𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐈𝐋¹ || 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐘 𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐎𝐍

𝐗𝐂𝐈𝐕

✦ 𝐈 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐑𝐄 ✦

HERE'S PERCY'S DEFINITION OF NOT FUN. Fly a pegasus toward an out-of-control helicopter as he follows his angel girlfriend. If Guido had been any less of a fancy flier, they would've been chopped to confetti.

Percy could hear Rachel screaming inside. For some reason, she hadn't fallen asleep, but he could see the pilot slumped over the controls, pitching back and forth as the helicopter wobbled towards the side of an office building.

"Ideas?" Percy asked Aurora.

"I'll lead Rachel out of the helicopter," she said. "And since my shoulder still hurts, you and Guido would carry her out."

In a swift motion, Aurora gained speed— her agility was remarkable, closing the distance rapidly. The urgency of the situation was evident in every beat of her wings. With that Guido went into a nosedive, following Aurora's lead.

"Duck!" Aurora yelled.

They passed so close to the rotors Percy felt the force of the blades ripping at his hair. They zipped along the side of the helicopter and Aurora grabbed the door.

That's when things went wrong. Guido's wing slammed against the helicopter. He plummeted straight down with Percy on his back, leaving Aurora hovering from the side of the aircraft.

"Percy what the absolute heck!" Aurora yelled after him. "I can't carry Rachel, my fucking shoulder!"

"Hang in there!" Percy yelled at Guido.

My wing, he moaned. It's busted.

"You can do it!" Percy desperately tried to remember what Silena used to tell them in pegasus-riding lessons. "Just relax the wing. Extend it and glide."

They fell like a rock – straight towards the pavement a hundred meters below. At the last moment, Guido extended his wings. Percy saw the faces of Centaurs gaping up at them. Then they pulled out of their dive, sailed twenty meters, and tumbled onto the pavement – Pegasus over demigod.

Ow! Guido moaned. My legs. My head. My wings.

Chiron galloped over with his medical pouch and began working on the pegasus. Percy got to his feet. When he looked up, his heart crawled into his throat.

The helicopter was only a few seconds away from slamming into the side of the building. Then miraculously the helicopter righted itself. It spun in a circle and hovered. Very slowly, it began to descend. It seemed to take forever, but finally, the helicopter thudded to a landing in the middle of Fifth Avenue.

Percy looked through the windshield and couldn't believe what he was seeing. His amazing girlfriend was at the controls with a terrified look on her face.