SANITY; heroes of olympus

02.11

[act two; chapter eleven     -     muskeg memories]

The pilot said the plane couldn't wait for them, but that was okay with Zara. If they survived till the next day, she hoped they could find a different way back—anything but a plane.

As they took a taxi into downtown Anchorage, Percy told Zara, Donnie, Frank, and Hazel about his dreams. They looked anxious but not surprised when he told them about the giant's army closing in on camp.

Frank choked when he heard about Tyson. "You have a half-brother who's a Cyclops?"

"Sure," Percy said. "Which makes him your great-great-great—"

"Please." Frank covered his ears. "Enough."

"As long as he can get Ella to camp," Hazel said. "I'm worried about her."

"Oh, he'll get her to camp." Donnie smiled. "Tyson's a big softie, sure, but he's probably the most protective person I've ever met."

Percy nodded. Clearly he was still thinking about the lines of prophecy the harpy had recited—about the son of Neptune drowning, and the mark of Athena burning through Rome, as well as the Daughter of Madness facing the dawn.

Zara leaned her head against Donnie's shoulder, twisting a bracelet around his wrist. He didn't complain or say anything, grateful to just have some quiet, even if only for a moment.

The taxi turned on Highway One, which looked more like a small street to Zara, and took them north toward downtown. It was late afternoon, but the sun was still high in the sky.

"I can't believe how much this place has grown," Hazel muttered.

The taxi driver grinned in the rearview mirror. "Been a long time since you visited, miss?"