Indigo Eyes

Chapter 50

Cressida was ploughed down by nothing as she fell back, groaning in pain at the top of Half-Blood Hill.

"You ok?" asked a voice she couldn't see and it took her a moment to put it together.

"Watch where you're going, Fish Face," she groaned as she sat up, two bags slung over her shoulder, Percy recognising one that he'd packed that he'd left in his cabin.

"Sorry. Are you ok?" he asked, invisible hands helping her up. Her hand wrapped around his throat while the other felt up his face. "What are you doing?" he questioned nervously before she ripped the cap off his head.

"Where the hell were you? You weren't at the pavilion."

"Nico was there. Long story. I'll explain on the way. Uh, how are we going to keep up with them in the van?"

"Didn't get that far. I can slow down the van so that we might be able to keep up with it if we run?"

"Guess that's all we got, but I swear, Wine Vine, you better not make yourself too tired," Percy warned before they heard the beating of huge wings. Blackjack landed next to them, nuzzling a few tufts of grass that stuck through the ice.

She had no idea what the pegasus said to Percy but he suddenly began pushing her towards the horse.

"Yeah, let's fly," Percy said as he let Cressida climb up first, the girl holding the two bags in front of her before Percy climbed up behind her and Blackjack took to the skies.

Cressida couldn't believe that she didn't think of this earlier, to be fair though, flying a pegasus in winter is completely crazy, especially because they were trying to stay hidden. Even after putting on the extra jackets Cressida had the foresight to pack, both of them were still shivering as icy rain beat down on them.

Percy had told her about Zoë's dream. And when he mentioned the unfortunate incident that had befallen both Phoebe and Catherine, he could feel her grin as if she'd had something to do with it. But when he told her about Nico and the promise he forced Percy to make, she'd simply leaned back on his chest as she guided his arms to wrap around her, the closest that she could get to hugging him right now. Not only did it make him feel better but it also warmed him up, his cheeks especially.

They stayed like that the entire ride to Manhattan. They did lose the van twice but Cressida knew the route they took so they found it pretty quickly, not to mention that traffic was bad with the holidays and weather.

Percy landed Blackjack near the top of the Chrysler Building, thinking that the van would be pulling into the bus station but it just kept driving.

"Where is Argus taking them?" he muttered.

"Do you pay attention to anything? Argus isn't driving," Cressida said.

"Boss lady is right boss," Blackjack added. "That girl is."

"Which girl?"

"Zoë, obviously. The girl has some control issues. But if Thalia could drive, she probably would've fought for the wheel," Cressida answered.

Blackjack neighed and Percy then began explaining the logistics of taking a flying horse through the drive-thru of a doughnut shop and why that would be a bad idea.

"Shall we go now or do you want to explain what it would be like to take Blackjack to an amusement park?" Cressida asked and he rolled his eyes.

"Let's go," Percy relented.

They were about to leap off the Chrysler Building when Blackjack whinnied in alarm and almost threw them. Something was curling around their legs like a snake, except Cressida's. Percy reached for his sword, but when he looked down, there was no snake. Vines – grapevines – had sprouted from the cracks between the stones of the building. They were wrapping around Blackjack's legs, lashing down their ankles so they couldn't move.