undoing [percy jackson]

v. the great escape

Andi pulled Nico out of the way. Zoë froze halfway down the steps. Right. This was the part where she almost ran into an invisible Percy. Before Zoë could draw her bow, Bianca exclaimed, "The lights of the Big House are on. Hurry!"

Zoë's brow furrowed slightly, but she followed Bianca without another word. Nico took a deep breath in preparation to run after them. He had just gotten to his feet when Percy appeared out of nowhere. "Wait."

Somehow, even though she'd known he was there, Andi still had to slap her hand over her mouth to stifle her shriek.

"Where did you come from?" Nico demanded, nearly slipping on the steps.

"I've been here the whole time," Percy confessed. "Invisible."

Andi whacked Percy's arm. "Don't do that! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Wow. Cool," Nico gushed.

Percy shot Andi an apologetic smile and asked, "How did you know Zoë and your sister were here?"

Nico blushed, his whole face going red. "I heard them walk by the Hermes cabin. I don't...I don't sleep too well at camp. So I heard footsteps and them whispering. And so I kind of followed. I accidentally woke Andi up, so she came with me. Sorry again, by the way."

"It's fine," Andi insisted, waving her dismissively. It was fine because she planned it. But instead of telling them that, she said, "I'm always up for a bit of sneaking around. It makes me feel like a spy."

"And now you're thinking about following them on the quest," Percy deduced.

Nico's eyes widened. "How did you know that?"

"Because if it was my sister, I'd probably be thinking the same thing," Percy admitted. "But you can't."

"Because I'm too young?" Nico guessed, scowling.

Percy shook his head. "Because they won't let you. They'll catch you and send you back here. And...yeah, because you're too young. You remember the manticore? There will be lots more like that. More dangerous. Some of the heroes will die."

All the fight left Nico. His shoulders sagged, and his scowl had morphed into an adorable pout. Then he looked up, a spark in his eyes and his pout a distant memory. "Maybe you're right. But, but you two can go for me."

Andi had been hoping for this, but she still went, "Pardon?" at the same time as Percy blurted out, "Say what?"

"You can turn invisible," Nico said. "And Andi's good at taking care of people. You guys can go!"

Andi looked down at her shoes. She wasn't good at taking care of people. She was good at taking care of kids. In a lot of her foster homes, it was up to her and the older kids to look after the little ones. From a fairly young age, Andi was accepting responsibility for those younger than her, and when she saw Nico...she couldn't help it. That instinct to make sure he was okay, that he was healthy and fed and as close to happy as was possible, just kicked in.

"The Hunters don't like boys," Percy was saying. "They already...If they find out—"

"Don't let them find out," Nico suggested. "Follow them invisibly. Keep an eye on my sister! You have to. Please?"

Percy sighed. "Nico—"

"You're planning to go anyway, aren't you? You too, Andi. I saw your backpack."

Now Nico and Percy were both looking at her, expecting an explanation. Andi blushed. "I...I just got Cass back. And I owe Annabeth my life. So, yeah, I was kind of planning to go anyway."