Percy Jackson and Maximum Ride

Chapter Fifteen: Escape-Part Three

Chapter Fifteen: Escape-Part  Three

***Nico di Angelo***

We settled down and I was finally left alone. I closed my eyes, reveling in the sudden quiet, planning out our escape, and praying to all the gods for enough strength to pull off what I intended to do.

***

I awoke from a troubled sleep to the sound of someone hissing my name. My dark chocolate colored eyes were greeted by darkness, and I was instantly alert and ready to break out of here.

Moving quickly and gracefully, I shadow-travelled myself out of my cage. I appeared next to Thalia, whose cage was closest to me, before grabbing her hand and getting her out of her cage.

She grinned fiercly and stretched, cracking her knuckles when she was done.

"Let's go kick some scientist butt."

I quickly freed all the others and paused to steady myself on one of the cages. Then I took a deep breath and told everyone to grab on to each other's hands and not let go.

When I opened my eyes again, we were in the room where I saw Thalia and my weapons. Moving quickly, Thalia kicked the glass of the display case open, passed me my sword-which I gratefully and immediately buckled onto my waist-and took her bow and arrows.

Percy gave a two-fingered salute to the stunned scientists and one of the younger kids of Max's Flock - Gazzy, I think? - stuck his tongue out at them.

I  shadow-traveled us out of the lab, a few miles away from the building we were kept in, and stopped. I doubled over, gasping for breath as I concentrated on not passing out. When the world stopped spinning, I straightened and saw everyone looking at me with worry. I scowled at them and turned to Max.

"Describe your home."

She blinked once at my sudden request before hastily detailing the place she and her Flock lived these days. I closed my eyes and nodded once before telling everyone to grab on.

When I opened my eyes again, we stood in the living room of their home. The Flock whooped, and Percy and Annabeth hugged. Thalia gave me a friendly punch on my arm and grinned.

"Nice going, di Angelo."

I couldn't reply; The room was spinning, and everyone's voices sounded muffled. My knees suddenly gave out from under me and a panicked mass of blurred faces crowded my field of vision.

"Nico? Nico!"

"Is he alright?!"

"Everybody get back, give him some breathing room!"

The voices eventually faded into the background and I drifted into unconsciousness as I felt myself lifted up by a pair of strong arms.

***Fang***

After I shooed everyone away from the son of Hades, I picked him up and carried him bridal style to one of the guest bedrooms. I set him down on the bed and unbuckled his sword belt, setting it to the side of the bed.

I turned to go and crashed into one of the demigods. Or, rather, I did the crashing. She simply side-stepped out of harm's way and snorted at my clumsiness.

Somehow, I managed to regain my balance before I crashed into the dresser. I turned to her but she had already diverted her attention to Nico. I sighed in relief and left the room to search for Max.

***Thalia Grace***

After one of the bird-kids, whose name, I think, is Fang, left the room with Nico in his arms, I turned to Percy and Annabeth.

"You guys have any nector or ambrosia for the Ghost King?"

Percy looked at me sheepishly.

"We kinda left all our godly food back on the beach."

I rolled my eyes and eyed the half dressed demigods.

"You guys might wanna put a shirt on."

They blushed and wandered off in search of someone who would help them with their fashion dilemma.

I poked around for the kitchen, and when I found it, I filled a bowl with cold water and got a clean hand towel. I went off in the direction Fang went with the unconscious son of Hades.

When I finally found the right room, I narrowly avoided being run over by Fang, and I snorted in amusement at his klutz moment.

Then I turned and gave my full attention to Nico, who was by now frowning in his sleep. I sighed. His nightmares had gotten worse. I sat next to him on the bed, dipped the towel in the bowl, rung it out, and ran it across Nico's sweaty forehead as I prepared for a long night.

***
Author's Note

Okay, before you guys run me through with your weapon of choice, I have a very good reason for not updating earlier.

(A) Most of the time, I had no access-or time!-to update with, and

(B) when I did I had Writer's Block.

So now that you're done listening to me making up excuses, how 'bout letting me know your thoughts via the comments?

Ciao!
Esmeralda