Look I Didn't Want To Be a Demigod...Or a Witch

The Skeletons Need to Take a Dam Break...Seriously

There was a trunk at the edge of the junkyard with a full tank of gas. Thalia drove this time as she was the least disoriented. Zoë sat up front with her.

Percy, Grover, and I sat in the pickup bed. It was sunny and and the sky was clear. The air was cool and dry.

I fiddled with the figurine. How was I going to tell Nico?

Percy sighed beside me "You weren't the only one. I promised to protect her too"

I gulped "It should've been me. I should've been in the giant"

"Don't say that!" Percy said "Its bad enough Annabeth is gone, and now Bianca. Do you think I could stand it if....Do you think anyone else would be my best friend? Besides Grover?"

I took a shaky breath.

We were silent until the truck ran out of gas at the end of a canyon.

Thalia slammed the door shut and a tire blew out. "Great, what now?"

"There's a path" Grover said "We could get to the river"

Percy looked at what Grover saw "That's a goat path"

"So?"

"The rest of us aren't goats" Percy said

"We can make it" Grover insisted "I think"

I was down. I'd climbed things before. As a little kid I was always the one climbing on things. But Thalia's face had gone completely white from fear.

"No" I jumped to her defense "I, uh, think we should go farther upstream."

"But-"

"Come on" I said "A walk won't hurt us."

I looked over at Thalia and her eyes gave me a quick thank you. I nodded at her.

We walked along the river for about a half mile. We ran into a closed canoe shop. Percy left some golden drachmas and took two canoes.

Zoë looked at the river "We need to go upstream. The rapids are too swift."

"Leave that to me" Percy said as he set the canoes into the river. I took a deep breath. You're not gonna fall in. You're not gonna fall in. I repeated in my head over and over.

As we got the oars out, Thalia pulled me aside "Thanks for back there."

"Don't mention it"

"Can Percy really" she nodded at the rapids "you know"

"I think so" I said "he's good with water"

"Would you two take Zoë?" She asked "I think, ah, you two can talk to her."

"She's not gonna like that"

"Please? I don't know if I can stand being in the same boat as her. She's...she's starting to worry me"

I crossed my arms, biting my lip, but I nodded.

Thalia relaxed a little "I owe you one"

"Two"

"One and a half" she smiled. It was nice to see her not yelling at anybody. She was was really lovable person when she wasn't.

Thalia and Grover took one boat while Zoë, Percy, and I took the other. I voted to sit in the middle, so you know, just in case I fell out, someone could grab me. Plus I felt that I least the chance of falling out in the middle.

As soon as we got in the water, water naiads pulled to the canoe and stared at Percy.

They started making this weird bubbling noise at him. He must've had a mental conversation with them because they split up and started pushing the canoes pretty fast. I was glad I was in the middle. If I was in the back I would've fallen out.