𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐖 ༄ ᴘercy ᴊᴀᴄᴋꜱᴏɴ

sledding on a shield is fun (lie)

We only managed to keep ahead of it because we ran uphill, and we could dodge in and out of trees while the boar had to plow through them.

"This way!" Percy yelled, and Thalia and I followed.

We ran along the rails while the boar roared behind us, slipping and sliding as it tried to navigate the steep hillside. Its hooves just were not made for this, thank the gods.

Ahead of us, I saw a covered tunnel. Past that, an old trestle bridge spanning a gorge.

"Follow me," Percy told us again. Thalia slowed down the closer we got to the edge, but I didn't bother asking why. Behind us the pig was knocking down trees and crushing boulders under its hooves.

"No!" Thalia screamed.

She'd turned as white as ice. We were at the edge of the bridge. Below, the mountain dropped away into a snow-filled gorge about seventy feet below.

The boar was right behind us.

"Come on!" Percy said. "It'll hold our weight, probably."

"I can't!" Thalia yelled. Her eyes were wild with fear. I almost seconded her, the drop being far too large for any of us to survive.

The boar smashed into the covered tunnel, tearing through at full speed. It was either impalation or falling to your death.

"Come on!" I spoke to Thalia, looking back at the pig.

She looked down and swallowed. I swear she was turning green.

The boar was charging through the tunnel, straight toward us. Percy suddenly tackled Thalia and me, sending us all sideways off the edge of the bridge, into the side of the mountain. We slid on Thalia's shield like a snow-board, over rocks and mud and snow, racing downhill.

The boar was less fortunate; it couldn't turn that fast, so all ten tons of the monster charged out onto the tiny trestle, which buckled under its weight. The boar free-fell into the gorge with a mighty squeal and landed in a snowdrift with a huge POOOOOF!

We skidded to a stop, all breathing hard. I was cut up and bleeding. Thalia had pine needles in her hair. Percy also had cuts and a single pine needle was sticking up on his head.

Next to us, the wild boar was squealing and struggling. All I could see was the bristly tip of its back. It was wedged completely in the snow like parcel packing. It didn't seem to be hurt, but it wasn't going anywhere, either.

Percy looked at Thalia. "You're afraid of heights."

Now that we were safely down the mountain, her eyes resumed their usual angry look.

"Don't be stupid." She told him.

"That explains why you freaked out on Apollo's bus. Why you didn't want to talk about it."

She took a deep breath. Then she brushed the pine needles out of her hair. "If you tell anyone, I swear-"

"No, no," He said. "That's cool. It's just... the daughter of Zeus, the Lord of the Sky, afraid of heights?"

Thalia grew angrier, a stormy expression coming on her face.

"Shut up, Jackson." I said jokingly, trying to diffuse the tension. "Besides, weren't you the one afraid of crabs?"

A complete lie, but I think Thalia needed to make fun of someone else to get the attention and stress off her.

Thalia snorted and Percy frowned. "No? I - "

Grover's voice called, "Helloooooo?"

"Down here!" I shouted.

"Jackson afraid of crabs." Thalia mused, as she stood up and began to walk away. "Who'd have thought?"