𝟎𝟏𝟐.𝟒
The metal door was half hidden behind a laundry bin full of dirty hotel towels. Juliet didn't see anything strange about it, but Rachel showed them where to look, and she recognized the faint blue symbol etched in the metal.
"It hasn't been used in a long time," Annabeth said.
"I tried to open it once," Rachel said, "just out of curiosity. It's rusted shut."
"No." Juliet stepped forward. "It just needs the touch of a half-blood."
Sure enough, as soon as she put her hand on the mark, it glowed blue. The metal door unsealed and creaked open, revealing a dark staircase leading down.
"Wow." Rachel looked calm, but Juliet couldn't tell if she was pretending or not. She'd changed into a ratty Museum of Modern Art T-shirt and her marker-colored jeans, her blue plastic hairbrush sticking out of her pocket. Her red hair was tied back, but she still had flecks of gold in it, and traces of the gold glitter on her face. "So...after you?"
"You're the guide," Annabeth said with mock politeness, exchanging a look with Juliet. "Lead on."
The stairs led down to a large brick tunnel. It was so dark they couldn't see two feet in front of them, Juliet stepped forward shaking her hand before illuminating it behind her the rest of them switched on their flashlights making Rachel stare.
"Your hand? What?" She questioned pointing at Juliet making her look down and realise that it wasn't really common for normal people to see glowing body parts.
"Oh, yeah, dad's Apollo,"
"God of the sun," Rachel murmured in awe.
They took few steps forward and Rachel yelped.
A skeleton was grinning at them. It wasn't human. It was huge, for one thing—at least ten feet tall. It had been strung up, chained by its wrists and ankles so it made a kind of giant X over the tunnel. But what really sent shivers down her spine was the single black eye socket in the center of its skull.
"A Cyclops," Juliet said. "It's very old. It's not...anybody we know."
It wasn't Tyson, she meant. But that didn't make Percy feel much better. He still felt like it had been put there as a warning. Whatever could kill a grown Cyclops, he didn't want to meet.
Rachel swallowed. "You have a friend who's a Cyclops?"
"Tyson," Percy said. "My half brother."
"Your half brother."
"Hopefully we'll find him down here," Augusts said. "And Grover. He's a satyr."
"Oh." Her voice was small. "Well then, we'd better keep moving."
She stepped under the skeleton's left arm and kept walking. Annabeth and Juliet exchanged looks. Annabeth shrugged. They followed Rachel deeper into the maze.
After fifty feet they came to a crossroads. Ahead, the brick tunnel continued. To the right, the walls were made of ancient marble slabs. To the left, the tunnel was dirt and tree roots. Percy pointed left. "That looks like the tunnel Tyson and Grover took."
Annabeth frowned. "Yeah, but the architecture to the right—those old stones—that's more likely to lead to an ancient part of the maze, toward Daedalus's workshop."
"We need to go straight," Rachel said.
Annabeth and Percy both looked at her. Juliet's ears rung loudly, okayyy, something fucked up was about to happen.
"That's the least likely choice," Annabeth said.
"You don't see it?" Rachel asked. "Look at the floor."
Juliet was too busy moving her head side to side to get rid of the ringing. Augustus gave her a 'wtf' look and she flipped him back in reply.
"There's a brightness there," Rachel insisted. "Very faint. But forward is the correct way. To the left, farther down the tunnel, those tree roots are moving like feelers. I don't like that. To the right, there's a trap about twenty feet down. Holes in the walls, maybe for spikes. I don't think we should risk it."
Percy didn't see anything like she was describing, but he nodded. "Okay. Forward."
"You believe her?" Annabeth asked.
"Yeah," Percy said. "Don't you?"
Annabeth looked like she wanted to argue, but instead she turned back to Juliet and Augustus to get their majority only to see Augustus slamming his hands repeatedly over Juliet's ears, "What the hell are you two doing?"
That made Percy look back too, and as soon as he spotted Augustus sort of holding Juliet's face he reached forward and yanked her towards him, "What the fuck?"
"Stop," Juliet gave him a soothing look, "My ears were ringing pretty badly."
"This just proves we shouldn't go straight!" Annabeth exclaimed but it only added to Juliet's sensory overload making her frown, Percy stared at her concerned, "We are going straight. End of discussion."
Annabeth huffed in irritation but listened to Percy. Together they kept walking down the brick corridor. It twisted and turned, but there were no more side tunnels. They seemed to be angling down, heading deeper underground.
