"I want to stay."
A shadow blotted out the sun. Across the street, a drakon slithered down the side of a skyscraper. It roared, and a thousand windows shattered.
"On second thought," Rachel said in a small voice. "I'll be inside."
Friendly tip: there are dragons, and then there are drakons.
Drakons are several millennia older than dragons, and much larger. They look like giant serpents. Most don't have wings. Most don't breathe fire (though some do). All are poisonous. All are immensely strong, with scales harder than titanium. Their eyes can paralyze you; not the turn-you-to-stone Medusa-type paralysis, but the oh-my-gods-that-big-snake-is-going-to-eat-me type of paralysis, which is just as bad.
The demigods have drakon-fighting classes at camp, but there is no way to prepare yourself for a two-hundred-foot-long serpent as thick as a school bus slithering down the side of a building, its yellow eyes like searchlights and its mouth full of razor-sharp teeth big enough to chew elephants.
"The Morpho and the child of Ares." Percy said, trying to remain strong. "Annabeth, still no word from Sen?"
"N-No." Annabeth stuttered.
"Which direction did she go in? Did she say anything about where she might go?" Percy demanded.
"I-I don't remember."
Percy stared at her. "You don't remember?" She was lying. Annabeth never forgot anything. Never. Percy noticed several demigods looking away, refusing to meet his eyes. "Do any of you know where Sen is?!"
"Percy, calm down." Chiron said.
Percy stared at him, his heart racing. A trick that ended in death. "I can't calm down! Where's Sen?" He gestured to the demigods. "I know you all know. Where is she?"
Silence.
"Answer me!"
"Percy!" Rachel snapped. He stared at her. She had tears in her eyes. Percy looked into the crowd, and his eyes landed on Ethan. Ethan was already staring at him, walking forward calmly.
Suddenly, Percy knew exactly why Ethan was here.
The entire world went silent. It was like Morpheus had put the entire war on hold except for Percy. The god wanted him to feel this moment.
It started in his head, like a simple headache. Sen died. It was barely a whisper, but a whisper nonetheless. Sen died. Her plan was already carried out. Her dangerous plan that might've ended in her death. Her dangerous plan that did end in her death.
Sen died. It was a little louder now. The pain started to drip down like a leaky faucet- slow, at first, but eventually, it'd be a big problem. That was why she wouldn't let Percy go to Central Park to fight. She knew what would happen.
Sen died. A lump formed in his throat. Prometheus said it would happen- just indirectly. That's why he'd given Percy the jar. Sen was supposed to die and Percy was supposed to give up Hope.
Sen died. Where was her body? That question made Percy's chest hurt. Where did she finally die? Was she still in Central Park? Were the nymphs taking care of her, giving her a grave of flowers and fertile land for her bees and butterflies to visit?