the thunderbolt theft

We'd arrived on the outskirts of a little ski town nestled in the mountains. The sign said WELCOME TOCLOUDCROFT, NEW MEXICO. The air was cold and thin. The roofs of the cabins were heaped withsnow, and dirty mounds of it were piled up on the sides of the streets. Tall pine trees loomed over thevalley, casting pitch-black shadows, though the morning was sunny. Even with my lion-skin coat, I was freezing by the time we got to Main Street, which was about half amile from the train tracks. As we walked, I told Grover about my conversation with Apollo the nightbefore—how he'd told me to seek out Nereus in San Francisco. Grover looked uneasy. "That's good, I guess. But we've got to get there first."

I tried not to get too depressed about our chances. I didn't want to send Grover into a panic, but I knewwe had another huge deadline looming, aside from saving Artemis in time for her council of the gods. TheGeneral had said Annabeth would only be kept alive until the winter solstice. That was Friday, only fourdays away. And he'd said something about a sacrifice. I didn't like the sound of that at all. We stopped in the middle of town. You could pretty much see everything from there:

a school, a bunchof tourist stores and cafes, some ski cabins, and a grocery store. "Great, " Thalia said, looking around. "No bus station. No taxis. No car rental. No way out."

"There's a coffee shop!" said Grover. "Yes, " Zoe said. "Coffee is good."

"And pastries, " Grover said dreamily. "And wax paper." Thalia sighed. "Fine. How about you two go get us some food. Percy, Bianca, and I will check in thegrocery store. Maybe they can give us directions."

We agreed to meet back in front of the grocery store in fifteen minutes. Bianca looked a littleuncomfortable coming with us, but she did. Inside the store, we found out a few valuable things about Cloudcroft:

there wasn't enough snow forskiing, the grocery store sold rubber rats for a dollar each, and there was no easy way in or out of townunless you had your own car. "You could call for a taxi from Alamogordo, " the clerk said doubtfully. "That's down at the bottom of themountains, but it would take at least an hour to get here. Cost several hundred dollars."

The clerk looked so lonely, I bought a rubber rat. Then we headed back outside and stood on theporch. "Wonderful, " Thalia grumped. "I'm going to walk down the street, see if anybody in the other shops hasa suggestion."

"But the clerk said—" "I know, " she told me. "I'm checking anyway."

I let her go. I knew how it felt to be restless. All half-bloods had attention deficit problems because ofour inborn battlefield reflexes. We couldn't stand just waiting around. Also, I had a feeling Thalia was stillupset over our conversation last night about Luke. Bianca and I stood together awkwardly. I mean… I was never very comfortable talking one-on-onewith girls anyway, and I'd never been alone with Bianca before. I wasn't sure what to say, especially nowthat she was a Hunter and everything. "Nice rat, " she said at last. I set it on the porch railing. Maybe it would attract more business for the store. "So… how do you like being a Hunter so far?"

I asked. She pursed her lips. "You're not still mad at me for joining, are you?"

"Nah. Long as, you know… you're happy."

"I'm not sure 'happy' is the right word, with Lady Artemis gone. But being a Hunter is definitely cool. Ifeel calmer somehow. Everything seems to have slowed down around me. I guess that's the immortality."

I stared at her, trying to see the difference. She did seem more confident than before, more at peace.

She didn't hide her face under a green cap anymore. She kept her hair tied back, and she looked meright in the eyes when she spoke. With a shiver, I realized that five hundred or a thousand years fromnow, Bianca di Angelo would look exactly the same as she did today. She might be having aconversation like this with some other half-blood long after I was dead, but Bianca would still looktwelve years old. "Nico didn't understand my decision, " Bianca murmured. She looked at me like she wanted assurance itwas okay. "He'll be all right, " I said. "Camp Half-Blood takes in a lot of young kids. They did that for Annabeth."

Bianca nodded. "I hope we find her. Annabeth, I mean. She's lucky to have a friend like you."

"Lot of good it did her."

"Don't blame yourself Percy. You risked your life to save my brother and me. I mean, that was seriouslybrave. If I hadn't met you, I wouldn't have felt okay about leaving Nico at the camp. I figured if therewere people like you there, Nico would be fine. You're a good guy."

The compliment took me by surprise. "Even though I knocked you down in capture the flag?"

She laughed. "Okay. Except for that, you're a good guy."

