Celestial Flames (Percy Jackson Universe)

The Monsters

A tip for a demigods: Never get a ticket to the exact place you wanna go.

Things were okay. I had just had my second bathroom break. It was the middle of the morning. The sun was climbing in the sky, still low but gaining altitude quickly. Forest had fallen asleep about half an hour ago. I was buzzing too much to sleep (despite being awake the entire night). As I watched the Pennsylvania countryside go by, I was thinking about everything Forest told me.

Greek gods. I had learned a bit about them in fifth grade (school number five) but most of it I couldn't even think of right now. I knew the stories but I couldn't recall names or details, just the moral of the story. However, I remembered a picture of a woman in armor with a spear in front of a temple on a hill. According to Jordan the caption labelled her as Athena, the goddess of wisdom. I always thought she looked beautiful in that drawing, so powerful. So much like a goddess.

I watched as the lights of a town glowed a few miles off. Would Jordan be lying in his bunk back in Fort Leonard, waiting for his first tape from me? Was Erik fitting in, or did he mostly talk with Jordan?

Did they know? Did Jordan know about how we weren't related? That I was just left on his doorstep one day?

I doubted it. He would've told me.

Right?

What was his mother doing? Was she drinking? Did she even know I was gone? Did she care that I had run away? Was she enjoying her freedom from a kid she didn't even want?

Probably.

I shook off the thought. That line of thinking wouldn't get me anywhere. I concentrated on the scenery and noticed something in the wheat fields. Something was moving. Something large and black. It was following the bus. It was going fast.

I shook Forest awake. He was up immediately. I pointed to the fields. Forest's eyes widened. He quickly pulled a set of panpipes from his pack at rest at his feet, mine right next to him. He played a quick tune that sounded like YMCA. One of the kids in the tour group woke up, but my eyes were on the fields. The wheat stopped moving and the shape seemed to as well.

"How did you do that?" I whispered.

He gestured to the pipes. "Nature magic. One of my abilities."

I stared at the pipes. Dry kids coming out of rivers. Half-goat men manipulating grain. Why not?

A sign came up on our right. I couldn't read it in the dim sunlight, I doubt I could with the dyslexia and all.

"What does the sign say?" I asked.

"Welcome to New Jersey," he read. "Got anything in there for breakfast?"

I opened my backpack and searched through the assorted cans. Not much that wouldn't need some heat to be ready. I pulled out a can of pineapples. "How do you feel about pineapples?"

He shrugged. "I prefer the can, but sure."

I blinked before I remember he was part goat. "How about this, I get the fruit, you get the can."

"Deal," he finalised.

I pulled out the can opener and got it open. I handed to lid to Forest who immediately bit it in half. I half drank, half scooped the fruit into my mouth with my hand (I didn't have a fork). Pineapple was okay... just not on my pizza. Erik got me to try it once. It was too weird.

I handed the can to Forest when I was done. He took a bite, then picked something out of his mouth. A bit of the wrapper. He threw it in the little plastic bag we had for a garbage along with the rest of it.