Fire and Wisdom [Leo Valdez]

XII - Caroline

Caroline awoke to the sound of someone talking, and she looked outside the tent and saw Annabeth next to a fountain, looking like she was talking to the water for some reason. Caroline quietly stood behind her, and saw that she was talking to a reflection that looked like Percy Jackson's head in the middle of a rainbow over the water's surface. "I miss you, wise girl," Percy said and Annabeth sighed, "So do I, Seaweed Brain." A tear fell into the water, making Percy's image ruffle for a second, "Don't cry, Annabeth. I'm sure you guys'll find Thalia soon," he reassured with a smile, but Caroline probably knew he was worried for her—like Caroline knew this Thalia girl was friends with him. "Look, I gotta go, Percy. I'll Iris message you later, okay?" Percy only nodded as Annabeth put her hand in the water, then ran her hand across Percy's image that soon disappeared. She turned around, and almost fell backwards into the water upon seeing Caroline, "Oh gods, you scared me!" Caroline smiled, then scratched her inner right forearm again, "I heard about your arm. It seems like you're a legacy of Jupiter, am I right?" Caroline looked at her with confusion. "How did you—" "Chiron," Annabeth said, smirking at her, "I Iris messaged him after I woke up," "How long have you been up?" Caroline asked "About two hours and fifteen minutes." Annabeth looked at Caroline's arm, and she could see the outline of an eagle appearing as well as the words S.P.Q.R becoming more clearer. "It seems to be more aggravating now, huh?" Caroline nodded as she kept scratching, but Annabeth grabbed her wrist to stop her. "Stop, Caroline," She said calmly and Caroline whined, "I can't! It's driving me nuts!" Annabeth sighed, then handed her a bag of some food, "Here. Eat this," she instructed. "What is it?" "McDonald's. I got some for all of us before you woke up and before I Iris messaged Percy," Annabeth seemed proud of herself, "You had normal money?" "No, just saw a few bags of fresh food, so I walked in and took it without anyone noticing." "How?" Annabeth smiled, "A friend of mine taught me how when I was a kid. He was a son of Hermes." "What was his name?" Annabeth sighed, "Luke Castellan. He's dead now." Caroline decided not to ask how he died, as she could tell that it made Annabeth upset just thinking about this guy. A drowsy Leo stepped out of the tent, stumbling a little as he made his way over to the girls. "Hey," He yawned and was handed a McDonald's bag by Annabeth. "Eat this, fire boy. We've got a long trip ahead of us." Caroline looked up at the Empire State Building while she ate a hash brown and sitting on the side of the fountain next to her friend, "So you said that's where Mount Olympus is now?" Annabeth nodded. "Yes. All of the gods and goddesses reside on the 600th floor." Caroline nodded, "Cool," Leo finished his food and so did Caroline, and they continued their quest.

The three teens walked down the busy streets as they were figuring out where to go next. Along the way, Leo was acting weird—he was jumpy, distant, and would rarely talk. "Leo, are you alright?" Caroline asked, concerned for her boyfriend. "Hmm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." Leo lied, and Caroline took his hand, "No, you're not, Leo. Tell me what's wrong." She said gently, and Leo sighed. "Alright. I... had a strange dream—it was about Thalia. She's being held hostage in a cave with two Gorgons named Euryale and Stheno. Apparently they're immune to electricity for some reason. But the thing is, I don't know where this cave even resides. So, how're we supposed to find her?" Leo admitted, and Annabeth and Caroline exchanged a look. "Oh my gods," Annabeth said, and pulled her friends into an empty alleyway, then Caroline took out a golden coin from her backpack—a drachma. "Stop, Currum Damnationis!" She spoke in Latin, then flipped the coin to the pavement, where it melted and a cab took its place. "How did you—" Leo began in shock "I have no idea, Leo. I just knew what to say for some reason," Annabeth looked worried, now. "She's becoming a Roman! Think about it—the Latin, the confusion of the Ancient Greek alphabet. Maybe she's a child of Minerva instead of Athena!" "What!?" Three voices spoke in unison, and Caroline saw three strange looking ladies in the cab. "Whoa," She said to herself. "We're not taking a Roman demigod with us! Romans don't belong in this chariot!" The driver said. Wow, rude much? Caroline thought, and Annabeth stepped forward. "Look, she may be becoming a Roman, but you have to take her. She's a part of this quest, and she's riding with us, whether you like it or not!" The drivers decided to keep their mouths shut, and the back door opened, then the three demigods climbed in—with Caroline stuck between Leo and Annabeth. "Take us to the Gorgons' cave," Annabeth said, and the drivers nodded. Looking around, she saw no seatbelts—but instead black chains. Annabeth put one of them on her lap and sighed, "Here we go again," "What do you—AAH!" Caroline screamed as the taxi began driving at incredible speeds—faster than a race car. She clung on to the seats for dear life as she felt like her skin was going to peal off. "Woo! Yeah!" She heard Leo say, and she saw that he was enjoying the heck out of it. Caroline quickly grabbed a chain and put it on her lap securely as she sighed in relief. Looking out the window, she saw the buildings of Manhattan pass by in a blur, and was able to see the Brooklyn Bridge and the view of the East River. That, however was gone in a blur as well—as the taxi was now in front of some mountain in midair. Caroline could tell it was Mount Marcy. One of the highest mountains in New York State. "There it is," Annabeth said, pointing to a cave. "The Cave of Echidna. Now resided by the two Gorgon sisters."