Gone Girl.¹

𝟬𝟮𝟯. monsters and bumper cars

"They have boats," Michael pointed out.

"I'll take care of the boats," Percy said.

Michael frowned. "How?"

"Just leave it to me," he said. "We need to guard the bridges and tunnels. Let's assume they'll try a midtown or downtown assault, at least on their first try. That would be the most direct way to the Empire State Building. Michael, take Apollo's cabin to the Williamsburg Bridge. Katie, Demeter's cabin takes the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. Grow thorn bushes and poison ivy in the tunnel. Do whatever you have to do, but keep them out of there! Connor, take half of Hermes cabin and cover the Manhattan Bridge. Travis, you take the other half and cover the Brooklyn Bridge. And no stopping for looting or pillaging!"

"Awwww!" most of Hermes cabin complained.

"What about us, unclaimed ones?" Scarlett asked, arms crossed over her chest. There were at least six kids of minor gods behind her, some of them quite powerful, even more than the kids of major gods — and yet, they were still disregarded and forgotten by most.

"You can go wherever you think you can help the most," Amaryllis added. "Or stick with the Hermes cabin if you want."

Noelle looked at the Stoll brothers with a disgusted look. "Definitely not doing that."

Percy continued. "Silena, take the Aphrodite crew to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel."

"Oh my gods," one of her sisters said. "Fifth Avenue is so on our way! We could accessorize, and monsters, like, totally hate the smell of Givenchy."

"No delays," Percy said. "Well... the perfume thing, if you think it'll work."

Six Aphrodite girls kissed him on the cheek in excitement.

"All right, enough!" He closed my eyes, trying to think of what he had forgotten. "The Holland Tunnel. Jake, take the Hephaestus cabin there. Use Greek fire, set traps. Whatever you've got."

He grinned. "Gladly. We've got a score to settle. For Beckendorf!" The whole cabin roared in approval and Amaryllis smiled. Jake was a good leader, even though she knew he never wanted to be one. Charles would definitely be proud of him.

"The 59th Street Bridge," Percy said. "Clarisse-" He faltered. Clarisse wasn't here. The whole Ares cabin was sitting back at camp.

"We'll take that," Annabeth stepped in, saving him from an embarrassing silence. She turned to hersiblings. "Malcolm, take the Athena cabin, activate plan twenty-three along the way, just like I showed you. Hold that position."

"You got it."

"I'll go with Percy," she said. "Then we'll join you, or we'll go wherever we're needed."

"All right," he said. "Keep in touch with cell phones."

"We don't have cell phones," Silena protested.

Amaryllis reached down, picked up some snoring lady's BlackBerry, and tossed it to Silena. "You do now."

"You all know Annabeth's number, right?" Percy said. "If you need us, pick up a random phone and call us. Use it once, drop it, then borrow another one if you have to. That should make it harder for the monsters to zero in on you."