Flowergirl, Percy Jackson

009. Vengeance Speaks

There's no time for overthinking. Percy summons Blackjack and two of his friends to carry them over to the Williamsburg Bridge. Lila feels like she's in some kind of trance as she slips onto the back of a pegasus named Guido. 

It's midnight, but even from high above, the bridge is blazing with light as they approach. Cars are on fire, with flaming arrows and spears sailing through the air. It's impossible to even tell which direction they're coming from. 

Lila spots the Apollo campers retreating, hiding behind cars wherever they can, but always backing away. Kronos's army seems unstoppable, steadily marching forwards. Occasionally an arrow will connect with a dracaena, or another monster, but the majority just bounce straight off their shield wall, useless. Even if they do connect, another monster is always ready to take their place, marching behind the ever-advancing front lines. Dancing ahead are hellhounds, snatching at the campers - sometimes managing to get their jaws around a camper. Lila can't bear to see what happens to them. 

"There!" Annabeth calls, pointing to a black shadow in the middle of the legion. As fire lights the ground up again, Lila sees the shadow's features - bared teeth, the nostrils and black flaring eyes of a bull. At ten feet tall, in full Greek battle gear with bronze around his limps, the bull head and muscle seems larger than Percy ever described it to be. At his back is a double bladed axe, but the moment he spots Percy, he lets out a furious battle cry, grabbing a limousine from the ground. 

"Blackjack, dive!" Percy yells. 

The pegasus swoops downwards just in time to avoid a flying car, which spins over their heads. Guido swerves sharply to the right; Lila nearly slips off, barely holding on by her tight grip on his mane. He lets out a neigh that probably means Hold on! in pegasi. 

The Minotaur picks up another car. 

"Oh no," Lila muttters. Guido flies backwards slightly, in agreement with her. 

"Drop us behind the lines with the Apollo cabin," Percy orders. "Stay in earshot but get out of danger!"

The pegasi follow quickly, eager to escape the dangers of flying cars. They land behind an overturned school bus, where a couple of campers are hiding - Lila slips off Guido as soon as he hits the ground, and he quickly escapes back into the sky, flying as fast as he can away from the battle field. (She kind of wishes she was a pegasus right now). 

Michael Yew runs up to them. His face is covered in soot, and his quiver has five arrows left, but he seems unharmed, and he grins like he's having fun. "Glad you could join us." (Lila isn't.) "Where are the other reinforcements?"

"For now, we're it," Percy says. 

"Then we're dead," he replies cheerfully.

"Having fun?" Lila asks, completely seriously. Or have you lost your mind?

"Not yet." 

"You still have your flying chariot?" Annabeth adds.

"Nah," Michael replies with a sigh. "Left it at camp. I told Clarisse she could have it. Whatever, you know? Not worth fighting about anymore. But she said it was too late. We'd insulted her honour for the last time or some stupid thing."

Lila represses a useless burning rage at her friend. People are dying, and she's worrying about her honour? Maybe this is why people insult her honour; because she doesn't care about anybody except herself. 

That's not fair, a little voice in Lila's head called her conscience whispers, but Lila ignores it. None of this is fair, but Clarisse could at least be a friend to them.