Umbra

Chapter 36

Shadow travel was their only choice.

As soon as they'd grabbed hold, Emilia concentrated, the shadows swirling around them and pulling them back out, to the entrance of the Pantheon. Once Leo had realized he didn't actually need to throw up, he managed to hack into Coach Hedge's favorite satellite channel, asking him to bring the ship there.

When he arrived, he told them how Piper, Jason, and Percy had left together– apparently, Annabeth had been kidnapped by Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, who were actually Tiberinus and Rhea Silvia. As they set course for the old Forum, they began to see a series of bright lights in the distance– right at the Colosseum.

The giants were nothing like Emilia had expected. First off, she hadn't actually thought Percy was being fully serious about the stupid performance act they seemed to cling to. Or maybe, she'd just wished it wasn't real. Apparently, she'd been wrong to want that.

The hypogeum ascended through a forest of weathered stone columns, into the middle of a ruined coliseum. Some special effects machines had laid planks across ruined support beams, creating a strange floor. The bleachers were gleaming white. A giant red-and-gold canopy extended overhead to provide shade from the afternoon sun. The emperor's box was draped with silk, flanked by banners and golden eagles. The roar of applause came from thousands of shimmering purple ghosts, the Lares of Rome brought back for an encore performance.

Vents on the floor sprayed sand across the arena. Huge props had sprung up— garage-size mountains of plaster, stone columns, and life-size plastic barnyard animals. A small lake appeared to one side. Ditches crisscrossed the arena floor in case anyone was in the mood for trench warfare.

Bacchus, as he'd been in Kansas, sat in the emperor's box wearing purple robes and golden laurels. At his left sat Nico and Piper, tended to by nymphs. Locked in battle with Percy and Jason were the twin giants.

Ephialtes was about twelve feet tall, dressed in a ridiculous flowery shirt that had a garish print made up of dying heroes, horrible tortures, and lions eating slaves in the Colosseum. The giant's hair was braided with gold and silver coins. He wore bright white jeans and leather sandals on his feet, which were actually curved snakeheads. Otis was the same height, but dressed in a skin-tight baby-blue leotard. The toes of his massive dancing slippers were cut away so that his snakes could protrude. A diamond tiara was nestled in his green, firecracker-braided hair.

"FIRE!" yelled Coach Hedge from the deck, manning the ballistae and raining a jet of green fire down on the giants. An explosion rocked the Colosseum just before the Argo II began to land. Emilia leaned over the railing, making sure Jason and Percy were out of the way– Jason had been crouched behind an improvised bomb shelter.

Ephialtes lay charred and groaning on the arena floor, the sand around him seared into a halo of glass by the heat of the Greek fire. Otis was floundering in the lake, trying to re-form, but from the arms down he looked like a puddle of burnt oatmeal.

Percy staggered over to Jason and clapped him on the shoulder. The ghostly crowd gave them a standing ovation as the Argo II extended its landing gear and settled on the arena floor. Coach Hedge danced around the firing platform, pumping his fist in the air and yelling, "That's what I'm talking about!"

Percy turned to the emperor's box. "Well?" he yelled at Bacchus. "Was that entertaining enough for you, you wine-breathed little—"

"No need for that." Suddenly the god was standing right next to him in the arena. "I have decided you are worthy partners for this combat."

"Partners?" growled Jason. "You did nothing!"

Bacchus walked to the edge of the lake. The water instantly drained, leaving an Otis-headed pile of mush. Bacchus picked his way to the bottom and looked up at the crowd. He raised his thyrsus. The crowd jeered and hollered and pointed their thumbs down. Bacchus smacked Otis's head with his pinecone staff, and the giant pile of Otismeal disintegrated completely.