AU REVOIR!² percy jackson

013

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IVY FELT THE ground shake beneath her. she blinked awake. why was everything shaking? groaning, she sat up on the sleeping bag as best as she could with percy's arm around her waist.

"ivy, come on!" gabriel gestured to her to get up while he shook annabeth awake. "wake up, annabeth!"

she blinked again. the shaking was growing more and more intense. earthquake. ivy ripped percy's arm from her, turning to wake up him. his face was troubled, eyebrows knitted together in stress. he was probably having a nightmare. she shook him. "perce, wake up!"

percy bolted upright, eyes frantically looking everywhere, his breathing labored. "tyson—tyson's in trouble!" he said. "we have to help him!"

"first things first," ivy stood up. "earthquake!"

sure enough, the rumbling of the room intensified. the daughter of aphrodite grabbed her things as fast as she could, along with gabriel, annabeth, and percy. noticing rachel was still sleeping, ivy yelled while using charmspeak, "wake up!"

rache's eyes opened instantly. she grabbed her pack, and the five of them ran. they were almost to the far tunnel when a column next to them groaned and buckled. none of them stopped running as a hundred tons of marble crashed down behind them.

they made it to the corridor and turned just in time to see the other columns toppling. a cloud of white dust billowed over them, and they kept running.

"you know what?" annabeth murmured. "i like this way after all."

it wasn't long before they saw light up ahead—like regular electric lighting.

"there," rachel said.

they followed her into a stainless steel hallway, fluorescent lights glowed from the ceiling. ivy imagined it was what a space station would look like in a sci-fi movie. the floor was a metal grate.

gabriel winced, and all of her friends squinted in the harsh illumination, having been already used to the darkness of the labyrinth. ivy adjusted her sight with a blink, her eyes being more receptive to light than normal.

"this way," rachel said, beginning to run. "we're close!"

"this is so wrong!" annabeth said. "the workshop should be in the oldest section of the maze. this can't—"

the daughter of athena faltered, because they'd arrived at a set of metal double doors. inscribed in the steel, at eye level, was a large blue greek L.

"we're here," rachel announced. "daedalus's workshop."

annabeth pressed the symbol on the doors, and the metal panels hissed open.

"so much for ancient architecture," percy murmured.

annabeth scowled, walking past the metal doors. ivy was about to chide percy when a sharp smack landed on the back of his head.

gabriel gave the son of poseidon a hard look, pointing his finger menacingly. or at least that was what he aimed for. despite his tall frame and sharp features, gabriel resembled more of an angry chihuahua. "watch it, barnacle, o te cago a piñas," he whispered, trailing behind annabeth, and rachel followed.

ivy shook her head as percy rubbed the back of his, his eyebrows knitted together in minimal pain. walking past him, she patted his chest twice before adding, "serves you right."

"i thought we were good?" percy asked from behind her as they headed inside.

the daughter of aphrodite looked over her shoulder, lips twitching upward. "we are," she said, eyes traveling to her friend. "gabriel? not so much."