"No traps?" Juliet asked anxiously, the ringing was still there, she clutched Percy's hand in slight fear.
"Nothing." Rachel knit her eyebrows. "Should it be this easy?"
"I don't know," Percy said. "It never was before."
"So, Rachel," Annabeth said, "where are you from, exactly?"
"Brooklyn," she said.
"Aren't your parents going to be worried if you're out late?"
Rachel exhaled. "Not likely. I could be gone a week and they'd never notice."
"Why not?" Juliet didn't sound as sarcastic. Having trouble with parents was something she understood.
Before Rachel could answer, there was a creaking noise in front of them, like huge doors opening.
"What was that?" Juliet asked.
"I don't know," Rachel said. "Metal hinges."
"Oh, that's very helpful. I mean, what is it?" Augustus pitched in.
Then they heard heavy footsteps shaking the corridor—coming toward them. "Run?" Percy asked.
"Run," Juliet agreed.
They turned and fled the way they'd come, but they didn't make it twenty feet before they ran straight into some old friends. Two dracaenae—snake women in Greek armor—leveled their javelins at their chests. Standing between them was Kelli, the empousa cheerleader.
"Well, well," Kelli said.
They all pulled out their weapons but before they could even form, Kelli pounced on Rachel. Her hand turned into a claw and she spun Rachel around, holding her tight with her talons at Rachel's neck. Augustus kicked the second dracaena and Juliet had the snake lady in the same position as Rachel but with a celestial bronze arrow aimed for the neck.
"Back off, ugly, before this one dies." Percy adored his girlfriend, but he kind of fell in love with her whenever she was being badass.
Kelli hissed and Juliet realised why she shouldn't have thought she was in charge. Behind them, the footsteps came closer. A huge form appeared out of the gloom—an eight-foot-tall Laistrygonian giant with red eyes and fangs.
The giant licked his lips when he saw them. "Can I eat them?"
"No," Kelli said. "Your master will want these. They will provide a great deal of entertainment." She smiled at me. "Now march, half-bloods. Or you all die here, starting with the mortal girl."
It was pretty much their worst nightmare. They were marched down the tunnel, flanked by dracaenae, with Kelli and the giant in back, just in case they tried to run for it. Nobody seemed to worry about them running forward. That was the direction they wanted them to go.
Up ahead Juliet could see bronze doors. They were about ten feet tall, emblazoned with a pair of crossed swords. From behind them came a muffled roar, like from a crowd.
"Oh, yessssss," said the snake woman on her left. "You'll be very popular with our hossssst."
"Who's your host?" Percy asked.
She hissed, which might have been a laugh. "Oh, you'll sssssee. You'll get along furiousssly. He'ssss your brother, after all."
"My what?" Immediately Percy thought of Tyson, but that was impossible. What was she talking about?
The giant pushed past them and opened the doors. He picked up Annabeth and Augustus by their shirt and said, "You stay here."
"Hey!" they protested, but the guy was twice their size and he'd already confiscated their weapons. Juliet moved closer towards Percy, her ears ringing and heart rate spiking up at being paired with Percy to go somewhere.
Kelli laughed. She still had her claws at Rachel's neck. "Go on, Percy and Juliet. Entertain us. We'll wait here with your friends to make sure you behave."
The dracaenae prodded them toward the doorway at javelin-point, and they walked out onto the floor of an arena.
Juliet guessed it wasn't the largest arena she'd ever been in, but it seemed pretty spacious considering the whole place was underground. The dirt floor was circular, just big enough that you could drive a car around the rim if you pulled it really tight. In the center of the arena, a fight was going on between a giant and a centaur. The centaur looked panicked. He was galloping around his enemy, using sword and shield, while the giant swing a javelin the size of a telephone pole and the crowd cheered.
The first tier of seats was twelve feet above the arena floor. Plain stone benches wrapped all the way around, and every seat was full. There were giants, dracaenae, demigods, telekhines, and stranger things: bat-winged demons and creatures that seemed half human and half you name it—bird, reptile, insect, mammal.
But the creepiest things were the skulls. The arena was full of them. They ringed the edge of the railing. Three-foot-high piles of them decorated the steps between the benches. They grinned from pikes at the back of the stands and hung on chains from the ceiling like horrible chandeliers. Some of them looked very old—nothing but bleached-white bone. Others looked a lot fresher.
