𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

chapter ninety-one. ☄︎. *. ⋆

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PERCY CAME OVER TO ME JUST A MOMENT LATER, but it was clear his attention wasn't really on me. He narrowed his eyes on a point over my shoulder. I turned and took notice of a blue Prius parked down on the south side behind the Empire State Building.

And before I could even ask what he was looking at, Percy bolted off down the street.

"Percy!" I called, falling into a jog to catch up to him, all of my own problems momentarily forgotten as I slowed to a stop next to him. I peered inside the car—Paul was passed out behind the wheel, and Sally was snoring beside him. They'd been sitting in traffic for over a day, the battle raging around them, and none of us had noticed. Percy hadn't noticed.

"They... they must've seen those blue lights in the sky." He rattled the doors, but they were locked. "I need to get them out."

"Percy," I said, twisting my lips to the side sadly. "We can't—"

"I can't leave them here!" He sounded a little crazy. He pounded on the windshield, so roughly I was sure it would crack. "I have to move them. I have to—"

"Okay, just.. just hold on." I turned, waving for Chiron's attention, who was talking to some centaurs down the block. "We'll push the car to a side street, okay? But there's nothing.. there's nothing we can do."

Chiron galloped over. "What's... Oh dear. I see."

"They were coming to find me," Percy said. "My mom must've sensed something was wrong."

"Most likely," Chiron said. "But Percy, they will be fine. The best thing we can do for them is stay focused on our job."

Then I noticed something in the backseat of the Prius. I furrowed my brow, pressing my hands against the window to get a closer look. Seat-belted behind Sally was a black-and-white Greek jar about three feet tall. Its lid was wrapped in a leather harness.

"No way," Percy muttered, at my side.

I looked to him, bemused. "Percy, is that—?"

"Pandora's jar." He rolled his jaw, clearly peeved by the item, and told me about his meeting with Prometheus. I'd been either passed out or dying of a stab wound while he had met with the Titan under a flag of truce. Prometheus had gifted him with Pandora's jar. I'd never seen it before, but I'd heard the myths—people driven mad of indecision, the jar following you around until the suspense was killing you. And now Percy was stuck with the weight on his shoulders.

"Then the jar is yours," Chiron said grimly. "It will follow you and tempt you to open it, no matter where you leave it. It will appear when you are weakest."

Like now, I thought to myself, gazing at Percy's parents.

I looked to him. I'd seen him angry before, and this was one of the times he looked genuinely furious. He drew Riptide and sliced through the driver's side window like it was made of plastic wrap.

"We'll put the car in neutral," he said. "Push them out of the way. And take that stupid jar to Olympus."

Chiron nodded. "A good plan. But, Percy..."

Whatever he was going to say, he faltered. A mechanical drumbeat grew loud in the distance—the chopping wings of a helicopter.

On a normal Monday morning in New York, this would've been no big deal, but after two days of silence, a mortal helicopter was the oddest thing I'd ever heard. A few blocks east, the monster army shouted and jeered as the helicopter came into view. It was a civilian model painted dark red, with a bright green "DE" logo on the side. The words under the logo were too small to read, but I knew what they said: DARE ENTERPRISES.

I saw Percy turn to me out of the corner of my eye, but I couldn't take my eyes off the helicopter. My face burned with something that was either anger or shame—I wasn't sure which. I clenched my fists.

"What's she doing here?" I asked, to nobody in particular. "How did she get through the barriers?"

"Who?" Chiron looked confused. "What mortal would be insane enough—"

Suddenly, the helicopter pitched forward.

"The Morpheus enchantment!" Chiron said. "The foolish mortal pilot is asleep."

I stared in a scared confusion as the helicopter careened sideways, falling toward a row of office buildings. Even if it didn't crash, the gods of the air would probably swat it out of the sky for coming near the Empire State Building.

I looked to Percy—he seemed scared out of his mind, and it was obvious he couldn't think straight enough to do something. So I cupped my hands around my mouth and called for Pepper the pegasus. When she swooped down to land in front of us, I looked back to Percy, scowling.

