I just about crumpled to the ground. Percy grabbed my before I hit, He hefted me back up. Fear hit me so hard my stomach felt sick, ice coated my insides. I must have gone very pale, Percy was looking at me in panic now. I grabbed his arm and shook him, 

"What? Nora? What's wrong?" 

I pointed to the car and bolted down the street. Percy t my heels, he finally figured out what I was panicked about. I slid to a stop. Dad was passed out in the driver's seat. Sally was snoring beside him. My mind felt like mush. How had I not seen them before? They'd been sitting here in traffic for over a day, the battle raging around them, and I hadn't even noticed.

"Why are they here?" I signed. My hands were shaking so badly I could hardly talk. 

"They... they must've seen those blue lights in the sky." Percy signed, he looked as terrible as I felt. We rattled the doors but they were locked. 

"I need to get them out."

"Percy...Nora..." Annabeth signed, her face had lost the anger, and she looked gentle. Like she was trying to pacify a child. I made me angrier. 

"I can't leave them here!" I signed. I wish I would have yelled at her. I pounded on the windshield, Percy was doing the same on the other window.

"I have to move them. I have to-"

I felt a hand on my shoulder, I whipped around Raph was looking at me confused, his dark eyes slid passed and they landed on Paul and Sally in the car and his eyes filled with understanding. 

"Okay Nora, it'll be okay-" 

"I can't leave them! Raph, I can't! Please! I need to get them out!" 

"Okay. We will." He pulled me into a hug as I felt the burning tears behind my eyes. He pulled me into his sweaty grimy chest, but I held on tightly. I saw Annabeth talking to Percy, trying to calm him too.

"Percy, just... just hold on." Annabeth waved to Chiron, who was talking to some centaurs down the block. Raph let me go when I pulled away and turned back to the car. I was ready to melt it, or smash the window out.

"We can push the car to a side street, all right?" Annabeth reassured both of us, "They're going to be fine."

My hands trembled. After all I'd been through over the last few days, I felt so stupid and weak, but the sight of my parents made me want to break down. Percy looked the same, his chest was rising and falling faster then it had while we were fighting. 

Chiron galloped over. "What's ..." He signed, and I saw his eyes go big and then they looked sad, "Oh dear. I see."

"They were coming to find me, and Nora!" Percy signed. "They must've sensed something was wrong. "

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

"NO! No no no!" I signed, still wishing to scream.

I beat on the window, hoping they would wake up and tell me they were okay. I felt the tears break from behind my lashes and they fell down my bloody and grimy checks. Then I noticed something in the backseat of the Prius, and my heart skipped a beat. 

"Percy!" I signed, and then grabbed him, pointing to the back seat.

"No way," I muttered.

Seat-belted behind Percy and my mother was a black-and-white Greek jar about three feet tall. Its lid was wrapped in a leather harness. 

Annabeth pressed her hand to the window, and then looked up at us, looking back and forth between Percy and I, "That's impossible! I thought you left that at the Plaza."

"Locked in a vault," I agreed.

"Is that-" Chiron asked, looking for an explination.

"What is it?" Raph asked, also looking back and forth between us

"Pandora's pithos...it contains hope." I signed, distractedly, still staring at the jar. 

"You mean Pandora's box?" 

I shrugged. 

"Pandora's jar...box...pithos. Dose it matter?" Percy signed. And then told them about our meeting with Prometheus.

"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. Looking at my helpless parents. I melted down onto the curb, my head in my hands. I imagined Prometheus smiling, so anxious to help out us poor mortals. Give up Hope, and I will know that you are surrendering. I promise Kronos will be lenient. Except for me. I wouldn't get the same deal- Give yourself up, and I promise your loved ones will not be harmed.  Anger surged through me. I used the heels of my hands to whip my tears and Stood up, anger surged to the surface, making my veins glow gold. I meet Percy's eyes, I could see the storm brewing in his eyes. His jaw clenched and he drew Riptide and cut through the driver's side window like it was made of plastic wrap.

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

I nodded.

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

Whatever he was going to say, he faltered from the look of death I gave him. He sighed and shook his head. All at once everyone around me jerked there heads up. I frowned at them all. They all looked around like they were trying to see something in the sky. I grabbed Raph, he looked around confused. 

"What's going on?" 

"Sounds like a mechanical drumbeat of a helicopter." 

"What?!" 

