Trains
We were crossing the Potomac when we spotted the helicopter. It was a sleek black military model just like the one we'd seen at Westover Hall. And it was coming straight towards us. "They know the van," Percy said. "We have to ditch it." Zoe swerved into the fast lane. The helicopter was gaining.
"Maybe the military will shoot it down," Grover said hopefully.
"The military probably think it's one of theirs," Percy said.
"We shouldn't be afraid of the military. We should be afraid of S.H.I.E.L.D."
"How does the General use mortals anyway?" Percy asked, ignoring me.
"Mercenaries," Zoe said bitterly. "It is distasteful, but many mortals will fight for any cause as long as they are paid."
"But don't these mortals see who they're working for?" Percy asked. "Don't they notice all the monsters around them?"
Zoe shook her head. "I do not know how much they see through the Mist. I doubt it would matter to them if they knew the truth. Sometimes mortals can be more terrible than monsters."
The helicopter kept coming, making a lot better time than we were through D.C. traffic. Thalia closed her eyes and prayed hard. "Hey, Dad. A lightning bolt would be nice about now. Please?" But the sky stayed grey and snowy. No sign of a helpful thunderstorm.
"There!" Bianca said. "That parking lot!"
"We'll be trapped," Zoe said.
"Trust me," Bianca said. Zoe shot across two lanes of traffic and into a small parking lot on the south bank of the river. We left the van and followed Bianca down some steps. "Subway entrance," Bianca said. "Let's go south. Alexandria."
"Anything," Thalia agreed.
We brought tickets and got through the turnstiles, looking behind us for any signs of pursuit. I tried to keep my face hidden from any security cameras in the area. A few minutes later we were safely aboard a southbound train, riding away from D.C. As our train came above ground, we could see the helicopter circling the parking lot, but it didn't come after us. Grover let out a sigh. "Nice job, Bianca, thinking of the subway."
Bianca looked pleased. "Yeah, well. I remembered that station from when Nico and I came through last summer. I was really surprised to see it, because it wasn't here when we used to live in D.C."
Grover frowned. "New? But that station looked really old."
"I guess," Bianca said. "But trust me, when we lived here as little kids, there was no subway."
Thalia sat forward. "Wait a minute. No subway at all?"
Bianca nodded. I didn't see how the whole subway system could be less than twelve years old. I guess everyone else was thinking the same thing, because they looked pretty confused.
"Bianca," Zoe said. "How long ago..." Her voice faltered. The sound of the helicopter was getting louder again.
"We need to change trains," I said. "Next station."
Over the next half hour, all we thought about was getting away safely. We changed trains twice. I had no idea where we were going, but after a while we lost the helicopter. Unfortunately, when we finally got off the train we found ourselves at the end of the line, in an industrial area with nothing but warehouses and railway tracks. And snow. Lots of snow. It seemed much colder here.
We wandered through the railway yard, thinking there might be another passenger train somewhere, but there were just rows and rows of freight cars, most of which were covered in snow, like they hadn't moved in years. A homeless guy was standing at a trashcan fire. We must have looked pretty pathetic, because he gave us a toothless grin and said, "Y'all need to get warmed up? Come on over!" We huddled around his fire.
Thalia's teeth were chattering. She said, "Well this is g-g-g-great."
"My hooves are frozen," Grover complained.
"Feet," Percy corrected, for the sake of the homeless guy.
"Maybe we should contact camp," Bianca said. "Chiron-"
"No," Zoe said. "They cannot help us anymore. We must finish this quest ourselves." She had a good point.
I gazed miserably around the railway yard. Somewhere far to the west, Artemis was in chains. A doomsday monster was on the loose. And we were stuck on the outskirts of D.C. sharing a homeless person's fire.
"You know," the homeless man said, "you're never completely without friends." His face was grimy and his beard tangled, but his expression seemed kindly. "You kids need a train going west?"
"Yes, Sir," Percy said. "You know of any?"
He pointed one greasy hand. Suddenly, I noticed a freight train, gleaming and free of snow. It was one of those automobile-carrier trains, with steel mesh curtains and a triple deck of cars inside. The side of the freight train said SUN WEST LINE. "That's...convenient," Thalia said. "Thanks, uh..." She turned to the homeless guy, but he was gone. The trashcan in front of us was cold and empty, as if he'd taken the flames with him.
An hour later we were rumbling west. There was no problem about who would drive now, because we all got our own luxury car. Zoe Bianca and I were in a car on the top deck. I didn't know what kind of car it was though. I was sat in the back of the car. Bianca looked back at me. "What happened before you joined the Hunt? Lady Artemis said that you come from special circumstances."
I looked to Zoe, to see if it was alright for me to say. She nodded, signalling that it was fine. "I died and went to Valhalla. I am here to act as a bridge for the two pantheons."
Bianca's mouth fell open in shock. "You're dead!"
"Yep."
"How'd you die?"
"I'd rather not talk about it."
"Sorry."
"It's OK."