Outbreak

Annabeth POV

Percy and I were staying in his room. Baby Estelle was with Hestia in daycare, so he got the afternoon off. Since we were both off-duty, we decided to spend it together. I was laying on top of Percy's chest, and his fingers were playing with the curls of my blonde hair. His steady heartbeat soothed me beyond belief.

I shifted my head to look up at his face. Percy was already smiling down at me before giving me a quick kiss on the lips.

"Are you mad at me?" I asked. "For wanting to keep our relationship private."

Peryc chuckled before saying, "I'm just glad that you decided to give us a shot. You've made me the happiest man alive (which isn't many men right now, but still)."

"That's so corny, Seaweed Brain," I murmured against his chest.

"Well, it's true," Percy laughed.

We lay in silence for a few more minutes. It felt so good to be in his arms, and it felt even better to be able to wrap him around in my arms. This is what I've been missing out on all this time. I rested my ear against his chest once more.

I allowed my eyes to close, and my mind to go blank. Percy's presence is enough to calm me down, and he manages to give me hope for a possible future. It's illogical, but I feel as though some good can come even in a zombified world.

"Wise Girl," he murmured again.

"Yeah?"

I didn't even bother lifting my head. I was only a few moments away from falling asleep, and the cuddle was too comfortable to get disturbed. Besides, at this point, I'm used to Percy's ADHD and inability to just lay still.

"Do you hear that?" he asked quietly.

Silence followed as we both strained our ears to listen. I removed my head from Percy's chest to get a better angle. Percy must have a superhuman hearing because I only heard the sound after it was completely silent. It's hard to explain the sound because of how quiet it was. It sounded like a rumble or a series of awkward groans.

What the hell?!

I snapped into a sitting position. Percy rushed to the crib out of instinct. However, Estelle wasn't there since she was with Hestia at daycare.

I rushed to the doorway and swung the blue curtains open. I couldn't see anything in the hallway, but the sounds were closing in. Now, the noise was apparent. Several others started emerging from their rooms as well.

"What's going on?" Reyna demanded from the room next to ours.

"I don't know," the Stolls said simultaneously. One of them had a knife in hand while the other was still holding some Mythomagic cards. They must've been playing a game.

I ran toward the window on the opposite side of the hallway. A baren stature was next to the window, which I ignored. Looking out the window gave a horrible explanation. A horde of zombies was scurrying through the perimeter. There were hundreds of zombies growling and pushing their way through the perimeter. Oh Shit.

The zombies got through the perimeter. And, from the looks of it, there were too many zombies to exterminate. We were having another day of zombie migration. A large influx of zombies was traveling through the city today. That's probably why they were powerful enough to break through the perimeter.

Oh, God. This is bad.

Suddenly, my walkie-talkie buzzed with activity.

"Hello, we have a problem," I shouted into the machine. "I'm looking at hundreds of zombies that broke through the perimeter near the east side."

"The south side is also exposed," Luke's voice buzzed.

Percy and I exchanged looks while Reyna also approached us. The Stolls were guiding everyone in the East sector's residential spaces down the hallway. The protocol is to take them to the parking garage in the North Sector.

A third voice chimed in a few seconds later. "This is really bad. The zombies are only a few moments away from breaking through the front doors."

A loud buzz exploded through the museum's speakers.

"We have to get out. Everyone, initiate the backup plan," Chiron's voice boomed. His voice resonated through each room and hallway. My mind raced with all the things I need to do. However, it was clouded by thoughts of my brothers. I have no idea where they are. The only hope is that they'll get to the North sector with everyone.

"The backup plan?" Reyna asked.

Since Reyna's new, she doesn't know the backup plan yet. Regardless, she established herself as a rightful leader here.

We started walking to the group. The Stolls were leading them to the North Side, and we were following behind them with our weapons drawn.

"The backup plan is to get everyone to the parking garage on the Northside. We have a few buses that we're going to load with people. Then, we're going to get out of here. We have some prospective new locations too," I explained quickly.

The urgency of the situation dawned on us.

Then, we heard the awful sounds that we didn't want to hear. Percy, Reyna, and I turned around to face a group of zombies running at us.

I unsheathed my knife as Reyna pulled out a small pistol. Percy didn't have a weapon on him, but he was carrying a wooden baseball bat. Percy doesn't keep dangerous weapons in his room since Stella can walk and get around now.

"Connor and Travis, you need to go faster," I ordered.

They sped up with a group of about 60 scared individuals behind them. They knew the route around the museum like the backs of their hands. The problem isn't getting to the museum. The problem is getting to the museum without dying beforehand.

Percy swung his bat and smashed a zombie's head. Then, he whirled around and swung at two other zombies. His wooden bat splintered and turned into a spike.

Reyna kept backing up while shooting the zombies down.

We fought the zombies while following the group behind us. However, our primary goal is to not let any zombies reach them. Because we're defending them, they made good progress. Pretty soon, we lost them in the maze of hallways and exhibits. Suddenly, we reached a fork in the hallway. Percy paused before swinging at two zombies that got too close to us. I stabbed another nearby zombie. The growling and screeching were deafening to our ears.

