Chapter 11

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, etc. are the property of JK. Rowling and Rick Riordan. The OC characters and storyline are purely my imagination running wild. My story is for entertainment only and is not part of any official storylines. I do not have any association with J. K. Rowling or Rick Riordan even though I wish I had. No copyright infringement is.

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At the edge of the yard, they found an old pickup truck that looked like it was thrown away, but the engine started and the tank was full of gas. That was all that mattered now. So, it was decided that the group liberated this vehicle and traveled west towards Lady Artemis.

Thalia decided that she would drive, so she dragged Percy and Annabeth with her to the front of the truck, leaving the huntresses and Lyra to get comfortable on the back. Thalia navigated them through the desert, under the clear blue skies. The air was cool and dry in other words, the weather was perfect.

Skye was quietly observing her sisters and godmother as they were heading west. Deciding now is the time to ask Bianca what was so important that she had to take from the yard.

"Bianca?" Skye asked quietly.

"Hmm," Bianca acknowledges the hybrid.

"Please do not take this the wrong way, but what was so important in the yard that you needed to take that accidentally awoken Talos?" Skye asked softly while gazing out into the horizon.

"Ah, I knew that there was something else bothering you other than your newly found godmother," Bianca said with a sad smile.

Bianca removed a small little figurine from her pocket before giving it to Skye to look at. "This figurine was the only one Nico still needed for his myth-o-magic game. When I saw it in the junkyard, I knew that I could not leave it and something was compelling me to take it, anyway." Bianca said softly.

"You must really love him," Skye said while looking down at the figurine and noticing that it was a Hades figurine before giving it back to Bianca.

"Yeah, he is my little brother. I will always love him, but I needed to join Lady Artemis. It was time for both of us to find our way in life, but I will always be there for him if he needs me." Bianca said as she noticed that they were coming to the true issue that was bothering Skye.

"I am sorry. It's just that I cannot remember having a loving family and I don't know what it's like to have siblings;" Skye said, voice full of pain. "I had a cousin who was the closest to a sibling I most likely had, but he would always follow his parents' example when it came to me. They did not love me, so you can imagine what it was like growing up with them. The hurt, both physical and emotional, became too much one day."

By now, both Zoe and Lyra were listening to the conversation going on between Skye and Bianca. Both wanted to help with Skye's pain so badly, but both knew that Bianca would be best to handle this for now.

"I do not like that. You had to experience abuse like that, but I am grateful for them for one thing, and before you get upset, let me finish," Bianca said, seeing the hurt in Skye's eyes.

"Their treatment drove you to end up finding a family that wants you for who you are, Skye, and that is why I am grateful. I found a best friend and a sister in one and that is what I see you as," Bianca said before drawing Skye into her embrace, knowing fully that this was what her hybrid sister needed.

It took Skye a few moments to calm her emotions enough to move out of Bianca's embrace. "Thank you," Skye said shyly. "I needed the reminder that you guys want me as I am and that you do not see me as a freak. I don't think that I actually dealt with the emotions of my time with my relatives."

"Hey do not worry about it. You might not have dealt with your time with your relatives and you currently are not a freak, but all of this does not mean you are alone; we all are here to help and remind you that you are wanted." Bianca said with a soft smile.

"She is right you know, I have been out of your life long enough, so don't worry we will be there to help you with your demons like I promised your parents I would, but I will have some words with Dumbledore about your placement with the Dursleys when I see him again," Lyra said softly to her goddaughter.

It was a few hours later when the truck ran out of gas at the edge of a river canyon. This was in essence a good thing as the road ended up being a dead-end.

Thalia got out of the cab with frustration as she slammed the door, of course, this caused the front tire of the truck to blow. "Great! What are we going to do now?"

Scanning the horizon, Skye noticed that they were still surrounded by a desert atmosphere with a few mountains here and there. The canyon was probably the only way out of this place, the only way they could use to go west and save her lady.

"There is a path," Annabeth said as she indicated a tiny path hiding at the edge of the cliff. "We could get to the river."

"It is a goat path," Percy stated.

"So?" the daughter of Athena asked.

"We aren't goats and it will be too dangerous to use the path," Percy stated while looking at how pale Thalia had gotten with the idea of using that path.

"I agree with the young man," Lyra said. "This path will cause our deaths, so I would suggest we should follow the canyon upstream."

"But…" Annabeth tried

"No. We will follow the canyon upstream as Lyra suggested." Zoe said with finality, not in the mood for any more of this debate.

Skye glanced over at each member of the quest and noticed Annabeth's put out look, but Thalia had a very thankful look. This proved to Skye that the daughter of Zeus was afraid of heights. There should be a story behind that fear. The rest of the group looked calm but happy that they had a plan to get out of this god-awful place.

