by Rick Riordan
The food was excellent. Percy had never seen anyone eat as fast as Frank. The red-nosed reindeer did not stand a chance.
Between bites of blueberry pancake, Hazel drew a squiggly curve and an X on her napkin. ‘So this is what I’m thinking. We’re here.’ She tapped X. ‘Anchorage.’
‘It looks like a seagull’s face,’ Percy said. ‘And we’re the eye.’
Hazel glared at him. ‘It’s a map, Percy. Anchorage is at the top of this sliver of ocean, Cook Inlet. There’s a big peninsula of land below us, and my old home town, Seward, is at the bottom of the peninsula, here.’ She drew another X at the base of the seagull’s throat. ‘That’s the closest town to the Hubbard Glacier. We could go around by sea, I guess, but it would take forever. We don’t have that kind of time.’
Frank polished off the last of his Rudolph. ‘But land is dangerous,’ he said. ‘Land means Gaia.’
Hazel nodded. ‘I don’t see that we’ve got much choice, though. We could have asked our pilot to fly us down, but I don’t know … his plane might be too big for the little Seward airport. And if we chartered another plane –’
‘No more planes,’ Percy said. ‘Please.’
Hazel held up her hand in a placating gesture. ‘It’s okay. There’s a train that goes from here to Seward. We might be able to catch one tonight. It only takes a couple of hours.’
She drew a dotted line between the two Xs.
‘You just cut off the seagull’s head,’ Percy noted.
Hazel sighed. ‘It’s the train line. Look, from Seward, the Hubbard Glacier is down here somewhere.’ She tapped the lower right corner of her napkin. ‘That’s where Alcyoneus is.’
‘But you’re not sure how far?’ Frank asked.
Hazel frowned and shook her head. ‘I’m pretty sure it’s only accessible by boat or plane.’
‘Boat,’ Percy said immediately.
‘Fine,’ Hazel said. ‘It shouldn’t be too far from Seward. If we can get to Seward safely.’
Percy gazed out of the window. So much to do, and only twenty-four hours left. This time tomorrow, the Feast of Fortuna would be starting. Unless they unleashed Death and made it back to camp, the giant’s army would flood into the valley. The Romans would be the main course at a monster dinner.
Across the street, a frosty black sand beach led down to the sea, which was as smooth as steel. The ocean here felt different – still powerful, but freezing, slow and primal. No gods controlled that water, at least no gods Percy knew. Neptune wouldn’t be able to protect him. Percy wondered if he could even manipulate water here, or breathe underwater.
A Hyperborean giant lumbered across the street. Nobody in the café noticed. The giant stepped into the bay, cracking the ice under his sandals, and thrust his hands in the water. He brought out a killer whale in one fist. Apparently that wasn’t what he wanted, because he threw the whale back and kept wading.
‘Good breakfast,’ Frank said. ‘Who’s ready for a train ride?’
The station wasn’t far. They were just in time to buy tickets for the last train south. As his friends climbed on board, Percy said, ‘Be with you in a sec,’ and ran back into the station.
He got change from the gift shop and stood in front of the pay phone.
He’d never used a pay phone before. They were strange antiques to him, like his mom’s turntable or his teacher Chiron’s Frank Sinatra cassette tapes. He wasn’t sure how many coins it would take, or if he could even make the call go through, assuming he remembered the number correctly.
Sally Jackson, he thought.
That was his mom’s name. And he had a stepdad … Paul.
What did they think had happened to Percy? Maybe they had already held a memorial service. As near as he could figure, he’d lost seven months of his life. Sure, most of that had been during the school year, but still … not cool.
He picked up the receiver and punched in a New York number – his mom’s apartment.
Voice mail. Percy should have figured. It would be like, midnight in New York. They wouldn’t recognize this number. Hearing Paul’s voice on the recording hit Percy in the gut so hard, he could barely speak at the tone.
‘Mom,’ he said. ‘Hey, I’m alive. Hera put me to sleep for a while, and then she took my memory, and …’ His voice faltered. How he could possibly explain all this? ‘Anyway, I’m okay. I’m sorry. I’m on a quest –’ He winced. He shouldn’t have said that. His mom knew all about quests, and now she’d be worried. ‘I’ll make it home. I promise. Love you.’
