Chapter 3: Terror Targets Liberty's Hero

AN: Nothing belongs to me. Will be trying to post once a week, next week being an exception as I will be away from my laptop.

Everyone looked at Percy. He rolled his eyes. "It's not like I can tell you. There's that thing from the Fates stopping us, remember?"

"We could figure it out."

"It'd be more fun to watch though," Magnus replied to Carter's statement. "I want to see if Percy could actually figure stuff out."

"Again, I know the city like the back of my hand. It has all the best places in the world."

"You're missing out then," Magnus argued. "Boston's pretty great, and the areas surrounding it are even better. And that's just this world."

"We just stopped this argument," Annabeth glared at her cousin. "Don't start it again. I want to finish this."

Percy and Clarisse sat on the subway. Clarisse said they were minor gods, Phobos was fear and Deimos was terror.

"What's the difference?" Juniper asked with a tilt of the head.

Percy held up a finger in reply.

Percy asked what the difference was.

"Oh!" Juniper said surprised. "I guess I'll do truth then."

"Next break," agreed Thalia.

Clarisse frowned and said she guessed it was that Deimos was bigger and uglier, better at big groups. Phobos was personal, getting inside a person's head.

"That makes sense," Jaz said as she wrinkled her eyebrows. "I think."

"It's hard to get unless you meet them," Percy said. "I wouldn't worry about it."

Percy asked if that was the word phobia came from. Clarisse grumbled that Phobos was really proud of having all the phobias named after him. Percy asked why they didn't want her driving the chariot? Clarisse replied it was for Ares' sons when they turned fifteen. She was the first daughter in a long time.

"And the last one didn't do so well," Apollo remembered.

"So, it's a sexist thing?" Piper frowned.

"Women are just as good at these things, or even better," Sam said with a grin thinking of planes.

"It's just stupid," Rachel snorted. "Barbaric and outdated."

"This is where Egypt was smarter," Zia said proudly. "We had women pharaohs."

"Sparta respected women's rights."

"Not so much."

"Women couldn't learn in schools in Ancient Greece," Ella nodded. "Now they can. Good for Ella. Ella likes books."

"Trust me," Thalia said, "Artemis has tried to make it clear that women are a lot better than men. And a lot of the gods are a lot fairer on the matter now. Still not fair enough," she added with a wicked grin. "But we're gonna get there."

"And right now, Clarisse will be the first to show us why," Reyna nodded exchanging a glance with the other girl. "There are reasons there is always a war goddess along with a war god."

Annabeth's eyes gleamed. "The smarter one too."

Percy said good for Clarisse. She said to tell that to Phobos and Deimos. They hated her and she needed to get the chariot back to the temple. Percy asked where the temple was. She said Pier 86. The intrepid.

"A ship?" Magnus asked.

"Aircraft carrier," Clarisse corrected.

"Just right for a war god," agreed Zia. Carter shivered thinking what Sobek, Set or even Horus might want to do in a place like that.

Percy said they had four hours before sunset. Just enough time if they found the chariot.

"If you find it," Magnus pointed out.

"You still don't know where it is," Hearth signed.

"Give it a little bit."

Clarisse asked what Phobos meant over the water? They were on an island. It could be in any direction.

"So even less helpful," groaned Sadie. "Why can't anyone just tell these things up straight?"

"I wish," Percy agreed.

Percy said Phobos had said something about wild animals. Little wild animals. Clarisse asked if he meant a zoo? Percy nodded.

"Still not too helpful," Grover said. "There are a lot of zoos in New York. Even not counting Manhattan."

"Narrows it down a bit though."

Percy frowned for a second then said Staten Island. They had a small zoo.

"Why there?"

"No one would look for them there," Percy said. "Simple enough."

Clarisse said maybe. It was the kind of out-of-the-way place the brothers liked. But if they were wrong. Percy interrupted her and said they didn't have time to be wrong.

"And somehow it'll work out because Percy's weird luck will hit again," Thalia gestured wildly.

"Not how it works."

"Sure is."

"Why don't you go and ask Tyche for me? Or For-Tuna?"

"Fortuna," the Romans corrected.

"Yeah. Her."

The scene changed to Percy and Clarisse standing by the railing on a ferry as they passed the Statue of Liberty.

"He modeled that on mom," Annabeth smiled.

