Deadly Waters | Percy Jackson

10. Jackson Ruins a Perfectly Good Bus

As it happened, Percy and Pez didn't really get much time to talk. Just a few brief, loaded glances and harshly whispered words as Percy was packing. It didn't take him long. He decided to leave the Minotaur horn in his cabin, which left him only an extra change of clothes and a toothbrush to stuff in a backpack Grover had found for him.

Luckily, Pez gave him her spare first-aid kit.

The camp store had loaned him one hundred dollars in mortal money and twenty golden drachmas. Those coins were as big as Girl Scout cookies and had images of various Greek gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. The ancient mortal drachmas had been silver, Chiron told him, but Olympians never used less than pure gold. Chiron said the coins might come in handy for non-mortal transactions – whatever that meant. He gave Annabeth and Percy each a canteen of nectar and a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares, to be used only in emergencies, if we were seriously hurt.

That went into his first-aid kit.

It was god food, Chiron reminded them. It would cure them of almost any injury, but it was lethal to mortals. Too much of it would make a half-blood very, very feverish. An overdose would burn them up, literally.

Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap, which she told Percy had been a twelfth-birthday present from her mum. She carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, to read when she got bored, and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve. He was sure the knife would get them busted the first time they went through a metal detector.

Grover wore his fake feet and his pants to pass as human. He wore a green rasta-style cap, because when it rained his curly hair flattened and you could just see the tips of his horns. His bright orange backpack was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. In his pocket was a set of reed pipes his daddy goat had carved for him, even though he only knew two songs: Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 12 and Hilary Duff's "So Yesterday," both of which sounded pretty bad on reed pipes.

After Percy reluctantly parted with Pez, he, Annabeth and Grover waved good-bye to the other campers and took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, then hiked up Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus.

Chiron was waiting for them in his wheelchair. Next to him stood the surfer dude Percy'd seen when he was recovering in the sick room. According to Pez – and her gossip – the guy was the camp's head of security. He supposedly had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. Today, though, he was wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so Percy could only see extra peepers on his hands, face and neck.

"This is Argus," Chiron told him. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things." Percy heard footsteps behind him.

Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes.

"Hey!" he panted. "Glad I caught you."

Annabeth blushed, the way she always did when Luke was around.

"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke told Percy. "And I thought . . . um, maybe you could use these."

He handed him the sneakers, which looked pretty normal. They even smelled kind of normal.

Luke said, "Maia!"

White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels, startling him so much, he dropped them. The shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared.

"Awesome!" Grover said.

Luke smiled. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days . . ." His expression turned sad.