haunting ＊ percy jackson

xvii. amos makes a choice: part one

The journey back to New York was interesting, to say the least. Thanks to the mist, the four teenagers were apparently kidnap victims, with Ares as their captor. The thought was strange, but it was better than Percy being wanted for possible crimes, so they'd take it. After a few fake tears and acting on Percy's part — which had surprised Amos; apparently Percy couldn't lie when it came to trying to escape monsters, but he could lie to sabotage his step-father — the cops were willing to help send them back to New York by plane, which was good for the quest but terrible for Amos. He had never been on a plane before, but one flight was enough for Amos to decide that he hated it. Going through security was stressful enough, but the takeoff? The turbulence? The whole ordeal left Amos clutching the armrest with one hand and a barf bag in the other — thankfully he didn't actually get sick, but it had been a close call, the plane leaving him with severe nausea. Percy wasn't much better. He sat by the window, constantly looking out of it as though he expected Zeus himself to show up in the sky and knock them down.

By the time it was over, Amos was so grateful for it to be done with that he could have kissed the ground when they landed. Leaving the airport was a bit of a mess, but the four teenagers were eventually able to maneuver around the large crowds. (Who knew the press was so invested in interviewing kidnapping victims?) It helped of course, that Annabeth was able to provide a distraction with her Yankees cap, and Amos was able to take the lead in weaving through the crowds as people subconsciously moved around him, as they always did for him.

"That," Amos breathed out, feeling more tired and worn out than before. "Was terrible. Let's never get on the news again, I can't take the fame."

Annabeth, having caught up to them, rolled her eyes halfheartedly at his complaint. "Well, it's not something that we could have helped. Someone just had to have a very public fight with a god."

"Next time a god tries to start a war and get me killed I'll ask him if he wouldn't mind waiting until we're in a private space, alright?" Percy quipped back sarcastically.

The two of them bickered for a moment as Amos and Grover exchanged looks, and for a moment it reminded Amos of the start of their quest. It had only been maybe a few weeks — their time in the Lotus Casino had successfully messed with all their perceptions of time, so truthfully it was hard to keep track — but so much had happened. They had all changed a bit, grown into themselves a bit more, challenged themselves a bit more. It was strange, feeling as though so much had changed in such a short time. Percy and Annabeth were friends now, no longer holding onto weird resentment that came from their parents — though they did tend to bicker, but Amos was starting to think that was just their way of communicating. Grover, while still a bit sheepish and hesitant had grown more confident over the course of the quest, more comfortable in his own skin. And Amos... well, he had friends. It was still weird for him to think about, but it was surprisingly nice to have friends, people that he could count on and that he knew would have his back.

"Okay," Grover said, interrupting the lighthearted squabble. "So what's the plan now?" His words brought them all back to reality. They still had the master bolt, meaning they still had a war to stop.

Percy's smile faded, settling into a frown as his eyes hardened. "You guys get back to camp. I'll deliver the bolt to Olympus."

"What?"

"No way!"

His three friends began protesting simultaneously. "Listen!" Percy tried to tell them. "It makes the most sense. Someone has to update Chiron about the thief, and we need to deliver the bolt and stop a war from breaking out. This is just the best option."

Amos frowned, dread settling in the pit of his stomach. "That doesn't mean you have to go alone though. I mean, there's four of us. If we're splitting up it should be even."