Percy Jackson & the

Stolen Chariot
I was in ffth-period science class
when I heard these noises outside.
SCRAWK! OW! SCREECH! HIYA!
Like somebod was !ettin!
attacked b possessed poultr" and
belie#e me" that$s a situation I$#e been in
before. %obod else seemed to notice the
commotion. &e were doin! a lab" so
e#erbod was talkin!" and it wasn$t hard
for me to !o look out the window while I
pretended to wash out m beaker.
'ure enou!h" there was a !irl in the
alle with her sword drawn. 'he was tall
and muscular like a basketball plaer" with
strin! brown hair and (eans and combat
boots and a denim (acket. 'he was
hackin! at a )ock of black birds the si*e of
ra#ens. +eathers stuck out of her clothes
in se#eral places. A cut was bleedin! o#er
her left ee. As I watched" one of the birds
shot a feather like an arrow" and it lod!ed
in her shoulder. 'he cursed and sliced at
the bird" but it )ew awa.
,nfortunatel" I reco!ni*ed the !irl.
It was -larisse" m old enem from
demi!od camp. -larisse usuall li#ed at
-amp Half-.lood ear-round. I had no idea
what she was doin! on the ,pper /ast
'ide in the middle of a school da" but she
was ob#iousl in trouble. 'he wouldn$t last
much lon!er.
I did the onl the thin! I could.
0rs. &hite" I said" can I !o to
the restroom1 I feel like I$m !oin! to
puke.
You know how teachers tell ou the ma!ic
word is please1 2hat$s not true. 2he ma!ic
word is puke. It will !et ou out of class
faster than anthin! else.
3o! 0rs. &hite said.
I ran out the door" strippin! o4 m
safet !o!!les and !lo#es and lab apron. I
!ot out m best weapon5a ballpoint pen
called 6iptide.
%obod stopped me in the halls. I e7ited
b the !m. I !ot to the alle (ust in time
to see -larisse smack a de#il bird with the
)at of her sword like she was hittin! a
home run. 2he bird s8uawked and spiraled
awa" slammin! a!ainst the brick wall and
slidin! into a trash can. 2hat still left a
do*en more swarmin! around her.
-larisse! I elled.
'he !lared at me in disbelief.
9erc1 &hat are ou doin!5
'he was cut short b a #olle of
feather arrows that *ipped o#er her head
and impaled themsel#es in the wall.
2his is m school" I told her.
:ust m luck" -larisse !rumbled"
but she was too bus f!htin! to complain
much.
I uncapped m pen" which !rew
into a three-foot-lon! bron*e sword" and
(oined the battle" slashin! at the birds and
de)ectin! their feathers o4 m blade.
2o!ether" -larisse and I sliced and hacked
until all the birds were reduced to piles of
feathers on the !round.
&e were both breathin! hard. I had
a few scratches" but nothin! ma(or. I
pulled a feather arrow out of m arm. It
hadn$t !one in #er deep. As lon! as it
wasn$t poison" I$d be oka. I took a ba!!ie
of ambrosia out of m (acket" where I
alwas kept it for emer!encies" broke a
piece in half" and o4ered some to -larisse.
I don$t need our help" she
muttered" but she took the ambrosia.
&e swallowed a few bites5not too
much" since the food of the !ods can burn
ou to ashes if ou o#erindul!e. I !uess
that$s wh ou don$t see man fat !ods.
Anwa" in a few seconds our cuts and
bruises had disappeared.
-larisse sheathed her sword and
brushed o4 her denim (acket. &ell . . .
see ou.
Hold up! I said. You can$t (ust
run o4.
'ure I can.
&hat$s !oin! on1 &hat are ou
doin! awa from camp1 &h were those
birds after ou1
-larisse pushed me" or tried to. I
was too accustomed to her tricks. I (ust
sidestepped and let her stumble past me.