Clarisse groaned.

"What?" asked Frank from next to her.

"Bartholdi. The sculptor. He was a son of Athena. It's supposed to look like her."

Clarisse groaned louder. "I don't get either of you."

Everyone looked at her in confusion except Percy.

Percy looked at it with a small smile and said he modeled it on his mom.

"You remembered?"

"You know I listen when you talk. The hoover dam already proved that."

"I just like knowing you care enough to pay attention."

"It's something you love," Percy shrugged. "Simple enough."

"Anyway, because you and Percy happen to be such an annoyingly perfect couple," Clarisse said with a sneer, "And have to remember everything the other person says you need to choose a dare."

"Why not truth?" Zia asked her.

"Because Annabeth doesn't do truths," Thalia replied.

"I do. But I don't trust any of you guys enough to do that."

"Rude," Sadie, Leo, Percy, and Alex said at once in exaggerated tones.

"You know what I meant. I'll do a dare."

"So, we'll figure one out with Juniper's," Grover nodded.

"You might want to wait on that," Percy noted. "Just for a moment."

"Why?" Annabeth demanded.

Percy gestured with a tilt of his head to the scene.

Clarisse frowned and asked who. Percy said the guy who made the Statue of Liberty, Bartholdi. A son of Athena. Annabeth told him it was supposed to look like her.

"Almost word for word," Piper said with an awed look. "Somehow Percabeth keeps upping their status as the perfect couple."

"Percawhat?"

"It's what most of the Aphrodite cabin calls us," Annabeth told him.

Piper rolled her eyes. "It's annoying. They have ship names for everyone. Even the couples that don't exist."

Curious and disturbed gazes turned her way. Thalia looked at Annabeth instead. "I'm going to ignore that and ask why the two of you are like this?"

"I'm just going to point out we all did this at the Hoover Dam," Grover reminded her. "Just a side effect of spending a lot of time with Annabeth."

"And at this point, no one spends more time with her than Percy," Jason agreed with a nudge to his friend.

"Why are we spending so much time on this? It's funny but I'd rather watch the fight," Alex said loudly.

"She's right," Walt nodded.

"He is," Alex corrected.

"Sorry."

Clarisse rolled her eyes and said it was useless. If it didn't help them fight it wasn't helpful.

"You know that's not true," Piper told her.

"For me it is. I don't need any of this stuff distracting me from the simple things that mean fighting. It makes more sense anyway."

"But sometimes it is necessary to have information to win," Reyna said with a raised brow.

"Doesn't matter, I still win. I always do."

There were several snorts from the Greeks and Romans. Clarisse glared at them all.

Then Percy opened his mouth to argue but the ferry shook, and everyone fell onto each other. Percy and Clarisse pushed their way to the front of the boat.

"What is this?" Sadie pointed at the scene. "Titanic?"

"No," Percy and Clarisse both yelled.

"Even if it was Percy would live," mused Rachel. "Not going to drown, would he?"

"Even if he didn't, he could have fit on the door," Will said. "It would have worked."

"I know," Apollo sighed. "So tragic. What a masterpiece."

"No way," Carter said with a shake of his head. "We are not getting sidetracked with this stuff again. Their boat obviously bumped into something so we're going to watch and find out what it is."

The water bubbled and a sea serpent bigger than the boat came out of the bay. Grey and green with a crocodile head with a guy in black armor and with a javelin. Clarisse yelled Deimos's name. He grinned and said hello to his sister, asking if he wanted to play.

"No surprise," Leo said with wide eyes, "But terror is absolutely terrifying."

There were a few smiles and laughs.

Tourists screamed and ran as the monster roared. Percy yelled for him to leave them alone. Deimos asked or what? Phobos had said he was a wimp. Anyway, he loved terror. He lived on it.

"I guess that's supposed to be scary, but it sounded kind of cheesy," Nico noted.

Percy nodded. "Totally."

"That thing is terrifying," Apollo argued. "What are you two saying?"

"It's gross looking and mean but I'm not sure that's the same thing."

"And it's easier to think of the funny parts," Percy agreed.

Deimos ordered the sea serpent to head butt the boat sending it backward and causing alarms. People scrambled over each other to get away making Deimos laugh.

Hazel frowned. "Now he's really done."

"People need help," Tyson agreed. "Percy won't let them get hurt."

