San Francisco
Percy let go of Rachel and gestured for her to move back a little, just in case, so she wouldn't end up in the line of fire or get caught by a stray hit.
At the same time, Percy sprinted toward the skeleton that still had its pistol trained on him.
It was just about to open fire.
But Percy zigzagged so quickly that the skeleton tried to track him in vain.
Because by the time it finally had Percy in its sights, Percy was already standing right in front of it and, with a horizontal slash, split it clean in half.
But he didn't stop there.
Another sword appeared in his free hand.
This one was a completely black blade that made anyone who looked at it feel as though it could swallow their soul.
And technically, it could.
Because when Percy drove it into the chest of the skeleton that was about to collapse to the ground, something could be seen being absorbed into the black sword before flowing straight toward the pouch at Percy's waist.
Recharging one of the Soul Gems stored inside, which would later restore the enchantments on his equipment.
But Percy didn't stop there.
He turned toward the skeletons rushing in from the distance, who also raised their weapons and, without hesitation, opened fire on him.
But that didn't slow him down in the slightest.
He actually ran straight toward them while they fired at him.
And when the bullets reached him, Percy moved both arms at incredible speed, striking every bullet with his swords.
He cut through a hail of gunfire so effortlessly that more than a few people who had noticed the shootout were probably convinced a movie was being filmed.
Meanwhile, Rachel hid behind a nearby bench, safely outside the line of fire, barely peeking over it.
Watching everything with her eyes wide open.
Seeing Percy looking more like some kind of superhero.
He struck down every projectile, advancing straight toward them faster than the naked eye could follow.
And in barely half a minute, every single skeleton had been pierced by the black sword before crumbling into dust.
While the blade seemed to absorb their souls.
Assuming they had any.
Only then did Percy calmly put both swords away, as though this were just another ordinary day for him.
He turned around and walked back toward Rachel to make sure she was alright.
Rachel, seeing him approach, couldn't help asking him the same question she'd asked before.
"Who are you?" she asked, still stunned, while at the same time feeling that everything about this was so surreal.
Percy looked at her and was just about to speak.
But before he could say a single word, someone shouted.
"Percy! We have to go, now!"
It was Grover and the girls, running toward him after hearing all the gunshots and realizing Percy had been fighting the Spartoi.
But now they had another problem.
After that many gunshots, it was more than obvious the police would already be on their way.
Percy looked at his companions and nodded.
Then he turned back toward Rachel.
"My name is Percy. Goodbye, Rachel Elizabeth Dare," Percy said, his voice having finally returned completely.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Without realizing it, that smile seemed to etch itself into Rachel's memory as she stared at him.
But Percy paid no attention to that as he turned around and led his friends toward the car he had "acquired," which would be a huge help for getting around.
The group ran that way, ready to flee from the authorities, whose sirens could already be heard growing closer.
"Wait! Percy what?" Rachel shouted.
But Percy and the others were already too far away.
They climbed back into the black car.
And sped off toward the highway.
...
The car they had acquired turned out to be exactly what they needed.
There was enough room for those in the back to take a nap and rest while they traveled.
And the gas tank was full, enough to cover most of the trip, plus there was even money left for when they eventually needed more fuel.
So getting from Hoover Dam, near Las Vegas, all the way to San Francisco wasn't going to be a problem.
About ten or eleven hours if they had to stop to eat, rest, and refuel.
Or maybe around nine if they didn't stop at all.
Fortunately, now that Zoë had recovered quite a bit, she could drive as well, taking turns with Thalia every so often.
Which kept them from getting too exhausted.
Percy wanted to help too and volunteered to drive if necessary.
But Grover objected so strongly that he even managed to convince everyone else.
Using some incredibly far-fetched excuses.
Like Percy still wasn't old enough to drive.
Or that, as the group's strongest fighter, he needed to stay focused only on battles.
He even came up with ridiculous excuses, saying his sixth sense told him Percy would only bring death.
Something Percy thought was a bit exaggerated.
But Grover was completely serious.
And it wasn't an excuse.
Knowing Percy's driving skills.
Getting to San Francisco wasn't a problem.
Well... maybe a little, if you had to drive all the way across the country while dealing with all the dangers the road threw at you.
But once they actually reached San Francisco, where they had expected many more attacks, everything became strangely quiet.
They didn't even run into any more skeleton soldiers or anything else trying to stop them.
Maybe a little too quiet.
Especially considering that just a few days ago, it had seemed like someone was hunting Zoë at all costs.
And considering San Francisco was supposedly the most dangerous place for a demigod.
Once they crossed the Golden Gate, the car finally came to a stop not far from Mount Tamalpais.
But before heading into that area—which Zoë claimed was the enemy's lair, though she still hadn't really explained how she knew that...
They needed to get some rest after the long trip.
To be in peak condition before facing whoever this so-called Great General was.
Save Annabeth.
And, if there was any time left after that, save the goddess Artemis.
From a distance, the mountain gave the impression that it was watching them.
Or at least, that was how the demigods felt.