Ok, so I've started another story called Tales of a God and a Godling (for the Kane Chronicles) and I would really appreciate it if you guys can check it out.

Read and Review!

"You'll always be my hero, even if you've lost your mind." – Rhianna, Love the Way You Lie

Percy was ashamed to say that the first place they went to when they reached San Francisco was the bathroom in one of the department stores. But really, the blue sign with the two people and said: bathrooms on it looked really tempting and without a word the boys went to their bathroom and the girls to theirs.

And then, even worse, they realized that the bathroom was located right next to a candy apple place and they took out their rolls of cash to buys some.

Now, finally back on task, the group wandered about searching for a place to rent a car.

"Wouldn't it be by the airport?" Rimini said, trying to read the map they had gotten of the city. "We can take a cable car there and then drive to Hawaii."

Reyna grabbed at the map, nearly tearing it in two. "Stupid, the airport should be somewhere around here. Let me look at the book."

Rimini grabbed at the map. "Let me look! You guys did put me in charge of finding the car place, and I will finish the job." She declared.

"Just make sure we're still alive by that time," Rimini mumbled.

Scott and Percy, walking behind the fighting girls, didn't even bother to stop their ranting. A few times before, Percy had tried to butt in, which resulted in more screaming, this time directed at him. Scott, the smart one, stayed a good ten feet behind them at all times, just in case things started to fly (which had happened a couple times. You have no idea how painful barrettes and purses are when they fly.)

"I think I found it!" Rimini declared.

Reyna grabbed the map back and looked at where Rimini was pointing. She sighed. "That's a toy store."

Rimini leaned forward and squinted her eyes to try and make out the tiny words on the map. "Oh."

Right then Percy realized that Scott was no longer next to him. Turning around, Percy could see that Scott was talking to a lady. "Hey guys, stop for a second!" He called to the girls and then joined up with Scott.

The lady was average all over. Average height, average brown hair the color of mud and other stuff you can find in toilets, brown eyes that looked old and sad, a plain green dress with a black belt around her waist. But something in her voice seemed magical and it made Percy want to listen.

"Toy store?" She asked.

Scott shook his head. "Were looking for a car rental place or an airport. Do you know where we can find these?"

"Airport," she replied and pointed to the left. "Find these." Then she nodded.

Rimini appeared behind Percy. "What's wrong with her sentences?" She whispered.

Percy shrugged. Who cared if she had some disorder or something? As long as she could lead them to the airport he was fine with her.

Then the strange lady took out a piece of paper and a pencil and began to write something. Her handwriting looked like it had been typed and the paper soon was covered with words.

Scott turned his head and tried to read the writing. "I . . . I'm Echo. I can ― I can only . . . what's that word? Oh wait . . . say . . . words that have already been spoken." He finished triumphantly and then looked up to meet her gaze.

"Is that right? You can only repeat words that have already been spoken?" The woman ― Echo ― nodded happily. Percy could see her saying "Finally someone who understands!"

Reyna snapped her fingers. "No wonder her name is Echo, cause, you know, she echoes what she hears!"

The four ― Rimini, Percy, Scott, and Echo ― stared at her in disbelief.

"Don't worry," Rimini declared, "she's always this stupid." Echo nodded her head in agreement.

Percy assumed that if they weren't on a quest to save Bobby's life Reyna would have smacked Rimini in the head, burnt her dyed hair to a crisp, and then flattened her with a rolling pin. But to save them the time and horror, Reyna only stomped on her foot ― harder than a small love tap. It was a stomp that symbolized the hatred that burned between the two. Who knew a stomp could mean so much?

Reyna glared at Rimini. "If ―"

"Airport." Echo said, pointing towards their left, which happened to be a Pet Store. "Airport."

Percy tried to decipher what Echo was saying, and trust me, it wasn't very hard. But for others, it seemed to be the challenge of a life time, worthy to be on Jeopardy.

"Are you saying that the airport is located in a Toy Store?" Reyna said hesitantly, peering into the windows. "Maybe there's like a car magically hidden in one of those teddy bears!"

Echo sighed as If she had just come upon the stupidest people in the world. And when she smiled, Percy realized that her teeth were not so average: a blazing white color.

Rimini took a step back and read the sign above the shop. "No Reyna," she said sarcastically, "Toddle Tops Toys might be the name of the airline were supposed to take to Hawaii! Let's go in and ask them if they have any toy airplanes!"

From the corner of his eye Percy could see Echo scrawling something on her notepad and then showing it to Scott.

"No," he whispered back. "I don't think she's always this stupid. Maybe she's just mad at Rimini and giving her a hard time or something."

Echo wrote her reply.

Scott stared at Reyna as if he were trying to see through her. He whispered back, "I think the black hair is dyed, but I don't think she's a blonde."

Echo nodded in confirmation and wrote something down.

"Men aren't stupid and lustful." He said, but Echo nodded her head gleefully. Scott looked down to see what she wrote. "I don't know anyone named Narcissus, why?"But Echo just shrugged and continued to watch the girls fight.

