Walk With the Shadows [ Percy Jackson OC ]

THIRTY-FOUR | Alex

THE SKY EXPLODED INTO A THOUSAND STARS as Alex lay winded on the grey concrete. The humid September air of Orlando, Florida surrounded every inch of him as he tried to make sense of what happened. So much had happened.

They'd gone into the Utilidors. He'd tried to clear his mind of images of the Labyrinth. They'd followed his intuition straight into a trap.

Alex groaned. He rolled over onto his stomach. Using his arms as leverage, he pushed himself up off the ground, fighting the crowds and a screaming toddler as he moved to a lamp post.

Kitty had taken over after that. She must've seen something in her dreams, something that told her where the Lyre would be. Or maybe she'd gotten lucky. Either way, they'd found it. He'd had to listen to Julien brag about his accomplishments like an immature school child. But Kitty had gotten it. She'd grabbed the Lyre.

He looked around. Alex tried to catch a glimpse of the girls through the masses. But there were so many bodies. Thousands and thousands of people stuffed themselves into Main Street, USA. He couldn't see the ground: just the fireworks, Cinderella's castle, and endless bodies.

A screech split the night. Alex flinched on instinct. He knew that scream. That was a harpy. He looked up at the sky, tuning out the Disney music. No one else noticed. None of the humans. But several winged figures circled up above.

"Alex!" Ophelia said.

He turned right. She pushed herself through the throngs, angering a newlywed couple. Not a scratch or blemish could be seen on her beautiful fair face

"Where's Kitty?" he said.

Ophelia shook her head. "I don't know. I don't know."

Fear knotted in his chest. They needed her. She had the Lyre. Without her, without it, they'd suffered this gods forsaken quest for nothing.

More fireworks caused another great cheer from the crowd. Alex scanned the faceless mass, trying to catch some glimpse of blue hair or shining golden metal. She had to be there somewhere.

An explosion rocked the ground. Alex paused. The entire crowd of Magic Kingdom guests stopped clapping. The rumbling continued until behind the castle, a great ball of fiery illuminated the sky, turning it from black to grey.

He slowed his breathing. Taking Vindication from his wrist, he summoned a bow. The flood of crowds streamed towards the exit, screaming and crying. What they saw, Alex couldn't guess. But he saw seven harpies silhouetted against the flames.

"Find Kitty," Alex said to Ophelia.

He didn't see if she followed his orders. He focused on the celestial bronze arrow in his hand. Lining up the shot, he waited until he could see the whites of the ugly hag's eyes. Then he let it fly.

When the middle Harpy exploded into dust, the others screamed. He heard cries of vengeance for Kronos, shouts of anger and guttural clicks that sounded less like words and more like twisted bird chirps.