Of Blood and Darkness

Amazonian Welcome

They ran across the street and into the lobby.

As they jogged through the lobby, Percy suddenly stopped in his tracks. His eyes wide open, as if he had almost grasped an old memory, but couldn't keep holding on to it.

"Percy?" Frank asked. "What's wrong?"

"This place probably triggered a memory for him." Valen said ."In fact, it reminds me of an old friend too."

Percy suddenly slammed his fist into the side of a bookshelf.

Valen put a hand on his shoulder, "You okay?"

Percy nodded, "I'm—I'm all right,"

"We'll get our memories back, I promise," he patted his back.

Percy nodded, thankful, "For now, let's find a way to the roof."

It took them a while, but they finally found a stairwell with roof access. At the top was a door with a handle alarm, but someone had propped it open with a copy of War and Peace.

Outside, Ella the harpy huddled in a nest of books under a makeshift cardboard shelter.

They advanced slowly, trying not to scare her. Ela didn't pay them any attention. She picked at her feathers and muttered under her breath, like she was practicing lines for a play.

Percy got within five feet and knelt down. "Hi. Sorry, we scared you. Look, I don't have much food, but..."

He took some of the macrobiotic jerky out of his pocket. Ela lunged and snatched it immediately. She huddled back in her nest, sniffing the jerky, but sighed and tossed it away.

"N-not from his table. Ella cannot eat. Sad. Jerky would be good for harpies."

"Not from...oh, right." Percy said. "That's part of the curse. You can only eat his food."

"There has to be a way," Hazel said.

"'Photosynthesis,'" Ella muttered. "'Noun. Biology. The synthesis of complex organic materials.' 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness... '"

"What is she saying?" Frank whispered.

Percy stared at the mound of books around her. They all looked old and mildewed. Some had prices written in marker on the covers, like the library had gotten rid of them in a clearance sale.

"She's quoting books," Percy guessed.

"Farmer's Almanac 1965," Ela said. "'Start breeding animals, January twenty-sixth.'"

"Ella," he said, "have you read all of these?"

She blinked. "More. More downstairs. Words. Words calm Ela down. Words, words, words."

Percy picked up a book at random—a tattered copy of A History of Horseracing. "Ela, do you remember the, um, third paragraph on page sixty-two—"

"'Secretariat,'" Ella said instantly, "'favored three to two-in the 1973 Kentucky Derby, finished at standing track record of one fifty-nine and two fifths.'"

Percy closed the book. His hands were shaking. "Word for word."

"That's amazing," Hazel said.

"She's a genius chicken," Frank agreed.

"I can see why Phineas wants her." Valen muttered.

Ella," Percy said, "we're going to find a way to break the curse. Would you like that?"

"'It's Impossible.'" she said. "'Recorded in English by Perry Como, 1970.'"

"Nothing's impossible". Percy said. "Now, look, I'm going to say his name. You don't have to run away. We're going to save you from the curse. We just need to figure out a way to beat ... Phineas."