𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗, 𝚔𝚒𝚍 - percy jackson x oc

027

XXVII - NICO THE FARMER

THEY BOLTED DOWN THE CATWALK. This time Briares was happy to follow them. In fact he sprinted out front, a hundred arms waving in panic.

Behind them, they heard the sound of giant wings as Kampe took to the air. She hissed and growled in her ancient language, probably about delicious demigods for the killing or something else that monsters typically said.

They scrambled down the stairs, through a corridor, and past a guard's station—out into another block of prison cells.

"Left," Annabeth said. "I remember this from the tour."

They burst outside and found themselves in the prison yard, ringed by security towers and barbed wire. After being inside for such a long duration, the daylight nearly blinded them. Tourists were milling around, taking pictures. The wind whipped cold off the bay. In the south, San Francisco gleamed all white and beautiful, but in the north, over Mount Tamalpais, huge storm clouds swirled.

The whole sky seemed like a black top spinning from the mountain where Atlas was imprisoned, and where the Titan palace of Mount Othrys was rising anew. Valeria reached up to her grey streaks of hair instinctively.

"It's even worse," Annabeth said, gazing to the north. "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 cellblock as possible.

"Kampe's too big to get through the doors," Percy said hopefully.

Then the wall exploded.

Tourists screamed as Kampe appeared from the dust and rubble, her wings spread out as wide as the yard. She was holding two swords—long bronze scimitars that glowed with a weird greenish aura, boiling wisps of vapor that smelled sour and hot even across the yard.

"Poison!" Grover yelped. "Don't let those things touch you or..."

"Or we'll die?" Percy guessed.

"Well...after you shrivel slowly to dust, yes."

"Let's avoid the swords," he 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.

Kampe thundered toward them on her dragon legs, hundreds of snakes slithering around her body.

For a second Percy reached for Riptide. Then Valeria covered his hand with her own and pulled him through the jail yard and out the gates of the prison, the monster right behind the five. Mortals screamed and ran. Emergency sirens began to blare.

They hit the wharf just as a tour boat was unloading. The new group of visitors froze as they saw them charging toward them, followed by a mob of frightened tourists, followed by whatever they saw through the Mist.

"The boat?" Grover asked.

"Too slow," Tyson said. "Back into the maze. Only chance."

"We need a diversion," Annabeth said.

Tyson ripped a metal lamppost out of the ground. "I will distract Kampe. You run ahead."

"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?"