Earthshaker (Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

Home Bound, Rome Bound

If you think that being on a van filled with three demigod families would be considered as some sort of field trip, well, you think wrong.
How do I say this?
Well, the big group of raging city rats with ruby eyes that had been following our van and threatening to bite our bodies off since we got into the city is proof enough.

It started when we passed by an old warehouse in Brooklyn.
Uncle Leo, who was sitting beside the driver Argus kept spouting out directions to a really good pizza place. To make the long story short, we lost our way because it turns out that 'really good pizza place' wasn't located here, but in San Francisco.
I don't understand how he could mistake that!
So then we were passing by this quiet neighborhood and there was this old, run-down brick warehouse of shoes that we passed by. It had the symbol of Hermes on the banner, the sandals with wings, but it looked worn-out and almost impossible to read. We thought it was an old shipping company that Hermes owned, as a front act since the Olympians did that a lot.
Since were all busy looking at the place as we were passing by, we didn't notice three little mice passing by and we ended up running it over.
Yes, I know, totally gross.
Argus has so many eyes and we wondered how he didn't notice those. So when that happened, suddenly a large group of rats with ruby eyes started coming out from an underground sewer and ran furiously towards our van. They were all squeaking and screeching and if only I could understand Rat, I bet they were all screaming murder. And that's the story of how we got chased by a thousand feral rats.

"Are they still on our tail?" Mom asked as she dictated directions on where to turn.

"Uhh, big problem," Dad muttered. "We passed another sewer and I think they called more of their friends."

"Jason, do something!" aunt Piper demanded from the back of the van. They were in charge of keeping the rats off us, which were still in hot pursuit.
I can't understand how tiny rodents could run so fast to chase a speeding vehicle.

"I'm trying, but I can't electrecute them all at once! There's too many of them," uncle Jason replied.

We've circled the same street we did, thirty minutes ago.
All of us children were holding onto the edge of our seats. I've tried shooting them with my arrows from the side window but mom told me I should stop because there were civilians all around and they might question why a strawberry service van has a kid shooting bronze arrows towards a bunch of rats.

"But Mom, we are being chased by furious rats for no reason isn't that weird enough for the mortals?" I'd said.

"They probably think it's just some big black SUV, for all I know," she answered.

That was a shame, cause I really could use the shooting practice. This would be such good good training for aiming.

"Do you think these are monstrous rats, Mom?" Luke asked.

"They definitely don't look like normal rats to me," I said.

We continued to drive all over Brooklyn, while Dad, uncle Leo, Jason, Aunt Piper, Tristan, Beck and Luke tried to shake them off by dousing them with water, electrocuting them, burning them and even charm speaking them to calm down. But none of them worked. Whatever the mortals saw, a flaming SUV, a screeching car, I'm just glad they aren't being pestered by the rats, too.

"The mortals, mom," I muttered suddenly.

"I know," she answered. "That's why I'm sure they're not normal. Must be some immortal messing with us, maybe it's our overwhelminng demigod scent that's tipping them off."

I've always wondered what demigods smelled like, but now I'm starting to consider we smell A LOT like cheese.

"Turn right on that exit," Mom instructed Argus. He floored the van and then turned a full right without hitting the breaks so we all screamed.