Heir of a Titan - Book 2 PJO

Chapter 41: Family Reunion

I just about crumpled to the ground. Percy grabbed my before I hit, He hefted me back up. Fear hit me so hard my stomach felt sick, ice coated my insides. I must have gone very pale, Percy was looking at me in panic now. I grabbed his arm and shook him, 

"What? Nora? What's wrong?" 

I pointed to the car and bolted down the street. Percy t my heels, he finally figured out what I was panicked about. I slid to a stop. Dad was passed out in the driver's seat. Sally was snoring beside him. My mind felt like mush. How had I not seen them before? They'd been sitting here in traffic for over a day, the battle raging around them, and I hadn't even noticed.

"Why are they here?" I signed. My hands were shaking so badly I could hardly talk. 

"They... they must've seen those blue lights in the sky." Percy signed, he looked as terrible as I felt. We rattled the doors but they were locked. 

"I need to get them out."

"Percy...Nora..." Annabeth signed, her face had lost the anger, and she looked gentle. Like she was trying to pacify a child. I made me angrier. 

"I can't leave them here!" I signed. I wish I would have yelled at her. I pounded on the windshield, Percy was doing the same on the other window.

"I have to move them. I have to-"

I felt a hand on my shoulder, I whipped around Raph was looking at me confused, his dark eyes slid passed and they landed on Paul and Sally in the car and his eyes filled with understanding. 

"Okay Nora, it'll be okay-" 

"I can't leave them! Raph, I can't! Please! I need to get them out!" 

"Okay. We will." He pulled me into a hug as I felt the burning tears behind my eyes. He pulled me into his sweaty grimy chest, but I held on tightly. I saw Annabeth talking to Percy, trying to calm him too.

"Percy, just... just hold on." Annabeth waved to Chiron, who was talking to some centaurs down the block. Raph let me go when I pulled away and turned back to the car. I was ready to melt it, or smash the window out.

"We can push the car to a side street, all right?" Annabeth reassured both of us, "They're going to be fine."

My hands trembled. After all I'd been through over the last few days, I felt so stupid and weak, but the sight of my parents made me want to break down. Percy looked the same, his chest was rising and falling faster then it had while we were fighting. 

Chiron galloped over. "What's ..." He signed, and I saw his eyes go big and then they looked sad, "Oh dear. I see."

"They were coming to find me, and Nora!" Percy signed. "They must've sensed something was wrong. "

"Most likely," Chiron said. "But, Percy, Nora, they will be fine. The best thing we can do for them is stay focused on our job."

"NO! No no no!" I signed, still wishing to scream.

I beat on the window, hoping they would wake up and tell me they were okay. I felt the tears break from behind my lashes and they fell down my bloody and grimy checks. Then I noticed something in the backseat of the Prius, and my heart skipped a beat. 

"Percy!" I signed, and then grabbed him, pointing to the back seat.

"No way," I muttered.

Seat-belted behind Percy and my mother was a black-and-white Greek jar about three feet tall. Its lid was wrapped in a leather harness. 

Annabeth pressed her hand to the window, and then looked up at us, looking back and forth between Percy and I, "That's impossible! I thought you left that at the Plaza."