PHILOXENIA ➸ Percy Jackson¹

έντεκα

ELEVEN—Party Ponies

─── ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽☼☾.* :☆ﾟ｡ ───

"Lux, wake up." Annabeth shook her shoulder.

The sun was a tiny sliver of red behind a city skyline. In front of them was a beachside highway lined with palm trees, storefronts glowing with red and blue neon, and a harbor filled with cruise ships and yachts.

"Miami, I think," Annabeth said. "But the hippocampi are acting funny."

They had slowed down and were swimming in circles, whinnying with dissatisfaction as they sniffed the water. 

"This is as far as they as they'll take us," Percy said from atop his steed that he shared with Grover. "Too many humans. Too much pollution. We'll have to swim to shore on our own."

None of them were too psyched about that idea, but there was no other choice. They thanked the hippocampi for giving them a ride. Tyson was particularly attached to his friend Rainbow, crying a little as he hugged Rainbow around the neck and gave him a soggy mango he picked up from the island.

Once the hippocampi's white manes disappeared into the sea, they swam for shore. The waves pushed them forward, and in no time they were back in the mortal world. 

Percy pulled Lux up from the water, using his hands to steady her back when her feet hit the sand. "How are you doing? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Lux shook her head. "I'm getting better...I think. It's kinda hard to tell with the Fleece on me. I've never felt this awake."

He searched her face. For what, she couldn't imagine. His eyes flitted constantly over her face and then her whole body, his gaze so razor-sharp that it made her want to squirm. Finally, he ceased pinning her down with those sea-green eyes.

"Just don't overdo it, okay?"

She nodded shallowly, the knot in her stomach yet to unravel. "Okay."

They wandered along the cruise line docks, pushing through crowds of people arriving for vacations. Porters bustled around with carts of luggage. Taxi drivers yelled at each other in Spanish and tried to cut in line for customers. No one seemed to notice five dripping-wet kids who just got out from a fight with a monster.

Now that they were back among mortals, Tyson's singular eye were once again blurred by the Mist. Grover put on his cap and sneakers. Even the Fleece had transformed into a red-and-gold high school letter jacket with a glittery Omega symbol on the pocket.

Annabeth ran to the nearest newspaper box and checked the date on the Miami Herald. She cursed. "June 18th! We've been away from camp for ten days."

"That's impossible!" Clarisse cried out. But there wasn't anything impossible when you're in a monstrous place.

"Thalia's tree must be almost dead," Grover wailed. "We have to get the Fleece back tonight."

Clarisse slumped down on the pavement. "How are we supposed to do that?" Her voice trembled. "We're hundreds of miles away. No money. No ride. This is just like the Oracle said. It's your fault, Jackson! If you hadn't interfered—"

"Percy's fault?" Lux fumed. "How is it Percy's fault?! He's the one who got us out of the Sea of Monsters!"

"Yeah! How can you say that?" Annabeth also exploded in anger. "You're the biggest—"

"Stop it," Percy said, his voice loud enough for them to clamp their mouth shut.

Clarisse put her head in her hands. Annabeth stomped her foot in frustration. Lux twisted her hands into the jacket.