CHAPTER SIXTEEN
—dumb red giant
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—DURING the long trek down the tunnel, Judith managed to shove the empousa ( apparently named Kelli ) off of her, effectively giving herself two long gashes along her neck and collarbone. The girl promised that if there was ever an opportunity, she would be the one to slice her apart, starting with her hideous donkey leg.
They ended up reaching the end of the tunnel, a pair of grandiose bronze doors towering above them at about 15 feet. Judith, at the front of the group — as far away from Kelli as possible — could hear the cheering from inside.
"Oh, yessssss," hissed one of the dracaenae. "You'll be very popular with our hossssst."
"I'm sure," Judith muttered to herself sarcastically.
"Who's your host?" Percy asked.
The sound that came out of her didn't resemble a laugh at all, but Judith knew that was what she was doing. "Oh, you'll sssssee. You'll get along furiousssly. He'ssss your brother, after all."
"My what?" Percy was gobsmacked.
Their minds all latched onto the thought of Tyson, but that made no sense. Excluding the Cyclops, Percy had very few beings to call brother.
The giant pushed past the demigods and Rachel and opened the doors. He picked up Annabeth by her shirt and said, "You stay here."
Kelli smirked and let her talons claw at Judith's bicep as she stepped near, only tightening when she struggled to step away. The daughter of Ares clenched her free arm's fist, ready to take a mighty swing at her stupid face, but Percy's hand enclosed around her wrist. He shook his head — not yet — and she scoffed at him. What was the promise he'd made her?
'I promise I will never stop you from monster slaying again, no matter the odds.'
What a bold-faced liar.
Kelli laughed, gesturing for her two dracaenae buddies to hold onto a petrified Rachel. "Go on, Percy. Entertain us. We'll wait here with your friends to make sure you behave."
Percy looked at all of them, determined. "I'm sorry. I'll get you out of this."
Judith huffed. "Don't do anything stupid," she said, still miffed that he'd gone back on his promise.
"When have I ever?" He asked seriously, but the growing nervous smile on his face proved he knew exactly how prone to trouble he was. "I'll do my best."
The Laistrygonian holding Annabeth jabbed a javelin at his back to get him moving and Percy opened the bronze doors to reveal an arena. The muffled cheers were now at full blast as monsters of every type cheered on a fight down below. Judith was eager to see what was going on as well, but Kelli was relentless in her grip. They were on the ground level, leading the daughter of Ares to figure out that Percy would be next on the bracket of contenders.
Judith was able to see something hung up on the far wall from them and nudged Percy's leg with her foot. He glanced over his shoulder and she jerked her head at the green banner that proudly displayed the Trident of Poseidon. She saw his shoulders tense for a moment. Looking at it closer, she noticed who sat below it as well.
"Luke," Percy mumbled.
Kelli, obviously having heard his angered tone, giggled. Next to Luke sat a gigantic giant, at least 15 feet tall. He was only donning a loincloth and Judith wanted to gag at what was almost revealed to her. His uncovered skin was an unnatural deep red, covered in swirling rune tattoos of a darker shade.
There was a cry from the arena floor, and Percy jumped back as a centaur crashed to the dirt at their feet.
He looked up pleadingly. "Help!"
Percy reached in his pocket for Riptide but came up short, his pen still with the Laistrygonian. The centaur struggled to get up as a giant approached, his javelin ready.
"If you value your friendsss' livesss," Percy's dracaenae guard said to him, "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 giant sitting next to him rose. He smiled down pleasantly at the whimpering centaur.
"Please! No!"
Judith's chest clinched. She knew she was fueled by fighting, but this — this was awful. He was begging for mercy and wouldn't receive it, not if the giant had anything to say about it. Then the loincloth dude held out his hand and gave the thumbs down sign. The girl noticed Percy flinching as he closed his eyes in anticipation. Judith clenched her teeth as the javelin pierced the Centaur where his heart would be. He disintegrated to golden ashes in front of her. All that was left was a single hoof, which the giant took up as a trophy and showed the crowd. They roared their approval and Judith felt something boiling inside her.
A gate opened at the opposite end of the stadium and the giant marched out in triumphant glee. In the stands, the red giant 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, his distaste in being affiliated with Hermes shining through. But he rose calmly to his feet diplomatically. His eyes glittered menacingly.
