𝑾𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑽𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔－ 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧

𝑭𝒊𝒗𝒆

[Indya Moore as Bea Anderson]

I 05. I

𝑾𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑽𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔

❝ bea ❞

     ARIADNE'S BACK TINGLED. In the small of her back, where she once felt a tugging sensation, it was tingling and growing more and more to the point it was becoming uncomfortable. She had ended up tightening her armor so hard that it stopped for a few seconds—but it returned a minute later.

Mrs. O'Leary was the only one happy about the sleeping city. They 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 them with his hundred eyes wide open. He didn't say anything. He never does. Ariadne hissed that's because he supposedly had an eyeball on his tongue. But his face made it clear he was freaking out.

Percy told him what they'd learned in Olympus, and how the gods would not be riding to the rescue. Argus rolled his eyes in disgust, which looked pretty psychedelic since it made his whole body swirl.

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

He pointed at Percy and raised his eyebrow quizzically.

"I'm staying," Percy said.

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

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

"For what?" Percy 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 they always used in capture the flag. But when Annabeth set in on the ground, the reflection on the polished metal changed from sky and building to the Statue of Liberty—which wasn't anywhere close to them.

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

"One of Daedalus's ideas," Annabeth said. "I had Beckendorf make this before—" She glanced at Silena. "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."

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

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

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