Chapter 28: Alaskan Truths or Dares

[Percy's POV:]

I oddly like the cold, perhaps it's a son of Poseidon thing or something since last I checked the sea tends to be cold.

We had just arrived at Alaska, the place we had been gunning for the last week almost. On the way here we had learned lots about each other, for example, medusa actually does have a snake tail, it's just an 'intimate' part of her that she only lets out for lovers and comfortable sleeping. Other than that she is simply in her human legged form. It was the result of a game I never thought would happen, being a demigod and monster duo. Truth or dare.

[Flashback:]

"I'm so dam bored! Why is Alaska forever away!?!" We had left Arachne's warehouse days ago and yet the road just refused to show any signs of well anything.. Just straight.. Slight turn.. More turn.. Less turn.. It was getting to the point where a hill was exciting.

"I agree with the Mutt-err Damian, this is rather.. Boring" spoke arachnid surprisingly. I guess she has always had something to do whether it's escaping Tartarus or weaving clothing.. Medusa agreed maybe because she missed cooking I don't know.

Reyna pulled over to a rest stop, nothing fancy, just a small parking zone nothing more. "How about we get some fresh air?" Oh Hera yes. I could not get out of the camper fast enough. OXYGEN IS GODLY.

"How I missed actual non-recycled air. It's almost like I can eat it!" Was I exaggerating? No you're exaggerating!

Reyna and Anna grabbed a few sheets for a picnic while I Chauffeur Emily and Fidi while holding the large basket of food Medusa had made.. She smiled in a way that'd melt anyone's hearts. She truly had a passion for cooking. We sat a ways away from the car making sure to be out of sight of the main road in case any passerbys see a wolf talking to humans and them talking back to me.

"These steaks are soo good! Even better than raw!" that's it, medusa is cooking all my future meals.

"Thanks Dami, I'm glad you like them, I made sure to keep em rare and undrained" I feel like a vampire more than an inverted not-werewolf suddenly..

"So shall we play some games or something? This is nice, but I'm itching for some entertainment and no, running at 70+ mph beside the camper doesn't count" Though that was fun.

"How about some good old truth or dare?" suggested Anna, thank you anna.

"What is that?" asked both Medusa and Arachne, understandably so they likely didn't have much opportunity to play games like this.

"Well, I'll ask you a question 'truth or dare' you'll pick one or the other and we'll either ask you a question you can't lie about, or we'll give you a dare to do if you asked for that" I see Reyna hasn't lost the ability to explain.. Maybe she is a legacy of Athena/Minerva..

"Very well I'll play.. But no trap building!" "Why not sounds like fun, just don't go crazy on the 'dares' " spoke Arachne and Medusa respectively.

"Sure we'll keep the dares tame, besides the kids are here can't exactly do anything to scare them or traumatise them" as soon as I said It I knew what was coming..

"Oh? And pray tell what kind of dares would traumatise my daughter hmm?" she had that same smirk she has when she teases me.. The sexy snake gotcha one..

"N-nothing.. Let's just play it already!!" I was not flustered. Not at all. Shutup.

We all sat into a circle, the kids decided to go off and play nearby, so PG was safely on the edge of the table and facing imminent doom. I was next to Medusa, who was next to Anna, Arachne, Reyna and Acanthis Who once again I forgot was with me.. She is really light and sleeps a lot ok!

"I'll go first, hmmm… Anna. Truth or dare?" Anna was thoughtful for a few seconds before responding to Reyna.

"Gotta start with a Truth it's basically a rule now" true don't think anyone has ever started with a dare while sober.. Not that I would know this is basically my first time playing.

"Hmm… Who is Emily's father?" oooh can't say I'm not super curious myself. Especially since the guy doesn't seem to be around. Please don't be another sad male scum story..

