AT THE EDGE OF THE DUMP, they found an old tow truck.
Thalia drove. She didn't seem as stunned as the rest of them.
"The skeletons are still out there," she reminded them. "We need to keep moving."
She navigated them through the desert, under clear blue skies, the sand so bright it hurt to look at. It had a three-seater interior, so while Percy and Grover sat in the back, Zoë and Naomi sat next to Thalia.
Naomi sat with her knees hugged to her chest, leaning her head against the window, cold from the A/C.
She stared at the little figurine that had cost Bianca her life. She wasn't sure what god it was supposed to be, but she was sure Nico would know.
She closed her eyes, her throat tightening with despair. How was she going to tell him? How do you break it to a kid that his big sister's never coming back?
Zoë and Thalia were talking, but Naomi barely heard them. She was stuck in the eye of a hurricane, her emotions raging around her but her insides numb. She should have said something—she should have known something would go wrong, she should have trusted that bad feeling from the beginning. Maybe then Bianca would still be alive.
But would she? It happened just like the prophecy said: One shall be lost in the land without rain.
One quest member was gone—one line fulfilled. Naomi couldn't stop thinking about the other two that predicted more death.
One shall greet death as a dear old friend. One shall perish by a parent's hand.
Which one of them would be next?
❊
The tow truck ran out of fuel at the edge of a river canyon. It was just as well, because the road dead-ended.
Thalia got out and slammed the door. Immediately, one of the tires blew. "Great. What now?"
"There's a path," Grover said. "We could get to the river."
Naomi tried to see what he was talking about, and finally noticed a tiny ledge winding down the cliff face.
"That's a goat path," Percy said.
"So?" he asked.
"The rest of us aren't goats."
"We can make it," Grover said. "I think."
Percy thought about it, looking at Thalia.
"No," he said. "I, uh, think we should go further upstream."
Grover said, "But—"
"Come on," Percy said. "A walk won't hurt us."
They followed the river for about half a mile before coming to an easier slope that led down to the water. On the shore was a canoe rental operation that was closed for the season, but Percy left a stack of golden drachmas on the counter and an I.O.U. note.
"We need to go upstream," Zoë said, her voice rough. "The rapids are too swift."
"Leave that to me," Percy said.
They put the canoes in the water.
Thalia, Grover, and Naomi got into one, Percy and Zoë in the other.
As it turned out, Percy didn't need to control the rapids. A couple of naiads helped them out, pushing them up the river. They started so fast Grover fell into the canoe with his hooves sticking up in the air.
"You okay, Murphy?" Thalia asked as they got going. "You haven't said anything the whole way here."
Naomi fidgeted with the Mythomagic figurine in her pocket, but couldn't think of anything to say.
"What happened back there wasn't your fault," Thalia said, her voice softer than Naomi was used to. "It wasn't anyone's fault."
Naomi swallowed. "I sensed something was going to happen," she whispered. "I should have said something. We could have—"
"You can't do that to yourself," Thalia said.
Naomi stared ahead. "She was just a kid."
Thalia was quiet for a moment. "I know."
"It's not fair."
"It's not," Thalia agreed. "But it's what happened. We can't change it—we can only move forward, finish this quest so her sacrifice was worth it."
Naomi looked at her, at the somber expression on her face. If anyone knew about sacrifice, it was Thalia. She'd given her life to help Grover, Annabeth, and Luke reach the safety of Camp Half-Blood. Sure, Zeus had turned her into a tree before she could die, but Thalia hadn't known that when she took her stand.
Naomi sighed, nodding slowly.
She wished heroes and sacrifice weren't so intertwined.
❊
"Hoover Dam," Thalia said. "It's huge."
They stood on the river's edge, looking up at a curve of concrete that loomed between the cliffs. People were walking along the top of the dam. They were so tiny they looked like fleas.
The naiads left with a lot of grumbling, and the canoes floated back downstream, swirling in the wake from the dam's discharge vents.
"Seven hundred feet tall," Percy said.
"Built in the 1930s," Naomi said.
"Five million cubic acres of water," Thalia added.
Grover sighed. "Largest construction project in the United States."
Zoë stared at them. "How do you know all that?"
"Annabeth," Percy said. "She liked architecture."
"She was nuts about monuments," Thalia said.
"Spouted facts all the time." Grover sniffled. "So annoying."
"I wish she was here," Naomi said.
The others nodded. Zoë was still looking at them strangely, but Naomi didn't care. It seemed like cruel fate that they'd come to the Hoover Dam, one of Annabeth's personal favorites, and she wasn't here to see it.
"We should go up there," Percy said. "For her sake. Just to say we've been."
