Percy POV

Thalia kept smiling at her baby as we walked. It was a very nice sight. Her walk was a little disoriented, but she didn't seem too bad. If anything, Thalia looked happier than I ever saw her. Of course, I had only known her for a couple of weeks.

We were walking in comfortable silence. I hadn't mentioned the fact that Elysium had found us already. Everyone was in high spirits, and I didn't want to bring that down.

However, I was on high alert for any more disturbances.

Zeus and his van came out of nowhere during a time when we felt a false sense of safety. If we were caught by one of the other leaders, we'd be done for.

Suddenly, I felt fingers touch my hand. Sparks of ecstasy and warmth raced through my arms as I turned towards Annabeth. I happily accepted her hand in mine.

"What's wrong, Seaweed Brain?" she asked softly. She knew me too well to not know that my mind was racing.

Thalia and Leo were walking ahead of us. They were talking quietly because the baby was asleep in Thalia's arms. Leo was joking around so that he could make everyone feel better. He was adding to the smile on Thalia's face.

"Nothing, Wise Girl. I just gotta a lot on my mind. I'll tell you later," I whispered. "Anyway, what do you think is gonna happen now? Like, with Elysium?"

"I don't know, Percy. The government holding off with intervention isn't a good sign. It gives Elysium more time to escape, which sucks," Annabeth said.

I nodded with a frown. I was expecting as much.

After a few more minutes of silence, Annabeth pulled me to the side. For a second, I thought that something was wrong, which sent alarms ringing in my head.

"What's wrong?" I asked immediately.

"Shut up, Seaweed Brain. Not so loud. Nothing's wrong," Annabeth whispered. Her chest was rising and falling softly as she looked into my eyes.

I was very close to her, and my hand was against her waist. I paused as I took in the heat between us. Thalia and Leo continued to walk, but they weren't that far away.

"Then, what is it?" I asked quietly. My breath hitched as she leaned in.

"I just wanted to kiss you without anyone watching," she said with a smirk.

Then, we kissed, and it was freaking awesome. I melted into her as my body pressed her into the tree. Her hands went into my hair as the kiss deepened.

I didn't want to stop, but Annabeth pulled away first. My first rested against hers as we breathed heavily. The air mixed between us.

"Wow," I huffed.

"Yeah, wow, but we gotta keep moving, Percy. We don't need Thalia and Leo panicking after realizing that we're missing," she whispered.

"I know you're right," I said. "But, dam, I wish I could just stay here."

Annabeth nudged my stomach gently. I pulled back as I rubbed my stomach. I was still slightly infatuated as we rejoined Thalia and Leo. They hadn't even realized that we stopped.

After walking for a few minutes, a buzzing noise stopped us.

"Guys, what is that?" Leo asked immediately.

We all froze as we listened for anything else. I instinctually moved closer to Annabeth and Thalia as did Leo. Then, voices started echoing through the woods. Voices that we were familiar with and thankful for hearing. The buzzing engine got closer.

"That's Jason's voice. WE'RE OVER HERE," I shouted. Everyone shouted for attention until we saw the three black jeeps.

They stopped a few feet away between the trees that littered the woods. Honestly, it was a pretty light wooded area, which allowed the jeeps to easily travel.

Several officers in suits got out of the jeeps. Jason ran towards us, and a microphone was in his hand. That's how we were able to hear him.

Jason tackled me and Annabeth with a hug. I groaned as pain shot through my abdomen, but I was grateful to see him. Reyna, Piper, and Jason had reached the government within a few hours (just as we hoped).

Piper started gushing as she gazed at the baby.

"Oh my god, I can't believe it. She's so cute," Piper squealed as she hugged Thalia.

Thalia gently told Jason to take the baby for a few minutes. Jason's eyes watered as he stared at the baby before accepting her.

A younger woman stepped forward. She showed everyone her CIA badge before approaching us with confidence.

"Agent Chase, it is very nice to see you again," she said firmly.

"You as well, Agent La Rue. I have to admit that you all took your sweet time. I'm quite disappointed," Annabeth said slyly.

"Wow, princess, how about a thank you?" the agent expressed roughly.

She took out her cellphone and quickly made a call. A conversation followed along the lines of how every hostage had been saved. The government can go ahead with an attack.

Then, Agent La Rue led us towards the jeeps.

I sat next to Thalia and Annabeth in the back of one of the jeeps. Jason, Piper, and Leo were following the jeep behind us. Agent La Rue mentioned that the others were at the safe site where we were going.

Two of the jeeps were going to the safe site. Meanwhile, the other jeep was joining a brigade of agents, who were going to invade the Elysium facility. Their goal was to bring the leaders of Elysium into custody where they'd be tried for their crimes.