My eyes went wide and my mouth dropped open. On a normal Monday morning in New York, this would've been no big deal, but after two days of silence, not even a car driving, no wailing of sirens. I looked to the sky where everyone was looking and I saw 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 grinned, she truly was my family. I looked to Percy he looked shocked and slightly guilt, why? I don't know but then I looked at Annabeth and could tell she recognized the logo too. Her face was as red as the helicopter.

"What is she doing here?" Annabeth demanded, she looked at me like it was my fault. 

"I don't know!" I signed back. "How would I know?" 

"You have the wonderful gift of sight!" 

"Yeah...and you have the gift of brains...looks like were both clueless!" 

She looked like she was going to take a swing at me, but Raph moved between us.

"How did she get through the barrier?" he asked, looking to Chiron.

"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 reached out and grabbed Raph and Percy to keep my self from sinking back down. I watched in horror 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 was too paralyzed to move. But Annabeth whistled and Guido the pegasus swooped out of nowhere. 

"Come on, you guys..." Annabeth growled. "We have to save your friend." 

GLITTER!

Here, my Lady!

My beautiful sun chariot horse swooped down. Before she touched down I was running and leapt onto her back.  My idea of fun isn't flying toward an out-of-control helicopter. If Guido had been any less of a fancy flier, Annabeth and Percy would've been chopped to confetti. Glitter did some fancy maneuvering, and It wasn't that bad. (At least, that's what I'm telling myself.)

I could see 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. I could see Percy and Annabeth yelling at each other, trying to come up with a plan.

Guido went into a nosedive. Clearly Guido and Glitter were communicating, because she copied him. I was so comfortable riding on her, it didn't bother me. I flattened myself against her back and neck.

"Duck!" Glitter yelled.

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 Annabeth grabbed the door. That's when things went wrong.

Guido's wing slammed against the helicopter. He plummeted straight down with Percy on his back, leaving Annabeth dangling from the side of the aircraft. I cursed. Glitter was already speeding up the wind whipped what hair had fallen out of its messy bun. Glitter ducking underneath the helicopter and she flew right under Annabeth, she was now using her to stand on. I glanced down and saw Percy spiraling out of control. The door
Of the helicopter was now wide open and it ripped off in the wind.

Rachel somehow managed to reach over and pulled Annabeth inside. But as she did the helicopter blade hit the side of the building, making it almost roll over. Annabeth held on, but Rachel now flew out the open hole and went free falling.

GLITTER

I see her.

Glitter went into a straight nose dive. I reached out and somehow managed to grab Rachel's hand without ripping my arm out. Glitter swooped again and Rachel was now sitting behind me, her arms clamped tight around my waist.

I can't help Annabeth from here. But if we land I can try use a heat wall.

Glitter dived towards the ground, about 10 feet from the ground I unclaimed Rachel's arms and leapt from Glitter's back and landed on the side walk, fucking my body I rolled and came up on one knee, my hands already blazing with fire. I concentrated all my attention on the wall of heat, condensing it trying to make it solid, trying to give Annabeth some resistance trying to slow the speed of the helicopter.

It seemed to work. The helicopter was only a few seconds away from slamming into the side of another building. I could feel my energy decrease again. I ground my teeth and threw my hands back up. Then miraculously the helicopter righted itself. It spun in a circle and hovered. I moved the wall under the helicopter, and together with her somehow flying the machine of spinning death and my shield, it very slowly began to descend.

It seemed to take forever, when I could see Annabeth behind the gears I dropped the shield and collapsed onto my hands and knees. But finally the helicopter thudded to a landing in the middle of Fifth Avenue. Raph was beside me in an instant pulling me to my feet.

Percy ran forward as the rotors spun to a stop. Rachel scrambled off Flutter and she opened the side door and dragged out the pilot.

Now that the immediate danger was gone, I noticed Rachel was still dressed like she was on vacation, in beach shorts, a T-shirt, and sandals. Her hair was tangled and her face was green from the helicopter ride.

Annabeth climbed out at last.

Percy stared at her in awe. "I didn't know you could fly a helicopter."

"Neither did I," she said. "My dad's crazy into aviation. Plus, Daedalus had some notes on flying machines. I just took my best guess on the controls."

I nodded with a small smirk. "Nice." I signed.

"You guys saved my life," Rachel said.