-ome on" I said. You (ust about
!ot killed at m school. 2hat makes it m
business.
It does not!
Let me help.
'he took a shak breath. I !ot the
feelin! she reall wanted to punch me out"
but at the same time there was a
desperate look in her ees" like she was in
serious trouble.
It$s m brothers" she said.
2he$re plain! a prank on me.
;h" I said" not reall surprised.
-larisse had lots of siblin!s at -amp Half-
.lood. All of them picked on each other. I
!uess that was to be e7pected since the
were sons and dau!hters of the war !od"
Ares. &hich brothers1 'herman1 0ark1
%o" she said" soundin! more
afraid than I$d e#er heard her. 0
immortal brothers. 9hobos and <eimos.
&e sat on a bench at the park
while -larisse told me the stor. I wasn$t
too worried about !ettin! back to school.
0rs. &hite would (ust assume the nurse
had sent me home" and si7th period was
shop class. 0r. .ell ne#er took attendance.
'o let me !et this strai!ht" I said.
You took our dad$s car for a (oride" and
now it$s missin!.
It$s not a car" -larisse !rowled.
It$s a war chariot! And he told me to take
it out. It$s like . . . a test. I$m supposed to
brin! it back at sunset. .ut5
Your brothers car(acked ou.
-hariot-(acked me" she corrected.
2he$re his re!ular charioteers" see. And
the don$t like anbod else !ettin! to
dri#e. 'o the stole the chariot from me
and chased me o4 with those stupid
arrow-throwin! birds.
Your dad$s pets1
'he nodded miserabl. 2he !uard
his temple. Anwa" if I don$t fnd the
chariot . . .
'he looked like she was about to
lose it. I didn$t blame her. I$d seen her dad"
Ares" !et mad before" and it was not a
prett si!ht. If -larisse failed him" he
would come down hard on her. Real hard.
I$ll help ou" I said.
'he scowled. &h would ou1 I$m
not our friend.
I couldn$t ar!ue with that. -larisse
had been mean to me a million times" but
still" I didn$t like the idea of her or anbod
else !ettin! beat up b Ares. I was trin!
to f!ure out how to e7plain that to her
when a !u$s #oice said" Aw" look. I think
she$s been crin!!
A teena!e dude was leanin!
a!ainst a telephone pole. He was dressed
in ratt (eans" a black 2-shirt" and a leather
(acket" with a bandanna o#er his hair. A
knife was stuck in his belt. He had ees
the color of )ames.
9hobos. -larisse balled her fsts.
&here$s the chariot" ou (erk1
You lost it" he teased. <on$t ask
me.
You little5
-larisse drew her sword and
char!ed" but 9hobos disappeared as she
swun!" and her blade bit into the
telephone pole.
9hobos appeared on the bench
ne7t to me. He was lau!hin!" but he
stopped when I stuck 6iptide$s point
a!ainst his throat.
You$d better return that chariot" I
told him" before I !et mad.
He sneered and tried to look tou!h"
or as tou!h as ou can with a sword under
our chin. &ho$s our little bofriend"
-larisse1 You ha#e to !et help f!htin!
our battles now1
He$s not m bofriend! -larisse
tu!!ed her sword" pullin! it out of the
telephone pole. He$s not e#en m friend.
2hat$s 9erc :ackson.
'omethin! chan!ed in 9hobos$s
e7pression. He looked surprised" mabe
e#en ner#ous. 2he son of 9oseidon1 2he
one who made <ad an!r1 ;h" this is too
!ood" -larisse. You$re han!in! out with a
sworn enem1
I$m not han!in! out with him!
9hobos$s ees !lowed bri!ht red.
-larisse screamed. 'he swatted the
air as if she were bein! attacked b
in#isible bu!s. 9lease" no!
&hat are ou doin! to her1 I
demanded.
-larisse backed up into the street"
swin!in! her sword wildl.
