This Dark Night ― Percy Jackson & Annabeth Chase¹

―xxi. new oracles, burning shrouds, and underwater kisses

But for now... she just had to breathe.

❊

Percy met them at the elevator.

"Why do you smell like smoke?" Annabeth asked him.

"Long story," he answered.

Together, the three made their way down to the street level. None of them said a word. The music was predictably awful—Neil Diamond or something.

When they got to the lobby, they found Percy's parents arguing with the bald security guy, who'd returned to his post.

"I'm telling you," Sally yelled, "we have to go up! My son—" Then she saw Percy and her eyes widened. "Percy!"

She hugged him, tears in her eyes.

"We saw the building lit up blue," she said. "But then you didn't come down." She pulled away from Percy and hugged Naomi so tight she thought she might break a rib or two. "You went up hours ago!"

"She was getting a bit anxious," Paul said dryly.

"I'm all right," Percy promised as Sally hugged Annabeth. "Everything's okay now."

"Mr. Blofis," Annabeth said, "that was wicked sword work."

Paul shrugged. "It seemed like the thing to do. But Percy, is this really.... I mean, this story about the six hundredth floor?"

"Olympus," Percy said. "Yeah."

Paul looked at the ceiling with a dreamy expression. "I'd like to see that."

"Paul," Sally chided. "It's not for mortals. Anyway, the important thing is we're safe. All of us."

Naomi almost let herself relax. Everything felt perfect. She, Annabeth, and Percy were okay. Kronos was gone. Olympus was saved.

But the life of a demigod was never that easy. Just then Nico ran in from the street, and his face made it clear something was wrong.

"It's Rachel," he said. "I just ran into her down on Thirty-second."

Annabeth frowned. "What's she done this time?"

"It's where she's gone," Nico said. "I told her she would die if she tried, but she insisted. She just took Blackjack and—"

"She took my pegasus?" Percy demanded.

Nico nodded. "She's heading to Half-Blood Hill. She said she had to get to camp."

❊

"What was she thinking?" Annabeth said as they ran for the river.

The traffic was chaos incarnate. Everybody was out on the streets gawking at the war zone damage. Police sirens wailed on every block. There was no possibility of catching a cab, and the pegasi had flown away. The Party Ponies had disappeared (along with most of the root beer in Midtown).

So they ran, pushing through mobs of dazed mortals that clogged the sidewalks.

"She'll never get through the defenses," Annabeth said. "Peleus will eat her."

"We've got to hurry," Percy said.

Naomi looked at Nico. "Where's Skia and Mrs. O'Leary?"

"Last I saw, passed out in a parking lot a couple blocks from Olympus," Nico said, wheezing as he ran.

Naomi chewed on her lip. Nico looked like he'd pass out just summoning a wishbone. She didn't feel much better, but desperate times called for desperate measures.