𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩

Chapter 26

21

Paying Dues

It's funny how humans can wrap their mind around things and fit them into their version of reality.

  Chiron had told (y/n) that long ago. As per usual, the boy didn't appreciate his wisdom until much later.

  According to the L.A. news, an explosion at the Santa Monica beach had been caused when a crazy kidnapper fired a shotgun at a police car. He accidentally hit a gas main that had ruptured during the
earthquake. All of which definitely wasn't ice from a stray attack coming from Cyrus.

  This crazy kidnapper (a.k.a. Ares) was the same man who had abducted Percy and four other adolescents in New York and brought them across country on a ten-day odyssey of terror.

  Poor little Percy Jackson wasn't an international criminal after all. He'd caused a commotion on that Greyhound bus in New Jersey trying to get away from his captor (and afterward, witnesses would even swear they had seen the leather-clad man on the bus—"Why didn't I remember him before?"). The crazy man had caused the explosion in the St. Louis Arch. After all, no kid could've done that. A concerned waitress in Denver had seen the man threatening his abductees outside her diner, gotten a friend to take a photo, and notified the police. Finally, brave (y/n) de la Cruz and Cyrus Jackson (I was beginning to like these kids) had stolen guns from his captor in Los Angeles and battled him shotgun-to-rifles on the beach. Police had arrived just in time. But in the spectacular explosion, five police cars had been destroyed and the captor had fled. No fatalities had occurred. Percy Jackson and his four friends were safely in police custody.

  The reporters fed them this whole story. The campers just nodded and acted tearful and exhausted (which wasn't hard), and played victimized kids for the cameras, especially with Benny's whimpering about his injured leg that sounded more like he was cold, which wouldn't happen at all—hellhound and all.

  "All I want," Percy said, choking back his tears, "is to see my loving stepfather again. Every time I saw him on TV, calling me a delinquent punk, I knew... somehow ... we would be okay. And I know he'll want to reward each and every person in this beautiful city of Los Angeles with a free major appliance from his store. Here's the phone number." The police and reporters were so moved that they passed around the hat and raised money for five tickets on the next plane to New York.

  (y/n) knew there was no choice but to fly. He hoped Zeus would cut Percy some slack, considering the circumstances. But it was still hard to force him on board the flight.

  Takeoff was a nightmare. Every spot of turbulence was scarier than a Greek monster. (y/n) didn't unclench his hands from the armrests until they touched down safely at La Guardia. The local press was waiting for them outside security, but they managed to evade them thanks to Annabeth, who lured them away in her invisible Yankees cap, shouting, "They're over by the frozen yogurt! Come on!" then rejoined the group at baggage claim.

  They split up at the taxi stand. Percy, (y/n) and Cyrus told Annabeth and Grover to get back to Half-Blood Hill and let Chiron know what had happened. They protested, and it was hard to let them go after all they'd been through, but (y/n) knew he needed to finish the quest he'd been given, and the Jacksons wanted to make things right. If things went wrong, if the gods didn't believe them ... (y/n) wanted Annabeth and Grover to survive to tell Chiron the truth, so he told Benny to keep them safe on the way.

  The three hopped in a taxi and headed into Manhattan.

  Thirty minutes later, they walked into the lobby of the Empire State Building.