Sveta found it difficult to sleep in a moving train. Everyone else slept just fine. She found herself lying on her back, listening to everyone's breathing. Percy lay curled in a ball next to her, as Annabeth and Grover had taken the bunks. She turned on her side with a sigh, turning to face Percy. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. Not a look of worry on his face, until —

His eyebrows scrunched together and his breathing quickened. At once, she sat up and put a gentle hand on his shoulder, doing her best to wake him up without being too harsh. He finally sat up with a gasp, his eyes wide. But when he saw Sveta, he relaxed and unexpectedly pulled her into a hug, burying his face into her neck, trembling quite badly. She hugged him protectively to her body, running her fingers through his messy, curly hair. She found herself humming softly to the frightened, trembling boy. But as soon as she had started humming, he felt less tense and more at ease. His grip on her back began to relax. 

"Bad nightmare?" she asked gently once she'd finished humming.

"Yeah. I get them all the time," Percy answered bitterly. He paused. "I assume you can't sleep?"

"No. Not really," she admitted as she continued to rub his back in an attempt to soothe him. 

They were silent. Finally, Percy had the guts to ask what her friend, Thalia, was like.

"What was your friend Thalia like? The two of you were friends before, right?"

The girl stiffened. She hated talking about Thalia. It always brought a lump to her throat. But she decided to stay strong and not let Percy see her tears. He deserved to know, she assumed. 

"Yeah. I knew her, alright."

"What was she like?"

She breathed harshly through her nose. "Why are you asking me these questions, Percy?"

"Well, she was a Forbidden Child before me, wasn't she? I assume that she knew about this kind of stuff."

Sveta sighed, thinking back to the time when Thalia and Luke had found her and Annabeth, lost in the alleyway.

"She was tough," she finally answered. "Really tough. I mean, she knew that she was a Forbidden Child, she just didn't care. Luke cared for me and Annabeth right away. But Thalia? She made me earn her trust. She was always. . . . harsh, I guess. But once she opens up to you, she can actually be quite a softie."

"Is that why you've been giving me a hard time lately?" Percy asked. Sveta sighed, unsure of how to answer. "To force me to gain your trust?"

"Probably," she finally answered, hesitating. She also didn't want to admit that she had a crush on the boy. Ever since yesterday when he had defeated the Fury with Medusa's severed head, she realized that he was different from the other boys she knew.

"I gotta say, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me," Percy admitted.

"What doesn't make a lot of sense to you?"

"The way you guys talk. The way the gods want us to think. Having to get beaten up by Clarisse just to get my father to finally notice me. It isn't supposed to be that way. People who are close to you aren't supposed to treat you that way, are they?"

"No, I suppose not," Sveta answered.

Someone shifted on the bunks. Percy's eyes widened and he immediately settled back down next to the girl's side. Sveta smirked at Percy's awkwardness. 

"Annabeth? You awake?" she asked cautiously.

A moment of silence passed.

"No."

Sveta smirked. More movement sounded. She could hear Grover moving around.

"You awake?" Percy asked.

"Well, I am, now, thanks," Grover answered in a sarcastic, bitter tone.

"Are you okay?" Percy asked cautiously.

"He's super grouchy when he doesn't get enough sleep," Sveta answered.

"'He's super grouchy when he doesn't get enough' — nyah!" Grover mocked grumpily.

Percy was stunned. Never had he seen his calm, best friend act this way.

"Wow."

"You've never been on the road with him before, I see," Sveta hummed. She tried hard to not laugh at Grover's response and Percy's reaction. "A little different than an old froofy boarding school."

"Who's froofy? You're froofy!" Grover paused. "What's froofy?"

Annabeth kicked the underside of his bunk.

"You're froofy, you idiot! Now, shut up! I'm trying to sleep, here."

Grover was still in a dazed state, in between half-awake, half-asleep.

"I think that I need to eat," he finally grumbled.

