A web of fates | Percy Jackson and the Olympians

X| travelling with animals

The first thing that hit Daphne was the smell. It was like the world's biggest pan of kitty litter.

The trailer was dark inside until Percy uncapped Anaklusmos. The blade cast a faint bronze light over a very sad scene.

Sitting in a row of filthy metal cages were three of the most pathetic zoo animals she had ever beheld: a zebra, a male albino lion, and some weird antelope thing Daphne didn't know the name for.

Someone had thrown the lion a sack of turnips, which he obviously didn't want to eat. The zebra and the antelope had each gotten a Styrofoam tray of hamburger meat.

The zebra's mane was matted with chewing gum, like somebody had been spitting on it in their spare time.

The antelope had a stupid silver birthday balloon tied to one of his horns that read OVER THE HILL!

Apparently, nobody had wanted to get close enough to the lion to mess with him, but the poor thing was pacing around on soiled blankets, in a space way too small for him, panting from the stuffy heat of the trailer.

He had flies buzzing around his pink eyes and his ribs showed through his white fur.

"This is kindness?" Grover yelled. "Humane zoo transport?"

He probably would've gone right back outside to beat up the truckers with his reed pipes, and Daphne would've helped him, but just then the truck's engine roared to life, the trailer started shaking, and they were forced to sit down or fall down.

They huddled in the corner on some mildewed feed sacks, trying to ignore the smell and the heat and the flies.

Grover talked to the animals in a series of goat bleats, but they just stared at him sadly. Annabeth was in favor of breaking the cages and freeing them on the spot, but Daphne pointed out it wouldn't do much good until the truck stopped moving.

Besides, she had a feeling they might look a lot better to the lion than those turnips. Percy found a water jug and refilled their bowls, then used Anaklusmos to drag the mismatched food out of their cages.

Daphne gave the meat to the lion and the turnips to the zebra and the antelope. Grover calmed the antelope down, while Annabeth used her knife to cut the balloon off his horn.

She wanted to cut the gum out of the zebra's mane, too, but they decided that would be too risky with the truck bumping around.

They all told Grover to promise the animals we'd help them more in the morning, then they settled in for night.

Grover curled up on a turnip sack; Annabeth opened their bag of Double Stuf Oreos and nibbled on one halfheartedly; Daphne tried to cheer herself up by concentrating on the fact that they were halfway to Los Angeles.

Halfway to their destination. It was only June fourteenth. The solstice wasn't until the twenty-first. They could make it in plenty of time.

On the other hand, Daphne had no idea what to expect next. The gods kept toying with me.

"Hey," Annabeth said, "I'm sorry for freaking out back at the water park, Percy."

"That's okay."

"It's just..." She shuddered. "Spiders."

"Because of the Arachne story," Percy guessed. "She got turned into a spider for challenging your mom to a weaving contest, right?"

Annabeth nodded. "Arachne's children have been taking revenge on the children of Athena ever since. If there's a spider within a mile of me, it'll find me. I hate the creepy little things. Anyway, I owe you."