𐌙/𐌍 Ᏽ𐌵𐌀𐌋𐌄 & 𐌕𐋅𐌄 Ᏽ𐌐𐌄𐌀𐌕 𐌌𐌙𐌕𐋅𐌔 ¹

Chapter 3

Three
𖧷

The Taxi of Prophets

  Annabeth was waiting for us in an alley down Church Street. She pulled Tyson and me off the sidewalk just as a fire truck screamed past, heading for Meriwether Prep.

  "Where’d you find him?" she demanded, pointing at Tyson.

  "He's my friend," Percy gave an angry response.

  "Is he homeless?"

  "What does that have to do with anything? He can hear you, you know. Why don’t you ask him?"

  She looked surprised. "He can talk?"

  "I talk," Tyson admitted. "You are pretty."

  "Ah! Gross!" Annabeth stepped away from him.

  I looked back at Tyson, just now noticing how different his face looked from a normal 13 year old child. Tyson had crooked teeth, dirty and unwashed face. His hands were big, with unclipped nails with dirt–but they weren't burnt, like he didn't even touch blazing balls of celestial bronze.

  But what matters the most, is that he only has one eye, in the middle of his forehead. Like ... A Cyclop's.

  I didn't notice this before?! I argued with myself for being so oblivious.

  "Tyson," Percy said in disbelief. "Your hands aren’t even burned."

  "Of course not," Annabeth muttered. "I’m surprised the Laistrygonians had the guts to attack you with him around."

  Tyson seemed fascinated by Annabeth’s blond hair. He tried to touch it, but she smacked his hand away.

  "Laistry–what now?" I asked.

  "Laistrygonians. The monsters in the gym. They’re a race of giant cannibals who live in the far north. Odysseus ran into them once, but I’ve never seen them as far south as New York before."

  "Laistry—I can’t even say that. What would you call them in English?"

  She thought about it for a moment. "Canadians," she decided. "Now come on, we have to get out of here."

  "But–the police'll be after us."

  "That’s the least of our problems," she said. "Have you been having the dreams?"

  "I have weird dreams every night, can you please be more specific?"

  "The dreams ... about Grover?" Percy suggested.

  Annabeth's face turned pale. "Grover? No, what about Grover?"

  Percy told us about a dream where Grover was running around in a storm in Florida while he ran from a weird monster Percy couldn't see. "Why? What were you dreaming about?"

  "I dreamed about a cliff last night. I still don't know what it means this time," I shrugged. "Annabeth?"

  Annabeth placed her bottom lip between her teeth and munched on it with a frown on her eyebrows.