'top it! I told 9hobos. I du! m
sword a little deeper a!ainst his throat"
but he simpl #anished" reappearin! back
at the telephone pole.
<on$t !et so e7cited" :ackson"
9hobos said. I$m (ust showin! her what
she fears.
2he !low faded from his ees.
-larisse collapsed" breathin! hard.
You creep" she !asped. I$ll . . . I$ll !et
ou.
9hobos turned toward me. How
about ou" 9erc :ackson1 &hat do you
fear1 I$ll fnd out" ou know. I alwas do.
3i#e the chariot back. I tried to
keep m #oice e#en. I took on our dad
once. You don$t scare me.
9hobos lau!hed. %othin! to fear
but fear itself. Isn$t that what the sa1
&ell" let me tell ou a little secret" half-
blood. I am fear. If ou want to fnd the
chariot" come and !et it. It$s across the
water. You$ll fnd it where the little wild
animals li#e5(ust the sort of place ou
belon!.
He snapped his fn!ers and
disappeared in a curtain of ellow #apor.
%ow" I$#e !ot to tell ou" I$#e met a
lot of !odlin!s and monsters I didn$t like"
but 9hobos took the pri*e. I don$t like
bullies. I$d ne#er been in the A crowd at
school" so I$d spent most of m life
standin! up to punks who tried to fri!hten
me and m friends. 2he wa 9hobos
lau!hed at me and made
-larisse collapse (ust b lookin! at
her . . . I wanted to teach this !u a
lesson.
I helped -larisse up. Her face was
still beaded with sweat.
Now are ou read for help1 I
asked.
&e took the subwa" keepin! a lookout for
more attacks" but no one bothered us. As
we rode" -larisse told me about 9hobos
and <eimos.
2he$re minor !ods" she said.
9hobos is fear. <eimos is terror.
&hat$s the di4erence1
'he frowned. <eimos is bi!!er and
u!lier" I !uess. He$s !ood at freakin! out
entire crowds. 9hobos is more" like"
personal. He can !et inside our head.
2hat$s where the !et the word
phobia1
Yeah" she !rumbled. He$s so
proud of that. All those phobias named
after him. 2he (erk.
'o wh don$t the want ou
dri#in! the chariot1
It$s usuall a ritual (ust for Ares$s
sons when the turn ffteen. I$m the frst
dau!hter to !et a shot in a lon! time.
3ood for ou.
2ell that to 9hobos and <eimos.
2he hate me. I$#e got to !et the chariot
back to the temple.
&here is the temple1
9ier =>. 2he It!epid.
;h. It made sense" now that I
thou!ht about it. I$d ne#er actuall been
on board the old aircraft carrier" but I
knew the used it as some kind of militar
museum. It probabl had a bunch of !uns
and bombs and other dan!erous tos. :ust
the kind of place a war !od would want to
han! out.
&e$#e !ot mabe four hours
before sunset" I !uessed. 2hat should be
enou!h time if we can fnd the chariot.
.ut what did 9hobos mean" ?o#er
the water$1 &e$re on an island" for @eus$s
sake. 2hat could be an direction!
He said somethin! about wild
animals" I remembered. Little wild
animals.
A *oo1
I nodded. A *oo o#er the water
could be the one in .rookln" or
mabe . . . someplace harder to !et to"
with little wild animals. 'omeplace nobod
would e#er think to look for a war chariot.
'taten Island" I said. 2he$#e !ot
a small *oo.
0abe" -larisse said. 2hat
sounds like the kind of out-of-the-wa
place 9hobos and <eimos would stash
somethin!. .ut if we$re wron!5
&e don$t ha#e time to be wron!.
&e hopped o4 the train at 2imes
'8uare and cau!ht the %umber A
downtown" toward the ferr terminal.
&e boarded the 'taten Island +err
at three thirt" alon! with a bunch of
tourists" who crowded the railin!s of the
top deck" snappin! pictures as we passed
the 'tatue of Libert.
