Finally, chapter 11! Sorry I haven't posted sooner! Enjoy! (I looked up the Gateway Arch and it looked so cool!)

Disclaimer: No... I don't own the Percy Jackson books

Chapter 11

We were nearing the end of our second day on the train. It was June 13th, eight days before the summer solstice. As we passed into St. Louis, the Gateway Arch came into view. My eyes grew wide and I stared out the window at the arch.

The arch was pure beauty. I envied Eero Saarinen, the architect who designed the arch. I have always wanted to be an architect. It seemed so exciting to design and build buildings.

I analyzed the arch. Being 630 feet both wide and tall made it the tallest monument in the United States. We had to go see the arch when the train came to a stop! It would be great for me to get an idea of what to design in the future!

"I want to do that," I sighed.

I was completely unaware I had spoken until Percy asked, "What?"

"Build something like that. You ever see the Parthenon, Percy?" I asked.

"Only in pictures."

Me too, unfortunately. "Someday, I'm going to see it in person," I declared.

The Parthenon was dedicated to Athena. One day, I was going to visit Greek and see the temple my mother was so proud of.

"I'm going to build the greatest monument to the gods, ever. Something that'll last a thousand years." Wait, did I just say that out loud?

Percy laughed. "You? An architect?"

I flushed. That's what you get if you share your dreams with a seaweed brain. "Yes, an architect. Athena expects her children to create things, not just tear them down, like a certain god of earthquakes I could mention."

Percy was silent.

"Sorry," I mumbled. "That was mean."

"Can't we work together a little?" Percy asked. "I mean, didn't Athena and Poseidon ever cooperate?"

I thought about it. There was the time Athena built the first ship to sail over Poseidon's domain, the sea.

"I guess…" I started.

Wait. I didn't know if the example would make him mad. "Athena intruding onto Poseidon's domain." A better and safer example would be the time Athena and Poseidon worked together to make the chariot. Athena had invented the chariot and Poseidon had made the horses out of the waves. So in order to do that, they had to cooperate.

"The chariot," I said tentatively. "My mom invented it, but Poseidon created horses out of the crests of waves. So they had to work together to make it complete."

"Then we can cooperate, too. Right?" Percy asked.

I didn't answer him for a long time and kept my eyes steady on the Arch. How could I, a daughter of Athena, cooperate with her rival, Percy, a son of Poseidon? But I knew we had to cooperate in order to do this quest.

After a while when the Arch disappeared behind a hotel, I responded. "I suppose."

When the train finally pulled into the station, the driver came on the intercom and told us we'd have a three-hour layover before departing for Denver.

I grew excited. Finally, my chance to go to the top of the Gateway Arch! It could be my only chance! I had to take it.

Grover stretched and muttered, "Food," before he was even fully awake.

"Come on, goat boy," I said, eager to get a move on. "Sightseeing."

"Sightseeing?"

"The Gateway Arch," I explained. "This may be my only chance to ride to the top. Are you coming or not?"

Grover and Percy looked hesitant as they exchanged looks. Oh, come on! Who doesn't want to see the Arch?

Grover shrugged and agreed. "As long as there's a snack bar without monsters."

We walked a mile from the train station to get to the Arch. Percy complained so much, you'd think that he was seven years old. When we got to the Arch, we walked through the underground museum.

I was living my dream. However, Percy didn't seem too thrilled, so I told him some facts about the Arch to make him more interested.

"Did you know that the Gateway Arch is 630 feet tall, making it the tallest monument in America?"

"The Arch ways 43,000 tons!"

"Nine hundred tons of stainless steel was used to build the arch! That's more used than any other project in history!"

But Percy looked nervous. "Guys, you know the gods' symbol of power?" Percy said.

I had been in the middle of reading the construction equipment used to build the Arch. It was so interesting! I used my fast-reading skills and finished up before looking over. "Yeah?"

"Well, Hade-"

No! Don't say his name!

Grover cleared his throat. "We're in a public place… You mean, our friend downstairs?"

"Um, right," Percy said. "Our friend way downstairs. Doesn't he have a hat like Annabeth's?"

Percy was talking about the Helm of Darkness. When the gods were battling the titans, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades received weapons from the three Cyclopes to help them fight. Zeus got the master bolt, Poseidon got the trident, and Hades got the Helm of Darkness. The weapons they received became their symbol of power.

"You mean the Helm of Darkness. Yeah, that's their symbol of power. I saw it next to his seat during the winter solstice council meeting."

"He was there?" Percy asked.