He put down the receiver. He stared at the phone, hoping it would ring back. The train whistle sounded. The conductor shouted, ‘All aboard.’
Percy ran. He made it just as they were pulling up the steps, then climbed to the top of the double-decker car and slid into his seat.
Hazel frowned. ‘You okay?’
‘Yeah,’ he croaked. ‘Just … made a call.’
She and Frank seemed to get that. They didn’t ask for details.
Soon they were heading south along the coast, watching the landscape go by. Percy tried to think about the quest, but for an ADHD kid like him the train wasn’t the easiest place to concentrate.
Cool things kept happening outside. Bald eagles soared overhead. The train raced over bridges and along cliffs where glacial waterfalls tumbled thousands of feet down the rocks. They passed forests buried in snowdrifts, big artillery guns (to set off small avalanches and prevent uncontrolled ones, Hazel explained) and lakes so clear they reflected the mountains like mirrors, so the world looked upside down.
Brown bears lumbered through the meadows. Hyperborean giants kept appearing in the strangest places. One was lounging in a lake like it was a hot tub. Another was using a pine tree as a toothpick. A third sat in a snowdrift, playing with two live moose like they were action figures. The train was full of tourists ohhing and ahhing and snapping pictures, but Percy felt sorry they couldn’t see the Hyperboreans. They were missing the really good shots.
Meanwhile, Frank studied a map of Alaska that he’d found in the seat pocket. He located Hubbard Glacier, which looked discouragingly far away from Seward. He kept running his finger along the coastline, frowning with concentration.
‘What are you thinking?’ Percy asked.
‘Just … possibilities,’ Frank said.
Percy didn’t know what that meant, but he let it go.
After about an hour, Percy started to relax. They bought hot chocolate from the dining car. The seats were warm and comfortable, and he thought about taking a nap.
Then a shadow passed overhead. Tourists murmured in excitement and started taking pictures.
‘Eagle!’ one yelled.
‘Eagle?’ said another.
‘Huge eagle!’ said a third.
‘That’s no eagle,’ Frank said.
Percy looked up just in time to see the creature make a second pass. It was definitely larger than an eagle, with a sleek black body the size of a Labrador retriever. Its wingspan was at least ten feet across.
‘There’s another one!’ Frank pointed. ‘Strike that. Three, four. Okay, we’re in trouble.’
The creatures circled the train like vultures, delighting the tourists. Percy wasn’t delighted. The monsters had glowing red eyes, sharp beaks and vicious talons.
Percy felt for his pen in his pocket. ‘Those things look familiar …’
‘Seattle,’ Hazel said. ‘The Amazons had one in a cage. They’re –’
Then several things happened at once. The emergency brake screeched, pitching them forward. Tourists screamed and tumbled through the aisles. The monsters swooped down, shattering the glass roof of the car, and the entire train toppled off the rails.
XXXIX
Percy
Percy went weightless.
His vision blurred. Claws grabbed his arms and lifted him into the air. Below, train wheels squea
led and metal crashed. Glass shattered. Passengers screamed.
When his eyesight cleared, he saw the beast that was carrying him aloft. It had the body of a panther – sleek, black and feline – with the wings and head of an eagle. Its eyes glowed blood-red.
Percy squirmed. The monster’s front talons were wrapped round his arms like steel bands. He couldn’t free himself or reach his sword. He rose higher and higher in the cold wind. Percy had no idea where the monster was taking him, but he was pretty sure he wouldn’t like it when he got there.
He yelled – mostly out of frustration. Then something whistled by his ear. An arrow sprouted from the monster’s neck. The creature shrieked and let go.
Percy fell, crashing through tree branches until he slammed into a snowbank. He groaned, looking up at a massive pine tree he’d just shredded.
He managed to stand. Nothing seemed broken. Frank stood to his left, shooting down the creatures as fast as he could. Hazel was at his back, swinging her sword at any monster that came close, but there were too many swarming around them – at least a dozen.
Percy drew Riptide. He sliced the wing off one monster and sent it spiralling into a tree, then sliced through another that burst into dust. But the defeated ones began to re-form immediately.
