Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
seven. the gamble
THEY STOP WHEN THEY GET across the street.
"That man, he needs to die. Again," Hazel speaks.
Maribelle glances at her, frowning at the tears in the girls eyes.
"We'll get him," Percy promises, "He's nothing like you, Hazel. I don't care what he says."
Hazel shakes her head, "You don't know the whole story. I should have been sent to Punishment. I—I'm just as bad—"
"No, you're not!" Frank balls his fists, "She's a good person!" He yells across the street.
"Frank," She stammers, I—I don't . . ."
Frank didn't seem to be paying attention as he slung his spear off his back and gripped it uneasily, "I could intimidate that old man, maybe scare him— "
"Frank, it's okay," Percy interrupts, "Let's keep that as a backup plan, but I don't think Phineas can be scared into cooperating. Besides, you've only got two more uses out of the spear, right?"
Frank scowls, "Yeah. I guess . . ."
Maribelle looks between the three, thinking back on what Phineas had said.
"I've got an idea. The red-feathered harpy went that way. Let's see if we can get her to talk to us," Percy says.
"You're going to use that as bait?"
"More like a peace offering," Percy says, "Come on. Just try to keep the other harpies from stealing this stuff, okay?"
Percy uncovers the Thai noodles and unwraps the cinnamon burrito. The smell makes Maribelle's mouth water, she was starving. The last thing she had ate before going on the quest was a breakfast bar.
"There!" Maribelle points straight ahead. The harpy was circling above a park that ran for several blocks.
They cross the street and find a bench to sit on, next to a big bronze sculpture of an elephant.
"Looks like Hannibal," Hazel says.
"Except it's Chinese," Frank says, "My grandmother has one of those." He flinches, "I mean, hers isn't twelve feet tall. But she imports stuff . . . from China. We're Chinese. Could I just die from embarrassment now?"
Maribelle tries not to laugh.
"Don't worry about it, man. Let's see if we can make friends with the harpy," Percy suggests.
He raises the Thai noodles. The red harpy circles lower.
"We won't hurt you," Percy calls up, "We just want to talk. Thai noodles for a chance to talk, okay?"
The harpy streaks down and lands on the elephant statue. Maribelle observes her once more. The harpy was painfully thin. Her feathery legs were like sticks. Her face would have been pretty except for her sunken cheeks. She moved in jerky twitches, her fingers clawing at her plumage, her earlobes, her shaggy red hair.
