ʙᴏᴏᴋ ɪ : 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙛 | 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚢 𝚡 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

Chapter 12

They spent two days on the Amtrak train, heading west through hills, over rivers, past amber waves of grain.

They weren't attacked once, but didn't feel like relaxing either. It felt like they were traveling around in a display case, being watched from above and maybe from below, that something was waiting for the right opportunity.

Percy tried to keep a low profile because his name and picture were splattered over the front pages of several East Coast newspapers. The Trenton Register-News showed a photo taken by a tourist as he got off the Greyhound bus. He had a wild look in his eyes. His sword was a metallic blur in his hands. It might've been a baseball bat or a lacrosse stick.

The picture's caption read:

Fourteen-year-old Percy Jackson, wanted for questioning in the Long Island disappearance of his mother two weeks ago, is shown here fleeing from the bus where he accosted several elderly female passengers. The bus exploded on an east New Jersey roadside shortly after Jackson fled the scene. Based on eyewitness accounts, police believe the boy may be traveling with two teenage accomplices. His stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, has offered a cash reward for information leading to his capture.

"Don't worry," Annabeth told him. "Mortal police could never find us." But she didn't sound so sure.

"Yeah sure," Y/N muttered, "Just because they're mortals doesn't mean they're stupid."

"Hey, I know. I'm just trying to calm him down?" Annabeth said defensively, "Why are you saying this when you know how much tensed he is?"

"Because it's better to be cautious about it than giving false hopes Annabeth," Y/N said.

"It's like both of you switched roles," Percy chuckled nervously.

"When we are out on such an important quest, I don't think assumptions gonna make everything better. We need to think about it practically," Y/N said.

The rest of the day was spent by alternately pacing the length of the train or looking out the windows.

Once, they spotted a family of centaurs galloping across a wheat field, bows at the ready, as they hunted lunch. The little boy centaur, who was the size of a second-grader on a pony, caught Percy's eye and waved. He looked around the passenger car, but nobody else had noticed. The adult riders all had their faces buried in laptops or magazines.

Their reward money for returning Gladiola the poodle had only been enough to purchase tickets as far as Denver. They couldn't get berths in the sleeper car, so they dozed off on the seats. Percy tried not to drool in his sleep, since Annabeth was sitting right next to him.

Y/N sat on the opposite side of them and rested her head on the windows, sometimes looking at her friends sitting like...a couple. It felt like Percy was being cautious and trying to impress Annabeth. She decided to look away because it made her feel more uncomfortable than she realized. Grover kept snoring and bleating and waking up. Once, he shuffled around and his fake foot fell off. Annabeth had to stick it back on before any of the other passengers noticed.

"So," Annabeth asked Percy, once she'd gotten Grover's sneaker readjusted. "Who wants your help?"

"What do you mean?"

"When you were asleep just now, you mumbled, 'I won't help you.' Who were you dreaming about?"

Percy was reluctant to say anything. It was the second time he'd dreamed about the evil voice from the pit. But it bothered him so much he finally told her.

Annabeth was quiet for a long time. "That doesn't sound like Hades. He always appears on a black throne, and he never laughs."

"He offered my mother in trade. Who else could do that?"