"The other way," Percy said as they bolted down the catwalk and Briares was more than happy to follow. Kampê's wings spread as she took to the air, rasping something in her ancient language. They scrambled down the stairs and through a corridor, into another block of prison cells.
"Left," Annabeth said. "I remember this from the tour."
They were blinded by sunlight as they burst into the prison yard where tourists were milling around and taking pictures. You could see Mount Tam in the distance behind the city of San Francisco, the mountain where Atlas was imprisoned, the mountain where the ruins of Mount Othrys were rising anew, the mountain where Artemis had been chained and where Cressida had held the sky. It was also the mountain where Cressida had kissed Percy for the first time - not that there was a second time. Or that he wanted there to be a second time. He totally didn't want to kiss her again and he definitely hadn't been thinking about it all winter. Or since it happened.
"It's even worse," Annabeth said as she saw the clouds swirling around the mountain's peak. "The storms have been bad all year, but that -"
"Keep moving!" Briares wailed. "She is behind us!"
They ran to the far end of the yard, as far from the cell block as possible.
"Kampê's too big to get through the doors," Percy said hopefully.
Then the wall exploded.
"Another great positive thinking plan, Fish Face," Cressida said as tourists screamed as Kampê appeared from the dust and rubble, her wings out wide and two bronze scimitars glowing with a green aura clasped in her hands.
"That wasn't a plan! It was a hopeful comment!" Percy retorted.
"Poison!" Grover yelped. "Don't let those things touch you or..."
"Or we'll die?" Percy and Cressida guessed in unison.
"Well... after you shrivel slowly to dust, yes."
"Let's avoid the swords," Percy decided.
"Briares, fight!" Tyson urged. "Grow to full size!"
Instead, Briares looked like he was trying to shrink even smaller. He appeared to be wearing his 'absolutely terrified' face.
Kampê thundered towards them on her dragon legs, hundreds of snakes slithering around her body.
"Alcatraz is on an island. An island means soil and that means...." Cressida muttered to herself as she flourished her hands, the ground shaking as her vines tried to break through. "Go! I'll buy you time!" Cressida shouted as she repeated the motion and the ground shook again.
"RUN!" Annabeth shouted as she and Percy grabbed Cressida's hand and dragged her with them as they hit the wharf where a tour boat was unloading. Sirens began to blare as tourists screamed.
"The boat?" Grover asked.
"Too slow," Tyson said. "Back into the maze. Only chance."
"We need a diversion," Annabeth said.
"And I'll get you one," Cressida said as she slipped her bag from her shoulders and thrust it into Percy's arms. "Do not let my iPod break," she warned.
"Cress, you can't -"
"Pretty Girl must stay," Tyson said as he ripped a metal lamppost out of the ground. "I will distract Kampê. You run around, back to the prison."
"I'll help you," Percy said.
"No," Tyson said. "You go. Poison will hurt Cyclopes. A lot of pain. But it won't kill."
"Are you sure?"
"Go, brother. I will meet you inside."
"We'll meet you inside," Cressida insisted. "Go, now, before I make you!"
He hated it. He hated the idea in its entirety. He'd almost lost Tyson once and Cressida as well, but he had no better idea as Annabeth grabbed his hand and one of Briares', Grover grabbing another as they dragged him towards the concession stand.
Kampê glared at Tyson who held her attention easily as he charged at her like a jousting knight. Tyson nailed her in the chest with the pole, pressing her into the wall. She shrieked and slashed with her swords, slicing the pole to shreds. Poison dripped in pools all around her, sizzling into the cement.
Then the ground rumbled as Cressida's grapevines were finally able to break through the asphalt as they wrapped around the creature, giving Tyson time to get away from her.
A lion popped out of the weird half-formed faces around her waist and roared.
"In the name of Dionysus," Cressida said as she levelled her spear and sent it flying into the mouth of the lion, and their friends were out of sight after that.
Tyson threw an ice cream stand at the creature who roared in rage.
Kampê's poisoned blades had just finished slicing through her vines before she roared in agony, dropping one of her blades to rip Cressida's spear out of her stomach. "Tyson, go!" Cressida screamed as she called up more vines through the cracks in the pavement. "GO!"
And Tyson went bounding after their friends as Cressida tied down Kampê with as many vines as she could summon before she chased after them.
But as she sprinted with everything she had, her lungs screaming and legs burning, she heard Kampê break free behind her.
"You can do it!" Percy called as Tyson reached them and Cressida came sprinting down the corridor, everyone else already inside the maze. But she couldn't make it. She knew it. She didn't have time to aim her spear again and they were too far away from the cracks for her to summon anymore vines. And Kampê was way too strong for her madness magic. She was out of tricks.
But Percy wasn't.
"DUCK!" he screamed so loudly that something seemed to scratch his vocal cords. And he threw the brand new wristwatch shield that Tyson had made him over her head and directly into Kampê's face.
Cressida slammed into Percy, both of them tumbling to the floor as the wall shut behind them and the magic sealed them in, Kampê pounding against it furiously.
Percy and Cressida still lay on the ground, Percy on his back as Cressida lay on top of him. Her whole body was shaking as she panted heavily, clutching onto Percy like a lifeline.
"I got you. You're ok. I got you, Cress," Percy whispered to her as her breathing began to slow and Annabeth knelt next to them.
"That was so stupid, Grapes. Brave, but so stupid," Annabeth said as Cressida was able to lift her head from his shoulder.
"It worked, didn't it?" she said with a small smile as Annabeth helped her up and pulled her into a hug before Tyson did.
"Pretty Girl is ok!" he exclaimed before setting her down and letting Grover hug her.
"That was definitely crazier than Percy's rock-paper-scissors plan!"
She laughed at that. "That was a Positive Thinking Percy Jackson Plan. I need to come up with a name for me now."
"How about a Crazy Can-do Cressida Lynn plan?" suggested Percy and she turned around to face him.
"That actually sounds pretty good," she said, and an understanding seemed to pass between them. She was absolutely still angry at him, but they'd come to a truce.
At least until the tunnel shook again as Kampê continued to bang on the door.
"Let's go," Annabeth suggested as they began walking again, and for once they were actually glad to be back in the labyrinth.