I'm standing in complete darkness. "You have three days, kid." The voice says. "To do what?" I ask confused. "REMEMBER, CHILD! On the summer solstice you have to bring the prize to me at the Empire State Building!" It shouts. "I don't know what the prize is!" I scream. "You better find out, kid. Unless you want to go to camp and see a lot of laurel wreaths for the kids who suffered from my wrath because of your stupidity." It says. "I'm not stupid!" I shout. "Oh, and your precious Percy Jackson." He says. "Don't touch him!" I scream. "The prize at the Empire State Building on the summer solstice- or you can watch him die." It says. "Who are you?!" I yell. "You think I'd tell you?" He starts laughing. "You're as stupid as your little prize of a boyfriend." He laughs again. "Shut up!" I say. The laughter stops. "How funny you are." It says. I start screaming my head off.
I wake up screaming. "Olivia!" Percy and Nina shout. Someone's shaking me. I gasp and open my eyes. "Olivia!" They say and hug me at the same time. "What happened?" I ask. "We can ask you the same question." Nina says. "You had another dream again." Percy says. I stare at him. "Olivia?" Nina asks. "Percy? You're not an illusion are you? Not hurt? You're here, perfectly fine?" I ask. "No I'm not. I am here and I'm fine. Why-" He begins but I jump up and hug him- almost knocking us over. "Woah, Olivia. What happened in that dream?" Nina asks. "Nina." I let go of Percy and hug her too. "Bestie, what's up?" She laughs. I smile at her and then at Percy. They smile back. Percy packs everything up. "I need to get something from.. somewhere. We gotta go." Nina says and starts running so Percy and I follow.
We follow her all the way to a zoo. "No way." I say. "Come on, the wall." Nina says. She starts to climb. I follow her and in a minute we're over the big wall. It takes Percy another minute. We all run. We go to a cage for zebras. "No way." I say. I look around as she takes a pick out of her hair. "Percy, do you see that woman?" I ask. A woman with brown hair and grey eyes stares at me. He nods. "She's coming over here, stop Nina." I say. The woman walks over to us. "Hello, kids." She says. "Enjoying the zebra?" She asks. "Yes ma'am." I say. She smiles at me. "It was nice seeing you again, Olivia." She says and starts to walk off. How'd she know me? Then I realize who she is. I run over to her and get in front of her. "Wait, you hold on a second. You're.. the goddess... mom." I say. She smiles. "Smart girl." She says. I stare at her, getting angrier. She left me with my dad. She doesn't care.
Percy comes over to us. "Olivia," Percy says. "I'm fine." I say. Percy takes my hand. "Percy Jackson." My mom says. "Nice to see you again, Athena." He says. "Let go of my daughter's hand." She glares at him. I get even more angry. He stares at her for a second and then lets go of my hand. "You left me with my dad. You knew what he was doing, didn't you? But you didn't care." I say. She stays silent. "You let me suffer through everything. What kid of mom are you, Athena?" I ask. "Olivia," Percy tries to warn me. "Leave Percy." Mother orders. "No, Percy. You can't make Percy leave. I like him, you'll just have to get over it." I say. "You can't talk to me that way." She says. "Well, guess what Athena. I just did." I say. I don't care if she's my mom, if she's Athena. She abandoned me. You don't turn your back on family.
I take Percy's hand and we walk off. Nina unlocks the zebra cage and jumps on. "Come on." She says. Percy and I hop on too. "On-ward!" Nina orders. The zebra runs towards the exit and busts through the opening. Guards chase after us but the zebra is too fast. "Why'd we need this zebra?!" I shout. "I found him and they took him away from me. I had to get him back." She says. "Really? He was fine there!" Percy says. "Shut it, Peter Johnson!" She shouts. I laugh remembering Dionysus calling him that. I turn around and Percy smiles. We stop after a while. She takes out her phone and calls her cousin- the only one that knew she was alive. He comes after a few minutes and he takes the zebra. He's taking him to Africa. "I LOVE YOU, NATE!" She screams. "That your cousin?" I ask. "No it's the zebra." She says. "THANKS, TATE!" She screams. "That was my cousin." She smiles.
