Chapter 5

New York really was the city that never slept. Annabeth and I hailed a taxi at the next corner, telling the driver to take us to "Frederick Chase's mansion." The driver gave Annabeth an odd look, as if he was suspecting that she was actually Frederick Chase's daughter, but she turned away quickly and gazed out the window.

So did I, and lights flashed, horns honked, and people talked as we sped down the street. We passed the many billboards of Times Square, then Central Park, and so on through the big city. Eventually, fatigue washed over me, though it was hard for me to sleep with all the noise and colour. And I definitely wouldn't get another chance later tonight.

I decided to face the one thing that had been bubbling inside me since Gabe Ugliano attacked - guilt. I hadn't caught him like General Corral wanted me to. It had all just gone so fast, and I discovered one more thing tonight… Gabe Ugliano was stronger than I expected. I would just have to try and catch him again.

After what felt like forever, we pulled up through a huge property and in front of an even huger mansion. Suddenly, I was wide awake, staring at it in awe. Annabeth paid the taxi driver and we both got out, my mouth still hanging open.

The home had obviously been built a while ago, though it had gotten really freshened up. The stone steps that led up to the two main double doors were perfectly shiny against the moonlight, as were the large arched windows. The shingles on the roof were each covered in an intricate design, evidence of the olden days, but still sparkled as if they had just been built. The thing that caught my eye were the two huge lions flanking the entrance, looking proud as if they owned the house themselves.

Annabeth and I climbed up the steps to the double doors, where an owl-shaped knocker glared down at us. Annabeth lifted it then let it fall against the door.

A posh-looking man (not so different from the people at the party) opened the door. "Oh, Miss Chase," he said when he saw Annabeth. "Where is your father? And who are you -"

"That's my friend. Listen, Malcolm, we're going to get in and out of here, but I need you to tell my father that I'm asleep in my room."

"Lying, Miss Chase, is certainly not -"

"It's important," Annabeth replied. "Please."

Malcolm, who I guessed was her butler, sighed. "Anything for you, miss. Please take care of yourself and try not to get into trouble."

Yeah, like that's going to happen, I thought, knowing that whatever Annabeth was planning, it was dangerous. She smiled at her butler and grabbed my wrist, then led me inside.

Before I could get a good look at the interior, she pulled me up a huge spiral staircase covered in a thick velvet carpet until we reached the first floor. A hall led both ways, and we turned right, running until we reached a door at the end.

This door had an owl on it, like the one at the entrance, but much more detailed. Annabeth pushed the door open and dragged me inside.

This was obviously Annabeth's room. A bed was pushed up against one side, and though I expected a rich girl like her to have a princess canopy over it or something, it was actually quite simple. Next to it, there was a desk with a laptop and stacks of paper, along with a bookshelf in the far corner, overloaded with dusty reads. Next to the bookshelf was a walk-in closet that held clothes.

"Wait here," Annabeth said as she disappeared into the closet. My eyes darted around once more, and I decided to walk over to the laptop, flicking it open.

It revealed blueprints of very complicated architecture, which I saw matched the many stacks of paper on the desk. Maybe Annabeth wanted to be an architect.

Then I wandered over to the bookshelf, reading the many boring titles (though I was dyslexic, so I slacked off on most of them) until my eyes landed on a book of Greek mythology.

Hoping Annabeth wouldn't noticed, I slid it out and started to flip through the pages, sighing. I had a soft spot for this Greek stuff, probably because it reminded me of the last time I was with my mother. Maybe it had a special connection with Annabeth, too.

Poseidon, the god of water… I read with much difficulty. Athena, the goddess of wisdom… I had only read that far until the closet's doorknob started to open, and I shoved the book back into its place before turning around.

Annabeth emerged wearing a sleek black shirt and pants, along with combat boots. I also noticed that she had little silver owl earrings, and I realized that she hadn't taken them off with her previous outfit.

"What's with the earrings?" I asked her.

She fingered them. "Oh… I, uh, just like owls."

I shrugged. "Cool. But what am I going to do about my outfit?"

She smirked. "I guess you'll just have to look fancy for the rest of the night."

"Yeah, about the rest of the night… you're not going to stay here?"

Annabeth gave me a hard look. "A criminal broke into my house, then attacked my father, because he wants our money. Of course I'm going to get him arrested, and that's exactly what you're trying to do, so I'm going with you."

"And you're not telling your father about it?"

"He wouldn't let me go. He'd say it was too dangerous."

"For obvious reasons. Are you sure you're up to it?"

Annabeth kept the hard look, but added a smile, making me resist the urge to step backward. "Oh, yeah. Like I said, I'm not who people expect me to be."

"O-kay." Just then, the cell phone on my belt rang. I picked it up to General Corral's voice, but luckily, he didn't sound angry or disappointed.

"Percy, the F.B.I. were informed that Gabe Ugliano got away," he said.

"Yeah, sorry," I mumbled back.

"It's alright, he was more armed than we expected, and you weren't prepared. What's important is if you're okay."

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"So are you fine with me extending your mission criteria? Catch Gabe Ugliano."

I smiled into the phone. "Yes, now I have some help."

"From who?"

"I'll tell you later. Do you know where the criminal is now?"

"No, but we believe that if we get more information about him, we might be able to locate him."

"Where do we get the information?"

"As I said before, Gabe Ugliano is known for many crimes. I believe he tried to steal car parts once from a repair shop. Go there and ask about him, get as much information as you can, then call me back when you have it."

"Okay. And I think I know which repair shop you're talking about… the one on fifth street…"

"Yes, that's the one. And call me if you need anything."

"Thank you, General. Bye." And I hung up the phone.

"Well," he said, turning to Annabeth, "Looks like we know where we're going next."

"What's the repair shop called?" Annabeth asked.

"Leo and Calypso's Auto Repair."