Reunion

Percy POV

Our truck broke down in the middle of the hallway. There wasn't a car in sight. Obviously, no one else is going to be driving around. On the bright side, there weren't any zombies either. As I already mentioned, zombies stay in higher-density areas like cities and towns.

Smoke rose from the engine that I was staring at. I was never good at fixing cars. My expertise is more in taking them apart and hotwiring them.

Leo would be so much better at fixing our truck.

"We should just start tracking to the nearest town or city. We're still about an hour from Philadelphia, and it'll get dark soon."

"I agree with Thalia. I'd rather walk now than after nightfall," Nico affirmed.

The reason I'm attempting g to fix the engine is so that we don't need to leave our resources behind. We packed the back of the truck with food, water, and other things. If we leave the truck, we'll have to leave all the stuff behind. None of them are immediate essentials, but I don't like leaving things wasted during a zombie apocalypse.

However, since none of us can fix the truck, we don't have many options. All three of us wanted to get back to camp by the end of the day.

We each grabbed a backpack, stuffed it with food and water, and started hiking along the highway. Walking to Philadelphia would take all night. However, all we need to do is find another vehicle with gas in it.

"How are we going to find them in a large city like Philadelphia?" I asked.

"I don't know. Just drive around, I guess."

We continued our trek in silence. A nearby sign said that we'd need to go another three miles before coming across a rest area. Hopefully, there's a car there because I was already sick of walking. I'm not a lazy person; I just don't like walking.

After three miles of walking and four zombie encounters, we reached the rest stop. The sun was setting to the West, and it will be completely dark when we get to Phili.

Fortunately, a glistening Tesla was waiting for us. The best part was that the owner left the keys in the car.

"Finally, some good fortune," Thalia exclaimed.

Even though I wanted to drive the Tesla, Thalia beat me to the driver's seat. Nico couldn't care less about who was driving. While Thalia and I argued, Nico simply stared at us like we were idiots. And, maybe we were a little bit.

"You both are so immature. It's just a dam car," Nico finally shrieked in frustration.

Thalia and I burst out laughing. Nico was sitting in the back while Thalia and I were in the front seats. This is our usual seating arrangement.

Fun fact: Nico can't drive. I mean, he can drive, but he'll certainly get us in an accident. We learned that the hard way in New York, aand we're never making that mistake again.

Before we knew it, we were on the road again.

The city of Philadelphia stretches for miles. It was a more horizontal rather than a vertical city. New York has a lot of skyscrapers and tight streets. Philadelphia has a lot of tight streets, but the city was spread out over a longer distance. Thalia drove us into the city around 10 pm, and we didn't know where to look.

Zombies were growling outside, but they couldn't come at us. Of course, they probably destroyed the outside of our beautiful, white Tesla.

"Did they ever mention where in Philadelphia?" I asked. "There's gotta be something that someone must've mentioned before."

I was getting frustrated. I felt so close to Stella, yet she was so far away.

"Percy, I already told you everything I know. I can't remember anything else. Annabeth mentioned once that the backup plan would be Philadelphia. That's it."

"It seems stupid that only an elite group of people know the backup plan," I murmured. "She didn't say anything to me. The conversation never came up. However, you guys must've heard something from the others. Any connection?" I pushed them for answers.

My hand was tightly clutching the door handle to steady myself. I could feel my pulse raising from stress, but I also knew that the situation wasn't their fault.

To be honest, I was grateful to have Thalia and Nico beside me.

"The University of Pennsylvania," Nico said abruptly.

Thalia stepped on the brakes before we both turned to Nico in the back seat. His dark eyes looked up and nodded. "Will studied at UPenn. He told me that recently. This is the only connection I can think of."

My gaze wandered to Thalia as she smiled. "Perfect."

Then, Thalia speed-raced our car to the heart of Philadelphia. The roads got higher, but the buildings became more antique and beautiful. The University of Pennsylvania is on the city campus, and there's still a large distance to search.

Driving in from the North, I could see the Penn Presbyterian hospitals. They were tall and bold with glass structures all around. It was a beautiful hospital.

My eyes frantically searched all the buildings around us.

"It's still a wide area to search, especially at night. Maybe, we should stop and search for human activity in the morning," Thalia paused. Her pale knuckles sparkled against the dark leather of the steering wheel. "The logical thing to do is rest for the night."

Suddenly, I saw it.

The multi-colored rainbow lights gleamed in the distance.

It looked like a disco ball in the air, flashing lights in all directions. The building was beyond the hospitals. The hospital's glass windows were reflecting the lights intensely.

It was like a small laser show in the distance.

"Or, maybe, now is the perfect time to reunite," I said firmly. I pointed my fingers at the lights for Thalia and Nico to follow my train of thought.

"It could be a sign, but it could also be anyone. It could be a trap," Thalia commented. Regardless, she drove toward the light.

"It's not a trap," I smiled. "It's Wise Girl."

***

Annabeth POV

Chiron and I organized a meeting with all the guards and some of the civilians on the first floor's main lobby. The lights were on as everyone sat or stood in a large circle. It was dark outside, and we were meeting after most of the camp retired to their rooms.

I suggested a plan to Chiron, but we need everyone's input.

Our camp isn't a dictatorship; it's a democracy.

