ʏօʊռɢ ɮʟօօɖ ♆ 𝗣. 𝗝𝗔𝗖𝗞𝗦𝗢𝗡

♆ 𝗩. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘

╝♅╚

***

IT WAS PANDEMONIUM when we exited the museum. Any and every type of emergency vehicle surrounded the Arch. I looked up to see smoke billowing out from the top of the Arch, which made my heart drop. I didn't know if Percy was still up there where we last left him, and my only hope was that he was still alive.

He has to be alive; he can't just be dead from this, right?

The loud motors of the police helicopters broke me out of my stupor as the three of us weaved through the crowds. Since it was so crowded, we had gone undetected, but it was harder to try and find Percy in the thick crowds of officers and news reporters.

My eyes were rapidly moving, constantly keeping a lookout for Percy, but a newswoman talking to the camera caught my eye as her voice became louder in my ears.

"Probably not a terrorist attack, we're told, but it's still very early in the investigation. The damage, as you can see, is very serious. We're trying to get to some of the survivors, to question them about eyewitness reports of someone falling from the Arch." The lady said in the usual tone that most reporters had.

I swallowed thickly at her words. Even though Percy and I had just begun to be friends, I had no doubt that he was that someone falling from the metal structure.

I glanced at Annabeth to see a frown on her face, and it seemed that she had heard the same thing I had heard from the reporter. "This is not good guys."

"You think Annie?" I said reflexively, not registering my words until I felt Annabeth's stormy grey eyes glaring at me.

"Sorry," I apologized before turning to Grover. "Can't you smell him or something?"

"I can try." Grover said before sniffing the air, attempting to catch some semblance of Percy's scent. Now that I'm thinking about it, it is a bit weird. But my life has been nothing but strange since I was born.

Grover's face was falling by the second before his face lit up. Annabeth and I shared a glance and nodded at each other before following behind Grover as he walked off in a random direction, supposedly following Percy's scent.

As Annabeth and I trailed behind Grover, I overheard another reporter speaking about the disaster that was occurring there.

"Channel Five has learned that surveillance cameras show an adolescent boy going wild on the observation deck, somehow setting off this freak explosion. Hard to believe, John, but that's what we're hearing. Again, no confirmed fatalities..."

So that was Percy 100%. I thought as we passed the reporter.

My gaze wandered to the Arch again, seeing the smoke and surrounded with helicopters at the top of it. I looked at the top of the Arch and at the river that was a couple hundred feet away from it. They were far from one another, making me furrow my eyebrows in thought.

If the reporter had been right about someone who was Percy jumping or falling out of the Arch, how would he have made the jump without hitting the pavement?

"Perrr-cy!" Grover bleated loudly, breaking me out of my stupor. I looked back from the Arch to see Percy turn around and get tackled in a hug by Grover.

"We thought you'd gone to Hades the hard way!" Grover almost cried as he clung to Percy.

Annabeth and I stood close behind the two of them, and a small rush of relief washed over me before worry replaced it.