𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐀, 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲 𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧

14 - starting an arion hate club

˖*࿐ •*⁀➷

MABEL WAS NOT ARION'S BIGGEST FAN, she decided. Her whole body ached, she was nauseous from how fast they were travelling, and if Frank puked one more time, she was going to crash out and kill someone.

Ella wasn't helping at all. She kept muttering, "Seven hundred and fifty miles per hour. Eight hundred. Eight hundred and three. Fast. Very fast," which just made Mabel feel worse and more murderous.

Their chariot sped north across Puget Sound, zooming past islands and fishing boats, as Percy looked a little happier being on the water. Faintly, Frank told them they'd entered Canada just as Arion rocketed onto dry land, jostling them and causing Mabel to let out a string of swears. They moved so fast that cars seemed to stand completely still.

Finally, just as they were getting into a city, the chariot wheels began to smoke, the acrid scent filling the air.

"Hazel!" Frank shouted, gripping the sides of the chariot so hard his knuckles were white. "We're breaking down!"

The daughter of Pluto pulled the reins, coaxing Arion to slow down to subsonic as they flew through the city streets. They crossed a bridge and the chariot started to rattle dangerously. Mabel hissed at the movement, one hand gripping Percy's forearm as a support.

Finally, Arion skidded to a stop at the top of a wooded hill, snorting with satisfaction. The shuddering chariot collapsed into a pile of wood and metal and smoke, spilling Mabel, Percy, Frank, and Ella onto the damp earth.

Frank stumbled to his feet while Ella buzzed around in dizzy loops, bumping into every tree in her vicinity, muttering, "Tree. Tree. Tree."

Mabel just laid on her back, eyes pressed shut as she fought the urge to gut that horse with her bare hands. Her mouth tasted like iron and she felt mildly concussed, but that wouldn't stop her from ripping Arion apart for being a little bitch.

Percy had unhitched the horse from the ruined chariot with clumsy hands before dropping to the ground beside Mabel and curling into the fetal position, hands pressed over his eyes like he was willing them not to pop out of his head.

Only Hazel seemed unaffected by the ride, sliding off Arion's back with a wild, exhilarated grin on her face. "That was fun!"

"Yeah." Frank swallowed like he might throw up again. "So much fun."

Mabel wiped blood from beneath her nose, still flat on her back with her eyes closed. "Hazel, I'm going to kill that horse." The dead seriousness in her voice seemed to unsettle Percy, who pushed himself into an upright position and nudged the daughter of Trivia with his foot experimentally, as if checking if she was alive.

Arion whinnied in outraged offense, pawing the ground.

"Hey, watch it," Percy warned the horse, his face hardening into a glare. Arion made a sort of grumble noise, to which the son of Neptune rolled his eyes. "The fatass is hungry. No wonder. He probably burned like six billion calories."

Hazel studied the ground at her feet and frowned slightly, her brows pulling together. "I'm not sensing any gold around here... Don't worry, Arion. I'll find you some. In the meantime, why don't you go graze? We'll meet you—"

The horse took off into the distance, leaving nothing but a trail of steam in his wake.

Hazel knit her eyebrows, studying the spot where Arion used to be. "Do you think he'll come back?"

"I don't know," Frank shrugged, but his tone said he probably hoped not. "He seems kind of... spirited."

Mabel peeked one eye open. "Is he gone? Great," she sighed, pushing herself up and fighting back a wince. "Remind me not to wrestle people anymore." She flexed her hand, studying the bruised and bloodied skin of her knuckles. She was sure her face looked about ten times worse.