Sveta smiled to herself. She got herself a little more comfortable on the floor. She could feel the sleep coming to her at last. She could hear Percy shuffling around, trying to get comfortable as well. She could feel him moving slightly closer to her turned back. A strange warmth crept through her again, and it had nothing to do with the fact that she was the daughter of the sun god.

***

They were up before the sun was. They sat in a booth where a few other people were hanging around as well. Sveta sat next to Percy, and Annabeth sat next to Grover.

"Two days left until we reach Los Angeles," said Grover. "I'd say that it's plenty of time before our deadline for the Underworld."

There was a brief silence. Finally, Percy spoke, sounding awkward.

"Can I ask a dumb question?"

Sveta stared before folding her arms over the table, tilting her head to the side. She smirked. She loved to playfully tease this boy. 

"It's like you want me to make fun of you," she remarked playfully.

Grover ignored the girl's comment.

"Shoot."

"I've never been to Los Angeles before. And I'm assuming that neither of you guys have been there either. So how will we know where we're going?"

"No idea," Sveta whispered honestly.

"Maybe we should try and focus on getting there than what waits for us," Grover suggested wisely. "Getting to the Underworld is step 37 of our plan. Right now, it looks like we're only on step 4. Just relax while we're at it."

But Percy was not having it. He had too many questions on his mind, as all demigod children did.

"Follow-up stupid question."

"Dude," Annabeth muttered under her breath. Sveta bit back a giggle. A playful smile played on her lips instead. 

"And you shall fail to save what matters most in the end," Percy repeated. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "I think that it means that our quest will fail. And no one's talked about it since we left. Seems like something we should be concerned about, isn't it? Shouldn't we take this. . . . a bit more seriously?"

"It could mean a lot of things," Sveta finally answered, shrugging.

No one moved or said anything. Finally, a small herd of centaurs caught Percy's eyes. He nudged his friends to look at them.

"Hey, guys! Look!"

They watched, in awe.

"Are those —?" Sveta began, but Grover cut her off.

"Centaurs," Grover finished for her. 

Percy looked around himself. He noticed that no one else had noticed the herd. They probably thought that they were horses under the Mist.

"No one's even noticed them," he muttered quietly.

"There used to be herds of them, everywhere," said Grover.

"What happened to them?" Percy asked.

Grover had a hint of bitterness in his voice when he spoke.

"Humans. A few thousand years ago, the god of the wild, Pan, went missing. And ever since then, without Pan to protect the natural world, humans have been trying to chip away at it."

"The bravest satyrs, called Searchers, had volunteered to go and search for Pan in the past," Sveta put in, defending Grover. "But none of them have returned."

"Your uncle was a Searcher, wasn't he?" Percy asked, his voice quiet. He remembered Grover telling them about Uncle Ferdinand's adventures. Grover nodded in response.

"The Oracle didn't say that we would fail," Sveta put in, remembering their conversation. "'Fail to save what matters most'. That could mean a lot of things. That's how Prophecies work. It could, honestly, mean a lot of things. The harder you work to understand it, the harder it gets to understand."

They sat in silence. As they sat there, an officer approached them, eyeing the four teens warily.

"Excuse me? Can I see your tickets, please?"

Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows before digging in her pack for the four tickets they'd bought.

"You're in Cabin 17-B?" the officer finally asked.

Sveta furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Yes?"

The officer told them to follow him to their cabin. When they reached it, Sveta's jaw dropped in shock. Their bunk room had been ripped to shreds. And from what she learned, no demigod could have done that. It had to be a monster.

"Would you like to explain?" the officer asked gruffly.

Sveta snapped her attention at him, shocked.

"Wait. Sir, you're saying that you think we did this?" she asked, stunned. "Does it look like a band of four children who are just trying to reach their destination would do this?"

"Sveta," said Percy warningly. He tried to grab onto her long-sleeved shirt, but she only yanked her elbow away.

"Did you?" the officer repeated again, more sharply.

"How?" Percy stuttered, clearly just as shocked as Sveta. And why?"

"Sir, when we went to go get breakfast this morning, everything was intact. We swear to you," said Grover defensively.

