Percy Jackson, The Missing Hero.

39. Dionysus: God of Terrible Prophecy Recollection.

Once they were in the air, Percy asked Leo to head for New York. He was incapable of hiding the note of panic in his voice as he made his request and Leo made no attempt to argue. The son of Hephaestus crossed the deck to the sound of silence, bags strewn around at their feet as nobody wanted to be the one to start making jokes about room arrangements.

"Are we going to discuss that new Prophecy or not?" Jason asked, effectively labelling the elephant in the room and breaking the quiet. "I don't know about everyone else, but I'm thinking that it's pretty obvious we're going to have to head for the Maze."

"That's what, two Prophecies that have mentioned it now? Thalia raised an eyebrow, her eyes stormy. "I'm pretty sure we should be heading underground and not into the sky, as much as it pains me to say it."

"I'm slightly more concerned about the missing god," Percy snarked, not in the mood to argue. There was a ball of anxiety writhing in his chest, a deep concern that stemmed from the two Prophecies that had been issued in as many days. He didn't know if they were intertwined and he wasn't sure if he wanted to find out. "Which is why I want to take a trip up to Olympus before we head down to the Labyrinth."

"Why bother?" Hazel asked. "You heard that his disappearance wasn't noticed."

"Just because it wasn't noticed whenever it happened, doesn't mean that it will remain unnoticed," Percy sighed. He wanted to look to Apollo for assistance but knew that the god was likely silent for a reason, running through possibilities and scenarios in his head. "The sooner the gods know that one of their number is missing, the sooner they figure out who."

"Dionysus was at Camp, surely he would have gone straight to Olympus to alert them?" Jason pointed out.

"I'm aware of that." Percy took a deep breath. "I just need to see the Council myself and make sure that they're taking this seriously. I know that they will, but I just need to double-check for my own peace of mind."

"I get that, but isn't it a little counterproductive?" Annabeth asked. "We're already more than twenty-four hours behind Nathan and Octavian and not even the gods know where they are right now."

"We've left Camp and the closest entrance to the Labyrinth that we're aware of," Jason sounded slightly exasperated. "Going to Olympus would be nothing but a waste of time. There's nowhere in New York we can safely land this boat so we can head for the elevator up to Olympus and flying there would be a death wish."

"Which is why I asked Bellerophon to send a few Pegasi after us." Percy informed him, letting out an ear-piercing whistle that he had used often after gaining custody of Mrs. O'Leary. He could only hope that they'd managed to catch up with them.

"Give us a warning next time you plan to do that, Blue, it was nearly as bad as Will-" Nico stopped speaking, looking surprised at himself.

Three Pegasi emerging from the clouds behind them distracted anyone from making a comment, Blackjack and two other pure white Pegasi putting on a last burst of speed so they could land easily on the deck.

'Hi, Bossman! Heard you needed a lift?' Blackjack trotted over to him, headbutting him playfully until he started to scratch the spot behind the Pegasus's right ear that he knew he secretly loved.

"Thank you for coming," Percy said aloud for the benefit of those around them, trying to ignore the stunned look on Annabeth's face as she saw Blackjack happily interacting with a 'complete stranger'.

"You're going to fly to Olympus on Pegasi?" Jason frowned. "Isn't that a little... dangerous?"

Percy had to refrain from laughing; he knew full well that Jason was using the word 'dangerous' instead of asking about the likelihood of Zeus deciding to strike them from the sky on approach.