chapter 17-Get On With It

At the top of the hill waiting for the others to arrive all I did was stare at Riptide. I mean seriously this feels as if she was made for me. I know it was made for someone else in the universe but technicalities. Holding the sword I still can't believe I have her. Since I didn't believe I was going to get the chance to own her. I thought I might have lost the chance of owning Riptide because of never getting her at the museum.

Swinging the sword in an arch I wonder if I would need the water swords. Nah, this is the one for me. When riptide is out of reach that's when I'll make the water swords. Otherwise riptide all the way.

Done with my brooding. I paid attention to Chiron who was coming up the hill.

"Chiron, can you help me out a bit with my swordsmanship, just so I can get a feel for Riptide."

"Of course, it pains me that I did not have enough time to teach you. If only I had a few years. Like with Hercules and Achilles. Alas, I only had a few days. Let's get down to the basics.

The basics as he called them are straight down from the top, straight up from the bottom, diagonally down to the left, diagonally down to the right, diagonally up from the left, diagonally up from the right, and left and right strikes horizontally.

Instead of one of the members of my quest being the second to show up, Luke did. Hiding something behind him. I made sure to keep Riptide ready at a moment's notice.

"Hi Chiron, hi Percy I came up here to wish you luck, oh I see you have a personal sword now. What's its name?" He said cheerfully.

"Not a it, "it's" a she, I'll have you know. Her name is Riptide," I said, giving him a glance filled with suspicion.

"I'll give you two some space to talk." Said Chiron as he stepped away from us.

"Okay well, ahem, I wanted to ask you something", Luke said.

The moment he said that I prepared for any action he could do. Instead, he did something more mundane.

"Will you take care of Annabeth for me?" He said in a serious tone.

I did not expect that. Thinking it through my image of him in my head clouded my thoughts about him. He isn't a bad guy, it's only a matter of circumstances. Doesn't mean I'll be any nicer to him.

"Yeah, definitely. I mean it would be wrong of me if I don't help her."

"Thanks, I mean it. I can't join you on the quest as I'm needed here and stuff."

"Right, anyway. I'm just going to get back to my sword, That's fine with you."

"Hmm yeah, it's cool. Wait uh I have something for you."

Before he could finish his sentence Annabeth and Grover showed up. She looked… excited? I don't know what to call it. A mixture of excitement and nervousness. At least she didn't frown when seeing me. When she saw Luke she walked faster.

"Hi, guys. What's happening here." Grover asked.

"Luke, what are you doing here?" Annabeth asked.

"Hi, Grover, we're just talking," I responded.

"I thought I would wish you guys luck. Oh, and I brought something for you guys." Luke responded to Annabeth.

Huh, I can't believe I almost forgot about that box. Once he opened it, two shoes were shown. I felt this tingle at the back of my neck.

"These helped me during my quest, I was hoping it would help you as much as it did for me. Maia!" He said with a smile.

The shoes then sprouted wings on the sides and started flying.

"Maia, so what do you think Percy? Pretty cool right." He said giving me the shoes.

"It's pretty cool, thanks."

I then left Annabeth, Luke, and Grover. I picked up my backpack at the tree where I left it. I then put the shoes inside the bag as I didn't want the shoes to get one of us dragged into Tartarus. Once I get the chance I'll get rid of it. It keeps messing with my senses.

Then Chiron walks up to me with a look of embarrassment.

"I forgot to tell you something. The sword you can't lose it."

"Oh, that's awesome," I said with pure excitement.

"Well, now that we are all here it is time for you children to leave. Argus is down that hill, he will be driving you to the countryside, Long Island. Where he will take you to Greyhound station alright? GodSpeed to you all"

We said our affirmations and our goodbyes, and then we left for the car. When we entered the car I focused on Grover as he took this moment to freak out. It seems that him bottling things up is not a good idea who knew? Annabeth helped out so it didn't take long to calm him down. Argus just stayed quiet, keeping an "eye" on us. Emphasis on the eye part.

When we arrived Argus unloaded our bags and made sure to get our bus tickets, then he left. Those damn shoes kept bothering my senses. I know it isn't doing anything right now but it's like a ticking time bomb.

I then saw something in the corner of my eye taped to a mailbox. A flyer that had a picture of me and my mom saying: "HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY?" Well, that's going to be annoying to deal with when I get back home.

We waited for a while, but then the rain came around so Grover thought we should play some Hacky Sack with one of his apples. It felt like deja vu. Seeing Annabeth bounce the apple wherever she could on her body was amazing.

I could do it, but that would be a given. When she saw me do the same thing she did, she did this little pout but smiled in this proud way.

Grover almost ate the apple but I grabbed it before he could. He grazed his teeth alongside my hand. That surprised me, forgetting he could be fast when it comes to food.

He smiled sheepishly at me. Apologizing to me. While Annabeth was laughing. I then joined her in laughter and soon followed Grover.

Eventually, the bus came and we stood in line. At that moment Grover started sniffing the air, like he did when enchiladas were being served for lunch.

"Grover, what's wrong?" I asked.

"I smell something in the air. I don't know what though. Maybe it's nothing."

Damn it these shoes, I need to get rid of them soon, and without them noticing.

"Grover you should probably keep sniffing, with how our lives our nothing is something," I said tensely.

"He's right, Grover," Annabeth agreed.

I entered the bus watching my surroundings, noticing whatever could help us when, and not if, we needed to escape. The sad thing is that there is no place to escape except for the front door, and if need be breaking the windows.

