Percy Jackson and the Stolen Chariot

8/11/2019 Percy Jackson and the Stolen Chariot

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Percy Jackson & theStolen Chariot

I was in fth-period science classwhen I heard these noises outside.

SCRAWK! OW! SCREECH! HIYA!Like somebod was ettinattacked b possessed poultr" andbelie#e me" that$s a situation I$#e been inbeore. %obod else seemed to notice thecommotion. &e were doin a lab" soe#erbod was talkin" and it wasn$t hardor me to o look out the window while Ipretended to wash out m beaker.

'ure enouh" there was a irl in thealle with her sword drawn. 'he was talland muscular like a basketball plaer" withstrin brown hair and (eans and combat

boots and a denim (acket. 'he washackin at a )ock o black birds the si*e ora#ens. +eathers stuck out o her clothesin se#eral places. A cut was bleedin o#erher let ee. As I watched" one o the birdsshot a eather like an arrow" and it lodedin her shoulder. 'he cursed and sliced atthe bird" but it )ew awa.

,nortunatel" I reconi*ed the irl.It was larisse" m old enem romdemiod camp. larisse usuall li#ed atamp Hal-lood ear-round. I had no ideawhat she was doin on the ,pper /ast'ide in the middle o a school da" but shewas ob#iousl in trouble. 'he wouldn$t lastmuch loner.

I did the onl the thin I could.0rs. &hite" I said" can I o to

the restroom1 I eel like I$m oin topuke.

You know how teachers tell ou the maicword isplease1 2hat$s not true. 2he maicword is puke. It will et ou out o classaster than anthin else.

3o! 0rs. &hite said.I ran out the door" strippin o4 m

saet oles and lo#es and lab apron. Iot out m best weapon5a ballpoint pencalled 6iptide.%obod stopped me in the halls. I e7itedb the m. I ot to the alle (ust in timeto see larisse smack a de#il bird with the)at o her sword like she was hittin ahome run. 2he bird s8uawked and spiraledawa" slammin aainst the brick wall and

slidin into a trash can. 2hat still let ado*en more swarmin around her.

larisse! I elled.'he lared at me in disbelie.

9erc1 &hat are ou doin5'he was cut short b a #olle o

eather arrows that *ipped o#er her headand impaled themsel#es in the wall.2his is m school" I told her.:ust m luck" larisse rumbled"

but she was too bus fhtin to complainmuch.

I uncapped m pen" which rewinto a three-oot-lon bron*e sword" and

(oined the battle" slashin at the birds andde)ectin their eathers o4 m blade.

2oether" larisse and I sliced and hackeduntil all the birds were reduced to piles oeathers on the round.

&e were both breathin hard. I hada ew scratches" but nothin ma(or. Ipulled a eather arrow out o m arm. Ithadn$t one in #er deep. As lon as itwasn$t poison" I$d be oka. I took a baieo ambrosia out o m (acket" where Ialwas kept it or emerencies" broke apiece in hal" and o4ered some to larisse.

I don$t need our help" shemuttered" but she took the ambrosia.

&e swallowed a ew bites5not toomuch" since the ood o the ods can burnou to ashes i ou o#erindule. I uessthat$s wh ou don$t see man at ods.Anwa" in a ew seconds our cuts andbruises had disappeared.

larisse sheathed her sword andbrushed o4 her denim (acket. &ell . . .see ou.

Hold up! I said. You can$t (ustrun o4.

'ure I can.&hat$s oin on1 &hat are ou

doin awa rom camp1 &h were thosebirds ater ou1

larisse pushed me" or tried to. Iwas 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 mbusiness.

It does not!Let me help.'he took a shak breath. I ot the

eelin she reall wanted to punch me out"but at the same time there was a


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desperate look in her ees" like she was inserious trouble.

It$s m brothers" she said.2he$re plain a prank on me.

;h" I said" not reall surprised.larisse had lots o siblins at amp Hal-

lood. All o them picked on each other. Iuess that was to be e7pected since thewere sons and dauhters o the war od"Ares. &hich brothers1 'herman1 0ark1

%o" she said" soundin morearaid than I$d e#er heard her. 0immortal brothers. 9hobos and


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9hobos turned toward me. Howabout ou" 9erc :ackson1 &hat do youear1 I$ll fnd out" ou know. I alwas do.

3i#e the chariot back. I tried tokeep m #oice e#en. I took on our dadonce. You don$t scare me.

9hobos lauhed. %othin to earbut ear itsel. Isn$t that what the sa1&ell" let me tell ou a little secret" hal-blood. I am ear. I ou want to fnd thechariot" come and et it. It$s across thewater. You$ll fnd it where the little wildanimals li#e5(ust the sort o place oubelon.

He snapped his fners anddisappeared in a curtain o ellow #apor.

%ow" I$#e ot to tell ou" I$#e met alot o odlins and monsters I didn$t like"but 9hobos took the pri*e. I don$t likebullies. I$d ne#er been in the A crowd atschool" so I$d spent most o m liestandin up to punks who tried to rihtenme and m riends. 2he wa 9hoboslauhed at me and made

larisse collapse (ust b lookin ather . . . I wanted to teach this u alesson.

I helped larisse up. Her ace wasstill beaded with sweat.

Now are ou read or help1 Iasked.&e took the subwa" keepin a lookout ormore attacks" but no one bothered us. Aswe rode" larisse told me about 9hobosand


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uess her ehead acts rubbed o4 on mesometimes.

,seless" larisse said. I itdoesn$t help ou fht" it$s uselessinormation.

I could$#e arued with her" but (ust

then the err lurched like it had hit a rock.2ourists spilled orward" tumblin into eachother. larisse and I ran to the ront o theboat. 2he water below us started to boil.

2hen the head o a sea serpent eruptedrom the ba.

2he monster was at least as bi asthe boat. It was ra and reen with ahead like a crocodile and ra*or-sharpteeth. It smelled . . . well" like somethinthat had (ust come up rom the bottom o%ew York Harbor. 6idin on its neck was abulk u in black 3reek armor. His acewas co#ered with ul scars" and he held a

(a#elin in his hand.


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and the bus dri#er wouldn$t let us on thebus.

&e$ll ne#er make it in time" shesihed.

'top thinkin that wa. I tried tosound upbeat" but I was startin to ha#e

doubts too. I wished we hadreinorcements. 2wo demiods aainst twominor ods was not an e#en match" andwhen we met 9hobos and


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them went tumblin out o the chariot asit lurched orward.

I could hear


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+inall I kicked him backwardaainst the water ountain. His swordskittered into the ladies room. I rabbedthe straps o his armor and pulled him upto ace me.

You$re oin to disappear now" I

told him. You$re oin to sta out olarisse$s wa. And i I see ou aain" I$moin to i#e ou a bier scar in a muchmore painul place!

He ulped. 2here will be a ne7ttime" :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-powerul Harle-


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:erse" but either wa it would take hoursto dri#e the chariot back to 0anhattan"e#en i we could ool people into thinkinit was a reular car.

2hen I ot an idea. &e$ll take thedirect route.

larisse rowned. &hat do oumean1I closed m ees and bean to

concentrate.

Percy Jackson and the Stolen Chariot

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