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Song For Chapter: Kiss Me - Ed Sheeran (it's the song in the video)

Ch. 23: Meeting Dr. Thorn

    Standing behind us, a tall, rugged man glared. He had two different colored eyes, blue and brown that gleamed with a malicious intent. I felt like I had met this man before, but, I couldn't seem to place him with a name. 

  "This is just pairr-fect," he grinned, hissing a little. Sizing him up, I took in the ratty trench coat stained with various things and his unruly hair that was matted and greasy. Frankly, he didn't look like much of a threat, however, the defensive stance Percy took in front of me and the way he edged towards Bessie, told me other wise. 

    The man opened his mouth with a wicked smirk and began to tell us a story that I couldn't care less to hear, "Long ago, the gods banished me to Persia, I was forced to scrounge for food on the edges of the world, hiding in forests, devouring insignificant human farmers for my meals -,"

    Clearing my throat, I tilted my head to the side, interrupting him, "Sorry, but who are you? And, why do I care?" 

    The man faltered at this, left eye twitching in slight annoyance. He sent me a sharp look over, then spat out: "I'm not sure I've met this one before." He stuck his nose in the air, "None the less, you too shall be eaten." 

    Percy sent me a small look and muttered under his breath, "That's Dr. Thorn -"

  "The Manticore, remember Oliviae?" Zoë nodded towards me, itching for her bow and arrows. 

    My mind flashed back to the day when Annabeth had plummeted down the cliff latched onto the Manticore's back, then, anger flared up inside me. Taking a step forward, I was accosted by one of the four, paid, mercenaries that stood on either side of the monster, pushed back roughly. 

     "Where is she, you bastard!?" I blurted out, earning glances of surprise not only from Dr. Thorn and his lackeys, but also my group. Ignoring them, I asked again, "Where is Annabeth, and, where is my Mother?!" 

    He stared hard at me for a good, long minute before tossing his head back and laughing a boisterous cackle. Once he was done regaining his breath, he sent me a sharp snarl, "I haven't the smallest idea of whom you are referring to. I don't know anyone by the name of Annebell - and, how should I know who your mom is? Get a grip."

    Thalia cursed him under her breath while Percy clenched his fists in anger. "You lie," Thalia snarled, lightning coursing around her fingertips. 

    Dr. Thorn sent her a look of pity, "Oh, don't even think about starting a fight, you silly mortals. You won't get anywhere with it - I assure you."

    "We beat you once before," Percy reminded him, eyes flickering towards Bessie in worry.

    "Ha!" The Manticore threw back Percy's words with a sarcastic laugh, "You could barely fight me with a goddess on your side. And, alas... that goddess is preoccupied at the moment. There will be no help for you now."

    I ripped my dagger from my belt, ready to pounce at his words. Dr. Thorn nodded towards the same solider that had shoved me earlier. Quickly, he drew his handgun and pressed the cool, thick metal against my temple. 

    "Don't test me," The Manticore hissed.

    I shot him daggers and tilted my head up, yanking away from the gun. "You couldn't kill me."

    Dr. Thorn snickered a little and his two-toned eyes flickered towards the backpack on my shoulders. "Oh, I won't need to. But, where is the fun in that? You are only a baby goddess - you don't even know how to use your powers."

    Zoë notched an arrow and aimed it straight at the manticore's head as the guard pressed the weapon harder into the side of my skull.

    Percy's eyes flickered in mixed emotions. "Wait! Zoë, don't." 

    The Manticore simpered in sadistic joy. "The boy is right, Zoë Nightshade. Put away your weapons," his eyes darted between her and I, "It would be a shame to kill you before you witnessed Thalia's great victory."

    "What are you talking about?" Thalia growled, shield and spear ready for the fight. 

    "Surely it is clear," The manticore said. "This is your moment. This is why Lord Kronos brought you back to life. You will sacrifice the Ophiotaurus. You will bring its entrails to the sacred fire on the mountain. You will gain unlimited power. And, for your sixteenth birthday, you will overthrow Olympus." 

