Blade's Edge || Deception Book II ||

Chapter 37: Beneath the Drifting Snow

Silence fell, thick as the falling snow, filled only with the pulsating anger building up in the titan standing in the centre of the room.

"At least we've caught Jackson's scent," Luke ventured quietly. "He'll lead us right to them."

"An intruder snuck in right under my nose," Atlas snarled, his stony eyes flaring with anger. "And NOBODY NOTICED?!"

"My Lord," one of the dracanae hissed. "The sssskeletonsss have caught a sssscent. And you have already ssssent a monssster. Do not worry."

"Silence!" Luke snapped. "Do you not see the issue here!? There was a spy, and he managed to creep in! And now Percy has run off to tell his friends our plans!"

"It doesn't change anything though," I interjected. "They were already aware that Thalia is our target."

"Yes, but," Luke sighed, raking his hand through his hair.

"Enough," Atlas said, the growl still evident in his voice. "What's done has been done. And Rianna is right. It hardly matters once they're all dead."

"I have to tell you something," I blurted as Atlas opened his mouth again, likely ordering the skeletons out. Stall for time, stall for time. "I found something I think you should know about while I was looking for the monster."

"Oh?"

"Yes, general," I replied. "I . . . uh . . ."

"Just spit it out already," Atlas said impatiently as I trailed off, looking at a loss of words. "What is it?"

"Well, I don't know what it was exactly, but two days after leaving, I was in Colorado, searching for the monster, when I stopped at a convenience store off a highway . . ."

"Stop beating around the bush and spit it out," Atlas repeated. "I'm starting to get impatient."

"Sorry, General," I muttered. "Anyways, I was at the convenience store, and after I bought a box of donuts-This is important," I insisted as Atlas glared at me. "I'm serious. So, after I bought the donuts, I left and sat down in the shade to eat it, right?

"JUST GET ON WITH IT ALREADY."

"Okay, okay. I'm eating the donut, blueberry by the way, when, out of the blue, this giant rock crashes down into the fields in the distance."

"A meteor?" Luke asked blankly.

"That's what I thought," I said, nodding. "But when I reached it, I knew it wasn't an ordinary meteor."

"What was it?" Atlas growled.

"I don't know," I admitted. "But there was celestial bronze in the black stone, and hints of resin, bitumen, and calcium oxide."

Recognition flashed in Luke's eyes. "Those are ingredients for Greek fire."

I nodded. "I know. Mixed with celestial bronze, which is highly reactive. And the thing was, there was a delta symbol on it."

Of course, none of this happened. I was just spouting nonsense, stalling for time so Percy and his friends could get out of Washington before Atlas loosed his pack upon them, but the recognition that flared in his eyes threw me completely off track.

"Oh, that is very important information," Atlas mused, turning and starting to pace around the room. "Very interesting . . . "

I blinked in confusion, the only sign of my surprise, and shoved it down, the wheels in my brain turning as I tried to fish out what it was I said that caused such a reaction. A glance at Luke revealed that he was equally confused, but that gave me no reassurance. Something I said has just set the titan off, and I didn't know what it was.