"Come on," I said, unable to hide my anger in my tone. "Let's save your friend."

     Here's en example of something that's not very fun: flying a pegasus toward an out-of-control helicopter. If Pepper had been any less of a fancy flier, Percy and I would've been chopped to confetti.

    I could hear Rachel screaming inside. For some reason, she hadn't fallen asleep, but I could see the pilot slumped over the controls, pitching back and forth as the helicopter wobbled toward the side of an office building.

    "Ideas?" Percy asked me, looking back at me over his shoulder.

     I drew in a bracing breath, giving him a nod. "You'll have to take Pepper and get out."

     "What are you going to do?"

     I ignored him. "Come on, Pepper!"

     The pegasus went into a nosedive in response. We passed so close to the rotors I felt the force of the blades ripping at my hair. We zipped along the side of the helicopter, and I grabbed at the door, grasping for a hold. I gripped the handle as tightly as I could.

    That's when things went wrong.

     Pepper's wing slammed against the helicopter. She began to plummet straight down with Percy on her back, leaving me dangling from the side of the aircraft. Not exactly somewhere I wanted to be.

    I was so terrified I could barely think, but luckily Rachel had caught onto the fact that we were coming to rescue her, and she peeled the door of the helicopter open to drag me inside.

     I barely had time to catch my breath, much less exchange greetings. We were hurtling towards the ground faster than Pepper and Percy were. The pilot was conked out behind the controls. I had no idea what to do, to be honest. I'd launched myself into an out-of-control helicopter with no sense of how to help stop it. And it wasn't like I had time to take a course on how to drive a private aircraft.

     Rachel was screaming practically right in my ear, but I kept ignoring her, trying not to wail along with her. I skimmed over the controls, looking for anything that seemed like it would steer the helicopter. We were seconds away from crashing into the side of a building. I couldn't let that happen.

     But as I reached out for the controls, I felt a sense of relief wash over me, like I'd released a deep breath I'd been holding. My shoulders relaxed. All of a sudden, the controls made sense to me. My fingers were flicking switches and pressing buttons faster than I could even process it. The helicopter thudded to a landing in the middle of Fifth Avenue.

Rachel ripped open the doors and dragged out the pilot, and I followed, stumbling around. I felt queasy, and not just because I'd been soaring around in a haywire helicopter. My body felt dizzy, like I'd just woken up from a really long nap.

Percy jogged over to me, looking a bit shaken-up from his ride on Pepper. "I didn't know you could fly a helicopter," he said to me, staring at me in awe.

"Neither did I," I agreed, my voice small. Somehow, I knew what had happened—or at least a fraction of it. Ethan had taken over. That was all I knew. But I couldn't tell Percy that. "It was just a wild guess."

"You saved my life," Rachel said. Her face was green.

I flexed my bad shoulder, not meeting her eyes. "Let's not make a habit of it. What are you doing here, Rachel?"

"I had to be here." Rachel glanced at Percy. "I knew Percy was in trouble."

     Honestly, I really wanted to pick a fight. I felt my fingertips fighting back sparks. I wanted to blast Rachel right back to where she came from, but I just didn't have it in me. In fact, I felt like I was about to pass out at any minute.

     So I just stared at Rachel blankly for a moment before giving a faint, disbelieving shake of my head and walking away. I needed a moment to myself.

     But I was only just inside the Empire State Building's lobby when my knees buckled and I blacked out.

     In my dreams, I was standing outside the United Nations, about a mile northeast of the Empire State Building. The Titan army had set up camp all around the UN complex. The flagpoles were hung with horrible trophies—helmets and armor pieces from defeated campers. All along First Avenue, giants sharpened their axes. Telkhines repaired armor at makeshift forges.

    Kronos himself paced at the top of the plaza, swinging his scythe so his dracaenae bodyguards stayed way back. Ethan Nakamura and Prometheus stood nearby, out of slicing range. Ethan was fidgeting with his shield straps, and my blood boiled at the sight of him. Prometheus looked as calm and collected as ever in his tuxedo.