    No one spoke, no one could. I remembered the prophecy fairly well. It had spoken of a child of the Big Three either helping or ending the Olympians. Was Thalia the child? It seemed like it, but one could not always be so sure. 

    There was a heart stopping void of silence. All attention was directed onto Thalia, waiting for her to tell the Manticore off, but, she hesitated; she was completely stunned. My chest faltered a little, worry seeping deep into my bones. 

    "You know it is the right choice," The beast continued, "Your friend Luke recognized it too. You will be reunited with him. You shall rule this world together under the auspices of the Titans. Your Father abandoned you, Thalia," he cooed, "He cares nothing for you. And, now you shall gain power over him. Crush the Olympians underfoot, they deserve it. Call the beast! It will come to you if you use your spear-"

    "Shut your vile mouth!" I spat out, cold sweat pooling on my brow as the mercenary tightened his grip on the gun. "Thalia, you are stronger than that! You don't need to go with the prophecy, prophecies are more of a guideline." I pleaded towards her, Percy trying to get her attention as well. "Trust me, I know..."

    "Thalia," Percy begged, "snap out of it!"

    Thalia glanced up at the both of us, eyes glazed over and uncertain; it was as if she didn't even know who we were. "I... I don't-"

    "Your father helped you," Percy reminded her of the act that had just happened hours before. "He sent metal angels. He turned you into a tree to preserve you." I cringed at that part, not thinking it was the most delightful memory of her father that Thalia had. As a confirmation of my worry, Thalia tightened her grip on her spear, angry.

    Percy sent Grover a small look that I didn't understand, but he seemed to and quickly pulled out his reed pipes, playing a quick melody.

    The Manticore's eyes zeroed in on the pipes in rage, yelling out: "Stop him!" 

    The guards turned their attention from Zoë and I, but they were too late. The wooden planks at their feet sprouted new branches and tangled their legs up, pinning them to the boardwalk. Zoë fired two arrows, exploding at their feet in puffs of sulfur yellow smoke. 

    While they were distracted, we made a run for it, dodging the spikes that the Manticore tossed at us as we sprinted. 

    Percy had Grover tell Bessie to 'dive deep and stay down' and I grabbed the muddled Thalia as she was hovering around, still in her daze. A spike ricocheted off Percy's lion coat, slicing through the thin flannel I was wearing, and, lodging deep between two of my floating ribs. 

    "Ugh," I gasped out, clutching at the spine in a mix of hurt and irritation. The group paused a moment, not sure of what to do for me. "Just keep moving, go!" I nodded, running sluggishly behind them as we ran up the stairs to the shopping center on the pier. The Manticore and his guards were close behind; I had no time to focus on the injury now.

    Scrambling to the end of the pier, we found a little kiosk filled with souvenir crystals and hid behind it. There was a water fountain next to us. Down below, a bunch of sea lions were sunning themselves on the rocks. The whole of San Francisco Bay spread out before us: the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, and the green hills and fog beyond that to the north. A picture-perfect moment, except for the fact that we were about to die and the world was going to end. I could hardly focus on any of it, however, as the spike in my torso stung, calling for my attention. 

    The poison was quickly seeping into my system, making my movements slower, less attentive. I knew that if I was a demigod at this moment, I would be impaired for hours, maybe even longer. Sucking in a deep breath, I clamped my hands around the thick spike, tugging and struggling against my own bone and flesh to release the foreign object. Finally, it gave way, causing golden blood to ooze out and my head, almost immediately, to feel clearer. 

    Zoë was yelling at Percy as I clutched a healing hand over my wounds, stitching myself up. "Go over the side! Thou can escape into the sea, Percy. Call on thine father for help. Maybe thou can save the Ophiotaurus." 

    Percy's worried eyes flickered towards each of us, feeling conflicted. "I won't leave you guys; we fight together."

    "You have to get word to camp!" Grover prodded, not wanting to take 'no' for an answer. 

    Swallowing a sick lump in my throat at the feeling of my blood in my hands, I nodded, pushing myself up into a sitting position. "They're right Percy, at least let them know what is going on; so they can be prepared."