"You are mad," Zoë decided. "But that's where the road is." She pointed to a huge parking garage next to the top of the dam. "And so, sightseeing it is."
❊
They had to walk for almost an hour before they found a path that led up to the road. It came up on the east side of the river. Then they straggled back toward the dam. It was cold and windy on tip. On one side, a big lake spread out, ringed by barren desert mountains. On the other side, the dam dropped away like the world's most dangerous skateboard ramp, down to the river more than two hundred meters below, and water that churned from the dam's vents.
Thalia walked in the middle of the road, far away from the edges Grover kept sniffing the wind and looking nervous.
"There's a snack bar in the visitor center," Thalia said.
"You've been here before?" Percy asked.
"Once. To see the guardians." She pointed to the far end of the dam. Carved into the side of the cliff was a little plaza with two big bronze statues. They looked kind of like Oscar statues with wings.
"They were dedicated to Zeus when the dam was built," Thalia. "A gift from Athena."
Tourists were clustered all around them. They seemed to be looking at the statues' feet.
"What are they doing?" Percy asked.
"Rubbing the toes," Thalia said. "They think it's good luck."
"Why?" Naomi asked.
Thalia shook her head. "Mortals get crazy ideas. They don't know the statues are sacred to Zeus, but they know there's something special about them."
"When you were here last, did they talk to you or anything?" Percy asked.
Thalia's expression darkened. Naomi could tell that she'd come here before, hoping for exactly that—some kind of sign from her dad. Some connection. "No. They don't do anything. They're just big metal statues."
"Let us find the dam snack," Zoë suggested. "We should eat while we can."
Grover cracked a smile. "The dam snack bar?"
Zoë blinked. "Yes. What is funny?"
"Nothing," Grover said, trying to keep a straight face. "I could use some dam French fries."
Even Thalia smiled at that. "And I need a dam restroom."
Maybe it was the fact that they were so tired and strung out emotionally, but Naomi started cracking up, and Percy, Thalia, and Grover joined in, while Zoë just looked at them. "I do not understand."
"I want to use the dam water fountain," Grover said.
"And..." Thalia tried to catch her breath. "I want to buy a dam t-shirt."
Naomi cracked up, half-hysterical as she clutched her stomach. She barely noticed when Percy and Grover got quiet.
"Did I just hear a cow?" Grover asked.
"A dam cow?" Thalia laughed.
"No," Grover said. "I'm serious."
Naomi sobered up, trying to listen, but she didn't hear any cows.
"I hear nothing," Zoë said.
Thalia looked at Percy. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," he said. "You guys go ahead. I'll be right in."
"What's wrong?" Naomi asked.
"Nothing," Percy said. "I... I just need a minute. To think."
They hesitated, but Percy looked pretty upset. Reluctantly, they headed into the visitor center without him.
"Okay, I actually do need to use the dam restroom," Naomi said. "Anyone know where it is?"
Thalia nodded toward a hallway off to the side of the snack bar. "Down there. What do you want to eat?"
Naomi gave her her order and headed down the hall to the restroom.
It was empty, which was a pleasant surprise.
Naomi stood at the sink, staring at her haggard expression. Her eyes were red, the darkness under her eyes more pronounced than ever. She took her hair out of the messy braids Silena had done before Naomi left camp, braiding it out of her face. Definitely neater than before, but not nearly as pristine as Silena's braids.
Her lips were still stained dark pink with Aphrodite's lipstick, and it didn't seem to be coming off anytime soon, no matter how hard she scrubbed. She sighed, filling her cupped palms with water and splashing her face.
It was Wednesday—two days before the winter solstice. If they didn't save Artemis and Annabeth in time...
She didn't want to consider what would happen.
Naomi dried off her face and exited the bathroom, heading back toward the dam snack bar.
"Just in time!" Thalia said, handing Naomi a tray as she reached the table. "C'mon, I'm starving."
They sat down with their food just as Percy appeared at their table, out of breath and looking panicked.
"We need to leave," he gasped. "Now!"
"But we just got our burritos!" Thalia said.
Zoë stood up, muttering an Ancient Greek curse. "He's right! Look."
The café windows wrapped all the way around the observation floor, which gave them a beautiful panoramic view of the skeletal army that had come to kill them.
Naomi counted two on the east side of the dam road, blocking the way to Arizona. Three more were on the west side, guarding Nevada. All of them were armed with batons and pistols once again.
But their immediate problem was a lot closer. Three more skeleton warriors appeared on the stairs. They saw Percy from across the cafeteria and clattered their teeth.
