𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗔𝗗 ⋆━━⋆ percy jackson

𝐱𝐯. the damn snack bar saves their lives

"WE'LL BE going down seven hundred feet," their tour guide said cheerfully.

She was a park ranger, with long black hair pulled back in a ponytail and tinted glasses. "Don't worry, ladies and gentlemen, the elevator hardly ever breaks."

"Does this go to the snack bar?" Percy asked her. The reminder of the snack bar made Cassie hungry.

A few people behind them chuckled. The tour guide looked at Percy, then her attention shifted to Cassie, making her skin tingle.

"To the turbines, young man," the lady said.
"Weren't you listening to my fascinating presentation upstairs?"

Cassie stepped in with a smile. "Yes lovely presentation, we were just wondering if there were any more exits out of the dam."

"It's a dead end," a tourist behind her said. "For heaven's sake. The only way out is the other elevator."

The doors opened.

"Go right ahead, folks," the tour guide told them. "Another ranger is waiting for you at the end of the corridor."

They didn't have much choice but to go out with the group.

"And younglings," the tour guide called. Cassie looker back. She'd taken off her glasses. Her eyes were startlingly gray, like storm clouds. "There is always a way out for those clever enough to find it."

The doors closed with the tour guide still inside, leaving them alone.

Before Cassie could think too much about the woman in the elevator, a ding came from around the corner.

The second elevator was opening, and they heard an unmistakable sound- the clattering of skeleton teeth.

Cassie looked at Percy. "We run again?"

"Plan."

They ran after the tour group, through a tunnel carved out of solid rock.

They came out on a U-shaped balcony that overlooked this huge warehouse area.

Fifty feet below, enormous turbines were running. It was a big room, but Cassie didn't see any other exit, unless she wanted to jump into the turbines and get churned up to make electricity. She didn't.

Another tour guide was talking over the microphone, telling the tourists about water supplies in Nevada.

They worked their way around the crowd, trying not to be too obvious about it.

There was a hallway at the other side of the balcony-maybe some place they could hide. Cassie kept her hand on Kairos, ready to strike.

By the time they got to the opposite side of the balcony, her nerves were shot.

The two backed into the little hallway then right behind them she heard a sharp Chhh! like the voice of a skeleton.

Without thinking, Percy uncapped Riptide and spun, slashing with his sword.

The girl he'd just tried to slice in half yelped and dropped her Kleenex.

"Oh my god!" she shouted. "Do you always kill people when they blow their nose?"

He noticed Cassie. "Hey you."

But Cassie wasn't paying attention, it had passed clean through her body, harmlessly. "You're mortal!"

She looked at her in disbelief. "What's that supposed to mean? Of course
I'm mortal! How did you two get those swords past security?"

"- Wait, you can see it's a sword?" Percy asked.