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"there they were, on the edge of forever and never"
BOARDING THE SHIP INCREASED HER NERVES. She had taken one step before hearing many people talking, asking questions constantly, while she wanted to scream and find Annabeth herself. Her best friend was in danger.
"You're alive!" Percy said to the others. "The giants said you were captured. What happened!"
Leo shrugged. "Oh, just another brilliant plan by Leo Valdez. You'd be amazed what you can do with an Archimedes sphere, a girl who can sense stuff underground, and a weasel."
"I was the weasel," Frank said glumly.
"Basically," Leo explained, "I activated a hydraulic screw with the Archimedes device—which is going to be awesome once I install it in the ship, by the way. Hazel sensed the easiest path to drill to the surface. We made a tunnel big enough for a weasel, and Frank climbed up with a simple transmitter that I slapped together. After that, it was just a matter of hacking into Coach Hedge's favorite satellite channels and telling him to bring the ship around to rescue us. After he got us, finding you was easy, thanks to that godly light showing at the Colosseum."
Ariadne had a more pressing questions than understanding what Leo said. "Where's Annabeth?"
Leo winced. "Yeah, about that...she's still in trouble, we think. Hurt, broken leg, maybe—at least according to this vision Gaea show us. Rescuing her is our next stop."
Her eyes twitched. Percy held her back, knowing she was most wanting to strangle the son of Hephaestus.
"Tell us about the vision," Percy said. "Tell us everything."
They sailed out of the Colosseum and veered south over the rooftops of Rome.
All around the Piazza del Colosseo, traffic had come to a standstill. A crowd of mortals had gathered, probably wondering about the strange lights and sounds that had come from the ruins. As far as Ariadne could see, none of the giants spectacular plans for destruction had come off successfully. The city looked the same as before. No one seemed to notice the huge Greek trireme rising into the sky.
The demigods gathered around the helm. Jason bandaged Piper's sprained shoulder while Hazel sat at the stern, feeding Nico ambrosia. The son of Hades could barely lift his head. His voice was quiet; Hazel had to lean in whenever he spoke.
Frank and Leo recounted what had happened in the room with the Archimedes spheres, and the visions Gaea had shown them in the bronze mirror. They quickly decided that their best lead for finding Annabeth was the cryptic advice Bacchus had provided: the Emmanuel Building, whatever that was. Frank started typing at the helm's computer while Leo tapped furiously at his controls, muttering, "Emmanuel Building. Emmanuel Building." Coach Hedge tried to help by wrestling with an upside-down street map of Rome.
