Ash hung back with Hope, the tension between them growing. "Hope, we need to talk about this." She'd avoided looking at him, her eyes were trained on the ground. She snapped, "There's nothing to talk about." Ash's chest tightened with frustration and he replied sharply, "So you'd just let us walk into a trap, If I hadn't seen too," he snapped his fingers, "and go back to Camp and some other demigod to do your quest." The venom in his words at 'demigod' and 'quest' stunned both she and Ash. He swallowed,about to apologize, when Hope said quietly,"This is the only lead we have Ash, we don't have a choice."
"We're here," Annabeth said, finally lowering the map she had her face buried in the entire time. He hated it, but Hope was right. They didn't have the time to find a safer option. Safer, he thought to himself,grimacing .Was there such thing as being safe when you were a demigod? The group stood awkwardly in front of the imposing cathedral as slightly annoyed tourists shuffled around them. Annabeth arched her neck toward the steeples and frowned. "That's weird."
"What is it?" Hope asked. Annabeth replied, "This building isn't supposed to have gargoyles. Gargoyles are usually found on Medieval cathedrals; this one was built in the 1800s." Ash remarked sarcastically, "Annabeth, your nerd is showing." Suddenly, he was hit with the rancid, sulfurous smell he remembered from the Waffle Hut. "Wait," he said, "you're right." Instinctively,he drew his bow and pointed it at the statues, just as they turned to face him directly. The gargoyles' eyes flashed to life, their stony scales rippling with anticipation. His eyes shot to Annabeth, who'd already drawn her dagger. She was ready for a fight. Ash's mind sped; he barked at Hope, "Just get the mortals out of the way!" and let his first arrow fly. He watched as it hit a swooping gargoyle, reducing the monster to a pile of gravel.
Ash exhaled sharply.
"We've got this."
It was mesmerizing watching Ash fight. Hope had always known archers to be relatively stationary fighters, but Ash was different. His style of fighting resembled dancing more than anything else, and Hope could see the ease and pleasure he found in skillfully dodging blows and releasing arrows. His agility and grace could challenge Artemis herself, she thought. She should have been indignant that Ash hadn't even expected her to fight with them; instead she was grateful. It wasn't her fatigue from the vision that made her reluctant to fight,it was battle itself. She hated the feel of a hilt in her palm, the blood and violence that ensued. In every glint of Annabeth's dagger and every swoosh of Ash's arrow, Hope was reminded of war.She frowned.
"Hope!" Annabeth yelled, pausing from fighting gargoyles to slap tourists' phones out of their hands, " A little help here?" Hope nodded, and began to usher the shocked civilians away from the scene. Hope thought she was nearly finished, when she saw a teenager standing dangerously close to Ash, Annabeth and the swarm of gargoyles. Her platinum hair fell beautifully over her shoulder , and she wore a lavender sundress that made her pale skin nearly translucent. Expensive looking sunglasses covered her face. Hope placed her hand on the shoulder of the girl, ready to pull her away from the fight. "I'm sorry we have to evacuate the area—" She was interrupted by the her amused glance. She flashed a brilliant smile and drawled, " But sweetheart, I'm here for the show." She dropped her hand limply at a sudden realization. It was the her,from the vision. She held out her hand, but Hope didn't take it. She shook her head, a lazy grin spreading across her face. "I'm Rowan. I'm here because I know who you're looking for, and they want to meet y'all… Show you a little southern hospitality." She pulled out a cream-colored business card and handed it to Hope. The front read: Rowan O., Business Inquiries. On the back was scribbled an address: 1600 Lafayette Street. Hope made a sound of disgust in the back of her throat. She spat, "What makes you think we'll take you up on that offer?" She shrugged, and waved her hand toward Ash and Annabeth, causing the remaining gargoyles to cease swooping and ascend once again to their perches on the cathedral. Rowan removed her sunglasses, revealing eyes that glinted like jewels."Come or don't come. But sooner or later you're going to need a place to hide from the mortals and their cameras." She swiveled on her heel and strolled away, acting as of nothing had happened.
It wasn't the girl's complete awareness of their quest that frightened Hope. It was her pale yellow eyes. Ash's eyes, she thought. However, her stare lacked the warmth it should have held and resembled that of a wolf's, cold and calculating.
