Walk With the Shadows [ Percy Jackson OC ]

ELEVEN | Kitty

KITTY CAME UP WITH SEVENTEEN terrible jokes about the perils of threatening the gods, squished next to Alex in the back of a school bus that one of the Stoll brothers had acquired. Stolen, to be technical.

The jokes, though. Those were pretty great. But somehow she didn't think Alex would appreciate the genius of "It's too late to Apollo-gize" or "Wow, you Arte-MISSED the opportunity to leave without making a scene."

What exactly had gone down in the Olympian throne room, Alex wouldn't say. But Kitty had been in the right place at the right time, overhearing Thalia Grace complain about "the stupidity of boys" to a couple Hunters. While Kitty generally agreed with the sentiment, and frankly preferred hanging with more sensible, female company—perks of being gay—she couldn't help thinking this was less a "boys are dumb" scenario and more "boys from the Hermes' cabin are dumb."

Connor proved her point four rows up. While Alex brooded on her right, his half-brother had fashioned a crossbow out of school supplies. Kitty watched as he ducked behind Katie in the seat ahead of him. With skill to rival the best archers from Cabin 7, who admittedly never would've dreamed of inconveniencing themselves with a crossbow over a regular bow, Connor lined up a shot at his older brother.

Apparently Travis had forgotten the number one rule of being in the same vehicle as other members of his cabin: don't get distracted. But Kitty had to forgive him. Sitting next to Valentina Díaz would distract anyone. Certainly would've distracted her. Still, he looked more interested in talking to her than she did to him though.

No one else seemed to notice, or care, that Connor settled the mini crossbow in the perfect position to poke out his brother's eye. Their chaperone didn't: some old, small, wiry satyr that Kitty couldn't have named. Two hours into their ride back to camp and it seemed they were all about ready to lose it.

But hey, fighting for their lives day and night against monsters in the heart of New York City would leave anyone a little crazy. Still, couldn't let Connor have all the fun. Kitty sat up, careful not to make noise with the cracking leather of the old bus seat.

It took almost no effort to steal some of his luck. What did take effort was not cackling when the crossbow exploded back in his face. Connor shouted as he just managed to dodge out of the way, saving his face from impalement-by-pencil by mere centimeters. Who needed a magic pen-sword when pencil impalement from stupidity and a touch of bad luck is an option?

By the time the bus rolled up to the base of Half-Blood Hill, half the campers had fallen asleep and the other half had fallen into solemn silence. Even Travis had stopped flirting with Valentina. Exhaustion had set in. The sight of Thalia's Pine Tree towering above the tall grasses of the hill, silent in the warm summer air, reminded them of everything they had lost.

And what had they gained? Kitty groaned as she stretched next to the bus. Their satyr chauffeur munched on strawberries brought over by a dryad. There were more campers to retrieve from Olympus. The wounded, mostly, along with the entire Apollo cabin that had stayed behind to help.