❝𝘴-𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯❞
❝𝙞 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪.❞
𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗖𝗬 𝗝𝗔𝗖𝗞𝗦𝗢𝗡 had met a lot of people and he had seen a lot of things that had caught his eyes. But she was a different story. The girl with the long hair was just someone he coul...
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LIII. THE DAY WE MADE A PLAN TO RISE BEFORE FALLING
━━━━━━
"When you think the final nail is in, think again
Don't be surprised, I will still rise"
THE STREETS OF NEW YORK city were eerily quiet, and Mrs. O'Leary seemed to be the only one enjoying the sleeping city.
By the time they had reached back down to the unusually hushed and still streets of Manhattan, New York, they had found her pigging out on at an overturned hot dog stand while the owner was curled up on the sidewalk, sucking his thumb. Argus had been waiting for them with his hundred eyes wide open. He didn't say anything. He never does. Though maybe that was because he supposedly has an eyeball on his tongue. But his face made it clear he was freaking out.
Percy hurriedly told him what they had learned in Olympus, and how the gods would not be riding to the rescue. Argus rolled his eyes in disgust, which looked pretty psychedelic since it made his whole body swirl.
"You'd better get back to camp," he told him. "Guard it as best you can."
He pointed at them all and raised his eyebrow quizzically.
"I'm staying," Percy said.
"We all are," Dodie chimed in. "None of us are leaving this city."
Argus nodded, seemingly satisfied with their answers and the look of determination that painted the faces of these demigods that he had watched grow up in camp. He then directed his attention to Annabeth, sketching a circle in the air with his finger.
"Yes," Annabeth concurred. "I think it's time."
"For what?"
But no one responded as they watched intently as Argus rummaged around in the back of his van. He brought out a bronze shield and passed it to Annabeth. It looked pretty much a standard issue — the same kind of round shield they would always use in capture the flag. But when Annabeth set it on the ground, the reflection on the polished metal changed from sky and buildings to the Statue of Liberty — which wasn't anywhere close to us.
"Whoa," Percy said. "A video shield."
"One of Daedalus's ideas," Annabeth said. "I had Beckendorf make this before —" She glanced at Silena. "Um, anyway, the shield bends sunlight or moonlight from anywhere in the world to create a reflection. You can literally see any target under the sun or moon, as long as natural light is touching it. Look."
They crowded around as Annabeth focused. The image initially spun and zoomed erratically, but soon they saw their location on the screen. They were in Central Park Zoo, then racing down East 60th, past Bloomingdale's, and onto Third Avenue.