Annabeth flexed her bad shoulder. "Yeah, well..." She was speaking and I hated that I now had to try and focus on her mouth, but she was clearly pissed. "Let's not make a habit of it. What are you doing here, Dare? Don't you know better than to fly into a war zone?"

"I- " Rachel glanced at me. "I had to be here!" She looked to Percy now. "I knew Percy...and Nora were in trouble."

Annabeth grumbled something and then with an air of superiority signed without speaking at all. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have some injured friends I've got to tend to. Glad you could stop by, Rachel."

'Annabeth- " Percy called.

She stormed off.

Rachel plopped down on the curb and put her head in her hands. "I'm sorry, guys. I didn't mean to...I always mess things up."

I sat down beside her, a grin on my exhausted sweaty and grimy face.

"I don't mind. Good to see you Dare!" I signed. She gave me a half hearted sad smile.

Percy looked in the direction Annabeth had gone, but she'd disappeared into the crowd.

"It's okay," Percy told Rachel, though his face had fallen as he kept trying to find Annabeth. "So what's the message you wanted to deliver?"

She frowned. "How did you know about that?"

"Dreams." I told her.

Rachel didn't look surprised. She tugged at her beach shorts. They were covered in drawings, which wasn't unusual for her, but these symbols I recognized: Greek letters, pictures from camp beads, sketches of monsters and faces of gods. Percy looked confused as he looked at the drawings. She'd never been to Olympus or Camp Half-Blood, and could hardly know what was going on. I was so excited I wanted to blurt the informa I had learned.

She muttered something. But she didn't know enough sign to communicate. I looked to Raph who had crouched down in front of me.

"Can you translate?" I asked him.

His eyes softened, "only if you eat." He handed me an Ambrosia cookie."

I nodded and shoved it into my mouth. "Thanks babe."

He smirked. And then looked to Rachel and Percy. Listening and then turned to me

"Says she's been seeing things. Not just through the Mist. This is different. She's been drawing pictures, writing lines-"

"In Ancient Greek," Percy interrupted, he was thankfully using ASL. "Do you know what they say?"

Rachel talked and then paused waiting for Raph to translate.

"That's what she wanted to talk to you about. Hoping, if Percy had gone with them on vacation, she was hoping he could have helped figure out what's happening."

She looked at Percy pleadingly. Her face was sunburned from the beach. Her nose was peeling. I still couldn't get over the shock that she was here in person. She'd forced her family to cut short their vacation, agreed to go to a horrible school, and flown a helicopter into a monster battle just to see us.. Percy mostly, and I felt kinda ticketed off and I understood where Annabeth was coming from. But in her own way, she was as brave as Annabeth.

"Rachel," Percy said, "I wish I knew. Maybe we should ask Chiron-"

She flinched like she'd gotten an electric shock. I saw her mouth moving, and I swear I tastes sour Apple and hot sauce and metal. I shivered and felt like someone was trying to whisper to me. I saw Rachel's mouth moving. I shook my head and focused on Raph.

"She said: Something is about to happen. A trick that ends in death."

I knew deep in my gut she was right. Whatever she ment by it, she was right.

"What do you mean? Whose death?" Percy asked, I could see how frantic and upset he was.

"I don't know." She looked around nervously. "Don't you feel it?"

"Yes." I signed. "Rachel, listen-" I signed as Raph spoke, but Percy cut me off.

"Is that the message you wanted to tell me?"

"No." She said and shook her head. "I'm sorry." I focused hard on her mouth.

"I'm not making sense, but that thought just came to me. The message I wrote on the beach was different. It had your and Nora's name in it."

"Perseus," Percy nodded, "and Nora's name meaning- Shining Light.  Ancient Greek."

Rachel nodded. "I don't know its meaning. But I know it's important. You have to hear it. It said, Perseus, you are not the hero. The Shinning Light dims like a dying fire. "

I stared at her like she'd just slapped me. "You came thousands of miles to tell me I'm not the hero?"

"Wait...I'm dying?" I look around at Raph with wide eyes. He frowned at Rachel.

"It's important," she insisted. "It will affect what you do."

"Not the hero of the prophecy?" Percy asked. "Not the hero who defeats Kronos? What do you mean?"

"I'm- I'm sorry, Percy. That's all I know. I had to tell you because-"

"Well!" Chiron cantered over. "This must be Miss Dare."

I wanted to strangle him. Rachel just said something about me possibly dying and now we were interupted.

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