"We got a witness here," said the officer, who motioned to a woman, who seemed to be explaining everything dramatically to the journalist. "She said that she heard a window smash and the sound of children laughing."

Sveta scoffed out loud.

"C'mon," said Percy defensively. "You're thinking that we did this?"

"Can you please tell me what time you left your cabin?" the officer asked, continuing to ask them useless questions.

Annabeth was not having it. She got up to the officer's face.

"Are we under arrest?"

"You don't wanna use that tone on me, little girl," the officer warned.

Annabeth was getting angrier by the minute.

"Are we under arrest?" she repeated in a more sharper tone.

To confirm their answer, the officer led them back to their seats. They had other officers patrolling the area, making sure that the four teens wouldn't escape until they reached Los Angeles.

"So are we just killing time until we find out that the officer is a werewolf or something?" Percy finally asked, half-jokingly.

They glanced over at the officer. He and his buddy were drinking sodas now. Sveta could feel her insides boil with fury.

"I don't think that he is the monster," Annabeth answered quietly. "Someone else here is."

"If he isn't a monster, then what's going on, here?"

Percy was growing more and more impatient.

"Isn't it obvious?" Sveta whispered. "The gods obviously planted a monster here to stop us from going any further. And I'm betting that it's that woman over there."

"But we don't have anything," Percy insisted.

"The people who think that you stole Zeus' master bolt might disagree," Sveta pointed out.

"Right," said Percy bitterly.

"Well, they can't find something that we don't even have," said Grover defensively.

"Either way, we aren't going to be spending our day at the St. Louis police station answering stupid questions. We need to get out of here before our quest is even more delayed."

As she finished her sentence, a woman tapped Eira on the shoulder. She looked up to see a woman with a nervous smile staring at them. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"D-Do you mind if I sit?" she asked, sounding nervous.

"Erm . . . . not at all," Sveta answered. She had a bad feeling about this woman. "Go ahead."

She set down the dog carrier on the seat opposite of her. Sveta swore that she could hear a non-puppy growl coming from the inside. The hairs on her arms began to stand up on end.

"Do you mind if you move, please?" the woman asked the female officer, who stared suspiciously at the woman. "I think that you're making these four children nervous."

The officer did as she was told and walked away.

"You poor dears," the woman sympathized once the officer was out of earshot. "Your parents aren't here, are they?" The dog whimpered, whining. "Oh! Isn't that right, precious? Don't children get scared when they're all alone? It's okay. I'm a mom. I know how scary this must be for the four of you."

"Why are you here?" Sveta asked sharply.

The woman's smile began to fade, but she still continued to hold her gaze on the daughter of Apollo.

"I just wanted to let you know. . . . I don't think that it was actually the four of you that tore that room apart. I just wanted to have a word with you. There are some things that you must learn to understand —"

The entire time the woman continued talking, Sveta noticed something glinting off the woman's cardigan. Her heart rate began to quicken, and not because of fear. Finally, she had the guts to cut off the conversation.

"You have something on your jacket." The woman turned to face her. "It looks like . . . . it looks like glass."

She turned her attention to the woman's face. The confident smile she had on her face faded. The dog growled more aggressively. Sveta could feel Percy tensing next to her side, carefully scooting closer to her. He knew that this girl would protect him with all she had, no matter what. She found this as her chance to sneak her hand over to her middle finger where her ring rested.

"No one came in from inside the window," Grover noted suspiciously. "They had to come from the outside."

The dog's growling continued to get more aggressive. And Sveta had a strange feeling that the creature inside the carrier was not a dog at all.

"Oh!" said the woman. She knelt in front of the carrier. They could all hear what the woman was saying to her pet. "Yes, sweetheart. I know that you're getting impatient. Oh, but we're almost there!" She straightened back up and sat back down in her chair. "This isn't your fault," she spoke to the four teens again. "But sadly, you're gonna have to bear the burden of your parents' mistakes today."

What the hell did that mean?

