𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐈𝐋¹ || 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐘 𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐎𝐍

𝐗

✦ 𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋 ✦

THEY SPENT TWO DAYS ON THE AMTRAK TRAIN, heading west through hills, over rivers, past amber waves of grain. The quartet wasn't attacked once, but Percy didn't relax. He felt that they were traveling around in a display case, being watched from above and maybe from below, that something was waiting for the right opportunity.

He tried to keep a low profile because his name and picture were splattered over the front pages of several East Coast newspapers. The Trenton Register-News showed a photo taken by a tourist as he got off the Greyhound bus.

Percy had a wild look in his eyes. His sword was a metallic blur in his hands. It might've been a baseball bat or a lacrosse stick. The picture's caption read:

Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson, wanted for questioning in the Long Island disappearance of his mother two weeks ago, is shown here fleeing from the bus where he accosted several elderly female passengers. The bus exploded on an east New Jersey roadside shortly after Jackson fled the scene. Based on eyewitness accounts, police believe the boy may be traveling with three teenage accomplices. His stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, has offered a cash reward for information leading to his capture.

"Don't worry," Annabeth told Percy. "Mortal police could never find us."

But she didn't sound so sure.

The rest of the day Percy spent alternately pacing the length of the train (because he had a really hard time sitting still) or looking out the windows.

Once, he spotted a family of centaurs galloping across a wheat field, bows at the ready, as they hunted for lunch. The little boy centaur, who was the size of a second-grader on a pony, caught his eye and waved.

Percy looked around the passenger car, but nobody else had noticed. The adult riders all had their faces buried in laptop computers or magazines. Another time, towards evening, he saw something huge moving through the woods.

Percy could've sworn it was a lion, except that lions don't live wild in America, and this thing was the size of a tank. Its fur glinted gold in the evening light. Then it leaped through the trees and was gone.

Their reward money for returning Gladiola the poodle had only been enough to purchase tickets as far as Denver. They couldn't get berths in the sleeper car, so they dozed in their seats. Annabeth was asleep as well after staying up by herself the other night as she went over their plan.

Grover kept snoring and bleating and waking Percy up. Once, he shuffled around and his fake foot fell off. Aurora and Percy had to stick it back on before any of the other passengers noticed.

"So," Aurora asked Percy, once they'd got Grover's trainer readjusted. "Who do you think wants our help?"

"What do you mean?" Percy asked.