He modeled that after his mom" I
said" lookin! up at the statue.
-larisse frowned at me. &ho1
.artholdi" I said. 2he dude who
made the 'tatue of Libert. He was a son
of Athena" and he desi!ned it to look like
his mom. 2hat$s what Annabeth told me"
anwa.
-larisse rolled her ees. Annabeth
was m best friend and a hu!e nut when it
came to architecture and monuments. I
!uess her e!!head facts rubbed o4 on me
sometimes.
,seless" -larisse said. If it
doesn$t help ou f!ht" it$s useless
information.
I could$#e ar!ued with her" but (ust
then the ferr lurched like it had hit a rock.
2ourists spilled forward" tumblin! into each
other. -larisse and I ran to the front of the
boat. 2he water below us started to boil.
2hen the head of a sea serpent erupted
from the ba.
2he monster was at least as bi! as
the boat. It was !ra and !reen with a
head like a crocodile and ra*or-sharp
teeth. It smelled . . . well" like somethin!
that had (ust come up from the bottom of
%ew York Harbor. 6idin! on its neck was a
bulk !u in black 3reek armor. His face
was co#ered with u!l scars" and he held a
(a#elin in his hand.
<eimos! -larisse elled.
Hello" sister! His smile was
almost as horrible as the serpent$s. -are
to pla1
2he monster roared. 2ourists
screamed and scattered. I don$t know
e7actl what the saw. 2he 0ist usuall
pre#ents mortals from seein! monsters in
their true form" but whate#er the saw"
the were terrifed.
Lea#e them alone! I elled.
;r what" son of the sea !od1
<eimos sneered. 0 brother tells me
ou$re a wimp! .esides" I lo#e terror. I li#e
on terror!
He spurred the sea serpent into
head-buttin! the ferr" which sloshed
backward. Alarms blared. 9assen!ers fell
o#er each other trin! to !et awa.
<eimos lau!hed with deli!ht.
2hat$s it" I !rumbled. -larisse"
!rab on.
&hat1
3rab on to m neck. &e$re !oin!
for a ride.
'he didn$t protest. 'he !rabbed on
to me" and I said" ;ne" two" three5
:,09!
&e leaped o4 the top deck and
strai!ht into the ba" but we were onl
under water for a moment. I felt the power
of the ocean sur!in! throu!h me. I willed
the water to swirl around me" buildin!
force until we burst out of the ba on top
of a thirt-foot-hi!h waterspout. I steered
us strai!ht toward the monster.
You think ou can tackle <eimos1
I elled to -larisse.
I$m on it! she said. :ust !et me
within ten feet.
&e barreled toward the serpent.
:ust as it bared its fan!s" I swer#ed the
waterspout to one side" and -larisse
(umped. 'he crashed into <eimos" and
both of them toppled into the sea.
2he sea serpent came after me. I
8uickl turned the waterspout to face him"
then summoned all m power and willed
the water to e#en !reater hei!hts.
WHOOOO"!
2en thousand !allons of salt water
crashed into the monster. I leaped o#er its
head" uncapped 6iptide" and slashed with
all m mi!ht at the creature$s neck. 2he
monster roared. 3reen blood spouted from
the wound" and the serpent sank beneath
the wa#es.
I do#e under water and watched as
it retreated back to the open sea. 2hat$s
one !ood thin! about sea serpentsB
the$re bi! babies when it comes to
!ettin! hurt.
-larisse surfaced near me" splutterin! and
cou!hin!. I swam o#er and !rabbed her.
<id ou !et <eimos1 I asked.
-larisse shook her head. 2he
coward disappeared as we were wrestlin!.
.ut I$m sure we$ll see him a!ain. 9hobos"
too.
2ourists were still runnin! around
the ferr in a panic" but it didn$t look like
anbod was hurt. 2he boat didn$t seem
dama!ed. I decided we shouldn$t stick
around. I held on to -larisse$s arm and
willed the wa#es to carr us toward 'taten
Island.
