Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief

I Plunge to My Death

We spent two days on the Amtrak train, heading west through hills, over rivers,past amber waves of grain.We weren't attacked once, but I didn't relax. I felt that we were travellingaround in a display case, being watched from above and maybe from below, thatsomething was waiting for the right opportunity.I tried to keep a low profile because my name and picture were splattered overthe front pages of several East Coast newspapers. The Trenton Register-Newsshowed a photo taken by a tourist as I got off the Greyhound bus. I had a wildlook in my eyes. My sword was a metallic blur in my hands. It might've been abaseball bat or a lacrosse stick.The picture's caption read:

Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson, wanted for questioning in the Long Island disappearance ofhis mother two weeks ago, is shown here fleeing from the bus where he accosted severalelderly female passengers. The bus exploded on an east New Jersey roadside shortly afterJackson fled the scene. Based on eyewitness accounts, police believe the boy may be travellingwith two teenage accomplices. His stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, has offered a cash reward forinformation leading to his capture.

'Don't worry,' Annabeth told me. 'Mortal police could never find us.' But shedidn't sound so sure.The rest of the day I spent alternately pacing the length of the train (because Ihad a really hard time sitting still), or looking out the windows.Once, I spotted a family of centaurs galloping across a wheat field, bows atthe ready, as they hunted lunch. The little boy centaur, who was the size of asecond-grader on a pony, caught my eye and waved. I looked around thepassenger car, but nobody else had noticed. The adult riders all had their facesburied in laptop computers or magazines.Another time, towards evening, I saw something huge moving through thewoods. I could've sworn it was a lion, except that lions don't live wild inAmerica, and this thing was the size of a tank. Its fur glinted gold in the eveninglight. Then it leaped through the trees and was gone.Our reward money for returning Gladiola the poodle had only been enough topurchase tickets as far as Denver. We couldn't get berths in the sleeper car, so wedozed in our seats. My neck got stiff. I tried not to drool in my sleep, sinceAnnabeth was sitting right next to me.Grover kept snoring and bleating and waking me up. Once, he shuffled aroundand his fake foot fell off. Annabeth and I had to stick it back on before any of theother passengers noticed.'So,' Annabeth asked me, once we'd got Grover's trainer readjusted. 'Whowants your help?''What do you mean?''When you were asleep just now, you mumbled, "I won't help you." Whowere you dreaming about?'I was reluctant to say anything. It was the second time I'd dreamed about theevil voice from the pit. But it bothered me so much I finally told her.Annabeth was quiet for a long time. 'That doesn't sound like Hades. Healways appears on a black throne, and he never laughs.''He offered my mother in trade. Who else could do that?''I guess... if he meant, "Help me rise from the Underworld." If he wants warwith the Olympians. But why ask you to bring him the master bolt if he alreadyhas it?'I shook my head, wishing I knew the answer. I thought about what Grover hadtold me, that the Furies on the bus seemed to have been looking for something.Where is it? Where?Maybe Grover sensed my emotions. He snorted in his sleep, mutteredsomething about vegetables and turned his head.Annabeth readjusted his cap so it covered his horns. 'Percy, you can't barterwith Hades. You know that, right? He's deceitful, heartless and greedy. I don'tcare if his Kindly Ones weren't as aggressive this time –''This time?' I asked. 'You mean you've run into them before?'Her hand crept up to her necklace. She fingered a glazed white bead paintedwith the image of a pine tree, one of her clay end-of-summer tokens. 'Let's justsay I've got no love for the Lord of the Dead. You can't be tempted to make adeal for your mom''What would you do if it was your dad?''That's easy,'she said. 'I'd leave him to rot.''You're not serious?'Annabeth's grey eyes fixed on me. She wore the same expression she'd wornin the woods at camp, the moment she drew her sword against the hellhound.'My dad's resented me since the day I was born, Percy,' she said. 