Bewitched || P. Jackson

𝟜 Dam burritos, please

"Hoover Dam," Thalia said. "It's huge."

The quest members stood at the river's edge, looking up at a curve of concrete that loomed between the cliffs. People were walking along the top of the dam. They were so tiny they looked like fleas.

The naiads had left with a lot of grumbling—not in words the demigods could understand, but it was obvious they hated this dam blocking up their nice river. The canoes floated back downstream, swirling in the wake from the dam's discharge vents.

"Seven hundred feet tall," Percy said. "Built in the 1930s."

"Five million cubic acres of water," Thalia said.

Grover sighed. "Largest construction project in the United States."

Zoë stared at Nicki. The girl shrugged equally as lost. "How do you know all that?"

"Annabeth," Percy said. "She liked architecture."

"She was nuts about monuments," Thalia said.

"Spouted facts all the time." Grover sniffled. "So annoying."

"I wish she were here," Percy said.

The others nodded. Zoë and Nicki shared another look as if they were bonding over the other three being weird. Nicki shrugged and pulled a face, making Zoë grin.

"We should go up there," Percy said. "For her sake. Just to say we've been."

"You are mad," Zoë decided.

"But that's where the road is." Nicki pointed to a huge parking garage next to the top of the dam.

Zoë shot Nicki a secretive look before sighing. "And so, sightseeing it is."

They had to walk for almost an hour before they found a path that led up to the road. It came up on the east side of the river. Then they straggled back toward the dam. It was cold and windy on top. On one side, a big lake spread out, ringed by barren desert mountains. On the other side, the dam dropped away like the world's most dangerous skateboard ramp, down to the river seven hundred feet below, and water that churned from the dam's vents.

Thalia walked in the middle of the road, far away from the edges. Zoë and Nicki walked on the outside of her, stuck in an intense conversation about something or another.

"There's a snack bar in the visitor centre," Thalia said.

"You've been here before?" Nicki asked. The awe in her voice confused the demigods, as they momentarily forgot she had never left Salem except for boarding school before a couple of days prior.

"Once. To see the guardians." She pointed to the far end of the dam. Carved into the side of the cliff was a little plaza with two big bronze statues. They looked kind of like Oscar statues with wings."They were dedicated to Zeus when the dam was built," Thalia said. "A gift from Athena."

Tourists were clustered all around them. They seemed to be looking at the statues' feet.

"What are they doing?" Percy asked.

"Rubbing the toes," Thalia said.

"Right..." Nicki raised a brow, looking oddly at Zoë.

"They think it's good luck."

"Why?"

She shook her head. "Mortals get crazy ideas. They don't know the statues are sacred to Zeus, but they know there's something special about them."

Percy decided to pipe up again. "When you were here last, did they talk to you or anything?"

Thalia's expression darkened. It was obvious that she'd come here before hoping for exactly that—some kind of sign from her dad. Some connection. "No. They don't do anything. They're just big metal statues."