Andy Jackson: Child of Land & Sea

Love Will Thrive

Act III — Deep Blue Sea

Part VI — Hon, we saw you hit the ceiling. Face it like a grown-up; when you're gonna on up that you got, got, got it bad?

Thalia had Aegis; Andy had Riptide. Zoë and Bianca drew their bows, but Bianca was having trouble because Grover kept swooning and leaning against her. The skeletons came forward.

"It's near," Grover moaned.

"It's here," Andy corrected.

"No," he insisted. "The gift. The gift from the Wild." A warm wind blew, rustling skeletons attacked. Andy swung Riptide and cut one of them in half. Then another skeleton grabbed a gun and shot her on the back. She fell on the snow. Thalia called her name. But Andy wasn't hurt, she soon noticed. The lion's pelt had protected her.

Thalia, mad as can be, charged the second skeleton. Zoë and Bianca fired arrows at the third and fourth. Grover lied on the snow staring at the sky with his arms wide open like he was making a snow angel. One skeleton lunged at Bianca, but she whipped out her hunting knife and stabbed the warrior in the chest.

Before their eyes, the skeleton erupted in flames.

"How did you do that?" Zoë shouted.

"I don't know," she said, nervously.

"Well, do it again!"

"A gift!" Grover muttered.

And then, with a mighty roar, the largest pig ever came crashing into the road.

"That's the Erymanthian Boar," Zoë said.

"Don't kill it!" Grover begged. "It's a blessing from the Wild!"

Not feeling very blessed, Andy watched as the boar went after Thalia and her shield. It seemed to have a grudge against Aegis. She took Thalia by the arm and pulled her uphill. They crossed a tunnel and found themselves before a mountain drop of snow. Thalia turned as white as ice.

"Let's jump," Andy said, but Thalia didn't move. "Thalia—"

"I CAN'T!" she shouted, horrified.

The boar was charging through the tunnel, straight at them. Andy tackled Thalia and sent them both rolling down the mountain. It hurt. A lot. But it was better than being smacked by a giant boar.

Said boar free-fell with them and landed in a snowdrift. It squealed and struggled, completely wedged in the snow.

When they stopped rolling, they tried to sit and checked if something was broke. Both were bleeding and breathing was hard. Andy studied the daughter of Zeus. "You're afraid of heights," she accused.

Thalia's eyes had their usual angry look. "Don't be ridiculous."

"That's why you freaked when Apollo made you drive."

She took a deep breath. "If you tell anyone—"

"No, no. That's cool. Why would I want to tell anyone that Thalia, child of sky and thunder, is afraid of heights?"

Thalia threw a handful of snow in her face. They laughed until their bellies hurt.

A few minutes later, the others joined them. The five of them stood, watching the boar struggle. "A blessing of the Wild," repeated Grover. He seemed to be back to his normal self.

"Why?" Thalia asked.

"It's our ride west. It can travel very, very fast," he explained. "I wish I had more time to look around. But it's gone now."