{BOOK 2} Percy Jackson's Sister

600th Floor, Please

     Thalia was so exhausted she fell asleep on my back. I didn't have to worry about keeping her steady, Porkpie would occasionally adjust us so we wouldn't fall.

     Don't sweat it, Your Highness, Porkpie said. Zeus won't strike down his own daughter.

    I'm sure he could feel my nerves on edge because of how high up we were. Me and Percy couldn't go far into the atmosphere without angering our egocentric uncle. And after the random lighting strike up in the mountains, I wasn't sure there was much truth to what Porkpie was saying.

     Percy and Annabeth flew alongside each other, talking. Annabeth's face was troubled, probably still tired from everything she had been through. I wanted to tell Percy to let her rest but I knew that even if she wasn't talking with him, she wouldn't be able to sleep.

     I looked into the sky, thinking about the prophecy. It had all come true. My brother and I had bared the titan's curse. We lost two people, two friends, on the way.

    I felt my eyes sting with tears at the thought of Bianca and Zoë. What were we gonna tell Nico? His sister was all he had left. I couldn't bare it if someone took Percy away from me, then came back and told me he was gone forever.

    As for Zoë, I knew she had gone in peace. It's what she had wanted. It didn't make it hurt any less. I wished we hadn't spent the first half of our quest fighting. She really was a good friend. Artemis knew that from the beginning and I wished I had too.

    The towns flew past us at an incredible speed. Soon a yellow-white light spread across the landscape. The New York skyline. We were home.

     How's that for speedy, boss? Blackjack bragged. We get extra hay for breakfast or what?

    "You're the man, Blackjack," Percy told him. "Er, the horse, I mean."

    "You don't believe me about Luke," Annabeth was saying, "but we'll see him again. He's in trouble, Percy. He's under Kronos's spell."

      "You really think so?" I asked. Annabeth seemed to just realize that I was listening to her. She nodded, sadly.

     Percy looked annoyed at the fact that Annabeth still had hope for Luke, but I couldn't lie, I had hope too.

    "There it is." Thalia's voice; she'd woken up. She was pointing down at Manhattan, we were approaching quickly. "It's started."

    "What's started?" Percy asked.

     Percy hadn't seemed to notice the very obvious white marble columns above the Empire State Building. Bronze braziers set ablaze indicated the presence of so much power in one place.

    "The winter solstice," I said. "The Council of the Gods."

-

     I'll admit, flying straight into Zeus' palace while thunder was booming above was not a smart choice for Percy and I. Nonetheless, we headed straight towards Olympus.

    I had heard that camp would take field trips to Olympus every once in a while, but I had never seen it. Only heard stories of how gorgeous it was. The stories didn't do it justice.

   It was early in the morning , still dark, showing off the gorgeous glimmer of the gigantic buildings. The whole color spectrum glistened on the Greek architecture. All types of mythical creatures and deities roamed the winding streets, wide awake. Even though we were in the coldest moments of December, gorgeous flowers bloomed in gardens, the aroma wafting into our noses. Music drifted up, adding to the spring like ambiance of the place.

    At the very top of the mountain, there was a building that stood out more than the rest. The hall of the gods.

    Our pegasi set us down in the outer courtyard, in front of huge silver gates. As soon as our feet hit the ground, the gates swung open.

   Good luck, boss, Blackjack said. Mini boss.

    "Yeah," Percy said, halfheartedly.

     Hey, if you two don't come back, can I have your cabin for my stable?

     We both stared at Blackjack.

     Just a thought, he said. Sorry.

     I wondered how weird our one sided conversations looked to our friends, since they couldn't hear the pegasi's voices inside their heads. I envied them sometimes.

    Our pegasi flew off, leaving us alone at the gates of the gods. They all started to walk forward but my feet seemed to be glued to the ground. Percy stopped and looked back at me.

    "You okay, Cas?" He stepped in front of me.

     I stared up at the gates. "Our dad is in there."

     Percy nodded. "It's not as scary as it seems."

      "Fourteen years," I looked at Percy. "That's how long I wondered when I'd meet him. Now that I'm so close, I'm not so sure I want to."

     He grabbed my hand. "Together?"

     I smiled. "Together."

     Side by side, we walked into the throne room.