In the middle of all this, proudly displayed on the side of the spectator's wall, was something that made no sense to her—a green banner with the trident of Poseidon in the center. What was that doing in a horrible place like this?
Above the banner, sitting in a seat of honor, was an old enemy.
"Luke," Juliet and Percy said together.
They were not sure he could hear them over the roar of the crowd, but he smiled coldly. He was wearing camouflage pants, a white T-shirt, and bronze breastplate. But he still wasn't wearing his sword, which she thought was strange. Next to him sat the largest giant she'd ever seen, much larger than the one on the floor fighting the centaur. The giant next to Luke must've been fifteen feet tall, easy, and so wide he took up three seats. He wore only a loincloth, like a sumo wrestler. His skin was dark red and tattooed with blue wave designs. Juliet figured he must be Luke's new bodyguard or something.
There was a cry from the arena floor, and she jumped back as the centaur crashed to the dirt beside her. Percy's arms wrapped rounder shoulder pulling her close.
He met their eyes pleadingly. "Help!"
Percy reached for his sword, but it had been taken from him and hadn't reappeared in his pocket yet. The centaur struggled to get up as the giant approached, his javelin ready. Juliet moved forward, she couldn't attack but she could heal.
A taloned hand gripped her shoulder. "If you value your friendsss' livesss," her dracaena guard said, "you won't interfere. This isssn't your fight. Wait your turn."
The centaur couldn't get up. One of his legs was broken. The giant put his huge foot on the horseman's chest and raised the javelin. He looked up at Luke. The crowd cheered, "DEATH! DEATH!"
Luke didn't do anything, but the tattooed sumo dude sitting next to him arose. He smiled down at the centaur, who was whimpering, "Please! No!"
Then the sumo dude held out his hand and gave the thumbs down sign.
Juliet closed her eyes Percy hid her face in his chest as the gladiator giant thrust his javelin. She clutched onto his shirt, not willing to open her eyes, but when she felt Percy's grip lessen she looked again, the centaur was gone, disintegrated to ashes. All that was left was a single hoof, which the giant took up as a trophy and showed the crowd. They roared their approval.
A gate opened at the opposite end of the stadium and the giant marched out in triumph. In the stands, the sumo dude raised his hands for silence.
"Good entertainment!" he bellowed. "But nothing I haven't seen before. What else do you have, Luke, Son of Hermes?"
Luke's jaw tightened. Juliet could tell he didn't like being called son of Hermes. He hated his father. But he rose calmly to his feet. His eyes glittered. In fact, he seemed to be in a pretty good mood.
"Lord Antaeus," Luke said, loud enough for the crowd to hear. "You have been an excellent host! We would be happy to amuse you, to repay the favor of passing through your territory."
"A favor I have not yet granted," Antaeus growled. "I want entertainment!"
Luke bowed. "I believe I have something better than centaurs to fight in your arena now. I have a brother of yours." He pointed at me. "Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon. And an even better offer, The reincarnated soul of Patroclus, Juliet Alexander, daughter of Apollo"
The crowd began jeering at them and throwing stones, most of which they dodged, but one caught Percy on the cheek and made a good-sized cut. Juliet was quick to heal it, but the mocking comments about her parentage were getting to her. That gods, nobody knew about Percy being Achilles yet.
Antaeus's eyes lit up. "A son of Poseidon and Patroclus? Then they should fight well! Or die well!"
"If their death pleases you," Luke said, "will you let our armies cross your territory?"
"Perhaps!" Antaeus said.
Luke didn't look too pleased about the "perhaps." He glared down at them, as if warning them that they'd better die in a really spectacular way or they'd be in big trouble.
"Luke!" Annabeth yelled. "Stop this. Let us go!"
Luke seemed to notice her for the first time. He looked stunned for a moment. "Annabeth?"
"Can't believe that shitbag shares the same father as me!" Augustus yelled out too and for the first time Juliet saw something in his face. He'd always adored his young siblings back at camp, included them and acted like their parental figure. Luke loved his siblings and to realise that the new ones thought of him as a monster, it was thought that made him freeze.
"Enough time for the rest to fight afterward," Antaeus interrupted. "First, Patroclus, what weapons will you choose?"
The dracaenae pushed her into the middle of the arena. Juliet's eyes widened, turning back to stare at Percy who looked just as panicked as her, he moved forward and yelled, "I'll go first!"
Antaeus laughed, as if Percy had just cracked a joke, "Well then, If the son of Poseidon wishes to die first, come forward Percy Jackson! Choose your weapon."
