CHAPTER SEVEN ━━ THE MOTHER OF ALL MONSTERS

THE SOUND OF THE TRAIN'S TRACKS was loud in their train compartment as Eurydice attempted to fall asleep. After hearing what Medusa had said about her father. She was less worried about her safety and moreso about Percy and the others. She knew that her father wouldn't harm her, but who's to say he wouldn't harm her friends? Now that they were all finally getting alone she didn't want to ruin anything. She dreaded meeting her father, she knew that she had to as soon as they got to the underworld.

But she found herself heavily dreading it. Her entire life she's heard nothing but good things about her father. But now.. she's not sure so what to think of him. He's the god of riches, and the dead. Which... is a lot, if she's being honest. She can't even begin to understand why he's not wanting her dead too. She's allied with the apparent lighting thief, wouldn't that mean she was an accomplice too? At least in his eyes it should mean that. But she knew nothing about her father other than the stories her mother taught her with a bittersweet smile.

Now the stories had a different feeling to them when she realized he was her father. The way her mother had talked about him really did sound like she loved him once. She often talked about Persphone too, and of course she always made sure Eurydice remembered the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. She memorized the sounds of the train tracks outside as a last attempt to fall asleep. She could hear Percy softly snoring in the background. He was always a heavy sleeper, it'd usually take a lot for him to wake up.

Still she couldn't stop thinking about what Medusa had said about her father. He was trying to get her safety returned to him, and not kill her like they've assumed so far? She thought there would at least be a punishment for being on this quest with Percy and the others. But his generals being on the lookout for her specially? To get her to the underworld to him safely? What was he going to get from that?

She rolled over on her side in her makeshift bed in the room. She could never sleep on her back, she always stared up at the blank wall. Where too many thoughts came to her at once, suffocating her. Often when she was younger all her thoughts of mortality and death would often happen when she was trying to sleep and just staring blankly at the wall. Sometimes it was comforting, sometimes it was scary. Now she wasn't sure how to feel about it, she just felt the foreboding feel of anxiousness eating at her. She tried to fall asleep one last time again before she gave you, rolling onto her right side facing the others.

Not that she could fall asleep anyways, as Grover's snoring was loud enough to wake up the whole train. Percy's were less loud, and Annabeth's were deadly silent. She must just not be a snorer then. She was surprised if others were still asleep. Even if they were awake, she'd be surprised because of how quiet their train compartment was.

Earlier Percy had paid the lady at the train station for their tickets, and no one even batted an eye as to why seemingly four kids were alone on a train to going to Los Angeles. She wondered if that was the work of the Mist somehow. It seemed like that was in its control from what she knew. She was going to close her eyes and force herself to sleep until she heard the slight shuffle of blankets.

She blinked curiously in the dark of the room as she heard the shuffling movements in their makeshift beds again. Each of them had a bed each, it was harder to sleep in the train but this was the best they got. And gods know they really needed their sleep after the day they've had.

She heard a familiar voice whisper in the background of Grover's snoring. "Hey, are you asleep?" Percy asked no one in particular, he just seemed to be wondering if any of them were awake. There was a silence for a second until she heard Annabeth speak. "Yes." Eurydice's bed was on the right side of the room right above Percy's. So she could see Annabeth and Percy below her in their beds clearly. "I'm awake too." Eurydice shuffled around in bed to face them slightly.

She could see Percy smile slightly. It was dark enough that it wasn't so visible unless you were looking right at him. "Oh, hey Eury. You couldn't sleep either?" He asked her in some concern. "Yeah, I guess. Kinda. Just thinking about some things." She muttered with a slightly yawn. Annabeth nodded. "Yeah, I get that. It happens to the best of us." She whispers in the dark of the room. Their voices were quiet enough to not disturb Grover in his sleep.

