37 Chapter 37

"I told you it was a bad idea!" Thalia yelled, running as fast as she could for the library's door. She ducked a swipe from a bench one of the Cyclops had taken a liking to as a weapon. 

It really had been a terrible idea. 

When Hermes first gave him the strawberry service card, he didn't say anything else, but Alex was smart enough to figure it was some sort of farm that sold to restaurants, hotels and whatnot. But there was a problem. 

How would they know where it was?

At first, Annabeth suggested they find a phone book of the region and search for the address, seeing as she believed Luke's dad would've given them some more tips if they weren't already close to the camp. 

However, no matter how many White Pages they got their hands on, none had anything remotely close to 'Delphi Strawberry Service'. That meant either their address and number were unlisted, or they didn't exist at all. 

Alex hoped it wasn't the latter, or it meant the Gods had been playing a sick game with them, promising a safe haven when there was none at all. 

So, with that in mind, Alex decided it was time they used one of the many modern, man-made marvels.

The Internet.

It seemed like a good idea on paper— sneak into a library, use one of the free computers they had in the back, see if they could find anything on the farm, and then leave so they didn't spend too much time around electronics and ended up attracting monsters. 

When it came down to it, Alex and Thalia were sent inside to look for the address while Luke and Annabeth remained in the truck. It'd been only around fifteen minutes when a huge hole was made through one of the library walls, and a cyclops and his herd of giant, evil badgers appeared. 

Well, maybe they weren't evil, but they sure looked the part. And they wanted to eat them. So, no... hard pass. 

A cyclops alone wasn't much of a match against Alex and Thalia together; but with five elephant-sized rabid badgers? That was another story. 

Alex rammed his shoulder against a tall, thick shelf that was filled with books to the brim. One of the badgers that was chasing Thalia — a particularly vicious-looking one — felt the might of Dostoyevsky and Fitzgerald together, being squashed by the shelf and erupting into dust.

He reacted quickly to an attack that came from above; the one-eyed monster swinging his bench-club at him. 

Black, feathery wings sprouted from his back. Flapping them with all his might, he flew backwards, dodging most of the attack and using the sleeve of his varsity jacket to deflect a wooden strip that almost hit his face. 

The motion sent him spiralling through the air, but Alex quickly balanced himself, planting his feet atop a large chandelier that hung on the library's ceiling. He took a moment to breathe, scanning the building with his eyes. 

Extremely angry cyclops mounting on a giant badger charging at him and the rest of the herd trying to eat Thalia. They could fight them, yes, but why waste time when there was something much easier they could do?

"Sparky!" Alex hollered, his voice cutting through the chaos of fleeing mortals and shredded books.

Thalia spun around, her eyes popping wide. There he was, zooming down at her like he thought he was some superhero ripped out of one of those comic books.

A lightbulb moment hit her, bright and quick. She scrambled onto a table and got ready to jump. Bending her legs like she was about to show off at the Olympics, she launched herself into the air, her arm stretched out and hand open wide. 

Alex dove down, almost like a jet, feeling the gravity trying to pull him down. Their hands smacked together with a clap so loud it echoed in the chaos, and they flew through the big, fancy window that hung above the entrance as if it were made of tissue paper.

The glass didn't stand a chance, showering down like glitter from a party popper, sparkling in the sunlight and raining down on the sidewalk outside the library.

Luke was already in the driver's seat of the truck, the engine rumbling just like his hungry stomach did. He had that thing revved up and ready to bolt. When Thalia and Alex crash-landed into the back, much to Annabeth's worry, the whole truck wobbled like a seesaw, threatening to tip over.

"Smooth landing," Alex gasped out, trying to catch his breath and sound cool at the same time. 

Thalia rolled off of him and plopped her head down beside his, staring into his purple eyes. The both of them were huffing like they'd just run a marathon.

"We'll have to work on your definition of 'smooth' at some point," she quipped with a smile, her eyes locked onto his. 

Alex scooted back to rest against the truck bed's edge, playing it off like he was just leaning there all casual-like, and trying to hide the small read splotches that had crept up his neck.

Luke poked his head out of the driver's window when the truck was already a good distance away from trouble. 

"Where to, gentleman?" He asked, giving Alex a grin. 

The light-brown-haired demigod flashed him a paper slip that had two words written on it, feeling his hair go wild with the wind. 

"Long Island, my good sir." He said with a similar grin, though his didn't reach his eyes for obvious reasons. 

==========

A bit more than fifty miles separated Westport, CT from New York City. In around two hours, with only a stop at a gas station to refill their food, they reached the city. 

It was good to be back, Alex thought. The last time he'd been in Manhattan felt like so long ago he feared he wouldn't recognise it, but everything was practically the same. The tall buildings and skyscrapers, the busy streets, the sea of people that never seemed to end, that familiar odour that was a mix of car exhaust, industrial pollution, garbage, and probably rat shit. 

He was finally back home. Surely the other three would allow for a quick trip around Queens and Brooklyn. He couldn't wait to see his old friends, and maybe some of the people at Thornbrook. 

