Chapter 10: Annabeth and I Solve the Clues
Annabeth and I hurried to the side of the bridge as we saw Lance falling down rapidly to the Lake.
"Lance!" Annabeth cried in horror.
Because of adrenaline rush, I quickly extended my free hand in Lance's direction. Before he'd hit the crystal clear water, a large bubble formed around him coming from the Lake, and then I ordered it to float toward us. I'd gotten the idea from this cartoon show I'd watched before where there was this girl who was a water bender.
I looked around, making sure that no one saw what I'd done, and got the baby safely out of the bubble.
"Water bum!" Lance cried while clapping his hands, like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Annabeth and I were really shaken, but seeing everything was okay, we sighed in relief.
"Thank the gods that no other people saw this, and that you acted quickly, Percy," Annabeth said. "But how in the name of Hades did he get out of his baby trolley? You didn't secure the belt, did you?"
She glared at me as I put Lance back in the trolley, fastening the belt on him.
"Hey! I'm sure that I strapped the belt around him," I protested. "Maybe he's just like Hercules when he was a baby—"
But Annabeth cut me off. "That's not possible for mortals. You already know that, Percy. But I did feel someone was watching us and something shimmered around us after we got the second clue." She shrugged. "Maybe it's just me, though."
"I didn't notice anything," I said. "Let's not tell this to Cynthia."
"Of course, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said, looking dull. "Cynthia would freak out if she knew what happened to her baby, especially if we'd explain how Lance got saved. Since when did mortals hear about a big bubble that carries a baby floating around in Central Park?"
I rolled my eyes. It was my turn to read the next clue. "'Poseidon's symbol that has hooves.' Hey, this clue is dedicated to my dad!"
Annabeth snatched the paper from me and read it. She mumbled something like, "There should also be a clue that mentions Athena" before returning the paper to me. "The Carousel."
I blinked. "What?"
She sighed in exasperation, causing me to feel bad. "Horses, Percy. I'm not talking about real horses. And it's impossible to have bulls in this place, so it's gotta be horses. And I saw 'Carousel' written on the map. C'mon!"
We passed again the Bethesda Fountain, which was full of people around it, sitting on the edge while talking and taking pictures.
"Can we take a rest, Annabeth?" I asked.
"No," she nearly shouted. "I mean, we have to win, Percy. And walking isn't that tiring. We battled monsters before. That's tiring."
Annabeth's face was so determined, like she was saying to me: My plan will go perfectly and we're going to win this battle. So I finally gave up. "Fine, fine. You win. And I think Lance also agrees that we should really win. Isn't that right, Lance?"
Lance gave a happy yell. "Win!"
I was about to reply when Annabeth suddenly put an arm around me, and thankfully, I found my balance. It wasn't really a proper hug because of the handcuffs, but at least I received a hug. I put my free arm on her waist and said, "You do really want the prizes, don't you?"
She smiled up at me, and my stomach did a thousand somersaults. "I saw the music box, and I really want to have it. It has owl designs all around it."
I chuckled. "Then let's hurry up to the Carousel."
000
As we neared the place, one of the participants blew a whistle and shouted, "We give up!"
Minutes later, a staff member came to them, removed their handcuffs, and got the trolley with the baby in it.
"It's still the second clue, but they already gave up?" I said, bewildered.
Annabeth shook her head. "No, they already got the third clue. Look." She pointed at the guy's hand that was holding a blue paper.
"What a waste."
"Attention, participants of today's Central Park's event. Four pairs have already backed out. Only seven pairs left. Good luck!"
Where had that come from?
Annabeth and I gazed at our surroundings, searching where the source of the voice was. Then she pointed beside a tree to our left. "There."
A pair of loudspeaker megaphones mounted atop a tall pole stood there. They were all over the park.
Wait, this was weird. I was sure there hadn't been any of those in Central Park last week.
"That voice really does sound familiar," Annabeth muttered.
I just shrugged and turned my attention back to the Carousel. I could hear "It's a Small World After All" playing in the background. "Are we going to take a ride?"
