Legend Of Perseus: The Missing Bolt

~Chapter 16~

I guided Clarisse and Annabeth toward the exit, helping them into the elevator, and was about to join them when I realized there were already two other tourists inside. There was no room for me.

The park ranger said, "Next car, sir."

"We'll get out," Annabeth offered. "We'll wait with you."

But disrupting everyone's plans and further delaying the process didn't seem like a good idea, so I replied, "Nah, it's okay. I'll catch up with you guys at the bottom."

Clarisse and Annabeth both looked uneasy, but they allowed the elevator doors to close, and their car descended down the ramp.

Now, the only individuals remaining on the observation deck were me, a young boy with his parents, the park ranger, and the plump lady with her Chihuahua.

I winked at the plump lady, and she returned the gesture, her forked tongue flickering between her teeth. Her Chihuahua hopped down and began yapping at me.

"Now, now, sonny," the lady admonished the dog. "Is this really the time? We have all these nice people here."

"Doggie!" the young boy exclaimed. "Look, a doggie!"

His parents quickly pulled him away.

The Chihuahua bared its teeth at me, with foam dripping from its black lips.

"Well, my son," the plump lady sighed, "if you insist." She rolled up her denim sleeves, revealing scaly, green skin on her arms. When she smiled, I noticed her fangs. The pupils of her eyes were slits, like those of a reptile.

The Chihuahua's barking grew louder, and with each bark, it transformed. It grew to the size of a Doberman and then to that of a lion. Its barks turned into roars.

The young boy screamed, and his parents pulled him toward the exit, right into the park ranger, who stood frozen, staring at the monstrous creature.

The Chimera now towered so high that its back scraped the roof. It had the head of a lion with a blood-soaked mane, the body and hooves of a colossal goat, and a serpent for a tail—a ten-foot-long diamondback emerging from its shaggy rear. The rhinestone dog collar still hung around its neck, and the plate-sized dog tag was now legible: CHIMERA—RABID, FIRE-BREATHING, POISONOUS—IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS—EXT. 954.

The snake-like lady emitted a hissing sound, which might have been laughter. "Be honored, Percy Jackson. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test a hero with one of my broods. For I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!"

"I am greatly honored, don't worry," I retorted, grinning as I summoned Morningstar, the black blade gleaming with a fierce light. "And you should be honored to be the next to fall by my blade!"

The Chimera lunged, gnashing its lion teeth. But before it could reach me, I spun, and with a lightning-fast strike, I sent a shockwave of water crashing into the beast, pushing it back with a roar. The ground shook as I displayed my control over water, forming a protective barrier around the innocent bystanders.

I found myself next to the family and the park ranger, all of whom were now screaming, attempting to pry open the emergency exit doors.

I couldn't let them get harmed. I kicked open the exit door just as the next elevator car ascended, shoving them all inside and closing the door. The Chimera unleashed a column of fire straight at me as I turned around.

I dived through the ensuing explosion, Really glad I had fire immunity. The carpet ignited into ash, and where I had stood a moment ago, there was now a ragged hole in the side of the Arch, surrounded by molten metal.