𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐲; 𝖺𝗇𝗇𝖺𝖻𝖾𝗍𝗁 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗌𝖾

It started

It was late afternoon when the taxi dropped them at the Empire State Building. Mrs. O'Leary bounded up and down Fifth Avenue, licking cabs and sniffing hot dog carts without anyone seeming to notice her, although people did swerve away and look confused when she came close.

Ivy whistled for her to heel as three white Delphi Strawberry Service vans pulled up to the curb. The first was driven by Argus, while the other two by harpies.

The doors slid open and a bunch of campers climbed out, some of them looking a little green from the long drive.

Ivy was both glad and afraid so many had come: Pollux, Silena, the Stolls, Michael Yew, Jake Mason, Katie Gardner, and Annabeth, along with most of their siblings.

Chiron came out of the van last in his wheelchair form. The Ares cabin wasn't there, but Ivy tried not to get too angry about that. Clarisse was too stubborn for her own good. End of story.

Around forty campers were there, not many to fight a war, but it was still the largest group of half-bloods she'd ever seen gathered in one place outside camp.

Everyone looked nervous, and she understood why. They were probably sending out so much demigod aura that every monster in the northeastern United States knew they were there.

As she looked at the faces of camper she had known for over 6 years, she dreaded what was to come. Not everyone would get out alive, and the spy was still among them.

But she couldn't dwell on that. They were her friends. She needed them.

Annabeth came up to her, away from the other campers. She was dressed in black camouflage with her Celestial bronze knife strapped to her arm and her laptop bag slung over her shoulder.

"Hey, chase." Ivy said as she smiled sheepishly.

Annabeth glared at her, but it had no malice into it, more like relief. "You disappeared without any warning, V"

"I know, I'm sorry. But I seriously didn't even know where Nico was taking me. I thought it'd be short"

Annabeth sighed and smiled at her. "Well, I'm glad you're okay. But leave like that again and I'll kill you"

Ivy noded. "Noted"

They went back towards the group of campers just as Percy started his speech.

"Thanks for coming, everybody. Chiron, after you."

The centaur shook his head. "I came to wish you luck, my boy. But I make it a point never to visit Olympus unless I am summoned."

"But you're our leader."

He smiled. "I am your trainer, your teacher. That is not the same as being your leader. I will go gather what allies I can. It may not be too late to convince my brother centaurs to help. Meanwhile, you called the campers here, Percy. You are the leader."

He took a deep breath. "Okay, like Ivy told Annabeth on the phone, something bad is going to happen by tonight. Some kind of trap. We've got to get an audience with Zeus and convince him to defend the city. Remember, we can't take no for an answer."

Ivy asked Argus to watch Mrs. O'Leary, which neither of them looked happy about.

"Let's go," Percy told the campers.

A security guard was sitting behind the desk in the lobby, reading a book. He glanced up when they all filed in with their weapons and armor clanking.

"School group? We're about to close up."

"Do all School groups normally come dressed like us?" Ivy asked, and based on the look in his eyes, he could definitely see the weapons.

"Six-hundredth floor." Percy said.