"Elevator!" Grover said. They bolted in that direction, but the doors opened with pleasant ding, and two more warriors stepped out. Every warrior was accounted for, minus the two Bianca and Naomi had blasted to flames in New Mexico. They were completely surrounded.
Then Grover had a brilliant, totally Grover-like idea.
"Burrito fight!" he yelled, and flung his Guacamole Grande at the nearest skeleton.
Grover's lunch hit the skeleton and knocked his skull clean off his shoulders. Naomi wasn't sure what the other kids in the café saw, but they went crazy and started throwing their burritos and baskets of chips and sodas at each other, shrieking and screaming.
The skeletons tried to aim their guns, but it was hopeless. Bodies and food and drinks were flying everywhere.
In the chaos, Thalia and Percy tackled the other two skeletons on the stairs and sent them flying into the condiment table. Then they all raced downstairs, Guacamole Grandes whizzing past their heads.
"What now?" Grover asked as they burst outside.
The warriors on the road were closing in from either direction. The group ran across the street to the plaza with the winged bronze statues, but that just put their backs to the mountain.
The skeletons moved forward, forming a crescent around them. Their brethren from the café were running up to join them. One was still putting its skull back on its shoulders. Another was covered in ketchup and mustard. Two more had burritos lodged in their ribcages. They didn't look happy about it. They drew batons and advanced.
"Five against ten," Zoë muttered. "And only Naomi can kill them."
"Zoë , give me your hunting knife," Naomi said.
Zoë frowned. "Why?"
"Just give it to me," she insisted. "You guys keep them distracted, I'll take them out one by one."
"They have guns," Thalia reminded her.
"I'm aware!" Naomi snapped. "Do you have a better idea?"
"I'm thinking!"
"Then I have to buy you time," Naomi said. "Zoë?"
Zoë tossed her the knife, and Naomi caught it in her left hand, summoning Hemlock in her other.
Here goes nothing.
Naomi stepped toward the skeletons. Their advance faltered just slightly, but they kept coming. They might have been wary of her unexplainable ability to actually kill them, but they knew as well as she did that ten against one were terrible odds.
She charged the two at the left end of the line, ducking under their arms as she jammed the knife into one's sternum and sliced her sword through the other. Both burst into flames as the blades made impact.
Three more charged her, breaking away from the line. She dodged a baton aimed at her head and sliced through the offender's leg, its bones falling out of its pelvis and turning to ash that dispersed with the wind. It stumbled into the warrior next to it, disorientating them, but the third was still raring to go.
Naomi knocked the gun out of its hand with Hemlock, trying to come up in the same moment with the knife to stab its chest. The skeleton blocked the strike with its baton, grabbing her hand and trying to grapple the knife out of her hand. She tried to get her hand back, but the skeleton was deceptively strong (seeing as it had absolutely no muscles).
"Naomi, behind you!"
Naomi managed to slice Hemlock behind her, the heat against her back telling her she'd taken out another skeleton, and twisted Hemlock in her hand to jam it into the other skeleton's pelvis.
It burst into flames, burning her hand in the process.
She winced, nearly dropping the knife. "Ow!"
She heard a shot, and moved just in time for a bullet aimed at her heart to merely graze her arm.
Her heart pumped with terror and adrenaline. One second too slow and she would've been gone—just like Bianca.
Before Naomi could figure out her next move, a shadow fell over her. She looked back, just in time to see a flash of bronze sweep three of the baton-wielding skeletons aside.
Percy grabbed Naomi, raising his lion coat as the skeletons opened fire, but there was no need. The now-animate bronze angels stepped in front of them and folded their wings like shields. Bullets pinged off them like rain off a corrugated roof. Both angels slashed outward, and the skeletons went flying across the road.
"Man, it feels good to stand up!" the first angel said. His voice sounded tinny and rusty, like he hadn't had a drink since he was built.
"Will ya look at my toes?" the other said. "Holy Zeus, what were those tourists thinking?"
As stunned as Naomi was by the angels, she was more concerned with the skeletons. A few of them were getting up again, reassembling, bony hands groping for their weapons.
"Trouble!" Percy said.
"Get us out of here!" Thalia yelled.
Both angels looked down at her. "Zeus's kid?"
"Yes!"
"Could I get a please, Miss Zeus's Kid?" one of the angels asked.
"Please!"
The angels looked at each other and shrugged.
"Could use a stretch," one decided.
The next thing Naomi knew, one of them grabbed her, Percy, and Thalia, the other grabbed Zoë and Grover, and they flew straight up, over the dam and the river, the skeleton warriors shrinking to tiny specks below them and the sound of gunfire echoing off the sides of the mountains.
❊