Sons of Apollo
A reading of the Percy Jackson books written by Rick Riordan with exhilarating debriefs after each chapter.
Read by Panther Prakash and Dante Musa, the Sons of Apollo
Sons of Apollo
9. PJLO Final
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Chapter nine. Two snakes save my life.
SPEAKER_01I love New York. You can pop out of the underworld in Central Park, hail a taxi, head down Fifth Avenue with a giant hellhound lopping along behind you, and nobody even looks at you funny. Of course, the mist helped. People probably couldn't see Mrs. O'Leary, or maybe they thought she was a large, loud, very friendly truck. I took the risk of using my mom's cell phone to call Annabeth for the second time. I'd called her once from the tunnel, but only reached her voicemail. I'd gotten surprisingly good reception, seeing as I was at the mythological center of the world and all, but I didn't want to see what my mom's roaming charges were going to be. This time Annabeth picked up. Hey, I said, uh, you get my message? Percy, where have you been? Your message said almost nothing. We've been worried sick. I'll uh I'll fill you in later, I said, though how I was going to do that, I had no idea. Where are you? We we're on our way, like you asked, almost to the Queen's midtown tunnel. But Percy, what are you planning? We've left the camp virtually undefended, and there's no way the gods trust me, I said. I'll see you there. I hung up. My hands were trembling. I wasn't sure if it was a leftover reaction from my dip in the sticks or anticipation of what I was about to do. If this didn't work, being invulnerable wasn't going to save me from getting blasted to bits. It was late afternoon when the taxi dropped me at the Empire State Building. Mrs. O'Leary bounded up and down Fifth Avenue, licking cabs and sniffing hot dog carts. Nobody seemed to notice her, although people did swerve away and look confused when she came close. I whistled for her to heal as three white vans pulled up to the curb. They said Delphi Strawberry Service, which was the cover name for Camp Halfblood. I'd never seen all three vans in the same place at once, though I knew they shuttled our fresh produce into the city. The first van was driven by Argus, our many-eyed security chief. The other two were driven by harpies, who are basically demonic human chicken hybrids with bad attitudes. We used the harpies mostly for cleaning the camp, but they did pretty well in midtown traffic, though. The doors slid open. A bunch of campers climbed out. Some of them looking a little green from the long drive. I was so glad so many of them had come. Pollux, Selena Beauregard, the Stoll brothers, Michael Yu, Jake Mason, Katie Gardner, and Annabeth, along with most of their siblings. Chiron came out of the van last. His horse half his horse half was compacted into his magic wheelchair, so he used the handicap lift. The Aries cabin wasn't here. But I tried not to get too angry about that. Clarice was a stubborn idiot. End of story.
SPEAKER_00I did a headcount. Forty campers in all. Not many to fight a war, but it was still the largest group of half bloods I'd seen gathered in one place outside camp. Everyone looked nervous, and I understood why. We were probably sending out so much demigod aura that every monster in the northeastern United States knew we were here. As I looked at their faces, all these campers I'd known for so many summers, a nagging voice whispered in my mind. One of them is a spy. But I couldn't dwell on that. They were my friends, I needed them. Then I remembered Kronos' evil smile. You can't count on friends. They will always let you down. Annabeth came up to me. She was dressed in black camouflage with her celestial bronze knife strapped to her arm and her laptop bag slung over her shoulder, ready for stabbing or surfing the internet, whichever came first. She frowned. What is it? What's what? I asked. You're looking at me funny. I realized I was thinking about my strange vision of Annabeth pulling me out of the Styx River. It's uh nothing. I turned to the rest of the group. Thanks for coming, everybody. Chiron, after you. My old mentor shook his head. I came to wish you luck, my boy. But I make it a point never to visit Olympus unless I am summoned. But you're our leader. He smiled. I am your trainer, your teacher. That is not the same as being your leader. I will go gather what allies I can. It may not be too late to convince my brother Centaurs to help you to help. Meanwhile, you called the campers here, Percy, you are the leader. I wanted to protest, but everybody was looking at me expectantly, even Annabeth. I took a deep breath. Okay. Like I told Annabeth on the phone, something bad is gonna happen by tonight. Some kind of trap. We've got to get an audience with Zeus and convince him to defend the city. Remember, we can't take no for an answer. I asked Argus to watch Mrs. O'Leary, which neither of them looked happy about. Chiron shook my hand. You'll do well, Percy. Just remember your strengths and beware your weaknesses. It sounded eerily close to what Achilles had told me. Then I remembered Chiron had taught Achilles. That didn't exactly reassure me, but I nodded and tried to give him a confident smile. Let's go, I told the campers. A security guard was sitting behind the desk in the lobby reading a big black book with a flower on the cover. He glanced up when we all filed in with our weapons and armor clanking. School group, we're about to close up.