"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." Antaeus ... where had Judith heard that before?
"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 down to the new Demigod group. "Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon."
The crowd began jeering at him and throwing stones, most of which he managed to dodge, but one caught him on the cheek and made a good-sized cut. Judith's head felt fuzzy as she saw red, trying to pinpoint which monster had managed to clip him.
Antaeus's eyes lit up. "A son of Poseidon? Then he should fight well! Or die well!"
"If his death pleases you," Luke said, "will you let our armies cross your territory?"
"Perhaps!" Antaeus said vaguely.
"Luke!" Annabeth yelled. "Stop this. Let us go!"
Luke seemed to notice her for the first time. He looked stunned for a moment. "Annabeth?"
Judith reached out the arm that wasn't held by Kelli and latched onto her friend before she tried to run off and convince the boy he was making a mistake. She reluctantly obeyed.
"Enough time for the females to fight afterward," Antaeus interrupted. Judith would show him a fight. "First, Percy Jackson, what weapons will you choose?"
The dracaenae pushed Percy into the middle of the arena.
He stared up at Antaeus defiantly. "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!" Judith then noticed how the skulls were attached everywhere, covering the walls and hanging from the ceiling like decor.
"Percy!" Annabeth yelled at him. "His mother is Gaea! Gae — " Her Laistrygonian captor clamped his hand over her mouth. Judith recalled the name Antaeus now. Born from Poseidon and Gaea, challenged everyone who entered his territory to wrestle him, fought Heracles. He almost won against him too, but the hero had been smart enough to get him off the ground so he was not connected to the earth and Gaea.
"You're crazy, Antaeus," Percy said, worried for his friends and what Annabeth was trying to tell him. "If you think this is a good tribute, you know nothing about Poseidon."
The crowd screamed insults at him, but Antaeus raised his hand for more silence.
"Weapons," he insisted. "And then we will see how you die. Will you have axes? Shields? Nets? Flamethrowers?"
"Just my sword," he said. Judith wished he would have requested a shield as well, but then again, the last time he'd taken on a shield in a fight, he was only held down.
Laughter erupted from the monsters, but as he wielded the celestial bronze pen that appeared in his pocket, they settled down into hushed murmurs. Judith wondered what reaction Nico's Stygian Iron sword would have gotten as it was a lot deadlier.
"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. Judith shuffled in anxiety, but also had faith in Percy's abilities. He trained against things like this all the time at camp, he could handle it...probably.
It only took two swipes before the dracaenae was dust on the arena floor. "No!" Antaeus bellowed. "Too fast! You must wait for the kill. Only I give that order!"
"Nice job, Percy." Luke smiled like you would to an old friend. "You've gotten better with the sword. I'll grant you that."
"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 a young warrior came out. Judith narrowed her eyes and tried to step closer to get a better look. Familiarity struck her as she recognized the boy as Ethan Nakamura. They had only spoke on one occasion when Judith was still staying in the Hermes cabin. He had just asked for directions to the bathrooms. How strange it was to now see him with an eyepatch and scowl. He stabbed his sword into the dirt, adjusted his shield straps, and pulled on his horsehair helmet. Determined.
The two boys conversed quietly as they had a standoff in the middle of the arena. Judith was sure that Percy was doing his typical strategy of trying to convert someone back to the light side. Judith felt an odd sense of admiration for his merciful tendencies.
"Hey!" A monster jeered from the stands. "Stop talking and fight already!" The others took up the call. "Fight! Fight! Fight!"
And with that, Ethan charged. Their swords met in midair with a clash and the crowd roared. Judith tensed; it was a well-known fact that demigods were more agile and better at fighting than monsters. The girl was hoping that the eye-patch might hinder Ethan, but it looked like he was doing just fine with it, like he'd had it for a while. And the scariest part about this duel was that Percy wouldn't kill him. Percy was fine with banning a monster to Tartarus, but a mortal was different; a mortal didn't turn to dust. They just ... died, forced to face judgement in Hades' realm. Judith couldn't be sure that Ethan would do the same for Percy.
"Blood!" The monsters cried desperately.
