Chapter 15: Did you say flight?

What did you guys think of the last chapter? I wasn't too happy with it. Diana was OOC, and I really struggled to write Frank because I never really connected with him, but I'd love to hear your feedback.

Recap: I think they're dead, at least for a little while," Percy grins. "C'mon Wise Girl, I'm going to find Luke."

Percy POV

I turn to leave the 'holding cell' with Annabeth at my side, but Nico chases after us.

"I couldn't leave them where we planned," he tells us. "There was a special event on, and there were mortals everywhere. I had to drop them somewhere else, that's why I took so long."

"So where are they?" I ask.

"Well, I can't exactly give directions, because I'm not quite sure, but I can definitely shadow travel back there."

I sigh. "Nico, there's no way you're shadow travelling all of us again so soon. You've just used your powers a lot, and Will is going to kill me if you melt into a puddle. Take Frank, he can send us directions from his phone," I say. Nico only ever uses his phone for ringing people and texting people, he says the rest of the functions are useless. I guess they are, but I didn't grow up in the forties so I actually know how to use everything.

Everyone else nods, and so Frank grabs Nico's arm, and they are swallowed by the shadows.

"What now?" Jason asks.

"We wait," Annabeth replies.

After what seems like an agonizing hour (though Annabeth informs me it was only ten minutes), Jason's phone buzzes. We all crowd around him, and look at the screen, where Jason opens the message from Frank. It's a screenshot of where he is on Google maps, zoomed out just enough to see where we are as well. It's a few miles away, and so we all walk together, Jason directing us occasionally.

The mood is considerably lighter, a few jokes cracked here and there, a few stupid conversations to fill in the gaps. After about fifteen minutes, Jason's phone buzzes again, with another message from Frank, saying that they are in an abandoned warehouse, and that the kids are fine, if not a little hungry. We all subconsciously speed up, because none of us can wait to see our kids again. As we get closer to the warehouse, I begin to worry. What if Frank lied to us, to keep us calm? What if Luke is hurt? What if they're all injured? Images flash through my head, and I can't help but think of the worst case scenario.

I grab Annabeth's hand, and almost as if she can read my mind, she squeezes back. "They're fine, Percy. If anything was seriously wrong Frank would've told us to hurry," she says. "Most likely, anyway," she continues, and I realize she's just as worried as I am, and she doesn't even believe her own words. I wrap my arm around her shoulders, and follow Jason around the corner.

Another left, a right, two more lefts and another right. We turn into the street, which is completely empty except for the huge metal warehouse. It looks like it's two stories, and probably about 200 square feet. We stand in the shadow it's casting onto the street, welcoming the cool change after warm early September sun. No one wants to be the first one in, we're all afraid of what we'll find, but finally Reyna steps forwards. It's as if a spell has been lifted, and the rest of us follow her to the door. Jason raises his fist to knock, and he only has to once before Nico answers the door, practically glowing with a dark aura.

"Nico, what have you done," Reyna shrieks, rushing towards him. "We told you not to overextend yourself!"

Nico barely looks guilty. "I couldn't let Calypso, Bianca, Zoë, Tom and Anza miss out."

"Nico!" we all say in unison, but I don't think any of us are crazy angry. I mean, he didn't die, and he got the others for us.

"Right," Reyna says, pulling Nico slightly away from us and sitting him down on a crate leaning against the wall. "You, sit down right there and don't move. You need to rest."

Nico grumbles a bit, but he knows it's true, so he sits down and closes his eyes. I suddenly remember why we're here, and turn around to scan the warehouse for Luke. I was right, it is two story, and it is hot in here from the sun beating down on the metal. There are a few crates scattered here and there. I see Frank and Sammy crouched over an Emily who is smiling weakly at us. I frown and am about to go over there when I hear Annabeth cry out. I turn and see Luke, who is nearly as tall as her, hugging her tightly.

"Luke, oh thank the gods," Annabeth says.

"Thank the gods," I echo, enveloping him in a hug of my own.

"Ouch, Dad, arm," he complains, and I shift slightly so he can protect his seemingly injured arm.

He hugs us back, and I feel Zoë wriggle her way into the middle as well. Our family, just the way it should be.

Annabeth pulls away, her face wet with happy tears, and examines Luke thoroughly. I do the same, not even realizing that my cheeks are also wet.

He has a black eye, and he cheeks are sunken, but he has the shine back in his eyes that Zoë said was missing while they we locked up.

He notices us looking, and gingerly moves his right wrist. "Uncle Nico said it's probably fractured."

"How did that happen?" Annabeth asks before I can even open my mouth.

"I don't know."

"How can you not know?!" I ask this time.

"Well…did Zoë and the others tell you what happened when they were, um, questioning us?"

We nod, and Luke frowns.

"After Zoë, Bianca, Tom and Anza left, they didn't even ask us questions, just took us to the room down the hall. After they were finished they didn't give us ambrosia. It must've happened then. But don't worry about me, have you seen Em?"

