Camp Half-Blood (A Percy Jackson Fanfic)

Chapter 15: First Stop Along the Way

I glanced over at Grover in the backseat with me, and to Luke in the front seat next to Percy. Any reason Percy won't tell us the Prophecy? He won't even talk about it. It's been two hours since we've left camp.

The car ride was getting very cramped very fast. Chiron insisted that I'd take my parent's car back. The bronze Pegasus ornament was still there, the car surprisingly undamaged. Percy didn't look concerned as he drove the car into the ocean, but Luke definitely did. Grover was just silently laughing the whole time.

Percy hadn't calmed down. Even with me humming what I thought was calming music into his mind. He liked my classic rock the best.

I nudged Luke to respond. I don't know really. He's been on edge since we left camp. I think he's worried about monsters coming after us.

But we're in the ocean! And only a few miles from camp! We haven't even seen a monster yet!

I could probably have heard Luke's smile. Yah, but guy still doesn't know how to relax.

I was certainly relaxed, the crokanse and the other monsters couldn't possibly reach me here.

I leaned back into the back seat. Luke and Percy had insisted that they take shotgun seats.

Fine by me.

There was more space back here anyways, even with Grover's animal legs shoved in his fake legs.

I tore my focus from the bronze pegasus ornament to look out of the window again.

The ocean wasn't something you saw every day. Well, from the bottom, at least.

Fish, multicolored seaweed and shimmering corals, plus a whole bunch of magical things I couldn't name. At least there wasn't trash down here at the sea floor.

A fleck of white caught my eye. My eyes widened at what I saw.

Is that a....man??

A white-bearded man carrying a driftwood staff had swum up along side us. He was dressed in torn rags and seaweed. A torn chainmail shirt. His face and beard appeared to be speckled with algae and small rocks. His deep blue eyes filled with amusement as he took in the red car.

Percy suddenly spoke. "Hey Hudson."

He stopped the car to wait for the man to catch up.

The man turned to the driver's window, swimming past me. A moment of amused recognition flashed the sea-man's face when he saw Percy.

He sat on the hood of the car.

"Hey kid. Please tell me there's not another war." He paused. "But you're always glad to give a few sand dollars now and again." He saw me again and winked. "Then again, you might not have to request favors from any more river gods now, huh Sweetie?" Another wink.

Ugh, why? I huffed.

Percy turned to me, his neck craning to see behind the head of the seat. His smile prominent as he saw my uncomfortableness. He turned back to the man-river god he called Hudson.

"Nope. Not this time. But I do need a favor from you." He smirked at the sea-man. "Oh, Melanie, this is Hudson, he's the river god of the Hudson River."

What? "But we're in Long Island Sound." I pointed out, puzzled.

Luke let out a quick breath of air through his nose. Laugh air. "Yah," he responded, talking to the River God, "This is Long Island Sound. What are you doing here?"

The water and the car were somehow not a match for words. We could hear him just fine. He could hear us just fine too it seemed.

"I'm here," he jabbed a finger at Percy, "Because I was summoned."