Percy came forward, his hands brushing with Juliet's as he forcefully pushed her back from the fight. Juliet had wanted to fight, but Percy wouldn't let her.
He stared up at Antaeus. "How can you be a son of Poseidon?"
"I am his favorite son!" Antaeus boomed. "Behold, my temple to the Earthshaker, built from the skulls of all those I've killed in his name! Your skull shall join them!"
Juliet stared in horror at all the skulls—hundreds of them—and the banner of Poseidon. How could this be a temple for Percy's dad? His dad was a nice guy. He'd even taught Juliet horse riding back in the day when she was Patroclus.
"Percy!" Annabeth yelled at him. "His mother is Gaea! Gae—"
Her Laistrygonian captor clamped his hand over her mouth. His mother is Gaea. The earth goddess. Juliet remembered who the guy was then, her eyes widening as she too yelled, "He can't die on-mmph" The snake lady clamped her mouth shut too.
Percy stared at her in question and Juliet yelled as loudly as she could in her brain, "Her mom is the part goddess! He can't die on soil!" But Percy couldn't understand shit.
"You're crazy, Antaeus," he said. "If you think this is a good tribute, you know nothing about Poseidon."
The crowd screamed insults at Percy, but Antaeus raised his hand for silence.
"Weapons," he insisted. "And then we will see how you die. Will you have axes? Shields? Nets? Flamethrowers?"
"Just my sword," Percy said.
Laughter erupted from the monsters, but immediately Riptide appeared in his hands, and some of the voices in the crowd turned nervous. The bronze blade glowed with a faint light.
"Round one!" Antaeus announced. The gates opened, and a dracaena slithered out. She had a trident in one hand and a weighted net in the other— classic gladiator style. Juliet felt some sense of relief, Percy had trained against those weapons at camp for years.
She jabbed at him experimentally. Percy stepped away. She threw her net, hoping to tangle his sword hand, but he sidestepped easily, sliced her spear in half, and stabbed Riptide through a chink in her armor. With a painful wail, she vaporized into nothing, and the cheering of the crowd died.
"No!" Antaeus bellowed. "Too fast! You must wait for the kill. Only I give that order!"
"Nice job, Percy." Luke smiled. "You've gotten better with the sword. I'll grant you that."
Percy flashed Luke his middle finger making the dude's jaw clench.
"Round two!" Antaeus yelled. "And slower this time! More entertainment! Wait for my call before killing anybody. OR ELSE!"
The gates opened again, and this time.....Ethan Nakamura stepped out. Percy heard Juliet struggle behind him before he could turn and see. Her muffled cries reminded him of the mental breakdown Juliet had, had in Hermes cabin after Ethan had left. He knew last summer Ethan had kidnapped Juliet, but apparently he had been tricked and tried to risk his life to get Juliet out.
Tears welled up in Juliet's eyes. Ethan had gotten extremely thin , he looked as if he hadn't eaten a bite in months and the fresh bruises on his face were a reminder of what had happened last winter.
"Ethan, we don't have to do this," Percy tried to negotiate the last thing he wanted was to kill a demigod, much less his girlfriend's friend.
"I have to kill you." Ethan answered, his eyes looking behind Percy, over to Juliet's with an agonised gaze, "Or he'll kill me."
"Ethan-"
"Hey!" a monster jeered from the stands. "Stop talking and fight already!"
The others took up the call.
"I have to prove my loyalty," Ethan told me. "I need to repent for what I did last winter."
And with that he charged. Their swords met in midair and the crowd roared.
It didn't seem right. Percy didn't want to fight to entertain a bunch of monsters, but Ethan Nakamura wasn't giving him much choice.
He pressed forward. He was good. He parried Percy's strike and almost slammed him with his shield, but Percy jumped back. He slashed. Percy rolled to one side. They exchanged thrusts and parries, getting a fell for each other's fighting style. He tried to keep on Ethan's blind side, but it didn't help much. He'd apparently been fighting with only one eye for a long time, because he was excellent at guarding his left.
"Blood!" the monsters cried.
Percy's opponent glanced up at the stands. That was his weakness, he realized. He needed to prove to them. Percy didn't.
He yelled an angry battle cry and charged Percy, but he parried his blade and backed away, letting him come after him.
"Boo!" Antaeus said. "Stand and fight!"
