How Do You Say Gods- Sea of Monsters

3: WE HAIL THE TAXI OF ETERNAL TORMENT

Enjoy my birthday gift to all of you! Next one on Monday, which all updates will continue on!

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Nico read casually enough this time, just trying to blend in and pretty sure he was doing it alright and that the others were muttering in confusion about the odd chapter title as usual, not him.

"Does Hades own a taxi?" Jason fidgeted in place if they were being dragged back to the Underworld for some reason.

"Do you never get the gum off the seats?" Alex asked in disgust.

'I've never been in a taxi, what would qualify as torment in them?' Hearth asked.

'The same thing that qualifies out of them,' Magnus uneasily promised, though he'd never been in one either.

They jumped off the sidewalk just as a fire truck passed, heading for Meriwether Prep.

"I wonder if fire stations took bids on putting a homing beacon on you," Thalia grinned.

"More like begged the police to take it," Percy sighed.

...I'd missed Annabeth probably more than I wanted to admit.

Percy smiled sadly now. According to Thalia, he'd only been away from her for three days, but since she was the only memory he'd woken up with before he'd started getting them back, it felt much longer.

... all Annabeth could do was glare at him like he was the problem.

Percy was grateful for the first time Annabeth wasn't here though, he felt like the center in a tug-o-war all of a sudden as his first impulse was to snap at her for being so rude to his friend, when he wasn't even sure that's what Tyson was to him. He groaned and rubbed his temples in frustration the smartest person he knew always gave him such a headache.

Thalia gave him a commiserating pat on the shoulder and hated not being able to explain this to him even if she could, she wasn't quite sure herself why this cyclops had latched onto Percy and sort of wanted this whole story herself.

..."Is he homeless?"

Magnus and Alex frowned for the spurn they could imagine in Annabeth's voice Nico tried hard to hide, but it was a strange question even without that. If Tyson was some kind of monster, where did she expect him to live?

...Why don't you ask him?"

Hearth ducked low in his seat as Magnus shifted closer to him with real frustration for his cousin. Tyson was being treated the same way his deaf friend was for what reason again?! After he'd just saved Percy's life!

She looked surprised. "He can talk?"

"What is he that you are not seeing?" Alex demanded even knowing nobody would answer.

...I couldn't believe she was being so rude.

Even Nico and Will were clearly surprised about Annabeth's dislike of Percy's brother and exchanged a mystified look for it, only Thalia was left truly guilt ridden again while holding her tongue and not speaking of their mess of a journey.

...surprised the Laistrygonians had the guts to attack you with him around."

Annabeth might not like him much, Jason reasoned out, but she wasn't trying to stab Tyson either, she wasn't concerned he was around. Whatever he was, this must be something personal to Annabeth, like his odd feelings about faw- satyrs.