In the west" the sun was !oin!
down o#er the :erse shore. &e were
runnin! out of time.
I$d ne#er spent much time on
'taten Island" and I found it was a lot
bi!!er than I thou!ht and not much fun to
walk. 2he streets cur#ed around
confusin!l" and e#erthin! seemed to be
uphill. I was dr CI ne#er !ot wet in the
ocean unless I wanted toD but -larisse$s
clothes were still soppin! wet" so she left
muck footprints all o#er the sidewalk"
and the bus dri#er wouldn$t let us on the
bus.
&e$ll ne#er make it in time" she
si!hed.
'top thinkin! that wa. I tried to
sound upbeat" but I was startin! to ha#e
doubts too. I wished we had
reinforcements. 2wo demi!ods a!ainst two
minor !ods was not an e#en match" and
when we met 9hobos and <eimos
to!ether" I wasn$t sure what we were
!oin! to do. I kept rememberin! what
9hobos had saidB How about you# $e!%y
&a%kso' What do you (ea!' I)ll *d out#
you kow.
After dra!!in! oursel#es halfwa
down the island" past a lot of suburban
houses and a couple of churches and a
0c<onald$s" we fnall saw a si!n that said
@;;. &e turned a corner and followed this
cur# street with some woods on one side
until we came to the entrance.
2he lad at the ticket booth looked
at us suspiciousl" but thank the !ods I
had enou!h cash to !et us inside.
&e walked around the reptile
house" and -larisse stopped in her tracks.
2here it is.
It was sittin! at a crossroads
between the pettin! *oo and the sea otter
pondB a lar!e !olden and red chariot
tethered to four black horses. 2he chariot
was decorated with ama*in! detail. It
would$#e been beautiful if all the pictures
hadn$t shown people din! painful deaths.
2he horses were breathin! fre out of their
nostrils.
+amilies with strollers walked ri!ht past
the chariot like it didn$t e7ist. I !uess the
0ist must$#e been reall stron! around it"
because the chariot$s onl camou)a!e
was a handwritten note taped to one of
the horses$ chests that said ;++I-IAL @;;
E/HI-L/.
&here are 9hobos and <eimos1
-larisse muttered" drawin! her sword.
I couldn$t see them anwhere" but
this had to be a trap.
I concentrated on the horses.
,suall I could talk to horses" since m
dad had created them. I said" Hey+ Ni%e
*!e,b!eathig ho!ses+ Come he!e!
;ne of horses whinnied
disdainfull. I could understand his
thou!hts" all ri!ht. He called me some
names I can$t repeat.
I$ll tr to !et the reins" -larisse
said. 2he horses know me. -o#er me.
6i!ht. I wasn$t sure how I was
supposed to co#er her with a sword" but I
kept m ees peeled as -larisse
approached the chariot. 'he walked
around the horses" almost tiptoein!.
'he fro*e as a lad with a three-
ear-old !irl passed b. 2he !irl said" 9on
on fre! <on$t be sill" :essie" the
mother said in a da*ed #oice.
2hat$s an oFcial *oo #ehicle.
2he little !irl tried to protest" but
the mother !rabbed her hand and the
kept walkin!. -larisse !ot closer to the
chariot. Her hand was si7 inches from the
rail when the horses reared up" whinnin!
and breathin! )ames. 9hobos and <eimos
appeared in the chariot" both of them now
dressed in pitchblack battle armor. 9hobos
!rinned" his red ees !lowin!. <eimos$s
scarred face looked e#en more horrible up
close.
2he hunt is on! 9hobos elled.
-larisse stumbled back as he lashed the
horses and char!ed the chariot strai!ht
toward me.