We turned right and ran through the double doors. This is the only entrance that allows people from the east side to get into the north sector.

"Were we the last people in the East Sector?" Percy asked.

"We didn't run into any other people. Most people would be hanging out in the middle sector at this time of day. I think we're logically safe to bolt the doors," Reyna explained.

I had to agree with her. There were too many zombies behind us to not bolt the doors. I watched Percy's muscles straining aand sweat dripping as he fought the zombies before us.

"I agree Reyna."

We both grabbed some steel bars before pulling Percy into the North hallway. Reyna crashed the doors shut while I locked them and bolted the handles with the bars. Growling and pounding echoed from the entrance as we backed up.

The doors were holding them back. For now.

We turned around and rushed through the North hallway. The doors to the parking garage were wide open, and a lot of people were talking inside. The north side is the guards' station, so some guards were already dispersing weapons to abled people.

Grover embraced Percy tightly as soon as he saw him. However, Percy was too distracted looking around the crowd. He was only looking for his baby sister.

The worry on his face was growing while mine dissipated a little. My brothers rushed over to me as soon as they saw me. I pushed through the crowd and crashed into them. I almost started crying as I hugged them. Gods, I was so scared.

"Where were you guys?" I asked urgently.

"We were hanging out with Katie and Hazel in the west sector. They were teaching us how to garden plants in the greenhouse exhibit," Matthew explained. I nodded.

Katie and Hazel are okay. That's great, and I'm grateful for them bringing my brothers back safely. If I had to guess, there were about 160 individuals here already. However, that's only about half the people in our camp.

Most of them would be in the middle sector, and some people would be in teh south sector. Will, Dr. Claymore, and some guards were probably in the south sector right now.

"Wise Girl," Percy rushed over to me.

He grabbed my hands tightly while looking into my eyes. The worry on his face was mixing with so many complicated emotions. "She's not here, Annabeth. She's not-"

Percy's voice broke as he shook his head. I could see the water bristling in his eyes as he looked at the doors. More people were coming in, but Hestia and Stella were nowhere to be seen. I knew what Percy was going to do, but I didn't like it.

"I have to go to the Native American exhibit. I, I have to-"

"I get it, Percy. Just," my voice faltered as my hand rested against his cheek. "Just come back, okay? Remember our promise. Um, maybe I should come with you."

I didn't want to let him go. I wanted to stay by his side, especially now. I don't care how dangerous it is because we're always in danger. I just want to be with him.

"Wise Girl, your brothers are here. Just as I have to go after my sister, you have to stay with your brothers," Percy expressed.

As sad as his words make me, he's right.

He leaned in and quickly kissed me. Then, he planted another firm kiss on my lips. The second kiss was him making a promise.

"I'll come back, Wise Girl. I'm not letting you go that easily," he said softly.

Then, Percy rushed away. I stared after him as the warmth and comfort of his presence faded. Despite being surrounded by about 200 people now, I felt so alone. However, my depression only lasted a few seconds because I had to get back to work.

Chiron was ordering the guards to lead people into the buses. Two buses were already full. People were rushing into a third and fourth buses. About half the guards were ushering the people while the others were loading resources on the roofs.

I helped people into the buses. They were all scared.

Just looking at everyone's faces made me so upset. They were fearing their lives. This museum camp was their home for several months now. However, our home is now taken over. We are getting displaced into the unknown.

I understand their fear and anger because I'm feeling it too. I took a deep breath before walking back to the north hallway.

"Chiron, do you have contact with anyone?" I asked loudly. My heart hammered as I approached our director in the northside.

"No communication, Annabeth. No one else is responding to the walkies,' he explained. "We're still missing about 100 individuals. The outflow out of the mid-sector has slowed substantially. I'm fearing the worst."

Chiron is the most positive person I know. He's always wise and supportive. If he's not feeling positive, then I wasn't sure what to think.

I gulped harshly before turning my attention elsewhere.

Jason, Frank, Reyna, and I were near the entrance of the parking garage. We had our weapons out just in case. The north hallway was loud with groans and rumbling. The East and West doors were bolted shut. The only other entrance was the middle sector. Surprisingly, no zombies seemed to have made it into the middle sector yet. That's a good thing though.

Then, I noticed Jason's blank expressions. Reyna noticed as well, but it wasn't her place to comment on Jason's feelings. His blue eyes were misty.

"Jason, is everything all right?" I asked quickly.

"Percy went back out there. I get why he did it, but it's so stupid. Also, um, Thalia didn't come back," Jason's voice wavered.

I didn't even consider Thalia's absence, but Jason was right. I didn't see Thalia anywhere in teh North sector. Oh god. My best friends didn't come back either. There were several of my friends that I didn't see again.

Nico and Bianca aren't here. Luke, Thalia, and Percy are somewhere in the mid-sector. Will Solace is probably in the south sector.

Oh my god. This is bad.

This is really bad.