𝐂œ𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐬é𝐬 [Percy Jackson]

91

They'd only travelled a few hundred yards when Hadrian heard voices.

Hadrian plodded along, half in a stupor, trying to form a plan. The fiery water of the Phlegethon may have healed him and given him strength, but it didn't do anything for their hunger or thirst. The river wasn't about making you feel good, Hadrian guessed. It just kept you going so you could experience more excruciating pain.

His head started to droop with exhaustion. Then he heard them—female voices having some sort of argument—and he was instantly alert.

He whispered, "Percy, down!"

He pulled him behind the nearest boulder, wedging himself so close against the riverbank that his shoes almost touched the river's fire. On the other side, in the narrow path between the river and the cliffs, voices snarled, getting louder as they approached from upstream.

Hadrian tried to steady his breathing. The voices sounded vaguely human, but that meant nothing. He assumed anything in Tartarus was their enemy. He didn't know how the monsters could have failed to spot them already. Besides, monsters could smell demigods—especially powerful ones like Percy, son of Poseidon. Hadrian doubted that hiding behind a boulder would do any good when the monsters caught their scent.

Still, as the monsters got nearer, their voices didn't change in tone. Their uneven footsteps—scrap, clump, scrap, clump—didn't get any faster. Oh. Oh no. Hadrian started to sweat.

"Soon?" one of them asked in a raspy voice, as if she'd been gargling in the Phlegethon.

"Oh my gods!" said another voice. This one sounded much younger and much more human, like a teenaged mortal girl getting exasperated with her friends at the mall. "You guys are totally annoying! I told you, it's like three days from here."

Percy gripped Hadrian's wrist. He looked at him with alarm, as if he recognized the mall girl's voice.

There was a chorus of growling and grumbling. The creatures—maybe half a dozen, Hadrian guessed—had paused just on the other side of the boulder, but still they gave no indication that they'd caught the demigods' scent. Hadrian wondered if demigods didn't smell the same in Tartarus, or if the other scents here were so powerful, they masked a demigod's aura.

"I wonder," said a third voice, gravelly and ancient like the first, "if perhaps you do not know the way, young one."

"Oh, shut your fang hole, Serephone," said the mall girl. "When's the last time you escaped to the mortal world? I was there a couple of years ago. I know the way! Besides, I understand what we're facing up there. You don't have a clue!"

"The Earth Mother did not make you boss!" said a fourth voice. Hadrian almost laughed out loud. Almost. Everything had happened only to loop around and come bite him in the ass. Seriously? After everything? 

More hissing, scuffling, and feral moans—like giant alley cats fighting. At last the one called Serephone yelled, "Enough!"

The scuffling died down.

"We will follow for now," Serephone said. "But if you do not lead us well, if we find you have lied about the summons of Gaea—"

"I don't lie!" snapped the mall girl. "Believe me, I've got good reason to get into this battle. I have some enemies to devour, and you'll feast on the blood of heroes. Just leave one special morsel for me—the one named Percy Jackson."

"If we're claiming demigods for ourselves, I want the hot one- the one that killed me. Hadrian Allaire- son of Eros"

Hadrian and Percy looked at each other with appreciation. Pretty girls that wanted to kill and drink their blood. Great. At least they had made a mark on them. Hadrian scoured his memory, trying to place where the voice seemed familiar from.

"Believe me," said the mall girl. "Gaea has called us, and we're going to have so much fun. Before this war is over, mortals and demigods will tremble at the sound of my name—Kelli!"

Hadrian glanced at Percy. Even in the red light of the Phlegethon, his face seemed waxy.

You know her? he mouthed. 

Long story. or Percy could have said thong inventory. Hadrian had no way to tell.

"Kellie, Hecate told you, you're not the only one in the spotlight" The girl spoke and Hadrian almost grinned like a lovesick fool. Charmspeak. Unfortunately, she was really good with it.

Valentina. Back in the battle of Manhattan, when Hadrian had been trying to run away, Valentina had stopped him. She had charmed him enough to make him almost kiss her. Then she tried to drink his blood so he snapped out of it.

The creatures shuffled off, their voices getting fainter. Hadrian crept to the edge of the boulder and risked a glimpse. Sure enough, seven women staggered along on mismatched legs—mechanical bronze on the left, shaggy and cloven-hooved on the right. Their hair was made of fire, their skin as white as bone. Most of them wore tattered Ancient Greek dresses, except for the two in the lead, Kelli, who wore a burned and torn blouse with a short pleated skirt... a cheerleader's outfit, and Valentina in a black t-shirt and jeans. 

Hadrian couldn't help but be glad to see a familiar face. Sure, a familiar face that tried to kill him. But familiar none the less. 

In addition to their nasty claws and fangs, they had a powerful ability to manipulate the Mist. They could change shape and charmspeak, tricking mortals into letting down their guard. Men were especially susceptible. The empousa's favorite tactic was to make a guy fall in love with her, then drink his blood and devour his flesh. Hadrian wanted to give them pointers, generally this sort of thing wasn't considered first date material. 

"Kelli" Percy mumbled, "Cheerleader- tried to kill me and Rachel Elizabeth Dare in band room"

"Valentina" Hadrian traded stories, "Black t-shirt- almost kissed her but then her hair turned into fire"

"Do you have no standards?"

"Hey, I've had worse"

Percy rose. "They're heading for the Doors of Death," he murmured. "You know what that means?"

Hadrian didn't want to think about it, but sadly, this squad of flesh-eating horror-show women might be the closest thing to good luck they were going to get in Tartarus.

"Guess we need to follow them" He said, "Yay, road trip"