Blood Of Poseidon

IV. Chariot of Damnation

In a chaotic corner of Thomas and Trimble, Annabeth halted her group. She rummaged through her backpack, searching for something amidst the sirens wailing in the background. Her appearance was worse than Percy had initially noticed, with a cut on her chin and disheveled hair that seemed to have survived several nights in the wild. Percy, concerned, asked, "What are you looking for?" As they stood there, sirens in the distance drawing closer, he knew that it wouldn't be long before more police officers came searching for the presumed juvenile delinquents who had caused a ruckus at the gym. Annabeth finally exclaimed, "Found one. Thank the gods," as she retrieved a gold coin from her backpack. Percy recognized it as a drachma, the currency of Mount Olympus, bearing the likeness of Zeus on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. Percy couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Annabeth, New York taxi drivers won't accept that." With determination in her eyes, Annabeth shouted in Ancient Greek, a language that Percy comprehended, "Stêthi, Ô hárma diabolês!" Her words translated to "Stop, Chariot of Damnation!" in English. She tossed the drachma into the street, and rather than clattering on the asphalt, it sank through and vanished. For a moment, nothing happened. But then, right where the coin had disappeared, the asphalt darkened, melting into a rectangular pool the size of a parking space. It looked like bubbling red liquid, like blood. And then, out of this ooze, a car emerged. It was unmistakably a taxi, though, unlike any other taxi in New York. Its smoky gray form seemed almost ethereal like one could walk right through it. There were inscriptions on the door, but Percy's dyslexia made them challenging to decipher. The passenger window rolled down, and an elderly woman peered out. Her hair concealed her eyes, and she mumbled in an odd manner, as if her mouth had recently been numbed. "Passage? Passage?" Annabeth, undeterred by the bizarre situation, calmly stated, "Three to Camp Half-Blood." She opened the cab's back door and signaled for Percy and Tyson to enter, as though this was perfectly normal. "Ach!" the old woman screeched. "We don't take his kind!" She pointed a bony finger at Tyson, clearly perturbed by his appearance as a Cyclops. Annabeth quickly offered a solution, "Extra pay. Three more drachma on arrival." "Done!" the woman exclaimed. Percy reluctantly climbed into the cab, with Tyson squeezing into the middle seat, and Annabeth following suit. The cab's interior, like its exterior, was smoky gray but felt solid. The seats were cracked and lumpy, much like any other taxi, and there was no Plexiglas screen separating the passengers from the driver. Percy was about to comment on this when he noticed something odd – there wasn't just one old lady, there were three of them, all crammed into the front seat, their hair covering their eyes, bony hands, and charcoal-colored sackcloth dresses. The one in the driver's seat seemed to be in charge. She exclaimed, "Long Island! Out-of-metro fare bonus! Ha!" With that, she hit the accelerator, causing Percy's head to slam against the backrest.