SPEAKER_01No, I said. He checked us out. His eyes were pale blue, and his head was completely bald. I couldn't tell if he was human or not, but he seemed to notice our weapons, so I guess he wasn't fooled by the mist. There is no six hundredth floor, kid. He said it like it was a required line he didn't believe. Move along. I leaned across the desk. Forty demigods attract an awful lot of monsters. You really want us hanging out in your lobby? He thought about that. Then he hit a buzzer and the security gate swung open. Make it quick. You don't want us going through the metal detectors, I added. Um no, he agreed. Elevator on the right. I guess you know the way. I tossed him a golden dropma ting and we marched through. We decided it would take two trips to get everybody up in the elevator. I went with the first group. Different elevator music was playing since my last visit. That old disco song Still Love, Still Love. A terrifying image flashed through my mind of Apollo in bell bottom pants and a slinky silk shirt. I was glad when the elevator doors finally dinged open. In front of us, a path of floating stones led through the clouds up to Mount Olympus, hovering 6,000 feet over Manhattan. I'd seen Olympus several times, but it still took my breath away. The mansions glittered gold and white against the sides of the mountain. Gardens bloomed on a hundred terraces. Scented smoke rose from brazier that lined the winding streets, and right at the top of the snow capped crest rose the main palace of the gods. It looked as majestic as ever, but something seemed wrong. Then I realized the mountain was silent, no music, no voices, no laughter. Annabeth studied me. You look different. She decided. Where exactly did you go? The elevator doors opened again, and the second group of half lids joined us. Tell you later, I said. Come on. We made our way across the sky bridge into the streets of Olympus. The shops were closed. The parks were empty. A couple of muses sat on a bench strumming flaming lyres, but their hearts didn't seem to be in it. A lone cyclops swept the street with an uprooted oak tree. A minor godling spotted us from a balcony and ducked inside, closing his shadows shutters. We passed under a big marble archway with statues of Zeus and Hera on either side. Annabeth made a face at the queen of the gods. Hate her, she muttered. Has she been cursing you or something? I asked. Last year Annabeth had gotten on Hera's bad side, but Annabeth hadn't really talked about it since. Just little stuff so far, she said. Her sacred animal is the cow, right? Right.
SPEAKER_00So she sends cows after me. I try not to smile. Cow cows in San Francisco? Oh yeah. Usually I don't see them, but the cows leave me little presents all over the place. In our backyard, on the sidewalk, in the school hallways. I have to be careful where I step. Look, Pollux cried, pointing toward the horizon. What is that? We all froze. Blue lights were streaking across the evening sky toward Olympus like tiny comets. They seemed to be coming from all over the city, heading straight toward the mountain. As they got close, they fizzled out. We watched them for several minutes and they didn't seem to do any damage, but still it was strange. Like infrared scopes, Michael Yu muttered. We're being targeted. Let's get to the palace, I said. No one was guarding the heart the hall of the gods. The gold and silver doors stood wide open. Our footsteps echoed as we walked into the throne room. Of course, room doesn't really cover it. The place was the size of Madison Square Garden. High above the blue ceiling glittered with constellations. Twelve giant empty thrones stood in a yew around a hearth. In one corner, a house sized globe of water hovered in the air, and inside swam my old friend, the Ophiotaurus, half cow, half serpent, half serpent. M he said happily, turning in a circle. Despite all the serious stuff going on, I had to smile. Two years ago we'd spent a lot of time trying to save the Ophiotorus from the Titans, and I'd kinda gotten fond of him. He seemed to like me too, even though I'd originally thought he was a girl and named him Bessie. Hey man, I said. They treating you okay? M, Bessie answered. We walked toward the thrones and a woman's voice said Hello again, Percy Jackson. You uh hello again, Percy Jackson. You and your friends are welcome. Hestia stood by the hearth, poking the flames with a stick. She wore the same kind of simple brown dress as she had before, but she was a grown woman now. I bowed. Lady Lady Hestia. My friends followed my example. Hestia regarded me with her red glowing eyes. I see you went through with your plan. You bear the curse of Achilles. The other campers started muttering amongst themselves What did she say? What about Achilles? You must be careful, Hestia warned me. You gain much on your journey, but you're still blind to the most important truth. Perhaps a glimpse is in order. Annabeth nudged me. Um what is she talking about? I stared into Hestia's eyes, and an image rushed into my mind. Sh I saw a dark alley between red brick house warehouses. A sign above one of the doors read Richmond Ironworks. Two half bloods crouched in the shadows, a boy about fourteen and a girl about twelve. I realized with a start that that boy was Luke. The girl was Thalia, daughter of Zeus. I was seeing a scene from back in the days when they were on the run before Grover found them.