It only took about ten minutes to reach the destination.

The others were eagerly waiting for us. Everyone was surprised that a new member, baby Sally, had joined the party of survivors. They were all impressed that I birthed a baby. However, more than anything, we were happy to be free.

The safe site was a mini-army camp. Many agest were bustling about. They were all focused on getting ready to invade Elysium.

We were all ushered into a large tent. A table with food and water was in the middle of the tent. Besides that, we were pretty much in an empty room. A heater was placed in the corner to keep us warm.

My stomach grumbled as I went towards the pizza. My abdomen spiked with pain with every bite, but I savored the food, regardless.

"They do have medics on standby. Since no one here is an emergency case, they're going to check you guys after the agents leave for the raid," Will explained.

"Yes, they'll want to check Thalia, Percy, and Leo," Hazel continued. We were standing around the table as they explained what Thalia, Annabeth, Leo, and I missed.

An older woman followed Agent La Rue into the tent.

Annabeth immediately straightened as she respectfully nodded towards the lady. Reyna did the same. The rest of us simply turned toward her in curiosity.

She was a middle-aged woman, who looked her age. She had brunette hair that was wrapped into a bun and warm brown eyes. Her personality was larger, but she held a motherly aura.

"Hello, everyone, my name is Themis, and I am the junior director of terrorism at the CIA. I am pleased that you all have escaped Elysium's grip," she said before pausing for effect. "The CIA and the NSA are working to capture the leaders of Elysium and bring them to justice. The mission has already started."

"Will they succeed?" Annabeth asked firmly.

"Agent Chase, we are optimistic about our success. After all, for the first time, Elysium's prisoners have managed to escape their sick game. In the same way, we will finally take down this terrorist organization."

I nodded as did everyone else. A few medics came in and started setting up some first aid areas for Thalia, Leo, and me.

Themis stayed in the tent with us, but she was on a conference call that was giving her live updates on the progress of the raid. The medics worked to clean my stomach. They numbed the area before properly stitching the claw marks.

Honestly, the wound didn't look as bad as I thought it was.

One particular medic checked Sally while Thalia was having an obstetric checkup. They had a curtain to give them privacy. Annabeth and Rachel were helping Thalia on the other side.

"So, Percy, you and Annabeth? I like it," Piper commented.

"Yeah, who didn't see that one coming," Jason expressed sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes as Jason and Piper sat next to me. Frank, Hazel, and Leo were bickering as the nurse bandaged Leo's ankle. Will and Nico were enjoying the food together in the corner. They seemed to be having a pleasant time.

Suddenly, I realized one thing.

Besides a few exceptions, none of us would've met if Elysium didn't capture us. I hated Elysium and what they do, but at least, one good thing came out of it.

After a few minutes of lounging around, the atmosphere changed.

Themis immediately rushed out of the tent, which surprised all of us. She seemed so confident and ready for justice to be served.

However, that pride had wavered from her face.

"Did you guys notice that?" I asked. Jason and Piper both nodded as we stood up. Something didn't feel right.

Annabeth and Rachel were still preoccupied with helping Thalia in the other section of the tent. I was glad that the medics were giving her and the baby a thorough treatment. However, I wanted to speak with Annabeth. A bad feeling was sinking into my gut.

"Percy, I'm sure that everything will be fine," Piper's voice soothed. I wanted to believe her. I really did.

BOOM.

Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed around us. It was deafening, and tremors vibrated the ground in response.

We immediately ran out of the tent and quickly looked around. The actual campsite was fine, but the entire staff was looking in one direction. West.

"HOLY SHIT," Jason exclaimed in shock.

A large plume of smoke was rising from a distance. The evidence of an explosion was obvious even though we were ten miles away. The smell of burned wood wafted through the air due to the wind. An explosion at Elysium.

What the hell was happening?

Jason and I rushed over to Themis, who was frantically talking on the phone. A group of soldiers was surrounding her. We all wanted answers.

"Ma'am, please explain what's going on," Jason said firmly.

"There has been a large explosion. Elysium destroyed the evidence of their existence here by setting off a nuclear bomb. The leaders have escaped as well," Themis explained.

She continued to rant off explanations, but I wasn't paying attention.

She didn't seem happy. Jason cursed as he stomped the ground in anger. It would've been foolish to think that Elysium didn't have escape plans in place. That was the lingering feeling of fear that I continued to feel in my gut.

However, now, the logical fear had come to life.

I sighed as I patted Jason's shoulder. At least, we were all okay. We had survived, and we had escaped. That was a victory on its own. If we wanted to bring Elysium to justice, we could work towards that.

But, right now, we were safe and free and together. That's all that matters.

...