"Listen, lady," said Percy at once. "I don't know who you are, but I think that I know what you are. We've run across a few monsters on our paths."

"And we sent them all packing," Sveta added, smirking at the woman.

The woman hissed. She did not like what the two teens had to say about her and her fellow monsters.

"Monsters? Like me? Well, of course, they're like me. They were my children."

"Children? What children?" said Percy nervously.

Sveta shrank back in realization, eyeing the carrier nervously.

"Echidna," she muttered. "Mother of Monsters."

"Oh, you've heard of me! How wonderful!"

"Everyone in our world has heard of you," Sveta sassed.

"Monster. Huh. What an odd word to call someone, considering that my grandmother is your great-grandmother. And this has always been a family story to demigods. But, to my eye, people like you are the monsters."

Sveta scoffed and rolled her eyes. They weren't monsters. They were humans. Well, part-humans, for that matter. The woman continued to explain why demigods were the monsters, rather than her own children.

"Disruptive. Violent. Dangerous, even. If I exist for anything, it is to stand in the way of monsters like you. My little one here, she's only just a pup. Bless her heart." She turned to the four teens with an evil smile on her face. "Today, you will be her prey. Are you afraid, yet? Oh, right! Fear is only natural. It's also essential for the hunt. Your fear, doubt, confusion. I need you to understand what was happening so that she can track your scent. So she can learn to grow. Because that's what a good mother does to her children, isn't it? Not that you would know."

Svetlana's eyes narrowed when she noticed that the zipper of the carrier was becoming undone. She freed her short dagger but still kept it under the table so that the monster wouldn't see. Percy backed slowly against Eira the point they were nearly touching. The evil woman smiled innocently.

"You should probably run, now."

But it was too late. The creature had released itself and immediately targeted itself at Percy. He cried out and slammed right into Sveta.

"Percy, go!" said the girl frantically. She shoved him to make to get to his feet. Once he got up, Sveta moved to strike at the creature. She did so, successfully, as the creature used its arm to reel her in.

"Sweetheart, no!" said Echidna as she heard the pained squeal as Sveta's short sword pierced its skin.

The creature released her and she chased after Percy, Annabeth, and Grover.

"Hey, you! Get back here!" the police yelled after her.

She didn't listen. She followed her three friends until they got to the next compartment. Sveta went back and locked the door so that the police and the monster could not get in. They stopped to catch their breaths, ignoring the police's threats. Finally, Sveta noticed something poking from Percy's shoulder. Something that looked distinctly like a needle. Her face immediately went pale. 

"Percy!" she cried out.

With trembling hands, she carefully plucked the stinger from Percy's shoulder. His hand immediately reacted to cover up the wound. Sveta's face went even more pale. She knew that this wasn't good. This stinger was dangerous for anyone who crosses the creature's path.

"What is that?" Grover asked anxiously.

"I dunno. But whatever it is, it clearly isn't good. Grover d'you know what kind of creature would have this kind of stinger?"

"I have no clue," Grover answered, shaking his head.

"Do you feel okay?" Sveta asked Percy gently. She put a soft hand on his forehead to make sure that there was no sudden drop in his temperature.

"I — I think so. Why? Do you think that the stinger is poisonous?" Percy asked anxiously as he held his hand to his shoulder. 

"I can't remember, unfortunately," she sighed as she let go of his shoulder. "But I can try to heal it once we get to safety."

The monster was approaching. The train shook, almost falling on its side from the monster's weight. Sveta knew that this was the chance for them to escape, out of the train.

"C'mon! Let's go!" she called desperately.

They made their way out of the Amtrak and continued walking on foot. They all noticed that the monster was no longer following them. But it wouldn't be that way for long.

"Why isn't it still chasing us?" Percy finally asked when he noticed that the creature wasn't around.

"Echidna said that the monster was still young, didn't she?" Sveta answered. "It won't venture far from its mother. She's learning to hunt. This looks like the hunting part for her."

They were now wandering the streets of St. Louis, thinking about where they should go. Finally, Grover spoke up.

