Suspected Terrorists

《38》

Percy

"Where would we even start looking?" I asked Annabeth as we wondered aimlessly around Queens.

"I have no idea Percy," she admitted. "Who even knows if Jason has come this way? It's pretty far to walk across the U.S."

"Not for Forest Gump," I joked. Annabeth snorted. We watched the movie together at my mom's once, it was one of her favourites.

"You know, if Jason were to come this way, there would really be only one reason," Peter suggested.

"Camp Half-blood," Grover answered.

"Does this mean that we're taking a cab?" I groaned, clutching my still sore stomach.

"A normal cab please," requested Peter, holding up some cash from his apartment.

(Play the video here so that the timing is more accurate. (-:)

We all nodded in agreement.

I did my best taxicab whistle and the nearest yellow taxi pulled up beside us. A short, plump man with a kind smile on his face rolled down the window.

"Where to kids?"

"Farm Road 3.141, Long Island," Annabeth answered, pulling open the back door and sliding in. I followed her. Grover slid in beside me and Peter closed the door behind him.

The driver put the address into his GPS and frowned. "This is the middle of nowhere. Are  you sure you have the right address?"

Annabeth nodded eagerly and gave him a reassuring smile.

The driver didn't seem sure, but when Peter offered him extra cash to get us there faster, he didn't hesitate.

The journey was going to be 40 or so minutes according to Annabeth, so I made myself comfy in the crook of her neck.

Around ten minutes later, Grover sat up suddenly from his seat, sniffing the air. I was pulled from my near-sleep with a start. We all looked at him with fear in our eyes.

"What?" I questioned, despite bot wanting to know what had Grover so on edge.

He barely had time to mutter "hellhounds" before I was suddenly thrown sideways as something rammed into the car. Wishful thinking told me it was a truck. Sadly, Grover's nose suggested otherwise.

The car listed to the left and tumbled over. It continued to roll, with us screaming inside it. I suddenly had sympathy for clothes in a tumble dryer.

I must've blacked out for a second. My senses were dull, the ringing in my ears was so loud and sounded like a heart rate monitor flat lining.

I was dimly aware of presences hanging limply beside me. Wait...hanging? I glanced up and noticed a black strip tying me to the soft, leather ceiling. It took a moment for my brain to reboot itself and catch to the moment.

The cab...the hellhound! I remembered.

The ringing in my ears quieted just in time for me to hear Annabeth scream. I reached out, only to find her being tugged out of the cab by a cyclops. The only thing holding her back was her seatbelt. This gave me enough time to grab her arms.

Annabeth's seatbelt snapped and it suddenly became ten times harder to hold her back. Soon enough, with one sudden tug, my belt snapped and I was thrown from the car. However, I made sure I didn't let go of Annabeth, meaning that I was snapped back giving me whiplash.