Chapter 50

The night before the race, I stayed late at the stables. I was talking to the horses and pegusus's, giving them one final brushing, when somebody right behind me said, "Fine animals, horses. Wish I'd thought of them."

"Hello, Hermes." I responded withought looking back

A middle-aged guy in a postal carrier outfit was leaning against the stable door. He was slim, with curly black hair under his white pith helmet, and he had a mailbag slung over his shoulder.

"Hello, Percy. I am shocked you knew who I am. And shouldn't you be respectful and put 'Lord' infront of my name?"

"You want respect, than you earn it. And so far you haven't earned it from me, so no." I responded as I set the brush down and turned to him. "Why are here?"

"I am here to ask a favor-"

"I will tell you this," I said, "I don't care about you or Luke, he gets in my way, and I will kill him. "

"Can't you talk some sense into him?"

"Dude, no. I don't care if it some divine favor from a god. I don't really care."

"You don't want to make an enemy of me." Hermes sighed.

"And I will tell you the same, after all. I follow only three gods and they make you look like and ant in comparison."

I waited for Hermes to get angry. I figured he'd turn me into a hamster or something. Instead, he just sighed. "Do you ever feel your father abandoned you, Percy?"

"My father, Hades, always helps me out. and tries his best. Poseidon may be an idiot but he is trying and that matters. As for Zeus, he didn't even have the guts to claim me as his son until I ratted him out last year." I laughed. "So no I don't feel abandoned when I got two fathers and a step-father that care for me."

Hermes readjusted the mailbag on his shoulder. "Percy, the hardest part about being a god is that you must often act indirectly, especially when it comes to your own children. If we were to intervene every time our children had a problem … well, that would only create more problems and more resentment. But I believe if you give it some thought, you will see that Poseidon has been paying attention to you. He has answered your prayers. I can only hope that some day, Luke may realize the same about me."

"Uh huh, okay."

Hermes shrugged. "Families are messy. Immortal families are eternally messy. Sometimes the best we can do is to remind each other that we're related, for better or worse … and try to keep the maiming and killing to a minimum."

Was this guy not even paying attention to anything I said? In the distance, the conch horn sounded, signaling curfew.

"You should get to bed," Hermes said. "Anyways, I really only came to make this delivery."

"A delivery?"

"I am the messenger of the gods, Percy." He took an electronic signature pad from his mailbag and handed it to me. "Sign there, please."

I picked up the stylus before realizing it was entwined with a pair of tiny green snakes. Martha and George wriggled under my fingers, forming a kind of pencil grip like the ones my special ed teacher made me use in second grade.

I signed my name and gave the pad back to Hermes. In exchange, he handed me a sea-blue envelope and a black box. 

"Good luck tomorrow," Hermes said. "Fine team of horses you have there, though you'll excuse me if I root for the Hermes cabin."

"And don't be too discouraged when you read it, dear," Martha told me. "He does have your interests at heart."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Don't mind her," George said. "And next time, remember, snakes work for tips."

"Enough, you two," Hermes said. "Good-bye, Percy. For now."

Small white wings sprouted from his pith helmet. He began to glow, and I knew enough about the gods to avert my eyes before he revealed his true divine form. With a brilliant white flash he was gone, and I was alone with the horses.

First I opened the box, to find a black leather studded trench coat. Blue flames on the sleeves and hem. On the back was was a skeletal koi fish in blue flames with "Ghost-Fish" written on top. I picket up a little note in the box.

A small gift for defeating such a strong enemy, I hope you like it. --Your Step-mom, Persephone

"Wow thanks mom!" I grinned slipping the coat on, a nice fit. Next I stared at the blue envelope in my hands. It was addressed in strong but elegant handwriting that I'd seen once before, on a package Poseidon had sent me last summer.

Percy Jackson

c/o Camp Half-Blood

Farm Road 3.141

Long Island, New York 11954

An actual letter from my father. I opened the envelope and unfolded the paper. Three simple words were printed in the middle of the page:

Save, Sister, Lotus

<--------------------- >

The next morning, everybody was buzzing about the chariot race, though they kept glancing nervously toward the sky like they expected to see Stymphalian birds gathering. None did. It was a beautiful summer day with blue sky and plenty of sunshine. The camp had started to look the way it should look: the meadows were green and lush; the white columns gleamed on the Greek buildings; dryads played happily in the woods.

I was thinking about the letter, Posiedon sent me. If I had any guess, than he was talking about my sister that the Fates told me resided in the Lotus Casino with the Di Angelo's

I can only assume that something happened and he wanted me to go back and save her. For what reason, I do not know. 