Percy cleared his throat slightly after another second of silence. "Um, Annabeth. You and Thalia were really close. right?" He asked her, it took a couple of beats of silence for the girl to answer him. "Yeah." She seemed sad just talking about Thalia. "What was she like?" Percy's asked, his hands clutching the top of his blankets. Annabeth was quiet again. "You don't have to answer if you aren't comfortable with it." She reassured the other girl gently. There was a some again until Annabeth muttered in a questioning sort of tone. "But, why?" She sounded confused.

Her head moved around to look at Percy questioningly. Percy answered her after a beat. "She was the last forbidden kid before us, right? So she must've dealt with the same kind of stuff." He replied. Eurydice hummed in some thought. "That's true. I mean... it must be similar in some way, right?" She sounded unsure at the end of her sentence. She could hear Annabeth move slightly. "She was tough. I mean, she knew she was a forbidden kid, she just didn't care." The girl's voice was longing, like she was remembering a different time when she was saying this to them.

Eurydice understood completely, Thalia was like a sister to her. "When Luke and Thalia found me, Luke cared for me right away. But... Thalia." She continued, trailing off. "She made me earn it." She said in a whisper. "Is that why you give me a hard time?" Percy asked. "I gotta earn it with you too?" Annabeth sighed in response. "Yeah. maybe." She murmured. Eurydice looked over at her. "How come you don't give me a hard time then?" She muttered in confusion.

Annabeth smiled slightly. "Well, when I saw you that day you arrived at camp. I could already tell that you were strong, the way you dragged Percy and Grover to the boarder. Even though Grover was injured and Percy was unconscious, you were determined. I admire that." Eurydice could feel her face heat up slightly. "Oh, well. Thank you." She really wasn't used to anyone complimenting her who wasn't her mom. "Uh, I think you're pretty strong too Annabeth." She smiled slightly in the darkness of the room. "Thanks." The other girl muttered back to her softly.

Percy look tentative. "I gotta say, that doesn't make a lot of sense to me." He muttered. Annabeth sounded confused. "What doesn't make sense to you?" She asked him. "The way you guys all talk." Percy said. "The way the gods want us to think." There was a small bit of resentment in Percy's voice, one that she understood completely. None of this was fair, on any of them. "We have to burn an offering to get a parent's attention." There was frustration in the way he said this.

He counted, the frustration not leaving him. "Gotta beat up on Clarisse just to get my father to admit that he's my father. It isn't supposed to work that way." He went quiet. Eurydice let out a sort of self-deprecating laugh. "Yeah, my father wants to kill you all. And have me safely returned to him like he didn't want to kill you all." Her voice cracked slightly, the fear of who her father might be still eating at her. The man that she knew didn't feel like a man who would kill. But now, knowing who he was. She really wasn't sure.

Percy agreed. "Yeah, people who are close to you aren't supposed to treat you that way." He muttered. Annabeth scoffed slightly. "You wanna know how I ended up alone on the road in the first place?" She asked them. There was a silence, telling Annabeth that she could continue. "I started out as a gift to my father. That's how it works with Athena. We're born from a thought in her mind." Oh, so that's how Athena has kids. "And then given to a partner she feels connected to." She felt sympathy for Athena's former partners in a way, they fell in love with the wrong person and then ended up with a child they'd didn't ask for. And her kids hadn't asked to be born like this either.

Annabeth's voice started to crack now. "And for a while. I was treated like a gift." Her voice was soft as a whisper. "My father cared for me. He loved me. I knew it." She seemed to be holding back tears from talking about him. Eurydice didn't know how she felt, she never had a father to care for her. All she had was her mother, to her having a father was foreign. But not having a mother would be even more foreign, she can't imagine not having her mom. She feels a sense of pity for Annabeth, her mother is a goddess. She'll never be held in a mother's embrace.

Not knowing wether or not you were loved by your godly parent seemed to be a theme for Demigods. "Then he met a woman." Annabeth continues after a best. "They had their own kids. And to her, I- I wasn't a gift." She stuttered. "I was a problem." Eurydice frowned at that. She felt hatred seeping within her for Annabeth's stepmother, whoever she was. Stepparents weren't supposed to make a child feel like they weren't supposed to be in the family.

