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I 015. I
𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒔
❝ ladon ❞
SHE FELT COLD. It wasn't because of the weather, despite the fact that her sweatshirt was still wet from the fountain and the cool air was sleeping through her clothes. Something was causing her brain to keep her senses dialed to an eleven, and it wasn't because of the manticore, but of something else. Something deadlier.
Her feet crunched against the gravel by the waterfront. She wished she had something other than converse, like tennis shoes or combat boots. But then again, she wasn't anticipating a quest until Percy dragged her along, and she would've killed him if he had left without her, anyways.
The girl grew sad because Bianca popped into her mind. The younger girl who only wanted to be free and take care of her brother, their savior from being squashed by a giant robot. It should've been her, but Bianca has sacrificed herself, and maybe if the brunette was faster, Nico would have his sister again.
"We will never make it," Zoe said. "We are moving too slow. But we cannot leave the Ophiotaurus."
"Mooo," Bessie said. He swam next to Percy as they jogged along the waterfront. They'd left the shopping center pier far behind. They were heading towards the Golden Gate Bridge, but it was farther than Ariadne realized. The sun was already dipping in the west.
"I don't get it," Percy said. "Why do we have to get there at sunset."
"The Hesperides are the nymphs of the sunset," Zoe said. "We can only enter their garden as the day changes to night."
"What happens if we miss it?"
"Tomorrow is the winter solstice. If we miss sunset tonight, we would have to wait until tomorrow evening. And by then, the Olympian Council will be over. We must free Lady Artemis tonight."
Ariadne and Percy shared a glance. Not only would Artemis not attend the council, but Annabeth will most likely be dead, and neither could bear that.
"We need a car," Thalia said.
"But what about Bessie?" Ariadne asked.
Grover stopped in his tracks. "I've got an idea! The Ophiotaurus can appear in different bodies of water, right?"
"Well, yeah," Percy said. "I mean, he was in Long Island Sound. Then he just popped into the water at Hoover Dam. And now he's here."