'He neverwanted a baby. When he got me, he asked Athena to take me back and raise meon Olympus because he was too busy with his work. She wasn't happy aboutthat. She told him heroes had to be raised by their mortal parent.''But how... I mean, I guess you weren't born in a hospital...''I appeared on my father's doorstep, in a golden cradle, carried down fromOlympus by Zephyr the West Wind. You'd think my dad would remember thatas a miracle, right? Like, maybe he'd take some digital photos or something. Buthe always talked about my arrival as if it were the most inconvenient thing thathad ever happened to him. When I was five he got married and totally forgotabout Athena. He got a "regular" mortal wife, and had two "regular" mortal kids,and tried to pretend I didn't exist.'I stared out the train window. The lights of a sleeping town were drifting by. Iwanted to make Annabeth feel better, but I didn't know how.'My mom married a really awful guy,' I told her. 'Grover said she did it toprotect me, to hide me in the scent of a human family. Maybe that's what yourdad was thinking.'Annabeth kept worrying at her necklace. She was pinching the gold collegering that hung with the beads. It occurred to me that the ring must be herfather's. I wondered why she wore it if she hated him so much.'He doesn't care about me,' she said. 'His wife – my stepmom – treated melike a freak. She wouldn't let me play with her children. My dad went along withher. Whenever something dangerous happened – you know, something withmonsters – they would both look at me resentfully, like, "How dare you put ourfamily at risk!" Finally, I took the hint. I wasn't wanted. I ran away.''How old were you?''Same age as when I started camp. Seven.''But... you couldn't have got all the way to Half-Blood Hill by yourself''Not alone, no. Athena watched over me, guided me towards help. I made acouple of unexpected friends who took care of me, for a short time, anyway.'I wanted to ask what happened, but Annabeth seemed lost in sad memories.So I listened to the sound of Grover snoring and gazed out the train windows asthe dark fields of Ohio raced by.Towards the end of our second day on the train, June 13, eight days before thesummer solstice, we passed through some golden hills and over the MississippiRiver into St Louis.Annabeth craned her neck to see the Gateway Arch, which looked to me like ahuge shopping-bag handle stuck on the city.'I want to do that,'she sighed.'What?' I asked.'Build something like that. You ever see the Parthenon, Percy?''Only in pictures.''Someday, I'm going to see it in person. I'm going to build the greatestmonument to the gods ever. Something that'll last a thousand years.'I laughed. 'You? An architect?'I don't know why, but I found it funny. Just the idea of Annabeth trying to sitquietly and draw all day.Her cheeks flushed. 'Yes, an architect. Athena expects her children to createthings, not just tear them down, like a certain god of earthquakes I couldmention.'I watched the churning brown water of the Mississippi below.'Sorry,' Annabeth said. 'That was mean.''Can't we work together a little?' I pleaded. 'I mean, didn't Athena andPoseidon ever cooperate?'Annabeth had to think about it. 'I guess... the chariot,' she said tentatively.'My mom invented it, but Poseidon created horses out of the crests of waves. Sothey had to work together to make it complete.''Then we can cooperate, too. Right?'We rode into the city, Annabeth watching as the Arch disappeared behind ahotel.'I suppose,'she said at last.We pulled into the Amtrak station downtown. The intercom told us we'd havea three-hour stopover before departing for Denver.Grover stretched. Before he was even fully awake, he said, 'Food.''Come on, goat boy,' Annabeth said. 'Sightseeing.''Sightseeing?''The Gateway Arch,'she said. 'This may be my only chance to ride to the top.Are you coming or not?'Grover and I exchanged looks.I wanted to say no, but I figured that if Annabeth was going, we couldn't verywell let her go alone.Grover shrugged. 'As long as there's a snack bar without monsters.'The Arch was about a mile from the train station. Late in the day the lines to getin weren't that long. We threaded our way through the underground museum,looking at covered wagons and other junk from the 1800s. It wasn't all thatthrilling, but Annabeth kept telling us interesting facts about how the Arch wasbuilt, and Grover kept passing me jelly beans, so I was okay.I kept looking around, though, at the other people in line. 'You smellanything?' I murmured to Grover.He took his nose out of the jelly-bean bag long enough to sniff.'Underground,' he said distastefully. 'Underground air always smells likemonsters. Probably doesn't mean anything.'But something felt wrong to me. I had a feeling we shouldn't be here.'Guys,' I said. 'You know the gods'symbols of power?'Annabeth had been in the middle of reading about the construction equipmentused to build the Arch, but she looked over. 'Yeah?''Well, Hade –'Grover cleared his throat. 