❝𝘴-𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯❞
❝𝙞 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪.❞
𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗖𝗬 𝗝𝗔𝗖𝗞𝗦𝗢𝗡 had met a lot of people and he had seen a lot of things that had caught his eyes. But she was a different story. The girl with the long hair was just someone he coul...
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XIX. THE DAY LIGHT SHONE WITH A SCENT OF EUCALYPTUS
━━━━━━
"Losing and gaining,
but I'm still searching for something today"
DODIE HAD NEVER THOUGHT SHE would feel as though she might owe Mr. D something for saving her life up until now as she fluttered her eyes open to the rapid waves before her. Like, ever. Being saved by Mr. D sounded more like something the Mr. D in an alternative universe would do, but she guessed Mr. D wasn't all cold-hearted and actually had a heart that he decided on when he was going to make use of it, and thankfully, he made use of it when they actually needed him.
Thanks to him, maybe they might actually make it to the winter solstice meeting on time. Maybe anyway. Dodie was optimistic for once... but she couldn't say the same for the others.
"We will never make it," Zoe said. "We are moving too slow. But we cannot leave the Ophiotaurus."
Dodie, who had been busying herself by singing some of her current favourites to Bessie, which the bull serpent most definitely enjoyed as they jogged along the waterfront, doing flips, pursed her lips at Zoe. They had long left the shopping centre pier far behind and were heading toward the Golden Gate Bridge, but what had seemed so close felt farther than they had realised. And what was worse was that the sun was already dipping in the west.
"Mooo," said Bessie, perhaps sharing the same urgent sentiment as Zoe.
"I don't get it," Percy furrowed his eyes, glancing away from Bessie and Dodie for a moment, "Why do we have to get there at sunset?"
"The Hesperides are the nymphs of the sunset," Zoe said. "We can only enter their garden as day changes to night."
"What happens if we miss it?"
"I think it's a give in what happens," murmured Dodie. "A lot of bad things will happen and tomorrow is already the winter solstice."
Zoe nodded, "If we miss sunset tonight, we would have to wait until tomorrow evening. And by then, the Olympian Council will be over. We must free Lady Artemis tonight."
"That'll happen or..." Dodie looked at Percy with a knowing look. Annabeth will be dead.
"We need a car," Thalia said.
"We're in the city — it'll be easy, no? To find rental cars?" said Dodie.
"But what about Bessie?" Percy asked at once, tone worried.
