ATLOP: Trial by Fire

I Plunge to my Death

You guys will never appreciate the amount of research I did for this chapter. I can tell you way too many facts about the arch and the Chimera (I researched snakes forever to figure out what kind of snake the snake on the Chimera is, it was a pain, then I trashed half the research so like, I suffered). Also! Fun fact, Rick Riordan did NOT look at a picture of the Arch when he wrote this chapter. I can tell you cause I did and it's a big problem! The river is NOT under the Arch. it's over 400 ft. behind the Arch.

Come yell at me on tumblr: Percabeth4Life
Come chat with me on discord: https://discord.gg/3tGNJhu

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We spent two days on the Amtrak train, heading west through hills, over rivers, past amber waves of grain.

Grover was having trouble hiding his way of walking without his crutches. We hadn't realized before because we were so tired but they were left on the bus too.

I tried to keep my head down; my name and picture were pasted on the front pages of several East Coast newspapers thanks to both me going missing and the exploding bus. Unfortunately, my blue hair was fairly distinct, so I had to borrow Grover's Rasta cap to hide it as best as I could.

It was not my style.

What the newspapers were reporting wasn't looking good for us. I was wanted for questioning and that picture of me with my trident (which looked like a blurry staff in the picture) was making rounds. It didn't help that the bus had blown up right after.

I wondered if there was a way to manipulate this mist thing that hid us? I didn't like how it was working. Could I file a complaint?

Annabeth assured me that the mortal police wouldn't be able to find us, but even she didn't sound very confident about that.

I ended up sleeping for most of the ride.

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I was in the water next to a girl.

She was in a chiton and had black hair.

Lara.

She drifted in the water, guided by two dolphins. They seemed to be heading to a nearby island.

The dolphins were chattering softly, arguing and chiding each other for being too rough.

" Poseidon-ore said to be sure that she reached land safely! You have to be gentler, areto"

" I have to be gentler? You're the one that nearly hit her on that avitor rock!"

"I did not you vorlat ufa-"

They continued to bicker over whose fault various mishaps were as they reached the island. They gently sent her bobbing on the waves to reach shore and once assured she was there, they left.

I stood alone in the water with Lara unconscious next to me.

I studied her, finding some resemblance to me. I took after my mom in my medium brown skin tone, but we had the same hair, and our eye shape was the same.

I wondered if our eye color was the same; I hadn't gotten a close look in the last dream.

"And who is this," murmured a voice.

I looked up and blanched. A figure stood over me with dark skin, twisting green and black snakes for hair and spiraling grey-brown eyes that made me feel as though I were frozen.

Her gaze was on Lara, studying her curiously.

Medusa.

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