They followed the river for about a mile before they came to a much easier way down to the water. On the shore at the end of the slope was a canoe rental operation that was currently very much closed for winter, taking 3 canoes from the business, while leaving some drachmas with a note stating 'IOU 3 canoes', the group moved towards the canoes in order to move away from this location.

"We need to go upstream," Zoe said with some frustration in her voice.

"The rapids are too swift," Bianca said, with a little worry in her voice.

"Leave that to me," Percy stated while moving to the water, hoping to control the currents. After all, he was still learning all his abilities regarding his heritage.

Nodding, the rest of the group climbed into the canoes in groups of two, leaving Lyra to shift into Padfoot, shocking the others as they where not aware she could do that. Padfoot refused to go to any other group except for Skye's, which had Zoe with them. Bianca and Thalia were part of another group, leaving Annabeth and Percy as the final group.

Once the group was settled, Percy noticed a group of naiads looking at them, deciding to ask them for assistance instead of controlling the currents himself, not wanting to use too much of his needed energy.

"Hey, we are heading upstream. Do you think that you can help us?" Percy asked.

Within seconds, the naiads had each chosen a canoe and began pushing them upstream. They started fast, knocking Padfoot over into Skye with their speed.

"I hate naiads," Zoe grumbled.

Of course, this causes the naiads to squirt a stream of water directly into Zoe's face.

"She-devils!!" Zoe said while going for her bow.

"Whoa there," Skye said, stopping her friend from causing harm.

"Cursed water spirits. They never forgave me for my past." Zoe stated softly, while calming down a little.

Skye knew that there was a story behind Zoe's statement, but she also knew that Zoe would not talk about her past right now, knowing that she was not yet ready to share her story.

They sped up the river, with cliffs looming on either side of them.

"How are you holding up with all of this?" Skye asked Zoe, noticing the further they went with the quest, the more tired and tensed Zoe became.

Zoe gripped the strap of her quiver before looking at Skye and answering the question. "The closer to the end of the quest we are getting, the more worried I am becoming. I am scared that we will fail. I cannot lose our lady or any of my family. Not again, and I fear that it will happen."

"Look Zoe, there is a possibility that we might fail in our quest, but you need to understand one thing. You are not alone and I also need you to remember that I will do everything in my power to make sure we all survive this with our lady. I will not lose my family now that I have found one who wants me. You need to trust in Artemis and you need to trust in us, so please have a bit of faith." Skye said softly, hoping that her words would give her sister a bit of comfort.

Zoe looked into Skye's eyes and what she saw helped her ease her worry for just a bit. What she saw was confidence, hope, and trust in her. Zoe knew then and there that Skye would always ensure that her newfound family would stay safe and that Skye.

Not soon after Zoe and Skye's heart-to-heart, the canoes started to slow down.

Looking ahead, both girls and a grim saw that they were coming to a block in the river, a dam that looked like it was the size of a football stadium.

"Hoover Dam," Skye heard Thalia say. "It is huge."

They all stood are the edge of the river, looking up at the curved concrete that was looming between the cliffs. People were walking along the top of the dam yet to them, they all looked a bit like fleas, for that was how far they all were from the top.

"Seven hundred feet tall," Percy said, "Built in the 1930s"

"Five million cubic acres of water," Thalia said.

"Largest construction project in the United States." Annabeth sighed happily.

Zoe stared at the three, wondering if they had lost their collective minds.

"How do you all know this?" Lyra asked, wondering if she should have known this.

"Annabeth." Both Thalia and Percy stated in a somewhat bored tone. "She loves architecture," Percy stated.

"Yeah, she is nuts about monuments," Thalia said.

"Sorry, I am annoying when it comes to this. Most of my friends and family are used to it by now." Annabeth said softly while looking at the floor in embarrassment.

The three huntresses and one magic user looked at the group of campers strangely before shaking their heads.

"Come, we should go up there," Skye said.

"I agree, and maybe we can get some food and we can let Annabeth look around a bit?" Bianca asked.

"Okay, I think this is for the best, as that is also where the road is," Zoe said, pointing at the huge parking garage next to the top of the dam. "So, let's go sightseeing."

The group walked for almost an hour before they found a path that led up to the road. This path was on the east side of the river and, with great difficulty, the group struggled towards the dam. It was cold and very windy on the top.

On one side was a big lake that was spread out, ringed with barren deserts and mountains. On the other side was the dam that dropped away down to the river that was about seven hundred feet below, and the water below churned from the dam's vents.

Thalia walked to the middle of the road, hoping the getaway from the ledge as soon as possible. "There's a snack bar in the visitor's center." Thalia said to the group.

