The Arch was about a mile from the train station. Luckily it was later in the day so the lines to get in weren't very long.
The group threaded their way through the underground museum, looking at covered wagons and other junk from the 1800s. Warren didn't find it all that thrilling, but Annabeth kept telling her interesting facts about how the Arch was built.
Warren bought some Twizzlers at the concession stand, and Percy insisted that she get the rainbow pack so he could eat the blue-raspberry ones. So overall she was okay.
Percy kept nervously glancing around at the other tourists, though.
"You smell anything?" he asked Grover.
The satyr looked up from the plastic Twizzler wrapper he was chewing on and sniffed.
"Underground," he said distastefully. "Underground air always smells like monsters. Probably doesn't mean anything."
But that didn't ease Percy's mind. He still had the strangest feeling that they shouldn't be there.
"Guys," he said. "You know the gods' symbols of power?"
Annabeth had been in the middle of reading about the construction equipment used to build the Arch, but she looked over.
"Yeah?"
"Well, Hade—"
Grover cleared his throat. "We're in a public place....You mean, our friend downstairs?"
"Um, right," Percy said. "Our friend way downstairs. Doesn't he have a hat like Annabeth's?"
"You mean the Helm of Darkness," Annabeth said. "Yeah, that's his symbol of power. I saw it next to his seat during the winter solstice council meeting."
"He was there?" Percy asked.
Warren nodded. "It's the only time he's allowed to visit Olympus— the darkest day of the year. But his helm is a lot more powerful than Annabeth's invisibility hat, if what I've heard is true...."
"It allows him to become darkness," Grover confirmed. "He can melt into shadow or pass through walls. He can't be touched, or seen, or heard. And he can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do you think all rational creatures fear the dark?"
"But then...how do we know he's not here right now, watching us?" Percy asked.
"We don't," Warren shrugged.
"Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better," he said. "Got any blue Twizzlers left?"
Percy had nearly wrangled his nerves by the time they reached the little elevator that would take them to the top of the arch, but now it was Warren's turn to be anxious.
She swallowed thickly, suddenly queasy, and regretted eating so much licorice. Percy noticed her pale face.
"You okay?" he asked.
She tried to muster a smile, but it wasn't convincing. "Yeah, fine. I— uh, just really don't do heights."
"Are you afraid of falling?"
"No," she shook her head. "I just get really bad vertigo."
"What's that?"
"I get all dizzy and clammy. If I looked down from the viewing platform I'd probably puke rainbow."
Percy scrunched his nose in disgust at the mental image.
"It'll be okay," he said. "I won't let you look down. Besides, I hate confined spaces, so I'll be having just as much fun." He shot a wary look at the elevator.
"Okay," she nodded. "Together."
They got shoehorned into the car along with Annabeth, Grover, and an overweight woman with her dog. It was a rat-faced chihuahua in a rhinestone collar. Warren assumed she must've had a special permit for it or something, because no guards said a word.
The elevator began to rise and Warren felt her stomach heave. It went at an angle up into the arch and it was not doing good things for her vertigo. She tried to fight the dizzy feeling and reached out to grab Percy's hand. She squeezed it hard, but he didn't complain.
"No parents?" the fat lady asked them.
"They're below," Annabeth told her. "Scared of heights."
"I wish I'd joined them," Warren groaned under her breath.
"Oh, the poor darlings."
The Chihuahua growled. The woman said, "Now, now, sonny. Behave."
The dog had beady eyes like its owner, intelligent and vicious.
"That's his name, Sonny?" Percy asked.
"No." She smiled, as if that cleared everything up.
When they got off the elevator Annabeth went straight for the windows on the observation deck. Rows of windows looked out over the city and there was a view of the river on the other.
"Warren, come looked at this!"
"I'm good, Abs," she replied, holding firm to the back wall and as far away from the windows as possible.
Annabeth rambled on about structural supports and how she would've made the windows bigger and designed a see-through floor. Warren was glad her friend was having fun, but after a few minutes she'd had about as much as she could stand.
"Gods, this sucks," Warren groaned, leaning her dizzy head against Percy's shoulder.
He was just as eager to leave. If there was anything Percy disliked more than confined spaces, it was confined spaces six hundred feet in the air.
"We'll go soon," he told her. "The observation deck is closing in a few minutes."
Percy steered Annabeth and Grover into an elevator. Warren was about to climb in when she gagged. Her face went green and she made a mad dash for one of the trash cans across the room.
Percy looked at her, then back at the full car and said, "You guys go. We'll catch the next one."
Grover and Annabeth both looked nervous, but they let the elevator door slide shut. Their car disappeared down the ramp.
Warren heaved into the trash can, trying to hold her hair out of her face. She felt a hand press against her shoulder blade.
"You feeling any better?" Percy asked.
Warren just groaned. "I'm never eating another Twizzler for as long as I live."
He chuckled. "C'mon. Let's go wait for the next lift down."