SPEAKER_01Luke carried a bronze knife. Thalia had her spear and shield of terror. A did Luke and Thalia both looked hungry and lean with wild animal eyes, like they were used to being attacked. Are you sure? Thalia asked. Luke nodded. Something down here. I sense it. A rumble echoed from the alley. Like someone had banged on a sheet of metal. The half bloods crept forward. Old crates were stacked on a loading dock. Thalia and Luke approached with their weapons ready. A curtain of corrugated tin quivered as if something were behind it. Thalia glanced at Luke. He counted silently. One, two, three! He ripped away and a little girl flew at him with a hammer. Whoa! Luke said. The girl had tangled blonde hair and was wearing flannel pajamas. She couldn't have been more than seven, but she would have brained Luke if he hadn't been so fast. He grabbed her wrist and the hammer skittered across the corner. The little girl fought and kicked. No more monsters! Go away. It's it's okay. Luke struggled to hold her. Dahlia, put your shield up. You're scaring her. Put your shield Yeah, you're scaring her. Dahlia tapped Aegis and it shrank into a silver bracelet. Hey, it's alright, she said. We're not going to hurt you. I'm Thalia. This is Luke. Monsters No, Luke promised, but we know all about monsters. We fight them too. Slowly the girl stopped kicking. She studied Luke and Talio with large, intelligent gray eyes.
SPEAKER_02You're like me?
SPEAKER_01She said suspiciously. Yeah, Luke said. We're well, it's hard to explain, but we're monster fighters. Where's your family? My family hates me, the girl said. They don't want me. I ran away. Tolly and Luke locked eyes. I knew they both related to what she was saying. What's your name, kiddo? Thalia asked. Annabeth. Luke smiled. Nice name. I tell you what, Annabeth, you're pretty fierce. We could use a fighter like you. Annabeth's eyes widened. You could? Oh yeah. Luke turned his knife and offered her the handle. How'd you like a real monster slaying weapon? This is celestial bronze. Works a lot better than a hammer. Maybe under most circumstances, offering a seven-year-old kid a knife would not be a good idea. But when you're half-blooded, regular rules kind of go out the window. Annabeth gripped the hilt. Knives are only for the bravest and quickest fighters, Luke explained. They don't have the reach or power of a sword, but they're easy to conceal, and they can fight find weak spots in your enemy's armor. It takes a clever warrior to use a knife. I have a feeling you're pretty clever.
SPEAKER_00Annabeth stared at him with adoration. I am Thalia grinned. We'd better get go we'd better get going, Annabeth. We'd better get going, Annabeth. We have a safe house on the James River. We'll get you some clothes and food. You're you're not gonna take me back to my family? she said. Promise Luke put his hand on her shoulder. You're part of our family now. And I promise I won't let anything hurt you. I'm not gonna fail you like our families did us. Deal Deal Annabeth said happily. Now come on, Thalia said. We can't stay put for long. The scene shifted. The three demigods were running through the woods. It must have been several days later, maybe even weeks. All of them looked beat up, like they'd seen some battles. Annabeth was wearing new clothes, jeans, and an oversized army jacket. Just a little farther, Luke promised. Annabeth stumbled and he took her hand. Thalia brought up the rear, brandishing her shield like she was driving back whatever pursued them. She was limping on her left leg. They scrambled to a ridge and looked down to the other side at a white colonial house. May Castellan's place. All right, Luke said. I'll just need to sneak in and grab some food and medicine. Wait here. Luke, are you sure? Dahlia asked. You swore you'd never come back here. If she catches you, we don't have a choice. He growled. They burned our nearest safe house, and you've got to treat that leg wound. This is your house? Annabeth said with amazement. It was my house, Luke muttered. Believe me. If it wasn't an emergency Is your mom really horrible? Annabh asked. Can can we see her? No, Luke snapped. Annabeth shrank away from him as though his anger surprised her. I I'm sorry, he said. Just wait here. I promise. Everything will be okay. Nothing's gonna hurt you. I'll I'll be back. A bright golden flash illuminated the woods. The demigods winced and a man's voice boomed. You should not have come here. The vision shut off. My knees buckled. But Annabeth grabbed me. Percy! What happened? Did you Did you see that? I asked. See what? I glanced at Hestia, but the goddess's face was expressionless. I remembered something she'd told me in the woods. If you're to understand your enemy Luke, you must understand his family. But why had she shown me those scenes? How long was I out? I muttered. Annabelle knit her eyes. Percy, you weren't out at all. You just looked at Hestia for like one second and collapsed. I could feel everyone's eyes on me. I couldn't afford to look weak. Whatever those visions meant, I had to stay focused on our mission.