"You have been here before?" Percy asked.

"Once, to see the guardians." Thalia said as she pointed towards the far end of the dam. Carved into the side of the cliff was a little plaza with two big bronze statues which looked a little like an Oscar statue with wings.

"They were dedicated to my father when the dam was built," Thalia said sourly. "They were a gift from Athena."

What Skye found odd about all of this was the group of tourists that were clustered around the statues, it seemed that they were looking at their feet.

"What are they doing?" Skye asked, bewildered.

"Rubbing the toes, they think it will give them good luck," Thalia answers.

"Why?" Lyra asked, finding this whole concept just weird.

Thalia shook her head at the tourist's stupidity. "Mortal has a habit of getting these crazy ideas. They do not know that the statues were dedicated to Zeus - but they can sense something special about it."

"Well then, now that this is sorted, let us go and find this damn snack bar," Zoe said. "We should eat while we still can."

This, of course, caused Lyra to snort in amusement, which set Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth off with the giggles.

"The dam snack bar?" Percy giggled.

"Yes. " Zoe blinked with confusion.

"What is so funny?" Skye asked, not sure what was going on.

"Nothing," Annabeth said as she tried to keep a straight face. "I could do well with some dam French fries."

This caused Thalia to smile wider. "And I need the dam restroom."

Lyra was not sure if this was because the group was so tired or high-strung with emotions, but this, for some reason, just set her off laughing as the three campers joined in.

Zoe, Bianca, and Skye just looked at the other four before looking at each other before shaking their head as Zoe stated. "I do not understand."

"I want to use the dam water fountain," Percy said.

"And…" Thalia said, trying to catch her breath, but Bianca cut in before Thalia could finish her thought.

"Enough, let's go and find the snack bar and I would like to eat."

Nodding, the group start off to the center when Skye, Lyra and Percy heard something that should not be there.

"Mooo"

"Did I just hear a cow?" Lyra asked, confused.

Zoe listened, trying to see if there truly was a cow. "I hear nothing."

"Guys, why don't you all go and find the snack bar? I need a few moments alone, please?" Percy asked the group.

Thalia and Annabeth looked at Percy with worry. "Are you okay Percy?" Thalia asked.

"Yeah, I am. I just need a few moments. I will find you guys soon, okay?" He said.

They hesitated for a moment before the rest of the group left Percy to his own devices.

It was not long after Percy split from the group that he run back to them, looking extremely panicked. "We need to go!!" He stated urgently.

But before the group could ask why the sudden need to leave, they heard the sudden clattering of monsters chasing him. Looking past Percy, they quickly came to realize that the zombie warriors had to return.

What they saw scared them more than anything. There in front of them was an army of zombie warriors, ready to end them. Two of the warriors were on the east side of the dam, blocking the way to Arizona, and three more warriors were on the west side, guarding the way to Nevada. All of these warriors were armed with baton and pistols hoping to kill their preys.

But the immediate problem that the group had was the five warriors that were chasing Percy from wherever he came from. The moment these warriors saw them was the moment all hell broke loose.

"Elevator!" Bianca said. The group quickly ran in the direction of the elevator, hoping this will help them get away safely, but that was not meant to be. As the doors opened with a ding, three more warriors stepped out, which ended up surrounding them.

As soon as the zombies neared them, Thalia had a crazy, yet brilliant, idea. She threw her taco inside the room full of kids and scream "Food Fight!" This had an immediate yet effective result. In all this chaos with the food fight, the questers were able to flee outside but before they could truly escape, they were cut off by another small army of zombies which was guarding all the exits, leaving them near the two huge golden statues with wings.

The group stood back to back ready to fight as they were surrounded by the warriors, just as the zombies was about to close in on them, it was then that Thalia decided to start praying to her father - after being encouraged by Percy and Annabeth to do so - hoping with all her might that the blessing of the two angels would come to live and get them out of here safely.

The zombies opened fire just as the winged angels came to life. The two statues stepped in front of the group and folded their wings around them as shields. Both angels stood and stretched out, which sent the warriors fly away from the group of questers.

"Please get us out of here!" Thalia yelled up to the angels.

This caused the angels to look down at the group. "Zeus's kid?" One angel asked.

"Yes" Thalia said.

The angels looked at each other before shrugging.

"Could use a stretch," the first one decided while the other nodded.

With that in mind, the two angels bend down and grabbed the seven questers. The first angel took the three campers while the second angel took the 3 hunter and one magic user and flew straight up over the dam and river. Of course, this did not stop the warriors as they kept shooting at the group, but all that these monsters accomplished was shrinking to tiny specks as the angels flew higher and higher, taking them away from the dam and leaving the group unharmed.