"I figured you'd ask that.. I erm.. Actually, I don't know. For the longest time I wanted to be a mother, to feel that bond I saw in many others. But I never met the right guy mainly because I'm not interested in men.. Err Most men.. Anyway one day I felt sick with a weird craving for pine juice and kept throwing up. After a while I saw a doctor who told me I was somehow pregnant.. A pregnant virgin like the Christian Mary or something. Technically Emily is the only one to have been in there haha" pfft lol I am so making future jokes about this to pubescent Emily. Medusa then said the arguably most accurate statement in life.

"The Greco-Roman world works in annoyingly weird and deadly, but sometimes cool ways." couldn't have said it better. Maybe With a pun but that's about it.

"Ok my turn! Hmm Damian! Truth or Dare" I better avoid Too many truths lest thee truth comes out. Anna's dares can't be that bad can they?

I, as usual, sealed my fate.

"Hmm I'm feeling daring, Dare me sista!" never saying sista again.

"Never say sista again" thought so.

"Hmmm oh I know, I dare you to lick the water from the toilet bowl, oh and just an FYI that thing doesn't flush well" …. No more dares from Anna it's not worth the secret.

"Oooh drinking toilet water like a dog? For shameee" mocked Reyna.. Just you wait for my turn..

I trotted on into the camper trailer thing and went towards the bathroom I've never used for wolfish reasons. Flushed it several times… and then… and then I tapped some of it up… I won't describe it.. But let's just say I knew what the last person, Arachne, ate. Curse my curse enhanced wolf senses.

"Arachne, you ate the last pop top!" context: we had gone to the shop to buy supplies and bought a pack of poptops, I had right to the last one as it was blue and SOMEONE ate it when no one was looking.. Now I know the culprit.

"How- I mean I did not!" caught red handed.

"Hmm this is not over.. We will talk about this!" we didn't.

"Hmm Medusa, truth or dare?" I was saving up my revenge dare on Reyna for later when I can go all in.

"Hmm truth, I don't really feel like moving" ohh I have all the questions but what do I ask?

"Hmm what is the most intimate thing about you that you're willing to share?" When in doubt, embarrass and dig at em.

"Perv.." hey that's super wolf perv to you! "Umm well I'm not willing to share any normally but err.. For this I guess.. Fine.. I have a tail.. Not like on my back.. My legs become a tail like in some of those stupid inaccurate movies or games those mortals made.. But it's something I don't show people as it's like I'm naked and my erm.. Lady bits are a bit too low to hide" she began blushing hard as did her snakelets in her hair.. I really wanna see it..

"Erm, I'm not ready for that yet Damian.." I gotta stop thinking aloud. Also yet??? score.

"Sorry.." Now we're both blushing.

We continued the game for about 2 hours. I learned that Anna is a lesbian but has had a few interests in men, but she swore she'd never say who while deeply blushing. We made her cartwheel on the roof of the camper and she admitted to dreaming about my fur… Medusa was dared to kiss my snout with all her snakes and admitted to once falling in love with an actual snake of which she gave no context to (I can and will find that out). It turns out Arachne has never had a child, a humanoid or sentient one that can know talk and stuff, she is desperate to experience motherhood as she would've if she was human. We also dared her to let us paint her leg tips any colour we want. I went with blue and green, Reyna went with yellow and red-ish brown, Anna went with a bright neon pink with many marking designs.. And finally medusa painted herself cooking.. I was surprised she could fit it. Not that she did it. And as for Reyna? I Dared her to eat a hand-pawmade sandwich of our choosing.. I'm fairly sure there wasn't a single normal ingredient in there much to Medusa's dismay.. We were banned from the kitchen for a week! She openly admitted to having a crush on me-Percy, which slightly ticked of Arae and Med and I was sitting there hoping she wouldn't notice how flustered I was.

After a while we stopped having embarrassed each other enough and just settled for doing a spot of star gazing to end the night.

[Flashback over:]

"Thanks for the clothes Arachne, I've never felt so toastie!" spoke Annie, We were just past the borders of Alaska where the grass and trees still stood out from the patches of pure white snow. The cold wasn't a problem for me. I liked it even and managed to escape the horrors of wearing clothes over my fur. Medusa and Arachne were the most affected due to their monster parts being weak to cold. It was so cute! Little Fidi had knitted bobble top hats on all her hair snakes!