A couple hundred yards away, Grover and Zoe came out of the coffee shop loaded down with pastrybags and drinks. I kind of didn't want them to come back yet. It was weird, but I realized I liked talkingto Bianca. She wasn't so bad.

A lot easier to hang out with than Zoe Nightshade, anyway. "So what's the story with you and Nico?"

I asked her. "Where did you go to school before Westover?"

She frowned. "I think it was a boarding school in D.

C. It seems like so long ago."

"You never lived with your parents? I mean, your mortal parent?"

"We were told our parents were dead. There was a bank trust for us. A lot of money, I think. A lawyerwould come by once in a while to check on us. Then Nico and I had to leave that school."

"Why?"

She knit her eyebrows. "We had to go somewhere. I remember it was important. We traveled a longway. And we stayed in this hotel for a few weeks. And then… I don't know. One day a different lawyercame to get us out. He said it was time for us to leave. He drove us back east, through D.

C. Then up intoMaine. And we started going to Westover."

It was a strange story. Then again, Bianca and Nico were half-bloods. Nothing would be normal forthem. "So you've been raising Nico pretty much all your life?"

I asked."

Just the two of you?"

She nodded. "That's why I wanted to join the Hunters so bad. I mean, I know it's selfish, but I wantedmy own life and friends. I love Nico—don't get me wrong—I just needed to find out what it would belike not to be a big sister twenty-four hours a day."

I thought about last summer, the way I'd felt when I found out I had a Cyclops for a baby brother. Icould relate to what Bianca was saying. "Zoe seems to trust you, "I said."

What were you guys talking about, anyway—something dangerousabout the quest?"

"When?"

Yesterday morning on the pavilion, " I said, before I could stop myself. "Something about the General."

Her face darkened. "How did you…The invisibility hat. Were you eavesdropping?"

"No! I mean, not really. I just—" I was saved from trying to explain when Zoe and Grover arrived with the drinks and pastries.

Hotchocolate for Bianca and me.

Coffee for them. I got a blueberry muffin, and it was so good I could almostignore the outraged look Bianca was giving me. "We should do the tracking spell, " Zoe said. "Grover, do you have any acorns left?"

"Umm, " Grover mumbled. He was chewing on a bran muffin, wrapper and all. "I think so. I just needto—" He froze. I was about to ask what was wrong, when a warm breeze rustled past, like a gust of springtime hadgotten lost in the middle of winter. Fresh air seasoned with wildflowers and sunshine. And somethingelse—almost like a voice, trying to say something. A warning. Zoe gasped. "Grover, thy cup."

Grover dropped his coffee cup, which was decorated with pictures of birds. Suddenly the birds peeledoff the cup and flew away—a flock of tiny doves. My rubber rat squeaked. It scampered off the railingand into the trees—real fur, real whiskers. Grover collapsed next to his coffee, which steamed against the snow. We gathered around him and triedto wake him up. He groaned, his eyes fluttering. "Hey!" Thalia said, running up from the street. "I just… What's wrong with Grover?"

"I don't know, " I said. "He collapsed."

"Uuuuuhhhh, " Grover groaned. "Well, get him up!" Thalia said. She had her spear in her hand. She looked behind her as if she werebeing followed. "We have to get out of here."

We made it to the edge of the town before the first two skeleton warriors appeared. They stepped fromthe trees on either side of the road. Instead of gray camouflage, they were now wearing blue NewMexico State Police uniforms, but they had the same transparent gray skin and yellow eyes. They drew their handguns. I'll admit I used to think it would be kind of cool to learn how to shoot a gun, but I changed my mind as soon as the skeleton warriors pointed theirs at me. Thalia tapped her bracelet. Aegis spiraled to life on her arm, but the warriors didn't flinch. Their glowingyellow eyes bored right into me. I drew Riptide, though I wasn't sure what good it would do against guns. Zoe and Bianca drew their bows, but Bianca was having trouble because Grover kept swooning andleaning against her. "Back up, " Thalia said. We started to—but then I heard a rustling of branches. Two more skeletons appeared on the roadbehind us. We were surrounded. I wondered where the other skeletons were. I'd seen a dozen at the Smithsonian. Then one of thewarriors raised a cell phone to his mouth and spoke into it. Except he wasn't speaking. He made a clattering, clicking sound, like dry teeth on bone. Suddenly Iunderstood what was going on. The skeletons had split up to look for us. These skeletons were nowcalling their brethren. Soon we'd have a full party on our hands. "It's near, " Grover moaned. "It's here, " I said. "No, " he insisted. "The gift. The gift from the Wild."