I turn back around to where I saw Frank, Em and Sammy, and my breath catches in my throat. Sammy and Diana look almost the same as Luke. Di has a huge bruise right on her cheekbone but is smiling happily at Jason and Piper, teasing her mom about all the tears. I subconsciously wipe my own eyes, and notice that Sammy isn't walking properly on his right ankle. But Emily takes the cake. She can't even sit properly without Frank or Sam, and her face is a covered in blood from a huge cut on her forehead. Her arm is bent at a strange angle and she only appears to be half conscious. She's alive though, which is the main thing. Frank is trying to get her to eat some ambrosia but she refuses bluntly, saying she'll be sick if she tries.

"What happened to Em?" Annabeth asks, before I've even gotten over the shock.

"She gave them a lot of trouble during the 'great escape,'" Luke says. "She was amazing, actually. Trapped one in a room made of stone that was almost indestructible. When they did break through, she made another wall on separating them from us, buying the rest of us a little time to get our strength back. But it drained her and she was already weakened before they broke through. They saw how weak she was, and how much she'd done, and gave her almost double the- uh- punishment.

"Then, when she finally did get her strength back, she was typically stubborn. The Epilates started questioning us again, and instead of keeping quiet, like we always had, she gave them snappy comebacks and sassy remarks. Of course, they didn't like that, so they tortured her even more. We're lucky you came when you did, we almost couldn't wake her up…" Luke trails off, thinking of what might have happened.

"We did come, so it's fine," I say, ruffling his hair. "I'm going over to see how she is."

As we walk over, Emily smiles at us, the same old smile that she's always had, and I can almost forget the scarlet staining her face.

"You okay, Em?" I ask.

"I'm okay," she replies. "Just a little sore."

"A little? Em, you can barely move!" Sammy exclaims. "And you haven't even had any ambrosia!"

"Emily, why not?" Annabeth asks. "You know it will help, right?"

"Of course I know that. I feel like I'll be sick if I eat anything."

"Let me put some nectar on, then. At least in that cut," Frank says, the worried expression he's had since the first note so long ago hasn't left his features, not like the rest of us.

"Fine. But- "

"But nothing. No complaints, young lady. It was your stubbornness that got you here in the first place."

Emily groans and I can't help but smile a bit. It's almost back to normal. Almost. Hazel is supposed to be here making peace in her own sassy way, and Will is supposed to be here making sure Emily, Luke, Sammy, Diana and Nico take care of themselves.

"Have you had any news about Hazel since you got here?" I ask Frank, and any color he had left in his cheeks drains out instantly. "I promised Will I'd ring. Can you take over here?" he motions to the nectar and Annabeth sits down next to Emily, gently dabbing at her forehead with the godly substance.

"Let me know if I hurt you, okay?" she says.

Emily nods weakly lets Annabeth take care of her, wincing slightly when Annabeth touches the cut on her head, but with no complaints.

Frank walks back over to us with a completely different expression on his face.
"How's Mom?" Sam and Em ask in perfect unison.

Frank grins at them, and then the rest of us. "I spoke to her. She woke up about an hour ago. Her leg's still broken, but apart from that she's completely fine. Will tried to tell me the medical side of it all but I zoned out, all I know is that she's okay."

"Who's okay?" Piper asks, coming over with Jason, Di and Tom.

"Mom woke up," Sammy grins happily. "Her leg's still broken but she's okay!"

"That's great news!" Diana squeals, attracting the attention of Reyna, Thalia and Bianca who are sitting on the crate with Nico by the door.

Reyna helps Nico hobble over so we can tell him the news. If it's possible, his smile gets even brighter, and I can't help but think of the kid I knew years ago, who never smiled, or laughed, and the closest he got to socializing was with zombies. I make a mental note to thank Will (again) next time I see him, and turn my focus back onto the conversation.

"So when can we go home?" Emily asks.

"Well, since we don't have Will, we're going to have to take you to hospital to get your arm fixed, before we do anything else," Frank says, and Emily looks like she's having some sort of argument with herself.

"I've changed my mind," she finally says. "I'll have some ambrosia for my arm."

We all smile and Jason passes her a few pieces. "It won't heal fully, but we just got you back, we don't want you to spontaneously combust on us, do we now?" Emily laughs, and swallows them quickly, almost as if she's trying not to taste it. She tries to move her arm, but it must still be fractured, because she winces.

"Can you give Luke some too, Jason?" Annabeth asks, gesturing to Luke's fractured arm. Jason passes some over, and Luke smiles gratefully.

"Here, give me your arm," Nico says to Emily, pulling out a roll of bandages. He carefully straps up her arm, so that she can't hurt it too much.

"Let's head back to the hotel to get cleaned up," Annabeth says when he's finished. "Our flight's in two hours."

Nico and Thalia pale, and I feel slightly dizzy.

"D-did you say flight?" Nico asks, and Annabeth rolls her eyes.

"It'll be fine," she says.