Zero to Hero (Percy Jackson Fanfic)

Chapter Thirty-The Giant Anthill

Percy's POV

"Okay," I said, trying to sound tough, when I really just wanted to suggest we turn around and casually run back the way we'd come. "We need a plan. We gotta get inside, right? Um..."

"Grover," Annabeth said, "are they venomous?"

Grover whimpered, "Yes."

"Naturally," I muttered. 

"What if we rode them in?" Annabeth suggested.

I blinked. "That's your conclusion after you learned that they're poisonous?"

"They're not poisonous," Annabeth paused. "They aren't poisonous, right?"

Slowly, Grover shook his head. 

"Good," Annabeth continued. "We need to lure them to us somehow, then ride them back in."

"Wait, wait, wait," I held up the time-out sign. "What's the difference between poisonous and venomous then?"

"If they were poisonous, we couldn't touch them," Annabeth explained impatiently. "They're venomous, so we'll have to be careful about their mouths."

"Avoid its mouth," I said, "got it. How do we lure it out?"

"Um..." Grover said anxiously, "they like shiny stuff." 

"It's probably got to be big though. Not like a watch or something, right?" Annabeth thought aloud.

"Like...a car?" I suggested.

Grover snorted, "A golden car, maybe. These things can probably see through a shiny paint job."

"What about a bronze shield?" Annabeth unstrapped the one around her wrist.

"Are you sure you're not going to want to use that later?" Grover asked timidly.

"No," Annabeth admitted, "but I'll be fine. Now..." she glanced up at the trees, "I suggest we drop from above. As long as we control the landing, their armor should keep them from knowing we're there."

"I hate sentences with the word should," Grover muttered.

"I like this plan," I said, anxious to get on with the fighting. "Should we get closer?"

"Probably," Annabeth said, inching toward the anthill. 

"Not," Grover mumbled to himself as he followed us. "We should probably not get closer."

"Here," Annabeth whispered after about five yards. We'd covered half the distance to the nest, and it personally, felt much too close. Annabeth set her shield down quietly on the ground and softly moved to the nearest tree. 

I paced to the tree across from hers and began to climb. When I had scrambled onto the first branch, I looked back down. Grover was still standing there, looking around nervously. 

"Grover!" I hissed, "Get up here!"

"I..." Grover toed the heel of one of his shoes. "I don't think I can."

"What are you talking about? You've just as much training as the rest of us. More probably."

"No, you don't understand." He looked more nervous than he had all day. "I can't. I...I don't think I'm allowed to."

"What--?"

"Shh!" Annabeth whispered from her tree, "There's one coming this way!"

I looked toward the anthill. A fiery red, King Kong of an ant, with pincers the size of crowbars was ambling over the tree roots toward us. "Grover! Get up here, now!"

Grover's eyes widened, and then he did something that made me want to climb down and smack him. He sat down and began yanking off his shoes. Except, his ankle didn't end in a foot. He had freaking hooves. My hand slipped on the trunk and I almost fell.

"What the Hades..."

The Mermeke had seen the shield. It was scuttling more excitedly, getting closer. The next second Grover was scrambling up the tree next to mine on his toes--hooves--like a freaking mountain goat. Thankfully, the Mermeke had been too preoccupied with the shield to notice Grover. 

The ant clamped the shield between its pincers and began hauling it back the way it had come. I met Annabeth's gaze. 

She held up three fingers. Three. 

I moved down the branch so that the ant was right beneath me. 

Two.

I prepped to fling myself off.

One.

I let go, angling my body toward my target. My feet crashed into the ant's heavy armor with a thud, and I bent forward on my hands and knees to better absorb the impact. Something slammed into me, and I barely kept my balance on our live transportation. Annabeth had nearly landed on top of me. As it was, she could have broken my ankle. It took all my willpower not to scream out a stream of curse words as I scooted up the ant's body to give her more room.

"Ouch," she whispered, "You okay?"

"Yup," I said, eyes watering. "Where's Grover?"

She glanced around as if he were hiding somewhere under the Mermeke's belly. I looked past her, to see Grover charging after us. He'd missed the one shot at jumping. And was trying to follow.

"No," I mouthed, making frantic cut motions with my hands, "You. Will. Die."

But Grover ran on with determination. And he was fast. I'd never seen him run without shoes on before, and apparently they did nothing to help his speed. 

"Is he going to try and jump?" Annabeth asked, horrified.

"I think--"

Grover jumped, thrusting out his hands. And we would have caught him, except suddenly our buss slanted upwards and I pitched forward into Annabeth. We'd begun going up the slope of the anthill.

Unfortunately, Grover landed on his hands and knees, right in the middle of a horde of Mermekes who had appeared with the change in angle.

"No!" 

The ants swarmed him to the point that we couldn't see him anymore. I gripped my sword and made to launch myself off our ride, but Annabeth grabbed me. "Wait!"

"Annabeth, they're eating him!" I fought to free myself, nearly sending both of us tumbling of the creature.

"No!" Annabeth shrieked, steadying us with a hand on the ant's shiny shell. "No, they aren't. They'll bring him to the queen. Once we get inside, we follow. He's not dead, Percy."

I looked at her furiously. "How do you know?"

Her eyes were swirling gray and determined as they stared back at mine. "I know."

And then the ant turned at nearly a ninety degree vertical angle, sending me sliding up its abdomen, and Annabeth into my lap. The world went very very dark. 

We were in the anthill.