LUNACY; percy jackson

03.18

[act three; chapter thirteen     -     it was not nothing]

They landed at Crissy Field after nightfall.

As soon as Dr. Chase stepped out of his Sopwith Camel, Annabeth ran to him and gave him a huge hug. "Dad! You flew...you shot... oh my gods! That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"

Her father blushed. "Well, not bad for a middle-aged mortal, I suppose."

"But the celestial bronze bullets! How did you get those?"

"Ah, well. You did leave quite a few half-blood weapons in your room in Virginia, the last time you...left."

Annabeth looked down, embarrassed.

"I decided to try melting some down to make bullet casings," he continued. "Just a little experiment."

He said it like it was no big deal, but he had a gleam in his eye. Percy could understand all of a sudden why Athena, Goddess of Crafts and Wisdom, had taken a liking to him. He was an excellent mad scientist at heart.

"Dad..." Annabeth faltered.

"Annabeth, Percy," Thalia interrupted. Her voice was urgent. She, Andromeda, and Artemis were kneeling at Zoë's side, binding the huntress's wounds.

Percy looked for Donnie, finding him sitting on the edge of the sleigh with his head buried in his hands, his shoulders shaking lightly.

He turned his head away, not wanting to intrude in his moment of privacy, and he and Annabeth ran over to help, but there wasn't much they could do. They had no ambrosia or nectar. No regular medicine would help. It was dark, but all of them could see that Zoë didn't look good. She was shivering, and the faint glow that usually hung around her was fading.