Chasing Legends (Male Reader x Annabeth Chase)

Chapter Eleven

11| Waterpark Fun

The next afternoon, June 14, seven days before the solstice, the train the gang had been on rolled into Denver. None of them had eaten since the night before in the dining car, somewhere in Kansas. They hadn't taken a shower since Half-Blood Hill, and Y/N was sure that was obvious he'd gotten a whiff of his Percy, and the smell was something similar to Koala spit and Kangaroo pouch. Y/N was sure he didn't smell much better though.

"Let's try to contact Chiron," Annabeth said. "I want to tell him about your new powers."

"I thought we couldn't use phones?" Y/N questioned.

"I'm not talking about phones."

The group wandered through downtown for about half an hour, though Y/N or Percy wasn't sure what Annabeth was looking for. The air was dry and hot, which to Y/N felt weird after the humidity of St. Louis. Everywhere he turned, the Rocky Mountains seemed to be staring at him, like a tidal wave about to crash into the city.

Eventually, the group found an empty do-it-yourself car wash. They veered toward the stall farthest from the street, keeping their eyes open for patrol cars. The four children hanging out at a car wash without a car; any cop worth his doughnuts would figure that they were up to no good.

"What exactly are we doing?" Percy asked, as Grover took out the spray gun.

"It's seventy-five cents," he grumbled. "I've only got two quarters left. Annabeth?"

"Don't look at me," she said. "The dining car wiped me out."

Y/N hesitantly fished out and passed Grover his only quarter, which was good because Percy only had two nickels and one drachma from Medusa's place.

"Excellent," Grover said. "We could do it with a spray bottle, of course, but the connection isn't as good, and my arm gets tired of pumping."

"What are you talking about?" Percy asked.

He fed in the quarters and set the knob to FINE MIST. "I-M'ing."

"Instant messaging?" Y/N questioned.

"Iris-messaging," Annabeth corrected. "The rainbow goddess Iris carries messages for the gods. If you know how to ask, and she's not too busy, she'll do the same for half-bloods."

"You summoned the goddess with a spray gun?" Percy asked.

Grover pointed the nozzle in the air and water hissed out in a thick white mist. "Unless you know an easier way to make a rainbow."

Y/N looked to Percy, and he shrugged.

Sure enough, late afternoon light filtered through the vapor and broke into colors.

Annabeth held her palm out to Percy. "Drachma, please."

He handed it over and Y/N snorted. "I didn't know you knew that word..." he muttered, stealing a giggle from Percy and an death glare from Annabeth.

She raised the coin over her head. "O goddess, accept our offering."

She threw the drachma into the rainbow. It disappeared in a golden shimmer.

"Half-Blood Hill," Annabeth requested.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then Y/N was looking through the mist at strawberry fields, and the Long Island Sound in the distance. They seemed to be on the porch of the Big House. Standing with his back to them at the railing was a sandy-haired guy in shorts and an orange tank top. He was holding a bronze sword and seemed to be staring intently at something down in the meadow.