Melpomene (PJO)

22. The worst way to say goodbye

So, uh. My normal chapter length is 4,000-6,000 words. This monster of a chapter is over 9,000 words long. I will never do this again lmao.

To those who have used their knowledge of the canon plot and the title of the chapter to guess what happens here...
My apollogy is the seven seconds of pre-canon Solangelo I have shoved into this chapter.

On that note, this chapter technically contains minor TSATS spoilers (yes I've read TSATS, it was amazing).

Rachel Elizabeth Dare was a gods-send. Mari was not going to say that in front of Annabeth, but that didn't make it any less true. The girl was single-minded as she guided them through the labyrinth. They sped through tunnels, crawled through passages, hauled themselves up ladders and slid down slopes. Mari wasn't sure how long it took, but eventually the seven of them reached a spiral stairway with a grinning skeleton clinging to the pipes. Nico waved his hand and the skeleton fell away. Then they climbed out, into the bustling streets of Manhattan, just outside a hotel called the Marriott Marquis. Mari's heartrate picked up. They were so close to camp now, so close to her siblings. To her friends. To Adela. But that meant that Kronos was close to camp, too. Hopefully they were fast enough. A part of Mari wanted to try and find Naomi, but that would be pointless. Manhattan was a big city, and Naomi had said she was going back to Texas the day after she after Mari and Will met her for that picnic. She'd be long gone. They raced out of the hotel, through the busy New York City streets, and found an empty alleyway where Percy whistled with all his might.

"What does that do?" Rachel asked.

"Just give it a minute," Mari told her.

Sure enough, less than a minute later a flock of Pegasi were soaring towards them. A couple of mortal kids in the street pointed and screeched, but their parents barely looked up. Six winged horses touched down, manes shining in the midday sun. Percy's Pegasus, blackjack, was in front, but Mari recognised one a little further back. It was Chevy, the Pegasus that had flown her to Olympus last winter. No time to spare, they mounted the Pegasi (although the horse carrying Tyson did not look happy). Rachel stood off to the side, watching the horses in awe.

"Well," she said. "I guess this is it."

"Thanks, Rachel." Percy smiled. "We couldn't have done it this quickly without you."

Mari didn't listen in as Percy said goodbye to Rachel - that seemed private, and from the way Rachel wound her backpack straps around her fingers, it seemed that whatever she was saying was a sore subject. Mari wondered if it was about her father's shady company. Should she say something? But how was she meant to say anything without revealing how she knew? She wasn't about to betray Naomi Solace's trust like that. Besides, compared to the other people whose fathers she'd kept a secret about, this one was very low on the danger list. Mari glanced at Nico Di Angelo, who seemed to be locked in a deadly staring contest with his Pegasus.

Well, maybe 'glaring contest' was more accurate. Nico was eyeing the horse like it had spat an apple core in his face. Right. Nico was a son of Hades. He really wouldn't be good on horses, or any animals created by Poseidon, would he? Especially a flying one - he might as well be giving both Zeus and Poseidon a double-whammy 'fuck you'. "Hey," Mari told him. "Keep your feet behind the wings when you mount. Trust me, when those things start flapping you're gonna want to keep your distance from the pressure waves."

"Thanks for the tip, but I'm not coming," Nico told her.

Percy walked over, which meant he must be done saying goodbye to Rachel Dare. Come to think of it, Mari couldn't see the redhead anywhere. She must have left already. Percy frowned at the horse Nico was supposed to be getting on. The horse neighed back at Percy, and Mari didn't have a scooby what he was saying but it didn't sound polite. Nico seemed to pick up on the bad vibes too.