Once the hydra stopped shrieking and the sky was mostly clear of smoke, Percy decided it was safe enough to venture towards the dragon.
Seeing as the dragon looked like Festus, Percy could only assume the dragon was Festus.
He had never seen the rest of metal dragon other than its head, but he recognised the squeaks and creaks it emitted enough to deem it as their figurehead of the Argo II.
Percy jogged towards Festus, trying to keep as quiet was possible in case the two passengers on it decided that he was to be killed and started to attack him.
Only when he was a few metres away from Festus did the two figures notice Percy. The first one waved his hand welcomingly, while the other forced his hand down. She said said something to him, and the boy seemed to consider her words. Finally, he called out, "What's your name and your favourite colour? Just need to check if you're really you."
"Well, I doubt many monsters don't know my name," Percy said plainly. "And my favourite colour's purple."
The boy shot a fireball at Percy. He dodged it, making sure to check where it landed so that Harry or Ginny wouldn't be burned.
"Just kidding, geez," Percy grinned. "It's blue, duh. Can't seem to take a joke, huh, Valdez?"
Leo returned Percy's smile. "Nah, I just wanted to light you up on fire."
"Uh-huh." Percy walked closer until he was face to face with Leo. He met eyes with the girl next to Leo. "Calypso."
She didn't respond, only tilting her head downwards slight in acknowledgment.
Percy sighed. "I know you cursed her. Annabeth, I mean. We went to Tartarus, Calypso. She got hit by your curse."
Calypso frowned. "I'm sorry."
"You should be." Percy's eyes were hard.
Leo stared at the both of them, alarmed at how quickly the mood changed. He also seemed very confused. He said, "Woah, what happened?"
"In Tartarus," Percy begun. He said the name hesitantly, but moved on nevertheless. "Annabeth and I met a bunch of Arai. They're crazed ladies who hold curses that people have wished upon you. Annabeth got struck by Calypso's curse- she was already blind at the time, but because of the curse, she was transported to a place where I couldn't reach her. S-she thought I left her.
"Because of that curse, Annabeth, in a dangerous place and in a vulnerable position, was forced to leave my side. I had never been more worried." By the time Percy finished talking, he was speaking more to Calypso than Leo.
Calypso focused on her shoes. She couldn't bear to look at Percy or Leo's expression. She could tell by Percy's tone that he was disgusted and disappointed, but Leo was all she had left. She didn't want him to feel the same way. She hoped he didn't feel the same way, even though he had every right to.
"I- I'm so sorry. I really am. I was irrational when I cursed her. I apologise."
"It's not me you have to apologise to," Percy said. Calypso could tell from his shadow that he was shaking his head. "Tell that to Annabeth."
"I will."
"Where's your Wise Girl, anyway?" Leo questioned, ignoring how tense Calypso was.
"Luke kidnapped her," Percy grumbled. "She's somewhere here. We have to find her after we save Harry, Ginny and Tyson."
"Hold on." Leo held up his hand. "Luke? Like the guy from the Titan War? And Annabeth's kidnapped? Why only her? Also, who in the world is Harry and Ginny? How did Tyson get here? Back to Ginny. Her parents were drunk when they named her, weren't they? Specifically, drunk on gin?"
Percy cracked a smile at Leo's antics, but his expression turned serious just as quickly. He explained, "Luke loved Annabeth, and I guess he still does. He kidnapped Annabeth to keep her all to himself, and he's trying to kill the rest of us. Tyson was kidnapped here as well. Luke almost tricked Harry and Ginny into killing him, but thankfully they didn't. Harry and Ginny are right over there. I think they're both unconscious, and no, her parents were not drunk when they named her."
"A lot of guys like Annabeth," Calypso smiled sadly. It wasn't wistful. More like she was reminded of something she used to find annoying, but now it just seemed silly to her.
"Uh, I guess? It's not a good thing, though. Not when said guy kidnaps you."
"Have you kidnapped any girl recently, then?" Leo joked.
"No," Percy said sensibly. He looked to Calypso. "You're good at healing, right? Can you help Harry and-"
"Sure," Calypso agreed, before Percy could even finish asking.
"One thing, though," Leo interrupted as they walked in the direction of the two fallen wizards.
Percy glanced at Leo, whose face was grimy and blotched with motor oil. "What?"
"We dropped a weapon. That's why we landed in the first place, and then we saw the hydra. Do you happen the know what happened to our bow and arrows? They're really important."
