Rick Riordan
The Last Olympian - 05
Suddenly the helicopter pitched forward.
"The Morpheus enchantment!" Chiron said. "The foolish mortal pilot is asleep."
I watched in horror as the helicopter careened sideways, falling toward a row of office
buildings. Even if it didn't crash, the gods of the air would probably swat it out of the sky for coming
near the Empire State Building.
I was too paralyzed to move, but Annabeth whistled and Guido the pegasus swooped out of
nowhere.
You rang for a handsome horse? he asked.
"Come on, Percy," Annabeth growled. "We have to save your friend."
Chapter Sixteen
We Get Help From A Thief
Here's my definition of not fun. Fly a pegasus toward an out-of-control helicopter. If Guido
had been any less of a fancy flier, we would've been chopped to confetti.
I could hear Rachel screaming inside. For some reason, she hadn't fallen asleep, but I could
see the pilot slumped over the controls, pitching back and forth as the helicopter wobbled toward
the side of an office building.
"Ideas?" I asked Annabeth.
"You're going to have to take Guido and get out," she said.
"What are you going to do?"
In response, she said, "Hyah!" and Guido went into a nosedive.
"Duck!" Annabeth yelled.
We passed so close to the rotors I felt the force of the blades ripping at my hair. We zipped
along the side of the helicopter, and Annabeth grabbed the door.
That's when things went wrong.
Guido's wing slammed against the helicopter. He plummeted straight down with me on his
back, leaving Annabeth dangling from the side of the aircraft. I was so terrified I could barely think,
but as Guido spiraled I caught a glimpse of Rachel pulling Annabeth inside the copter.
"Hang in there!" I yelled at Guido.
My wing, he moaned. It's busted.
"You can do it!" I desperately tried to remember what Silena used to tell us in pegasus-riding
lessons. "Just relax the wing. Extend it and glide."
We fell like a rock—straight toward the pavement three hundred feet below. At the last
moment Guido extended his wings. I saw the faces of centaurs gaping up at us. Then we pulled out
of our dive, sailed fifty feet, and tumbled onto the pavement—pegasus over demigod.
Ow! Guido moaned. My legs. My head. My wings.
Chiron galloped over with his medical pouch and began working on the pegasus.
I got to my feet. When I looked up, my heart crawled into my throat. The helicopter was only
a few seconds away from slamming into the side of the building.
Then miraculously the helicopter righted itself. It spun in a circle and hovered. Very slowly, it
began to descend.
It seemed to take forever, but finally the helicopter thudded to a landing in the middle of Fifth
Avenue. I looked through the windshield and couldn't believe what I was seeing. Annabeth was at
the controls.
I ran forward as the rotors spun to a stop. Rachel opened the side door and dragged out the
pilot.
Rachel was still dressed like she was on vacation, in beach shorts, a T-shirt, and sandals.
Her hair was tangled and her face was green from the helicopter ride.
Annabeth climbed out last.
I stared at her in awe. "I didn't know you could fly a helicopter."
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