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and nodded.
Now the only people left on the observation deck were her, Percy, a little boy with his parents, the park ranger, and the fat lady with her Chihuahua.
Warren smiled uneasily at the fat lady. She smiled back, her forked tongue flickering between her teeth.
Wait a minute.
Forked tongue?
"Percy, I think I'm hallucinating."
"No," he said, his voice tight with panic. "I saw it too."
The chihuahua jumped from its owner's arms and started barking at them.
"Now, now, sonny," the lady said. "Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here."
"Doggie!" said the little boy. "Look, a doggie!"
His parents pulled him back.
The Chihuahua bared his teeth at Percy, foam dripping from his black lips. "Well, son," the fat lady sighed. "If you insist."
Ice started forming in Warren's veins. "Um, did you just call that Chihuahua your son?"
"Chimera, dear," the lady corrected. "Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake to make."
She blinked and her pupils became vertical slits.
"Oh shit."
The woman rolled up the sleeves of her denim dress and revealed green, reptilian skin. Her scaly lips pulled back to reveal a row of fangs.
The Chihuahua barked louder, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size of a Doberman, then to a lion. The bark became a deafening roar.
The little boy screamed. His parents pulled him back toward the exit, straight into the park ranger, who stood, paralyzed, gaping at the monster.
The Chimera was now so tall its back rubbed against the roof. It had the head of a lion with a blood-caked mane, the body and hooves of a giant goat, and a serpent for a tail— a ten-foot-long diamondback growing right out of its backside.
The rhinestone dog collar still hung around its neck, and the plate-sized dog tag was now easy to read: CHIMERA—RABID, FIRE-BREATHING, POISONOUS—IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS—EXT. 954.
Warren and Percy both stood in shock, face to face with the creature's bloody maw. They knew that as soon as they moved the beast would lunge.
The lady let out a rattling-hiss of a laugh and stared them down. "Be honored, Perseus Jackson. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test a hero with one of my brood. For I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!"
"Isn't that a kind of anteater?" Percy asked.
"That little dude from the Sonic game?" Warren said.
Echidna screamed, her green face mottling brown in rage. "I hate when people say that! I hate Australia! Naming ridiculous animals after me. Don't even get me started on Knuckles," she yelled. "For that, Warren Walker, my son shall destroy you!"
The Chimera charged, its lion teeth gnashing. Luckily they were able to leap out of the way before it could take a bite out of them. The pair landed next to the family and park ranger, who were screaming and running for the emergency exit.
Percy uncapped Riptide and yelled at the beast. "Hey, Chihuahua!"
It spun around much faster than should be possible and stared Percy down. Before he could swing, the chimera opened its mouth and launched a column of flames right at him.
Warren had to barrel roll out of the way on her stomach as the floor next to her burst into flames. Where they had been standing a moment before was a ragged hole in the side of the Arch, with melted metal steaming around the edges.
Great, Warren thought. We just blowtorched a national monument.
She fished the drachma out of her pocket and flipped it into Ravager. Warren bared her teeth and sprang.
She slashed her axe and carved it deep into the beasts shoulder. Dark blood oozed from the wound and covered her blade, running down and coating her hands. But that just made it mad. The chimera roared and swatted Warren aside with one of its massive hooves, batting her like a squeaky mouse toy.
Her axe was still buried in its shoulder, but she was slung across the room, right toward the fiery opening in the arch.
"Warren!" Percy shouted. He was too far away to grab her.
She managed to latch on to an exposed piece of rebar and clung on for dear life, her body dangling six hundred feet in the air. Her hands were slick with the chimera's blood and she knew she wouldn't be able to hold on for long.
Percy looked between her and the chimera.
"Leave me!" she shouted. "Just kill it!"
Percy swung Riptide, but the bronze blade glanced off of the studded dog collar. The chimera's serpent tail took that opportunity and swung around, sinking its fangs deep into the boy's calf. Percy faltered, feeling the venom spread up his leg like acid.
Once more he attempted an attack. Stabbing upwards, Percy tried to jab the chimera in the mouth, but the serpent tail wrapped around his ankle and pulled him off balance. Riptide flew from his hand and skidded across the floor, past Warren, and out of the arch.
Warren could feel her fingers slipping. She grit her teeth until tears welled in her eyes. Her biceps burned with the strain of supporting her entire body weight.
I guess this is it, she thought.
Warren had always made fun of Clarisse for being such a "daddy's girl." Her sister was always praying to their father, trying to suck up for favors or special treatment. Warren didn't pray all too often, but if these were her final moments then she had to try.
Hey Dad, she thought. It would be super cool not to die right now. So if you could help me out that would be great. I'm sorry for failing you like this. A daughter of Ares can do better. Give me another chance. Please.
Nothing happened.
Great.
Percy had backed up to the edge of the hole, right above where Warren was hanging.
The reptilian woman cackled. "They don't make heroes like they used to, eh, son?"