A voice over the cab's speakers introduced itself as Ganymede, cup-bearer to Zeus, and encouraged them to buckle up. Percy looked down to find a large black chain instead of a traditional seat belt, deciding he'd rather not use it. The taxi veered around a corner, and the gray lady in the middle cried out, "Look out! Go left!" The driver, named Wasp, retorted, "Well, if you'd give me the eye, Tempest, I could see that!" The mention of the eye caught Percy's attention. The Gray Sisters seemed to have an eye that they shared. Percy had no time to ask further questions as the driver swerved to avoid an oncoming delivery truck, running over the curb and propelling the cab into the next block. As the tension in the cab mounted, Percy inquired, "Can you see?" The sisters replied in unison, "No!" Anger, the one with the only eye, added, "Except for me." They had one eye that they all shared, an oddity that both baffled and unnerved Percy. Tyson, now feeling nauseous, groaned and held onto the seat. Percy tried to find some sort of container for him, but the Gray Sisters were too preoccupied with their bickering to be of any help. Percy glanced at Annabeth, who was gripping the seat tightly, and gave her an exasperated look. "Hey," she said, "Gray Sisters Taxi is the fastest way to camp. "Percy couldn't help but ask, "Then why didn't you take it from Virginia?" Annabeth replied matter-of-factly, "That's outside their service area. They only serve Greater New York and surrounding communities." As they continued their journey, the three sisters bickered and squabbled relentlessly. They veered dangerously close to the edge of the Williamsburg Bridge, and Percy felt the cab hurtling toward disaster. "Uh, if anybody's interested," he said, "we're going to die!" "Don't worry," Annabeth told me, sounding pretty worried. "The Gray Sisters know what they're doing. They're really very wise." But Percy wasn't assured much as they were skimming along the edge of a bridge a hundred and thirty feet above the East River. "Yes, wise!" Anger grinned in the rearview mirror, showing off her newly acquired tooth. "We know things!" "Every street in Manhattan!" Wasp bragged, still hitting her sister. "The capital of Nepal!" "The location you seek!" Tempest added. Immediately her sisters pummeled her from either side, screaming, "Be quiet! Be quiet! He didn't even ask yet!" "What?" Percy asked. "What location? I'm not seeking any-" "Nothing!" Tempest said. "You're right, boy. It's nothing!" "Tell me." He demanded. "No!" they all screamed. "The last time we told, it was horrible!" Tempest said. "Eye tossed in a lake!" Anger agreed. "Years to find it again!" Wasp moaned. "And speaking of that-give it back!" "No!" yelled Anger. "Eye!" Wasp yelled. "Gimme!" She whacked her sister Anger on the back. There was a sickening pop and something flew out of Anger's face. Anger fumbled for it, trying to catch it, but she only managed to bat it with the back of her hand. The slimy green orb sailed over her shoulder, into the backseat, and straight into Percy's lap. He picked the eye. "Nice boy!" Anger cried, as if she somehow knew he had her missing peeper. "Give it back!" "Not until you explain," He told her. "What were you talking about, the location I seek?" "No time!" Tempest cried. "Accelerating!" He looked out the window. Sure enough, trees and cars and whole neighbourhoods were now zipping by in a grey blur. They were already out of Brooklyn, heading through the middle of Long Island. "Percy," Annabeth warned, "they can't find our destination without the eye. We'll just keep accelerating until we break into a million pieces." "First they have to tell me," Percy said. "Or I'll open the window and throw the eye into oncoming traffic." "No!" the Gray Sisters wailed. "Too dangerous!" "I'm rolling down the window." Percy half-sang. "Wait!" the Gray Sisters screamed. "30, 31, 75, 12!" They belted it out like a quarterback calling a play. "What do you mean?" He said. "That makes no sense!" "30, 31, 75, 12!" Anger wailed. "That's all we can tell you. Now give us the eye! Almost to camp!" They were off the highway now, zipping through the countryside of northern Long Island. Percy could see Half blood hill and Thalia's Tree at its crest. "Percy!" Annabeth said more urgently. "Give them the eye now!" And he threw the eye into Wasp's lap, understanding the situation. The old lady snatched it up, pushed it into her eye socket like somebody putting in a contact lens, and blinked. "Whoa!" She slammed on the brakes. The taxi spun four or five times in a cloud of smoke and squealed to a halt in the middle of the farm road at the base of Half-Blood Hill. Tyson let loose a huge belch. "Better now." "All right," He told the Gray Sisters. "Now tell me what those numbers mean." "No time!" Annabeth opened her door. "We have to get out now." He was about to ask why, But when he looked up at Half-Blood Hill, he understood. At the crest of the hill was a group of campers. And they were under attack. As the trio hurried toward the chaos, Percy could see two massive metal bulls rampaging through the camp. They were Colchis Bulls, fearsome automatons that breathed fire and had wreaked havoc in the past. One was charging straight at Clarisse La Rue, the head of the Ares cabin, and the other was surrounded by older campers who were desperately trying to stop it. Panic swept through the camp as campers and satyrs scrambled to defend themselves. Clarisse and the border patrol team were doing their best to hold off the metal beast, but its fiery breath and sheer strength were overwhelming. As Percy drew nearer, he saw Megan, a daughter of Hecate, trying to use her magic to stop the bull, but it was clear that her powers were not enough. Percy knew he had to act quickly. With the bull bearing down on Megan, he spotted a discarded spear on the ground, likely dropped by a wounded camper. He snatched it up and, with all the strength he could muster, hurled it at the charging bull. The spear clanged against the metal hide, catching the bull's attention for a moment. As the bull turned to face Percy, he drew Riptide, his Celestial bronze sword. He knew that he had to disable the machine somehow, but the fire it spewed was too much for him to handle head-on. He deflected the fiery blast with his sword and scrambled to think of a plan. He looked around to assess the situation and saw Clarisse in danger. Just when it seemed like Clarisse was about to be incinerated by the bull, Percy saw her. He glanced over and saw Annabeth nearby. She had made her way to the scene, but instead of rushing to Clarisse's aid, she did something unexpected. "I, Annabeth Chase, Give Tyson to enter the camp" She shouted. "Tyson, help Clarisse!" With a triumphant roar, Tyson rushed forward, his massive fists raised high. Clarisse, relieved to have reinforcements, fought alongside him as they tackled the relentless bull. Percy, having entrusted Clarisse's safety to Tyson, turned his attention back to the other Colchis Bull. He knew he needed to come up with a plan, and fast. He scanned the chaotic scene for anything that might be of use. It was then that he spotted a long metal chain lying on the ground, discarded by one of the campers during the initial clash. Thinking on his feet, Percy picked up the spear he had used earlier. He charged at the bull, trying to impale it with the spear, but the bull deflected the attack with a quick movement of its head. Percy didn't give up. He continued to run towards the chain, never stopping, never looking back. The bull followed him, its fiery breath hot on his heels. Reaching the chain, Percy snatched it up and continued to sprint toward a nearby tree. With a swift motion, he threw the chain around the tree and tied it there as tightly as he could. The bull was still hot on his trail, and Percy knew he couldn't afford to slow down. He ran to another tree, creating a makeshift barricade with the chain stretched taut between the two trees. As the bull charged toward him, it collided with the chain with a deafening crash. The impact sent the bull tumbling to the ground, its metal limbs clanging and sparking as it fell. Percy knew he couldn't waste any time. He sprinted back to the fallen bull. Meanwhile, Clarisse and Tyson were locked in a fierce battle with the other Colchis Bull. Tyson used his immense strength to hold the bull at bay, while Clarisse struck at its vulnerable spots with her spear. Together, they managed to weaken the bull, and with a final, powerful blow, they brought it down.