SPEAKER_01Um Lady Hestia, I said, We've come on urgent business. We need to see we know what you need, a man's voice said. I shuddered because it wasn't the same voice I'd heard in the vision. A god shimmered into existence next to Hestia. He looked about twenty five with curly salt and pepper hair and elfish features. He wore a military pilot's flight suit with tiny bird's wings fluttering on his helmet and his black leather boots. In the crook of his arm was a long staff entwined with two living serpents. I will leave I will leave you now, Hestia said. She bowed to the aviator and disappeared into smoke. I understood why she was so anxious to go home. Hermes, the god of messengers, did not look happy. Hello, Percy. His brow furrowed as though he was annoyed with me, and I wondered if he somehow knew about the vision I'd just had. I wanted to ask why he'd been at May Castain's house that night and what had happened after he caught Luke. I remembered the first time I'd met Luke at Camp Halfblood. I'd asked him if he'd ever met his father, and he looked at me bitterly and said once. But I could tell from Hermes' expression that this was not the time to ask. I bowed awkwardly. Lord Hermes. Oh sure. One of the snakes said in my mind, Don't say hi to us.
SPEAKER_02We're just reptiles.
SPEAKER_01George, the other snake scolded.
SPEAKER_02Be polite.
SPEAKER_01Hello, George, I said. Hey, Martha. Did you bring us a rat? George asked. George, stop it.
SPEAKER_02Martha said, He's busy. Too busy for rats.
SPEAKER_01George said. That's just sad. I decided it was better not to get into it with George. Um Hermes, I said, We need to talk to Zeus. It's important. Hermes' eyes were steely cold. I am his messenger. May I take a message? Behind me, the other demigod shifted restlessly. This wasn't going as planned. Maybe if I tried to speak with Hermes in private. You guys, I said, why don't you do a sweep of the city? Check the defenses. See who's left in Olympus. Meet Annabeth and me back here in thirty minutes. Selina frowned. But that's a good idea, Annabeth said. Connor and Travis, you two lead. The stoles seemed to like that, getting handed an important responsibility right in front of their dad. They usually never led anything except toilet paper raids. We're on it, Travis said. They herded the others out of the room, out of the throne room, lean leaving Annabeth and me with Hermes. My lord, Annabeth said, Kronos is going to attack New York. You must suspect that. My mother must have foreseen it. Your mother, Hermes grumbled. He scratched his back with his caduceus, and George and Martha muttered, ow, ow. Don't get me started on your mother, young lady. She's the reason I'm here at all. Zeus didn't want any of us to leave the front line, but your mother kept pestering him nonstop. It's a trap, it's a diversion, blah blah blah. She wanted to come back herself, but Zeus was not going to let his number one strategist leave his side while we're battling Typhon. And so naturally he sent me to talk to you.