"I think so," she answered, "since we have to act like a family and all. And I'm sure that a park staff is currently watching us."
As we joined the line, a lady wearing a business outfit came to us, handed an envelope and said, "Congratulations! Here's the third clue."
Annabeth and I stared at her in confusion.
"Aren't we supposed to take a ride on the Carousel?" I questioned the staff member.
"Actually, you don't have to," she replied. "The important thing is that you got the clue right and lined up."
"Oh." Annabeth got the envelope, then the staff member went back to sit on a bench. We removed ourselves from the line as she read the clue. "'A place where you can buy fresh milk.' This is so not a clue at all." Annabeth folded the paper. "Is there a dairy inside Central Park, Percy?"
I remembered something about my childhood life, beaming. Annabeth looked at me with a raised eyebrow, silently asking me to elaborate.
"It's just that when I was young," I explained to her, "Mom would always buy milk at the Dairy for me. She even put blue food coloring in the milk to make me happier."
Annabeth smiled sadly. She must be remembering her past, not feeling the love of her stepmother before.
"Don't worry," I added hastily. "We'll try that some other time."
She intertwined her fingers around mine. "I can't wait, then. And why did those pair give up when the third clue was so simple? Oh, well. Let's go."
000
The Dairy had the look of a charming Victorian cottage. People were going inside to buy fresh milk, souvenirs, history books, and maps. Others were admiring it and taking pictures. Annabeth was staring at it in awe. She was about to say something when I tugged her with me inside. It was her turn to push the trolley.
Not knowing what else to do, we bought a bottle of fresh milk. Annabeth found a plastic baby bottle that was in the pouch of the trolley. She poured half of the milk in it.
"We're doing the right thing, Percy. Why else would it be here? And Lance must be hungry by now," she said.
We exited the Dairy and sat on a bench. Annabeth got Lance out of the baby trolley to sit on her lap. She positioned the nipple of the bottle on Lance's mouth. He didn't hesitate to drink the milk while she was ruffling his hair.
Annabeth also drank one-fourth of the milk and then gave what was left to me. I finished drinking it in one gulp, then wiped my mouth using the back of my free hand. There were still some milk lines above her lip, making me smile mischievously to myself.
"Annabeth?"
She turned to me with wide eyes. "Hmm?"
I licked the milk lines above her lip. It happened so fast, she didn't have time to move away.
"Gross." Annabeth blushed, but she was trying hard not to laugh.
As I stuck my tongue out, a man wearing a green track suit came to us and said, "Congratulations! Here's the fourth clue. You're getting nearer. Good luck!"
The park staff gave the envelope to me and whispered, "Nice move, man. Keep it up." He winked, then jogged away from us.
Furrowing her brows, Annabeth queried, "What did he say?"
"Er, guy stuff. Don't ask." I told her awkwardly as I opened the envelope to read the clue. "'Find the heroic sled dog.'" I frowned. "But it's not even snowing."
Annabeth looked at me with her eyebrows raised, regaining her composure. "Gods, Percy, don't you know who that dog was?"
"Don't expect me to know everything," I retorted. "I'm not like you."
"I know that. It's just that that dog is still famous," answered Annabeth. "His name was Balto, a Siberian husky sled dog. Back in 1925, Nome, Alaska was stricken with a horrific diphtheria outbreak and—"
"—Isn't there a movie entitled Balto?" I interrupted Annabeth, not wanting to hear the rest of her lecture. I knew it was a bad thing to do. But trust me, when you're in a hurry, you have to skip the lesson.
"Yes, there's a movie of it, but it doesn't have anything to do with the real-life events. Also, the one who led the team was Gunnar Kaasan, a son of Hermes."
When Lance finished his drink, he turned to us and cried "Weee!"
I looked at the map."Balto" was written not far from the Dairy.
She pinched the baby's cheek with her free hand, then got up with a determined look on her face. "Only one clue left."
000
The three of us saw the glowing bronze of Balto's statue on a rock, outcropping near the East Drive at 67th Street. It received loving pats from countless children and adults who recalled the story of the heroic dog.
