Indigo Eyes

Chapter 124

And she let out a battle cry as she brought down her spear straight into the monster's left eye. The drakon hissed in pain and reared back to strike but Percy rolled aside as Cressida timed it so she could jump onto the pavement.

The swimming pool-sized chunk of pavement that the drakon bit out of the ground was great for Cressida who landed in it, her spear still in the serpent's eye. Because she pushed her hands up into the sky and grapevines burst out from the earth, vines almost as thick as the serpent as they lashed around it and held it down.

"Somebody do something! I can't hold it long!" Cressida strained as she held her hands up and in fists, the drakon bucking like a bull before Annabeth materialized on the drakon's back. Her invisibility cap rolled off her head as she drove her bronze knife between a chink in the serpent's scales.

The drakon roared as it bucked again, knocking Annabeth off its back and Cressida was on her knees as she struggled to hold the massive creature down. Percy was dragging Annabeth out of the way as the venom of its teeth began burning through the vines before it broke free and Cressida fell to the floor.

"DUCK!" Annabeth called as she tackled Percy to the ground, the monster's teeth snapping where it's been while Mrs O'Leary body-slammed the drakon's face to get its attention.

They were screwed.

Their allies had retreated to the doors of the Empire State Building where the entire enemy army was surrounding them. No more help was coming and they'd have to get Cressida before retreating because soon they'd be cut off from Mount Olympus.

At least until a girl's voice yelled, "ARES!"

And a dozen war chariots charged into battle. Each flew a red banner with the symbol of the wild boar's head. Each was pulled by a team of skeletal horses with manes of fire. A total of thirty fresh warriors, armour gleaming and eyes full of hate, lowered their lances as one – making a bristling wall of death.

"The children of Ares!" Annabeth said in amazement. "How did Rachel know?"

"I have no idea," Percy said. "Get to the doors. I got Cress."

And they went running.

Leading the charge was a girl in familiar red armour, her face covered by a boar's head helm. She held aloft a spear that crackled with electricity. Clarisse herself had come to the rescue. While half her chariots charged the monster army, Clarisse led the other six straight for the drakon.

Cressida was awake by the time Percy got to her, not bothering to help her up as he simply scooped her up into his arms as he got to the edge of the pit where Annabeth was waiting, ignoring Percy's instructions as she helped get Cressida up out of the pit.

Meanwhile, Clarisse's chariots circled the drakon. Lances broke against the monster's skin. Skeletal horses breathed fire and whinnied. Two more chariots overturned, but the warriors simply leapt to their feet, drew their swords and went to work. They hacked at chinks in the creature's scales. They dodged poison spray like they'd been training for this all their lives, which of course they had.

"I believe that's one point for me," Percy said as he climbed out of the divot and they hauled Cressida up and towards the doors.

"You're still a million points behind," she retorted as they stood and watched the Ares cabin fight.

No one could say the Ares campers weren't brave. Clarisse was right there in front, stabbing her spear at the drakon's face, trying to put out its other eye. But then, as usual, things started to go wrong.

The drakon snapped up one Ares camper in a gulp. It knocked aside another and sprayed poison on a third, who retreated in a panic, his armour melting.

"We have to help," Annabeth said, not realising that Cressida had already started running for the creature, tossing Annabeth's helmet behind her before using her spear to pole vault herself onto the back of the drakon, Percy and Annabeth right behind her.