𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬'𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 • 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺 𝘫𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘰𝘯

Percy Almost Dies (Not The First Time And Not The Last)

Y/n Pov:

Toward the end of our second day on the train, June 13, eight days before the summer solstice, we passed through some golden hills and over the Mississippi River into St. Louis. Annabeth craned her neck to see the Gateway Arch.

"I want to do that," she sighed. 

"You will, one day," I told her, putting a hand on top of her shoulder.

Annabeth smiled.

"You think so?" she asked.

"I know so."

She looked at me while grinning.

"What are you talking about?" Percy asked. 

"I want to build something like that. You ever see the Parthenon, Percy?" said Annabeth.

"Only in pictures." 

"Someday, I'm going to see it in person. I'm going to build the greatest monument to the gods, ever. Something that'll last a thousand years." Annabeth finished proudly.

Percy laughed. "You? An architect?"

I glared at him.

Her cheeks flushed. "Yes, an architect. Athena expects her children to create things, not just tear them down, like a certain god of earthquakes I could mention." 

"Annabeth..." I said quietly.

"Sorry," Annabeth said. "That was mean." 

"Can't you work together for a little?" I pleaded. "I mean, didn't Athena and Poseidon cooperate when making the chariot? Athena invented it, but Poseidon created horses out of the crests of waves. So they had to work together to make it complete." 

There was a pause.

"Then we can cooperate, too. Right?" said Percy.

We rode into the city, Annabeth watching as the Arch disappeared behind a hotel. 

"I suppose," she said at last.

We pulled into the Amtrak station downtown. The intercom told us we'd have a three-hour layover before departing for Denver. Grover stretched. 

Before he was even fully awake, he said, "Food." 

"Come on, goat boy," Annabeth said. "Sightseeing." 

"Sightseeing?" he asked, half-asleep.

"The Gateway Arch," she said. "This may be my only chance to ride to the top. Are you coming or not?" 

Grover, Percy and I exchanged looks. I nodded.

"I'll go," I said, turning towards Annabeth.

Grover shrugged. "As long as there's a snack bar without monsters." 

~

The Arch was about a mile from the train station. Late in the day, the lines to get in weren't that long. The visit wasn't all that thrilling, but Annabeth kept telling us interesting facts about how the Arch was built, and Grover kept giving us jelly beans, so it was okay.

"You smell anything?" Percy murmured to Grover. 

Grover took his nose out of the jelly-bean bag long enough to sniff.

 "Underground," he said distastefully. "Underground air always smells like monsters. Probably doesn't mean anything."

But something felt off.

"Guys," Percy said. "You know the gods' symbols of power?" 

Annabeth had been in the middle of reading about the construction equipment used to build the Arch, but she looked over. "Yeah?"