%ow" I$d like to tell ou that I did
somethin! heroic" like stand up a!ainst a
ra!in! team of fre-breathin! horses with
onl m sword. 2he truth is" I ran. I
(umped o#er a trash bin and an e7hibit
fence" but there was no wa I could outrun
the chariot. It crashed throu!h the fence
ri!ht behind me" plowin! down e#erthin!
in its path.
9erc" look out! -larisse elled"
like I needed somebod to tell me that.
I (umped and landed on a rock
island in the middle of the otter e7hibit. I
willed a column of water out of the pond
and doused the horses" temporaril
e7tin!uishin! their )ames and sendin!
them into confusion. 2he otters weren$t
happ with me. 2he chattered and
barked" and I f!ured I$d better !et o4
their island 8uick" before I had cra*ed sea
mammals after me too.
I ran as 9hobos cursed and tried to
!et his horses under control. -larisse took
the opportunit to (ump on <eimos$s back
(ust as he was liftin! his (a#elin. .oth of
them went tumblin! out of the chariot as
it lurched forward.
I could hear <eimos and -larisse
startin! to f!ht" sword on sword" but I
didn$t ha#e time to worr about it because
9hobos was ridin! after me a!ain.
I sprinted toward the a8uarium
with the chariot ri!ht behind me.
He" 9erc! 9hobos taunted. I$#e
!ot somethin! for ou!
I !lanced back and saw the chariot
meltin!" the horses turnin! to steel and
foldin! into each other like cla f!ures
bein! crumpled. 2he chariot refashioned
itself into a black metal bo7 with
caterpillar treads" a turret" and a lon! !un
barrel. A tank. I reco!ni*ed it from this
research report I$d had to do for histor
class. 9hobos was !rinnin! at me from the
top of a &orld &ar II pan*er.
'a cheese! he said.
I rolled to one side as the !un fred.
KA,-OOOO"! A sou#enir kiosk
e7ploded" sendin! fu** animals and
plastic cups and disposable cameras in
e#er direction. As 9hobos re-aimed his
!un" I !ot to m feet and di#ed into the
a8uarium.
I wanted to surround mself with
water. 2hat alwas increased m power.
.esides" it was possible 9hobos couldn$t ft
the chariot inside the doorwa.
;f course" if he blasted throu!h it"
that wouldn$t help. . . .
I ran throu!h the rooms washed in
weird blue li!ht from the fsh tank e7hibits.
-uttlefsh" clown fsh" and eels all stared at
me as I raced past. I could hear their little
minds whisperin!" So o( the sea god! So
o( the sea god! It$s !reat when ou$re a
celebrit to s8uids.
I stopped at the back of the
a8uarium and listened. I heard nothin!.
And then . . . .!oom" .!oom. A di4erent
kind of en!ine.
I watched in disbelief as 9hobos
came ridin! throu!h the a8uarium on a
Harle-<a#idson. I$d seen this motorccle
beforeB its black )ame-decorated en!ine"
its shot!un holsters" its leather seat that
looked like human skin. 2his was the same
motorccle Ares had ridden when I$d frst
met him" but it had ne#er occurred to me
that it was (ust another form of his war
chariot.
Hello" loser" 9hobos said" pullin!
a hu!e sword out of its sheath. 2ime to
be scared.
I raised m own sword" determined
to face him" but then 9hobos$s ees
!lowed bri!hter" and I made the mistake
of lookin! into them.
'uddenl I was in a di4erent place.
I was at -amp Half .lood" m fa#orite
place in the world" and it was in )ames.
2he woods were on fre. 2he cabins were
smokin!. 2he dinin! pa#ilion$s 3reek
columns had crumbled" and the .i! House
was a smolderin! ruin. 0 friends were on
their knees pleadin! with me. Annabeth"
3ro#er" all the other campers.
Sa/e us# $e!%y! 2he wailed. "ake
the %hoi%e!
I stood paral*ed. 2his was the moment I
had alwas dreadedB the prophec that
was supposed to come about when I was
si7teen. I would make a choice that would
sa#e or destro 0ount ;lmpus.
