{BOOK 2} Percy Jackson's Sister

Space Food is Useful Even on Earth

       I don't know what was worse, the fact that nothing could penetrate the lion's skin or Grover's horrible reed pipe song.

     "Grover," I shouted, "is that doing anything other than making me wish I was deaf?"

      He gave me an angry look but kept playing. Percy and I tried to slash at it with our swords but it was no use. The Hunter's arrows bounced off the lion as if they were made of rubber.

      Thalia busted out her shield and it made the lion recoil.

      "Hi-ya!" She shouted. "Back!"

      For the moment, Medusa's face plastered on metal was keeping it at bay, but soon it's hind legs began to slouch in a manner that told me it was ready to pounce again.

     "Hey!" Percy shouted.

      The lion directed its full focus onto Percy and slashed at him. Percy fell with a thud, his coat now in tatters. His sword clanged uselessly against the lion's hide. We couldn't seem to find its Achille's heel.

      "Over here, Mufasa!" I yelled.

       I didn't expect it to take that as an insult but surely it did. It jumped at me with incredible speed and i rolled over, not realizing how high up we were. I rolled off the edge and hit the ground hard.

      "Cassidy!" Percy called, making the lion turn back to him. It jumped onto the rocket where he was standing, the strings now threatening to snap.

     The ship rocked back and forth, forcing Percy to jump onto a lower exhibit. I got up with a struggle and leaned on my sword.

      The lion roared in frustration, trying to get a balance on the rocket.

       "Zoë!" Percy shouted. "Target the mouth!"

       I could see his reasoning. The lion's fur is what protected it, if Zoë managed to strike it on the inside, it would do some pretty deep damage.

      The only problem was, the lion seemed to realize it too. He shut his mouth and reduced his roars to snarls.

     The lion pounced to the next ship, trying to gain its balance. Percy landed right next to me and I raised my sword to match his. In seconds, Thalia stood at Percy's side, ready with her shield and spear.

     The lion's weight was too much for the display, the chord snapped. He reacted quickly and landed on his four paws, in front of us, contemplating who to maim first.

     "No clear shot!" Zoë yelled somewhere above us. Her and Bianca had their arrows drawn but refrained from shooting. "Get it to open its mouth more!"

      "Easier said than done," I muttered.

      "Keep it distracted," Percy told us. We nodded as he ran off to the gift shop. I hoped he'd at least get me a space helmet while he was there.

       Thalia yelled as she shoved her shield in the lion's face. With every jab of her spear, a zap would be emitted from it, but it didn't seem to bother the lion at all.

      Thalia froze for a second and turned to look at me.

      "Oh no," I said. "You have an idea."

      "Sorry, Cas," she said, quickly reaching to the back of my head and yanking out a single hair.

      "Ouch!" I yelled, a blast of ice shot from my palm and hit the lion's paw, freezing it to the ground.

      "Works every time," Thalia smirked.

      "Hurts every time," I corrected her.
     
      Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia had somehow discovered that by pulling out one of my hairs without me expecting it, it caused me to shoot a powerful blast of ice without having me go full on crazy curse mode and trying to kill everyone. I didn't like it but I had to admit it came in useful sometimes. It also slightly gave me hope that I could learn to control it.