disbelief. "You have to come with us," he pleaded, holding Rachel's hand tightly. She smiled sadly at him.
Annabeth interrupted him angrily. "Look, we can't take all three of you along with us, even if it was your decision," she argued. "There are plenty of reasons why we must stick together. Plus, it may be dangerous out there, and you might attract attention."
He ignored her words. "Please," he begged Annabeth, shaking her hands. "We're going to find my dad." Rachel sighed, knowing this could only end badly and that Percy was stubborn like a mule once he decided. She also knew that she couldn't do anything about the situation, so she stayed silent and hoped for the best.
Thalia spoke up. "Why do we even have to take anyone with us?" she inquired sarcastically. 'Maybe I should have just taken all five of them instead of one."
Hazel nodded furiously beside her, agreeing with Thalia. Percy glared at both of his friends and clenched his fists angrily. He looked at Luke and then at Rachel before he spoke, speaking firmly but calmly.
"Listen. We're going to find the son of Hades. If you want to fight us or run away, feel free," he spat bitterly at Annabeth. "But I will not allow anyone to risk their life unless they choose to." He paused for a brief moment and took another deep breath. "I need your help. So please, give me a chance."
Everyone stared at Percy in disbelief and Annabeth opened her mouth to reply, but he was already staring intently in her direction. Annabeth closed her mouth again and sighed loudly, defeated.
"Fine," she replied eventually. "But no funny business, alright? I'm not losing another sister tonight," she finished, raising an eyebrow challengingly.
The smile came quickly back to his lips and Percy squeezed her hand gently before turning back towards the rest of the group.
"Alright, let's go," he said decisively. "Where are we headed first?"
"I'm thinking the Big House is probably a good starting point," answered Luke. The others nodded in agreement.
The group headed back towards the main road, talking animatedly about nothing in particular. As the excitement of the moment faded, Percy found himself wondering why things had gone the way they had. It was clear now that this entire quest had turned into a complete disaster. They had failed miserably and Percy was still convinced he hadn't saved Rachel. But why were the others so certain that he had? What did he really know about these creatures? They had never met any. The one who had attacked them had been a giant, not some ordinary monster with the power to control the elements. How could they possibly know that he hadn't killed or injured anyone else, let alone someone whose powers were related to the element of water?
When they got to the street, Percy noticed that the cars were stopped along the sidewalks by police lights. The street seemed empty compared to moments before, but as soon as he passed by, he caught sight of a couple of policemen patrolling the area. When he spotted them, Percy slowed his pace, letting Annabeth catch up and join them in front of him while he followed behind them silently.
The policeman waved him over once he recognized Percy.
"Can you tell us what happened?" he asked Percy.
Percy told them briefly about the creature and his discovery, and described the footprints they had found in the snow.
"Any clue where it came from?" the policeman asked as he jotted notes in his notebook.
Percy hesitated, unsure of whether to mention the strange black marks on his wrists. Instead he looked at Annabeth nervously and saw that she understood immediately.