It was already afternoon, and the people-mostly children-took pictures with the statue and climbing on top of it.
The plaque below Balto had the carving of the sled team. There were words written on it:
DEDICATED TO THE INDOMITABLE SPIRIT OF
THE SLED DOGS
THAT RELAYED ANTITOXIN SIX HUNDRED MILES OVER ROUGH ICE
ACROSS THE TREACHEROUS WATERS THROUGH ARCTIC BLIZZARDS FROM
NENANA TO THE RELIEF OF STRICKEN NOME IN THE WINTER
OF 1925.
ENDURANCE . FIDELITY . INTELLIGENCE
"Wow," I breathed.
Thinking about it, I was awed by the courage of Hermes' son and the dogs. They'd do everything to deliver the goods just to help the sick people. And I was sure that Hermes had helped. That was why they had survived.
When the kids went down, Lance cried and pointed at the dog.
"Maybe he wants to climb on top of the statue," Annabeth guessed.
"Looks like it."
I carried Lance with my free arm, and then Annabeth and I climbed the rock. We put him on the dog's back, which resulted in him to clap his hands. Again.
Must be his mannerism.
Annabeth patted the dog's head with a small smile on her face. "Such a brave dog."
Suddenly, a blonde-haired woman wearing shades approached us with a DSLR camera in her hands.
"Can I take a picture of you three?" she asked us with an Australian accent. "Just for my souvenir."
"Er, what do you say, Annabeth?" I asked, facing her.
"Maybe it's one of the staff members," she whispered to me, and then said aloud to the lady, "Please do."
"Position yourselves, please."
Annabeth and I raised our hands with the handcuffs above Balto's head, spreading our free arms. Since we were at a higher angle, we had to bend down a little so that we could be included in the picture.
Lance poked his head beside the dog's head and pointed at the camera. "Mama!"
The woman nearly dropped her camera. "Er, I'm not your mother, darling. Now, say cheese!"
"Cheese!" Annabeth and I cried cheerfully.
Click.
After the picture taking, we got down. The woman handed us the last envelope. "Four down and one to go. Good luck, darlings!"
Annabeth gazeded curiously at the woman, but quickly dismissed it. She gave me an I-told-you-so look and read the final clue when the lady had left. "'Health, Purity, Temperance, and Peace.'" Annabeth bit her lip. "This sounds familiar. I'm sure I read it in a book about fountains last year. Think, Annabeth, think," she chanted to herself.
She was thinking deeply, but she still looked beautiful.
"Take your time, Wise Girl," I encouraged.
As I was putting Lance back in the trolley, Annabeth suddenly shouted "Oh, my gods!" that I nearly dropped him. I bet she didn't notice it, even Lance.
"Percy! I finally have the answer. Thank the gods!" she beamed. "It's one of the most well-known fountains in the world and is a neoclassical sculpture!"
I refrained myself from rolling my eyes. "Skip the lecture, Annabeth. Just tell me the answer and we'll go there, fast."
Annabeth closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, as if she hadn't heard me. "One of the largest fountains in New York City, measuring twenty-six feet high by ninety-six feet wide. Also known as 'Angel of Waters.'" She opened her eyes to look at me, beaming. "The Bethesda Fountain."
000
(Third person point of view)
"Good thing they didn't recognize me wearing a blonde wig. But I was sure Annabeth looked at me with doubt written on her face after Lance called me 'mama.' Ah, who cares," Cynthia said to herself. "I took many pictures of them, anyway. Sally and Paul would be so proud of me." She put her hands on her hips, laughing out loud. People were looking at her like she was nuts, but she didn't care.
Then Cynthia got a walkie-talkie from her pouch, pressed a button, and put it beside her ear. "Prepare yourselves. Three pairs already got the final clue." Then she ended the call and murmured, "Now, if only that lady wearing a red satin dress is doing her job properly. But I'm sure I could count on her." She clasped her hands, squealing in delight. "Must wear my bunny costume again. I can't wait to see what will happen later!"