Penny Ranger and the Lightning Thief

Chapter XIII: We Start our Journey to the West

I didn't really have much to pack. I put in a few snacks and a flask of nectar for medicinal purposes.

Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see Michael holding a quiver of arrows for me.

"You might wanna take these. They could be useful." he said.

I took them with a grateful smile.
I suspected that if mortals saw me walking around with a quiver they would get suspicious though. So I just stuffed the quiver of arrows in my backpack and tried to keep them upright and as close together as possible. Trust me, the possibility for more refined packing was just not there. I also packed a few spare clothes just in case.

Once I was done I stood up and looked at my siblings. They were all giving me encouraging smiles and thumbs up.

"Good luck, sis. Make us proud." Lee told me.

"I'll do my best." I said as I smiled back.

The others hadn't packed much more than me. Annabeth had of course been very meticulous about what to bring. Percy didn't have many possessions, so the contents of his bag consisted mainly of spare clothes. Chiron had also supplied him with a hundred dollars, a couple of golden drachmas for non-mortal transactions, and an airtight bag of ambrosia squares. Grover had packed the most out of all of us. His bag was filled with tin cans, scrap metal and apples. I had no idea how he was going to eat all of that 'food', but I preferred not to question it. He also brought along his set of reed pipes and made sure to wear his disguise. Namely, a pair of baggy pants, his fake feet and a cap to cover his horns.

Chiron and Argus were already waiting for us, Chiron sitting in his wheelchair and Argus dressed in a chauffeur's uniform.

"This is Argus. He will drive you into the city and, um... well... keep an eye on things." Chiron explained.

One of Argus's many eyes gave us a wink. He never talked, but I guessed it was because the inside of his mouth probably had eyes as well.

The sound of hurried footsteps caught our collective attention. We turned around to see Luke running over to us. Glancing out the corner of my eye, I could see Annabeth blushing. I tried my best to hide my smirk. I would suffer terrible consequences otherwise.

"Hey. Glad I caught you." Luke said.

In one hand he held a small quiver with arrows and in the other a pair of sneakers.

"Just wanted to say good luck. And, Penny, Max wanted you to have these."

I took the quiver hesitantly. The arrows didn't seem much different from my own, the only difference being the fletching, which was made of white feathers rather than the eagle feathers of my arrows.

"Thanks, but I already have some arrows of my own." I said apologetically.

"These aren't normal arrows. They're cable arrows. There's a celestial bronze wire stored in the arrowhead. They can be used as rappelling lines or to restrain opponents. Max had Beckendorf make them for you." Luke told me with a smile.

I was surprised. I had talked to Max about all the different ideas for special arrows I had. Well, more like vented. But I never actually thought that he had really been listening.

"I... this is amazing! Can you thank Max for me?"

"I'll be sure to let him know you liked it." Luke assured me.
"Also, I thought these might be able to use these." he said, turning to Percy.

He held out the shoes to Percy. Percy seemed confused, like he didn't know how a pair of sneakers would help but also didn't want to seem rude or ungrateful.

"Maia!" Luke shouted.

The shoes suddenly sprouted wings. They flew a lap around Percy before coming back to his hands and folding their wings back in.

"Awesome!" Grover said.

I agreed. Flying shoes was a really good gift. And very much in line with the Hermes style.

"These served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days..."

He got a melancholic look as he talked. I imagined he must miss being out there on a quest. Even with the added danger of death.

"Hey, man. Thanks." Percy thanked, looking very happy with Luke's gift.

"Listen, Percy. A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just... kill a few monsters for me , okay?"

Percy nodded and the two shook hands. Luke gave Grover a pat on the head and me a pat on the shoulder. Then he hugged Annabeth. I honestly thought she was gonna faint. As he walked away I leaned closer to her.

"You're hyperventilating." I teased.

"Am not!" she hissed back.

"You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?" Percy chimed in.

"Oh... why do I even want to go anywhere with you two?" she complained before stomping off towards the SUV.

Percy and I shared an amused grin and simultaneously shrugged our shoulders. He then glanced at the shoes and his grin fell.

"I'm not going to be able to use them, am I?" he asked Chiron.

That's when it dawned on me. As cool as the shoes were, Percy was still a son of Poseidon. It was safer for him to remain with his feet on the ground.

"Luke's intentions were good, Percy. But to fly... it wouldn't be wise." Chiron agreed.

Percy seemed a bit disappointed, until he got an idea.

"Hey, Grover. Do you want a magic object?" he asked.

The satyr's eyes immediately lit up.

"Really?"

We quickly tied the sneakers to his fake feet and voila, behold the world's first flying goat!

"Maia!" he shouted.

The take off went perfectly. But then he immediately fell over and the shoes started dragging Grover through the grass.

"Practice! You just need a bit more practice!" Chiron shouted as a suggestion.

"Aaaah!" was Grover's response.

"I'm gonna go get him. Before he crashes into a tree." I announced.

It took me a while. But I did eventually manage to catch up to Grover. I had to tackle him and hold his legs down while he closed the wings.

"We'll need to work on that." I told him.

He nodded his agreement before he took my hand and both of us walked back to the SUV. I noticed Percy holding a long double edged celestial bronze sword. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was the same one he had used at the museum to kill Mrs. Dodds.

"Nice sword." I commented.

"Yeah, it's called Riptide. It's a gift from my dad." he told me.

I smiled at him, happy that he had gotten something from his father too. Percy then put a plastic cap on the sword, turning it into a ballpoint pen. Now that was cool!

"Let's get this show on the road." he said with a confident smile.