‘What are these things?’ he yelled.
‘Gryphons!’ Hazel said. ‘We have to get them away from the train!’
Percy saw what she meant. The train cars had fallen over, and their roofs had shattered. Tourists were stumbling around in shock. Percy didn’t see anybody seriously injured, but the gryphons were swooping towards anything that moved. The only thing keeping them away from the mortals was a glowing grey warrior in camouflage – Frank’s pet spartus.
Percy glanced over and noticed Frank’s spear was gone. ‘Used your last charge?’
‘Yeah.’ Frank shot another gryphon out of the sky. ‘I had to help the mortals. The spear just dissolved.’
Percy nodded. Part of him was relieved. He didn’t like the skeleton warrior. Part of him was disappointed, because that was one less weapon they had at their disposal. But he didn’t fault Frank. Frank had done the right thing.
‘Let’s move the fight!’ Percy said. ‘Away from the tracks!’
They stumbled through the snow, smacking and slicing gryphons that re-formed from dust every time they were killed.
Percy had had no experience with gryphons. He’d always imagined them as huge noble animals, like lions with wings, but these things reminded him more of vicious pack hunters – flying hyenas.
About fifty yards from the tracks, the trees gave way to an open marsh. The ground was so spongy and icy Percy felt like he was racing across Bubble Wrap. Frank was running out of arrows. Hazel was breathing hard. Percy’s own sword swings were getting slower. He realized they were alive only because the gryphons weren’t trying to kill them. The gryphons wanted to pick them up and carry them off somewhere.
Maybe to their nests, Percy thought.
Then he tripped over something in the tall grass – a circle of scrap metal about the size of a tractor tyre. It was a massive bird’s nest – a gryphon’s nest – the bottom littered with old pieces of jewellery, an Imperial gold dagger, a dented centurion’s badge and two pumpkin-sized eggs that looked like real gold.
Percy jumped into the nest. He pressed his sword tip against one of the eggs. ‘Back off, or I break it!’
The gryphons squawked angrily. They buzzed around the nest and snapped their beaks, but they didn’t attack. Hazel and Frank stood back to back with Percy, their weapons ready.
‘Gryphons collect gold,’ Hazel said. ‘They’re crazy for it. Look – more nests over there.’
Frank nocked his last arrow. ‘So, if these are their nests, where were they trying to take Percy? That thing was flying away with him.’
Percy’s arms still throbbed where the gryphon had grabbed him. ‘Alcyoneus,’ he guessed. ‘Maybe they’re working for him. Are these things smart enough to take orders?’
‘I don’t know,’ Hazel said. ‘I never fought them when I lived here. I just read about them at camp.’
‘Weaknesses?’ Frank asked. ‘Please tell me they have weaknesses.’
Hazel scowled. ‘Horses. They hate horses – natural enemies, or something. I wish Arion was here!’
The gryphons shrieked. They swirled around the nest with their red eyes glowing.
‘Guys,’ Frank said nervously, ‘I see legion relics in this nest.’
‘I know,’ Percy said.
‘That means other demigods died here, or –’
‘Frank, it’ll be okay,’ Percy promised.
One of the gryphons dived in. Percy raised his sword, ready to stab the egg. The monster veered off, but the other gryphons were losing their patience. Percy couldn’t keep this stand-off going much longer.
He glanced around the fields, desperately trying to formulate a plan. About a quarter mile away, a Hyperborean giant was sitting in the bog, peacefully picking mud from between his toes with a broken tree trunk.
‘I’ve got an idea,’ Percy said. ‘Hazel – all the gold in these nests. Do you think you can use it to cause a distraction?’
‘I – I guess.’
‘Just give us enough time for a head start. When I say go, run for that giant.’
Frank gaped at him. ‘You want us to run towards a giant?’
‘Trust me,’ Percy said. ‘Ready? Go!’
Hazel thrust her hand upward. From a dozen nests across the marsh, golden objects shot into the air – jewellery, weapons, coins, gold nuggets and, most importantly, gryphon eggs. The monsters shrieked and flew after their eggs, frantic to save them.