"No," Rimini demanded, "Echo meant that the airport is in the left direction, but not literally to the left!"

"Then why didn't she just say: 'the airport you seek will be in your left direction.' Hmm?"

Rimini slapped her forehead and it took all her effort not to strangle her not really best friend. "Her name," she said slowly, "is Echo. She can only Echo what people around her say . . . did you not pay attention in Myths and Legends class?"

"Oh yeah," Reyna said, catching on. "I remember she was the nymph who was cursed by Juno and then she fell for that dude, but the dude didn't even seem to notice her and when he said 'I love you' to himself, Echo repeated it but he didn't hear her!" Realization dawned on Reyna's face.

"Oh." She said.

Echo was busy scrawling on her notepad. Percy read over her shoulder. The Gods are traitors to the innocent . . . Echo paused, as if thinking of what to say. They fight with each other, and when they are displeased they turn to the mortals for their entertainment. Juno cursed me for talking to long to her so I could let Jupiter escape! And now . . . I have awoken and I will have my revenge.

Scott tried to object, but Echo had taken a knife from her pocket (or at least Percy thought it was a knife. It was sharp enough to be one) and flung it at Scott. Around them, people began to scream as the knife bounced off a wall and landed at a pedestrian's foot.

But then, like a boomerang, it flew back at Echo who skillfully caught it. Percy then could see that it was a wooden stick with a huge metal blade at its edges. Well, he thought, she was a nymph.

She flung it again at Scott, who was able to move out of the way with his speed. Around them, leaves began to rustle and fall towards them, but none of them were heavy enough to do much harm.

Grass erupted around Echo's feet but with a few stomps it was torn down and Echo was busy getting another wooden stick out of her pocket.

Bring it on, Percy thought. His vision was clearer and he could literally see everything in slow motion. Reyna was trying to get the mortals out of the area, but they were snapping pictures on their phones and screaming, "Terrorists!" Some tried to help Scott, but were quickly knocked out by a flying acorn or rock (don't ask where they came from).

Percy, finally realizing that he should do something, pulled riptide out of his pocket and took of the pens cap. A blade flashed out and reflected the suns light. The mortals, seeing the swords blade, started to run away.

Percy charged at Echo but she was ready for him. Bringing one of her wooden sticks up to deflect the blow, Percy could feel her muscle and grace as their blades clashed. Scott was standing about ten feet away from them, obviously untrained and had no idea what to do.

Percy drew his sword back and swung again, aiming for her abdomen and anything relatively close to that area, but instead he hit her arm and the blade struck bone. She had brought her arm up to stop the blow and with the other arm lunged her wooden stick at him.

Somewhere, Rimini was screaming for him to move and Reyna was just screaming in general. Somewhere, Scott was debating on whether to risk his life and help his friend or save his own skin. Somewhere, long time ago, Echo had been a happy nymph who could talk all day long without stopping.

And then blade hit its home and Percy felt fire in his stomach. Blood from her arm fell onto his hand made him dizzy and a gut retching flame flew to all sorts of his body. He let go of Riptide and stumbled back words, cursing himself in Greek for being so stupid.

Scott, who had finally made up his mind, had jumped onto Echo's back and was pulling out her hair at rapid speed. Soon, she looked like a dead cat that had lost all its fur to a fan and her eyes were wild and crazed.

Rimini somehow made Echo's wooden sticks into mud and then sunk to the ground and Reyna was still getting citizens out of the area. Percy desperately wished that he would fall unconscious, but he was still wide awake with terror. Blood rushed to his head and his vision grew dark and hazy with tears.

Someone had ran over to his side and was running their hand over his wound, analyzing it and deciding if he were close to death or not.

"You're going to be all right Percy," the voice said. It was oddly familiar, but for some reason Percy couldn't tell where he had heard it before. Someone in the background was screaming their lungs out, but that was the only sound coming from them. Sirens blared and someone called his name, but he couldn't tell anything apart. It was all one big jumble that was digging into his brain and mixing everything together.

And then . . . he saw someone. He had a dark tan, black hair, and the same color eyes as he did, only this person was muscular, and had this radiating light coming from him. Percy, the voice said in his mind, you still have a long ways to go. Someone, back home, is counting on you to make it back home, and another is on deaths door, not by her own choice. Percy could hear the voice, but the figures lips weren't moving. You can choose, right now, if you want to leave this world and enter another . . . where you will surly be blessed as a hero for your past. So Percy . . . what would it be?

And he hesitated, but then he realized that Bobby was counting on him, and if that grey eyed girl was too, and well, he surely didn't want to let her down.

Someone was saying his name over and over in the mortal world, but he couldn't really tell who. He didn't want to let that person down either for some reason.

But then the pain flew across him and he remembered that nothing but pain would come out of this.

Choose Percy.

Choose.

God he hated decisions, but then he realized that it wasn't really a hard choice after all.

A/N: Yes, Echo is real in Greek mythology.