"Ah, New York, the biggest concrete jungle in America," Thalia sighed, looking out her window. "Never been here before."

"Your mother never took you here?" Alex asked, eyes glued on the buildings. 

The punk girl shrugged. "Nope. She never took us with her for work..."

"Us?" Confused, Alex finally looked at her. 

"Hm? Oh, I meant 'me'." Thalia said, relaxing her head against the window. 

Alex stared her down for a second before turning away. Luke was now driving through the Brooklyn Bridge, humming a tune they'd heard at the gas station before. 

Having her window open and the breeze blowing her hair, Annabeth was looking with stars in her eyes at the Statue of Liberty in the distance, and Alex imagined her head imprinting that image permanently in her memories. 

He was glad she liked it. 

"It's beautiful," she mumbled. Alex smiled and ruffled her hair from the backseat. She slapped his hand away, pretending to be annoyed, before turning to him with a huge, toothy smile. "I thought it was much bigger!"

Alex shrugged. "It's only sixteen stories tall, pipsqueak."

"Yeah," Luke agreed. "It's pretty but it kind of looks like a blip on the landscape."

"It's small now, but did you know that when France gave us the statue, it was the tallest structure in the US at the time?" Annabeth said, and Alex could already feel what was coming. "Not only that, it's covered in 300 sheets of coin-thin copper that were hammered into different shapes and riveted together. And..."

The little girl kept spouting facts about the monument. Alex was happy she had something she liked so much, and while it kind of bored him, hearing her speak so excitedly about something compensated it tenfold. 

As Luke drove through the main road, Alex tapped his shoulder.

"Hey, can we swing by somewhere first? I gotta see something,"

The Son of Hermes nodded without hesitation, and soon they were turning down streets that led them away from the main drag, deeper into the borough. The neighbourhood had that lived-in feel, with rows of brownstones and the occasional corner store. 

"Turn left here," 

When the truck drove around the corner, Alex felt a pit forming in his stomach. He was expecting the sight of Thornbrook with all its glory: the tall building, the thick brick walls the intricate, metal gate, and even the lion statues, though he hoped these had been replaced with normal ones. 

The vision that greeted him was the opposite. Instead of the bustling school, there was only wreckage. The building was half-collapsed, a skeleton of charred beams and crumbled stone. Police tape fluttered in the breeze, cordoning off the disaster site while firefighters moved through the debris.

"Whoa," Thalia murmured, glancing at her friend. "Alex, is that...?"

"Yeah," he managed, but he didn't have any more words. There was only stunned silence. 

Luke parked the truck a safe distance away, and they all looked at him as if he were some sort of disaster victim. He was glad they cared about him, but he didn't like to be looked at with pity.

"Are you okay?" Annabeth asked in a childlike, worried manner, reaching out to touch his arm. 

Alex didn't answer. He just unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the truck, moving as if on autopilot towards a police officer overseeing the cleanup. 

The first thing that hit him was the sharp, acrid smell of smoke still lingering in the air. It clung to the back of his throat like it was tar. He walked closer, his boots crunching some debris that had reached the street. 

The sound of firefighters working in the background filled the air — the clatter of rubble being moved, the occasional crackle of water hitting hot embers.

Thornbrook, or what was left of it, was unrecognisable. The sight was surreal; half of the building had collapsed into itself, the metal gate had flown across the road, and there was an enormous crater in the middle of the courtyard. For some reason, the high school building was as good as new. 

Amongst the rubble, a few items stood out — scattered books with singed edges, a basketball that somehow remained untouched, and the school's flag, tattered and riddled with holes. 

A bronze paw was peeking from underneath a large piece of concrete, and Alex guessed the other two statues were there somewhere. 

He approached a police officer who was overseeing the site, his uniform covered by a bright neon vest. Alex was a bit numb, so he only remembered the officer's voice being low but clear, carrying over the noise.

"We think it was a gas leak," he explained, though his face seemed to think otherwise. "Most of the students made it out in time, thankfully. But there were a few casualties... mostly kids who were playing sports that were too far into the complex."

"A gas leak?" Alex wanted to laugh, but he couldn't. They probably thought, the day his house went up in flames, that it also was a gas leak. He balled his hand into fists. 

"Wait. Why am I even telling you this? Aren't you a little too young to—"

Alex mumbled a "Thanks," as he waved his hand and the police officer's eyes glazed over. 

He was about to walk back to the truck, a thousand thoughts and possibilities flying around his brain when he caught a glimpse of flowers by the less ruined part of the school's perimeter wall. 

They were pretty; white roses, lilies, orchids, tulips, and a bunch of others he couldn't remember the names of. He moved his eyes over to a few portraits of some kids he knew from a distance; his mouth got dryer, but a little evil voice in the back of his mind told him to be glad nobody he really knew died. 

That voice got even stronger when he read the name and saw the picture on the last portrait.

"In loving memory of Hunter Vasquez, 1988-2001. Beloved friend, brother, and son."

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A/N: Hey, you! Yes, you! Leave a review, it would mean a lot to me. 

See you next, chapter!