Child of lightning-Percy Jackson x reader-Book one

Not fast enough

We tore through the night along dark country roads. Wind slammed against the Camaro. Rain lashed the windshield. I didn't know how Sally could see anything, but she kept her foot on the gas.

Every time there was a flash of lightning, I looked at Grover who was sitting next to Percy in the backseat. I wondered if I'd gone insane, or if he was wearing some kind of weird carpet pants. But, no, the smell was one I remembered from kindergarten field trips to the petting zoo— lanolin, like from wool. The smell of a wet barnyard animal.

Suddenly Percy said, "So, you and my mom... know each other?"

Grover's eyes flitted to the rearview mirror, though there were no cars behind us. "Not exactly," he said. "I mean, we've never met in person. But she knew I was watching you guys."

"Watching us?" I questioned lifting an eyebrow.

"Keeping tabs on you. Making sure you were okay. But I wasn't faking being your friend," he added hastily. "I am your friend."

"Urn ... what are you, exactly?" Percy questioned

"That doesn't matter right now." Grover said.

I stared at him baffled, "It doesn't matter?"

Percy looked equally as shocked, "From the waist down, my friend is a donkey—"

Grover let out a sharp, throaty "Blaha-ha-ha!"

I jump in my seat, "What the heck was that!"

"Goat!" he cried.

"What?", Percy asked

"I'm a goat from the waist down."

"You just said it didn't matter." I said nervously twirling my hair

"Blaa-ha-ha! There are satyrs who would trample you under hoof for such an insult!"

"Whoa. Wait. Satyrs.", Percy started "You mean like ... Mr. Brunner's myths?"

"Were those old ladies at the fruit stand a myth, Percy? Was Mrs. Dodd's a myth?", Grover said in a serious tone.

"So you admit there was a Mrs. Dodd's!" I said, pretty satisfied for a moment that he immitted I wasn't going completely insane

"Of course."

"Then why—" I start

"The less you two knew, the fewer monsters you'd attract," Grover said, like that should be perfectly obvious. "We put Mist over the humans' eyes. We hoped you'd think the Kindly One was a hallucination. But it was no good. You both started to realize who you are."

"Who I—wait a minute, what do you mean?" Percy said looking confused out of his mind

The weird bellowing noise rose up again somewhere behind us, closer than before. Whatever was chasing us was definitely still on our trail.

"Percy, Joey" Sally said, "there's too much to explain and not enough time. We have to get you to safety."

"Safety from what? Who's after us?" I exclaimed

"Oh, nobody much," Grover said, obviously still miffed about the donkey comment Percy made. "Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood-thirstiest minions."

"Grover!"

"Sorry, Mrs. Jackson. Could you drive faster, please?"

I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening, but I just couldn't do it. I knew this wasn't a dream. I had no imagination. I could never dream up something this weird.