The Silver Archer 2️⃣ (Percy Jackson)

12. Plan Twenty-Three

Adira

Annabeth sat at the foot of her mother's throne and cried.

"Annabeth," Brett said, "it's not your fault. I've never ever seen Hermes act that way. I guess . . . I don't know . . . he probably feels guilty about Luke and Dad. He's looking for somebody to blame. I don't know why he lashed out at you. You didn't do anything to deserve that. Either did you, Adi."

I tried keeping myself from crying, but fell to my knees. Percy leaned down, kissing my forehead multiple times.

"Um, you didn't, right?" Brett added, leaning down.

She didn't answer.

"Percy," I said. "What did you mean about Luke's mother? Did you meet her?"

He nodded. "Nico and I visited her. She was a little . . . different." He described May Castellan, and the weird moment when her eyes had started to glow and she talked about her son's fate.

I frowned. "That doesn't make sense. But why were you visiting—" My eyes widened, realizing. "Hermes said you bear the curse of Achilles. Hestia said the same thing. Did you . . . did you bathe in the River Styx!?"

Percy backed up, holding his hands up before I began cursing him out. "Don't change the subject, Adiraleise."

"Perseus Jackson! Did you or not?!"

"Um . . . maybe a little."

He told me the story about Hades and Nico, and how he'd defeated an army of the dead.

I shook my head in disbelief. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? You... you could've died!" I said, shoving him away.

"I had no choice," he said. "It's the only way I can stand up to Luke."

"You mean . . . di immortales, of course! That's why Luke didn't die. He went to the Styx and . . . Oh
no, Luke. What were you thinking?" Annabeth said.

"So now you're worried about Luke again," Brett grumbled. She stared at him like he'd just dropped from space. "What?"

"Forget it," he muttered.

"The point is he didn't die in the Styx," Percy said. "Neither did I. Now I have to face him. We have to defend Olympus."

I was still studying his face.

"I guess you're right. My mom mentioned—" Annabeth said.

"Plan twenty-three," I added. I got out my notebook, scrolling through the pages, which Annabeth got out of Daedalus's laptop. The blue Delta symbol glowed on the top when she booted it up. She opened a few files and started to read.

"Here it is," I said, getting to the page. I began reading to myself, as I looked at Annabeth's fine handwriting that was scripted across the page, with some notes I scribbled down already, too. "Oh my gods, we have a lot of work to do."

"One of Daedalus's inventions?"

"A lot of inventions . . . dangerous ones," Annie added. "If my mother wants me to use this plan, she must think things are very bad."

I looked at Percy. "What about her message to you: 'Remember the rivers'? What does that mean?"

He shook his head.

Just then the Stoll brothers ran in to the throne room.

"You need to see this," Connor said. "Now."

The blue lights in the sky had stopped, so at first I didn't understand what the problem was.