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.
I looked down at my hands. I had told some of them about what I saw in the blue room. Many of us exchanged simulations (at least, some of them). Jason trusted us with his story, so I wanted to show that I trusted him.
My eyes watered as I gazed at Thalia. Annabeth was smiling in approval as she placed her hand on mine. I clasped it firmly.
"Thalia-"
"I want to Percy. Your mom seems like a wonderful human being, and you saved my baby's life more than once. This is my way of paying respect," Thalia stated.
I nodded, and we sat in silence. It was a comfortable silence. I was grateful for many of the members of our group. In particular, I was close to Jason, Piper, Rachel, Thalia, and Annabeth.
"Anyway, I came here because I wanted to tell you guys some things. One, I'm having Braxton hicks contractions. They're becoming more frequent, and it's intervening with my ability to concentrate and function," Thalia said firmly.
"WAIT," I stood up in shock. "YOU'RE HAVING CONTRACTIONS?"
"Stop freaking out, Seaweed Brain. Braxton hicks aren't real contractions. They are a fluke in the system that happens frequently in later pregnancies," Annabeth explained.
I took a deep breath of relief before sitting down. Annabeth and Thalia were both laughing at my slight panic attack.
"I'm afraid that they'll hinder my performance when the next phase comes. Also, it's an indication that the baby is getting closer," Thalia said.
"Thalia, we got you. Don't worry."
"Also, remember the memory that Jason told us. The one where he was separated from his sister when he was a child," Thalia started.
"Of course, it's really sad. I felt so bad. But, it's strange that Elysium knew of a childhood memory of Jason's," Annabeth said. I agreed completely.
"Well, I saw it too. The exact same memory," Thalia expressed. Tears were in her eyes as she stared at our confused expressions.
"What I'm saying is that I was separated from my brother when we were children. He had blonde hair, blue eyes, and even a scar near his lip. He got the scar by trying to eat a stapler. What I'm saying is that I think Jason is my brother."
I simply stared at her in shock. A consistent memory definetly wasn't a coincidence. Elysium knew that they were related. But, it didn't make any sense.
"You don't have the same last names?" I questioned.
"Hunter is the last name of my adoptive parent, Artemis Hunter. She will forever be my mom, but I think that my brother is right here. Elysium knows us personally," Thalia expressed.
"Did you talk to Jason?" Annabeth asked.
"No, this isn't the right way to have that conversation. I don't want to do it without knowing for sure. But, I'm so confident about this theory,' Thalia stated.
'Thalia, do you remember anything about your dad? Elysium knows you and Jason personally. Jason explained that your mom was a normal person. What about your dad? Maybe, he's connected to Elysium, and that connection brought you here," Annabeth suggested.
A faraway look came across Annabeth's face, and she frowned sadly. Clearly, her suggestion brought back memories that hurt her.
I wondered what Annabeth was thinking about (or who she was thinking about).
"I don't remember my dad. Jason was a baby, and I was only two when he left. I despised him for leaving us," Thalia said sadly. We all silenced again. Each one of us were having our thoughts.
"Annabeth, what did you mean about my dad being connected to Elysium?"
"I don't know. If your dad is someone who's a threat to Elysium, maybe they brought you both here as a form of revenge. Possibly, it's just a theory," Annabeth sighed.
I stared into her gray eyes, which were clouded with emotions and pain. I wondered if she was proposing a theory that actually applied to her. Maybe, she was connected to Elysium because of her mom or dad.
I nudged her arm to get her attention.
Annabeth shook her head and ignored me. "Why did you tell us, Thalia?"
"I feel closest with the two of you, and I couldn't hold it in any longer. It's definitely helping to talk to someone."
I nodded in understanding. It's been a few days since the blue room. Many of us opened up on the second day, and it helped. I helped to get our frustrations out, at least in front of those that we trusted.
For example, no one here really trusted Luke. We stayed away from him for the most part. I had my eyes wide open for anything suspicious.
I sighed before gazing at the wall again. The wall between the two posters was a mystery. I had no clue how to possibly open it and escape.
However, I had an idea of who might be better equipped to take on the challenge.
