Annabeth Chase and the Sea of Monsters

Chapter 3: We Hail Down The Taxi of Eternal Torment

Percy was waiting for us in an alley down Church Street. He pulled Tyson and me off the sidewalk just as a fire truck screamed past, heading for Meriwether Prep.

"Where'd you find him?" He demanded, pointing at Tyson.

Now, under different circumstances, I would've been really happy to see him. We'd made our peace last summer, despite the fact that his mom was Athena and didn't get along with my dad. I'd missed Percy probably more than I wanted to admit.

But I'd just been attacked by cannibal giants, Tyson had saved my life three or four times, and all Percy could do was glare at him like he was the problem.

"He's my friend," I told him.

"Is he homeless?"

"What does that have to do with anything? He can hear you, you know. Why don't you ask him?"

He looked surprised. "He can talk?"

"I talk," Tyson admitted. "You are handsome."

"Ah! Gross!" Percy stepped away from him.

I couldn't believe he was being so rude. I examined Tyson's hands, which I was sure must've been badly scorched by the flaming dodge balls, but they looked fine—grimy and scarred, with dirty fingernails the size of potato chips—but they always looked like that. "Tyson," I said in disbelief. "Your hands aren't even burned."

"Of course not," Percy muttered. "I'm surprised the Laistrygonians had the guts to attack you with him around."

Tyson seemed fascinated by Percy's dark hair. He tried to touch it, but he smacked his hand away.

"Percy," I said, "what are you talking about? Laistry-what?"

"Laistrygonians. The monsters in the gym. They're a race of giant cannibals who live in the far north. Odysseus ran into them once, but I've never seen them as far south as New York before."

"Laistry—I can't even say that. What would you call them in English?"

He thought about it for a moment "Canadians," he decided. "Now come on, we have to get out of here."

"The police'll be after me."

"That's the least of our problems," he said. "Have you been having the dreams?"

"The dreams...about Grover?"

His face turned pale. "Grover? No, what about Grover?"

I told him my dream. "Why? What were you dreaming about?"

His eyes looked stormy, like his mind was racing a million miles an hour.

"Camp," he said at last. "Big trouble at camp."

"My mom was saying the same thing! But what kind of trouble?"

"I don't know exactly. Something's wrong. We have to get there right away. Monsters have been chasing me all the way from Virginia, trying to stop me. Have you had a lot of attacks?"

I shook my head. "None all year...until today."

"None? But how..." His eyes drifted to Tyson. "Oh."

"What do mean, 'oh'?"

Tyson raised his hand like he was still in class. "Canadians in the gym called Annabeth something...Daughter of the Sea God?"

Percy and I exchanged looks.

I didn't know how I could explain, but I figured Tyson deserved the truth after almost getting killed.

"Big guy," I said, "you ever hear those old stories about the Greek gods? Like Zeus, Poseidon, Athena—"