They had to walk for almost an hour before they found a path that led up to the road. It ca up on the east side of the river. Then, they straggled back toward the dam. It was cold and windy on top (although Drako was unaffected by temperature, it wasn't the sa for the others). On one side, a big lake spread out, ringed by barren desert mountains. On the other side, the dam dropped away like the world's most dangerous skateboard ramp, down to the river seven hundred feet below, and water that churned from the dam's vents.
Thalia walked in the middle of the road, far away from the edges. Grover kept sniffing the wind and looking nervous. He didn't say anything, but Drako knew he slled monsters.
"How close are they?"
Drako presence detection could go to a couple hundred of ters at maximum, and even then, a lot of people could go unnoticed if Drako doesn't concentrate on them. Grover, on the other hand, could sll the monsters. It wasn't the sa, but it was enough for them right now. With the effort of both, Grover and Drako, they could more or less be prepared with enough ti.
At Drako's question, Grover shook his head. "Maybe not close. The wind on the dam, the desert all around us… the scent can probably carry for miles. But it's coming from several directions. I don't like that."
Drako love it. He wants to et more Greek monsters; he wants to kill more Greek monsters.
Maybe he could use Gandiva to et the Hindu gods? Maybe he could kill Hindu monsters with that.
"There's a snack bar in the visitor center," Thalia said.
"You've been here before?" Drako asked.
"Once. To see the guardians." She pointed to the far end of the dam. Carved into the side of the cliff was a little plaza with two big bronze statues. They looked kind of like Oscar statues with wings.
"They were dedicated to Zeus when the dam was built," Thalia said. "A gift from Athena."
Tourist were clustered all around them. They seed to be looking at the statues' feet.
"What are they doing?" Percy asked.
"Rubbing the toes," Thalia said. "They think it's good luck."
"Why?"
She shook her head. "Mortals get crazy ideas. They don't know the statues are sacred to Zeus, but they know there's sothing special about them."
"When you were here last, did they talk to you or anything?"
Thalia's expression darkened. Drako could tell that she'd co here before hoping exactly that—so kind of sign from her dad. So connection. "No. They don't do anything. They're just big tal statues."
Drako sighed and rubbed Thalia's head, earning a glare from the young huntress (she avoided it shortly after).
"Let us find the dam snack bar," Zoe said. "We should eat while we can."
Drako cracked a smile. "The dam snack bar?"
Zoe blinked. "Yes. What is funny?"
"Nothing," Drako said, trying to keep a straight face. "I could use so dam French fries."
Even Thalia smiled at that. "And I need to use the dam restroom."
Maybe it was the fact they were so tired, but Percy started cracking up, and Thalia and Grover joined in, while Zoe just looked at them. "I do not understand."
"I want to use the dam water fountain," Grover said.
Even Bianca was laughing.
"And…" Bianca tried to catch her breath. "I want to buy a dam T-shirt."
Then, it happened.
"Moooooo."
"Wait, did I just hear a cow?" Drako asked.
"A dam cow?" Thalia laughed.
"No," Grover said. "I also hear that."
Zoe listened. "I hear nothing."
" either," Bianca said.
Thalia was looking at Percy. "Percy, are you okay?"
"Yeah," he said. "You guys go ahead. I'll be right in."
"What's wrong?" Grover asked.
"Nothing," he said. "I… I just need a minute. To think."
They doubted, but they finally left him alone for a few minutes.
........
"Sothing is wrong with him," Drako said.
"Yeah," Thalia said. "He doesn't know how to hide it."
"You don't know how to do it either."
"Shut up!"
"Drako is telling the truth, Thalia," Bianca joked.
"Brat…"
At that mont, Grover face darkened. "Monsters are nearby," he said.
Drako focused his presence detection, searching for these monsters. It didn't take him too much to find Percy, who seems to be talking to a strange cow-serpent.
Wait…
The fuck was that animal?
Ignoring the strange but weak "monster", Drako searched nearby. He suspected the monsters that were here, and if it was them, they were going to search for Percy.
