Memories (Percy Jackson)

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Annabeth turned out to be chill.  She was pretty nice.  

As soon as we got in the car, she insisted on driving, because “Percy’s doesn’t know highways for shit.”  

I think Percy knew not to cross her.  He put his hands up in surrender, and slowly got in the backseat with me. 

 “Cyrena, you should come up here.”  She gestured toward the empty passenger seat.  

“You sure you don’t want Percy there?”  She laughed.  “I’m positive.”  

I got into the passenger seat of the dinky rental car, and Annabeth gave me a small smile before turning on the car.  

“So,”    She began, “How long have you been living at Camp-Half-Blood?  I probably don’t know like, half of the new campers.”  

I chuckled nervously.  “I think I was there about 6 hours.”  Her eyes narrowed, still driving.  It scared the shit out of me when she looked at Percy, turning her body all the way around.  The car was going straight at the moment, but I was worried she would lose control any second.  

“What does she mean, Percy?”  She demanded, and I could tell by the terrified look on his face that he had not told her why I was here.

  “Um.. Well, I.. uh..”  Percy explained.  I rolled my eyes.  

“Do you want to hear the whole story?”  

Annabeth whipped towards me.  “Of course.”  

I told her everything that’s happened in the past couple days with Nico, Camp, and my dream with Eros.  “So, did your mom tell you who your godly parent is?”  

“Well, that’s the thing.  I don’t think Percy likes  the fact that my father is the god of the underworld.”  

You could see the gears working in Annabeth’s head.  “So you’re telling me your father is Hades?”  

I nodded.  “And someone is going to betray you?  Like, a new friend?” 

 “I guess that’s what he meant.”  Annabeth turned her attention back to driving, so I could breathe again.  “Percy, you know we have to get back to camp and get Nico and Hazel there fast.”  

“I know.”  Percy piped up from the backseat.  “I think we need to talk to Rachel.”  Annabeth decided.  

“Who’s Rachel?”  

“Our Oracle.”  She didn’t say anything more.  I decided not to ask any more questions.  I assumed I would get an answer I didn’t really want to hear. 

 We continued on driving while Annabeth was gushing to Percy about the buildings she was putting up in some sort of garden.  I just sat there and listened to her spiel.  She seemed to really love architecture, and she seemed to be doing pretty well for someone so young.  

“Where are the gardens you put up the buildings in?”  I asked politely, attempting to make conversation.  

“Olympus.  The nymphs like to hang out there.  I figured I’d put a couple houses for them to sleep in at night.”  

“You mean Olympus as in the home of the gods?”  

“That’s correct.”  So, she works on Olympus.  Just when I thought something was normal.   Then I remembered Percy saying something about Annabeth having to rebuild Olympus from the damage Kronos had caused in the big war.  She had taken time off when they fell into Tartarus and had that whole ‘stopping-the-earth’ dilemma. Now she was finally back, and she had to make up for lost time.  

We had just past the border into Maryland when things started going wrong again.  Percy asked if we could stop the car because he had to use the bathroom, so we stopped on the side of the highway so he could pee.  

As Percy disappeared into the woods, Annabeth turned off the car and turned her body to look at me.  “I don’t know if you’re like your brother or your sister,”  she said intimidatingly, “But if you do anything to hurt my camp or the people love, whether that be physically or emotionally, I will end you.  Got it?”  And here’s the other side of Annabeth.  

“Got it.  I can assure you I like the people at Camp Half-Blood.  I would never do anything to hurt any of them.”  

“Good.”  She nodded.  I noticed something in the corner of my vision behind Annabeth on the other side of the highway, but I figured it was just a deer or something so I shrugged it off. 

“Cyrena, honestly, I think we could be good-”  

“ANNABETH, GET OUT OF THE CAR!”  The thing behind her wasn’t a deer at all.  In fact, I don’t see how I made that assumption in the first place.   It was huge, the size of a giant, with icy blue skin and every time he took a step closer to us, the ground underneath him froze.  I didn’t know if it was a him, but I was going to guess by the way that it wasn’t wearing a top that it was in fact a dude.  

It made it’s way across the lanes of traffic, and thank God (I’m still allowed to say thank God, right?) It wasn’t trampling any cars.  Annabeth whipped around and quickly threw open the car door, running out and grabbing me from the passenger side. 

We ran to the edge of the woods, before the giant caught up with us.  It picked up the car with one hand, and crumpled it like a piece of paper.  

There goes our ride, I thought.  

“Get behind me!”  Annabeth shouted.  I was quick to oblige.  When there’s a scary, big blue man that just destroyed your car, you get behind the goddamn person. 

 I decided Annabeth and I could use some reinforcements by the way the giant was looking at us.  “PERCY!”  I screamed into the woods.  Percy came running out of the woods, pulling up his pants.  When he saw our company, he immediately took out his pen-sword.  

Apparently, Annabeth already had a plan of attack.  “Cyrena, distract from the front.  Percy, flank from the right!”  I had no idea what the second part meant, but my directions were pretty straightforward.  

“Got it.”  I muttered.  Deep breaths were exchanged.  I worked up my courage, and shouted.  “Hey!  Ice-cream brain!”  

By the way the monster turned to look at me extremely fast, I would say they really don’t like being compared to ice cream.  He built up a breath like he was going to breathe on me. 

“Hyperborians freeze people when they exhale! You’ll freeze!  Literally!”  Annabeth’s advice came at the moment I needed it.  I barely missed an exhale of deadly cold, and he looked like he was heating up for another burst.  

It was a game of sidestepping and insulting for me.  Annabeth went in with her knife on my left, and the giant looked at her and swatted her away, her body flying towards a tree.  The tree actually ended up falling, pinning her leg under it.  

The ice-man was beginning to move toward her.  I guess they were a quiet folk, because it didn’t say a word.  Percy didn’t like this guy trying to hurt his girlfriend, I mean, who wouldn’t?  

“Hey!  Over here!”  The giant turned to look towards the source of the noise.  Percy slashed and sidestepped arctic blasts, and stabbed some more.  There came a point when the thing had him cornered. and he had nowhere to go.  I wanted to help, but I had nothing to attack a 4-story-tall giant that breathed ice. 

The monster suddenly stopped fighting Percy, and looked at his chest, where there was a black sword sliding down it, ripping him open like a piñata. His body went rigid, and he shattered into a billion pieces of ice.  

Behind the pile of cold was a guy with a black sword.  I recognized him to be Nico Di Angelo.

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