𝐂œ𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐬é𝐬 [Percy Jackson]

174

So much for a tender farewell. The last Hadrian saw of his dad was Eros trying to peel Aphrodite off Percy. The goddess had taken a liking to Hadrian's boyfriend and started to pester him about romantic date ideas and flower arrangements to make Hadrian like him more. 

Except for Leo and Jason, all the others were below deck, waiting for Leo's signal. They'd talked through their evacuation plan, but Hadrian couldn't help feel sluggish once the ship was slapped halfway across the world.

Outside the hatch, he could hear screaming and rattling and the body of the ship shook like it might fall apart at any second. 

Percy took Hadrian's hand in his own and for a second, Hadrian let himself believe they'd be fine. They'd make it through. They had to. 

He was going to bring Percy back to his mom if it killed him (he sincerely hoped it wouldn't).

All of them were pretty disoriented, but at Leo's signal, they burst through the hatch. 

Frank and Hazel went first, stumbling outside. 

The sky had turned black and the force of the winds due to how fast they were going slapped Hadrian in the face like stinging needles. 

Percy, Annabeth and Hadrian followed, pulling on the guide rope they'd attached to the mast.

"Go!" Leo yelled. "Go, go, go!" For once, Leo's tone was deadly serious.

Hadrian was hearing the words but not processing them. His head felt like it was full of cotton. Buford the table saved them. 

He clattered across the deck with his holographic Hedge blaring, "LET'S GO! MOVE IT! CUT THAT OUT!" Then his tabletop split into helicopter blades and Buford buzzed away. 

Frank changed form. Instead of a dazed demigod, he was now a dazed grey dragon. Hazel climbed onto his neck. Frank grabbed Percy and Hadrian in his front claws, then spread his wings and soared. 

Hadrian made the mistake of glancing down. The view was a spinning kaleidoscope of sky, earth, sky, earth. The ground was getting awfully close. 

"Right back where we started" Hadrian yelled over the noise of the winds, grinning madly as he tried to swallow his fear. Percy's dark hair flapped in the wind and he managed to give Hadrian a shaky smile. "Always back to the dragon"

Frank the dragon looked down at him and Hadrian thought he smiled.

"He'll be okay, right?" Hadrian shouted, he wasn't sure whom he was asking the question, "Leo, I mean—"

When he looked up, Jason and Annabeth were shooting through the sky above them. 

"He's got a plan" Percy's jaw was clenched in determination, "He's smart, he'll make it"

Hadrian let himself believe.

"I hate flying so much" Percy half sobbed, half screamed as they plunged. 

Hadrian had to admit, falling always reminded him of Tartarus.

The ground wasn't much less chaotic. As they plummeted, Hadrian saw a vast army of monsters spread across the hills – cynocephali, two headed men, wild centaurs, ogres and others he couldn't even name – surrounding two tiny islands of demigods. At the crest of Half-Blood Hill, gathered at the feet of the Athena Parthenos, was the main force of Camp Half-Blood along with the Cohorts as Percy had described, rallied around a golden eagle. The other three Roman cohorts were in a defensive formation several hundred yards away and seemed to be taking the brunt of the attack. Giant eagles circled Jason next to them, screeching urgently, as if looking for orders.