    Percy's eyes flickered around from the kiosk towards the water fountain with an arched brow. "Get word to camp," he muttered, a crease forming slightly, "Good idea."

    Uncapping Riptide, he slashed at the top of the water fountain, busting the pipe and causing the steady flow to spray all over us.

    Thalia gasped beside me, yanked out of her daze, "Are you crazy?" 

    I watched as a rainbow from the crystal reflected off the water's surface, and, I understood. Sliding off my pack, I dug around until I found a drachma, tossing the golden coin at Percy. He threw it into the water and yelled, "O goddess, accept my offering!" 

    The mist rippled in response. 

    "Camp Half-Blood," Percy quipped, anxiously. It would be a matter of time before the Manticore found us.

    The Mist rippled once more, displaying Mr. D clad in a leopard-skin jogging suit, rummaging through the refrigerator. A slow smile grew on my lips at the sight of him, but Percy didn't seem too happy.

    Mr. D glanced up at us lazily, "Do you mind?" 

    "Where is Chiron!" Percy shouted over him, making me snicker a little.

    "How rude," He frowned, guzzling some grape juice. "Is that how you say hello?"

    Waving a golden soaked hand, I grinned at him. "Hey Dionysus." He glared at me, assessing the blood coating my finger tips as Percy spoke over me.

    "Hello, we're about to die. Where is Chiron?"

    Mr. D considered that, musing a little. "About to die, how exciting. I'm afraid Chiron isn't here," his eyes glimmered sadistically, "Would you like me to take a message?"

    "We're dead." Percy glowered, casting us each a look.

    Thalia gripped her spear and heaved a heavy sigh. She seemed like she was back to normal once more. "Then we die fighting."

    "How noble," Mr. D stifled a faux yawn, "So, what is the problem, exactly, Oliviae?" He addressed me, bypassing Percy on purpose.

    Sending Percy a questioning look, he just waved me on, telling me to ask. Sighing, I told Mr. D about Bessie and what the Manticore had threatened. While I did, he only rummaged some more through the fridge, not finding anything that he wanted. 

    "So that's it. I see." 

    "You don't even care!" Percy snapped, tightening his fist as I sent him a cautionary glance. He didn't need Dionysus on his bad side, especially right now. "You'd just as soon watch us die with a bag of popcorn in your hands."

    Mr. D looked towards him with a grin. "Is that an offer? We seem to be out of popcorn. But, I guess I'm in the mood for pizza tonight."  

   Percy and I were both getting agitated, Zoë and Thalia were drawing their weapons in preparation for the coming fight, and, Grover was gnawing on a metal dreamcatcher that had been hanging in the window.

   Too soon, we were surrounded, the Manticore was in his true form and guards were perched all around, guns aimed at us. Dr. Thorn had morphed into his real form. I had no idea what the tourists saw, but a lot of them were taking pictures as they ran away in terror. 

   The Manticore snickered at the picture of Mr. D and grinned with his fanged teeth. "Excellent, you are all alone without any real help." 

   Mr. D murmured towards Percy and I, getting close to the Mist. "You could always ask for help," he chuckled a little at the thought, "You could say please."

   Percy and I spared each other the same look of distaste, 'Yeah, when hell freezes over'. I nodded towards him and readied my bows along side Zoë, wondering if Bianca was cheering us on from where she was. Perhaps Zoë was thinking of her now. Thalia raised her shield, and, I noticed as a single tear streaked down her cheek. I turned away from the sight so she wouldn't think I pitied her. In fact, I rather admired her strength.

   I, on the other hand, had no idea what they were going to do with me. Perhaps, since they couldn't kill me, they would bring me to my Mother and let the gods destroy me for my failure. I wouldn't be surprised if Hera was the the first to order my death. 

   Percy's voice tore me from my racing thoughts as he sighed, "Please, Mr. D," he took me by surprise as he lowered his eyes, "Help." 

   Nothing happened.

