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The war god was waiting for them in the diner parking lot. "Well, well," he said. "You didn't get yourself killed."
"You knew it was a trap," Percy said, his teeth gritted.
"Bet that crippled blacksmith was surprised when he netted a couple of stupid kids. You looked good on TV." Ares grabbed the shield and spun it in the air like pizza dough. It changed form, melting into a bulletproof vest. He slung it across his back. "See that truck over there?" He pointed to an eighteen- wheeler parked across the street from the diner. "That's your ride. Take you straight to L.A, with one stop in Vegas!"
The eighteen-wheeler had a sign on the back: KINDNESS INTER- NATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS.
Y/N looked in disgust at the musty truck.
"You're kidding," Percy said.
Ares snapped his fingers. The back door of the truck unlatched. "Free ride west, punk. Stop complaining. And here's a little something for doing the job."
He slung a blue nylon backpack off his handlebars and tossed it to Percy.
Inside were fresh clothes, twenty bucks in cash, a pouch full of golden drachmas and a bag of Double Stuf Oreos.
Percy said, "I don't want your lousy-" "Thank you, Lord Ares," Grover interrupted.
Y/N opened the bag that Percy had on his back and took a look inside. She held up a shirt.
"You don't have anything prettier?" Annabeth elbowed her in the stomach. "Ow!"
Ares scoffed. "You're just like your mother," he said.
"....Thank you?"
Ares then turned to Percy. "We'll meet again, Percy Jackson. Next time you're in a fight, watch your back," he snarled. He revved his Harley, then roared off down Delancy Street.
"Hey, guys," Grover said. He pointed towards the diner. At the cash register, the last two customers were paying their bill, two men in identical black coveralls, with a white logo on their backs that matched the one on the KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL truck. "If we're taking the zoo express," Grover said, "we need hurry."
They ran across the street and climbed in the back of the big lorry, closing the doors behind them. It was like the world's biggest pan of kitty litter. Sitting in a row of filthy metal cages were three zoo animals: a zebra, a male albino lion and an antelope that had a balloon attached to its horn. Y/N's heart almost broke at the sight of the poor animals.
Grover talked to the animals in a series of goat bleats, but they just stared at him sadly. Annabeth used her knife to cut the balloon off the antelope's horn. Y/N tried to feed the lion the meat that was given to the zebra, and fed the zebra and antelope turnips that were given to the lion.
After that, they huddled in the corner on some mildewed feed sacks, trying to ignore the smell and the heat and the flies. Grover curled up on a turnip sack. Annabeth opened the bag of Double Stuf Oreos and gave one to Y/N.
"Mmm. That white part is so good." Annabeth nodded in agreement. "The best."
"Grover? Can he eat this?" Y/N asked as she pointed at the zebra. "Yeah. One is fine." Y/N smiled and fed the zebra an Oreo, who she assumed liked it. All though, everything must taste better than turnips.
They all sat in quiet for the next few hours, tired from the day. Grover had already fallen asleep on Percy's leg, snoring loudly. Then Y/N remembered something.
YOU ARE READING
Born to Die (Percy Jackson x reader)
FantasyPercy Jackson x reader Based on the books Due to her lack of a mortal father, Y/N has been living at Camp Half-Blood ever since she can remember. She doesn't know what it's like in the real world, she can only dream of it. But will her dream come tr...
