Sorry for the wait!
My promise hangs in the air for a second, and I almost feel foolish for thinking it. So I get up, go to my room, and sit on my bed.
Then I think. Then I really, really, think. I remembered him today. I thought about him. I remembered his voice.
I gasp. It comes back, all the memories I hide away. Percy smiling, laughing. Percy fighting. Percy dying.
Some dam breaks, somewhere, and a dam breaks for my tears. They flood out, and I let them run. They're salty. Salt water. Everything says Percy to me.
I grab my pillow and hug it, hug it like it's him. It soaks up my tears, until I stop crying and sit, in the dark.
"Annabeth!" I jerk awake to my name. "Annabeth!"
"What?" I recognize Connor's voice.
"We've got something—something big. You should take a look."
"Alright. I'll be there in five."
He doesn't reply, but I hear his footsteps walking away. I jump off my bed, and change clothes. The bathroom I share with the adjoining room is empty, so I scrub my face.
"Tell me," I say, before anyone sees me enter the room. The demigods in there jump.
"Uh, the weather forecast is showing a lightning storm."
Silence.
"You woke me up for a lightning storm?"
"No!" Ashton rubs his face. "That came out wrong. I mean, we have a lightning storm in one spot. One building, multiple lightning strikes. All coming from one spot."
The room holds its breath. Then the whispers start.
"Do you think—"
"The legend?"
"Could she be alive?"
"If she's on our side…it'll be like Percy…"
"Quiet!" I bark. "We're checking this out. I'll take point. I want Jake, Katie, Connor, Travis, Scarlett, Clarisse, Finn, Marielle, and Dez with me. Leo, prep the armored cars. I want to take both, with a driver, gunner, and back-up. Neil, Azlyn—pick some people, and their positions. Becca, Clara—go grab all the weapons you can carry and bring them here. This might be a demigod, or a Titan. We're killing either way."
Yells go up, and people disappear for their jobs. I pace in front of the remainder.
"You're going all out," Clarisse says. I glance at her.
"If it is who we think it is—"
"And if it's not? You'll lose half of your people."
"You're assuming that if this is bad, we'll all die."
"Yes."
"We won't. I intend to get in and out with no casualties on our side."
Clarisse bites her lip, but the weapons arrive, and she's distracted.
Once everyone is armed sufficiently, I bang on the table for attention.
"Listen up! If you're staying here, I want you to go to your normal emergency positions. We might bring back wounded, prisoners, or both. So be ready!"
I leave the room, not looking back. My team spreads out behind me—15 of the best, smartest demigods. We get to the garage, and six of them peel off for our armored cars-SUV's with Celestial Bronze bullet machine guns—to cover us. The rest of us pile into the other SUV, without a gun.
It's quiet as we follow Neil's group to the building. We pull up across the street, a block away. The armored cars peel off, guarding the entrances. We pile out, and I can smell the ozone from the lightning. It flickers, and I hear screams and shouts.
"Let's go."
We split in half in the lobby, Clarisse leading a group up the elevator while I take some up the stairs. We take them three at a time, and soon we're to the roof.
I push the door open and immediately get assaulted by wind. Monsters litter the cement, in various states of death. They claw at us as we run by, but we just slice and they're dust.
Four figures swirl around in the center of the roof—three are attacking, one defending. The lightning is coming from the defender, striking relentlessly. But they don't falter, and I know.
"Titans," I warn the group. And that one word carries across the roof, and one of them turns.
"Annabeth Chase."
I advance on them, pulling my sword. "Hyperion. You're looking well, for a tree."
He snarls, and turns. That was his mistake. A blast of lightning hits him, right where is heart would be, and blows him off the building. I hear the machine guns, and know that we won't be seeing him for a while.
"Care to take your leave?" I ask the remaining two, Koios and Krios.
They snarl. "Kronos should have killed you when he had the chance."
"He tried."
Then our group attacks. Krios manages to dodge, but Koios feels us, dead on. He howls, under numerous attacks, and rolls off the building. The guns ring, and dust rains. I turn to the last one. Storms howl around, swirling around the figure, making it hard to see who's in it. Then, in one whirlwind, the storm hits Krios. He goes flying, into a wall, and doesn't get back. I raise an eyebrow at the figure from the storm, still with her arms around.
"Dramatic."
She comes running, and hugs me hard enough to squeeze the breath out of me. "At least I wasn't trash talking."
She pulls away. My group is lingering around, killing the few monsters left. Most of them are staring at her, mouths open.
"What's wrong with their jaws?"
Mouths snap shut, and I laugh. "They think I made you up. You're considered a legend to them."
"Ah." She follows me down, and I gather everyone into the van. We speed away, cheered by the victory. I as soon as we pull into the garage, I'm out, telling her to hide. Then I call a meeting.
Everyone's gathered like we were the night before, but with more curiosity.
"Everyone!" I yell. Heads snap up. Leo's managed to get an Iris Message to the scout groups. "I just went on a mission. You know who was there? Hyperion!"
Shouts of rage.
"Krios!"
Screams.
"And Koios!"
The room shakes with anger. "AND GUESS WHERE THEY ARE NOW! THE PIT!"
Cheers this time. "But they won't stay for long! So I brought something to help—Someone. Someone who you all think is a legend."
The room's quiet.
"I brought…Thalia Grace! Daughter of Zeus!"
Whoah, big surprise. I hope you didn't guess. You probably did. Please review, favorite, and follow.