"Okay, what was up with that lady back there? I mean, those clothes. And her attitude." Nina laughs. "That was my mom." I say. "And I love her!" Nina says. I laugh. "It's okay Nina, I'm not sure I like her that much either." I say. "Why?" Percy asks. "She abandoned me." I say. "She didn't have a choice." Percy says. "She left me with my dad and didn't help at all." I say. "Now, there... she may have been able to do something, there." He says. "But it doesn't matter. Daddy's out the picture and Athena... nevermind. I have a family at camp. Once this is all over, we'll go back and Nina will be there too. And I will make Dionysus like me." I say. Percy laughs, "Good luck." "What about Chiron? He seems like he could be a good dude." I say. "That's because he is. To some people at camp he's like a dad. Like, Annabeth." He says. "Then, that's my dad. My camp-dad." I laugh. Percy smiles.
"Okay so, this morning. Your dream?" Percy asks. "The voice was reminding me. And he was talking about how lots of people would die if I didn't bring that stupid prize. Well he didn't say 'stupid prize' but it's stupid to me." I say. "But you don't know what it is." Percy says. "But who would kill people over some stupid prize! And if the voice wants me to get the prize, why not tell me what it is?" I ask. "They want you to figure things out on your own sometimes. I don't know why, it's just the way some people do it." He says. "It's stupid. The prize is stupid. This whole thing is stupid. Man." I say. Percy laughs. We walk for a long time. We sit down to rest for a second and then I see two people I haven't seen in forever. "Nina, is that Cadence and Shane Hannen?" I ask. "No way... it is them." She says.
"Who are Cadence and Shane?" Percy asks. "Some people we met at a dance class we snuck into together. Cadence and Shane were crazy! And very angry." Nina says. "Crazy?" Percy asks. "Well, they killed their mom and step-dad... so.. yeah. They kept starting fights in dance class." Nina says. "Who are they with?" I ask. Percy makes a face. "Ares, god of war." He says. "Let's go, come on." I say. "No, Olivia. Wait." Percy says but I get up and walk over to them with Nina at my side. Percy follows us. As I get closer I get angry but I have no idea why. "Cadence, Shane?" I say. "Nina, Ollie!" Shane smiles. "This is our dad." Cadence says. "Percy Jackson." Ares growls. I stare at Ares. "Wait, have.. have we met?" I ask. "Of course not, kid." He says but I'm not sure he's telling the truth. "Come on, Olivia." Percy says. "Going so fast, kid?" Ares says. "We have things to do." Percy says.
"Like running away from camp? Staying hidden from Annabeth's cabin? Just because I'm a god doesn't mean I don't watch the news. But, you know. I can give a call to Camp Half-Blood right now." Ares says. "Why do you want us to stay?" Nina asks. "Why do you want to leave?" Ares says. "Oh look, here comes that Annabeth, girl." Ares says. "I'll tell your mom you said hi, by the way, Nina." Ares says. "How do you know my mom?" She asks. I look back and see Annabeth is walking out of an alley. "They have like a relationship." Percy whispers. "We gotta go." I say. Percy and I walk and I pull Nina's arm as she stares at Ares. "With that creep?" She says, disgusted. I try not to laugh. We start to run as I hear Annabeth and Ares talking.
We run in an alley. It's dark. We all hide in a corner as Annabeth runs in the alley. I hold my breath. "Olivia? Percy? Are you there?" She asks. "Oh my gods, I know you're there!" She says angrily. I think she's going to leave but then Nina screams, "RAT!" She jumps up and blows our cover. "Olivia! Percy! Thank the gods, you're safe." Annabeth hugs me. "Are you alone?" I ask. "Yes." She says. "Let's go back to camp." She says. "No." I say. "What?" She asks. "I have to do something." I say. "Then I'm staying with you." She says. I look at Percy. "Fine, but you can't tell anyone where we are." Percy says. "Okay." She says. I explain both dreams to her as we lay down in the alley to sleep. She nods and is soon asleep. I share a blanket with Percy. He takes my hand. I think about how it's Annabeth, Nina, Percy, and I now. Then I fall sleep.