Ethan pressed him, but Percy had no trouble defending, even without a shield. He was dressed for defense—heavy armor and shield—which made it very tiring to play offense. Percy was a softer target, but he also was lighter and faster. The crowd went nuts, yelling complaints and throwing rocks. They'd been fighting for almost five minutes and there was no blood.
Percy didn't want to draw blood, if he did Juliet might draw his blood out later too.
But then Ethan made his mistake. He tried to jab at Percy's stomach, and he locked his sword hilt in his's and twisted. His sword dropped into the dirt. Before he could recover, Percy slammed the butt of his sword into his helmet and pushed him down. His heavy armor helped Percy more than him. He fell on his back, dazed and tired. Percy put the tip of his sword on his chest.
"Get it over with," Ethan groaned.
Percy looked up at Antaeus. His red face was stony with displeasure, but he held up his hand and put it thumbs down. Then he looked at his girlfriend who gave him a wide eyed pleading look.
"Forget it." Percy sheathed his sword.
"Don't be a fool," Ethan groaned. "They'll just kill us both."
He offered him his hand. Reluctantly, Ethan took it. Percy helped him up. "I owe that to you, for helping my girlfriend last winter."
Ethan gave him a once over, as if checking, if Percy was the right fit for Juliet. Apparently he liked what he saw because he became a little less aggressive.
"No one dishonors the games!" Antaeus bellowed. "Your heads shall both be tributes to Poseidon!"
Percy looked at Ethan. "When you see your chance, run." Then he turned back to Antaeus. "Why don't you fight me yourself? If you've got Dad's favor, come down here and prove it!"
The monsters grumbled in the stands.Juliet wanted to slap Percy. This man, why did he never learn not to challenge people, first Ares, then Luke, then Atlas and now Antaeus. He loved being wanted to kill apparently.
Antaeus looked around, and apparently realized he had no choice. He couldn't say no without looking like a coward.
"I am the greatest wrestler in the world, boy," he warned. "I have been wrestling since the first pankration!"
"Pankration?" Percy asked.
"He means fighting to the death," Ethan said. "No rules. No holds barred. It used to be an Olympic sport."
"Thanks for the tip," he said.
"Don't mention it."
Rachel was watching him with wide eyes. Annabeth shook her head emphatically, the Laistrygonian's hand still clamped over her mouth. Augustus gave him the your fucked look with a non helpful thumbs up, then Percy turned to Juliet and saw her nodding to her now returned laurel, telling him that she had his back in case he fucked up. At least that was assuring.
He pointed his sword at Antaeus. "Winner takes all! I win, we all go free. You win, we die. Swear upon the River Styx."
Antaeus laughed. "This shouldn't take long. I swear to your terms!"
He leaped off the railing, into the arena.
"Good luck," Ethan told him. "You'll need it." Then he backed up quickly, over to Juliet. Antaeus cracked his knuckles. He grinned, and Percy saw that even his teeth were etched in wave patterns, which must've made brushing after meals a real pain.
"Weapons?" he asked.
"I'll stick with my sword. You?"
He held up his huge hands and wiggled his fingers. "I don't need anything else! Master Luke, you will referee this one."
Luke smiled down at them. "With pleasure."
Go fuck yourself.
The thought of Juliet, Augustus, Rachel and Ethan all together.
Antaeus lunged. Percy rolled under his legs and stabbed him in the back of the thigh.
"Argggh!" he yelled. But where blood should've come out, there was a spout of sand, like he'd busted the side of an hourglass. It spilled into the dirt floor, and the dirt collected around his leg, almost like a cast. When the dirt fell away, the wound was gone.
He charged again. Fortunately Percy had some experience fighting giants. He dodged sideways this time and stabbed him under the arm. Riptide's blade was buried to the hilt in his ribs. That was the good news. The bad news was that it was wrenched out of his hand when the giant turned, and he was thrown across the arena, weaponless.
Antaeus bellowed in pain. Percy waited for him to disintegrate. No monster had ever withstood a direct hit from his sword like that. The celestial bronze blade had to be destroying his essence. But Antaeus groped for the hilt, pulled out the sword, and tossed it behind him. More sand poured from the wound, but again the earth rose up to cover him. Dirt coated his body all the way to his shoulders. As soon as the dirt spilled away, Antaeus was fine.
"Now you see why I never lose, demigod!" Antaeus gloated. "Come here and let me crush you. I'll make it quick!"
