Chapter 162: Gateway Arch

[Third Person's PoV] 

The train stopped at the Amtrak station downtown, where they had a three-hour layover before departing for Denver.

Lucian and the others were seen stretching as they exited the train car, each of their limbs stiff from the ride.

Percy let out a sigh, "The Arch is at least a mile from here…"

Grover turned to Lucian, "Can't you just, you know, shadow travel us there?"

"And where's the fun in that? If you haven't noticed, I've barely used my travel ability throughout this trip and even took the train. It's all about enjoying the journey and adventure, so stop being lazy and let's get walking!"

"That's right, what Lucian said!" Annabeth exclaimed as she jumped on Lucian's back, making him give her a piggyback ride, which caused the others to give her a deadpan expression.

Annabeth looked down at Lucian with a mischievous grin, "What was it you once said? 'Go forth, my steed!'" she said, pointing forward while locking her legs around his waist.

"First of all, it's 'Come forth,' and second, I'm not your steed," Lucian replied, rolling his eyes as they began walking.

Annabeth giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck, ignoring the looks they were getting. Lucian didn't mind carrying her; due to his enhanced strength, she weighed practically nothing, more like a piece of clothing on his back.

Lucian let out an exasperated sigh and muttered, "Weren't you the one telling me to behave? Now look at you."

"Me being excited to see a structural monument and you whining about not letting a horse onto a train are two very different things," Annabeth scoffed, her face pressed against his.

"Yeah, of course, we're talking about two different things. One is my long-life partner, and the other is something you just see before leaving," Lucian said in a plain tone.

"Exactly, you'll always have your partner by your side, while for me, it's something I rarely see," Annabeth said with a smirk, knowing she had won the argument.

Percy, walking behind them, leaned over to Grover and whispered, "I thought he was dating Thalia. Don't he and Annabeth seem a bit too close? Aren't they worried about making Thalia mad or jealous?"

"He's dating both of them," Clarisse chimed in casually, walking with her hands behind her head.

"Excuse me?" Percy turned to her, shocked.

"Yup. Although they haven't officially announced it, there's no need. Everyone can tell, and they don't bother hiding it," Clarisse explained.

"And they're okay with it?" Percy asked, still in disbelief.

"They wouldn't be acting the way they are if they weren't."

"That's insane… How did Lucian even pull that off?"

"There are a lot of theories going around camp. Some say he used a spell, others think he charmed them, and a few believe he's blackmailing them. But it's mostly the guys saying that because they're jealous. The truth is, it's mostly because of Lucian's natural strength and confidence," Clarisse continued.

'We can literally hear them…' Lucian thought with a tired sigh.

Both Thalia and Annabeth glanced at Lucian before quietly chuckling to themselves.

After a while of walking and chatting, they arrived at the Gateway Arch.

They first explored the underground museum, where Annabeth eagerly shared interesting facts about the displays and how the Arch was built.

"That's nice, honey…" Lucian repeated after each fact.

Annabeth playfully slapped the back of his head. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course…"

"Name one thing I've said since we got here," Annabeth challenged, narrowing her eyes.

"That this is the Gateway Arch…" Lucian replied awkwardly.

Annabeth just stared at him with a deadpan expression, slowly narrowing her eyes further.

Lucian rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, I kinda zoned out…"

"I hate you…" Annabeth pouted. "Here I am, trying to show you something cool, and you're not even paying attention."

"I'm sorry, Annabeth, but you and I have very different definitions of what's cool," Lucian replied, shaking his head.

"Oh yeah? And what would be cool to you?"

"Dragons."

"Dragons are cool, though," Percy agreed.

"Scary and terrifying, but yeah, dragons are cool," Grover nodded.

"Ugh! Boys," Annabeth said, rolling her eyes.

"I actually think dragons are cool too…" Clarisse added, slightly raising her hand.

"A lightning dragon sounds pretty badass," Thalia joined in.

"Ugh!" Annabeth groaned as they made their way toward the elevator that would take them to the top of the Gateway Arch.

Seeing Annabeth pouting a bit, Lucian started to feel bad, knowing how much this meant to her. He reached out and held her hand.

"You can keep talking about the Arch. I'll start listening now. Sorry."

Annabeth's lips twisted skeptically. "Would you even listen to me?"

"Just blow my mind with your interesting facts and knowledge about the Arch."

Annabeth smiled, interlocking her fingers with his. "Alright, as I was saying…"

As they squeezed into the small elevator, Percy grumbled, "Ugh, confined spaces…"

"You're claustrophobic?" Thalia asked curiously.

"It's not that I'm scared, I just hate it. It makes me uncomfortable."

"Oh no~ Poor baby~" Clarisse teased in a mock-pampering tone.

Percy slowly turned to her, exasperated. "Seriously? What's wrong with you? What did I ever do to you?"

"A lot of things, actually, but mostly your presence annoys me, and your suffering brings me joy," Clarisse replied with a gleeful smile.

"You're just being mean and a bully…" Percy muttered.

"Cry me a river," Clarisse shot back with a smirk.

"Oh my god, just profess your undying love for each other already," Lucian groaned, causing Thalia and Annabeth to chuckle.

"WHAT!?" Percy and Clarisse both shouted, looking at Lucian like he was a complete idiot. "I DON'T LIKE HIM/HER!"

"Look at you two, already so in sync," Thalia teased as they made their way towards the top.

Percy scoffed, "Like someone could ever love this brutish—"

"I'd be careful with your next words, Jackson," Clarisse warned, glaring.

Percy turned to look her in the eyes. "This brutish o-gre," he said, emphasizing the word "ogre."

Before Clarisse could fully process his insult, Lucian jumped in, pulling her back as she immediately began swinging her fists savagely at Percy.

"Let go of me! Let me punch that bastard at least once!" Clarisse shouted, thrashing around. She managed to land a solid kick on Percy, who grunted in pain.

"Thalia, hold Percy," Lucian said quickly, struggling to contain Clarisse due to her and not wanting to hurt her.

Thalia grabbed Percy, and soon they were both thrashing about, kicking toward each other while being restrained.

"She actually kicked me!" Percy growled. "Let go of me!!"

Clarisse tried her best to break free from Lucian's grip, but his superior strength made it impossible. Percy was also unable to move much due to Thalia's hold. Both of them just glared at each other, hatred in their eyes.

"I'll show you, Fish-Eyes, who's really an ogre!" Clarisse barked angrily.

"You don't need to show me anything—it's already written all over your ugly mug!" Percy snapped back.

Clarisse thrashed even harder, enraged by his words.

Suddenly, everyone froze. They all turned slowly toward Lucian, who was releasing dark wisps of power, his eyes glowing a deeper shade of red.

The air grew tense as they gulped, feeling the cold intensity of Lucian's stare. "Continue with this behavior, and we're going to have a problem," Lucian said coldly. "Do I make myself clear?"

Both Percy and Clarisse nodded rapidly, even Grover, who wasn't involved, was nodding in nervous agreement.

"Now, when Thalia and I release you, you're both going to behave. If you act out like this again, I won't hesitate to punish you," Lucian warned, his voice firm.

Lucian nodded at Thalia, and together they slowly let Percy and Clarisse go. Both remained silent, subdued by the lingering threat in Lucian's words.

Just then, the elevator doors opened, revealing the awkward, heavy silence inside.

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