Stepparents should be a safe person to add into your family, who doesn't take value away from the family that was already there. Who treats their partner's child like their own, with care and respect. The rage seeps deep within her, her fists clenched onto her blankets slightly. If it had been possible she would have already murdered Smelly Gabe for Percy ages ago. She could have done it. She was the daughter of the god of the Underworld. He would have let her get away with it. It was his domain after all.

It would have been just so easy to poison him in his sleep on one of the many sleepovers she's had with Percy. But she didn't. She didn't for Sally, and for Percy. They would have hated her if she'd done that. She feels hatred for Annabeth's stepmother now too. None of this was fair. Eurydice hates that she was the only one with a good parent. It doesn't seem fair. They deserved so much better than she had. She thought her friends deserved the world.

She feels the weight of her thoughts ache in her soul like the cracking of a bone. It would be so easy to kill a horrible person, no one would miss them. Her eyes widen in horror when she realizes what she's thinking. Sometimes she's scared of herself, and the thoughts that run through her head. Her thoughts of death and killing. Like it would be so easy to kill a bad person, no one would miss them. Gods, did she really just think that? Who does she think she is? She can't think like this. It's not normal. She's not normal.

Why is she thinking like this? Her thoughts are stopped by Annabeth's voice a few seconds later. "I was seven." She announced. "It isn't the gods who think that way. It's everybody. But at least with the gods you know the rules." She felt a pang of sadness in her chest. Were all Demigods just born to suffer? "Show them respect and they'll be in your corner, no matter what." Annabeth finished. She could hear Grover slightly shuffling around in the bed across from hers. "Grover?" The three of them could hear Grover tossing and turning in bed with a groan.

Percy looked up at the bed above them. "You awake dude?" He asked the other boy. "Well, I am now thanks." Grover responded sarcastically, grumpy from being woken up. "Sorry buddy, we thought you were a heavy sleeper." Eurydice muttered to him sympathetically. "Are you okay?" Percy asked Grover in confusion, he didn't get the memo that Grover was grumpy without sleep. "He's super grouchy when he doesn't get enough sleep." Annabeth muttered helpfully.

Eurydice chuckled slightly. "Oh wow. He's a real sleeping beauty isn't he?" She could see Annabeth smile slightly at her remark. Grover didn't appreciate their joking at all. "He's super grouchy when he doesn't get enough... Nah!" He mocked her in annoyance. "He's a real sleeping beauty... blah blah." He complained again. Percy blinked. "Wow." He sounded shocked. "You've never been on the road with him before. A little different than a froofy boarding school." Annabeth muttered.

Eurydice huffed. "The amount of times Grover had fallen asleep on either of us is crazy. I swear one time I could hear him snoring all the way from the girls dorms..." She winced at the memory, she hadn't gotten a lot of sleep that night. Those weren't fun times, who knew Grover was that bad of a snorer?

She nearly failed her Latin test with Mr. Brunner, well now the fact she actually passed it with one of the highest marks meant something. "Who's froofy? You're froofy. What's froofy?" Grover muttered tiredly, his brain not fully awake yet. "I think I need to eat." He muttered as he lied back onto his side. Eurydice snorted slightly. "Maybe you do." Grover huffed slightly. "Maybe you do.. wah!" He mocked her as he pulled his blanket over his head.

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THE FOUR OF THEM sat at a table overlooking the window-view on the train. Eurydice watched as the train passed through the endless meadows and trees passing by. They could hear the indistinct chatter of the other passengers around them as the train continued to pass by the world around them. "Two days until we reach Los Angeles." Grover said, now more awake from him grouchy state earlier. "Plenty of time before our deadline to reach the underworld." Grover said optimistically.

Eurydice nodded in relief. "Yeah, I just hope we get there soon. I have a feeling something's gonna happen soon." She muttered. Annabeth nodded in agreement. "Right, we should keep our guards up." Percy cleared his throat. "Can I ask a dumb question?" He said. Annabeth gave him a look. "It's like you need me to make fun of you." She said to him, Eurydice really tried to not be amused by that. "I've never been to Los Angeles before. And I'm guessing neither of you have been to Los Angeles." He winced. "So, how will we have any idea where we're going?" He asked.

