𝙇𝙮𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙨 (𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙮 𝙅𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙭 𝙁𝙚𝙢! 𝙊𝘾) 𝙏𝙏𝘾

The Golden Lion Terrorizes a Museum

Everything seemed to be going okay, at least from Lux's perspective, until someone ran into Sylvia and knocked her into an Apollo space capsule.

Grover yelped in surprise.

Before the offender could regain their balance, Zoe, Lux, Sylvia, and Bianca all had their arrows notched and aimed at their chest. Lux vaguely registered how Zoe and Bianca's bows appeared out of nowhere.

That's when Lux realized who it was.

What is Percy Jackson doing here?

Lux lowered their bow, and Bianca did the same. Neither Sylvia nor Zoe seemed anxious to follow suit, though, and Thalia looked ready to throw hands.

"You!" Zoe shouted. "How dare you show thy face here?"

Sylvia didn't say anything, but she did shoot Percy a venomous look full of unspoken threats.

"Percy!" Grover said. "Thank goodness."

Sylvia and Zoe both glared at him, and he blushed. "I mean, um, gods. You're not supposed to be here!"

"Luke," Percy said. "He's here."

Luke? The evil son of Hermes Sylvia told me about?

The anger in Thalia's eyes immediately faded. She put her hand on her silver bracelet. "Where?"

Percy told them about things he saw/heard in the Natural History Museum, including Dr. Thorn, Luke,  and the General.

"The General is here?"  Zoe looked stunned. "That's impossible. You lie."

Lux glanced at Sylvia to see her reaction. She was staring at Percy as if trying to read his mind. Lux couldn't tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She lowered her bow, though.

"Why would lie? Look, there's no time. Skeleton warriors--"

"What?" Sylvia demanded. "How many?"

"Twelve," Percy said. "And that's not all. That guy, the General, he said he was sending something, a 'playmate,' to distract you over here. A monster."

Thalia, Sylvia, and Grover exchanged looks.

"We were following Artemis's trail," Grover said. "I was pretty sure it led here. Some powerful monster scent...She must've stopped here looking for the mystery monster. But we haven't found anything yet."

"Zoe," Bianca  said nervously, "if it is the General--"

"It cannot be!" Zoe snapped. "Percy must have seen an Iris-message or some other illusion."

Bianca didn't look convinced, and Lux shared that feeling.

"Illusions don't crack marble floors," Percy told her.

Zoe took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Lux didn't know why she was taking it so personally, or how she knew the General, but they figured now wasn't the time to ask. They had to act quickly.

Lux hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I-if he is telling the tru-truth about the skelet-ske-skeleton warriors, I don't think w-we have time to argue."

Zoe nodded. "You are correct. They are the worst, the most horrible...We must leave now."

"Good idea," Percy said.

"'We' does not include you, Jackson," Sylvia said. "You aren't a part of this quest."

"You shouldn't have come, Percy," Thalia said grimly. "But you're here now. Come on. Let's get back to the van."