Demigods had completely taken over the top floors. Campers and Hunters were

crashed out on sofas, washing up in the bathrooms, ripping silk draperies to

bandage their wounds, and helping themselves to snacks and sodas from the

minibars. A couple of timber wolves were drinking out of the toilets. I was

relieved to see that so many of my friends had made it through the night alive,

but everybody looked beat up.

 

"Percy!" Jake Mason clapped me on the shoulder. "We're getting reports — "

 

"Later," I said. "Where's Annabeth?"

 

"The terrace. She's alive, man, but ..."

 

I pushed past him.

 

Under different circumstances I would've loved the view from the terrace. It

looked straight down onto Central Park. The morning was clear and bright —

perfect for a picnic or a hike, or pretty much anything except fighting

monsters.

 

Annabeth lay on a lounge chair. Her face was pale and beaded with sweat. Even

though she was covered in blankets, she shivered. Silena Beauregard was wiping

her forehead with a cool cloth.

 

Will and I pushed through a crowd of Athena kids. Will unwrapped Annabeth's