SPEAKER_00But it is a trap, Annabeth insisted. Is Zeus blind? Thunder rolled through the sky. I'd watch the comments, girl, Hermes warned. Zeus is not blind or deaf. He has not left Olympus completely undefended. But there are these blue lights. Yes, yes, I saw them, some mischief by that insufferable goddess of magic, Hecate, I wager, but you may have noticed that they aren't doing any damage. Olympus has strong magical wards. Besides, Aeolius, the king of the winds, has sent his most powerful minions to guard the citadel. No one can save the god no one save the gods can approach Olympus from the air. They'd be knocked out of the sky. I raised my hand. Um what about that materializing slash teleporting things you guys do? That's a form of air travel too, Jackson. Very fast, but the wind gods are faster. No. If Cronus wants Olympus, he'll have to march through the entire city with his army and take the elevators. Can you see him doing this? Hermes made it sound pretty ridiculous. Hordes of monsters going up in the elevator twenty at a time, listening to staying alive. Still, I didn't like it. Maybe just a few of you could come back, I suggested. Hermes shook his head impatiently. Percy Jackson, you don't understand. Typhon is our greatest enemy. I thought that was Kronos. The god's eyes glowed. No, Percy. In the old days, Olympus was almost overthrown by Typhon. He is husband of Echidna. Met her at the arch, I muttered. Not nice. And the father of all monsters. We can never forget how close he came to destroying us all, how he humiliated us. We were more powerful back in the old days. Now we can expect no help from Poseidon because he's fighting his own war. Hades sits in his realm and does nothing. And Demeter and Persephone follow his lead. It will take all our remaining power to oppose the storm giant. We can't divide our forces, nor wait until he gets to New York. We have to battle him now, and we're making progress. Progress, I said. He's nearly destroyed St. Louis. Yes, Hermes admitted. But he's destroyed only half of Kentucky. He's slowing down, losing power. I didn't want to argue, but it sounded like Hermes was trying to convince himself. In the corner the Ophiatorus mood sadly. Please, Hermes, Annabeth said. You said my mother wanted to come. Did she give you any messages for us? Messages, he muttered. It'll be a great job, they told me. Not much work, lots of worshippers. Nobody cares what I have to say. It's always about other people's messages.
SPEAKER_02Rodents George mused. I mean it's for the rodents.
SPEAKER_01Shh Martha scolded.
SPEAKER_02We care about Hermes about what Hermes has to say, don't we, George? Oh absolutely. Can we go back to the battle now? I want to do laser mode again. That's fun.
SPEAKER_01Quiet, both of you, Hermes grumbled. The god looked at Annabeth, who was doing her big, pleading grey eyes thing. Bah, Hermes said. Your mother said to warn you that you are on your own. You must hold Manhattan without the help of the gods, as if I didn't know that. Why they pay her to be the wisdom goddess, I'm not sure. Anything else? Annabeth asked. She said you should try plan twenty three. She said you wouldn't know what that meant. Annabeth's face paled. Obviously she knew what it meant and she didn't like it. Go on. Last thing, Hermes looked at me. She said to tell Percy remember the rivers and um something about staying away from her daughter. I'm not sure whose face was redder, Annabeth's or mine. Thank you, Hermes, Annabeth said. And I I I wanted to say I'm sorry about Luke. The god's expression hardened like he turned to marble. You should have left that subject alone. Annabeth stepped back nervously. Sorry. Sorry doesn't cut it. George and Martha curled around the caduceus, which shimmered and changed into something that looked suspiciously like a high voltage cattle trod. You should have saved him when you had the chance. Hermes growled at Annabeth. You're the only one who could have. I tried to step between them. What are you talking about? Annabh didn't Don't defend her, Jackson! Hermes turned the cattle prod toward me. She knows exactly what I'm talking about. Maybe you should blame yourself. I should have kept my mouth shut, but all I could think about was turning his attention away from Annabeth. This whole time, he hadn't been angry with me. He'd been angry with her. Maybe if you hadn't abandoned Luke and his mom. Hermes raised his cattle prod. He began to grow until he was ten feet tall. I thought, uh, well, that's it. But as he prepared to strike, George and Martha leaned in close and whispered something in his ear. Hermes clenched his teeth. He lowered the cattle prod and it turned back to his staff. Percy Jackson, he said, because you have taken on the curse of Achilles, I must spare you. You are in the hands of the fates now, but you will never speak to me like that again. You have no idea how much I have sacrificed. How much his voice broke and he shrank back to human size. My son, my greatest pride. My poor Mei. He sounded so devastated I didn't know what to say. One minute he was ready to vaporize us. Now he looked like he needed a hug.
