The Twins Of Poseidon

What Came First Ant Eater Or Mother Of Monsters?

We spent two days on the Amtrak train, heading west through hills, over rivers, past amber waves of grain. We weren't attacked once, but I didn't relax. I felt that we were traveling around in a display case, being watched from above and maybe from below, that something was waiting for the right opportunity. 

Percy had 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 Percy got off the Greyhound bus. He 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 to the mortals. 

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. One of the three others said to be Jacksons twin sister whom he was not in contact with. 

His stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, has offered a cash reward for information leading to his capture. 

"Don't worry," I tried to tell him. "Mortal police could never find us." But in all honesty I wasn't 100% sure about that. 

The rest of the day Percy was pacing the train and I joined him cause I couldn't sit still for two days straight. Once, Percy and I spotted a family of centaurs galloping across a wheat field, bows at the ready, as they hunted lunch. The little boy centaur, who was the size of a second-grader on a pony, caught our eyes and waved. I waved back while 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, toward evening, we saw something huge moving through the woods. I could've sworn it was a lion, except that lions don't live wild in America, and this thing was the size of a Hummer. Its fur glinted gold in the evening light. Then it leaped through the trees and was gone. 

Our reward money for returning Gladiola the poodle had only been enough to purchase tickets as far as Denver. We couldn't get berths in the sleeper car, so we dozed in our seats. Well the others did, I still couldn't sleep since that weird dream I had before we found Gladiola. I still didn't know what it was. I found out Percy had the exact same dream which was weird. Demi-gods never have the same dreams, at least not at the same time on the same night. I'm starting to think it's a 'twin thing'.  Grover kept snoring and bleating and waking Percy up. Once, he shuffled around and his fake foot fell off. Annabeth, Percy and I had to stick it back on before any of the other passengers noticed. 

 "So," Annabeth asked Percy, once we'd gotten Grover's sneaker readjusted. "Who wants your help?" 

"What do you mean?" Percy asked. 

"When you were asleep just now, you mumbled, 'I won't help you.' Who were you dreaming about?" She explained. 

I shook my head subtly at Percy to tell him 'Not now' and he seemed to get it but then he gave up and told her. I jumped in a bit to explain some thing as well since I had the same dream.

Annabeth was quiet for a long time. "That doesn't sound like Hades. He always appears on a black throne, and he never laughs. And how did you both have the same dream at the same time, that never happens?" She said after a while. 

"He offered my- our mother in trade. Who else could do that?" Percy asked. 

"I guess ... if he meant, 'Help me rise from the Underworld.' If he wants war with the Olympians. But why ask you guys to bring him the master bolt if he already has it?" Annabeth said confused.