"You're welcome, It was fun making clothes for people I could see instead of just a set of premade sizes" Arachne had made the most development since her travels with us. Not only had she warmed up to us all very fast, but she had started expressing her thoughts more openly. What's the word.. Articulating herself? It confuses me so Imma go with that.

"Don't I get any credit for bringing her along?" Medusa also had changed, not as much as Arachne, but a good amount. She would laugh and Joke with us all, her vanity was ever present but now it came across as.. More a humorous thing rather than pure hubris.

"True, but a little. Can't let that ego of yours grow any further we won't have space" Reyna really had gotten used to us all, I doubt she let me get rid of them If I wanted to which I don't.. Might've developed some.. Feelings.. For those present. Anyway!

After our friendly little exchange we locked up the camper and truck and set off on foot. Acanthis was snug as a bug on a wolf rug and of course asleep. Behind her sat snuggled Emily and Fidi, both of which were snoozing alongside her, I would've preferred not to bring them along, but there is no telling how long we may be away from the camper for and Reyna is the only one able to drive.. Plus it's outta food anyway.. I stress eat ok!

We arrived at the foot of what looked to be a blanket of snow.. Khione's domain past here we would be practically powerless.

"So, We're in Alaska.. Now where? Once we go any further we'll be beyond the gods' influence and weakened of our own." explained Medusa.

"We head on straight to the centre, I'll have Acanthis fly up high when we get further in. see if she can spot any signs of them." with a nod from the group, we set foot on the snow. I could see its effects immediately on them. Reyna looked mostly ok, just a little tired. Same for Anna though she did seem less gorgeous or enticing. Medusa and Arachne were hit the hardest, Medusa's snakes looked sick and she seemed exhausted. Arachne was just as tired and each step seemed to be taxing on her, likely as her lower half was the result of Athena's curse which couldn't easily reach her here.

I grew my size until I was towering them, and beckoned them to join the younglings on my back. They'd need their strength. As for myself? I felt.. Unaffected entirely perhaps It was due to the mess that was my existence. Or maybe everything I had was now my own? Either way I felt fine, stronger even as the wet snow touched my paws and ankles? Knees? Not sure where each start, end or if they even exist.

With everyone on my back, I started a light jog through the snow, and it should be smooth sailing from here finally!

And of course that's when a monster decided to attack. Why fates? Just why.

[Artemis' POV:]

"Alright girls we should be in Alaska in about 4 hours so get comfy with your neighbours we won't be stopping for a while" while I could go faster, I couldn't speed up the moon's cycle, the mist can only cover up so much.

"I hope he is there, I miss our Percy.. Do you think we can get out that painting…" asked my more.. Hands on hunter Darla, truth be told I myself was feeling a little hot.

"Fine.. but don't stain my seats. I still need to use this as a chariot!" Thalia a little too eagerly went to the back of the bus near our luggage to fetch the famed painting that had most of the seats already drenched.. great.

[Annabeth's POV:]

'Painting? What painting? And staining seats? What are they talking about? Oh hades someone Is coming here!' I thought to myself, I had stowed away on the bus.. I couldn't let Artemis get one up on my Percy! What if she tried to make a move on him without telling him the misunderstanding?!? No I will not lose him, wolf or not! Back to now.. I think I just figured out what they are doing and I am so gutting an oracle after this.. Only she could and would make such a painting..

I kept my silence as what seemed to be Thalia rummaged through the luggage I was hiding in.. luckily I wasn't seen I think.

"Thalia hurry up! I wanna get started!" wow for hunters sworn to maiden hood and off men.. They are really eager about mine.. Why does that get me hot and bothered..

A few seconds later The tell tale sounds of pleasure ensued… and I may have had a perfect hole in the luggage to view it from.. Which I did.. And maybe joined in? You go 5 years without your active boyfriend and try not getting horny!

"Annabeth?" shit.