~ { Shadow and Beauty } ~

Dolphin Men

   He heard heavy footsteps, and the twin giants Ephialtes and Otis shuffled out of the gloom. Percy could distinguish them only by their hair—Ephialtes had the green locks braided with silver and gold coins; Otis had the purple ponytail braided with... were those firecrackers?

   Otherwise they were dressed identically, and their outfits definitely belonged in a nightmare. They wore matching white slacks and gold buccaneer shirts with V-necks that showed way too much chest hair. A dozen sheathed daggers lined their rhinestone belts. Their shoes were open-toed sandals, proving that—yes, indeed—they had snakes for feet.

   The straps wrapped around the serpents' necks. Their heads curled up where the toes should be. The snakes flicked their tongues excitedly and turned their gold eyes in every direction, like dogs looking out the window of a car. Maybe it had been a long time since they'd had shoes with a view.

   The giants stood in front of Percy, but they paid him no attention. Instead, they gazed up into the darkness.

   "We're here," Ephialtes announced. Despite his booming voice, his words dissipated in the cavern, echoing until they sounded small and insignificant.

   Far above, something answered, "Yes. I can see that. Those outfits are hard to miss."

   The voice made Percy's stomach drop about six inches. It sounded vaguely female, but not at all human. Each word was a garbled hiss in multiple tones, as if a swarm of African killer bees had learned to speak English in unison. It wasn't Gaea. Percy was sure of that. But whatever it was, the twin giants became nervous. They shifted on their snakes and bobbed their heads respectfully.

   "Of course, Your Ladyship," Ephialtes said. "We bring news of—"

   "Why are you dressed like that?" asked the thing in the dark. She didn't seem to be coming any closer, which was fine with Percy. Ephialtes shot his brother an irritated look. "My brother was supposed to wear something different. Unfortunately—"

   "You said I was the knife thrower today," Otis protested.

   "I said I was the knife thrower! You were supposed to be the magician! Ah, forgive me, Your Ladyship. You don't want to hear us arguing. We came as you requested, to bring you news. The ship is approaching."

   Her Ladyship, whatever she was, made a series of violent hisses like a tire being slashed repeatedly. With a shudder, Percy realized she was laughing.

   "How long?" she asked.

   "They should land in Rome shortly after daybreak, I think," Ephialtes said. "Of course, they'll have to get past the golden boy."

   He sneered, as if the golden boy was not his favorite person.

   "I hope they arrive safely," Her Ladyship said. "It would spoil our fun to have them captured too soon. Are your preparations made?"

   "Yes, Your Ladyship." Otis stepped forward, and the cavern trembled. A crack appeared under Otis's left snake.

   "Careful, you dolt!" Her Ladyship snarled. "Do you want to return to Tartarus the hard way?"

   Otis scrambled back, his face slack with terror. Percy realized that the floor, which looked like solid stone, was more like the glacier he'd walked on in Alaska—in some places solid, in other places... not so much. He was glad he weighed nothing in his dreams.

   "There is little left holding this place together," Her Ladyship cautioned. "Except, of course, my own skill. Centuries of Athena's rage can only be contained so well, and the great Earth Mother churns below us in her sleep. Between those two forces, well... my nest has quite eroded. We must hope this child of Athena proves to be a worthy victim. She may be my last plaything."