Percy and his friends ran. Their feet splashed and crunched through the frozen marsh. Percy poured on speed, but he could hear the gryphons closing behind them, and now the monsters were really angry.
The giant hadn’t noticed the commotion yet. He was inspecting his toes for mud, his face sleepy and peaceful, his white whiskers glistening with ice crystals. Around his neck was a necklace of found objects – garbage cans, car doors, moose antlers, camping equipment, even a toilet. Apparently he’d been cleaning up the wilderness.
Percy hated to disturb him, especially since it meant taking shelter under the giant’s thighs, but they didn’t have much choice.
‘Under!’ he told his friends. ‘Crawl under!’
They scrambled between the massive blue legs and flattened themselves in the mud, crawling as close as they could to his loincloth. Percy tried to breathe through his mouth, but it wasn’t the most pleasant hiding spot.
‘What’s the plan?’ Frank hissed. ‘Get flattened by a blue rump?’
‘Lay low,’ Percy said. ‘Only move if you have to.’
The gryphons arrived in a wave of angry beaks, talons and wings, swarming around the giant, trying to get under his legs.
The giant rumbled in surprise. He shifted. Percy had to roll to avoid getting crushed by his large hairy rear. The Hyperborean grunted, a little more irritated. He swatted at the gryphons, but they squawked in outrage and began pecking at his legs and hands.
‘Ruh?’ the giant bellowed. ‘Ruh!’
He took a deep breath and blew out a wave of cold air. Even under the protection of the giant’s legs, Percy could feel the temperature drop. The gryphons’ shrieking stopped abruptly, replaced by the thunk, thunk, thunk of heavy objects hitting the mud.
‘Come on,’ Percy told his friends. ‘Carefully.’
They squirmed out from under the giant. All around the marsh, trees were glazed with frost. A huge swathe of the bog was covered in fresh snow. Frozen gryphons stuck out of the ground like feathery Popsicle sticks, their wings still spread, beaks open, eyes wide with surprise.
Percy and his friends scrambled away, trying to keep out of the giant’s vision, but the big guy was too busy to notice them. He
was trying to figure out how to string a frozen gryphon onto his necklace.
‘Percy …’ Hazel wiped the ice and mud from her face. ‘How did you know the giant could do that?’
‘I almost got hit by Hyperborean breath once,’ he said. ‘We’d better move. The gryphons won’t stay frozen forever.’
XL
Percy
They walked overland for about an hour, keeping the train tracks in sight but staying in the cover of the trees as much as possible. Once they heard a helicopter flying in the direction of the train wreck. Twice they heard the screech of gryphons, but they sounded a long way off.
As near as Percy could figure, it was about midnight when the sun finally set. It got cold in the woods. The stars were so thick Percy was tempted to stop and gawk at them. Then the northern lights cranked up. They reminded Percy of his mom’s gas stovetop back home, when she had the flame on low – waves of ghostly blue flames rippling back and forth.
‘That’s amazing,’ Frank said.
‘Bears,’ Hazel pointed. Sure enough, a couple of brown bears were lumbering in the meadow a few hundred feet away, their coats gleaming in the starlight. ‘They won’t bother us,’ Hazel promised. ‘Just give them a wide berth.’
Percy and Frank didn’t argue.
As they trudged on, Percy thought about all the crazy places he’d seen. None of them had left him speechless like Alaska. He could see why it was a land beyond the gods. Everything here was rough and untamed. There were no rules, no prophecies, no destinies – just the harsh wilderness and a bunch of animals and monsters. Mortals and demigods came here at their own risk.
Percy wondered if this was what Gaia wanted – for the whole world to be like this. He wondered if that would be such a bad thing.
Then he put the thought aside. Gaia wasn’t a gentle goddess. Percy had heard what she planned to do. She wasn’t like the Mother Earth you might read about in a children’s fairy tale. She was vengeful and violent. If she ever woke up fully, she’d destroy human civilization.
After another couple of hours, they stumbled across a tiny village between the railroad tracks and a two-lane road. The city limit sign said: MOOSE PASS. Standing next to the sign was an actual moose. For a second, Percy thought it might be some sort of statue for advertising. Then the animal bounded into the woods.
