{1} Princess - P. Jackson 🔱

"The battle started."

🕊️

Distance was shorter in the Labyrinth. Still, by the time Rachel got us back to Times Square, I felt like we'd pretty much run all the way from New Mexico. We climbed out of the Marriott basement and stood on the sidewalk in the bright summer daylight, squinting at the traffic and crowds.

No one seemed to care about seven kids, two being a cyclops and a satyr, all dirty and wounded walking around the streets. We looked like kids who ran away from home and had nowhere to go.

I couldn't decide which seemed less real—New York or the crystal cave where I'd watched a god die.

Percy led us away into an alley. Then he took a deep breath and whistled as loud as he could, six times.

A minute later, Rachel gasped. "They're beautiful!"

A flock of pegasi descended from the sky, swooping between the skyscrapers. Blackjack was in the lead, followed by five of his white friends. They stopped in front of us.

"Yeah," Percy said out of nowhere. "I'm lucky that way. Listen, we need a ride to camp quickly."

Oh, he was talking to the horse. Though he was delusional.

Blackjack neighed and another Pegasus in the back neighed in an annoyed manner.

I went in the direction of Snow White, the white Pegasus with its hair black. I patted her on the neck and rested my forehead against her. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"Well," I heard Rachel saying to Percy, "I guess this is it."

He nodded uncomfortably. We all knew she couldn't go to camp. Percy glanced back, and I looked away, pretending to be very busy with my pegasus.

"Thanks, Rachel," He said. "We couldn't have done it without you."

"I wouldn't have missed it. I mean, except for almost dying, and Pan..." Her voice faltered.

"He said something about your father," He remembered. "What did he mean?"

Rachel twisted the strap on her backpack. "My dad...My dad's job. He's kind of a famous businessman."

"You mean...you're rich?"

"Well, yeah."

"So that's how you got the chauffeur to help us? You just said your dad's name and—"

"Yes," Rachel cut him off. "Percy...my dad's a land developer. He flies all over the world, looking for tracts of undeveloped land." She took a shaky breath. "The wild. He—he buys it up. I hate it, but he plows it down and builds ugly subdivisions and shopping centers. And now that I've seen Pan...Pan's death—"

"Hey, you can't blame yourself for that."

"You don't know the worst of it. I—I don't like to talk about my family. I didn't want you to know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No," he said. "It's cool. Look, Rachel, you did awesome. You led us through the maze. You were so brave. That's the only thing I'm going to judge you on. I don't care what your dad does."

Rachel looked at him gratefully. "Well...if you ever feel like hanging out with a mortal again...you could call me or something."

"Uh, yeah. Sure."

She knit her eyebrows. I guess she thought Percy sounded unenthusiastic or something, but that's his awkward way, she needs to get used to it. I looked away from them. Rachel is a really cool girl, she's brave and has style, knows how to do anything and is sympathetic. I liked her the first time we met, but now... I felt kinda strange in her presence.