'We're in a public place... You mean, our frienddownstairs?''Um, right,' I said. 'Our friend way downstairs. Doesn't he have a hat likeAnnabeth's?''You mean the Helm of Darkness,' Annabeth said. 'Yeah, that's his symbol ofpower. I saw it next to his seat during the winter solstice council meeting.''He was there?' I asked.She nodded. 'It's the only time he's allowed to visit Olympus – the darkestday of the year. But his helmet is a lot more powerful than my invisibility hat, ifwhat I've heard is true...''It allows him to become darkness,' Grover confirmed. 'He can melt intoshadow or pass through walls. He can't be touched, or seen, or heard. And hecan radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do youthink all rational creatures fear the dark?''But then... how do we know he's not here right now, watching us?' I asked.Annabeth and Grover exchanged looks.'We don't,' Grover said.'Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better,'said. 'Got any blue jelly beans left?'I'd almost mastered my jumpy nerves when I saw the tiny little elevator carwe were going to ride to the top of the Arch, and I knew I was in trouble. I hateconfined places. They make me nuts.We got shoehorned into the car with this big fat lady and her dog, a Chihuahuawith a rhinestone collar. I figured maybe the dog was a seeing-eye Chihuahua,because none of the guards said a word about it.We started going up, inside the Arch. I'd never been in an elevator that wentin a curve, and my stomach wasn't too happy about it.'No parents?' the fat lady asked us.She had beady eyes; pointy, coffee-stained teeth; a floppy denim hat, and adenim dress that bulged so much she looked like a blue-jean blimp.'They're below,' Annabeth told her. 'Scared of heights.''Oh, the poor darlings.'The Chihuahua growled. The woman said, 'Now, now, sonny. Behave.' Thedog had beady eyes like its owner, intelligent and vicious.I said, 'Sonny. Is that his name?''No,' the lady told me.She smiled, as if that cleared everything up.At the top of the Arch, the observation deck reminded me of a tin can withcarpeting. Rows of tiny windows looked out over the city on one side and theriver on the other. The view was okay, but if there's anything I like less than aconfined space, its a confined space two hundred metres in the air. I was ready togo pretty quick.Annabeth kept talking about structural supports, and how she would've madethe windows bigger, and designed a see-through floor. She probably could'vestayed up there for hours, but luckily for me the park ranger announced that theobservation deck would be closing in a few minutes.I steered Grover and Annabeth towards the exit, loaded them into the elevatorand I was about to get in myself when I realized there were already two othertourists inside. No room for me.The park ranger said, 'Next car, sir.''We'll get out,' Annabeth said. 'Well wait with you.'But that was going to mess everybody up and take even more time, so I said,'Naw, it's okay. I'll see you guys at the bottom.'Grover and Annabeth both looked nervous, but they let the elevator door slideshut. Their car disappeared down the ramp.Now the only people left on the observation deck were me, a little boy withhis parents, the park ranger and the fat lady with her Chihuahua.I smiled uneasily at the fat lady. She smiled back, her forked tongue flickeringbetween her teeth.Wait a minute.Forked tongue?Before I could decide if I'd really seen that, her Chihuahua jumped down andstarted yapping at me.'Now, now, sonny,' the lady said. 'Does this look like a good time? We haveall these nice people here.''Doggie!'said the little boy. 'Look, a doggie!'His parents pulled him back.The Chihuahua bared his teeth at me, foam dripping from his black lips.'Well, son,' the fat lady sighed. 'If you insist.'Ice started forming in my stomach. 'Um, did you just call that Chihuahua yourson?''Chimera, dear,' the fat lady corrected. 'Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistaketo make.'She rolled up her denim sleeves, revealing that the skin of her arms was scalyand green. When she smiled, I saw that her teeth were fangs. The pupils of hereyes were sideways slits, like a reptile's.The Chihuahua barked louder, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size ofa Dobermann, then to a lion. The bark became a roar.The little boy screamed. His parents pulled him back towards the exit, straightinto the park ranger, who stood, paralysed, gaping at the monster.The Chimera was now so tall its back rubbed against the roof. It had the headof a lion with a blood-caked mane, the body and hooves of a giant goat, and aserpent for a tail, a three-metre-long diamondback growing right out of itsshaggy behind. The rhinestone dog collar still hung around its neck, and theplate-sized dog tag was now easy to read: CHIMERA – RABID, FIREBREATHING, POISONOUS - IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS - EXT.954.I realized I hadn't even uncapped my sword. My hands were numb. I wasthree metres away from the Chimeras bloody maw, and I knew that as soon as Imoved, the creature would lunge.The snake lady made a hissing noise that might've been laughter. 