I didn't know what he was talking about, but I was worried about his condition. He was in no shape towalk, much less fight. "We'll have to go one-on-one, " Thalia said. "Four of them. Four of us. Maybe they'll ignore Grover thatway."

"Agreed, " said Zoe. "The Wild!" Grover moaned. A warm wind blew through the canyon, rustling the trees, but I kept my eyes on the skeletons. Iremembered theGeneral gloating over Annabeth's fate. I remembered the way Luke had betrayed her. And I charged. The first skeleton fired. Time slowed down. I won't say I could see the bullet, but I could feel its path, the same way I felt water currents in the ocean. I deflected it off the edge of my blade and kept charging. The skeleton drew a baton and I sliced off his arms at the elbows. Then I swung Riptide through hiswaist and cut him in half. His bones unknit and clattered to the asphalt in a heap. Almost immediately, they began to move, reassembling themselves. The second skeleton clattered his teeth at me and tried to fire, but I knockedhis gun into the snow. I thought I was doing pretty well, until the other two skeletons shot me in the back. "Percy!" Thalia screamed. I landed facedown in the street. Then I realized something… I wasn't dead. The impact of the bulletshad been dull, like a push from behind, but they hadn't hurt me. The Nemean Lion's fur! My coat was bulletproof. Thalia charged the second skeleton. Zoe and Bianca started firing arrows at the third and fourth. Groverstood there and held his hands out to the trees, looking like he wanted to hug them. There was a crashing sound in the forest to our left, like a bulldozer. Maybe the skeletons'reinforcements were arriving. I got to my feet and ducked a police baton. The skeleton I'd cut in half wasalready fully re-formed, coming after me. There was no way to stop them. Zoe and Bianca fired at their heads point-blank, but the arrows justwhistled straight through their empty skulls. One lunged at Bianca, and I thought she was a goner, but shewhipped out her hunting knife and stabbed the warrior in the chest. The whole skeleton erupted intoflames, leaving a little pile of ashes and a police badge. "How did you do that?"

Zoe asked. "I don't know, " Bianca said nervously. "Lucky stab?"

"Well, do it again!" Bianca tried, but the remaining three skeletons were wary of her now. They pressed us back, keeping usat baton's length. "Plan?"

I said as we retreated. Nobody answered. The trees behind the skeletons were shivering. Branches were cracking. "A gift, " Grover muttered. And then, with a mighty roar, the largest pig I'd ever seen came crashing into the road. It was a wildboar, thirty feet high, with a snotty pink snout and tusks the size of canoes. Its back bristled with brownhair, and its eyes were wild and angry. " REEEEEEEEET !" it squealed, and raked the three skeletons aside with its tusks. The force was sogreat, they went flying over the trees and into the side of the mountain, where they smashed to pieces, thigh bones and arm bones twirling everywhere. Then the pig turned on us. Thalia raised her spear, but Grover yelled, "Don't kill it.

'" The boar grunted and pawed the ground, ready to charge. "That's the Erymanthian Boar, " Zoe said, trying to stay calm. "I don't think we can kill it."

"It's a gift, " Grover said. "A blessing from the Wild!" The boar said "REEEEEEET!" and swung its tusk. Zoe and Bianca dived out of the way. I had to pushGrover so he wouldn't get launched into the mountain on the Boar Tusk Express. "Yeah, I feel blessed!" I said. "Scatter!" We ran in different directions, and for a moment the boar was confused. "It wants to kill us!" Thalia said. "Of course, " Grover said. "It's wild!" "So how is that a blessing?"

Bianca asked. It seemed a fair question to me, but the pig was offended and charged her. She was faster than I'drealized. She rolled out of the way of its hooves and came up behind the beast. It lashed out with its tusksand pulverized the WELCOME TO CLOUDCROFT sign. I racked my brain, trying to remember the myth of the boar. I was pretty sure Hercules had fought thisthing once, but I couldn't remember how he'd beaten it. I had a vague memory of the boar plowing downseveral Greek cities before Hercules managed to subdue it. I hoped Cloudcroft was insured against giantwild boar attacks. "Keep moving!" Zoe yelled. She and Bianca ran in opposite directions. Grover danced around the boar, playing his pipes while the boar snorted and tried to gouge him. But Thalia and I won the prize for badluck. When the boar turned on us, Thalia made the mistake of raising Aegis in defense. The sight of theMedusa head made the boar squeal in outrage. Maybe it looked too much like one of his relatives. Theboar charged us. We only managed to keep ahead of it because we ran uphill, and we could dodge in and out of treeswhile the boar had to plow through them. On the other side of the hill, I found an old stretch of train tracks, half buried in the snow. "This way.