The plan requires a lot of work and can be dangerous. However, if we can plan and make it work, the camp would be so much safer. We wouldn't just be a survival group. We would turn into a su5vival settlement that can last for a long time.

"Why did you want all of us to meet, Annabeth?" luke asked on everyone's behalf.

"I have an idea for our camp that I want to run by with everyone. I believe that the plan is a good idea, but I would like everyone's input," I said firmly.

My voice resonated through the room and had everyone's attention. I know I'm a good leader. My primary asset is my intelligence. In my opinion, the way my brain works (the things that I can only understand) is what makes me special.

"Let's hear it, Annabeth," Leo said excitedly. If there's one person who always supports my plans, it's Leo. We make a solid team.

"I want our camp to turn into a settlement," I paused. "We set up a good and safe place for ourselves, but it would be much better if our perimeter was solid enough to support several blocks. I have an idea to establish a firm wall to make us an enclosed community."

"I don' think I understand," the Stolls said at the same time.

"Yes. Let me and Chiron explain," I continued.

"Annabeth is suggesting that we make a wall around our camp. It's not just spike traps. We're talking about a fortified wall," Chiron explained.

Everyone digested the words, but they still had a lot of questions. It would be foolish for them to not wonder about the logistics.

"We can't build a wall," Luke said. "It would be way too time-consuming to construct a wall. Not to mention, we only about 200 people here to help."

"We can build a wall," I replied firmly.

"Philadelphia is a port-city. They have a lot of cargo that gets important and exported from the city via the river. Cargo is transported in truck-size intermodal containers. They are pretty much these massive metal boxes."

"Imagine if we can transport those intermodal containers and set up a perimeter a few blocks around our camp. We would create a fortified neighborhood protected by a huge wall," I finished my monologue to let them digest my plan. Essentially, I want to use the metal boxes to create a 20-foot around a few blocks of us.

"If we can make it work, we'll be immensely safer living here. Everyone would be able to freely walk outside as long as they stay within the community," Chiron expressed.

"How would we move the containers to make a wall?" Jason asked.

"We'll get some trucks from somewhere. We can go to the port and use some construction vehicles to move the cargo boxes. We would bring and place them where they need to go. Piece by piece, box by box, we would set up a walled perimeter," Reyna hypothesized.

Reyna easily picked up the plan, and she seemed to like it.

"What about the zombies here within the perimeter? It's not like we can stop the zombies before we build a wall," a civilian spoke up.

"I can answer that one," Frank affirmed. "We'll build the wall. We'll need a few people to be solely responsible for transporting the metal boxes, needed for the walls. The other guards will help terminate the zombies in the way. After we build the fortified perimeter, we'll exterminate all the zombies on the inside of our walls. We won't let the camp outside until after we're 100% confident that everyone zombie within our perimeter is killed."

"That's a perfect answer," Chiron said. "This has to be a very big team effort. There will be multiple pieces at play at the same time. We need all hands on deck."

The discussion continued for another hour.

Everyone kept throwing around ideas to make the mission safer, but no one was rejecting my plan. The trust is that no one wanted a situation like at the museum. We don't want to see an outbreak like that which killed so many family members and friends.

As such, we're willing to do anything to ensure our camp's safety. Building a high-walled perimeter that encompasses several blocks around us would be great.

Sometimes, the discussion would get loud. Everyone has a lot of good ideas. Reyna and I jotted down as much as possible.

We'll have to formulate a more coherent plan tomorrow.

"WAIT. EVERYBODY SHUT UP," Luke shouted suddenly. "Do you hear that?"

The whole room was silenced to listen. As soon as everyone stopped talking, the noise was quite apparent. A car's hum buzzed in the background.

It was near us. It was almost like it was right next to us.

Luke and the Stolls quickly walked to the parking garage doors. As they looked outside the glass windows, they raised their weapons. "What's going on?" someone whispered.

"Someone is outside. It's too dark to make out the details, but a white car pulled up into our parking structure. They're right next to the doors," Luke answered.

The car buzz died, and it was silent again.

Luke and the Stolls retracted from the windows and aimed their weapons at the doors. Obviously, whoever was outside was approaching us. My heart raced as everyone awaited whoever was coming at us.

Sometimes, humans can be worse than zombies. We have to be careful.

Rather than a bang against the door, the people knocked. It wasn't a random knock either, it was a specific rhythmic pattern. They were telling us that they're human so that we don't mistake them for zombies.

"Well, they already know we're inside. Our lights are on," Leo said. "Just open the doors and see what's up."

It was a good thing the main lobby is right next to the doors. We approached the doors that Luke and the Stolls were defending. Luke nodded to Connor. The rest of us waited in anticipation as Connor opened the double doors.

The visual in front of me left my throat dry and my eyes wet.

Three friends: A friend, a best friend, and a boyfriend. Nico, Thalia, and Percy had survived, and they were standing right in front of me.

No one moved for a few seconds out of shock. Then, I pushed past the people in front of me. I rushed forward and engulfed Percy in a tight embrace. His strong arms wrapped around me as his face buried into my neck and hair. Warmth and comfort spread through me while the emotions poured out of my chest.

"Gods, I love you, Wise Girl," he whispered.

"I love you too" was my reply.