   Dr. Thorn grinned at our helplessness. "Spare the daughter of Zeus, she will pin us soon enough. Kill the others," he paused, sparing me a special glare, "I don't care what you do with the baby goddess, rip her to pieces, or bind her. She would be useless either way."

   I tightened my grip on my bow, arching an arrow to fire directly into his eye socket. I hoped it would sink deep and blind him. 

    Suddenly, there was a rush all around us, echoing inside our ears and causing an instantaneous spell of dizziness to overcome me. The sky was no longer tinted light blue, but purple and the stench of wine was everywhere. 

    There was a loud SNAP! sound, and, I knew it immediately. It was the same sound that echoed in my own mind when I used the power of persuasion, when my mind broke against the victim's. One guard turned his pistol away from us and tossed it into his mouth, like a bone, before running away on all fours. The others each broke out in different forms of erratic dancing. 

    The Manticore wailed in rage as the planks under his feet erupted into thick grape vines and began to consume him, wrapping around his body and sprouting new leaves as he shrieked and writhed. Finally, he was completely covered, head to toe, and the bush stopped shivering. The beast was no more. 

    "Well," the sound of Mr. D slamming his fridge shut echoed across the pier, "That was fun."

    Grinning at the crazy old man, I turned on my heel and asked him, "How did you -"

    "Such gratitude," he interrupted me, cracking open a new can of grape soda, "The mortals will come out of it. I don't want to make it permanent, I hate filing reports to my Father." He lifted a sharp eye onto Thalia, "I hope you learned your lesson, girl. It isn't easy to resist power, is it?"

    Thalia lowered her head and sent me a side glance, making me think that she was pondering the fruit in my backpack. She was subtly telling me that we were both weak. She was right. 

    "Mr. D," Grover stuttered out in amazement, "You... you saved us."

    "Mmm, don't make me regret it," he threatened slightly, guzzling the rest of his soda and letting out a low burp before continuing with his instructions, "Now, get going Percy Jackson. I've bought you all a few hours... at most."

    Percy furrowed his brow, nodding towards the waves lapping against the pier side. "Can you get the Ophiotaurus to camp?" 

    "I don't transport livestock, that's your problem." Mr. D stuck his nose in the air pompously.

    "But, where do we go?" I blurted out, not knowing how long this connection would last. I knew the messages from Olympus to Earth were expensive, so we should use our time wisely. 

    Dionysus nodded towards Zoë as she fixed her elegant plait. "Oh, the huntress knows. You must enter at sunset, or, you know, all is lost and all that," he shrugged his shoulders, nonchalantly, "Now good-bye. My pizza is waiting."

    He made a move to disconnect us, but paused, giving me a small glare. "Olive - you have want you need, right?" 

    My heart sunk as Percy turned towards me in surprise. Clearing my throat, I nodded and pushed some hair behind my ear, playing it off. "Yea, I've got everything in order."

    "You should just go home, stupid girl." Mr. D scowled, crumpling his can and tossing it into the trashcan even though there was a recycle bin next to it. "You don't need that life - this one isn't that bad, you should be grateful." 

    "I don't need a lecture from you." 

    "Whatever," he hissed with as much animosity that I had replied with. Mr. D went to disconnect us, but he was stopped by Percy this time. 

    "Mr. D," Percy smiled a little, something flashing behind his eyes. "You called me Percy Jackson." 

    "I most certainly did not, Peter Johnson. Now off with you!" Dionysus grumbled at his mistake and shut our connection down with a scowl.

   Percy's eyes bounced between Zoë and I, questions brimming behind his irises. "What did he mean..." He sighed, turning to Zoë, "What did he mean by 'You know where to go'?"

   Zoë's face paled a little as she looked out over the bay. She pointed across the bay, past the Golden Gate. And, in the distance, a single mountain rose up above the cloud layer. 

   "The garden of my sisters," she murmured, face losing more and more color the longer she stared. "I must go home."

~~~

The end is so close, but still so far x) Is Olive going to tell Percy?

Mr. D kinda threw her under the bus there, am I right?

xxJess

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