9| Percy Ruins a Perfectly Good Bus
We were set for our quest, we waved goodbye to the other campers, and then we walked up Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to be my older sister Thalia, daughter of Zeus. Chiron is waiting for us in his wheelchair, next to him stood Argus.
Chiron: 'This is Argus, he will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things.'
We heard footsteps behind us, Dipshit-Luke, came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes.
Luke: 'Hey! Glad I caught you. Just wanted to say good luck, and I thought... um, maybe you could use these.'
He handed them to Percy, and he looked like he didn't know what to do with them.
Luke: 'Maia!'
White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels, he dropped them. The shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared.
Grover: 'Awesome!'
Luke: 'Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days...'
Percy: 'Hey man, thanks.'
I hate him, I walk down the hill, and I get into the white SUV. I waited for the others, and we left the camp. Argus drove us out of the countryside and into western long Island.
Percy: 'So far so good, ten miles and not a single monster.'
Annabeth: *irritated* 'It's bad luck to talk that way, Seaweed Brain.'
Percy: 'Remind me again – why do you hate me so much?'
Annabeth: 'I don't hate you.'
Y/N: 'Keep quiet, you two.'
Traffic slowed us down in Queens. By the time we got into Manhattan it was sunset and starting to rain. Argus dropped us at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side. Argus unloaded our bags, made sure we got our bus tickets, then drove away.
The rain kept coming down. We got restless waiting for the bus and decide to play some Hacky Sack with one of Grover's apples. Annabeth could bounce the apple off her knee, elbow, and shoulder, whatever. Percy wasn't too bad. I treated the apple like a soccer ball, bouncing it on the heel of my foot, all the way to the tip of my toes. Grover... just ate it. He blushed. He tried to apologize, but Annabeth, Percy and me were too bust laughing.
The bus finally came, as we stood in line to board, Grover started looking around, sniffing the air like he smelled his favourite cafeteria delicacy – enchiladas.
Percy: 'What is it?'
Grover: 'I don't know, maybe it's nothing.'
We finally got on board and found seats together in the back of the bus. We stowed our backpacks, Annabeth kept slapping her Yankees cap nervously against her thigh... nice. As the last passengers got on, Annabeth clamped her arms around me, hell yea.
Annabeth: 'Y/N.'
An old lady had just boarded the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet, lace gloves and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadow her face. It is Mrs Dodds and her two ugliest buddies. The Furies, the three worst monsters from the Underworld. They sat in the front row, right behind the driver.
Percy: 'She didn't stay dead long. I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime.'
Annabeth: 'I said if you're lucky, you're obviously not.'
