sweet dreams • leo valdez

25

Delilah couldn't sleep on the way back. It was kind of impossible with the cold air whipping in her face.

Frank was staring at the floor of the chariot the entire time, while Percy had his eyes shut for most of it. Delilah could sense some sort of change during that time. It was like she could sense Percy awakening - or at least some part of him - which she presumed was his memories, a part of his subconsciousness, returning. The gorgon's blood was paying off. He remembered everything now, Camp Half-Blood, the Greeks, his loved ones. Everything.

It took them four hours before they arrived into Oakland Hills and came to a stop by the Caldecott Tunnel.

Delilah's legs were all stiff when they were finally able to get off the chariot. Her cheeks felt all achey and she was sure she had pins and needles in places you weren't even meant to get pins and needles.

But she just had to shake it off, especially when she saw the camp. "Oh, shit!"

The others turned to look with her. The battle was raging on below them, the Twelth on the Field of Mars, protecting the city of New Rome. They were doing all they could, with the veteran demigods providing backup, the lares even helping, but even with all that they were badly outnumbered.

She could see Reyna and Scipio flying around and trying to distract Polybotes, who just kept swatting around in the air. She wasn't making any progress, and the Legion itself was losing formation. Delilah felt like crying as she watched green cannonballs be shot into the city and destroying the buildings. That was her home.

"We're too late." Hazel said in a miserable, defeated tone.

Delilah felt herself tighten her fist. "No. The Legion is still fighting, there's still a chance."

"Where's Lupa?" Frank asked desperately. "She and the wolves... they should be here."

As much as she agreed, she knew that that wasn't Lupa's way. She'd spent months with the goddess after all. Percy voiced the same concerns, "She did what she could. She slowed down the army on its way south."

Delilah nodded in agreement. "And now it's up to us. We've got weapons, and the eagle. It's exactly what the Legion needs now."

"But Arion is out of steam! We can't haul this stuff ourselves." Hazel sounded exasperated.

"Maybe we don't have to." Percy said mysteriously, looking out over the hilltops. He then let out a loud taxi-cab whistle, proof of his East coast origins.

Delilah thought he'd done it for nothing, before a shadow seemed to start moving and a giant dog bounded towards them out of nowhere with two familiar figures on its back. Tyson and Ella had made it.

"Hellhound!" Frank jumped backwards in alarm. Delilah moved to steady him, placing a hand on his back until he settled.

"It's okay! These are friends." Percy looked the happiest he'd been since Delilah had seen him.

"Brother!" The friendly cyclops crushed Percy in a hug, which quite honestly looked painful. She might have said Tyson was harmless but also seeing the size of him, wasn't so sure. "You are not dead! I like it when you are not dead!"

Ella made herself known, flying around them. "Ella found a dog. A large dog, and a cyclops." She seemed to be blushing, but Delilah didn't have time to think about it before the hellhound knocked Percy over with an ear-shattering bark.

"Hey Mrs O'Leary. Yeah, I love you too, girl. Good dog." Percy was smiling as the dog nudged his face.

"Why is your dog called Mrs O'Leary?" Delilah asked him, a curious eyebrow raised.