'Behonoured, Percy Jackson. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test a hero with one ofmy brood. For I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!'I stared at her. All I could think to say was: 'Isn't that a kind of anteater?'She howled, her reptilian face turning brown and green with rage. 'I hate itwhen people say that! I hate Australia! Naming that ridiculous animal after me.For that, Percy Jackson, my son shall destroy you!'The Chimera charged, its lion teeth gnashing. I managed to leap aside anddodge the bite.I ended up next to the family and the park ranger, who were all screamingnow, trying to pry open the emergency exit doors.I couldn't let them get hurt. I uncapped my sword, ran to the other side of thedeck, and yelled, 'Hey, Chihuahua!'The Chimera turned faster than I would've thought possible.Before I could swing my sword, it opened its mouth, emitting a stench like theworld's largest barbecue pit, and shot a column of flame straight at me.I dived through the explosion. The carpet burst into flames; the heat was sointense, it seared off my eyebrows.Where I had been standing a moment before was a ragged hole in the side ofthe Arch, with melted metal steaming around the edges.Great, I thought. We just blowtorched a national monument.Riptide was now a shining bronze blade in my hands, and as the Chimeraturned, I slashed at its neck.That was my fatal mistake. The blade sparked harmlessly off the dog collar. Itried to regain my balance, but I was so worried about defending myself againstthe fiery lion's mouth, I completely forgot about the serpent tail until it whippedaround and sank its fangs into my calf.My whole leg was on fire. I tried to jab Riptide into the Chimera's mouth, butthe serpent tail wrapped around my ankles and pulled me off balance, and myblade flew out of my hand, spinning out of the hole in the Arch and downtowards the Mississippi River.I managed to get to my feet, but I knew I had lost. I was weaponless. I couldfeel deadly poison racing up to my chest. I remembered Chiron saying thatAnaklusmos would always return to me, but there was no pen in my pocket.Maybe it had fallen too far away. Maybe it only returned when it was in penform. I didn't know, and I wasn't going to live long enough to figure it out.I backed into the hole in the wall. The Chimera advanced, growling, smokecurling from its lips. The snake lady, Echidna, cackled. 'They don't make heroeslike they used to, eh, son?'The monster growled. It seemed in no hurry to finish me off now that I wasbeaten.I glanced at the park ranger and the family. The little boy was hiding behindhis father's legs. I had to protect these people. I couldn't just... die. I tried tothink, but my whole body was on fire. My head felt dizzy. I had no sword. I wasfacing a massive, fire-breathing monster and its mother. And I was scared.There was no place else to go, so I stepped to the edge of the hole. Far, farbelow, the river glittered.If I died, would the monsters go away? Would they leave the humans alone?'If you are the son of Poseidon,' Echidna hissed, 'you would not fear water.Jump, Percy Jackson. Show me that water will not harm you. Jump and retrieveyour sword. Prove your bloodline.'Yeah, right, I thought. I'd read somewhere that jumping into water from acouple of stories up was like jumping onto solid tar. From here, I'd splatter onimpact.The Chimera's mouth glowed red, heating up for another blast.'You have no faith,' Echidna told me. 'You do not trust the gods. I cannotblame you, little coward. Better you die now. The gods are faithless. The poisonis in your heart.'She was right: I was dying. I could feel my breath slowing down. Nobodycould save me, not even the gods.I backed up and looked down at the water. I remembered the warm glow ofmy father's smile when I was a baby. He must have seen me. He must havevisited me when I was in my cradle.I remembered the swirling green trident that had appeared above my head thenight of capture the flag, when Poseidon had claimed me as his son.But this wasn't the sea. This was the Mississippi, dead centre of the USA.There was no sea god here.'Die, faithless one,' Echidna rasped, and the Chimera sent a column of flametowards my face.'Father, help me,' I prayed.I turned and jumped. My clothes on fire, poison coursing through my veins, Iplummeted towards the river.