The Mechanic of Ogygia

Annabeth - Bus Stops Suck

"So we decided that we'd go find Tyson first, right?" asked Percy. "And then find Hermes?"

"Yeah. He's our best chance of turning Frank back into himself," I said. We all stopped at the bus stop. "Well, here we are."

"Anyone got any mortal money?" asked Leo. "Oh, nevermind. I do. There was a mortal who somehow found my mechanic shop the other day- had me fix his toaster."

"Interesting," I said. Ok, I hadn't really listened to what he had been talking about. I was thinking about Luke. It had been so long since I had even thought about him. I always wondered if I'd meet his rebirth. And that's when I saw a boy with blond hair and a tiny scar- not as big as Luke's was, but in the same place. The boy smiled.

"So, are you guys waiting for the bus?" asked the boy, grinning Luke's cocky grin. I'm imagining it, I thought. I looked at Percy. He was leaning against the glass, looking as if he had seen a ghost.

Luke? I mouthed. Percy gave a tiny nod, mouth slightly open.

"Uh, yeah," said Will. "I'm Will. And you are?" he held out his hand for the boy to shake.

"Eli," said the boy. He looked at me and gave a tiny gesture of the head.

"I'm Annabeth. This is Percy, Leo, Nico, and Calypso."

Eli nodded. "Annabeth, huh? Do I know you?" he seemed confused.

"I don't know," I said. "Do you?" I was getting defensive- hey, it's not every day you see the rebirth of the guy who helped save you and you had a crush on and then he turned evil but good again at the last minute before he died. Ok, we had a complicated relationship.

"Are you, uh, taking the bus to Tennessee? Because-"

"'You're the only ten I see'? Real original, kiddo."

"Percy, stop being the overprotective boyfriend," I told him.

"Oh, you two are, uh..." the boy stuttered.

"Yeah. And so are they," I pointed to Leo and Calypso.

"And us," Will said, pointing to Nico.

"Ok," said Eli. "I wouldn't want to be the third wheel in that group!" he chuckled. "Er, seventh wheel."

The bus rolled up. Eli gentlemanly allowed us all to walk into the bus in front of him. We all sat down in the back, near the fire exit. Eli sat up front.

"That's Luke's rebirth. I know it is," Percy whispered to me, voicing my exact thoughts.

"That must be why he recognized me."

"It's so weird. I wonder if somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembers everything?"

Percy and I were discussing this when all of a sudden, I heard a loud hiss. Petrified, I looked up  "Oh, no."

"Python," Will whispered. Python was not your ordinary snake. It had been defeated by Apollo a long time ago. Of course Will would have hope of defeating it.

I heard Percy pull his pen out of his pocket. Leo grabbed a celestial bronze hammer out of his tool belt and stood up slowly. He grabbed a small dagger out of the tool belt, too and slowly handed it to Calypso. I noticed that he made sure he was slightly in front of her, protecting her. Percy was doing it to me, too. It was cute, but I didn't need it. I put on my Yankees cap and slipped past him, whispering "I'm invisible" in his ear so he wouldn't worry.

Will and Nico stood up as well, both in a defensive stance. Will pulled out a bow and quiver of arrows- it must have been magic, since it fit in his sweatshirt pocket. Nico unsheathed his black sword.

That's when I heard a small noise. I almost didn't hear it, but then I saw movement in the corner of my eye.

Lu- Eli was holding a large spear, ready to strike.