RECOVERY
ANNABETH
The remaining fourteen of us all gathered around the meeting table. Percy and Nico assumed their positions at each end of the table. The six from Jupiter's Bar, Jason, Piper, Leo, Frank, Hazel, and Reyna sat on one side of the table. The rest of us sat on the other side with Thalia on my left and Percy on my right. Percy started us off.
"Zoe, I hear you have some valuable information." Percy said.
"Yea, I think I know where we can go to find a cure. It's where my friends and I were headed."
"Where would that be?"
"The Empire State Building."
"Why do you think that there is a cure there?" I asked.
"There are 103 floors in the Empire State Building. Rumor has it that on one floor, scientists were doing secret testing and we believed that they could have a cure. We saw a ton of graffiti passing through the states that talked about it." Zoe said.
"So, which floor is it?" Jason asked.
"I have no idea. All the graffiti said was Empire State Building, 600th floor."
"Why 600th?" I asked.
"I have no idea."
"So, all we have to do is raid the Empire State Building." Nico said.
"Easier said than done." Percy said. "That place is swarming with the infected and the elevator will attract too much attention. We need to think this through."
"If things go south, we'll need an escape plan." I said.
"I'll take care of that." Nico said.
"So, who's going?" Grover asked.
"You, Will, and Juniper will stay here as usual." Percy said. "Some people are going to need to stay here. Anyone want to volunteer to go?"
"I'll go." Eight people said at the same time.
"Okay, Zoe and Thalia are on surveillance until we get back. I want constant contact or I'll assume we have the same situation as before. We're leaving in ten." Everyone left to get ready. I grabbed my trusted dagger and stopped by Percy's room. Percy was lying on his bed staring at the ceiling. I lay down next to him.
"So, Zoe's pretty." I said casually. Percy sat up.
"Are you actually jealous?" Percy asked.
"No, of course not. Why do you say that?"
"Oh my gods. You're so jealous."
"I'm not jealous!" Percy wrapped his arms around me.
"Zoe's great and a good friend but I don't care about her the way I care about you. I won't let anything happen to you, Annabeth." Percy leaned in and closed the distance between us. We pulled apart and just sat there for a few minutes enjoying each other's company.
"Percy! Annabeth!" Piper called.
"Pipes, relax. You don't know what they're doing in there." Jason said.
"Get your head out of the gutter, Jason. They are not doing anything."
"Of course they are, Percy's my boy." Piper knocked on the door.
"We've got to go!" Piper called.
"Follow my lead." I whispered to Annabeth. I took of my shirt and messed up my hair. I cracked open the door so I could see Piper. "Um, we're a little bit busy right now." Piper smiled.
"Percy, we've known each other for a long time. Cut the act." Piper said. I opened the door.
"Whatever, we're coming." The four of us met the other half of our group at the front door. "Is everyone ready?" Percy asked. Everyone nodded their heads. We started walking to our destination.
"What's this emergency escape plan?" Reyna asked.
"Nico, that one's all you." Percy said.
"I brought parachutes." Nico said proudly. Everyone stopped walking.
"You brought parachutes?" Piper asked. Nico nodded proudly again. "Where did you even get parachutes?"
"I found them."
"Of course you did."
"We're here." Percy said. We all walked through the front doors. Three zombies came after us but were quickly killed. We all moved to the stair well. Percy opened the door, took a quick look inside, and quickly closed it. He turned to face us.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"There are literally ten zombies for every one of us in there." Percy said. "We're going to have to take the elevator. When we get to the floor, guys cover, girls search, that's our game plan."
"What floor are we going to? How do you know where to look?" I asked.
"I had Will do some research. We think that the testing was done in room six on the 100th floor. That must be where people are getting 600 from."
"Makes sense." Jason said. We all piled into the elevator.
"When we get there, it's going to be like a beacon to these things. We find what we need and we get back to the elevator." Percy said. Every second felt like an hour until the doors finally opened. Percy and Nico decapitated the closest zombies. Frank, Leo, and Jason helped them kill all the zombies within sight. Piper, Hazel, Reyna, and I started looking for the room.
"I found it!" Piper exclaimed. Percy decapitated the last zombie on the floor as she said that. We all stood in front of a steel door with the number 600 on it.
"This is it." Percy said and pushed a large button opening the doors. We stepped into a laboratory with all kinds of vials, research papers, and computers depicting tests for the infection. The steel doors closed automatically behind us. Proudly displayed on one of the walls were three vials labeled Cure 1-3. Percy grabbed the three vials and placed them safely in a box. "Will can take a better look at these when we get back." We grabbed some other papers and stuffed them into our bags.
"Let's get out of here." Frank said who was holding the parachutes for our emergency escape. Frank hit the button to open the steel doors but was met with a horde of zombies outside the doors. The closest one grabbed a helpless Frank and pulled him into the group. Frank screamed as the first zombie bit down on his arm.
"Frank!" Hazel screamed. Hazel and Piper pulled Frank's mangled body back as the others cut off the heads of any zombie who got close enough.
"Frank's been bitten and we're trapped at the moment." Percy said to Thalia through his earpiece. "Yes, Annabeth's fine but Frank's in trouble." Percy listened as Thalia told him something else and turned to tell the group something. "Zoe has eyes on the floor from the building next to us. They're blocking the elevator but not the window. If we make a dash to the right we can jump."
"Frank had the parachutes. He dropped most of them." Leo said.
"We still have five." Piper said. "But there are eight of us."
"You mean there are nine of us." Hazel said stubbornly.
"I'm sorry, Hazel." Percy said. "But now's not the time for this."
"So, who doesn't get a parachute? Jason asked.
"Some people can just jump together." I said.
"Sorry, Annabeth, but these are exactly luxury parachutes. It can't support two." Nico said.
"Thanks, Nico. I knew we could count on you."
"I'm not leaving, Frank." Hazel said. Suddenly, Frank's eyes shot open and he buried his teeth into Hazel's neck. Percy swiftly decapitated Frank and we watched as Hazel bled out from her neck. Leo held on to Hazel as the light left her eyes. Leo had tears streaming down his face.
"They're going to pay for what they've done." Leo said. We watched as Leo poured gas all over himself and his body ignited into flames. Leo opened the door and dove into the crowd fully submerged in fire. Percy was the first one to snap out of his shock.
"Let's go!" Percy yelled. We grabbed the five parachutes and ran to the window. Percy elbowed the glass and it shattered giving us our escape route. All of us were holding parachutes except for Nico.
"Luck of the draw, I guess." Nico said.
"Nico, I'm not leaving you." Percy said.
"Yes, you are." Percy just shook his head. "It has to be one of us."
"Please, Nico."
"I'm sorry, Percy."
"We can jump together. It's worth the risk." Nico sighed.
"Fine, but if we both die it's on you." Jason and Piper grabbed each other's hand as they jumped out of the Empire State Building together. Reyna dove out after them. Percy put on the parachute and turned to grab Nico. "I'm sorry." Nico said and shoved Percy out the window.
"Nico!" Percy yelled as he fell. I stared at the guy who was giving his life for us. Nico always made the risky choices and didn't get himself killed in an idiotic way like Leo. Nico was dying to save us, not for blind revenge. I hugged Nico for the final time.
"Thank you." I said. Nico nodded. I walked over to the window and jumped out after my friends. The last thing I saw was Nico draw his black iron sword and charge the horde of flaming zombies occupying the hallway.