"We aren't going to be able to outrun them for very long."

"We won't need to," Annabeth answered. "We just need a safe place until they decide to give up on trying to chase us."

"Okay. Does anyone here know a place that's safe from monsters?" Sveta asked nervously.

"I do," said Annabeth proudly.

"But doesn't a sanctuary of the gods have to be somewhere out of sight?" Percy asked, confused.

"It's not entirely hidden," Annabeth reminded him. "It's actually . . . . not hidden at all. Tourists go there on a daily basis. It's a sanctuary, dedicated to Athena."

"Hold up! There's an Athenian temple dedicated to her here in St. Louis?" Grover asked, surprised.

They walked towards the famous Arch. Annabeth explained, enthusiastically, the dynamics of the Arch. And how it was all held up by math. There was nothing supporting the weight of the heavy temple.

"This is how you show Athena your love," said Annabeth brightly as they walked inside the museum. "A monument of power and perfection!"

"And it's a monument for other things, too," Grover added bitterly. He motioned to the painting of two ancient Greek people taking down what looked like a bull.

"You're talking about why some humans want this place to be about," Annabeth snapped. "I'm talking about what it actually is."

"Whatever," huffed Grover. "We're safe here, right?"

"No monster can enter it. Not even Echidna," Annabeth reassured them.

"Great! Well, since our train exploded, I'm going to go find some train tickets. We can't stay here forever."

And with that, he gave the painting one last murderous look before stalking away to find some tickets. The trio now stood in silence.

"He doesn't like it when people mistreat animals," Sveta finally said.

"I know. I — I shouldn't have snapped at him," Annabeth admitted, feeling guilty. "Well, I'm going to go look around. Keep an eye on Percy for us, will you, Sveta? Thanks." 

And with that, she began to wander away from them, looking at the artefacts. To prevent them from being too awkward with each other, Percy finally spoke. 

"So! This place is a temple?" 

"Apparently so," Sveta answered with a shrug. "I'm honestly not familiar with temples, especially the ones here in America. Annabeth knows more about them than I do. But, y'know, a temple is a temple. Maybe you can say 'hi' to your dad while we're here?" 

Percy quickly shook his head, deadpanning the answer. 

"No, thanks," Percy answered bitterly.

She frowned.

"Why not?"

"In all honesty, for the past few days, you have helped me more than my father has my entire life," Percy admitted. He was rambling, he knew it. But he had to get it off his chest. "If I had to choose anyone, I would choose —" 

He stopped himself, biting his lower lip. He was suddenly shy again. He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. He didn't want to admit it, but he'd liked Sveta ever since she'd taken care of him after his nasty run-in with the Minotaur. He didn't want to admit it just yet. Sveta only chuckled and smiled at him. Her eyes twinkled mischievously at him. 

"Careful," she laughed, still smiling at him. "I think that you were about to call me your friend."

Percy stopped himself and looked down, feeling shy again. Sveta squinted over at Percy, frowning slightly. "Are you sure you're all right, Perce? You're looking a bit pale there — whoa! Percy!" 

But Sveta could barely finish her sentence. At that moment, everything seemed muffled to Percy and the boy had gone momentarily still before his knees buckled. He was on the verge of collapsing from the intense pain that circulated through his body. Finally, his knees gave out and he began to crash to the floor. Luckily, she was there to catch him. 

"P-Percy?!" she gasped. She caught him in her arms around the chest before he hit the floor. She held him close to her as Percy breathed heavily. "Oh, shit! Annabeth?! Grover?!" 

"What happened?!" Grover asked anxiously as he came over towards them. He had heard the girl's cries of distress.

"I think — I think that the stinger was poisonous," Percy breathed heavily, still slumping in Sveta's arms. 

"What are we going to do?" said Grover anxiously. "I mean, there is no source of water anywhere. And the nearest river is about twenty feet from the Arch."