Ethan yelled an angry battle cry and charged again, but Percy parried his blade and backed away. His reaction gave Judith all the answer she needed — Ethan would kill if it came down to it.
"Boo!" Antaeus said. "Stand and fight!"
Ethan pressed further, but Percy had no trouble defending, even without a shield. The girl tried to evaluate the chance of success. Ethan had heavy armor while Percy didn't, but his speed would help him ... hopefully. Judith still wished Percy had at least taken a shield like the other boy, just extra protection. The crowd went nuts, yelling complaints and throwing rocks. They'd been fighting for almost five minutes and there was no blood yet.
Finally, Ethan made his mistake. He tried to jab at his stomach, and Percy managed to lock his sword hilt in his and twisted. Ethan's sword dropped into the dirt and before he could recover, Percy slammed the butt of his sword into his helmet and pushed him down with a foot. He fell on his back, dazed and tired. Percy put the tip of Riptide on his chest.
Judith awaited on baited breath for Antaeus's signal, wondering just what Percy would do when faced with the decision. The red giant stuck his meaty thumb down. The girl's hand fidgeted since Percy would never kill the boy. That just wasn't him. And while she could admire that, she knew that they were probably going to pay the price for it.
"Forget it." He sheathed his sword and Judith sighed. She didn't want him to kill the boy, but she knew that it would lead them to trouble.
"Don't be a fool," Ethan groaned, Judith only barely managing to hear him. "They'll just kill us both."
Percy offered him a hand. Reluctantly, he took the olive branch and they stood up straight.
"No one dishonors the games!" Antaeus bellowed. "Your heads shall both be tributes to Poseidon!"
Percy said something to Ethan quietly before turning back to Antaeus. "Why don't you fight me yourself? If you've got Dad's favor, come down here and prove it!"
Both Annabeth and Judith groaned simultaneously. From behind them, they heard Rachel mutter, "What an idiot." The daughter of Ares couldn't agree more. Stupid idiot.
The monsters grumbled in the stands. 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!"
Percy had no idea what that meant as he looked over at his friends curiously. Seeing as Annabeth's mouth was still covered with the Laistrygonian's hand, Judith answered, "Boxing and wrestling-mix with no rules. Old Olympic sport."
His face rang in recognition but also a little fear. But 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!" The mild rumble of the earth shook around them at the deal.
He leaped off the railing, into the arena. Ethan was quick to leave out another door before getting caught in the crossfire.
Antaeus cracked his knuckles. "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." Judith narrowed her eyes in irritation as he had the title 'Master.'
Luke smiled down at them. "With pleasure."
Antaeus lunged. Percy rolled under his legs and stabbed him in the back of the thigh. The move was so quick, Judith would have missed it with a blink.
"Argggh!" He yelled. But instead of bleeding, sand just poured from the wound until it healed on its own within seconds. Judith knew how to prevent him from continuously healing, but there would be no way for her to let Percy know without ending up like Annabeth, and she knew Kelli would not hold back when punishing her.
He charged again. Percy made another evasion, dodging sideways and stabbed him under the arm. Judith would have been happy with the successful jab in his ribs if he wasn't immune to every hit while grounded. Antaeus also turned swiftly while Riptide was still stuck in him and swung Percy across the arena, now without a weapon ... or shield still.
Antaeus bellowed in pain. He groped for the hilt, pulled out the sword, and tossed it behind him. More sand poured from the new wound, but again the earth just filled the hole and retreated.
"Now you see why I never lose, demigod!" Antaeus gloated. "Come here and let me crush you. I'll make it quick!"
Percy looked helpless as his sword was now beyond Antaeus. He looked around for anything to help and Judith caught his eye in a doorway. She exaggerated a look at the ceiling, nodding her head ever so slightly in an effort to gesture up.
The boy thought for a moment before something seemed to click. Judith thanked Zeus that he was smart enough to really figure it out on his own. Percy tried to skirt around him, but Antaeus anticipated each move. He blocked his path, chuckling. Percy feinted to the other side. Antaeus blocked him. The crowd jeered and screamed at Antaeus to finish the job, but Judith could feel that Antaeus wanted to play around a little more.
"Puny boy," he said. "Not a worthy son of the sea god!"
