ᴾʰᵒᵇᵒᵖʰᵒᵇⁱᵃ [ᴶᵃˢᵒⁿ ᴳʳᵃᶜᵉ]

xiii.

They landed near the summit of a pine-covered hill; below them, the city of Atlanta was a cluster of silver and brown skyscrapers just a mile or two away, rising from a close suburb. Gleeson sniffed the morning air, nodding with a pleased smile, "Ah, lovely spot. Good choice, Valdez."

Leo shrugged, "I just picked a tall hill. There's a presidential library over there, or something. At least that's what Festus says."

"I don't know about that," Gleeson swung his bat aimlessly, "But do you realize what happened on this hill? Frank Zhang, you should know!"

Frank flinched, glancing at Hazel for comfort, "I should?"

"A son of Ares stood here," Gleeson exclaimed.

"I'm Roman, so... Mars, actually."

"Whatever! Famous spot in the American Civil War!"

"I'm Canadian, actually." Aza snickered into her hand, looking away and trying her best to conceal her smile. Her eyes met Jason's on instinct, and she blushed and looked away on instinct, too. Gleeson looked unaffected, "Whatever! General Sherman, Union leader. He stood on this hill watching the city of Atlanta burn. Cut a path of destruction all the way from here to the sea. Burning, looting, pillaging - now there was a demigod!"

"Cool," Aza smiled easily, a small noise of amusement escaping her when Frank inched away from the satyr, "Uh, okay."

"Maybe let's, and this is just a suggestion, try not to burn down the city this time," Percy patted Gleeson on his back, quickly taking a step back at the vicious glare he received.

The four made their way to the presidential library - the Carter Center - and asked the staff if they could call a taxi, or give them directions to the nearest bus stop. One of the librarians, Esther, insisted on driving them personally. She had the same glittering, coffee-brown eyes as Medusa, but Gleeson assured the others that she smelt like a normal human, and so they piled into Esther's black Cadillac and drove downtown.

Aza wasn't one for small talk, and so she allowed the woman's voice to simply roll over her, not quite listening, but not quite ignoring. Stories about the founders of Coca-Cola, the sports stars and other little odd bits of information. Percy leaned forward in his seat, "Uh, so, Esther. Here's a hard question for you. Salt water in Atlanta. What's the first thing that comes to mind?"

She smiled at them in the rearview mirror,"Oh, sugar. That's easy. Whale sharks!" Aza, too, sat forward, and she gripped the back of the passenger seat to press slightly closer to the woman. She grinned, licking her teeth slightly, "I like sharks - where can we see the sharks? And by any chance are there Hammer-heads there?"

"At the aquarium? Of course! Don't you know? It's very famous, right downtown. Is that where you wanted to go?"

"Yes," Percy nodded, and he glanced at Aza with a shrug, "That's where we're going."

The woman dropped them off at the main entrance, where a line was already forming. With a spectacular smile, one that made Aza blush, she gave them her cell-phone number for emergencies, money for a taxi ride back to the Carter Center and a jar of homemade peach preserves. Aza didn't know why she kept them in a box in the trunk of her car, but she graciously accepted it and passed it to Frank, who blushed as Esther called him 'son'.

When she drove away, Frank shuffled his feet, "Are all people in Atlanta that nice?"

"Hope not," Hedge grunted. "I can't fight them if they're nice. Let's go beat up some whale sharks! They sound dangerous."

They stood in line behind several families, and a group of kids from summer camp, wearing matching bright green t-shirts. Aza missed Camp; she wished she were there, teaching sword-fighting and wrestling with her youngest half-uncles. She missed Clarisse, more than anything. Percy sighed as they waited, and a sudden look overcame his face, "Wait. Does anyone have any money?"