The Lightning Thief - My Way

War Comes to Town

Seven days away from the summer solstice. When war could start but we were going to prevent it. (I hope) Percy told us the whole story. The fat old lady was Echidna and the Chihuahua was her son Chimera. She of course was looking for the master bolt as well. He managed to escape by jumping through a hole in the ground into the river below. Then he met this river spirit. She was a messenger of Poseidon.  She told him to not trust the gifts... whatever that meant. We got off the train to Denver. Annabeth suggested we contact Chiron to tell him about Percy's adventure.

     "I thought we weren't supposed to use phones," Percy said.

    "I'm not talking about phones," Annabeth said. We walked until we found a DIY car wash. Grover needed a quarter for the spray nozzle. I gave him another quarter. He inserted all three and he pushed the button that read FINE MIST.

     "What are we doing?" Percy asked.

     "I'Ming," Annabeth and I answered.

     "Instant messaging?"

     "Iris messaging," we answered. He looked confused.

      "Iris goddess of the rainbow allows gods and goddesses and even demigods to communicate rainbow style. You get a rainbow going, throw a drachma in and if you know what to say, you can contact anybody as long as the rainbow is there," I explained. When Grover got a rainbow going Percy gave Annabeth a drachma. She held it over her head.

     "O goddess please accept our offering," then she threw the drachma into the rainbow. It dissolved into the mist. "Half Blood Hill," Annabeth requested. The rainbow shimmered and a face appeared. Luke's. I got that uneasy feeling about him again.

     "Luke!" Percy yelled. He turned around looking shocked. Annabeth was madly trying to make herself look pretty. I put her hands down and looked at her pointedly. She stopped trying to straighten her shirt and hair.

     "We thought Chiron-"

     "We're having issues with the campers," Luke said. Then a car pulled up with the stereo blasting. "What's that noise?" he yelled over the stereo.

     "I'll take care of it!" Annabeth yelled back relieved to get out of there. She pulled Grover along. Luke told us that campers were choosing sides. Athena with Zeus and Ares, Aphrodite and Apollo were with Poseidon. Luke wanted to know what was happening on our end. We told him everything. Even our suspicion with the Helm of Darkness. He said that you'd have to  be invisible. But when he realized what he said he said he didn't mean Annabeth. He thought of her like a little sister. Then there was a man's scream, a slam of a door and the car drove out of sight.

     "Better go check out what that was," Luke suggested. "You still got those flying shoes with you right? Just making sure they've done you some good,"

     "Yeah. They're just fine," Percy lied. He didn't have the shoes. Grover did. Then then the mist turned off. The rainbow was fading. Luke shouted out for us to tell Grover that this time will be better and no one will get turned into a pine tree... then he disappeared. Percy and I exchanged a look. Did Luke mean...? Then Annabeth and Grover came around the corner laughing but when they saw our faces the laughing died.

     "What happened? What did Luke say?" Annabeth asked.

     "Not much," Percy tried for a smile.

     "Come on. Let's go get dinner," I smiled. We came across a diner. When the waitress came she asked if we had money. Suddenly there was a rumble outside. A huge motorcycle pulled into the parking lot. A dude that looked like he could crush the ring as well as the wrestlers stepped off. He had red wrap around sunglasses and the cruelest face ever seen. But the sneer looked familiar. He walked through the door and sat at our booth. It was barely big enough for Annabeth and Grover and him. Annabeth was squished against the wall because Grover was cowering. The waitress asked us about the money again. The guy said it was on him. She left to the kitchen. This biker guy was just getting on my nerves somehow. Then I realized who he is.