SANITY; heroes of olympus

02.12

[act two; chapter twelve     -    death and his kindness]

Zara's legs felt about ready to give out. She was exhausted—as was everyone else—and Percy and Hazel nearly drowning really stressed her out, leaving her with little to no energy left.

The daughter of Pluto led them along Third Avenue. The railroad station was still there. The big white two-story Seward Hotel was still in business, though it had expanded to twice its old size. They thought about stopping there, but Zara didn't think it would be a good idea to traipse into the lobby covered in mud, nor was she sure the hotel would give a room to five minors. Soon, they came to the place that used to be Hazel's home.

"Come on," she said.

"Uh, you sure it's safe?" Frank asked.

The curly haired girl found an open window and climbed inside and the others followed. The room looked like it hadn't been used in a long time. Their feet kicked up dust that swirled in the buckshot beams of sunlight. Mouldering cardboard boxes were stacked along the walls. Their faded labels read: Greeting Cards, Assorted Seasonal. Why several hundred boxes of season's greetings hand wound up crumbling to dust in a warehouse in Alaska, Zara had no idea, but it felt like a cruel joke: as if the cards were for all the holidays Hazel had never gotten to celebrate—decades of Christmases, Easters, birthdays, Valentine's Days. It wasn't fair to her.

Donnie waved his hand in the air, the dust swirling around her. "I don't think this is allergies, but I can't breathe out of my nose."

"Donnie?" Percy asked.

"Yes?"

"Not helpful."

"Sorry."

"It's warmer in here, at least," Frank said. "Guess no running water? Maybe I can go shopping. I'm not as muddy as you guys. I could find us some clothes."