Percy POV
"WAIT, THERE's ONLY ONE JEEP," Reyna roared in anger. Damn it, after all that, we're screwed. At least, some of us are screwed.
"Yeah, unfortunately. Also, we can't get back up because they have a radar jammer for about ten miles. No transmittable technologies are going out or coming in."
"Shit, then, let the people who need attention go through first. Percy, Jason, and Thalia, ya'll have to get in," Reyna ordered. She went to the passenger door where she quietly talked to Katie and Connor.
Leo, who was sitting nearest to the van's door, nodded firmly and started to get out.
Suddenly, gunshots exploded against the van and nearby trees. One gunshot nearly hit Leo, who fell out of the van while ducking.
Screams and shouts exploded from everyone. The seven of us who were outside of the van ran into the woods. I ducked under a bush, and we all hid.
Several jeeps drove into the clearing, and the guards were firing. Connor quickly closed the van door, and the engine roared to life. The tires skid in the mud for a few minutes as Elysium kept getting closer.
We watched as the van started to drive away. The van had the attention of Elysium, who was following. We stayed hidden as several Elysium jeeps chased after the Stolls' van.
"Guys, this is bad. I almost got my head blown off," Leo exclaimed.
"Well, I actually was shot," Jason whispered harshly.
"It's not a contest," Leo shot back.
I sighed as I gazed at Thalia. She was breathing very hard as she rubbed her very pregnant belly. All of this stress must've been very hard on her.
Silence followed after the storm that nearly killed. All of Elysium's personal were following the van, so we were in the clear for now. We couldn't get caught by Elysium again because they'd kill us.
The only option was to keep moving forward.
We had escaped Sector 3, but we were in the dam woods.
The atmosphere was bittersweet. We had escaped Elysium's grasp, but we didn't know where to go. We had been walking for a few minutes before the tense silence was interrupted.
"Guys, according to Connor, the government isn't sending reinforcements into Elysium territory because Elysium is threatening them with our lives (ie we're all considered hostages)," Reyna explained.
"But, we escaped, didn't we?" Piper asked in confusion. I sighed. I didn't want the answer to that question.
"We did, Piper. However, the government doesn't know that because of the satellite jammer. We can't signal them with any messages," Annabeth paused to catch her breath. Leo nodded in agreement since he knew technologies.
"Even if the others make it to the safe side, the government probably won't risk it. Elysium would still threaten them with the idea that they caught us (even if they didn't) and will kill us."
"So, what are you and Reyna suggesting?" Jason asked nervously. We stopped walking in the woods.
Reyna sighed but Annabeth continued confidently. "Logically speaking, the government and the others who hopefully escaped want to help, but they can't because as far as they know, we are still kidnapped by Elysium."
"We're on our own. We have to go East for ten miles (which is out of Elysium's jammer territory). That is the safe side where the government and your other friends will be waiting," Reyna finished.
Toxicity filled the atmosphere. What they were saying made sense. In hostage situations, it was usually a standstill because the government didn't want to risk any lives. Elysium would do and say everything it could to keep the government out.
Even if Frank, Hazel, and the others get back, they wouldn't know that we haven't been kidnapped again.
Everyone sighed as the journey began.
Maybe, the government will send reinforcements anyway. Maybe, our friends who potentially escaped will convince the officials to send help. We just had to stay hidden and keep moving till we are saved. If we aren't saved, then we have to make it on our own.
The sun was already setting, and it was getting dark outside. We decided to stop after a mile more of walking in the dark. We couldn't start a fire because that would be a clear smoke signal for Elysium.
We'd be waving our hands saying, 'hey, come and get us. We're stupid enough to invite our kidnappers for a barbecue.'
Yeah, that's not happening.
I finally leaned back against a tree and removed my backpack. Reyna also had a bag with her, and we prepped a few things, including an extra weapon and some food.
I brought out the loaf of bread and peanut butter. Reyna understood the message and pulled out the food that was in her bag.
"Thalia, I have some food. Here," I said as I tossed some bread and the peanut butter. The food landed next to her, and she gratefully started spreading her bread with her fingers.
"Thanks, Percy," she said genuinely.
My gaze lingered on Thalia. She seemed uncomfortable and pained. Her hands kept rubbing her stomach, and she was greatly slowing us down. No one blamed her though because this was hard enough without being 8 months pregnant.
Annabeth sat down next to me, and her head leaned against my shoulder.
"Don't sleep yet, Wise Girl. You gotta eat a little," I whispered.
I turned and kissed her forehead. Her hand moved towards mine where her fingers simply played around with mine. It was nice and comforting.
I realized that we were both so broken down, yet there was life between us. We were getting out of a tough situation together. We'd always work together.
Finally, the bread and peanut butter made it to me and Annabeth. About half of the loaf was gonna already. Reyna's and my food combined would provide us with one more meal. However, we only had about 8 miles to go. We could walk that within a couple of hours assuming that we didn't get caught.
Annabeth made the sandwiches for us, and we ate them happily.
The entire night was rough. I knew that I was bothering Annabeth as well, but she didn't complain or anything.
Every time that I woke up from a nightmare, she'd be there with her comforting words. Every time that sweat coated my forehead and I couldn't catch my breath, she'd be there with her soothing voice.
I finally managed to get some sleep before Jason woke me up to stand guard. Everyone took turns keeping watch in case Elysium was patrolling the woods.
After the sun came up, everyone awoke.