In her peripheral vision, Judith could see Riptide dematerialize and she smirked. That sword had some pretty sweet perks.
Percy charged straight ahead, maneuvering around Antaeus until the giant swooped down to try and grab him. Judith watched him leap up onto his arms and scramble up to the top of his body. Antaeus straightened up indignantly, yelled "HEY!" and Percy pushed off, using his force to catapult him toward the ceiling. Judith was impressed with his quick work and kind of dumbfounded that Antaeus would even provide a resource like that on the ceiling.
"Come down here, coward!" Antaeus bellowed. He tried to grab Percy, but the boy was a little too far.
Percy, looking quite comfortable, looked down and cockily exclaimed, "Come up and get me! Or are you too slow and fat?"
Judith bit her cheek to keep a smile off her face as the taunting ensued. Her head clouded with murky red and this time, she didn't push it down. She directed her thoughts at Antaeus specifically, hoping to rile him up even more.
Antaeus tensed and Judith knew it had done the trick. He was soon grasping at chains and hoisting himself up. Percy made quick work, finding himself a lot more accustomed mid air than the giant; he looped chains through each other, interlocking Antaeus within them. At one point, Percy's grip faltered and he slipped down a foot. Judith flinched and Kelli scratched her arm at the twitch. The daughter of Ares ignored the pain and continued to stare in anxiety and eagerness as Percy finished up the large knot.
Percy took a moment to prepare himself for a 20 foot drop. Judith's gut clenched as he dropped, performing a tuck and roll. The girl had no idea where he would have had time to practice that, but was glad that he did. Death by broken neck would be embarrassing.
"Get me down!" Antaeus demanded.
"Free him!" Luke ordered. "He is our host!"
Percy uncapped Riptide. "I'll free him." Without much thought, he hurled his sword up into the air and it imbedded itself in Antaeus's stomach. Antaeus just dissolved, pouring out bit by bit, until there was nothing left but empty swinging chains and Riptide clattered to the arena's floor. "See? Freed."
"Jackson!" Luke yelled. "I should have killed you long ago!"
"You tried," Percy reminded him haughtily. "Let us go, Luke. We had a sworn agreement with Antaeus. I'm the winner."
Luke did exactly what Judith was assuming he would. 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. "Spare that girl." His voice quavered just a little. "I would speak to her before — before our great triumph." Judith thought about how their feelings were a two-way street, and the implications of it were wildly dangerous.
Every monster in the audience drew a weapon or extended its claws. Were all of them that upset about losing their beloved Antaeus? He seemed like a tyrant.
Kelli's claws had switched from her arm to the back of her neck, a talon resting directly on her jugular. She growled in anger, but knew that if she tried anything, that sharp claw would go straight into her throat, most likely killing her. She felt useless and it made her so, so mad.
Percy pulled another object from his pocket and inspected it a moment before bringing it to his mouth. Judith had no idea what it was supposed to do as it crumbled in the boy's hand after use.
Luke laughed. "What was that supposed to do?"
Judith tensed as a loud and familiar bounding sound came from within the tunnel behind their group. She got ready to side-step as the sound got closer. At its peak, she jumped to the side, Kelli's talons leaving behind more marks for sure, but Judith could care less as the empousa was thrown out the door along with the Laistrygonian that held Annabeth.
The monsters in the crowd were caught off guard as Mrs. O'Leary snarled at everyone.
"Let's go!" Percy yelled. "Heel, Mrs. O'Leary!" Judith clambered to her feet, racing to the fallen Laistrygonian to grab her ax and Annabeth's dagger, the latter being tossed to her friend. She wondered how Percy had so much command over the thing. Last time he'd dealt with a hellhound was years ago when it tried to kill him.
"The far exit!" Rachel cried. "That's the right way!"
Ethan Nakamura took his cue as well, falling in stride with them. Judith eyed him warily but was too preoccupied with staying at the head of the group. They left the arena in shambles, monsters causing pandemonium as they escaped.
NOTES ;
I ABSOLUTELY HATE THIS CHAPTER. LIKE JUDITH WASN'T ALLOWED TO DO ANYTHING EXCEPT WORRY OVER PERCY
edited : 09 / 12 / 2020