invisible string | f. zhang

xiv. the strangest reinforcements you'll ever see

fourteen. the strangest reinforcements you'll ever see

MARIBELLE TRUSTED PERCY JACKSON. Perhaps too quickly for a girl who'd been betrayed and manipulated before, but something about him was different. He'd said she was different. That she wasn't like them . . . the ones wanting to take down the gods. And, when he'd looked at her and the long drop below them and the army advancing on them, she knew she'd go down with him. The only way was for them to send the ghost army straight down the glacier, and Maribelle didn't hesitate to agree.

Percy held on tightly to her as they fell. And just as quickly as they had fallen, the quicker they were brought back to the top of Glacier Bay. Maribelle's stomach churns as she leans against the golden eagle staff, Percy also using her for support, they wait for Hazel and Frank.

Finally, the pair approach on Arion. They take off running towards them after they get down from the horse.

''You're alive!" Frank marvels. His eyes lock onto Maribelle's and then he's pulling her into a bone-crushing hug. Maribelle squeaks as he does so.

"The fall?" Percy continues, ignoring the hugging that was occurring, "That was nothing. I fell twice that far from the St. Louis Arch."

"I'm glad you're safe," Frank whispers to Maribelle.

"Me too," Maribelle nods against his chest, her own arms wrapping around his middle.

He squeezes her tighter and she doesn't even protest that he was wrinkling her clothes.

"— I got a bone to pick with you, Zhang," Percy says and the pair finally separate, "You can turn into an eagle? And a bear?"

"And an elephant," Maribelle reminds them proudly. She reaches up to punch his arm playfully.

"An elephant." Percy shakes his head in disbelief, "That's your family gift? You can change shape?"

Frank shuffles his feet, "Um . . . yeah. Periclymenus, my ancestor, the Argonaut — he could do that. He passed down the ability."

"And he got that gift from Poseidon," Percy says, "That's completely unfair. I can't turn into animals."

Frank stares at him, "Unfair? You can breathe underwater and blow up glaciers and summon freaking hurricanes — and it's unfair that I can be an elephant?"

Percy considers, "Okay. I guess you got a point. But next time I say you're totally beast —"

"Just shut up," Frank says, "Please."

Percy cracks a smile.

"If you guys are done," Hazel says, "We need to go. Camp Jupiter is under attack. They could use that gold eagle."

Percy nods, "One thing first, though. Hazel, there's about a ton of Imperial gold weapons and armor at the bottom of the bay now, plus a really nice chariot. I'm betting that stuff could come in handy . . ."

It took them a long time, but they all knew those weapons could make the difference between victory and defeat if they got them back to camp in time. Hazel uses her abilities to levitate some items from the bottom of the sea. Percy swims down and brought up some more. Even Frank helped by turning into a seal. Maribelle, however, was not going to risk ruining her hair even more or getting her clothes wet, so she sat back and guarded the weapons they brought.

It took the three of them to raise the chariot, but finally they managed to haul everything ashore to a black sand beach near the base of the glacier. Then, they had to use Frank's rope to strap down most of the gold weapons and the best pieces of armor.