    "I hate this place," Kronos growled. "United Nations. As if mankind could ever unite. Remind me to tear down this building after we destroy Olympus."

    "Yes, lord." Prometheus smiled as if his master's anger amused him. "Shall we tear down the stables in Central Park too? I know how much horses can annoy you."

     "Don't mock me, Prometheus! Those cursed centaurs will be sorry they interfered. I will feed them to the hellhounds, starting with that son of mine—that weakling Chiron."

    Prometheus shrugged. "That weakling destroyed an entire legion of telkhines with his arrows."

    Kronos swung his scythe and cut a flagpole in half. The national colors of Brazil toppled into the army, squashing a dracaena.

    "We will destroy them!" Kronos roared. "It is time to unleash the drakon. Nakamura, you will do this."

     "Yes, lord. At sunset?"

    "No," Kronos said. "Immediately. The defenders of Olympus are badly wounded. They will not expect a quick attack. Besides, we know this drakon they cannot beat."

    Ethan looked confused. "My lord?"

    "Never you mind, Nakamura. Just do my bidding. I want Olympus in ruins by the time Typhon reaches New York. We will break the gods utterly!"

    "But, my lord," Ethan said. "Your regeneration."

    Kronos pointed at Ethan, and the demigod froze. In a weird, unsettling way, I felt a twist in my stomach. An ache, kind of like I was feeling the same thing Ethan was at the same time.

    "Does it seem," Kronos hissed, "that I need to regenerate?"

    Ethan didn't respond. Kind of hard to do when you're immobilized in time.

    Kronos snapped his fingers and Ethan collapsed.

    "Soon," the Titan growled, "this form will be unnecessary. I will not rest with victory so close. Now, go!"

     Ethan scrambled away. I wanted to follow and punch him in the face, but I couldn't control my dreams. I was stuck with Kronos and Prometheus.

    "This is dangerous, my lord," Prometheus warned. "Do not be hasty."

    "Hasty? After festering for three thousand years in the depths of Tartarus, you call me hasty? I will slice Percy Jackson into a thousand pieces."

    "Thrice you've fought him," Prometheus pointed out. "And yet you've always said it is beneath the dignity of a Titan to fight a mere mortal. I wonder if your mortal host is influencing you, weakening your judgment."

     Kronos turned his golden eyes on the other Titan. "You call me weak?"

    "No, my lord. I only meant—"

    "Are your loyalties divided?" Kronos asked. "Perhaps you miss your old friends, the gods. Would you like to join them?"

    Prometheus paled. "I misspoke, my lord. Your orders will be carried out." He turned to the armies and shouted, "Prepare for battle!"

    The troops began to stir.

    From somewhere behind the UN compound, an angry roar shook the city—the sound of a drakon waking. The noise was so horrible it woke me, and I realized I could still hear it from a mile away.

     Somebody was standing over me. I flinched, then relaxed as I realized it was just Grover. Percy was next to him. Grover looked worried, but Percy's face was screwed up.

     "Theo!" Grover's voice flooded with relief. "Are you okay? You just collapsed!"

     "I'm.." I tried to find a word that truly encapsulated how I was. "I'm fine. What's wrong with Percy?"

     Percy didn't wait for Grover to reply for him. He just exploded in my face. "Have you been lying to me?"

     I raised my eyebrows. "Sorry?"

     "Earlier, you told me you hadn't seen Ethan." Percy's voice was angry, but the way he looked at me made me think it wasn't at me. "But I know you have. You said his name while you were out. What did you see? Did he do something to you? Did he take something?"

Another roar sounded in the distance, and this time it almost seemed closer than before.

I winced, rolling my shoulder. "Percy, I want to tell you. I really do. But we need to deal with that."

"What exactly is that?" Grover asked worriedly.

"They're coming," I said, reaching out for my bow. "We're in trouble."