Percy Jackson: CHB Again?

Chapter 36: Athena (Part Two)

Could they blame me for wishing that? Of course they could, but I couldn't tell if they did or not as we drove to the location of the next star. Nobody really spoke, there wasn't much to say.

I had found Riptide in my pocket before we left the hotel. It made me sad. At least I knew that Percy would always be protecting me - through his sword, but protecting me all the same.

I'd lost track of where we were. I wondered if it was even America anymore. I didn't care. As long as we stopped the world from ending. I figured I owed Percy that much.

"Who's grabbing the star?" Jason asked as the car stopped. He looked back and forth between Nico and I.

"I'll do it." I decided. "Nico knows the locations of the stars, if I pass out for a while at least you can get the next one. We still have six stars to collect."

The others didn't disagree. We'd put what stars we had into a compartment in the limousine. At least we wouldn't have to worry about losing those.

We got out of the car.

I couldn't tell what shocked me more; the fact that we were in front of a mall, or the fact that the two stars were so close and obvious to see.

There was a grand fountain with a sculpture of a bare man standing beside a horse. It wasn't Greek, but I'd read about the statue in an architecture and art book. It was of Henry of Wales, and his horse Stanford. We were in Philipstown. Around Stanford's neck hung a star, clear as day in the heat of the sun. The other star was on the tip of Henry's sword.

I looked around at all the people going about their normal lives at the mall. All the teenagers, some my age. The children. The families. The security.

"How do we get to them? I don't think those angry guys in the neon vests will be happy if we wade into their fountain." Annabeth pointed out.

"Concern number two." I replied. "Concern number one is that there aren't any monsters in sight. No way is this so easy. If we get to those stars, the monsters that might be hiding can hurt the mortals."

"Concern three, then." Nico piped up. "There are two stars. We can't both take them. We'll both pass out for who knows how long..."

"That's how it would be anyway." Jason contributed. "Tera grabs a star, passes out. You find the next one, grab it, pass out."

"I can grab both." I suggested. "But you guys will need to distract the security guards, and keep an eye out for monsters."

"Grab both? You might die!" Annabeth shrieked.

She was about to continue arguing, and Nico and Jason were about to join, but I guess they saw the look in my eyes and thought better of it. Percy was dying, if getting these two stars meant I would die too, then it didn't matter. We only had three days.

"Okay." Nico agreed.

"We've got you covered." Jason added.

"I'll take care of the guards." Annabeth wrapped me in a hug. "Try not to, eh? If you see Hades, kick him in the man-sack and come back to us, okay?"

I nodded, and pulled away. "Let's go."

~

Annabeth made a real scene, alright. She screamed bloody murder about a suicide bomber and gunmen heading towards the area. This set the crowds of people in front of the mall into a panicked fury. Lucky for us, that meant that the guards had lots to keep their hands full.

Some ran inside and instructed civilians to do so. Others ran in the other direction and told the civilians to get to their cars and drive away as fast as possible. A small group were conversing and radioing in, and then they up and ran around the corner so I couldn't see them anymore.

All I could hear was screaming. These people wouldn't be harmed by a gun man or a bomb, but if there were monsters...at least they'd be safe from those.

I stepped up into the fountain. The water was warm, much like the weather. Water made me think of Percy. I shook my head, trying to shake the distractions away.

I waded over to the statue, and climbed on. Without warning, the statue began to shake. I was almost thrown off, and I lost sense of my surroundings, but I kept my sights focused on the two stars hanging in front of me.

The only way I'd be able to grab them both would be to get them at the same time with both hands. The only I would be able to get then at the same time with both hands would be to let go of the shaking statue. I wasn't really fond of doing that. I'd fall into the shallow water and crack my skull open.

But at least I'd have the stars.

I had positioned myself so that I was in between the horse and Henry. Taking a deep breath, I was about to let go and grab the stars. And then came the monsters.

I was glad nobody was around anymore, because these monsters would've ripped them all to shreds. I'd read about these beast before.

Keres. Hades's hit men.

They were dressed in red robes, their faces hidden behind the attached hoods. All I could see of them were their gnarly green hands and thick, yellow talons. I wasn't sure if it were Hades himself that sent him or if they were rebelling, but in the moment it didn't matter. If these things wanted to kill you, you were already dead.

Haha, I was gonna finish this but then I was like "Why not pull a Rick Riordan and end on a cliff hanger?" Y'know, except this one is permanent! Haha. Okay, love you. Bye.