"Oh, those was yours?" Percy grimaced. "Sorry, I used all ten to kill the hydra. I thought it was a gift from the gods, the number of arrows being the same as the number of hydra heads and all. Sorry."
"It's fine," Leo assured. "It was our first batch of sure-shot arrows, but we'll make more."
"Sure-shot arrows?" Percy repeated, reaching Harry and Ginny. Calypso knelt down to check their injuries.
Leo nodded. "I made them myself. There are little chips in them that automatically help them aim and fly towards the desired direction of the archer."
"How did they know where to land, though? I never indicated." Percy scratched his head.
"Hm." Leo seemed to think about this. He shrugged. "Must be a defect. The arrows must've assumed where you wanted them to hit. I'll make a second batch, better this time. The arrows are supposed to sync up to the bow, which will be connected to your brain. It's kinda like Bluetooth. They're easy to make, but a pain in the ass to find the material for, though."
"If you're done talking about the arrows..." Calypso gestured towards Ginny. "I can't heal the cut on her head, nor can I fix his burns. I could if I had my powers, but..."
"It's okay. How about Tyson?" Percy nodded to his brother, who was snoring softly by Harry's side.
"He'll be fine." Calypso placed a green bandage-looking thing on his head. "Aloe Vera should help. He overwhelmed himself with the flames, but Cyclops are immune to fire, so he'll get back on his feet soon enough."
And, as if to prove a point, Tyson stood up dizzily. "I'm fine," he clarified, his voice faint.
"You sure?"
"Yes," he said, more firmly this time.
"Can you help us tell the others? They could either be in the house or around it. I doubt they'd leave without us," Percy said. Tyson nodded, telling him that it was no big deal and that he would be able to accomplish that.
Percy lifted Harry with his arms. "Help me bring them to Festus, will you? You can give Tyson one of your weapons, too. Harry and Ginny are in no condition to fight anymore. We're sending them to Hogwarts. Madam Pomfrey can heal them."
Leo cocked a brow. "Hogwarts?"
"I'll tell you about it on the way there."
They walked past Luke, and though Percy had foolishly believed the Son of Hermes was dead, Luke proved otherwise as he choked out, "So you knew all this while?"
Percy nodded. He assumed that Luke had heard them talking, and had figured out the truth.
"You won't succeed in defeating me," Luke croaked.
Leo kicked Luke once. "Man, you should be dead by now. I could practically feel your bones rattling in your body."
Percy cringed at Leo's unnecessary description of Luke's condition. He stared at Luke coldly.
"You promised her, Luke."
Then he walked away, Tyson, Leo and Calypso trailing behind him, never looking back.
"Now that we've got Nico, we have to f-find Annabeth," Katie panted, breathing heavily as she and her friends had sprinted out of the Manor, for fear of being caught.
They hadn't been let off easily.
Monsters kept coming in their way, but for some reason, Luke never showed up. Either his recruits had forgotten to notify him on their escaped prisoner, or Luke was occupied with something much bigger and the monsters hadn't had the opportunity to tell their master.
Anyway, they had just exited the Manor through the backdoor- on Silena's advice, of course. She told them that the front door was heavily guarded with ancient spells, and only the backdoor was left open just in case those working with Luke- or against Luke, in their case- needed a way to get in or out of the Malfoy house.
Facing the large canopy of trees that was the Malfoys' backyard, the group was at a lost on what to do as the rest of their friends were missing.
Travis had suggested that they fight Luke head on and get rid of his forces, but Nico hadn't eaten well in days. He was in no shape to fight, and, knowing Nico, he probably wanted to.
And, as if that wasn't enough, Nico was weaponless, too. His sword had been confiscated, and he still hadn't found it.
However, no one wanted to get an earful from Will, so they opted that option out and begun to brainstorm on other ideas.
"How about we search around the Manor for the others-"
"No." Silena shook her head, shutting Neville's idea down instantly as they walked further into the forest, thinking it would provide them with some sort of camouflage. "It's too dangerous. Katie's limping, for Aphrodite's sake. Nico can't possibly fight in his condition."
Katie begun to protest. "I can still fight-"
"Or," Luna offered, raising her voice over her friends, "we could find a way to save Annabeth right now."
They stopped walking.
Right before them was a hut, and through the pane windows, they could all see Annabeth Chase repeatedly stabbing the ground, a stack of marble tiles- which had been removed by her and thrown aside- next to her.
She was trying to dig her way out of her prison.
Annabeth, seeming to have sensed their presence, looked up, and when she saw them, she wore an expression that read: finally someone finds me.