Chapter Three: Camp?

Seeing the old women, Percy was slightly scared. After a few hours, riding in the greyhound, he finally mentioned it to Echo. Echo explains that it isn't important to him, and says not to worry.

" Grover, c'mon." Echo impatiently groans.

"Sorry Echo, I gotta pee something fierce." Grover responds.

"Echo, let's leave him." Percy comments.

"Fine. All he'll do is slow us down." Echo grudgingly agrees.

As they walk, Percy keeps looking around, paranoid that another creature like Mrs. Dodds would attack them.

Echo on the other hand, walked as if nothing was gonna happen. And he would be right. Until they made it home.

"Honey, we're home!" Echo jokingly calls.

"Get outta here you useless scumbag!" Yells an angry walrus-man hybrid.

"You're the scumbag, Ugliano. Learn your place!" Echo growls as the walrus tosses a poker chip into the pot.

"It's Gabe, now pay rent for you and the kid, or get out. I I know you at least have a ten on you, you took a cab, no?" Gabe squints at Echo.

"Good Khaos, you're annoying. No. I live under Sally's roof, not yours." Echo groans loudly.

"Then go away!" One of Gabe's buddies interupts Echo's reply.

"Best hope Sally arrives before I figure out how to... dispose of your bodies." Echo maniacally laughs.

"Oh, Echo! I didn't know you guys were home!" Sally calls to her friend.

"Yeah, just trying to remember why you keep that vermin around." Echo once again groans. Wondering how long until he spouts gray hairs.

"He hides Percy's scent." Sally reminds.

"I know, but he gambles away your money, my money, and even Percy's money." Echo rubs his temples, headache growing.

Echo then wonders how he can get a headache considering he's an immortal. But then realises that even immortals aren't immune to getting the occasional headache from stress.

"Echo, you ok?" Sally asks.

"Yeah, just way too much going on right now." Echo groans in explanation.

"Oh my." Sally gasps. "Is there anything from Yancy that is partly at fault here?"

"Maybe a kindly one." Echo sighs. "Tell Percy nothing."

"He almost knows. We'll tell him this weekend. Montauk." Sally agrees.

Sally matches up to Percy's "room." Gabe uses it add his study, where he smokes, drinks, and other things... not so friendly for a twelve year old's room.

Percy jumps and hugs his mother. She asks him of everything's fine, and he says it's all fine. Sally knows differently, but says nothing. Just giving Percy the bag of sweets she bought home.

Fast forward a few hours

"Echo, I had no idea you'd be here." Grover cries when Echo opens the cabin to him.

"Well, the old horse never said anything about me, so you're not at fault here." Echo comments back. "Percy, c'mon!"

"Coming!" Percy cries.

After an hour of Sally driving Gabe's Camaro down the road, way faster than what's safe in the current conditions, they get blasted off the road.

Not a scratch. Percy chuckles in his daze.

"Percy... -rcy!... PERCY!" Echo finally snaps, waking Percy up.

"What happened?" Percy asks.

"We were flipped. Sally and Grover are fine, but I need you to unbuckle yourself." Echo explains. "Please hurry, I don't want to explain to Sally that you died from being way too slow."

"Hey!" Percy cries in indignation.

"Hurry!" Echo snaps.

Once Percy unbuckles and Echo drags him out of the car, he looks around.

"The camp is up that hill, take Grover, and run. Go to the big blue house and stay there. I'll keep your mom safe 'till you are." Echo commands.

Percy takes off running, but looking over his shoulder, he sees a massive man, holding a thick wool blanket over his head. But his arms were waving at his sides. And those were horns, not hands, sprouting from his head.

"Echo, that's the Minotaur. Run!" Percy yells. Echo glares coldly. "Just stay out if the way. And when I say, cover your eyes." Echo explains.

Percy just sighs, and nods.

"Jump right on my mark." Echo says as the beast charges. "Now!"

They jump opposite directions, away from the beast, causing it to run into a tree, and get stuck. After a moment of struggling, it's horn broke off, and Percy yanks it from the tree.

"Be careful, Jackson. This thing kills you, I can't fix that." Echo solemnly warns.

"Understood." Percy agrees.

When the beast charges again, Percy lunges at its heart with the horn, driving it straight into its chest, but he misses the heart. He does drive the horn into its lung.

"Close your eyes!" Echo roars.

Percy does so without arguing. All he sees through his eyelids is a light brighter than the sun, and then black.

"Alright child, I got you." Percy hears Mr. Brunner say.