Celestial - a Percy Jackson fanfic [BOOK ONE]

Chapter ten

I sprinted from the bus, still buzzing with adrenaline. Percy, Grover, and Annabeth were nowhere to be seen, but several onlookers were gaping at me and a few even had their cell phones out. I ignored them and bolted for the tree line, not knowing where else to go.

I escaped into the darkness, seeing three shadows running far ahead of me.

"Guys!" I shouted. "It's me, stop!"

"Cleo?" Percy stopped in his tracks and I quickly caught up to him. "Wha- what just happened? How are you okay?"

Annabeth and Grover stayed at Percy's sides, also gaping at me in shock.

"Guys, I think Chiron was right," I said and held up my hand. Sparks flew between my fingertips. Annabeth's jaw practically dropped to the floor. "I am one of the Big Three's children."

"You mean, you're Zeus's daughter?" Percy looked at me, suddenly pale.

"I mean," I put my hand down. "I think so. How else would that lightning do nothing to me?"

"So that's how you used Clarisse's electric spear against herself," Annabeth said. I could see her mind was clicking, putting pieces together.

Percy looked back down, looking at my hand despite not holding it out or anything. He looked troubled. Then I remembered the prophecy.

"You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend."

Zeus and Poseidon are immediate enemies right now. If I had Percy's prophecy, I'm sure I wouldn't trust me right now, either.

I held my hand out, which Percy looked a little confused about, but took it in his.

"I swear, Percy," I told him, looking him dead in the eyes. "I know our friendship is more complicated than we realized, but we started this journey together, and I plan on staying with you until the end. I would never betray you. I swear it."

Percy looked down at my mouth, then back up at my eyes. He offered me a small smile, but I could tell he was unsure.

"Guys," Grover said. "We need to keep moving. Come on."

Percy dropped my hand and we all began to run through the never ending rows of trees. Our running eventually turned to walking, and we found ourselves on a deserted two-lane road. Just across the road was a closed down gas station. Next to it seemed to be an old and weird roadside curio shop that sell weird lawn flamingos and wooden grizzly bears and weird stuff like that. The main building was a long, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary. There was a neon sign in front of the door, which read, "AUNTY EM'S GARDEN GNOME EMPORIUM."

There seemed to be a wonderful smell of fast food coming from the emporium, which was quite strange.

Percy was the first to head towards the building. When Grover protested, Percy only said hopefully, "Snack bar."

"This place is weird," Grover said.

"I don't like it either," I frowned. "Bad vibes."

We entered the front lot, finding a ton of cement animals, cement children, even a cement satyr playing the pipes.

Grover bleated at the satyr statue. "That looks like my uncle Ferdinand."

We stopped at the door.

"Don't knock," Grover begged. "I smell monsters."