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I 013. I
𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒔
❝ hoover dam❞
ARIADNE WOULDN'T LET THE FIGURE GO. Bianca has lost her life for it, she wouldn't let it go.
At the edge of the dump, the group found a tow truck so old it might've been thrown away itself. But the engine started, and it had a full tank of gas, so they decided to borrow it.
Thalia drove. She didn't seem as stunned as Zoe or Grover or Percy or Ariadne.
"The skeletons are still there," she reminded them. "We need to keep moving."
She navigated them through the desert, under clear blue skies, the sand so bright it hurt to look. Zoe sat up from with Thalia. Grover, Percy, and Ariadne day in the pickup bed, leaning against the tow wench. The air was cool and dry, but the nice weather just seemed like an insult after losing Bianca.
Ariadne still couldn't tell what god the figurine was supposed to be. She had been spending the time by trying to figure it out, but it only seemed to bring tears to her eyes, forcing her to look away.
Nico would know, she said to herself.
Her heart stopped. Oh, gods... what were they going to tell Nico?
"It should've been me," Percy said, watching as the brunette's eyes geared up at the figurine. "I should've gone into the giant."
Percy has his arm around Ariadne's shoulder, keeping her close to ensure that she wouldn't break down or die of hypothermia. He still wore the Nemean Lion fur coat, only because when he tried offering it to her, she refused. The boy had to just keep her close.
Ariadne sighed softly, her head on his shoulder. She felt his hand run through her hair and it brought a twinge of comfort.
"Don't say that!" Grover panicked. "It's bad enough Annabeth is gone, and now Bianca. Do you think I could stand if..." He sniffled. "Do you think anybody else would be my best friend?"
"Ah, Grover..."
He wiped under his eyes with an oily cloth that left his face grimy, mud he has on war paint. "I'm... I'm okay."
But he wasn't okay. Ever since the encounter in New Mexico—whatever had happened when that wild blew through—he seemed really fragile, even more emotional than usual. They were afraid to talk to him about it, because he might start bawling.
Ariadne realized she couldn't stay depressed. Yes, it was torture for her, but they needed to keep going, for Bianca's sake. If they didn't complete this quest, then her death was for nothing. And Ariadne was not going to let it go to waste.
