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Annabeth grabbed the railing to keep her balance
"Yes," Reyna said, seeing her disco about wisdo pale and gold The sa But you say that you’ve never heard them before today?"
"Not--not the way Ella said the She’d never heard that prophecy, but herthe Mark of Athena; and as she thought about the coin in her pocket, a horrible suspicion began taking root in her ht about the strange nightod--did he explain his quest?"
Reyna shook her head "At the ti about Much later, when I becaan to suspect"
"Suspect…what?"
"There is an old legend that the praetors of Cah the centuries If it’s true, it ods have never been able to work together It may be the cause of our aniend goes, Roend centers on Athena--"
A shrill sound pierced the air Light flashed in the corner of Annabeth’s eye
She turned in time to see an explosion blast a new crater in the foruods scattered in panic
"Giants?" Annabeth reached for her dagger, which of course wasn’t there "I thought their ariants" Reyna’s eyes seethed with rage "You’ve betrayed our trust"
"What? No!"
As soon as she said it, the Argo II launched a second volley Its port ballista fired a ht through the broken do up the building like a jack-o’-lantern If anyone had been in there…
"Gods, no" A wave of nausea almost made Annabeth’s knees buckle "Reyna, it isn’t possible We’d never do this!"
The s ran to their mistress’s side They snarled at Annabeth but paced uncertainly, as if reluctant to attack
"You’re telling the truth," Reyna judged "Perhaps you were not aware of this treachery, but someoneCroere pushing and shoving Fistfights were breaking out
"Bloodshed," Reyna said
"We have to stop it!"
Annabeth had a horrible feeling this reeether they ran down the hill
If weapons had been allowed in the city, Annabeth’s friends would have already been dead The Rory o II, which was pointless, as most of the stuff fell back into the crowd
Several dozen Ro to calainst soHis purple cloak had been ripped to shreds He kept pleading, "I’e Camp Half-Blood T-shirt didn’t helpspears into New Roa shop to rubble
"Pluto’s pauldrons," Reyna cursed "Look"
Ar toward the forum Two artillery crews had set up catapults just outside the Poo II
"That’ll just s worse," Annabeth said
"I hate ionnaires, her dogs at her side
Percy, Annabeth thought, scanning the forum desperately Where are you?
Two Ro into the crowd As if the angry Ros weren’t confusing enough, hundreds of purple ghosts drifted through the foru incoherently The fauns had also taken advantage of the chaos They swar food, plates, and cups One trotted by Annabeth with his arms full of tacos and an entire pineapple between his teeth
A statue of Terht in front of Annabeth He yelled at her in Latin, no doubt calling her a liar and a rule breaker; but she pushed the statue over and kept running
Finally she spotted Percy He and his friends, Hazel and Frank, were standing in the ry Roa was in tatters, but he looked unhurt
Annabeth called to him as another explosion rocked the foruht was directly overhead One of the Roroaned and tilted sideways, fla over its bronze-plated hull
Annabeth noticed a figure clinging desperately to the rope ladder, trying to cli and his face black with soot
Over by the fountain, Percy blasted the Ro a Ro plate of sandwiches
"Annabeth!" Percy called "What--?"
"I don’t know!" she yelled