Antaeus stood between Percy and his sword. Percy tried to skirt around him, but Antaeus anticipated his move. He blocked his path, chuckling. He was just toying with Percy now. He had his cornered.
That's when a volley of arrows distracted the giant, Juliet had her bow nocked up while Ethan dealt with the snake. Antaeus yelled, "No fair!" But it gave Percy enough time to charge straight ahead, crouching low so the giant would think he was going to roll between his legs again.
While he was stooping, ready to catch Percy like a grounder, Percy jumped for all he was worth—kicking off his forearm, scrambling up his shoulder like it was a ladder, placing his shoe on his head. He did the natural thing. He straightened up indignantly and yelled "HEY!"
Percy pushed off, using his force to catapult him toward the ceiling. He caught the top of a chain, and the skulls and hooks jangled beneath him. He wrapped my legs around the chain, just like he used to do at the ropes course in gym class. he drew Riptide and sawed off the chain next to him.
"Come down here, coward!" Antaeus bellowed. He tried to grab Percy, but he was just out of reach. Hanging on for dear life, Percy yelled, "Come up and get me! Or are you too slow and fat?"
He howled and made another grab for Percy. He caught a chain and tried to pull himself up. While he was struggling, Percy lowered his sawed-off chain, hook first. It took him two tries, but finally He snagged Antaeus's loincloth.
"WAAA!" he yelled.
Quickly Percy slipped the free chain through the fastening link on his own chain, pulled it taut, and secured it the best he could. Antaeus tried to slip back to the ground, but his butt stayed suspended by his loincloth. He had to hold on to the other chains with both hands to avoid getting flipped upside down. While Antaeus cursed and flailed, Percy scrambled around the chains, swinging and cutting like he was some sort of crazed monkey. He made loops with hooks and metal links. Within a couple of minutes the giant was suspended above the ground, hopelessly snarled in chains and hooks. Percy dropped to the floor, panting and sweaty. His hands were raw from climbing.
"Get me down!" Antaeus demanded.
"Free him!" Luke ordered. "He is our host!"
Juliet stepped forward, "I'll free him."
And then she launched her arrows straight up, stabbing the giant in the stomach. He bellowed, and sand poured out, but he was too far up to touch the earth, and the dirt did not rise to help him. Antaeus just dissolved, pouring out bit by bit, until there was nothing left but empty swinging chains, a really big loincloth on a hook, and a bunch of grinning skulls dancing above me like they had finally had something to smile about.
"You two!" Luke yelled. "I should have killed you both long ago!"
"You tired," Percy reminded him.
"And failed," Juliet added.
"Like always. Let us go, Luke. We had a sworn agreement with Antaeus. I'm the winner."
He did just what they expected. He said, "Antaeus is dead. His oath dies with him. But since I'm feeling merciful today, I'll have you killed quickly."
He pointed at Annabeth and Augustus. "Spare the demigods." His voice quavered just a little. "I would speak to them before—before our great triumph."
Every monster in the audience drew a weapon or extended its claws. They were trapped. Hopelessly outnumbered. Then Percy felt something in his pocket—a freezing sensation, growing colder and colder. The dog whistle. His fingers closed around it. For days he'd avoided using Quintus's gift. It had to be a trap. But now...he had no choice. He took it out of his pocket and blew. It made no audible sound as it shattered into shards of ice, melting in his hand.
Luke laughed. "What was that supposed to do?"
Juliet's questioning gaze was giving the same look, but she trusted Percy so she let him do whatever he was doing.
From behind them came a surprised yelp. The Laistrygonian giant who'd been guarding Annabeth and Augustus flew past them and smashed into the wall.
"AROOOOF"
Kelli the empousa screamed as a five-hundred-pound black mastiff picked her up like a chew toy and tossed her through the air, straight into Luke's lap. Mrs. O'Leary snarled, and the two dracaenae guards backed away. For a moment the monsters in the audience were caught completely by surprise.
"Let's go!" Percy yelled at his friends, grabbing Juliet's hand. "Heel, Mrs. O'Leary!"
"The far exit!" Rachel cried. "That's the right way!"
Ethan Nakamura took his cue. Together they raced across the arena and out the far exit, Mrs. O'Leary right behind them. As they ran, they could hear the disorganised sounds of an entire army trying to jump out of the stands and follow them.
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞! I wrote this while being half dead with a fever 😍😍 Also quick poll, I will only save one sibling, so who we going for? Lee or Michael? Lemme know.