𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐖 ✭

airy statues and awkward silence

"There's a snack bar in the visitor center," Thalia said.

"Have you been here before?" I asked.

"Once. To see the guardians." She pointed to the far end of the dam. Carved into the side of the cliff was a little plaza with two big bronze statues. They looked kind of like Oscar statues with wings.

"They were dedicated to Zeus when the dam was built," Thalia said. "A gift from Athena."

Tourists were clustered all around them. They seemed to be looking at the statues' feet. What was it with feet on this quest?

"What are they doing?" Percy asked. I didn't look at him.

"Rubbing the toes," Thalia said. "They think it's good luck."

"Why?"

She shook her head. "Mortals get crazy ideas. They don't know the statues are sacred to Zeus, but they know there's something special about them."

"When you were here last, did they talk to you or anything?"

"No. They don't do anything. They're just big metal statues." She said bitterly.

I thought about the last big metal statue we'd run into. It hadn't ended up being just a bit metal statue.

"Let us find the dam snack bar," Zoë said. "We should eat while we can."

Grover cracked a smile. "The dam snack bar?"

I couldn't help but smile too.

Zoë blinked. "Yes. What is funny?"

"Nothing," Grover said, trying to keep a straight face. "I could use some dam french fries."

Even Thalia smiled at that. "And I need to use the dam restroom."

Percy began to crack up, and Thalia and Grover did too. After a moment I gave in, and all four of us were just laughing, while Zoë just looked at us. "I do not understand."

"I just want to use the dam water fountain," I choked out.

"And..." Thalia tried to catch her breath. "I want to buy a dam T-shirt."

Then we dissolved into cackled again, as Zoë watched impassively. Suddenly, in sync, Grover and Percy stopped laughing. They began frowning and Percy kept glancing to the edge of the dam.

Grover looked around confused. "Did I just hear a cow?"

"A dam cow?" Thalia laughed.

"No," Grover said. "I'm serious."

Zoë listened. "I hear nothing."

I couldn't hear anything either.

Thalia asked. "Percy, are you okay?"

"Yeah," He said. "You guys go ahead. I'll be right in."

"What's wrong?" Grover asked.

"Nothing, I... I just need a minute. To think."

I snorted. Yeah, right. Percy glared at me and I glared back. "If he wants to be alone, let him. I'm going to the snackbar."

This seemed to jolt Thalia out and she nodded, looking towards the visitor centre wistfully.

We began to walk, leaving Percy behind when I froze.

There, on the wall was a phone.

A phone to contact someone, such as my uncle who was probably going crazy about me.

"Hey, I'll be back. I just need to make a quick call."

"You sure?" Grover asked.

"Yeah." They left and I jogged over to the phone, reading the amount of dollars I'd need to put in to make a call.