I squinted at the sun and held the crinkled paper up high.
The yellowing parchment faded a shade more and through the parchment, translucent words formed, as it would on an old currency note.
30th June.
I turned my wrist and looked at my watch.
The numbers 1 and 3 shone brightly, fading into the sunlight. 1.15.
I sighed and looked into the paper again.
Meet them at the Oklahoma City Zoo.
I frowned.
I'd read through the paper at least a hundred times in the past three years. And yet I couldn't figure out who 'them' was.
I continued to read more.
A few numbers had been scribbled down hastily.... telephone numbers. But who they belonged to, I couldn't tell.
Do not dial unless you're in a life or death situation, Annabeth had written. Find yourself across Manhattan.
God knows where they were at that time.
Well, I was in a pretty good position, so I decided not to linger on the phone numbers.
I continued to read.
AA. She'll find you. Follow her.
AA? I thought. Who's that?
I shrugged to myself and read on.
The Greek Azkaban's prisoners need to be released. Those who know, need not ask.
I squinted at those lines harder to make sure I'd read it right.
Azkaban?
Maybe it was my dyslexia working it's way to my head.
I folded the piece of paper and shoved into my jeans pocket, looking around for whoever 'them' was.
Annabeth and Percy had been incredibly vague, I thought, looking down as a great shadow passed overhead, probably a bird. As vague as vague can get. I bit my lip angrily and tapped my foot against the ground, crossing my arms over.
"Just because you've lived through time doesn't mean you get to be so vague," I muttered to myself, feeling the three year old parchment in my pocket.
"McLean? Piper?"
I turned around, frowning. No one calls me McLean.
The scrawny man had black hair, pointy ears and elf-like face with a cheerful smile. His black hair had grown out up to his neck. But the most singular thing about Leo Valdez had always been those dark brown eyes that were always full of mischief and trouble, like he's just drunk twenty gallons of caffeine in one gulp.
Leo laughed so loudly I thought his ADHD had peaked. "Hey, wow, I was right!"
"Hey, Leo," I said, grinning.
"Wow!" Leo said. "I see you're still Beauty Queen."
"Wait until Calypso hears that," I smirked.
"You wouldn't," Leo said, putting a hand to his chest, offended. "That was a compliment."
I grinned. "It's great to see you," I hugged him.
Leo threw his arms around me in a big bear hug. "I really missed you guys."
"You guys?" I asked, pulling away. "Plural sense."
"Well, I still miss him," Leo said sadly. "Hopefully all will be well in another year."
"Hopefully."
"Wait," Leo put a hand to his head, "I haven't told you- wait-"
"Leo's a dad," Calypso said, grinning, putting a hand on his shoulder as she joined us, a bronze suitcase rolling behind her at her ankles. A golden band glinted on her ring finger. "We're still looking for a name-"
"And godparents," Leo nodded. "I thought Leonida sounded good..."
"No," Calypso said sharply. "I'd rather name her Hell."
"Alright, alright," Leo put his hands up, grinning. "Just giving suggestions."
Calypso smirked and turned to me. "I really didn't think you'd be the 'her'."
"Yeah," Leo turned to me, taking out a yellowing piece of paper. "June 30th. Oklahoma City Zoo. Meet her."
"Yeah, they told me to meet the two of you here.... can't imagine why," I mused.
No sooner than I had said the last word the ground began to shake violently.
Calypso entwined her hand around Leo's and we looked up to the sky in terror. The visitors around us begin to look around in horror, running from the spot.
"Leo," I asked, "what's happening? Is it- Is- is it Fes-"
"It's not Festus," Leo said. "I can assure you."
"I mean, Festus is with me," Calypso said, her eyes wide in terror.
We looked around, staring at the tourists stampeding the place and trying to run away from the Zoo.
Sirens blared into my ears as the Zoo went into lockdown for some stupid reason.
My heart skipped a beat. I wasn't even thirty yet. I wasn't ready to die yet.
I turned to Leo and Calypso. "Let's get out of here."
They didn't need telling twice. Calypso slammed the luggage down to the ground and clicked a button.
The suitcase groaned for two seconds, after which it blew up.
We took a step back as the suitcase began to expand mechanically, growing bronze scales, red eyes, sharp bronze teeth and a large tail.
Festus was a magnificent sight to sore eyes.
Leo climbed over the dragon and helped us on. "Festus, go!"
The dragon smashed through the air on its feet, breaking tiles and ground beneath us and spread his wings, ready to take off.
My stomach dropped as Festus beat his wings and achieved lift off.
It was like sixteen all over again.
The wind roared through my hair and my nose felt like stone. The air became colder as we soared through the sky, and my hands began to feel numb.
I laughed. "I've missed this."
Leo grinned.
"I don't think I've seen Oklahoma from such a close ra-" Calypso stopped, dumbstruck.
"Hon?" Leo said doubtfully, looking back. "Cal? Callie?"
Calypso did not reply, sitting behind me.
"Pipes, take over, please," Leo said, crawling over Festus' back and sliding behind me so gracefully I did not realize I was sitting in front of him now.
I turned around, an eye on the skies.
Leo put a hand over Calypso's shoulder. "Honey," he said, "what happened?"
She didn't answer for a moment, too shocked to even open her mouth.
"Calypso," I said, "talk."
She swallowed, as though whatever had been blocking her throat had cleared away. "There."
She held up a shaky frail finger, pointing downwards, her eyes as wide and big as tennis balls.
I squinted down, but I wasn't able to see anything.
"Festus, a little low, boy," I said, stroking the dragon's scales.
Festus creaked happily and spread his wings farther, diving downwards.
I almost screamed, with the velocity we were going down in. My eyes felt like they were being torn apart, and my hair was plastered to my face, and probably a bit on Leo.
But the scene I saw as we descended made my eyes go even wider than Calypso's.
Terrified mortals screamed in panic as dust surrounded them all over.
They were turning to dust.
Everything- trees, animals, birds, humans. All were now turning to dust.
I watched a mother howl in terror as her five year old, clinging onto his mother in agony, diluted into dust, flowing away into the air; a couple torn apart forcefully as her significant other fell into a pile of ash... tears of sadness wet the roads. Children were crying for their mothers.
It was terror on a scale I'd never witnessed before.
"What in holy Hera's world," Leo whispered.
And then, the sound almost killed me again.
Sirens blared in my ears although we were now far from the zoo. Calypso clenched onto her ears as though they were about to fall off. I lost my eye on the skies, and Festus almost crashed into the ground as a crackling laughter resonated in my ears.
"Know what it feels like, half-bloods," the voice sounded. It was harsh, cunning, cruel, evil. Evil as evil can get. "Know and remember that you are next."
Festus whirled in the sky in agony as black thunder crackled through the skies as we flew. He creaked angrily and snapped at the lightning.
"I think I know what we do next," Leo whispered, taking over.
I took a deep breath. That could only mean one thing.
I steadied myself as Leo said, "Festus, redirect to Camp Half Blood."
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