Come on!", then rejoined them at the baggage claim.