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Marlowe didn't know how this happened. Sure, she knew how the events would take place, but she thought she had come up with a good enough plan to make sure no one got hurt.
Now Percy had a thorn wedged into his shoulder, and Marlowe had poison rushing through her veins. Why hadn't her healing powers started to work yet?
With every step she took, snow filled her shoes and casted a chill along her skin. She hugged her arms close to her body, her eyes glued to the ground. Her face felt numb, though she wasn't sure if it was from the cold or the poison.
The di Angelo kids were just in front of her, and Percy and Thorn were behind, trapping her with no way to escape.
She wished Apollo were here to create some warmth. Maybe give her a jacket or something.
Just the simple thought of her father made her realize that she hadn't contacted him in months. There truly wasn't a need, but now that just made her feel bad.
"Apollo," she muttered, "please tell me I'm not about to do the stupidest thing possible."
Before you start freaking out and asking, "What in Hades is she gonna do?", just listen. So Marlowe had told everyone the plan, right?
Wrong.
She told them part of the plan. A false advertisement. But she had to throw them off so they wouldn't kill her when they saved her.
See, Marlowe had secretly pulled Annabeth aside and told her what was going to happen. She was the girl's 'guy in the chair', so she had to know just how important this was. When Marlowe told Annabeth that she was going to end up jumping off a cliff with Thorn, she lost it.
"No way are you doing that! It doesn't follow the plot line—"
"Annie, I have to. Please, just let me do this once! If I can get to Mount Othrys with Luke, I can stop him and force Atlas to hold the sky again before anyone else dies!"
"It's too risky. What if you end up hurting yourself instead? What will Percy think?"
"...I haven't told him. And I'm not planning on it. Please, you have to support me on this. When the time comes, just hold him back. I don't want him getting hurt."
"You're stupid, do you know that?"
"Yeah, but you love that about me."
Thinking back on that conversation now, Marlowe wondered if she was being stupid. Her idea was nearly impossible, but if she can stop the Hunters and Percy from ever coming on their quest, then she can save more than one life.
That's what matters in the end.
"What are you doing, Jackson?" hissed Dr. Thorn. "Keep moving!"
The sound of his voice snapped Marlowe back to reality. She glanced back and saw Percy opening his eyes as he kept shuffling forward.
