ENTRAPPED ₂

43

IT TOOK FOUR HOURS FOR THE FASTEST HORSE ON THE PLANET TO GET FROM ALASKA TO SAN FRANCISCO BAY, HEADING STRAIGHT OVER THE WATER DOWN THE NORTHWEST COAST.

That was also exactly how long it took for Percy Jackson to remember everything. Madeleine knew because they played real or not real the entire way back.

"Grover Underwood," Percy said. "Head satyr. My best friend."

"Real," Madeleine told him, gripping his hand. "Drew Tanaka, head bitch. My best friend."

Percy's grin was full of victory. "Real."

Don't get it wrong: Madeleine was furious. She was furious at Hera/Juno, take your pick, for stealing her memories. Eight months of her life had been stolen. Eight months that she had earned, over and over again. Eight months that could have been dedicated to college, to Ethan, to Lee and Drew.

Madeleine didn't care about saving the world. The gods were lucky, then, that she cared about saving her friends.

Because of course Madeleine had figured it out. She had an instinct for survival. Back in August, Annabeth had already been speculating about Rachel's first prophecy. Madeleine knew who the nine were. She knew she was one, and she knew the two boys sitting next to her, were, too. That was three.

Hazel, obviously. Annabeth Chase, the strategist. Jason Grace and his two companions that Percy had dreamed of.

That left one spot. Madeleine would be a fool to not realize who would be there. Ethan would never go anywhere without her. He had promised never to leave again, and he hadn't wavered since then. This time, it had been Madeleine that had disappeared.

She knew it wasn't her fault, but guilt gnawed a hole in her stomach.

Madeleine had been very picky about time since being trapped in the Lotus Casino. Hours were minutes were seconds. She never had enough of it, time. During the war, she was always counting it.

It took six seconds for Zoe to stop breathing after her last word. It took three and a half minutes for Madeleine to find Ethan's note tucked away in the Hermes Cabin when she returned. It took her less than a minute to know who Nico di Angelo was.

Thinking about all of it made her throat hurt, and she couldn't handle that. Fears were popping up all over. She felt unstable and uncertain, on shaky ground. She was not the same Madeleine that she had been this time last year. She had changed, maybe irreversibly.

She was very, very afraid. She hated fear. So she did what she was best at, and she narrowed her mind to the task ahead of her: save Camp Jupiter. She had one last battle, and then she could sort out all of her petty mortal emotions.

The coastline began to look familiar. They raced past the Mendocino lighthouse. Shortly afterward, Mount Tam and the Marin headlands loomed out of the fog. Arion shot straight under the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco Bay. Madeleine was glad to be away from that place.

They tore through Berkeley and into the Oakland Hills. When they reached the hilltop above the Caldecott Tunnel, Arion shuddered like a broken car and came to a stop, his chest heaving.

Hazel patted his sides lovingly. "You did great, Arion."

Percy, Frank, and Madeleine jumped off the chariot. All three pairs of legs were trembling. Madeleine's joints were stiff, and her limbs ached. She didn't feel at all prepared to rush into battle.

Percy and Frank didn't look much better. Frank hobbled to the top of the hill and peered down at the camp. "Guys... you need to see this."

When Percy, Hazel, and Madeleine joined him, Madeleine's heart sank. The battle had begun, and it wasn't going well. The Twelfth Legion was arrayed on the Field of Mars, trying to protect the city. Scorpions fired into the ranks of the Earthborn. Hannibal the elephant plowed down monsters right and left, but the defenders were badly outnumbered.