•as the world caves in•

•we finally have a monster free day•

We camped out in the woods for the night, and it was miserable.

We'd taken some food and blankets from Aunty Em's but I was freezing.

We had decided taking shift would be best, and Percy offered to go first. Grover went to a tree, but the rest of us stayed on the ground.

I curled up in the blanket and rested by Annabeth and Percy.

Annabeth fell asleep right away, but I couldn't get comfortable.

I dimly listened to Percy and Grover talking, something about Pan.

Pan was kind of Grover's dad, but he was missing, and Grover planned on finding him someday.

They switched subjects, but I was already on my way to passing out.

•.•.•.•

"Well, the zombie lives." Annabeth said when I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

"How long was I sleeping?" I asked.

"Long enough for me to cook breakfast." Annabeth answered and tossed me some chips.

"Grover made a friend." Percy added.

I frowned and saw something pink in his lap.

Was that a poodle?

"Yes, it's a poodle. His name is Gladiola." Percy sighed.

"Coriane, say hello to Gladiola, he's our ticket west." Annabeth said.

"Hi, Gladiola."

Apparently while we were sleeping, Grover went in the woods and found Gladiola. The poodle ran away from his rich family, who offered a $200 reward for his return. He didn't want to go back, but wanted to help Grover.

"So, we turn in Gladiola, we get money and we buy tickets to Los Angeles. Simple." Annabeth explained.

"Not another bus," Percy said warily.

"No," I agreed.

"There's an Amtrack station half a mile that way." Annabeth said as she pointed towards train tracks. "According to Gladiola, the westbound train leaves at noon."

•.•.•.•

Me and Percy are in the newspaper!

For blowing up a bus!

The good part is that our swords were blurs and they only know Percy's name, not mine.

We had been on the train for two days and hadn't seen anything, which was good. I spent most of my time sleeping or attempting to read the magazines, but the most I could make out was the front cover, which had this dude named Tristan McLean.

Later on, Annabeth and Grover sat across from me and Percy, snoozing away. I was trying to, but I'd been sleeping so much it was hard for me to right now.

I thought about what I'd heard Percy say in his sleep.

Something about how he wouldn't help something.

"So, who wants your help?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

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

Percy then told me about a voice in a pit, asking him for his help.

"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?"

"I guess. If he meant, 'Help me rise from the Underworld.' If he wants war with the Olympians. But why ask you to bring him the master bolt if he already has it?"

Percy shook his head.

I chewed my nails as I racked my brain for answers. One of the times I wish I was a daughter of Athena instead of Aphrodite.

"Percy, you can't barter with Hades. You know that, right?" I asked as I adjusted Grovers hat so it covered his horns. "He's deceitful, heartless, and greedy. I don't care if his Kindly Ones weren't as aggressive this time—"

"This time?" He cut me off. "You mean you've run into them before."

Imagines flashed of Thalia, Luke, Annabeth and I. Running through the woods, monsters all chasing after us.

"Let's just say I've got no love for the Lord of the Dead. You can't be tempted to make a deal for your mom."

"What would you do if it was your dad?"

"That's easy. I'd leave him to rot."

"You're not serious?"

I looked at him. "My dad's resented me since the day I was born, Percy. He never wanted a baby and when my mom went up and left, he just drank and didn't care for me. He was always bringing new girls around, and I'll admit, some were really nice. The last one he brought, Samantha, was the best, but she wasn't enough for me to stay. I will never see that man again, never in my life."

"My mom married a really awful guy. Grover said she did it to protect me, to hide me in the scent of a human family. Maybe that's what your dad was thinking."

"He doesn't care about me. Anytime a monster would attack, he'd blame me. Samantha was there for one, and she didn't even seem phased. When I got yelled at, she looked sorry for me, almost as if she understood. That night, I ran away."

"How old were you?"

"Same age as when I started camp. Seven."

"But... you couldn't have gotten all the way to Half-Blood Hill by yourself."

"Not alone, no. Aphrodite watched over me, guided me to toward help. I made a couple of unexpected friends who took care of me, for a short time, anyway.

I stopped talking and eventually fell asleep.

•.•.•.•

We had made it to St. Louis on the 13th, meaning we had eight days left.

Annabeth awed at the sight of the Gateway Arch,  and explained how she wanted to build things like that.

"Food." Grover said once he fully woke up.

We'd have a three hour layover until our next train to Denver, so naturally, we decided to look around.

"Come on, goat boy. Sightseeing." Annabeth said.

"Sightseeing?"

"The Gateway Arch." I smiled. "This may be our only chance to ride to the top. Are you coming or not?"

Me and Annabeth walked off before they could protest.

I really wish we didn't.