Andy Jackson: Child of Land & Sea

Swept Out To Sea

Act III — Deep Blue Sea

Part V —The power to be strong and the wisdom to be wise. All these things will come to you in time.

Andy took off the invisibility cap and ran across the Mall, not daring to look back. She ran straight into Thalia and both of them fell on the ground. Grover yelped in surprise.

"You!" Zoë exclaimed. "How dare you show thy face here?"

"Andy!" Grover said. "Thank goodness!"

"No time to argue," she said, disentangling herself from Thalia. "Thorn, Luke and the General are here and they have an army of skeletons. We need to bolt!"

"The General is here?" asked Zoë, stunned. "That is impossible!" She tried to calm herself. "If... If there is a chance that he is here, we must leave now."

"Yes!" Andy agreed. "Let's move!"

"I was not including thee, child of land and sea," she said. "You are not part of this quest."

"I am trying to help you!"

"You shouldn't have come, Andy," Thalia said grimly. "But since you're here, I don't see why we should leave you."

"That is not thy decision," Zoë said.

Thalia scowled at her. "You're not the boss around here, Nightshade. I don't care how old you are, you are still a conceited little brat!"

"Thou two are the same!" Zoë snapped. "Thou lack wisdom when it comes to boys. Neither can't leave them behind! And that makes thee unreliable and dangerous. I will not let thee jeopardize this quest!"

Thalia was about to hit the Hunter when a growl so loud made all of them freeze. "The Nemean Lion," she pointed. The animal roared.

"Separate on mark," Zoë said. "Try to keep it distracted."

"Until when?" Grover whispered.

"Until I think of a way to kill it. Go!"

Andy uncapped Riptide and rolled to the left. Zoë and Bianca were firing arrows, Grover was playing his reed pipes, and Thalia attacked holding up Aegis. The lion was about to pounce on her, when Andy called, "Hey, kitty!"

She charged at it, slashing her sword like a mad person, but the lion raked her with its claws, ripping off a chunk of her leather jacket, the one Anthony had given her a long time ago.

The lion sprang at her, one thousand pounds of monster, and Andy had no choice but to turn and jump. Thalia landed by her side and the lion regarded them both. But this was Andy's fight. She was the one who needed to prove her value to the group.

The lion was cocky and when it opened its mouth to roar, Andy attacked. She shoved Riptide in its mouth impaling the lion's head. There was a sharp pain in her arm where a canine pierced her. It hurt even more when she pulled it off.

The lion lay dead on the ground. People were running wildly around the museum. Andy's blood splashed across the floor. Grover came to her size and immediately started working on that.

Zoë eyed Andy cautiously. "That was... efficient." The lion melted until all that was left was its pelt. "Take it," Zoë said. "You have earned it."

Grover helped Andy take off the leather jacket. She didn't want to part with it, but it was definitely ruined. "That was mine, you know," Thalia said, sadly. "I was surprised when he told me he'd given it to you. But I guess it looked better on you."