The Adventure That Lies Ahead | PJO x HP

CHAPTER 9

They spent two days on the Amtrak train, heading west through hills, over rivers, past amber waves of grain.

They weren't attacked once, but Isa didn't relax. She felt that they were traveling around in a display case, being watched from above and maybe from below, that something was waiting for the right opportunity. On top of that, Isa knew it wasn't a good idea to travel with two children of the Big Three.

Percy tried to keep a low profile because his name and picture were splattered everywhere over the front pages of several East Coast newspapers. The Trenton Register-News showed a photo taken by a tourist as he got off the Greyhound bus. He had a wild look in his eyes. His sword was a metallic blur in his hands. It might've been a baseball bat or a lacrosse stick.

"That's the Mist doing its job," Isa told him.

Surprisingly, even Isa was on the paper, but not as much as Percy. She also had a picture, but it was a sketch and a picture of her five years ago when she was four. You could still recognize her a bit from the younger photo but not the sketch.

The picture's captions read:

Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson, wanted for questioning in the Long Island disappearance of his mother two weeks ago, is shown here fleeing from the bus where he accosted several elderly female passengers. The bus exploded on an east New Jersey roadside shortly after Jackson fled the scene. Based on eyewitness accounts, police believe the boy may be traveling with three teenage accomplices. It's also said to believe that one of them, a young girl who is estimated to be around nine-years-old was badly injured. (For more details, go to Page 7). His stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, has offered a cash reward for information leading to his capture.

Percy Jackson, a missing twelve-year-old boy, wanted for questioning is reportedly seen traveling with three teenage accomplices. One of them being the youngest is estimated to be around nine-years-old. Eyewitnesses said that she had black hair, and was around 4'9 carrying a baseball bat. Some even thought or recognized her as the missing girl, Isabella Potter, from five years ago who ran away from her orphanage, 'Home for Misplaced and Malnourished Children'. She was believed to be dead after a year of her disappearance. No evidence was found from her disappearance aside from a man named Bruce Smith, age fifty-seven, who found her in the woods an hour after the incident. She ran away two days after midnight on July 23, without Bruce's knowledge. "I woke up the next morning, I cooked some breakfast for the two of us and when I went to check up on her, she was gone," Bruce reported. Could this be Isabella Potter?

"Don't worry," Annabeth said. "Mortal police could never find us." But she didn't sound so sure.

The rest of the day Percy and Isa spent the day pacing the length of the train⎼especially Isa⎼or looking out the window. According to Annabeth, Isa is more ADHD than an average demigod. She's seriously ADHD.

As they looked out the window, Percy and Isa would try to play I spy⎼keyword, try⎼since the train was moving quite quickly. Once, they spotted a family of centaurs galloping across a wheat field, bows at the ready, as they hunted lunch. The little boy centaur, who was the size of a second-grader on a pony, caught the two siblings' eyes and waved. Isa happily waved back while Percy looked behind them to see if anyone noticed. Fortunately, nobody did.

Their reward money for returning Gladiola was only enough to buy tickets as far as Denver. They couldn't get berths in the sleeper car so they dozed off in their seats. Isa and Percy's neck got stiff. Percy tried not to drool since Isa and Annabeth were sitting beside him, but Isa did not try to stop the drool.