"No one here would," Percy said with confidence.

Percy grumbled that was it. He told Clarisse to grab on. She looked at him in surprise. He said to grab onto his neck. They were going on a ride. "

"A piggyback? Really?" Magnus asked.

"That has to be one of the most hilarious things I've ever seen," Thalia laughed.

"Not something I'd ever thought I'd see."

Percy said one, two, three, jump! They jumped into the water which swirled around them sending them flying straight toward the monster. Percy asked if Clarisse thought she could tackle Deimos. She said she was on it. She just needed to be within three meters. They hit the serpents as it opened its mouth. The water hit it on one side and Clarisse jumped falling with Deimos into the ocean.

"Fighting a son of Poseidon in the water," Grover said. "Definitely not the smartest thing to do."

"Like father like son, I guess," Thalia noted. "Neither are too smart."

"At least I have some of Poseidon's stuff on my side," Frank whispered to Hazel who gave his hand a squeeze.

Percy leaped over the monster's head and slashed at its neck, green blood spurting everywhere as the serpent disappeared underneath the water. Percy dived after it and looked to see that it was leaving. Clarisse surfaced and spluttered and coughed. Percy swam over and grabbed her.

"That was fast," noted Jason. "Faster than defeating any sea serpent I've fought."

"Son of Poseidon," Percy reminded him with a shrug. "I know how they work. They're kind of cowards and especially if you hit them in certain areas. I always have the advantage near water."

"Deimos took less time to chase away then Phobos too," Frank pointed out. "He didn't seem to affect you that much."

"He's right. You just jumped at the sea serpent," agreed Grover. "Not that doing something like that is unusual for you."

"Or Carter," Sadie teased. Her brother blushed to everyone's confusion as he rubbed his shoulder. Two-headed snakes monsters were never good.

"Clarisse wasn't as bothered by Deimos as much as Phobos either," Rachel said with a speculative look.

"That's because there's a difference between fear and terror," Apollo told her.

Annabeth nodded. "It's true. Deimos affects crowds, large groups of people. He can be scary, terrifying but true heroes don't get scared. They step forward to save everyone else."

"Which everyone here would do," Percy argued looking around. He leaned back and sighed. "It's harder with Phobos. He's personal. He's the fear that eats away at your insides and weighs down on you. It's harder to fight off. He gets inside your head."

"Usually both are just annoying," Clarisse grumbled, "But Phobos always was better at getting at the heroes."

Little fears had bloomed up again in the chests and memories of everyone in the room as they remembered how those fears had changed them. Fear was powerful, it was easier to fight terror. There was an uneasy quiet as the scene in front of them started again.

Percy asked if she got Deimos. Clarisse shook her head saying he disappeared as they wrestled. But they'd see him and Phobos again.

"No quest is over that fast," Reyna muttered.

"That'd be too easy," agreed Thalia who had somehow read her lips.

Tourists ran around the ferry in a panic. Percy looked at it and then away as he grabbed Clarisse's arm. They sped away in the water as the sun started to move down over the horizon.

"You'll probably get there faster now," Carter said. "With Percy using the water to get you there."

"Not as fast as traveling by Duat," Sadie grinned.

"Or the World Tree."

"Shadow Travel."

"Either way they don't have a lot of time. You like cutting it close," Blitz frowned.

"We all do," Walt agreed.

As they reached shore, Percy all dry and Clarisse dripping everywhere they headed straight to look for a bus. The driver took one look at Clarisse and wouldn't let them on. She complained they'd never make it in time.

"Even Clarisse agrees. We always do everything at the last minute."

"Not that we don't try to finish earlier," Piper joked.

Percy said jokingly to stop thinking that way, but he had a strain in his voice. The two teens walked down Staten Island. Finally, they arrived before a sign that said Zoo. They turned into the entrance and ignored the lady looking at them suspiciously at the ticket booth.

"Gotta love quests in mortal settings," Thalia muttered.

"Which is why we prefer to use magic or go to emptier areas," Zia said with a sly smile.

Alex snorted, "That works. Or you could just let all the mortals ignore everything like we do."

"Not that we really ever have a choice about where our quests lead us," Nico argued.

There was no argument to that. Will gave a somewhat halfhearted smile. "Hey, at least they're there."

"Now they just have to find the Chariot."