"If you are the son of Poseidon," Echidna hissed, "you would not fear water. Jump, Percy Jackson. Show me that water will not harm you. Jump and retrieve your sword. Prove your bloodline. However, the same cannot be said for your friend."
Percy looked down at Warren, who was only hanging on by one hand now. Despite the tears in her eyes she looked oddly calm.
"It's okay," she said.
"Warren, don't even thi—"
And then she let go.
Warren had never been in freefall before and it was a very surreal experience. The wind roared in her ears and stole the breath from her lungs. Her hair tossed in an inky streak behind her. If she wasn't about to plummet to her death, she thought she could have enjoyed it— in a terrible adrenaline junkie sort of way.
She'd spent her whole childhood alone and now she was going to die alone. How fitting. But then something warm reached out and wrapped its arms around her. Warren's nose was filled with the salty scent of the sea just moments before she plunged into the dark water below.
Warren gasped sharply as her body broke the surface of the river. Her lungs should have filled with water, but they didn't. She should've broken every bone in her body on impact, but she hadn't.
Her head was tucked against a soft, dry chest even though she was two dozen feet under water. Warren looked up and met Percy's piercing green eyes. He looked just as confused as she felt. They were both okay.
She pulled herself out of his arms and immediately regretted it. Disgusting water flooded into her mouth and clouded her vision. She choked and kicked upwards, trying to swim to the surface before her breath ran out.
Warren hauled herself onto the riverbank and coughed out a mouthful of putrid brown muck.
"I'm so gonna need a tetanus shot," she said.
She wrung out her hair and climbed onto the street, trying to blend in with the crowd that had surrounded the now smoldering Arch.
"Warren!" Annabeth cried out. She caught sight of her and Grover in the pack of pedestrians.
"What happened?" Grover asked, trotting over.
"Uh, we fell," was all Warren could say.
"Six hundred and thirty feet?!" Annabeth exclaimed.
Grover looked around. "Wait...where's Percy?"
Warren cast her eyes back toward the river. "He's still down there."
They stared anxiously at the water for him to resurface, but the longer they waited the more worried they got.
Newscasters and emergency services arrived in a swarm around the Arch. Nearby Warren heard a news lady talking for the camera:
"Probably not a terrorist attack, we're told, but it's still very early in the investigation. The damage, as you can see, is very serious. We're trying to get to some of the survivors, to question them about eyewitness reports of someone falling from the Arch."
Warren sighed in relief at the word "survivors". The family and guard must have gotten out safely.
"...an adolescent boy and girl," another reporter was saying. "Channel Five has learned that surveillance cameras show two adolescents going wild on the observation deck, somehow setting off this freak explosion. Hard to believe, John, but that's what we're hearing. Again, no confirmed fatalities..."
Warren ducked her head down, trying to avoid any cameras. This was not good, especially after the unwanted newspaper publicity.
Finally Percy climbed out of the Mississippi. He was completely dry and didn't have a single scratch on him.
"Perrr-cy! We thought you'd gone to Hades the hard way!" Grover bleated.
"Don't scare me like that, Jackson!" Warren said.
"Scare you?" he said. "You're the one who let go of the railing!"
Annabeth tried to look angry, but she was more relieved than anything. "I swear," she said, "I can't leave you two alone for five minutes."
Behind them a cop shouted, "Gangway!"
The crowd parted and a couple of paramedics hustled out, rolling a woman on a stretcher.
Warren recognized her immediately as the mother of the little boy who'd been on the observation deck.
She was saying, "And then this huge dog, this huge fire-breathing Chihuahua—"
"Okay, ma'am," the paramedic said. "Just calm down. Your family is fine. The medication is starting to kick in."
"I'm not crazy! This boy jumped out of the hole and the monster disappeared." Then she saw Percy. "There he is! That's the boy!"
He turned quickly and pulled the others after him. They disappeared into the crowd.
"What's going on?" Annabeth demanded. "Was she talking about the Chihuahua on the elevator?"
Percy and Warren told them the whole story of the Chimera, Echidna, their high-dive act, and the underwater lady's message. Warren had missed that last part, on account of trying not to drown.
"Whoa," said Grover. "We've got to get you to Santa Monica! You can't ignore a summons from your dad."
Before anyone could respond, they passed another reporter doing a news break. Warren almost froze in her tracks when he said,
"Warren Walker. That's right, Dan. Channel Twelve has learned that she and Percy Jackson, who may have caused this explosion, fit the description of a young pair wanted by authorities for a serious New Jersey bus accident three days ago. They are believed to be traveling west. For our viewers at home, here is a photo of Warren Walker and Percy Jackson."
They ducked around the news van and slipped into an alley.
"First things first," Percy said, "we've got to get out of town."
Somehow, the quartet made it back to the Amtrak station without getting spotted.
They got on board just before it pulled out for Denver. The train trundled west as darkness fell, police lights still pulsing against the St. Louis skyline behind them.