As Grover spoke Sveta found herself looking around, praying that there was some source of water. Finally, her eyes rested on the monumental fountain from outside. She had an idea, but she needed Grover's and Annabeth's help.

"I've got an idea. But I'll need as much help as I can. Percy, wrap your arms around my neck."

If they weren't in such a serious position, Sveta would have been embarrassed about this. Percy stared up at her, hoping that he heard her wrong.

"What?"

"Just do as I say, Percy! Do you want help, or not?"

Percy breathed a rattling sigh that sounded painful to Sveta. It made her heart hurt for him.

 The boy reluctantly wrapped his arms around the girl's neck. She carefully scooped him up in her arms, the same way she had carried him when he first came to camp. She made sure that he was comfortable. Percy's head fell limply onto her shoulder. He began to feel weak from the poison that coursed through his veins.

Sveta finally lowered his body into the fountain. Annabeth and Grover followed the girl. They knew exactly what he needed help with. While the two were splashing water on Percy in hopes of letting the water heal him, The daughter of Apollo pressed her hand against the wound and closed her eyes. She began to hum a hymn to her father in hopes that he would answer.

Usually, she could feel a tingling sensation when she worked her magic. But today, there was nothing. Not even the faintest tingling feeling. She tried harder, but nothing.

"Why isn't the water working?!" Annabeth panicked. "The water healed him back at camp. Why isn't it doing that now?"

"Maybe it has to be natural running water for Poseidon to heal him?" Grover suggested. "Sveta, has any of your magic worked, yet?"

The girl sighed and let her hand fall to her side as an answer.

"Y'know, I — I think that this is working," said Percy hesitantly as he struggled to get to his feet on his own, clinging onto Sveta's arm for support. "Thanks, guys. This was a really great call —" He collapsed back into the water with a groan, panting heavily. Sveta bit her lower lip, concerned. She kept a hand on the boy's shoulder. Her heart pounded nervously in her chest. "Or not."

Through her mind's eye, Sveta could see Echidna approaching them. She used her hand to make a car fly into the air before crashing just feet away from them.

The girl bit her lower lip. She didn't know what to do. Usually, her healing powers worked right away. Her father must be mad at her for something. She just couldn't understand why he would be mad at her. They usually had a decent father-daughter relationship and rarely got mad at each other. If he was mad at her, it would be for something serious. And she didn't know what she would do to make her father angry. 

"Okay. If Sveta's powers aren't working, and neither is the water, we need to go to the altar, now," Annabeth suggested firmly, trying to keep the group calm. 

"Altar?" said Percy weakly from the ground. He was leaning against Sveta for support now. She used her own body to support his weight. "Where is there an altar?"

"The highest point, where the best view is," Annabeth answered in a 'duh' sort of voice.

"Okay. . . . but what good is that going to do? It'll only make us more trapped! If we don't get help from the gods quickly, Percy is going to die."

Sveta didn't want to be snappy at her friends. She could feel the tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She hated to admit it, but she found herself having a crush on the boy. Ever since Medusa's lair, her feelings for Percy had only grown, no matter how hard she tried to diminish them. She hated to see this boy be in so much pain. 

"We're going to get to the altar, and we're going to ask my mom and Sveta's dad for help," said Annabeth as calmly as she could.

"I thought we don't ask for help?" Percy asked weakly from the ground.

"Wait, maybe we should keep trying," said Grover hopefully.

"Absolutely not!" Sveta snapped. She put a gentle hand on Percy's shoulder. "We've already tried for a few minutes. And obviously, there's been nothing that could help him. We've gotta get help from either Athena or Apollo. Percy, grab onto my neck again."

Percy weakly did so. She scooped him in her arms once again, keeping him secure in her arms. The poor boy leaned his head against her shoulder. The pain screamed at him. He didn't want to move at all. 

"Did you hear that?" she asked.

Sveta turned around, shifting Percy in her arms to get him more comfortable. She felt quite irritated with the fact that they were stalling. 

"What?"

Annabeth was quiet for a moment.

"Never mind. Let's go!"