"Guys, I'm so freaking tired. My feet are killing me," Leo whined. However, he was smiling, which emphasized that he was trying to lighten the mood.
"Leo, we still got about 7 miles to go. Also, you were snoring all night, so please stop complaining," Piper exclaimed.
"Sorry, but you can't kick my personality."
"Well, you're personality is like a thorn in my side. I feel like you're gonna cause a fire or an explosion because of your boredom," Annabeth said.
"That actually sounds like a great idea," Leo expressed while laughing.
After an hour of walking, we had to stop. Thalia was struggling, and we had to rest and recharge. The cold water flowed easily through my throat and quenched my thirst.
I shared some more food with Thalia and sat next to her. She didn't look good. Her eyes had bags under them, and she kept repositioning her stomach and legs.
"Percy," she whispered painfully.
Her hand fell on my arm, and I held it tightly. Her face contorted in pain as she focused on her breathing.
"Thalia, are you okay? What's wrong?" I asked in concern.
She simply shook her head. "I'm fine. I can hang on a little longer and so can Sally. Just- what are Annabeth, Jason, and Leo doing over there?" she asked.
"Reyna has a phone, and they're are checking for any signal. We could probably get out faster if someone comes and gets us. Technically, we're still in Elysium territory," I explained.
"Any luck?" Thalia asked as she nodded.
"From their facial expressions, I'm gonna say no."
I analyzed Thalia. She was sitting on a fallen tree, and I resting next to her. While I was injured, my body got desensitized to my abdominal pain. Regardless, I did need medical attention.
However, Thalia was a whole different case. She seemed to be in a lot of pain, but she was trying to remain strong. I wondered if something was wrong with baby Sally. Thalia named her baby after my mother, and I didn't want anything to be wrong.
Thalia continued to breathe as she faced the sun. Piper took over, which allowed me to get up and walk to Annabeth and Reyna. They were the intelligent leaders of the group.
"Hey, guys, Thalia's not looking so great. I think that the journey is exhausting for her since she's very pregnant. She's in pain right now, and we need help faster," I said firmly.
Reyna and Annabeth just stared at me for a few moments. Then, Annabeth smiled as she nodded. I didn't understand why she was smiling despite the situation.
"Wise Girl, it's not the time to smile. I'm serious."
"I know, Seaweed Brain. I'm smiling because I'm constantly impressed by your loyalty towards others. Even now, you're looking after everyone else," Annabeth said pridefully.
For a few moments, I didn't know what to say. Annabeth was proud to be associated with me. That's what I got from her statement.
Reyna smiled before they came up with a plan. I wasn't sure if splitting the group was a good idea, but it was the only way to get help faster.
"All right, here's what we're going to do," Reyna announced. "Jason, Piper, and I are going to move faster and go ahead. If we tried, we could easily cover the remaining 6 miles in a few hours."
"Thalia, Leo, Percy, and I will continue to travel but at a slower pace. Thalia needs a slower pace, Leo injured his foot (which is greatly slowing us), and Percy's hurt as well."
Even though we expressed that we were fine, Reyna and Annabeth had made their decisions. Honestly, it was the right decision.
If Jason, Piper, and Reyna could get help within two hours, that would greatly help all of us. Cars and vans could easily cover distance and find us in the woods. Besides, they would be much better at convincing the government that we were safe and needed help.
After a few minutes of talking, they left the group.
After a few more minutes of rest, Annabeth rallied everyone to keep moving.
Our pace was much slower than before, but we were making progress. Annabeth led us in the Eastward direction based on the sun's position.
Hopefully, Jason, Piper, and Reyna could get help speedily. We were relying on them, and they couldn't let us down. We needed help, especially Thalia.
Leo was also limping harshly, and my stomach was burning as well. Annabeth was the only person that was okay, but she managed to empathize with the rest of us. She was understanding and supportive of our conditions.
Annabeth was efficient, but she was also caring. I loved so many qualities about her, and she was displaying a lot of the qualities in the way she led us.
"GUYS, STOP, I CAN"T DO IT. AHHH," Thalia shouted.
We turned towards Thalia as she leaned over. She was tightly clutching her stomach while shouting in pain.
"Oh my god, Thalia, what's wrong?" Annabeth asked immediately.
She rushed over and clutched Thaalia's hand. Her grip tightened as Thalia groaned in pain and settled on the ground. Leo and I crouched next to her in concern.
Thalia tightly clutched her stomach and huffed. Tears were streaming in her eyes.
"Thalia..."
"I'm having contractions. I've been having them all day, but they're painful now," Thalia cried.
My eyes widened in shock as Leo backed away. I could tell that Leo wasn't a fan of injuries or medical stuff. His face paled while staring at Thalia.
Thalia's grip on Annabeth was tight, and she wasn't letting go.
"Wait, Thalia, please explain right now," Annabeth asked.
Thalia huffed and shouted again. The contractions seemed very close together, and the pain seemed to be at a ten. "I've been having contractions since yesterday. However, they're only about a minute apart now and very painful," Thalia explained between breaths.
"So, what exactly are you saying?" Leo exclaimed. His voice was high-pitched and panicked; this was not his forte.
Honestly, even I was slightly panicked, and I understood what was happening. I've been in a similar situation while working as a lifeguard.
Why the hell was this happening right now?
"SHE'S SAYING THAT THE BABY IS COMING. NOW," Annabeth exclaimed.
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