Stark's Protective Daughter (S.P.N.D. Book 5)

Chapter 8: Traffic Jams Caused by Pegasi, A Wine Dude, and Evil Dreams

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The thing about flying on a pegasus during the daytime is that if you're not careful, you can cause a serious traffic accident on the Long Island Expressway. Percy had to keep Blackjack up in the clouds, which were, fortunately, pretty low in the winter. We darted around, trying to keep the white Camp Half-Blood van in sight. And if it was cold on the ground, it was seriously cold in the air, with icy rain stinging my skin. If it keeps raining like this, I may have to join the pegasus ride.

We lost the van twice, but I had a pretty good sense that they would go into Manhattan first, so it wasn't too difficult to pick up their trail again.

Traffic was bad with the holidays and all. It was mid morning before they got into the city. Percy landed Blackjack near the top of the Chrysler Building and watched the white camp van as I landed, thinking it would pull into the bus station, but it just kept driving.

"Where's Argus taking them?" my friend muttered. After a moment of silence, he said "Which girl?" Then, "Zoe?"

"I forgot you speak horse," I tell him quietly.

I could hear Percy trying to explain to Blackjack that taking a flying horse to a donut shop would give every cop in there a heart attack, but he didn't seem to get it. Meanwhile, the van kept snaking its way toward the Lincoln Tunnel. It had never even occurred to me that Zoe could drive. I mean, she didn't look sixteen. Then again, she was immortal. I wondered if she had a New York license, and if so, what her birth date said.

"Well," I said. "Let's get after them."

I lept off the building, and just as Percy was about to follow, Blackjack whinnied in alarm and almost threw him. I looked back, and saw that something was curling around Percy's leg like a snake. Percy reached for his pen as I reached for my bracelet, but that is when I figured out what they were. Vines- grape vines -had sprouted from the cracks between the stones of the building. They were wrapping around Blackjack's legs, lashing down Percy's ankles so we couldn't move.

"Going somewhere?" Mr. D asked.

He was leaning against the building with his feet levitating in the air, his leopard-skin warm-up suit and black hair whipping around in the wind.

Mr. D sighed in exasperation. "The next person, or horse, who calls me the 'wine dude' will end up in a bottle of Merlot!"

"Mr. D." Percy tried to keep his voice calm as the grape vines continued to wrap around his legs. "What do you want?"

"Oh, what do I want? You thought, perhaps, that the immortal, all-powerful director of camp would not notice you two leaving without permission?"

"Well... maybe."

"I should throw you off this building, minus the flying horse, and see how heroic you sound on the way down."

I bit my lip to keep me from pointing out how I would save him.

"Why do you hate me so much? What did I ever do to you?" Percy asked.

Purple flames flickered in his eyes. "You're a hero, boy. I need no other reason."

"I have to go on this quest! I've got to help my friends. That's something you wouldn't understand!"

"Shut up, Percy," I say, quiet enough for only him to hear me.

The grape vines coiled tighter around my friend. Below us, the white van was getting farther and farther away. Soon it would be out of sight.

"Did I ever tell you about Ariadne?" Mr. D asked. "Beautiful young princess of Crete? She liked helping her friends, too. In fact, she helped a young hero named Theseus, also a son of Poseidon. She gave him a ball of magical yarn that let him find his way out of the Labyrinth. And do you know how Theseus rewarded her?"