14: The Wall

                                    

                                          
Percy POV
I inspected the wall closely. I could see the outline of the secret door. It was faint, but I knew that this wall held a secret passageway. I had seen them using it myself. While I tried to pry the wall open, I simply couldn't. 
I was in the pool area (no surprise there). 
"Seaweed Brain, you've spent hours on this. There's no way to open the hidden door from this side. Elysium fortified the place completely," Annabeth said firmly. 
"These secret doors are our only escape out of this hellhole," I stated. 
"We can't open them from this side. It's pointless."
I sighed as I gazed at the Olympics posters on the wall. The posters were helpful during phase 4 when Annabeth and I got stuck in the pool room. However, they were of no use now. 
"Seaweed Brain, Elysium build those secret doors so that they have a way into Sector 3. That's how they set up the phases. They weren't made to be a way out," Annabeth explained. 
"You certainly know a lot about them, don't you?" I snapped. My voice was harsh, and I saw her wince and quieten. 
I immediately felt bad, so I walked towards her. 
"I'm sorry, Wise Girl. I'm just a little upset and angry," I expressed. I watched her frowning face with disappointment. However, I knew that I wasn't completely wrong. Annabeth did know a lot about Elysium; she was connected to them in some way. 
"You saved us in the blue room," Annabeth whispered. "Many of us would be dead if you didn't jam the electricity." 
"We both know that we have someone else to thank," I said carefully. I was talking about Reyna. We owed her our lives because I certainly would've died without her tool. 
"They're the only one left in Elysium. Everyone else has been caught. That was the meaning behind the last message that you received," Annabeth explained. "It's only a matter of time before they discover them."
I realized that Annabeth was also being incredibly careful. We were using language that wouldn't give Elysium any clues about Reyna's identity 
"Do you think that-"
Annabeth shushed me as Thalia entered the pool room. She walked towards us while keeping a safe distance away from the water. Thalia looked strained, and her face showed great discomfort. 
"Thalia, is everything okay?" Annabeth asked with concern. 
Thalia sat down on a nearby bench, and we also joined her. Thalia massaged her stomach before turning towards us. "Nothing about this is all right," she snapped in annoyance. 
Annabeth and I looked at each other. A silent message passed between us. Thalia was pregnant, and she was stressed. We couldn't fault her for anything offensive. Honestly, we can't fault anyone here for being angry or frustrated. 
"I'm sorry guys. I hate to admit it, but I'm a little scared. I'm close to eight months pregnant. It's only a matter of time before she comes," Thalia expressed. 
"Thalia, Luna is going to be all right. We're going to look after her, and hopefully, this all ends before then."
"Percy, her name isn't Luna. I've decided that I preferred another name more."
Annabeth put her arm around Thalia and rubbed her shoulder to comfort her. It was quiet today, and the peace was nice. No one wanted another phase like the last one. 
"So, what did you decide on?" 
"I'm going to name her Sally. My baby's name will be Sally Luna Hunter," Thalia said firmly.