The Silver Archer (Percy Jackson) 1️⃣

22. Rachel Elizabeth Dare

1st POV
Adira

"And young man," the tour guide called. I looked back, since Percy, who was grasping onto my hand, stopped. She'd taken off her glasses. Her eyes were startlingly gray, like storm clouds. "There is always a way out for those clever enough to find it."

The doors closed with the tour guide still inside, leaving me alone.

Before I could think too much about the woman in the elevator, a ding came from around the corner. The second elevator was opening, and I heard an unmistakable sound—the clattering of skeleton teeth.

I ran after the tour group, through a tunnel carved out of solid rock. It seemed to run forever. The walls were moist, and the air hummed with electricity and the roar of water. I came out on a U-shaped balcony that overlooked this huge warehouse area. Fifty feet below, enormous turbines were running. It was a big room, but I didn't see any other exit, unless I wanted to jump into the turbines and get churned up to make electricity. I didn't.

Another tour guide was talking over the microphone, telling the tourists about water supplies in Nevada. I prayed that Thalia, Zoe, and Grover were okay. They might already be captured, or eating at the snack bar, completely unaware that we were being surrounded. And stupid me: I had trapped myself in a hole hundreds of feet below the surface.

Percy and I worked our way around the crowd, trying not to be too obvious about it. There was a hallway at the other side of the balcony—maybe some place we could hide. I kept my hand on my arrowhead, ready to strike.

By the time I got to the opposite side of the balcony, my nerves were shot. I backed into the little hallway and watched the tunnel I'd come from.

Then right behind me I heard a sharp Chhh! like the voice of a skeleton.

Without thinking, I grabbed my dagger, which was in my coat pocket and spun, while Percy was slashing with Riptide.

The girl I'd just tried to slice in half yelped and dropped her Kleenex.

"Oh my god.'" she shouted. "Do you always kill people when they blow their nose?"

The first thing that went through my head was that the sword hadn't hurt her. It had passed clean through her body, harmlessly. "You're mortal!"

She looked at me in disbelief. "What's that supposed to mean? Of course I'm mortal! How did you get that sword past security?"

"I didn't—Wait, you can see it's a sword?"

The girl rolled her eyes, which were green like Percy's, but it was more emerald than sea green. She had frizzy reddish-brown hair.

Her nose was also red, like she had a cold. She wore a big maroon Harvard sweatshirt and jeans that were covered with marker stains and little holes, like she spent her free time poking them with a fork.

"Well, it's either a sword or the biggest toothpick in the world," she said. "And why didn't it hurt me? I mean, not that I'm complaining. Who are you? And whoa, what is that you're wearing? Is that made of lion fur?"

She asked so many questions so fast, it was like she was throwing rocks at us. I couldn't think of what to say. I looked at Percy's sleeves to see if the Nemean Lion pelt had somehow changed back to fur, but it still looked like a brown winter coat to me.

I knew the skeleton warriors were still chasing us. I had no time to waste. But I just stared at the redheaded girl.

Percy, out of nowhere, snapped his fingers. "You don't see a sword," He told the girl. "It's just a ballpoint pen."

She blinked. "Um... no. It's a sword, weirdo."

"Who are you?" I demanded.

She huffed indignantly. "Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Now, are you going to answer my questions or should I scream for security?"

"No!" I said. "I mean, I'm kind of in a hurry. I'm in trouble."

"In a hurry or in trouble?"

"Um, sort of both," Percy said.

"Yeah, both is good," I answered.

She looked over my shoulder and her eyes widened. "Bathroom!"

"What?"

"Bathroom! Behind me! Now!"

Percy grabbed me, and tugged me into the boys' restroom. I slipped inside the boys' bathroom and left Rachel Elizabeth Dare standing outside. I looked at Percy, who had his hand covering my mouth, thinking that I was beginning to curse about getting shoved into the boys restroom when the girls' was right beside the boys' door.

I heard the clattering, hissing sounds of skeletons as they came closer.

My grip tightened on Alcaeus, who was out and ready. What was I thinking? I'd left a mortal girl out there to die. I was preparing to burst out and fight when Rachel Dare started talking in that rapid-fire machine gun way of hers.

"Oh my god! Did you see those kids? It's about time you got here. He tried to kill me! She threatened to cut off my toes! He had a sword, for god's sake. You security guys let a sword-swinging lunatic inside a national landmark? I mean, jeez! They ran that way toward those turbine thingies. I think they both went over the side or something. Maybe fell."

The skeletons clattered excitedly. I heard them moving off.

Rachel opened the door. "All clear. But you'd better hurry."

She looked shaken. Her face was gray and sweaty.

I peeked around the corner. Three skeleton warriors were running toward the other end of the balcony. The way to the elevator was clear for a few seconds.

"I owe you one, Rachel Elizabeth Dare."

"What are those things?" she asked. "They looked like—"

"Skeletons?"

She nodded uneasily.

"Do yourself a favor," I said. "Forget it. Forget you ever saw me."

"Forget you tried to kill me?"

"Yeah. That, too."

"But who are you?"

"I'm Adira Lanc-"

"A door a'Land?" she asked.

"Percy—" he started to say. Then the skeletons turned around. "Gotta go!"

"What kind of name is Percy Gotta-go and A door?"

Percy grabbed my hand and together, we bolted for the exit.