Mortal Power: A Percy Jackson Fanfiction

Chapter 21

I stand my ground as the tan blur gets bigger. I'm half hoping that Hera comes with her gift so I don't have to fight this thing. I haven't been great at controlling my powers recently.

I squint. Is that an animal? Impossible, it's moving way too fast. I'm surprised the ground hasn't already set fire from the speed, but it looks close.

My heart is pumping. Can I handle this? A bead of sweat trickles down the side of my face. I haven't been handling my powers well. Heck, I usually cause carnage.

I tense up as it gets closer and prepare to cut it into eight slices and deliver hot. I raise my sword as... A horse skids to a halt before me.

It looks awesome; it's tan with a black, flowing mane. It neighs majestically at me. Why are you attacking me? I'm just doing my job! I stare. So now I can talk to horses. Why am I surprised?

"Uh, hi. What's up?"

He neighs impatiently. Just get on. I'm your transport, his speech translates to after being dehorsified and decussified. I raise my eyebrows. Nobody, horse or human, should swear that much. "Alright, alright, just a sec."

I shoulder my pack and begin to struggle onto his back. I find a peacock feather resting there. "Ugh. Thanks mom." I settle onto the horse and wait. "Uh, go?"

The horse abruptly starts bucking relentlessly, neighing and jerking al if Dionysus has maddened it. "Woah, chill!"

He doesn't listen.

I try to think quick. Who is this horse? He can run at a gazillion miles per hour, has an attitude and was sent by Hera. I've got nothing.

A light bulb hits me. The book! I struggle to cling onto the horse and retrieve the encyclopaedia from my pack at the same time. I try to flick through the pages and come to a chapter named Ancient Greek Beasts. Bingo.

"Horse... horse... horse..." I half mutter, half shriek as I scan the pages. Lion, boar... Horse! I open the book wide and look at the picture again - yep, tan and black. "'Arion,'" I read aloud. I sense recognition from the horse; it must be his name. "'Only few heroes have succeeded in taming this free spirit.'"

I think. What did I do wrong? "Uh..." then it hits me: I wasn't commanding enough. "Arion, stop!" I say loudly.

His bucking slows, and I can feel his powerful muscles begin to relax, though he certainly takes his time. "Good horse," I cajole when he's finally chill. "You here to take me to the Underworld?" He whinnies and shifts his feet. Whatever. Just not in.

I nod. "Go ahead then."

He speeds off and I'm nearly sucked away. I re-adjust my grip and prepare myself for the uncomfortable ride ahead.

___

Thankfully, Arion needs a break after a few hours. I do too; I feel like my face was nearly ripped off. I collapse onto the ground, happy to be still for a while. Arion zips off, though I'm sure he'll be back soon.

I bite my lip at the thought of Orca and Drake, sitting in their cell. Who captured them? I hope they will be okay.

I sigh. I hate all this stupid Greek stuff. Why couldn't I be normal? I'm already an alien to the mortal world, but I have to be alien to the Greeks too? Gah!

I can feel the anger bubbling up inside me. Too late, I feel a tugging sensation in my gut and a geyser of water bursts forth. I stamp my foot and try to shut it off, but I can only reduce it to a small spray.

I laugh bitterly. What other freak powers have the gods given me? There's no way to find them if I don't know what I'm looking for.

I look at the ground and see the corner of the Greek myth book poking out of the bag, trying to get my attention.

I grin and scoop up the book, hunch against a rock, and drink up the words as fast as I can.

___

I've never wondered if I would be woken up by an impatient, talking horse one day. Get off your rump! You have a deadline.

My eyes widen and I struggle to sit up, groggy and stiff from the few hours sleep on the ground. I rub my eyes. "What time is it?"

Arion neighs. I'm a horse, not a clock!

I wave him away. "All right, all right! I'm up." I look at my surroundings. The sun is well risen; it must be at least nine o'clock.

My heart skips a beat as I'm shocked properly awake. "We have to go! They could be dead!"

I leap up and begin shoving things into my bag, including the book. I'll have to test out all that stuff later.

In no time, Arion and I are speeding across the landscape toward LA.

I think back to everything I read, and I find all of the information swirling around in my mind like fruit in a blender. Could I really achieve all those things the book described? I shake my head. I've done some impossible things recently, but I could never weld such power.

I can feel Arion slowing down. Are we there already?

Finally, through the blur I can see Arion navigating a maze of streets. It's nearly midday, and everything seems too happy for my friends to be captured.

I snort. I'm so crap at this job, I don't even know what these guys want. All I know is that they're going to get a piece of my mind.

Arion halts and nearly throws me over his head. "Watch it!" I snap. He throws his head back impatiently. I sigh and slide off. "Thanks anyway. Are you-"

Before I can finish my sentence, he transforms into a blur. "Gee, thanks," I mutter to myself.

For a second I think that he's taken me to the wrong place - since when was Hades the king of a record company?

But I can sense something inside... Death.

I shrug; that seems to be the thing to follow when you're a demigod. I try to ignore the egg of anxiety in my chest.

I push the door open and walk inside.

______

I updated! Hurrah me!

A week late... No hurrah me.

Hope you liked it. It's nearly over! Then you can cry because you'll miss it. Just kidding.

K.C. Bailey