SPEAKER_00Look, Lord Hermes, I said. I'm sorry, but I need to know what happened to May. She said something about Luke's fate and her eyes. Hermes glared at me and my voice faltered. The look on his face wasn't really anger, though, it was pain. Deep, incredible pain. I will leave you now, he said tightly. I have a war to fight. He began to shine. I turned away and made sure Annabeth did the same because she was so frozen in shock. Good luck, Percy Martha the Snake whispered. Hermes glowed with the light of a supernova Nova. Then he was gone. Annabeth sat at the foot of her mother's throne and cried. I wanted to comfort her, but I wasn't sure how. Annabeth, I said, It's not your fault. I've never seen a Hermes act that way. I guess I don't know. He probably feels guilty about Luke. He's looking for someone to blame. I don't know why he lashed out at you. You didn't d do anything to deserve that. Annabeth wiped her eyes. She stared the stared at the hearth like it was her own funeral pyre. I shifted uneasily. Um you didn't, right? She didn't answer. Her celestial bronze knife was strapped to her arm, the same knife I'd seen in Hestia's vision. All those years I hadn't realized it was a gift from Luke. I'd asked her many times why she preferred to fight with a knife instead of a sword, and she never answered me. Now I knew. Did you meet her? I nodded reluctantly. Nico and I visited her. She was a little different. I described May Castayan in the weird moment when her eyes had started to glow and she started and she talked about her son's faith. Annabh frowned. That doesn't make sense. But why were you visiting? Her eyes widened. Hermes said you bear the curse of Achilles. Hestia said the same thing. Did you did you bathe in the river sticks? Don't change the subject. Percy, did you or not? Uh maybe a little? I told her the story about Hades and Nico and how I defeated an army of the dead. I left out the vision of her pulling me out of the river. I still didn't quite understand that part and just thinking about it made me embarrassed. She shook her head in disbelief. Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? I had no choice, I said. It's the only way I can stand up to Luke. You mean Di Immortalis, of course. That's why Luke didn't die. He went to the sticks and Oh no, Luke, what were you thinking? So now you're worried about Luke again? I grumbled. She stared at me like I'd just dropped from space. What?
SPEAKER_01Forget it, I muttered. I wondered what Hermes had meant about Annabeth not saving Luke when she'd had the chance. Clearly she wasn't telling me something. But at the moment I wasn't in the mood to ask. The last thing I wanted to hear about was more of her history with Luke. The point is he didn't die in the sticks, I said. Neither did I. Now I have to face him. We have to defend Olympus. Annabeth was still studying my face, like she was trying to see differences since my swim in the sticks. I guess you're right. My mom mentioned Plan 23. She rummaged in her pack and pulled out Deadlys' laptop. The blue Delta symbol glowed on the top when she booted it up. She opened a few files and started to read. Here it is, she said. Gods, we have a lot of work to do. One of Deadless's inventions? A lot of inventions. Dangerous ones. If my mother wants me to use this plan, she must think things are very bad. She looked at me. What about her message to you? Remember the rivers? What does that mean? I shook my head. As usual, I had no clue what the gods were telling me. Which rivers was I supposed to remember? The Sticks? The Mississippi? Just then the Stoll brothers ran into the throne room. You need to see this, Connor said. Now the blue lights in the sky had stopped, so at first I didn't understand what the problem was. The other campers had gathered in a small park at the edge of the mountain. They were clustered at the guardrail, looking down at Manhattan. The railing was lined with those torus binoculars where you could deposit one golden drachma and see the city. Campers were using every single one. I looked down at the city. I could see almost everything from here. The East River and the Hudson River carving the shape of Manhattan, the grid of streets, the lights of skyscrapers, the dark stench of Central Park in the north. Everything looked normal, but something was wrong. I felt it in my bones before I realized what it was. I don't hear anything, Annabeth said. That was the problem. Even from this height, I should have heard the noise of the city. Millions of people bustling around, thousands of cars and machines, the hum of a huge metropolis. You don't think about it when you live in New York, but it's always there. Even in the dead of night. New York is never silent. But it was now. I felt like my best friend had suddenly dropped dead. What did they do? My voice sounded tight and angry. What did they do to my city? I pushed Michael Yu away from the binoculars and took a look. In the streets below, traffic had stopped. Pedestrians were lying on the sidewalks or curled up in doorways. There was no sign of violence, no wrecks, nothing like that. It was as if all the people in New York had simply decided to stop whatever they were doing and pass out. Are they dead? Selina asked in astonishment. Ice coated my stomach. A line from the prophecy rang in my ears. And see the world in endless sleep. I remembered Grover's story about meeting the god Morpheus in Central Park. You're lucky. I'm saving my energy for the main event. Not dead, I said. Morpheus has put the entire island of Manhattan to sleep. The invasion has started. Chapter nine. That's a tight night. That's a tight night. The whole city is sleeping, Mother. Oh my god.