Indigo Eyes

Chapter 51

Logic dictates that if Thorn could survive the fall from the cliff, then Annabeth could survive the fall from the cliff, especially because Percy had seen her in her dreams and because she's Annabeth.

Thorn kept back from their friends, Percy and Cressida keeping back from him. And while Percy was invisible, he watched Cressida move from group to group of walking people, swiping a baseball cap with the Mets colours on it as she tucked her braid inside. And to be less conspicuous, she wore it backwards, it actually didn't look too bad. She also kept her eyes down, moving with her peripheral vision as she kept her purple eyes hidden.

Finally, Grover stopped in front of a big building that said AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM. The Smithsonian. And while Percy had been there before, Cressida was trying not to gape and admire everything, seeing as she'd hardly ever left camp.

Thalia checked the door. It was open, but there weren't many people going in. Too cold, and it was school holidays. They slipped inside.

Thorn hesitated, making Cressida and Percy very curious as to why he didn't go to the museum and instead headed across the mall. If anyone knew where Annabeth was it was him and Cressida was about to follow him before an invisible hand pulled her back.

"Wine Vine, please let me go," he said in her ear. "You keep an eye on Thalia and everyone, I'll chase after him. I'm invisible."

"Monsters can still smell you. You can't hide the scent of your blood. Percy -"

"I'll be back soon. I promise. You still owe me a kiss."

She was fairly certain he was gone after that as the presence next to her faded, but her cheeks tinged a rosy pink as she stared at the empty air where Percy had been. And her smile was flustered. "I said maybe."

******************************************************************

"Whoa! Whoa! Stand down!" Cressida called as she ran over to the situation Percy had caused - no surprise there. She'd been carefully trailing Thalia, Grover and the Hunters, who she was surprised hadn't noticed her considering that they were Hunters trained to notice everything about their surroundings, when she saw someone very familiar run into Thalia.

Percy slammed into the daughter of Zeus, knocking her into an Apollo space capsule as they fell to the floor and Grover yelped in surprise. Zoë and Bianca then had arrows notched, aimed at Percy's chest, their bows just appearing out of nowhere.

Despite identifying Percy and Cressida, neither of them lowered their bows.

"You! How dare you show thy face here?" she exclaimed.

"Percy! Cressida! Thank goodness," Grover said as Zoë glared at the satyr. "I mean, um, gosh. You're not supposed to be here!"

"Luke," Percy panted, trying to catch his breath as Cressida and Grover helped him up. "He's here."

"What?!" Cressida said in shock and the anger in Thalia's eyes immediately melted. She put her hand on her silver bracelet.

"Where?"

Percy then launched into the tale about what happened at the Natural History Museum, Dr Thorn, Luke and the General, and the sabre-toothed tigers they resurrected instead of the T-rex, and the skeleton warriors. And Cressida promptly slapped the back of his head.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"That is the last time you leave me behind. Those skeleton things are virtually indestructible."

"Didn't know you were so interested in being stuck to my side, Grape Girl," Percy said as he rubbed his head and she rolled her eyes.

"Please. You're the one stuck to me like a parasite."