'" I grabbed Thalia's arm and we ran along the rails while the boar roared behind us, slippingand sliding as it tried to navigate the steep hillside. Its hooves just were not made for this, thank the gods. Ahead of us, I saw a covered tunnel.

Past that, an old trestle bridge spanning a gorge. I had a crazy idea. "Follow me!" Thalia slowed down—I didn't have time to ask why—but I pulled her along and she reluctantlyfollowed. Behind us, a ten-ton pig tank was knocking down pine trees and crushing boulders under itshooves as it chased us. Thalia and I ran into the tunnel and came out on the other side. "No!" Thalia screamed. She'd turned as white as ice. We were at the edge of the bridge. Below, the mountain dropped awayinto a snow-filled gorge about seventy feet below. The boar was right behind us. "Come on!" I said. "It'll hold our weight, probably."

"I can't!" Thalia yelled. Her eyes were wild with fear. The boar smashed into the covered tunnel, tearing through at full speed. "Now!"I yelled at Thalia. She looked down and swallowed. I swear she was turning green. I didn't have time to process why. The boar was charging through the tunnel, straight toward us. Plan B.

I tackled Thalia and sent us both sideways off the edge of the bridge, into the side of the mountain. Weslid on Aegis like a snow-board, over rocks and mud and snow, racing downhill. The boar was lessfortunate; it couldn't turn that fast, so all ten tons of the monster charged out onto the tiny trestle, whichbuckled under its weight. The boar free-fell into the gorge with a mighty squeal and landed in a snowdriftwith a hugePOOOOOF ! Thalia and I skidded to a stop. We were both breathing hard. I was cut up and bleeding. Thalia had pineneedles in her hair. Next to us, the wild boar was squealing and struggling. All I could see was the bristlytip of its back. It was wedged completely in the snow like Styrofoam packing. It didn't seem to be hurt, but it wasn't going anywhere, either. I looked at Thalia. "You're afraid of heights."

Now that we were safely down the mountain, her eyes had their usual angry look. "Don't be stupid."

"That explains why you freaked out on Apollo's bus. Why you didn't want to talk about it."

She took a deep breath. Then she brushed the pine needles out of her hair. "If you tell anyone, Iswear—" "No, no, " I said. "That's cool. It's just… the daughter of Zeus, the Lord of the Sky, afraid of heights?"

She was about to knock me into the snow when, above us, Grover's voice called, "Helloooooo?"

"Down here!" I shouted. A few minutes later, Zoe, Bianca, and Grover joined us. We stood watching the wild boar struggle in thesnow. "A blessing of the Wild, " Grover said, though he now looked agitated. "I agree, " Zoe said. "We must use it."

"Hold up, " Thalia said irritably. She still looked like 1 she'd just lost a fight with a Christmas tree."

Explain to me why you're so sure this pig is a blessing."

Grover looked over, distracted. "It's our ride west. Do you have any idea how fast this boar can travel?"

"Fun, " I said. "Like… pig cowboys."

Grover nodded. "We need to get aboard. I wish… I wish I had more time to look around. But it's gonenow."

"What's gone?"

Grover didn't seem to hear me. He walked over to the boar and jumped onto its back. Already the boarwas starting to make some headway through the drift. Once it broke free, there'd be no stopping it.

Grover took out his pipes. He started playing a snappy tune and tossed an apple in front of the boar. Theapple floated and spun right above the boar's nose, and the boar went nuts, straining to get it. "Automatic steering, " Thalia murmured. "Great."

She trudged over and jumped on behind Grover, which still left plenty of room for the rest of us. Zoe and Bianca walked toward the boar. "Wait a second, " I said. "Do you two know what Grover is talking about—this wild blessing?"

"Of course, " Zoe said. "Did you not feel it in the wind? It was so strong… I never thought I would sensethat presence again."

"What presence?"

She stared at me like I was an idiot. "The Lord of the Wild, of course. Just for a moment, in the arrival ofthe boar, I felt the presence of Pan."

to be continued....