𝐓𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐎𝐂𝐄𝐀𝐍 ━ 𝐣𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐎𝐅 𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐀 | 𝐆𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐒

Several hundred feet later, we reached a turn in the tunnel. Percy held up his hand, signaling for us to wait while he peeked around the corner.

We waited anxiously as Percy took in what was ahead of us.

"What is it?" Piper whispered.

"A vast room," Percy muttered. "Lots of... here see for yourselves."

We came forward to take a look ourselves. Suddenly, I could see why Percy had trouble putting what he saw into words.

The creaking and rumbling had came from huge gears and pulley systems that raised and lowered sections of the floor for no apparent reason. Water flowed through open trenches, powering waterwheels that turned some of the machines. Other machines were connected to huge hamster wheels with hellhounds inside.

Suspended from the ceiling were cages of live animals—both normal and monsters. Ancient-looking bronze and leather conveyor belts trundled along with stacks of weapons and armor. The room, in simplest terms, was chaotic.

Leo would love this, I thought. It was one massive, scary, unreliable machine.

About twenty feet inside the doorway, a life-size wooden cutout of a gladiator popped up from the floor. It clicked and whirred along a conveyor belt, got hooked on a rope, and ascended through a slot in the roof.

I murmured, "What the heck?"

About a hundred yards away, we spotted a raised dais with two empty oversized praetor chairs. Standing between them was a bronze jar big enough to hold a person.

Piper frowned. "That's too easy."

"Of course," Percy said.

"But we have no choice," Angelique said. "We've got to save Nico."

"Yeah." Percy took the lead once again, starting across the room and picking his way around conveyor belts and moving platforms. Angelique followed, then me and Piper.

The hellhounds in the hamster wheels paid us no attention. They were too busy running and panting, their red eyes glowing like headlights. The animals in the other cages gave them bored looks, as if to say, I'd kill you, but it would take too much energy.

We tried to watch out for traps, but everything looked like a trap. We had to jump over a water trench and duck under a row of caged wolves. Then, just when we had made it about halfway to the bronze jar, the ceiling opened over us. A platform lowered. Standing on it like an actor, with one hand raised and his head high, was a purple-haired giant.

"Ephialtes," Percy muttered under his breath.

Big F was small by giant standards—about twelve feet tall—but he had tried to make up for it with his loud outfit. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt with garish print, his bright hair was braided with gold and silver coins. Nothing matched, especially with his white jeans and leather sandals, two different things from two different timelines. I did a double-take when I realized another unpleasant fact. The giant's feet weren't even feet. They were snakes.

The snakes flicked their tongues and writhed as if they didn't appreciate holding up the weight of a giant. I mean, I wouldn't be either.

Ephialtes smiled at us demigods like he was really, really pleased to see us.

"At last!" he bellowed. "So very happy! Honestly, I didn't think you'd make it past the nymphs, but it's so much better that you did. Much more entertaining. You're just in time for the main event!"

We instinctively closed ranks around Percy. Having my friends beside me should have reassured me. But it didn't. Not even the fact that I had once faced monsters so much worse. It was always like that, being in the moment was always scarier than how scary you think it is after. Ephialtes's eyes dancing with a crazy light that didn't make things better.