The Titan's Curse

to scout.”
    ‘Stay here’ I can handle. I can do that.
    I put on my cap of invisibility and walked over to the convenience store. It was difficult not to sneak. I had to keep reminding myself that nobody could see me. It was hard, too, because I had to remember to get out of people’s way so they wouldn’t slam into me.
    I thought I’d go inside and warm up, maybe get a cup of hot chocolate or something. I had a little change in my pocket. I could leave it on the counter. I was wondering if the cup would turn invisible when I picked it up, or if I’d have to deal with a floating hot chocolate problem, when my whole plan was ruined by Zoë, Thalia, Bianca, and Grover all coming out of the store.
    “Grover, are you sure?” Thalia was saying.
    “Well . . . pretty sure. Ninety-nine percent. Okay, eighty-five percent.”
    “And you did this with acorns?” Bianca asked, like she couldn’t believe it.
    Grover looked offended. “It’s a time-honored tracking spell. I mean, I’m pretty sure I did it right.”
    “D.C. is about sixty miles from here,” Bianca said. “Nico and I . . .” She frowned. “We used to live there. That’s . . . that’s strange. I’d forgotten.”
    “I dislike this,” Zoë said. “We should go straight west. The prophecy said west.”
    “Oh, like your tracking skills are better?” Thalia growled.
    Zoë stepped toward her. “You challenge my skills, you scullion? You know nothing of being a Hunter!”
    “Oh, scullion ? You’re calling me a scullion? What the heck is a scullion?”
    “Whoa, you two,” Grover said nervously. “Come on. Not again!”
    “Grover’s right,” Bianca said. “D.C. is our best bet.”
    Zoë didn’t look convinced, but she nodded reluctantly. “Very well. Let us keep moving.”
    “You’re going to get us arrested, driving,” Thalia grumbled. “I look closer to sixteen than you do.”
    “Perhaps,” Zoë snapped. “But I have been driving since automobiles were invented. Let us go.”
    As Blackjack and I continued south, following the van, I wondered whether Zoë had been kidding. I didn’t know exactly when cars were invented, but I figured that was like prehistoric times—back when people watched black-and-white TV and hunted dinosaurs.
    How old was Zoë? And what had Mr. D been talking about? What bad experience had she had with heroes?
    As we got closer to Washington, Blackjack started slowing down and dropping altitude. He was breathing heavily.
    “You okay?” I asked him.
    Fine, boss. I could . . . I could take on an army.
    “You don’t sound so good.” And suddenly I felt guilty, because I’d been running the pegasus for half a day, nonstop, trying to keep up with highway traffic. Even for a flying horse, that had to be rough.
    Don’t worry about me, boss! I’m a tough one.
    I figured he was right, but I also figured Blackjack would run himself into the ground before he complained, and I didn’t want that.
    Fortunately, the van started to slow down. It crossed the Potomac River into central Washington. I started thinking about air patrols and missiles and stuff like that. I didn’t know exactly how all those defenses worked, and wasn’t sure if pegasi even showed up on your typical military radar, but I didn’t want to find out by getting shot out of the sky.
    “Set me down there,” I told Blackjack. “That’s close enough.”
    Blackjack was so tired he didn’t complain. He dropped toward the Washington Monument and set me on the grass.
    The van was only a few blocks away. Zoë had parked at the curb.
    I looked at Blackjack. “I want you to go back to camp. Get some rest. Graze. I’ll be fine.”
    Blackjack cocked his head skeptically. You sure, boss?
    “You’ve done enough already,” I said. “I’ll be fine. And thanks a ton.”
    A ton of hay, maybe, Blackjack mused. That sounds good. All right, but be careful, boss. I got a feeling they didn’t come here to meet anything friendly and handsome like me.
    I promised to be careful. Then Blackjack took off, circling twice around the monument before disappearing into the clouds.
    I looked over at the white van. Everybody was getting out. Grover pointed toward one of the big buildings lining the Mall. Thalia nodded, and the four of them trudged off into the cold wind.
    I started to follow. But then I froze.
    A block away, the door of a black sedan opened. A man with gray hair and a military buzz cut got out. He was wearing dark shades and a black overcoat.