mastermind - percy jackson

xviii. kampê, the sequel

"it was nice fighting with you water boy"

Distance was shorter in the Labyrinth. Still, by the time Rachel got them back to Times Square, Cassandra felt like they had run all the way from New Mexico.

They climbed out of he Marriott basement and stood on the sidewalk in the bright summer daylight, squinting at the traffic and crowds.

Percy led the way into an alley and whistled sharply five times.

A minute later, Rachel gasped. "They're beautiful!"

A flock of pegasi descended from the sky, swooping between the skyscrapers. Blackjack was in the lead, followed by four of his friends.

The pegasus Girdo groaned and complained, but eventually he agreed to carry Tyson. Everybody started saddling up—except Rachel.

"Well" She told Percy. "I guess this is it."

Percy nodded uncomfortably. He glanced back at Cassandra and Annabeth, who were pretending to be very busy with their pegasi.

She decided not to listen to their conversation, moving her eyes to Nico who had somehow became paler.

"We're flying?" He asked her.

"It's the quickest way to camp" She reminded him. "You'll be fine."

"Won't Zeus try and kill me?"

"Percy flies with Blackjack all the time and he's still alive" Cassandra said.

"But Poseidon is the creator of horses. Hades isn't" Nico said.

"Look, if your that worried about it, you can ride with me."

Nico raised an eyebrow.

"Zeus can't strike me out of the sky" She explained. "I'm technically a child of the sky. Boreas, my mother, Aphrodite, and Artemis would throw a fit if he killed me. It would start a war."

"Oh" Nico muttered. "Are you sure?"

"Positive." Cassandra glanced up at the sky, "Besides, if he does, I can fly now. I'll catch us."

Nico still looked nervous, but followed her to one of the horses. It let Cassandra pet its snout, but when Nico got close it shied away from him.

She rolled her eyes, and tuned back into Percy's conversation with Rachel.

"Well... if you ever feel like hanging out with a mortal again... you could call me or something" Rachel said.

Cassandra's stomach churned at the words.

"Uh, yeah. Sure."

Rachel knit her eyebrows.

"I mean... I'd like that" Percy clarified.

"My number's not in the book" She said.

"I've got it."

"Still on your hand? No way."

"No. I kinda... memorized it."

Cassandra glared and turned back to Nico who was grumbling under his breath in Italian.

"Even the horse doesn't want me to fly!" Nico said, throwing his hands up.

"What's going on?" Percy asked him. Rachel was gone. Cassandra tried not to shout in happiness.

"Go without me!" Nico said. "I don't want to go back to camp anyway."

"Nico" Percy said, "we need your help."

He folded his arms and scowled.

Cassandra sighed, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Nico" She said. "Please."