poison tree ✴︎ - perseus jackson

007. a stairwell, a chimera, a mother, and powers.

  𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐑𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐔𝐓 of the train, rocks poking through the soles of Hopes shoes as she winced slightly from the sudden burst of pain. As they stood and looked back, they saw the monster had stopped chasing them, which confused them.

"Why isn't it still chasing us?" Percy asked, Hope raising her eyebrow at the blonde boy.

"What you want that thing chasing us?" Hope asked, pointing to the train, looking at Percy with an eyebrow raised as he looked at her.

"No! But why did it just suddenly stop? Didn't Echidna say we were its prey?" Percy asked his breath still heavy.

"Echidna said whatever she was hiding in that carrier, it's young. It won't venture too far from her mother. She's learning to hunt, and this seems like the hunting part." Annabeth said, causing Hope to groan, throwing her head back slightly.

"Why do monsters have to exist?"

  𝐓𝐇𝐄 four of them walked through an alley way, trying to get as far away from Echidna before she could get to them, but in reality though, even with the mother of monsters and her child following them, they didn't know where they were going.

"We aren't gonna be able to outrun them for very long." Grover spoke, all of speed walking through the water filled streets.

"We don't need to. We just need a safe place to hole up." Annabeth explained, having an idea in her name already.

  "Some place safe. Any ideas where we might find one of those?" Percy asked, glancing at Hope with worry before looking at Annabeth.

  Ever since they had left the train tracks, Hope was completely silent, making all of them worry. They didn't know what poisoned her if she was poisoned when Echidnas child had punctured her, and they couldn't do anything about besides wait and see. And that's what Percy hated.

  "I do. A sanctuary, dedicated to Athena, built by one of her demigod children a long time ago." Annabeth explained.

  "There is an Athenian temple hidden somewhere in the middle of downtown St. Louis?" Grover asked, confused.

  "Yes. Except it's not all that hidden." She said, looking forward at the big arch up head.

  Athena's Arch.

  "𝐈𝐓'𝐒 630 feet wide, 630 feet tall, both to within an inch." Annabeth explained, leading the way down the cement steeps into the temple. The boys looking up at the arch as Hope just stared forward, drowning out Annabeth's voice with every other word she said.

  "It's got no internal support. Each side is balanced perfectly against the other. The arch is held up by symmetry. It's held up by math. And it's earthquake-proof, so Poseidon can't ruin it." Annabeth concluded as they walked inside, a school of kids scattered everywhere.

  "Nice." Percy mumbled, following closely behind Hope as they walked through the school kids.

  "This is how you show Athena your love. A monument to the power of perfection." She said, walking into another part of the building where they saw other things, nothing relating to Athena or the Gods at all, but American history.