Alstroemerias {Percy Jackson}

22

It didn't take Percy long to pack.

He had decided to leave the minotaur horn in his cabin, leaving him with only a spare set of clothes and a toothbrush that he could stuff in the backpack Grover had found for him.

The camp store loaned the group a hundred dollars in mortal money and twenty golden drachmas. The drachmas were as big as Girl Scout cookies and had images of various Greek gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. Chiron had explained that the ancient mortal drachmas had been silver, but Olympians never used anything less than pure gold. The coins were meant to come in handy in any non-mortal transactions were necessary, whatever that meant.

He, along with his other companions, were also given a small canteen of nectar and a Ziploc full of ambrosia squares each. Chiron took the time to remind them that the godly food would cure almost any injury but was lethal to mortals. Maggie added the wonderful reminder that if we had too much, they would have five to twenty seconds to regret every decision they had ever made in their lives before going out in flames.

Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap, which had been a twelfth birthday present from her mom. She also was set on bringing a book on classical architecture written in Greek, to read when she got bored. Percy got the feeling that she would get to enjoy the book on their quest. The blond also made sure to pack her long, bronze knife, which she hid in her shirt sleeve. Percy hoped that the knife wouldn't get them busted if they went through a metal detector.

Grover wore his fate feet, which Percy hadn't seen since the bus ride back from Yancy Academy. He had the green rasta-style cap Percy had gifted him for Christmas in order to hide the tips of his small horns. Seeing the hat on the satyr's head made Percy happy. The curly haired boy also brought a bright orange backpack filled to the brim with scrap metal and apples to snack on. And, even though he only knew two songs, he carried a set of reed pipes that his daddy goat had carved for him.

Maggie had packed a few sets of extra clothes and some extra money that she would not tell Percy how she got. He truly believed that her stay at the Hermes cabin had had a horrible influence. She still had on the various bracelets she never seemed to leave home without, and Percy thought he saw the ring Charles Beckendorf had given her on her left hand. She also had a hat, though hers had no magical purpose.

They waved a final goodbye to the campers after managing to pry Maggie out of Charlie and Silena's grasp. Percy took the time to take a last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House before following the group up Half-Blood Hill toward the large pine tree that used to be Thalia, the daughter of Zeus.

Chiron was waiting for the group in his wheelchair. Next to him stood Argus, the surfer dude he had seen while recovering in the sick room. According to Grover and Maggie, Argus was the camp's head of security. Supposedly, the man had eyes all over his body, making it so that he couldn't be surprised. Today, however, he was wearing a chauffeur's uniform, which concealed his extra eyes, save the ones that were located in his hands, face, and neck.

"Argus will drive you into the city," Chiron explained. "And, er, well, keep an eye on things."

Footsteps sounded from behind the group, announcing the arrival of Luke, carrying a pair of basketball shoes.

"Hey!" he panted. "Glad I caught you."

Annabeth blushed, the way she always seemed to when Luke was around.

"Just wanted to say good luck," the blond told Percy. "And I thought.. Um, maybe you could use these?"

He handed him the sneakers, which looked normal enough. Maggie was eyeing them, as if trying to figure out why Luke would give Percy an old pair of sneakers. She didn't have anything against hand-me-downs, a lot of her clothes were from Silena, but it really didn't seem like the time to give someone a new pair of shoes. That was, until Luke uttered, "Maia."

The four demigods watched in awe as white bird's wings sprouted from the heels of the tennis shoes. Percy dropped them, in his surprise, leaving them to flap around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared.

"Awesome!" Grover exclaimed.

Luke smiles. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad, of course. I don't use them much these days.." his expression turned sad.

Percy was at a loss for words. He appreciated the fact that Luke had come to say goodbye, and had been afraid that the older boy would have resented him for getting so much attention the past two days. However, he went out of his way to give him a gift, which made him blush almost as much as Annabeth was.

"Hey man," Percy told him. "Thanks."

"Listen, Percy..." Luke looked uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just... kill some monsters from me, okay?"

The two shook hands. Luke patted Grover's head between his horns before giving Annabeth a tight hug. He then turned to Maggie.

"See ya, Grinch." he stated as he gave her a two fingered salute.

"Later, Sandy! Don't let the Stolls have too much fun without me."

Luke turned around, quickly fleeing the scene, an exasperated sigh escaping him. He hoped everything would turn out okay.