They got into the Arch and immediately made their way towards the pod. Luckily, there was enough space for the four of them. She set Percy down next to her, bringing him close to her side, wrapping an arm firmly around his waist. He gripped the front of her jacket tightly. His head leaning against her shoulder. Every whimper that he made, and every intense shiver from his body made her feel anxious and even more protective of the innocent boy. 

"What did Echidna say to you?" Sveta asked. Annabeth didn't answer. She looked stunned. "She spoke to you, didn't she? In your mind? Annabeth?" she repeated.

"We're in a temple of Athena," Grover ranted. "There's no way a monster can show up and just casually enter the building."

"Annabeth!" Sveta repeated sharply. "What did Echidna say to you?!"

The doors of the elevator began to close. They looked up just in time to see Echidna and the shadow of a monster right behind her. Sveta's mouth went dry and she held Percy even more protectively to her side. And that was when she realized with a sinking feeling —

The fear of losing Percy was her second weakness. She barely even knew the boy. But she felt such a strong connection with him. It was impossible to ignore the ever-growing feelings she had for him. 

"Was that the chimera?" said Grover in shock. "I think that was the chimera!"

"Annabeth?" said Sveta firmly for the third time. "What did Echidna say to you?"

Annabeth looked away in shame.

"She said that my impertinence wounded my mother's pride," she finally answered in a bitter tone. "And that it would be my doom."

"Impertinence?" Sveta echoed, eyebrows furrowed with confusion. She struggled to get her words out, trying to block out the boy's whimpers of pain. Every shuddering breath, and every whimper of pain he let out made Sveta feel furious with Echidna for injuring Percy. She wanted revenge on the woman who tried to kill Percy. She held the injured boy closer to her, becoming incredibly protective of him. "What kind of —?" She cut herself off when she realized what had happened. Annabeth glared warningly at her. "Oh. Medusa's head."

"I embarrassed my mother," said Annabeth. "And she told me that Sveta embarrassed her father. Now, they're both angry, and neither of them will help us when we get to the top."

"But . . . .," the girl struggled to get her words out in hopes to defend Annabeth. "Percy was the one who had the idea! I was the one that signed the note!"

"Yeah? And I went along with it! I might not have done the things you and Percy did with Medusa's head, but it was enough to embarrass my mother and your father!" Annabeth shot back, glaring at the girl in front of her.

"Guys, what are we going to do?" Grover asked nervously.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, looking furious. "Well, it's obvious that neither my mother nor Sveta's father is going to help heal Percy."

"No! I mean, what are we going to be doing about the chimera? They wouldn't be too far from us once we get off the elevator. They're going to be right behind us."

The elevator dinged, signalling that they had come to a halt at last. Sveta wrapped her arm around Percy's shoulders, allowing him to lean into her for support.

"I've got an idea," she answered. "But we need to get all of the mortals out."

They got to the top of the arch, which was filled with people. Sveta's heart pounded in her chest when she realized —

"Oh, no. We need to get them out of here," Annabeth demanded.

Sveta looked around for something that could help them. She finally recognized the fire alarm. She passed Percy to Annabeth and Grover, who both helped him to sit down so that he could regain his strength for a moment. She walked straight over to the fire alarm and triggered it. At once, everyone began to make a beeline for the exit.

The girl knelt in front of Percy. She guarded him protectively from anyone who might jostle against him and make his pain worse. She ignored the people that bumped into her. She took the boy's unusually cold face gently in her hands, getting him to look weakly at her. He stared at her with tired eyes. The girl ran the soft pads of her thumbs against his cheekbones. 

"Percy, here's what I need you to do. Okay? I need you to listen to me. Annabeth and Grover are going to help you down to the river where Poseidon can heal you. I'll stay here and fight the chimera to buy you guys some time."

Percy couldn't believe what he was hearing. The girl that he had been arguing with off-and-on was willing to risk her life for his. He shook his head desperately. For him, he wanted that to be the complete opposite. He wanted to save her, no matter how much pain he was in.

