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chapter ninety-nine. ☄︎. *. ⋆
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I WANTED TO FIGHT SOMEONE. Nobody, except Apollo kids, is allowed on Pepper. I wasn't sure if I was more shocked that Rachel had managed to tame my pegasus, or if I was more angry that she'd tamed my pegasus.
As we ran for the river, Annabeth voiced my concern, since we've always been on the same page for things like this (hating Rachel): "How could she even ride Pepper? I thought she didn't like giving anyone rides outside of Cabin Seven."
But I didn't have an answer for her.
The traffic was horrible. Everybody was out on the streets gawking at the war zone damage. Police sirens wailed on every block. There was no possibility of catching a cab, and the pegasi had flown away. So we ran, pushing through mobs of dazed mortals that clogged the sidewalks.
"She'll never get through the defenses," Annabeth pointed out. "Peleus will eat her."
Percy and I met eyes. Neither of us had considered that. The Mist wouldn't fool Rachel like it would most people. She'd be able to find the camp no problem, but I'd been hoping the magical boundaries would just keep her out like a force field. It hadn't occurred to me that Peleus might attack. And as much as I hated Rachel, I wasn't sure I wanted her dead on camp property.
Finally we scrambled over the embankment to the shore, and Percy let out a loud whistle. I knew he hated doing it. Even with the sand dollar he'd given the East River for a magic cleaning, the water here was pretty polluted. Even though they must be getting sick, the sea animals still came when he called.
Three wake lines appeared in the gray water, and a pod of hippocampi broke the surface. They whinnied unhappily, shaking the river muck from their manes. They were beautiful creatures, with multicolored fishtails, and the heads and forelegs of white stallions. The hippocampus in front was much bigger than the others—a ride fit for a Cyclops.
"Rainbow!" Percy called. "How's it going, buddy?"
He neighed a complaint.
"Yeah, I'm sorry," Percy said. "But it's an emergency. We need to get to camp."
The hippocampus snorted.
"Tyson?" Percy replied. "Tyson is fine! I'm sorry he's not here. He's a big general now in the Cyclops army."
Rainbow sounded pretty impressed to hear that.
"Yeah, I'm sure he'll still bring you apples. Now, about that ride.."
In no time, Annabeth, Percy, and I were zipping up the East River faster than Jet Skis. We sped under the Throgs Neck Bridge and headed for Long Island Sound. It seemed like forever until we saw the beach at camp. We thanked the hippocampi and waded ashore, only to find Argus waiting for us. He stood in the sand with his arms crossed, his hundred eyes glaring at us.
