¹Royal Cries, p. jackson

011.

ROYAL CRIES
━━ chapter eleven

━━ ELISA AND PERCY tore across the Mall, never once daring to look behind them once. They burst into the Air and Space Museum, skidding to a stop after the admissions area.

Elisa looked around the museum, bent over at the waist, her hands on her knees to try and catch her breath. The main part of the museum was one huge room with rockets and airplanes hanging from the ceiling. Three levels of balconies curled around, 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.

"What were those things?" she asked, pushing back the bangs that had fallen in her eyes.

Percy looked at Elisa. "Why didn't you stay back?"

"Answer my question first."

Percy swallowed, looking at the families around them. "Skeleton warriors. That's the best way I can describe them, at least. But they were growing flesh—just dull grey flesh."

"How many?" Elisa asked. "That guy was holding a lot of teeth."

"Twelve," said Percy. He looked around once before he started walking. "We have to warn Grover and Thalia."

The two hurried around the museum, looking for any sign of the four quest members. But at the slightest sound of something they didn't know what it could be, the two broke into a run. That meant Percy ran into Thalia—literally. He was running in front of Elisa up the ramp to the top-floor balcony when he slammed into the daughter of Zeus. Thalia hit her back against the Apollo space capsule right beside her.

Grover yelped in surprise at the sight of Elisa and Percy.

Zoë and Bianca pulled out silver bows as a way of greeting the two. The Hunters had arrows notched, aimed at Percy and Elisa before either could say a word.

Bianca's jaw dropped. "Elisa?" she asked. "What are you doing here? You—you shouldn't be here!"

Once Zoë figured out who the two were, her bow didn't lower. "You!" she spat at Percy. "How dare you show thy face here?"

"Percy!" Grover brayed. "Elisa! Thank goodness."

Zoë glared at the satyr, and he blushed. "I mean, um, gosh. You two are not supposed to be here!"

"Luke," Percy said, still trying to catch his breath. "He's here."

All the anger that had been on Thalia's face melted away. She put her hand on the silver bracelet strapped to her wrist. "Where?" she asked.

Percy and Elisa told them about what they had witnessed in the Natural History Museum.

"The General is here?" Zoë looked stunned. "That is impossible! You lie."

"Why would we lie about something like this?" Elisa demanded. "There isn't time for you to throw a fit about us being here. There are these skeleton warriors things after—"

"What?" Thalia demanded. "How many, Elisa?"

The daughter of Dionysus looked over her shoulder. "Percy told me twelve."

"That isn't all," Percy spoke up. "That guy, the General, he said he was sending something, a 'playmate,' to distract you over here. A monster."