Percy Jackson and The Nameless Deity: Ensemble of Fools

In which I get really annoyed by my Jerk of a Cousin

On July 14th, the next day, the train reached Denver. I was tempted to just steal some money somewhere and bail, but I figured Ares would hunt us down for a 'talk' anyway.

Granted, he likely wasn't expecting the kid who gave him the Bolt to be with us, nor his daughter or his wife's daughter, but they're still both good actors.

Actually, was Ares that involved that he knew Luke? It sure seemed like it from Luke earlier, but Ares never said whoever gave him the Bolt's name.

Maybe Luke was really just that good of an actor and played an entirely different person when Ares confronted him? I don't doubt it, but Luke is pretty distinguishable.

Either way, I was starving, and if anything good had come out of that meeting, it had been the meal. Because I had mentioned my conversation with the river spirit in passing (no need to freak Annabeth out by mentioning Amphitrite by name, even if calling her a spirit was probably a little disrespectful and I apologized in spirit for it) to explain my need to go to Santa Monica, she insisted on talking to Chiron about it.

I wasn't sure what she hoped to get out of that conversation, but I went along with it, traipsing after her through downtown Denver on the look for a car wash as if, you know, the son of Poseidon right next to her couldn't just whip up some mist no problem.

Not that I had mentioned it. And if I were too now, after half an hour of searching, she'd probably rip my head off.

And so, they ended up in the stall furthest from the road; six apparent children, ages 12 to 15, hanging out in a car wash without a car. Though I wasn't sure which would be worse, not having one or being here with a car. Each of them were a little young to be driving yet.

Grover grumbled about the price and Annabeth handed him her last remaining quarters. I had plenty of drachmas left, but only one quarter, which was all they needed thankfully. Grover positioned the nozzle, setting it to fine mist and the light fractured through the vapor, creating a rainbow.

"Oh goddess, accept our offering," Annabeth said and threw a drachma through the rainbow. It shimmered and disappeared. "Half-Blood Hill."

A little vague if Chiron is your intended conversation partner. Last time Luke came through the mist, but now that he was here...

Instead of the Half-horse I'm sure she was expecting, on the other side of the mist was a girl of their age, with brunette hair braided to her right shoulder, and a flower crown along her forehead. She looked up through the mist in surprise, and a grin spread across her face when she saw the recipient.

"Annabeth? Is that you?" She asked, and Annabeth clearly was not expecting her, but nodded in response. "Oh, you guys are still alive! Me and the rest of the camp were panicking after the news came!"

"We're...uh...fine," Annabeth stammered and I suppressed a fond eye roll. Come on Annabeth, you need to be a bit more confident, and a bit less nervous. She hastily straightened her shirt. "We thought-Chiron-I mean-"

"You thought Chiron would appear here? Yeah, classic mistake. Let me guess, you just said, 'Half-Blood Hill?'" She asked, and Annabeth's blush could light up the ocean. "I did the same thing on my quest. Got connected to the Stolls. Is Luke and everyone else there?"

Luke quickly joined the viewing party, with Silena and Grover joining soon after. Clarisse stayed out of it, and I took Grover's spot, holding the nozzle.

"Look, we don't have that many Drachmas left-" yes we do. I still have plenty. "-so we need you to relay this information to Chiron, Katie." Luke asked, to which the Brunette, now named Katie, nodded determined.