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chapter eighty-five. ☄︎. *. ⋆
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NEVER EVER TELL ARGUS anything that would make him roll his eyes, because that was what he did when we told him the gods wouldn't be helping us, and considering the fact that he had eyes all over his body... it wasn't a pretty sight.
"You'd better get back to camp," Percy told him. "Guard it as best you can."
He pointed at Percy and raised his eyebrow quizzically.
"I'm staying," he said.
Argus nodded, like this answer satisfied him. He looked at Annabeth and drew a circle in the air with his finger.
"Yes," Annabeth agreed. "I think it's time."
"For what?" Percy asked.
Argus rummaged around in the back of his van. He brought out a bronze shield and passed it to Annabeth. It looked pretty much standard issue—the same kind of round shield we always used in capture the flag. But when Annabeth set it on the ground, the reflection on the polished metal changed from sky and buildings to the Statue of Liberty—which wasn't anywhere close to us.
"Whoa," I said. "A video shield."
"One of Daedalus's ideas," Annabeth said. "I had Beckendorf make this before—" She glanced at Silena. "Um, anyway, the shield bends sunlight or moonlight from anywhere in the world to create a reflection. You can literally see any target under the sun or moon, as long as natural light is touching it. Look."
We crowded around as Annabeth concentrated. The image zoomed and spun at first, so I got motion sickness just watching it. We were in the Central Park Zoo, then zooming down East 60th, past Bloomingdale's, then turning on Third Avenue.
Annabeth passed her hand in front of the shield, and another scene popped up: FDR Drive, looking across the river at Lighthouse Park.
"This will let us see what's going on across the city," she said. "Thank you, Argus. Hopefully we'll see you back at camp... someday."
Argus grunted. He gave us a look that clearly meant Good luck; you'll need it, then climbed into his van. He and the two harpy drivers swerved away, weaving around clusters of idle cars that littered the road.
Percy whistled for Mrs. O'Leary, and the friendly hellhound came bounding over.
"Hey, girl," Percy said. "You remember Grover? The satyr we met in the park?"
"WOOF!"
"I need you to find him. Make sure he's still awake. We're going to need his help. You got that? Find Grover!"