%ow the moment was here" and I
had no idea what to do. 2he camp was
burnin!. 0 friends looked at me" be!!in!
for help. 0 heart pounded. I couldn$t
mo#e. &hat if I did the wron! thin!1
2hen I heard the #oices of the
a8uarium fshB So o( the sea god! Wake!
'uddenl I felt the power of the
ocean all around me a!ain" hundreds of
!allons of salt water" thousands of fsh
trin! to !et m attention. I wasn$t at
camp. 2his was an illusion. 9hobos was
showin! me m deepest fear.
I blinked and saw 9hobos$s blade
comin! down toward m head. I raised
6iptide and blocked the blow (ust before it
cut me in two.
I counterattacked and stabbed
9hobos in the arm.
3olden ichor" the blood of the !ods"
soaked throu!h his shirt.
9hobos !rowled and slashed at me.
I parried easil. &ithout his power of fear"
9hobos was nothin!. He wasn$t e#en a
decent f!hter. I pressed him back" swiped
at his face" and !a#e him a cut across the
cheek. 2he an!rier he was" the clumsier
he !ot. I couldn$t kill him. He was
immortal. .ut ou wouldn$t ha#e known
that from his e7pression. 2he fear !od
looked afraid.
+inall I kicked him backward
a!ainst the water fountain. His sword
skittered into the ladies room. I !rabbed
the straps of his armor and pulled him up
to face me.
You$re !oin! to disappear now" I
told him. You$re !oin! to sta out of
-larisse$s wa. And if I see ou a!ain" I$m
!oin! to !i#e ou a bi!!er scar in a much
more painful place!
He !ulped. 2here will be a ne7t
time" :ackson!
And he dissol#ed into ellow #apor.
I turned toward the fsh e7hibits.
2hanks" !us.
2hen I looked at Ares$s motorccle.
I$d ne#er ridden an all-powerful Harle-
<a#idson war chariot before" but how hard
could it be1 I hopped on" started the
i!nition" and rode out of the a8uarium to
help -larisse.
I had no trouble fndin! her. I (ust
followed the path of destruction. +ences
were knocked down. Animals were runnin!
free. .ad!ers and lemurs were checkin!
out the popcorn machine. A fat-lookin!
leopard was loun!in! on a park bench with
a bunch of pi!eon feathers around him.
I parked the motorccle ne7t to the
pettin! *oo" and there were <eimos and
-larisse in the !oat area. -larisse was on
her knees. I ran forward but stopped
suddenl when I saw how <eimos had
chan!ed form. He was Ares now5 the tall
!od of war" dressed in black leather and
sun!lasses" his whole bod smokin! with
an!er as he raised his fst o#er -larisse.
You failed me a!ain! the war !od
bellowed. I told ou what would happen!
He tried to strike her" but -larisse
scrambled awa" shriekin!" %o! 9lease!
+oolish !irl!
-larisse! I elled. It$s an illusion.
'tand up to him!
<eimos$s form )ickered. I am
Ares! he insisted. And ou are a
worthless !irl! I knew ou would fail me.
%ow ou will su4er m wrath.
I wanted to char!e in and f!ht
<eimos" but somehow I knew it wouldn$t
help. -larisse had to do it. 2his was her
worst fear. 'he had to o#ercome it for
herself.
-larisse! I said. 'he !lanced o#er"
and I tried to hold her ees. 'tand up to
him! I said. He$s all talk. 3et up!
I . . . I can$t.
Yes" ou can. You$re a warrior. 3et
up!
'he hesitated. 2hen she be!an to
stand.
&hat are ou doin!1 Ares
bellowed. 3ro#el for merc" !irl!
-larisse took a shak breath. Eer
8uietl" she said" %o.
&HA21
'he raised her sword. I$m tired of
bein! scared of ou.
