𝑾𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑽𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔－ 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧

𝑺𝒊𝒙

Hellhounds leaped ahead of the line from tilt to time. Most were destroyed with arrows, but one got hold of an Apollo camper and dragged him away. Ariadne didn't see what happened to him next. She didn't want to know.

"There!" Ariadne called from the back of her pegasus.

Sure enough, in the middle of the invading legion was Old Beefhead himself. And he was prepared for battle.

From the waist down, he wore standard Greek battle gear—a kilt like apron of leather and metal flaps, bronze greaves covering his legs, and tightly wrapped leather sandals. His top was all bull—hair and hide and muscle leading to a head so large he should've toppled over just from the weight of his horns. He was large—ten feet tall at least. A double bladed axe was strapped to his back, but he was too impatient to use it. As soon as he saw them circling over head (or sniffed t he m, more likely, since his eyesight was bad), he bellowed and picked up a white limousine.

"Blackjack, dive!" Percy yelled.

They were at least a hundred feet up, but the lino came sailing toward them, flipping fender over fender like a two ton boomerang. Ariadne and Porkpie swerved madly to the left, while Blackjack tucked in his wings and plunged. The link sailed over Percy's head, missing by maybe two inches. It cleared the suspension lines of the bridge and fell toward the East River.

Monsters jeered and shouted, and the Minotaur picked up another car.

"Drop behind the lines with the Apollo cabin," Percy told Blackjack. "Stay in earshot but get out of danger!"

Blackjack swooped down behind an overturned bus, where a couple of campers were hiding. Ariadne and Percy leaped off as soon as their pegasi's hooves touched the pavement. Then Blackjack and Porkpie soared into the night sky.

Michael Yew ran up to them. He was definitely the shortest commando Ariadne had seen. He had a bandaged cut on his arm. His ferrets face was smeared with soot and his quiver was almost empty, but he was smiling like he was having a great game.

"Glad you could join us," he said. "Where are the other reinforcements?"

"For now, we're it," Percy said.

"Then we're dead," he said.

Ariadne gave the boy a raised brow. "You still have your flying chariot?" she asked.

"Nah " Michael said. "Left it at camp. I told Clarisse she could have it. Whatever, you know? Not worth fighting about anymore. But she said it was too late. We'd insulted her honor for the last time or some stupid thing."

"Least you tried," Percy said.

Michael shrugged. "Yeah, well, I called her some names when she said she still wouldn't fight. I doubt that helped. Here come the uglies!"

He drew an arrow and launched it toward the enemy. The arrow made a screaming sound as it flew. When it landed it unleashed a blast like a power chord on an electric guitar magnified through the world's largest speakers. The nearest cars exploded. Monsters dropped their weapons and clasped their ears in pain. Some ran. Others disintegrated on the spot.

"That was my last sonic arrow," Michael said.

"A gift from your dad?" Percy asked. "God of music?"

Michael grinned wickedly. "Loud music can be bad for you. Unfortunately, it doesn't always kill."

Sure enough, most monsters were regrouping, shaking off their confusion.

"We have to fall back," Michael said. "I've got Kayla and Austin setting traps farther down the bridge."