My Friend Percy Allegedly Steals a Lightning Bolt

Chapter 12

We tore through night, his mother clearly knowing where we were going. I had somehow been put into the front seat next to his mother while Percy and Grover sat in the back, Percy never taking his eyes off Grover's...legs. I couldn't say I blamed him. Percy stumbled awkwardly through an almost identical conversation that I'd had with Grover and my father before leaving about Grover's duty, or whatever it was.

"So...what are you exactly?" Percy asked finally.

"That doesn't matter right now."

"It doesn't matter? From the waist down, my best friend is a donkey---"

Grover let out what could only be described as a bleat, and an irritated one.

"Goat!"He cried, looking rather offended.

"What?"

"I'm a goat from the waist down."

"You just said it didn't matter."

Grover bleated again. "There are satyrs who would trample you underfoot for an insult like that!" I raised my eyebrow, I had suspected that all along but it was nice to hear him say the words out loud.

"Whoa.Wait. Satyr? You mean like...Mr. Brunner's myths?"

"Myths? Were those old ladies at the fruit stand a myth?' Clearly I had missed something... "Was Mrs. Dobbs a myth?"

"Ah ha!" Percy and I both cried at the same time. Percy looked at me with a furrowed brow,

"Why are you ah ha-ing? Why are you even here?" Percy said, staring me down, seeming to truly notice me for the first time. Not that I really minded.

"She'son the same boat as you." Grover said, chiming in.

I furrowed my brow, "No...I don't want to be on the same boat as him..." I muttered, knowing the whole time that I was and it would not do me one bit of good.

"Hey, you saw her too," Grover said, staring me down. Percy turned toward me suddenly was an accusatory glare that freaked me out a bit too much.

"Wait...you saw Mrs. Dobbs too?" He practically shouted at me.

"Percy!"His mother shot in a warning voice. I desperately wanted to sink back into the seats of the aging Camaro.

"If you were there, if you saw Mrs. Dobbs, why didn't you tell me? I thought I was going crazy and both of you knew about it!"

"Well I thought I was going crazy too!" I countered at him.

Percy looked at me for a moment and turned to Grover, "If it was all true why didn't you just tell me?" He asked, looking concerned,

"The less you knew the fewer monsters you'd attract. We put Mist over the mortal's eyes and we hoped it'd work on the two of you, or you'd at least think it was a hallucination. But it was no good,you started to realize who you are."

"Who I—wait a minute, what do you mean?"

There was suddenly a loud bellowing noise from somewhere behind us, though I was unsure of how we could even hear it over this thunder. Whatever happened to be falling us was close to us and I did not like that feeling.

"Percy,there's too much to explain and not enough time. We have to get you all to safety." His mother said, stepping faster on gas. I gripped the bottom of my seat and closed my eyes, laying my head back against the seat. I didn't have any idea how I had gotten wrapped up in this, but it seemed that I was in this just as deep as Percy and Grover. I desperately hoped someone hadn't committed a crime or something, though it seemed more serious than that. I was fairly certain we were on the run from more than just cops.