VIDEO GAMES! (p. jackson) (#1)

- fourteen

THEY WERE ON THEIR WAY OUT WHEN THEY SPOTTED HERMES.

he was staring at an iris-message in the mist of a fountain.

percy glanced at rose. "i'll meet you guys at the elevator."

"you sure?" then she studied his face. "yeah, you're sure."

she and annabeth sat against a wall while they waited for percy. they'd taken off their armor, and rose felt like she could finally breathe. will solace had given her ambrosia, which had at least healed her rib and gotten rid of the concussion. the rest of her body still ached.

annabeth's head dropped onto rose's good shoulder.

"i love you," annabeth said. "i'm glad you're safe."

"i love you too," rose replied. "i'm sorry for getting upset with you earlier."

they said nothing else, just sat in each other's presence until percy got back.

on his way back, aphrodite stopped percy. their conversation was short, and she dramatically burst into a shower of rose petals as her exit.

"you smell like flowers," rose informed percy when he returned.

together the three of them made their way down to the street level. none of them said a word. the music was awful— neil diamond or something.

"you should've wished for better elevator music," rose said, and percy laughed for the first time in about four days.

when they got into the lobby, they found sally and paul arguing with the bald security guy, who'd returned to his post.

"i'm telling you," sally yelled, "we have to go up! my son—" then she saw them and her eyes widened. "percy!"

she hugged the breath right out of him... then rose, then annabeth.

"we saw the building lit up blue," sally said. "but then you didn't come down. you went up hours ago!"

"she was getting a bit anxious," paul said dryly.

"i'm alright," percy promised. "everything's okay now."

"percy, is this really..." paul thought for a second. "i mean, this story about the six hundredth floor?"

"olympus," he said. "yeah."

paul looked at the ceiling with a dreamy expression. "i'd like to see that."

"paul," sally chided. "it's not for mortals. anyway, the important thing is we're safe. all of us."

rose was about to relax. everything felt perfect. she, percy, and annabeth were okay. sally and paul had survived. olympus was saved.

but the life of a demigod is never so easy. just then nico ran in from the street, and his face told them something was wrong.

"it's rachel," he said. "i just ran into her down on 32nd street."

rose frowned. "what's she done this time?"

"it's where she's gone," nico said. "i told her she would die if she tried, but she insisted. she just took blackjack and—"

"she took my pegasus?" percy demanded.

nico nodded. "she's heading to half-blood hill. she said she had to get to camp."

"what was she thinking?" annabeth said as they ran for the river.

the traffic was horrible. everybody was out on the streets gawking at the war zone damage. police sirens wailed on every block. there was no possibility of catching a cab, and the pegasi had flown away.