Putting our bags away and finding seats at the back when I kept saying that it would be better at the front but Annabeth didn't seem to like the idea of anything being behind them. Sitting down I noticed Annabeth was the most nervous out of us, she kept tapping at a Yankees hat.

Which both made and didn't make sense. Why it didn't make sense is because she has been training for this her whole life. Why it made sense for her to be nervous because she didn't have enough experience in the outside world. So they balance each other out, her knowledge and her experience.

Then I saw an old lady enter the bus. Oh, come on. Now I can remember this moment. She looked like Mrs.Dodds but older and more withered, something I didn't think was possible.

What an idiot. I then saw two more old ladies enter. Okay, I need to be careful. I know that by myself I could take them but those three old bats are not the kind of people to care about civilian casualties.

"Annabeth, look at the last three "people" to enter the bus," I said seriously.

The moment she saw them she clamped on my hand. We both watched them sit at the front of the row, right next to the bus driver. Okay, this is both good and bad.

Good because they are not too close to us. Bad because of the fact I almost got us sitting right next to them and this means a more prolonged fight.

"Percy, are they who I think they are?"

"Yes, I do believe they are servants of you know who." Currently, they don't know that I killed them. That could change with whatever the old bats say.

"All three of them, Di immortales!!" Grover whimpered.

"It's okay Grover, I'll get us out of here. All we need to do is open the windows and slip out", she said with conviction. Sadly I had to ruin what hope she had to survive against the furies.

"We can't because they're locked and there's no back door. The only way out is the front. We can't escape, all we can do is face them." I said.

Annabeth looked mad with how things were turning out to be, while Grover looked like he was close to passing out. By the time of this conversation, we hit the Lincoln Tunnel. The bus went dark and eerily quiet, there was suspense in the air. The lack of rain seemed to make it worse.

Mrs.Dodds then got up, then said, "I need to use the restroom." In the most deadpan way, I've ever seen.

"So do I", said the second sister.

"So do I", said the third sister.

Then they all started heading towards us. Grover looked like his soul was leaving his body.

"Percy take my hat. It can turn anyone who uses it invisible", Annabeth said.

"I can't do that, I can't just hide while they---", but I was interrupted by Annabeth.

"No, I need you to do this because there's a chance that they won't notice us with you having a scent that will overpower ours. So go to the front of the bus and wait there."

"That may be true but they will still smell me, so they'll know I'm still here. So your plan is flawed." I know she's stubborn but so am I.

"Just put it on, follow the plan", she then forcefully put the hat on my head. By then I had to follow the plan as I didn't want to face a woman's wrath.

I then looked down at my body, seeing nothing. I then stood up from my seat and went down the aisle. By the tenth row; much to my chagrin as I felt like a coward, Mrs.Dodds started sniffing the air. She then faced right towards me.

At that moment I had one hand ready to flick the cap off riptide and the other hand ready to shoot a water bullet. I aimed straight at her head. I know that seeing an old lady have her head blown off would look insane thanks to the mist but if need be I will kill her then and there. I don't want to traumatize anyone though.

Instead of heading toward me she and her sisters continued forward, seemingly not fully noticing me. It was at this moment that I noticed a button, an emergency stop button to be exact. I was interrupted from pressing the button when I heard a hideous wail come from behind me.

I looked and saw that they no longer were old ladies, they had transformed. They had shriveled into leathery brown hag-like bodies, wings like bats, claws, mouths full of huge yellow fangs, and glowing eyes. They carried whips that danced with flames every time they flicked them.

"Where is it? where is it?", they hissed out. I knew now what they were looking for but Grover and Annabeth didn't.

"He's not here and you won't get him," Annabeth stated as she brought her bronze knife out. Grover surprised me by bringing out the prized tin cans he was planning to eat.

All the people on the bus were terrified, I didn't know what they saw but they sure looked traumatized. This then brings me to my former decision. This means many will need therapy for years, so I shot Mrs.Dodds in the head.

*Boom*

She then exploded into dust right then in there, going everywhere. I then faced the bus driver, took the wheel, and turned. I just lost the element of surprise, so this will help.

The driver tried to get the wheel back, but with how strong I was he couldn't even do much, I heard some smashing behind me. Using this distraction I shot the other sister, inducing even more screams.

I then hit the emergency break the moment we got out of the bus. The people ran out of the bus the moment the door opened. I then shot the last fury. She dodged it at the last moment.

"YOU, you will pay dearly for this, I will rip you apart for this," she rasped out in fury. Heh, fury.

"Sorry, I thought you could handle a little water," I responded.

With her looks, you would think she would be too slow. I was wrong. I then went into close combat moving faster than most could see. I did a diagonally down to the left slash. She exploded like a pinata.

I then felt the tingle increase in intensity. I then heard thunder. OH come on.

"Percy we need to get out", Shouted Annabeth.

We ran out of the bus and there was absolute chaos. People running around like headless chickens. A guy in a Hawaiian shirt took a picture of me but I shot the camera so it couldn't be used against us, Specifically me.

"Our bags", yelled Grover.

*KRACK-BOOM*

It was too late to recover them as lightning had struck down from the sky and hit the bus, there was an upside to this. The shoes were gone now.

"Don't worry Grover, I got them before it was too late", said Annabeth.

Which made Grover sign in relief. I on the other hand just wanted to rage over still having those damn shoes.

"I didn't get yours though, sorry Percy."

Oh, okay well that gets rid of one problem.

A bunch of people then started pointing at us. Which prompted us to start running. The worst part is the amount of cameras there were. Seems that lady luck was against me today.

We ran into the dark woods. soaked to the brim, leaving behind one problem for another that will soon come to pass. With me giving a middle finger to the sky.

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