OH, CHÉRIE!¹ percy jackson

006

❛006❜

IVY LOOKED AROUND THE air and space museum. the main part of the museum was one huge room with rockets and aeroplanes hanging from the ceiling. three levels of balconies curled round, so you could look at the exhibits from all different heights. the place wasn't crowded, just a few families and a couple of tour groups of kids, probably doing one of those holiday school trips.

they've looked all around the museum, making their way to the top floor balcony. all her friends were observing, while ivy was daydreaming about the reformation palm linen two piece in gray she'd been dying to get. her quest companions were party poopers, though. and they didn't even let her go into the store. she's been away from the malls far too long, thanks chiron! (note the sarcasm.)

a loud boing snapped her out of her daydream, thalia had been pushed into the apollo space capsule. instantly unsheathing her knife, ivy twirled around to strike whatever attacked. on further inspection, she found that it wasn't a what, but a who.

percy.

by the time the son of poseidon had somewhat regained his balance, zoë and bianca had arrows notched, aiming at his chest. they stood further away from ivy, who stood at punch distance of percy.

"what the fuck, seaweed brain?" ivy asked, sheathing her golden knife and putting the golden pick back into her pocket.

she wasn't sure if she was glad or not that he was here. on one side, ivy was used to fighting with percy, taking down monsters was easy when fighting in a perfected synchrony. but there was also the unsettling prophecy that ruled this quest, one lost, one left behind, and one dead. she didn't want percy to be any of those.

when zoë realized who she was aiming at, she didn't seem anxious to lower her bow. "you! how dare you show thy face here?"

"percy!" grover said. "thank goodness."

zoë glared at him, and he blushed. "i mean, um, gosh. you're not supposed to be here!"

"luke," percy panted out. "he's here.'

the anger in thalia's eyes immediately melted. she put her hand on her silver bracelet. "where?"

percy old them about the natural history museum, dr thron, luke and the general.

"the general is here?" zoë looked stunned. "that is impossible! you lie."

"why would i lie? look, there's no time. skeleton warriors –"

"what?" thalia demanded. "how many?"

"twelve," percy said. "and that's not all. that guy, the general, he said he was sending something, a playmate, to distract you over here. a monster."

ivy, thalia and grover exchanged looks.

"we were following artemis's trail," grover said. "i was pretty sure it led here. some powerful monster scent... she must've stopped here looking for the mystery monster. but we haven't found anything yet."

"zoë," bianca said nervously, "if it is the general –"

"it cannot be!" zoë snapped. "percy must have seen an Iris-message or some other illusion."

"illusions don't crack marble floors," percy told her.

zoë took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. ivy didn't know why she was taking it so personally, or how she knew this general guy, but there wasn't time to ask.