Back at the fallen bull that Percy had trapped, Charles Beckendorf, the head of the Hephaestus cabin, was nearby with a hammer in his hand. Percy called out to him, and with a well-aimed throw, Beckendorf launched the hammer toward Percy. Percy caught it and, with all his strength, slammed it down on the back of the fallen bull, breaking its spine and core. With a final, shuddering roar, the Colchis Bull went still, its fires extinguished. Percy had successfully taken down the metal beast and saved the camp. As he caught his breath and looked around, he saw Clarisse and Tyson approaching, victorious over the other bull.

Clarisse came and wiped the soot off her forehead. "Jackson, if you can stand, get up. We need to carry the wounded back to the Big House, let Tantalus know what's happened." "Tantalus?" Percy asked. "The activities director," Clarisse said impatiently. "Chiron is the activities director. And where's Argus? He's head of security. He should be here." Clarisse made a sour face. "Argus got fired. You two have been gone too long. Things are changing." "But Chiron ... He's trained kids to fight monsters for over three thousand years. He can't just be gone. What happened?" Annabeth argued. "That happened," Clarisse snapped. She pointed to Thalia's tree. Every camper knew the story behind the tree. Six years ago, Grover, Annabeth, and two other demigods named Thalia and Luke had come to Camp Half-Blood chased by an army of monsters. When they got cornered on top of this hill, Thalia, a daughter of Zeus, had made her last stand here to give her friends time to reach safety. As she was dying, her father, Zeus, took pity on her and changed her into a pine tree. Her spirit had reinforced the magic borders of the camp, protecting it from monsters. The pine had been here ever since, strong and healthy. But now, its needles were yellow. A huge pile of dead ones littered the base of the tree. In the center of the trunk, three feet from the ground, was a puncture mark the size of a bullet hole, oozing green sap. A sliver of ice ran through my chest. Now I understood why the camp was in danger. The magical borders were failing because Thalia's tree was dying. Someone had poisoned it.