𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐄

𝐗𝐕

He opens up my door and I get into his car
And he says, "You look beautiful tonight"
And I feel perfectly fine...

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐢 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮, taylor swift

They were crossing the Potomac when they spotted the helicopter. It was a sleek, black military model just like the one they'd seen at Westover Hall. And it was coming straight toward them.

"They know the van," Percy said. "We have to ditch it."

Zoe swerved into the fast lane. The helicopter was gaining.

"Maybe the military will shoot it down," Grover said hopefully.

"The military probably thinks it's one of theirs," Percy tried to keep up with Grover's hope. "How can the General use mortals, anyway?"

"Mercenaries," Zoe said bitterly. "It is distasteful, but many mortals will fight for any cause as long as they are paid."

"But don't these mortals see who they're working for?" Selene asked. "Don't they notice all the monsters around them?"

Zoe shook her head. "I do not know how much they see through the Mist. I doubt it would matter to them if they knew the truth. Sometimes mortals can be more horrible than monsters."

The helicopter kept coming, making a lot better time than they were through D.C. traffic.

Thalia closed her eyes and prayed hard. "Hey, Dad. A lightning bolt would be nice about now. Please?"

But the sky stayed gray and snowy. No sign of a helpful thunderstorm.

Turning to Selene, Thalia pleaded, "Could you lend me a hand here?"

Selene closed her eyes, "Hi, ex-boyfriend. Can you help us?"

Silence.

She shrugged, "Welp, I tried. His new girlfriend probably has a no-contact rule or something."

"You realize you're talking about Hera, right? The queen of Olympus."

"...okay?"

"There!" Bianca pointed. "That parking lot!"

"We'll be trapped," Zoe said.

"Trust me," Bianca reassured.

Zoe shot across two lanes of traffic and into a mall parking lot on the south bank of the river. They left the van and followed Bianca down some steps.

"Subway entrance," Bianca said. "Let's go south. Alexandria."

"Anything," Thalia agreed.

They bought tickets and got through the turnstiles, looking behind them for any signs of pursuit. A few minutes later they were safely aboard a southbound train, riding away from D.C. As their train came above ground, they could see the helicopter circling the parking lot, but it didn't come after them.