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{Long Island, 12th of June 2006}
Annabeth POV
"Bye Argus," I said, waving at the one-hundred-eyed giant. He nodded with his ever-present smile, eyes blinking in unison. I always wondered why he never spoke to us. Some of the campers had theories—one said he was mute, another claimed he'd lost his tongue defending the camp from a monster. The most famous theory, though, was that he had an eye on his tongue and didn't want to freak us out. Personally, I thought he just enjoyed the mystery.
I stepped out of the car, my sneakers crunching on the gravel, and closed the door behind me. We watched as Argus drove off, his hundred eyes scanning every angle of the road like some kind of human (well, giant) security system. The strawberry fields that usually surrounded Camp Half-Blood faded into the distance, replaced by the stark concrete of a nearly deserted parking lot. Our cross-continental bus was nowhere in sight.
Great. Nothing like being late when you're trying to fix a rupture thousands of years old, before your best friend basically began the Greek Apocalypse.
Grover fidgeted nervously beside me, shifting his weight from hoof to hoof. His furry legs peeked out from beneath the wide cargo pants he used to hide his satyr nature. I could practically smell his anxiety—a mix of goat and nervous sweat that was uniquely Grover.
"You okay there?" I asked, nudging him with my elbow.
He bleated softly. "Yeah, just... you know. Big quest. Lots of monsters. Search for Pan. It's a lot."
I nodded, understanding all too well. Every quest felt like this—a mix of excitement and terror churning in your gut, never knowing if you'd make it back alive. But that was the life of a demigod. No use complaining about it.
Thalia was leaning against a rusted metal pole, twirling her spear disguised as a collapsible umbrella. Her electric blue eyes scanned the horizon, alert for any sign of trouble. At her feet sat Lailaps, the normally giant Tibetan mastiff, looking deceptively calm. I knew better. That dog could go from cuddly to killer in half a second.
Swiper, the fox, darted between Grover's legs, his fur bristling with excitement. His sharp eyes flicked to each of us, as if he knew something was about to go down. Knowing our luck, he probably did.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was probably only ten minutes, the bus pulled up with a groan of brakes and a puff of exhaust that made Grover wrinkle his nose. The door swung open with a hiss, revealing a heavyset, tired-looking driver with a large nametag that read "Marty." His bloodshot eyes flickered over our group and immediately landed on the animals.
"No animals allowed on the bus," he said gruffly, his thick mustache twitching as he spoke.
Thalia didn't miss a beat. She stepped forward, her stormy eyes focused on Marty. With a casual wave of her hand in front of his face, she said firmly, "There aren't any animals with us."
I watched in fascination as the Mist worked its magic. Marty blinked, his expression suddenly softening. "There aren't any animals with you," he repeated, his voice monotone.
Thalia nodded, satisfied, and we all shuffled aboard. I shared a grin with her as we moved down the narrow aisle of the bus. It never got old, watching her manipulate the Mist like that. I made a mental note to ask her for some pointers later.
Thalia plopped down beside me with Lailaps, who immediately curled up in her lap, his large form shrinking to the same size as that of Swiper. It was still weird seeing a dog that could bench-press a car turn into a lap-sized puffball. Grover took the seat directly across from us with Swiper, the fox making himself comfortable on his lap, his sharp little face buried in Grover's jacket.
The bus was old—worn upholstery and flickering overhead lights gave it a vintage, almost eerie, vibe. I half expected to see the ghost of Rosa Parks sitting in the back. I leaned back in my seat, letting out a sigh of relief as the bus lurched into motion. We had been through a lot over the past few days—Luke siding with Kronos, Thalia coming back, Percy getting claimed, Ozzy leaving to Tartarus, the existence of Roman gods and a camp- I couldn't shake the unease creeping into my chest.
Thalia was staring out the window, her fingers tapping absently against the armrest. The clouds outside had darkened, and the sky was slowly being overtaken by an ominous shade of gray. Zeus throwing a tantrum again? With Thalia here, I hoped not.
"When are you gonna teach me how to control the Mist?" I asked her quietly, my voice barely above a whisper. I'd been bugging her about it for days now.
She didn't answer right away, her gaze still fixed on the horizon. For a moment, I thought she might not have heard me. Then, without looking away from the window, she replied, "Soon, my young padawan." A cheeky smile played on her lips. "You must learn patience."
I rolled my eyes. "Says the girl who once electrocuted a camper because he was taking too long to attack."
Thalia shrugged, unrepentant. "Hey, if you're gonna try to beat me, at least be punctual about it."
We drove in silence for a few more minutes. The rhythmic hum of the bus's engine was oddly soothing, lulling us into a temporary calm. I glanced over at Grover, who was nervously fidgeting with Swiper's ears, muttering something under his breath. Probably a nature spell to keep the fox calm. Swiper gave a soft yip, but then nestled back into his lap, apparently unbothered.
I was just starting to relax when I noticed Percy shift uncomfortably in his seat. His sea-green eyes were darting around, and his hand kept drifting to his pocket where I knew he kept Riptide in pen form.
"You okay there, Seaweed Brain?" I whispered, leaning closer to him.
He frowned, his brow furrowed in concentration. "I don't know. Something feels... off."
I nodded, my own unease growing. If Percy was feeling it too, then something was definitely wrong. Children of Poseidon had good instincts when it came to danger, especially near water. I glanced out the window, noticing for the first time that we were crossing a long bridge over a wide river.
"Maybe we should tell the others to be on guard," I suggested.
Percy nodded, opening his mouth to speak, but before he could get a word out, the world exploded into chaos.
Something slammed into the side of the bus with the force of a battering ram. The impact threw us all against the windows, and I heard the sickening crunch of metal giving way. The bus swerved violently, tires screeching as Marty fought for control.
"Hold on!" Thalia yelled, her voice barely audible over the screaming of passengers and grinding metal.
I gripped the seat in front of me, my knuckles turning white. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Grover clutching Swiper to his chest, his eyes wide with terror. Lailaps had grown to full size, his massive body wedged protectively between Thalia and the aisle.
The bus skidded sideways, and for a heart-stopping moment, I thought we were going to flip. Then, with a final groan of protest, it came to a shuddering stop.
For a second, everything was eerily quiet. Then Percy was on his feet, Riptide already in his hand. "Everyone okay?" he called out, his voice steady despite the chaos.
We all nodded, a bit shaken but unharmed. Thalia was already moving towards the front of the bus, her spear crackling with electricity. "We need to get out of here," she said, her eyes scanning the area outside. "Whatever hit us, it's still out there."
I grabbed my Yankees cap from my pocket and drew my dagger. Grover fumbled for his reed pipes, while Lailaps and Swiper grew to their full, intimidating sizes.
As we made our way to the bus door, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were walking into something big. Something dangerous. The air felt thick with tension, like the calm before a storm.
We stepped off the bus and into the fading daylight. And that's when I saw them.
Thirty creatures, all identical, stood in front of us, their eyes glinting in the dim light. They looked like someone had taken a unicorn and decided to play mix-and-match with other animals.
They had the stumpy feet of an elephant, a boar's tail, and the body of a horse. Their heads were shaped like a deer's, sporting a single large, black horn. Oh, and they were the size of a van. Because apparently, regular-sized mythical creatures just weren't challenging enough.
"Monoceros," Grover whispered, his voice trembling. "Thirty monoceros."
I swallowed hard, my grip tightening on my dagger. This was it. This was what all my training had been for. My first real monster battle.
As we faced off against the creatures, a small part of my brain (the part that wasn't screaming in terror) couldn't help but think: 'Well, at least it can't get any worse than this.'
I really should have known better by now.