Kidnapped

15: The Cafeteria

Percy POV

"Search for the series of clues following this letter... There are two classes of vitamins: water-soluble and fat-soluble. Water-soluble substances can freely travel in the blood while fat-soluble vitamins need a transport mechanism."

"Bro, I am not here for a science lesson. This ain't no school," Leo exclaimed.

"Oh my god, Leo, shut up. Piper, please continue reading the letter. We need to find these clues before it's too late," Hazel scolded.

"To elucidate the transport mechanism, one must first ingest the vitamins. This room has several vitamins, but only one will lead to the chylomicron," Piper finished.

"What's a chylomicron?" I asked in confusion. I was never the best at school due to having ADHD and dyslexia. I didn't pay attention in classes, and I didn't care either.

"I just feel dumb right now," Leo expressed.

"A chylomicron is a form of lipid structure. Individual lipid molecules surrounded a fat-soluble substance so that they can be transported in the blood. It's a clever way of Elysium saying that we have to find the transport mechanism whatever that is," Will explained.

"But, the first step is to find the fat-soluble vitamin," Hazel said. However, her voice simply conveyed confusion.

"Honestly, let's just search for anything strange," Jason said firmly.

We separated throughout the room. Piper and I were searching the tables more closely. We were looking for any more clues that might be on the chairs and tables. Hazel, Frank, and Nico were studying the walls and floor. Jason was checking the trays and food stand.

A pounding interrupted Piper's and my search.

We turned towards the cafeteria doors. Annabeth was slamming the doors to get our attention. She motioned us over even though we were busy.

"Wise Girl, we're a little busy over here."

"Yeah, Annabeth, unlucky for us, we're stuck in this phase. We can't be distracted because we only got an hour," Piper shouted.

"Listen to me," Annabeth started. Her voice was muffled since we were separated by a steel door and glass windows. "Vitamins are found in food. Fat-soluble vitamins would be naturally found in fatty foods."

"Wait, Annabeth, you heard me reading the letter?" Piper asked. "I wasn't even talking that loud."

Regardless, Piper walked towards the group with this new information. My gaze locked onto Annabeth, whose eyes were sparkling with wisdom and emotions. Thalia and Rachel were crowding around the windows as well.

"Annabeth, what else do you know?" I asked seriously.

She looked at Thalia and Rachel before slightly shaking her head. It was a subtle cue, but I decided to save my questions for later.

"Percy, are you okay?" Rachel asked with concern.

"I'm fine, Rachel, but we're very busy. I have to get back and help the others," I expressed quickly.

Rachel nodded as she took a deep breath. She looked incredibly worried and stressed for me and everyone else. Rachel was super kind and caring. "Rachel, don't worry. They're going to make it out," Thalia comforted.

I quickly returned to the group. They were sifting through the remaining meals. In particular, Will was taking lead with analyzing the food for high-fat content.

"Will, do you have any ideas?" I asked.

"Yeah, so avocados and cheese are two products with high-fat content. Technically, we were served with both mac and cheese and avocados. To be honest, I don't know which one has more. Also, what do we do with them?" Will responded.