Percy found himself gripping Svetlana's wrist tightly. He tried hard to not let his body give in to the poison that coursed through his entire body. "No. Sveta, we — we have to stay together as a team! You know that!"

Sveta pressed her forehead gently against his. "I know, Percy! Believe me, I know. I don't want us to split up, either! But I also don't want you dying! Please just let Annabeth and Grover help you to the river so that you can be healed. I'll be fine."

Sveta gently pressed her forehead against Percy's forehead once more. Their noses barely grazed each other's. Percy closed his eyes. He was going to miss this girl's touch. Then she got up and carefully helped the boy to his feet. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she passed him to Grover and Annabeth, who immediately wrapped both of his arms around their neck to keep him supported. Both of them looked shocked. 

"Get Percy downstairs, and get him to the river," she demanded. Her confidence never wavered, despite how terrified she was of this chimera. "Do not stop. Not until you three get to Hades. Not until you have the bolt. Do you understand me?"

"Sveta, we're not splitting up!" said Percy defensively with a groan of pain. He tried to ignore the pain that coursed quickly through his body. "We're doing this together!" 

Sveta only shook her head furiously. A glint of determination shone in her eyes.

"No. We all know that I wasn't going to make it to Hades, anyways. I'm not as powerful as the rest of you are. I'm just holding the rest of you guys back. Now, go! Before the poison gets worse!"

Sveta began to shut the door in on them, but Percy quickly stopped her.

"Wait! At least take this."

He uncapped Riptide, his sword, before holding it out to Sveta.

 She stared at it with tears in her eyes. Boy, she was really going to miss Percy. He was the only one that kept her sane, even though they bickered a lot. She bit her lower lip before grabbing the sword around the hilt. 

But, to her surprise, Percy switched places with her. Before she could react, he closed the door on his friends, leaning against it so that they wouldn't be able to get through to him. He winced and nearly collapsed from the pain that circulated through his body.

"What the —?! Percy, no!" said Sveta in disbelief. She began to bang on the door desperately, hoping that he would open it so that she could help. "Percy, come back! They'll kill you!"

"Poseidon's never helped me before," said Percy defensively, his voice cracking with pain. A tear slipped down her cheek. She hated to hear him be in pain. "He wasn't going to start, now."

"Percy, I'm serious! Open this damn door or else I'm gonna have to knock it down myself!"

"I never would have made it to Hades," Percy continued. Sveta could hear the pain in his voice, which she absolutely hated to hear. "But you can. I know you will."

Percy moved away from the door. Sveta could hear him on the other side. Her eyes widened and she began to pull desperately at the handle.

"Percy?" she asked, panicked, as she tried to kick down the steel door in front of her. Tears were in her eyes. "Percy, can you hear me?! Percy!"

"Sveta, stop!" said Annabeth firmly. She grabbed her friend's elbows, pulling her back from the door. "He's not going to open the door. We all know that!"

"Annabeth, what the hell?!" she said shrilly, her eyes blurred with tears. "Why did you pull me away?!"

Annabeth stared at her friend with tears in her eyes as well.

"I hate to say this, Sveta," said Annabeth shakily, "but you never would have been able to help Percy, anyways. You said that the creature was a demigod killer. It would have killed you within minutes. Maybe even seconds!"

"I'm not leaving him, Annabeth!" Sveta could feel her voice rising with each word she spoke.

"I'm afraid we have to, Sveta," said Grover forlornly. "There's no way he can survive the chimera's wrath, especially after he's been stung by it."

They heard a low, menacing growl from the other end of the door before they heard Echidna's smirking voice.

"The unfortunate boy just plunged to his death." 

Sveta's eyes widened when she heard the woman. It was as if Echidna knew that the three of them were still waiting for Percy to come out alive. Still numb with shock, Sveta allowed Annabeth to drag her down the flights of stairs to get outside. 

*** Ok, I know that parts of this chapter was incredibly cringy. But I told y'all that Sveta is a strong character in this book. Hope y'all understand! ***