"Annabeth, I'm thinking about recruiting Leo's help. He's the best with technology and mechanics out of all of us," I whispered.
"Honestly, Percy, everyone knows that there are secret doors. He's probably already tried to do things," Thalia said logically.
"Yeah, but Annabeth and I know specific locations of these hidden doors. We just need someone to open the walls. And, I trust Leo's morale and abilities," I expressed. Thalia and Annabeth both agreed to recruit Leo Valdez.
I believed in Leo Valdez, and I was optimistic that he could help us escape. With that internal confirmation, I left Annabeth and Thalia to go find Leo.
Unsurprisingly, Leo was in the cafeteria. He was third-wheeling Jason and Piper, who were laughing along to Leo's jokes. They had their lunches in front of them. Frank, Hazel, Nico, and Will were eating at the other table. Their table was quiet, yet conversational. They were calmer Leo. Anyone is calmer than Leo.
I grabbed one of the remaining lunch trays and went to Jason's table. As I sat down, I stared at the scar near Jason's lower lip. Apparently, it was from him trying to eat a stapler.
Wow. Thalia and Jason were possibly related. I would've never imagined because they were so different in looks and personality.
However, I noticed that they had the same blue eyes.
"What is it, Percy? Is there something on my face?" Jason asked self-consciously.
"No, sorry. I was just thinking about something else. It's been a long day already. Anyway, what are we talking about here?"
"Leo was telling us how he set his chemistry lab on fire," Piper said.
"That is totally something that you would do. I'm not even surprised," I chuckled as Leo continued his story.
I realized that I trusted the three of them at this table. I haven't mentioned the specific locations of the secret doors to anyone, but it was time to tell them. They could help us.
"Guys, I hate to interrupt, but we need to talk quietly now," I whispered harshly.
I decided to lower my voice even more. Jason, Piper, and Leo paused and leaned closer to me. They all looked serious as they waited for me to elaborate.
"You all probably know that there are secret doors in the walls. Annabeth and I know specific locations of the secret pool and cafeteria doors," I whispered.
"Wait, where? How did you find them?" Jason asked quietly.
"I saw them coming out of the secret passageway in the pool room when I was evading them a while ago (before the race)," I explained. "I've run out of ideas on opening the wall, and I thought that Leo could help."
"Leo, you are the best with tech and mechanics. Do you have any ideas?" Piper asked.
I could see the gears turning in Leo's head as his hands fidgeted with invisible tools and gadgets. He had ideas that he was trying to put together. Then, Leo looked up at us.
"Leo McShizzle Hot-Stuff always has ideas," Leo commented.
We leaned back and started laughing. Gods, Leo can lighten anyone's day. Having his fun personality here was definetly a bonus. He tried his best and sometimes succeeded in making everyone feel better.
We continued to eat as Leo listed a few ideas. He used technical terms that Piper and I couldn't keep up with. However, Jason seemed to be able to follow Leo's intellect.
Piper and I lost motivation in trying to pay attention. Instead, we focused on our lunch, and Leo continued to rant.
A few minutes passed in peace before all hell broke loose.
The cafeteria doors slammed shut, and a loud buzzer rang. I covered my ears as the ringing only intensified. What the hell?
Everyone was covering their ears before the buzzer died.
I stood up to notice a flatscreen monitor come out of the wall next to the doors. A bright 1-hour timer flashed on the screen.
The cafeteria doors had a window, and I noticed Rachel looking through. She was safe on the other side though. We were trapped in this phase.
"Guys, what's going on?" Will asked.
"Commence Phase 6," a monotone voice buzzed.
Their group approached our group, and we started looking around the cafeteria. The large circular cafeteria was fairly bland. I had no clue what to do. The seconds ticked away before Piper found the first clue. A letter was taped to the bottom of the dining table.
It was our first clue of many.
We all crowded around the clue as Piper read it aloud.
I noticed Annabeth and Thalia joined Rachel outside the cafeteria. So many conflicted emotions were on Annabeth's face. However, her beautiful, gray eyes were clearly telling me one thing: the cafeteria phase would not be good for us.
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