The next day, the car ride to Manhattan was silent until Percy said, "Bad dreams?"
I shook my head. "Iris-message from Eurytion. Nico left the ranch last night, heading back into the maze. He thinks Nico is talking to Minos again."
Percy told us about his dream, about Luke, Quintus, who turned out to be bad, and finding a half-blood in the maze.
Annabeth's jaw clenched. "That's very, very bad."
"Guess it's a good thing you have a plan to guide us, huh?" I mumbled.
"Cor..." Percy tried.
I looked away from him.
•.•.•.•
When we arrived at Ms. Jackson's apartment, she hugged Percy so tight I think his ribs cracked. "I told them you were alright."
She insisted on feeding us her blue chocolate chip cookies while we told her about the quest, making it sound more dangerous than it was.
She huffed. "I can't get him to clean his room, but he'll clean a hundred tons of horse manure out of some monsters stables?"
I laughed, really laughed.
We finished telling her, when she said, "What happened now?"
I snapped my cookie in half. "Percy had this plan."
And Percy told his mom, who glanced between the two of us, before nodding. "Sounds dangerous, but it could work. I could see through the Mist when I was younger, it's harder now. Just be careful, promise me you'll be safe."
"We'll try." I said, but I glared out the window. "Keeping your son safe is a big job." And Annabeth made a noise of agreement.
"What is going on with you guys? Have you been fighting?"
We didn't say anything but I bit the inside of my cheek.
"I see." She sighed, and I looked back to see her giving me a sympathetic look before frowning at Percy. "Try talking about it? Just remember, Grover and Tyson are counting on you. Percy, you'd better use the phone in the hall, good luck."
When Percy dialed her number right away, even though the number was washed off his hand, my jaw dropped and I looked to Annabeth, who looked like she wanted to punch him, and to his mom who had about the same expression.
•.•.•.•
We met in Times Square where Rachel was dressed in all gold. We stood in front of her and she didn't move from her pose, pretending to be a statue. "Maybe if we push her over she'll react."
Annabeth snorted while Percy frowned in confusion.
A kid in silver took her spot and Rachel grinned at Percy. "Hey, Percy! Let's get some coffee."
I ordered a fruit smoothie, and Percy copied me. He didn't seem to notice, or care, that I was barley talking to him, especially after what happened in the forge.
We sat at a table and Rachel looked at me. "It's Catherine right?"
I squeezed my smoothie. "Coriane. Do you always dress in gold?"
"Not usually, we're raising money for our group. We do-"
"We don't care." Annabeth said.
"Right. You're a half-blood too?"
"Announce it to the world, how about you?"
"Okay." Rachel stood and said really loud, "Hey everybody, these three aren't human! They're half Greek god!" Nobody looked. "They don't seem to care."
"That's not funny," I hissed. "This isn't a joke."
"Hold it," Percy said. "Calm down. Sorry about the band room."
"It's okay, they asked my questions, I played dumb." Rachel shrugged.
"Was it hard?" I asked.
I wished Percy would understand what exactly he was doing to me, but he didn't. "Stop! Rachel, we've got a problem and we need your help."
Rachel narrowed her eyes with a sly smile at me. "You need my help?"
I stared right back. "I don't think so. Percy does."
"Cor-" Percy started.
"It's Coriane."
I prayed that would get him to finally understand.
He stared at me for a moment, looking like I kicked him in the chest. "Sorry."
Rachel eyed between us and it took everything in me to not flip the table onto her. Percy explained everything to Rachel.
"Oh, I know an entrance. There's one in the Marriott."
•.•.•.•
After opening the door when Rachel claimed it wouldn't, I made her go first. When Percy walked by me, he tried to say something but I shoved by.
After Rachel told us everything she could see, Percy, again, frowned at me. "Do you not believe her?"
I wanted to argue, to say everything I had wanted to say to him. But I wouldn't in front of her. It was like she was feasting off our tension knowing she caused it.
We didn't make if far before two dracaenae cornered us. Percy seemed to recognize them, along with Rachel, so I assumed this had to do with when Percy blew up the band room. I hated that she had some sort of bond with him. With them was a Laistrygonian giant.
One of the snake woman hissed, "oh, yesssss, you'll be very popular with our hossssst."
I'd only ever read about them, but seeing them in person was so much worse than described. They took our weapons, and one of them started almost choking me.
Percy looked to Rachel, in the same situation, but turned to me. He looked at me, really looked at me and I wondered if my prayers had been answered. "I'll get you out of here."
If it wasn't for the claws around my neck and how I was supposed to be mad at him, my heart would've melted.
I watched a centaur get murdered by a giant, and Luke grinned through it.
Luke.
He didn't look like the fall harmed him at all. He looked like how I remembered him from camp, apart from some stubble and he was definitely more muscular. But he looked colder, meaner, and he glared at Percy.
"Luke!" Annabeth shouted. "Stop this. Let us go!"
Luke seemed to notice us for the first time. "Coriane? Annabeth?"
"Enough time for the females to fight afterward, first, Percy Jackson, what weapons will you choose?" Said Antaeus, a large giant.
Percy's somewhat brother.
I needed someway to help him, and I new it. "Percy! His mother is Gaea!"
The Laistrygonian giant clamped his other hand over my mouth, his other still holding onto Annabeth, and the claws around my neck tightened.
Percy looked at me, frowning. I pleaded he knew what I was trying to say, but I could no nothing more than watch as he said he would choose his own sword and Antaeus announced the first round.
Another dracaena slithered out. Percy quickly sidestepped and killed her, and Antaeus slammed his hands. "No! Too fast! You must wait for the kill order! Round two, and slower this time, or else!"
The gate opened and a warrior came out. He looked like he was a year older than us, black hair and an eye patch. He was so thin his armor hung off him loosely.
I knew Percy was going to have a hard time fighting him, both in skill (likely), and in Percy not wanting to harm another half-blood. The crowd grew restless of their back and forth, and eventually Percy knocked the sword from his hand and held him down, but Percy sheathed his sword.
Percy looked to his sort of brother. "Why don't you fight me yourself? If you've got Dad's favor, come down here and prove it!"
Percy glanced over and I quickly shook my head, hand still clamped over my mouth. He was an idiot.
I watched the fight, Percy stabbing the giant but his wounds would heal from the earth. I needed Percy to understand, to somehow know what he needed to do to win. I took a glance at Annabeth, who looked like she was trying to tell Percy what to do with her mind, and to Rachel, who just looked scared.
I watched as Percy jumped off the giant and into a chain, drawing his sword. "Come up and get me! Or are you too slow and fat?"
Antaeus took the bait, climbing up slowly to meet Percy who cut his cloth and tied the giant to the chain. He slashed at the giant and somehow formed a huge knot in the chain, the scene was as crazy as it sounds.
"Free him!" Luke shouted. "He is our host!"
"I'll free him." Percy shrugged. With one final cut, Percy killed Antaeus.
"Jackson!" Luke snarled. "I should've killed you long ago."
"You tried. Let us go, Luke. We had a sworn agreement."
"That oath died with him. I'll have you killed quickly." He looked to us. "Spare those two girls."
Helplessly, I watched as the crowd drew weapons. Percy grabbed something from his pocket and suddenly Mrs. O'Leary was there, chewing at the guards and Rachel was telling us where to run.