Heroes with Wands

Chapter 43

Ginny

Everyone was on their feet. Percy and Jason were clutching the coach, who was breathing heavily. He managed, "Ankle!"

Quickly, Thalia inspected it. "It's broken," she announced. "Get some ambrosia." Nico handed her a square of the food of the gods, and the Coach chewed it gratefully.

"Try talking to Annabeth," Ron said. "See if she's okay."

The Coach closed his eyes, expression twisted with concentration and pain. The boys helped prop his hoof up on a chair. It wasn't bleeding and wasn't bent in any odd directions, but it looked painful.

"She's just sobbing an apology," he said. "The link's weak; I think the connection is being messed with. She said she'll contact us as soon as she finds it."

Percy sighed in relief and slumped in his chair. "I really wish she'd had help."

Piper furrowed her eyebrows. "Wisdom's daughter walks alone." She looked at us all expectantly. "Get it?"

It took me a moment, but finally it snapped. "Piper, you're a genius!" I wanted to jump over the table and hug her. She might as well have been a daughter of Athena.

"What?" asked Lena. "I'm confused."

"I agree with the pretty lady," Leo decided, making her blush. "My brain is confuzzled."

"Don't you see?" Hermione understood what Piper was talking about as well. "Wisdom's daughter walks alone. What kinds of powers do Athena kids have? Compulsion? Fire? Water?"

"Nothing," murmured Jason. "Nothing but intelligence and wisdom." His face lit up. "Wisdom's daughter walks alone! Without any assistance from other people or magical abilities!"

"I get it," Thalia said, "but why is this such good news? This just means she's in even more danger."

"No," Lena realized. "You don't understand. Piper, that's brilliant!" She brightened. "During the first war with Gaea, the job of planning the war and battle strategies was given to Athena, naturally. Her tactics were the only reason that they won."

"How does this relate to Annabeth?" Percy asked.

Hazel rolled her eyes. "Percy, I love you dearly, but you're so incrediblyblind sometimes."

Percy grinned sheepishly. Lena gave him an exasperated look. "I don't know how my sister puts up with you. Guys, Athena won the war with Gaia. The only other war with Gaia. Annabeth's the most extraordinary child of Athena the gods have ever seen. And history is repeating itself."

She let that sink in. Leo said, "Leave it to a child of Athena to make that seem simple."

"Annabeth doesn't die," Piper took Percy's hand. "She's the key to defeating the war. That's why she's such a threat to Gaia and Voldemort. She wins the war."

Percy lifted Piper off the ground and kissed her cheek, doing the same to Lena, who was pretty shocked. Jason groaned in exasperation. "Sometimes I really do love you all," Percy managed.

Hedge glared at all our smiling faces. "Cupcakes, this is getting a bit too mushy for my grown-up eyes. I'm going to situate myself with Chuck Norris. I'll yell when I need one of you lovely servants to bring me something-or if Annabeth contacts me."

Everyone gave him dirty looks. He limped to his cabin and left his door open. The weight of the sky seemed to be lifted off of our shoulders. I was glad for that.

"If she doesn't talk to him within the next hour, we're going after her," announced Percy. "We just need to figure out where she is."

I nodded. "We know she's under the castle somewhere. We can't bring the ship under the school, and it might be possible for us all to sneak down there."