𝕮𝖗𝖚𝖊𝖑 - 𝕱𝖊𝖒𝕺𝕮𝖝𝕷𝖊𝖔 𝖁𝖆𝖑𝖉𝖊𝖟

10. Percy Spends My Birthday Money :(

Remember that playlist I had ya'll make during the battle of the labyrinth? Yeah, now's the time for that. I'm posting these all at once (after working on them all 😭) so it has a listening experience and yall don't have to wait. HERE WE GO!

Mrs. O'Leary was the only one happy about the sleeping city.

We found her pigging out at an overturned hot dog stand while the owner was curled up on the sidewalk, sucking his thumb.

Argus was waiting for us with his hundred eyes wide open. He didn't say anything. He never does. I guess that's because he has an eyeball on his tongue. But his face made it clear he was freaking out.

I told him what we'd learned in Olympus, and how the gods would not be riding to the rescue. Argus rolled his eyes in disgust, which was trippy because it made his whole body swirl.

"You'd better get to camp," I told him. "Guard it as best you can."

He pointed at Percy and I before raising his eyebrows quizzically.

"We're staying," Percy said.

Argus nodded, like the answer satisfied him. He looked at Annabeth and drew a circle in the air with his finger. 

"Yes," Annabeth agreed. "I think it's time."

"For what?" I asked.

Argus rummaged around in the back of his van. He brought out a bronze shield and passed it to Annabeth. It looked pretty much standard issue—the same kind of round shield we always used in capture the flag. But when Annabeth set it on the ground, the reflection on the polished metal changed from sky and buildings to the Statue of Liberty—which wasn't anywhere close to us.

"Whoa," Percy said. "A video shield."

"One of Daedalus's ideas," I said. "We had Beckendorf make it before. . . Um, anyway, the shield bends sunlight or moonlight from anywhere in the world to create a reflection. You can literally see any target under the sun or moon, as long as natural light is touching it. Look." 

We crowded around as Annabeth concentrated. The image zoomed and spun at first, so I got motion sickness just watching it. We were in the Central Park Zoo, then zooming down East 60th, past Bloomingdale's, then turning on Third Avenue.

"Whoa," Connor Stoll said. "Back up. Zoom in right there."

"What?" Annabeth said nervously. "You see invaders?"

"No, right there—Dylan's Candy Bar." Connor grinned at his brother. "Dude, it's open. And everyone  is asleep. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

I grinned from the other side of the shield, but Annabeth elbowed me.

"Connor!" Katie Garner scolded. She sounded a lot like her mother, Demeter. "This is serious. We are not going to loot a candy store in the middle of a war!"

"Sorry," Connor muttered, but he didn't sound very ashamed.

Annabeth passed her hand in front of the shield, and another scene popped up: FDR Drive, looking across the river at Lighthouse Park.

"This will let us see what's going on across the city," she said. "Thank you, Argus. Hopefully we'll see you back at camp. . .someday."

Argus grunted. He gave me a look that clearly meant Good luck: you'll need it, then climbed into his van. He and the two harpy drivers swerved away, weaving around clusters of idle cars that littered the road.

I whistled for Mrs. O'Leary, and she came bounding over.

"Hey, girl" Percy said. "You remember Grover? The satyr we met in the park?"