As Annabeth and I drove onto the track, I couldn't help admiring the work Taylor had done on our chariot. The carriage gleamed with bronze reinforcements. The wheels were realigned with magical suspension so we glided along with hardly a bump. The rigging for Lucifer was so perfectly balanced that he turned at the slightest tug of the reins.

Taylor had also made us two javelins, each with three buttons on the shaft. The first button primed the javelin to explode on impact, releasing razor wire that would tangle and shred an opponent's wheels. The second button produced a blunt (but still very painful) bronze spearhead designed to knock a driver out of his carriage. The third button brought up a grappling hook that could be used to lock onto an enemy's chariot or push it away.

I figured we were in pretty good shape for the race, but Taylor still warned me to be careful. The other chariot teams had plenty of tricks up their togas.

"Here," she said, just before the race began.

She handed me a wristwatch. There wasn't anything special about it—just a white-and-silver clock face, a black leather strap—but as soon as I saw it I realized that this is what Tyson had made for Percy in the books.

"Thanks, Taylor." I put it on and found it was surprisingly light and comfortable. I could hardly tell I was wearing it.

"I wasn't able to finish in time for your quest," Taylor mumbled. "Sorry."

"Hey, it is no big deal."

"If you need protection in race," she advised, "hit the button."

"Percy!" Annabeth called. "Come on!"

Chiron was at the starting line, ready to blow the conch.

"Go," Taylor said. "You will win!"

I climbed on board the chariot and got into position just as Chiron blew the starting signal. Lucifer knew what to do. We shot down the track so fast I would've fallen out if my arms hadn't been wrapped in the leather reins. Annabeth held on tight to the rail. The wheels glided beautifully. We took the first turn a full chariot-length ahead of Clarisse, who was busy trying to fight off a javelin attack from the Stoll brothers in the Hermes chariot.

"We've got 'em!" I yelled.

"Incoming!" Annabeth yelled. She threw her first javelin in grappling hook mode, knocking away a lead-weighted net that would have entangled us both. Apollo's chariot had come up on our flank. Before Annabeth could rearm herself, the Apollo warrior threw a javelin into our right wheel.

The javelin shattered, luckily not snapping some of our spokes. I urged Lucifer to keep up the speed. We were now neck and neck with Apollo.

Hephaestus was coming up close behind. Ares and Hermes were falling behind, riding side by side as Clarisse went sword-on-javelin with Connor Stoll.

If we took one more hit to our wheel, I knew we would capsize.

"You're mine!" the driver from Apollo yelled. He was a first-year camper. I didn't remember his name, but he sure was confident.

"Yeah, right!" Annabeth yelled back.

She picked up her second javelin—a real risk considering we still had one full lap to go—and threw it at the Apollo driver.

Her aim was perfect. The javelin grew a heavy spear point just as it caught the driver in the chest, knocking him against his teammate and sending them both toppling out of their chariot in a backward somersault. The horses felt the reins go slack and went crazy, riding straight for the crowd. Campers scrambled for cover as the horses leaped the corner of the bleachers and the golden chariot flipped over. The horses galloped back toward their stable, dragging the upside-down chariot behind them.

We passed the starting line and thundered into our final lap. Lucifer picked up speed as he ran with a good burst of energy to get a lead. And yet the Hephaestus team was still gaining.

Beckendorf grinned as he pressed a button on his command console. Steel cables shot out of the front of his mechanical horses, wrapping around our back rail. Our chariot shuddered as Beckendorf's winch system started working—pulling us backward while Beckendorf pulled himself forward.

Annabeth cursed and drew her knife. She hacked at the cables but they were too thick.

"Can't cut them.'" she yelled. The Hephaestus chariot was now dangerously close, their horses about to trample us underfoot.

"Switch with me!" I told Annabeth. "Take the reins!"

"But—"

"Trust me!"

She pulled herself to the front and grabbed the reins. I turned, trying hard to keep my footing, and summoned Morningstar.

I slashed down and the cables snapped like kite string. We lurched forward, but Beckendorf's driver just swung his chariot to our left and pulled up next to us. Beckendorf drew his sword. He slashed at Annabeth, and I parried the blade away.

We were coming up on the last turn. We'd never make it. I needed to disable the Hephaestus chariot and get it out of the way, but I had to protect Annabeth, too. Just because Beckendorf was a nice guy didn't mean he wouldn't send us both to the infirmary if we let our guard down.

We were neck and neck now, Clarisse coming up from behind, making up for lost time.

"See ya, Percy!" Beckendorf yelled. "Here's a little parting gift!"

He threw a leather pouch into our chariot. It stuck to the floor immediately and began billowing green smoke.

"Greek fire!" Annabeth yelled. I cursed. I'd heard stories about what Greek fire could do. I figured we had maybe ten seconds before it exploded.