I nodded. "It's the only time he's allowed to visit Olympus-the darkest day of the year. But his helm is a lot more powerful than my invisibility hat, if what I've heard is true…"

I've heard that his hat didn't just allow him to become invisible, it allowed him to become darkness. It was more than a cap of invisibility. It allowed him to melt into shadows, pass through walls, and generate fear inside you that could drive you insane or even stop your heart.

Grover confirmed what I've heard. "It allows him to become darkness. He can melt into shadow or pass through walls. He can't be touched, or seen, or heard. And he can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do you think all rational creatures fear the dark?"

"But then… how do we know he's not here right now, watching us?" Percy asked nervously.

Grover and I exchanged looks.

"We don't," Grover said.

"Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better. Got any blue jelly beans left?" Percy asked.

What? Grover has jellybeans?

We got to the trams that were going to take us to the top of the Arch. I could barely contain my excitement.

We got into a tram with a big (I don't want to say fat) lady with beady eyes and a floppy denim hat and her dog, a Chihuahua. The guards never said anything about the dog, so I figured that it was a very… important… or special… dog.

The tram started moving and going up. I grew excited. I was almost at the top!

"No parents?" The woman asked.

"They're below," I lied. Rule number one: Never tell a stranger you're alone. "Scared of heights."

"Oh, the poor darlings," The woman said.

The Chihuahua growled. The woman said, "Now, now, sonny. Behave."

Percy tried to make small talk (because yes, he's so good at that) and asked, "Sonny. Is that his name?"

"No," The lady said. Then she smiled as if that cleared everything up, which it didn't.

The top of the Arch was amazing. There was a great view! One side had a view of the city and the other had a view of the river. However, I had problems with the tiny windows. I would've liked to make the windows bigger and the floor see-through! I mean, how cool would that be?

"Don't you think it would look better if the windows were bigger and the floor was see-through?" I asked.

"Huh?" Percy said. "Yeah… sure… whatever…"

I could have stayed up at the Arch forever! Unfortunately, a park ranger told us the observation deck would be closing in a few minutes.

I was disappointed and reluctantly left. But Percy was eager to leave and steered Grover and me into the tram… with already two people. Percy was about to get in himself when he realized there were people inside.

"Next car, sir," The park ranger said.

"We'll get out," I insisted. "We'll wait with you." I had a bad feeling about Percy being left alone.

Percy just shrugged. "Naw, it's okay. I'll see you guys at the bottom."

Grover and I both looked nervous, but we let the elevator door slide shut. Before it slid completely closed, I cast a suspicious glance at the woman with the dog. There was just something about her…

The door closed and Grover and I descended down, all the while casting worried glancing at each other.

When it got to the bottom, Grover and I immediately got out. We tilted our heads and looked at the top of the Arch for any sign of the tram coming down.

Suddenly, KABOOOOOM! There was a burst of fire and part of the Arch blew up! My mouth dropped open in horror. The monument… it blew up… and Percy was there… How did the monument just BLOW UP? Percy obviously had something to do with this. I knew that lady and her dog looked suspicious! I hoped Percy was still okay.

Grover and I exchanged horrified looks.

"Do you think that Percy possibly…" Grover started.

People started screaming.

"CALL 911! CALL 911! TERRIOST ATTACK! THE ARCH BLEW UP!"

"AAAAH! WE'RE GOING TO DIE!"

"LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!"

"WHO HAS A PHONE?"

"I DO! I'M CALLING RIGHT NOW!"

Police cars came alone with ambulances and fire trucks and news trucks.

"Come on, Grover. Let's go up there and help Percy," I said.

Grover bleated nervously, but agreed. We pushed our way forward.

"Everyone, stand back!" The police ordered to the screaming crowd.

Hundreds of people scooted back, squishing us and ushering us way back. It was impossible to get through the thick crowd and the police now!

A newswoman started talking in front of a camera. "This is Katie from Channel Two News in front of the Gateway Arch. An explosion has just happened, blowing up part of the Arch…"

More news people came. "This is Mark from the Channel Eight News. We are standing in front of the famous Gateway Arch, honored for being the tallest national monument in America, where an explosion has just occurred. Now, it might be too early to tell what exactly happened…"

Suddenly, a tram came down and out stepped a family of three with pale faces and a park ranger, all of them shaking. They were in hysterics and stuttering.

"Someone, get these people a doctor!"

Percy wasn't with them.

I panicked. Where was Percy? I prayed hard that he hadn't gone to Hades the harder way.

Percy, where are you?