Grover shrugged from his seat beside Annabeth. "No idea." Eurydice blinked in concern. "I'm sorry, what? You don't know where we're going?" She muttered anxiously. Grover laughed nervously. "But that's like step 37. And we're still on step four." He said with a shake of his head. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there." He assured. Eurydice shook her head frantically at him. "Are you kidding me? We have no idea where we're going! Grover how are you not freaking out about this?" She asked him worriedly.

Grover wasn't phased. Annabeth's hand brushed against Eurydice's slightly. "Hey, calm down. We're gonna be fine. Like he said, we'll deal with it when we get there." She reassured the other girl gently. Eurydice sighed. "Okay, fine." She relented, albeit hesitantly. Percy coughed. "Follow-up stupid question." He said. Annabeth rolled her eyes at him. "Dude." She sounded annoyed already.

Percy was used to asking stupid questions at this point, it was admirable. "And you shall fail to save what matters most in the end. Back in Jersey, I told you what the Oracle said to us, that this quest would fail. And we haven't talked about it since." He was right, but there wasn't really a good time to talk about it. "Seems like something we oughta be taking a little more seriously." Percy said, as his head turned to look out the window in confusion.

Eurydice stared at him from her seat beside him. "What's wrong?" She muttered in confusion as she turned her head around to look in the same direction. "Oh." She muttered in realization. "Look at that." Percy muttered as the two of them stared out the window at a hoard of Centaurs running through a field. "Are those..." Percy asked. "Centaurs." Annabeth finished for him. He looked back at the other people around them. "No one even knows they're there." He muttered.

Eurydice slowly nodded. "That's the work of the mist I guess.." She trailed off. Grover nodded. "There used to be herds of them everywhere." He told them. "What happened to them?" Percy asked. Grover looked at the Centaurs running with a bittersweet look. "Humans." He answered with a sigh. "A few thousand years ago the god of the wild, Pan. Disappeared. And ever since, without Pan to protect the natural world. Humans have been trying really hard to chip away at it." She felt a pang of guilt in her chest.

She can't tell you how many times she's accidentally put the wrong thing in the recycling bin. Her bad memory is to blame for it, but she still feels bad. She and her mom compost their old food regularly though, as if that's making any difference. "The bravest starts volunteer to become Searchers. Trying to find Pan." Annabeth explained to them. "None haven't returned." She said as she looked at Grover.

Percy winced in sympathy for their friend. "Your uncle, we found in Medusa's, Ferdinand. He was a Searcher?" He asked, the satyr was quiet at that. It seems that Percy had already gotten his answer by Grover's silence. "The Oracle didn't say the quest would fail. 'Fail to save what matters most.' That could mean a lot of things." She didn't sound too worried. "That's how prophecies work, that's how fate works." She told them. Eurydice nodded slightly. "So, there's a chance we'll be okay." Annabeth nodded. "Right, it could mean a lot of things." She answered.

Annabeth continued. "The harder your work to understand, the harder it gets to understand." Prophecies were a complicated thing, maybe they were better off not talking about it at all. "Sometimes, you've just gotta let it come to you when it's ready." Annabeth said, it seemed like she knew a lot more than they did. Which was obvious since her and Percy literally just got into Camp, then had to pack up and leave for this quest. Getting used to all of this was hard to say the least.

An older man passed by the four of them, he wore a police uniform. It seemed like he was the security for the train. He cleared his throat as he looked at the kids. "Excuse me. Can I see your tickets, please?" He asked them. Annabeth grabbed the tickets out of her bag and handed them to the man. The man looked them over with a suspicious glance. "You're in Cabin 17B?" He asked them to confirm. The four demigods shared a confused look. "Yeah.. why?" Eurydice mumbled in confusion. The officer then escorted them back to their