It didn't take him too much to found the skeletons soldiers. And Drako wasn't the only one to noticed them, as Percy also saw them. He started to run, avoiding the skeletons as much as possible.
"We have to run," Drako said. "They are here."
"Who?" Zoë asked.
"The skeletons."
The group paled. Grover shouted anxiously, "What about Percy!?"
"He is already on his way out; he noticed the skeletons on his own."
The group got up, as they were going to start their lunch. Bianca looked reluctantly at her chips, but she finally decided to let them go. Thalia was the sa as Bianca, looking at a pair of burritos.
Drako followed Percy with his aura, looking in which direction was he going to group with him. A group of skeletons were following him, and Percy looked like he finally reached a dead end.
There, Drako noticed how Percy tried to cut half a young girl of his age, but he couldn't because his sword can't harm mortals. Not even ten seconds earlier, that sa girl saved his life.
"Percy is coming here, prepare to run," Drako said.
Twenty seconds later, Percy reached the café.
"We need to leave," he gasped. "Now!"
All of them were already prepared. Zoe muttered an Ancient Greek curse when she saw the skeletons.
The cafe windows wrapped all the way around the observation floor, which gave them a beautiful panoramic view of the skeletal army that had co to kill them.
Two on the east side of the road, blocking the way to Arizona. Three more on the west side, guarding Nevada. All of them were ard with batons and pistols.
But their imdiate problem was a lot closer. The three skeletal warriors who'd been chasing Percy now appeared on the stairs. They saw them from across the cafeteria and clattered their teeth.
"Elevator!" Grover said.
"We can't," Drako said. "There are three more coming from there."
Just as he said. The elevator doors opened with a ding, and three more warriors stepped out. Every warrior was accounted for, minus the one Bianca had blasted to flas in New xico. They were completely surrounded.
"Be careful," Drako said. "These warriors are not weak, and your skin can't resist bullets. Moreover, they can't die, or we don't know how to kill them."
"As you can resist bullets," Thalia spat.
"Oh, I can," Drako smiled lightly.
"Dragon bullshit," Zoe muttered.
Then Grover had a brilliant, totally Grover-like idea.
"Burrito fight!" he yelled, and flung his Guacamole Grande at the nearest skeleton.
Now, if you have never been hit by a flying burrito, count yourself lucky. In terms of deadly projectiles, it's right up there with grenades and cannonballs. Grover's lunch hit the skeleton and knocked his skull clean off his shoulders. Drako wasn't sure what the other kids in the café saw, but they went crazy and started throwing their burritos and baskets of chips and sodas at each other, shrieking and screaming.
The skeletons tried to aim their guns, but it was hopeless. Bodies and food and drinks were flying everywhere.
In the chaos, Thalia and Percy tackled the other two skeletons on the stairs and sent them flying into the condint table. Then they all raced downstairs, Guacamole Grandes whizzing past their heads.
"What now?" Grover asked as they burst outside.
The warriors on the road were closing in from either direction. They ran across the street to the pavilion with the winged bronze statues, but that just put their backs to the mountain.
"Should I transform in my dragon form? You can get on my back and we can go out of here flying," Drako asked.
Zoë denied with her head. "That's must be the last option. Even the mist has it limits."
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Info!
I thought of creating this section so, when I have to take sothing from the wiki (a concept that you readers have to know to understand the story), I can put it down here and not in the middle of the story.
Tell if you want to see more this section. I can explain various things in every 2-3 chapters so you guys can understand more.
[Mist]
The Mist is the supernatural force that twists a mortal's sight from seeing monsters, gods, Titans, and other supernatural occurrences by replacing them with things the mortal mind knows about and can comprehend. So mortals can see through the Mist as well. Demigods and mythical creatures can all see through the Mist at most tis, though sotis the Mist is strong enough to fool even demigods.
It is Hecate's job to make sure the mythological events are replaced with visions of normality. Under the influence of Mist, a mortal would see gods or monsters as ordinary humans or animals and supernatural objects beco commonplace items. The Mist cannot only distort vision, but also creates false mories and suppresses real ones.
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