<eimos struck" but -larisse
de)ected the blow. 'he sta!!ered but
didn$t fall.
You$re not Ares" -larisse said.
You$re not e#en a !ood f!hter.
<eimos !rowled in frustration.
&hen he struck a!ain" -larisse was read.
'he disarmed him and stabbed him in the
shoulder5not deep" but enou!h to hurt
e#en a !odlin!.
He owled in pain and be!an to
!low.
Look awa! I told -larisse.
&e a#erted our ees as <eimos
e7ploded into !olden li!ht5his true !odl
form5and disappeared.
&e were alone e7cept for the
pettin! *oo !oats" which were tu!!in! at
our clothes" lookin! for snacks.
2he motorccle had turned back
into a horse-drawn chariot.
-larisse looked at me cautiousl.
'he wiped the straw and sweat o4 her
face. You didn$t see that. You didn$t see
an of that.
I !rinned. You did !ood.
'he !lanced at the sk" which was
turnin! red behind the trees.
3et in the chariot" -larisse said.
&e$#e still !ot a lon! ride to make.
A few minutes later we reached the
'taten Island +err and remembered
somethin! ob#iousB we were on an island.
2he ferr didn$t take cars. ;r chariots. ;r
motorccles.
3reat" -larisse mumbled. &hat
do we do now1 6ide this thin! across the
Eerra*ano .rid!e1
&e both knew there wasn$t time.
2here were brid!es to .rookln and %ew
:erse" but either wa it would take hours
to dri#e the chariot back to 0anhattan"
e#en if we could fool people into thinkin!
it was a re!ular car.
2hen I !ot an idea. &e$ll take the
direct route.
-larisse frowned. &hat do ou
mean1
I closed m ees and be!an to
concentrate. <ri#e strai!ht ahead. 3o!
-larisse was so desperate she
didn$t hesitate. 'he elled" Hia! and
lashed the horses. 2he char!ed strai!ht
toward the water. I ima!ined the sea
turnin! solid" the wa#es becomin! a frm
surface all the wa to 0anhattan. 2he war
chariot hit the surf" the horses$ fer
breath smokin! all around us" and we rode
the tops of the wa#es strai!ht across %ew
York Harbor.
&e arri#ed at 9ier => (ust as the
sunset was fadin! to purple. 2he ,''
It!epid" temple of Ares" was a hu!e wall
of !ra metal in front of us" the )i!ht deck
dotted with f!hter aircraft and
helicopters. &e parked the chariot on the
ramp" and I (umped out. +or once I was
!lad to be on dr land.
-oncentratin! on keepin! the
chariot abo#e the wa#es had been one of
the hardest thin!s I$d e#er done. I was
e7hausted.
I$d better !et out of here before
Ares arri#es" I said.
-larisse nodded. He$d probabl kill
ou on si!ht.
-on!ratulations" I said. I !uess
ou passed our dri#in! test.
'he wrapped the reins around her
hand. About what ou saw" 9erc. &hat I
was afraid of" I mean5
I won$t tell anbod.
'he looked at me uncomfortabl.
<id 9hobos scare ou1
Yeah. I saw the camp in )ames. I
saw m friends all pleadin! for m help"
and I didn$t know what to do. +or a
second" I couldn$t mo#e. I was paral*ed. I
know how ou felt.
'he lowered her ees. I" uh . . . I
!uess I should sa. . .
2he words seemed to stick in her
throat. I wasn$t sure -larisse had e#er said
thank ou in her life. <on$t mention it" I
told her. I started to walk awa" but she
called out" 9erc1 Yeah1 &hen ou"
uh" had that #ision about our friends . . .
You were one of them" I promised. :ust
don$t tell anbod" oka1 ;r I$d ha#e to kill
ou. A faint smile )ickered across her
face. 'ee ou later. 'ee ou. I headed
o4 toward the subwa. It had been a lon!
da" and I was read to !et home.