𝒞𝒶𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒾𝒸 | ᴘᴇʀᴄʏ ᴊᴀᴄᴋꜱᴏɴ¹

6. Even the bravest of them all are doomed to fall

❈  The good news: the left tunnel was straight with no side exits, twists or turns. The bad news: it was a dead end, enormous boulders were completely blocking their path. Behind them, the sounds of dragging footsteps and heavy breathing echoed down the corridor. 

"Tyson," Percy said, as he tried to catch his breath. "can you –"

"Yes!" Tyson slammed his shoulder against the rock so hard the whole tunnel shook.

"Hurry!" Grover said. "Don't bring the roof down, but hurry!"

The boulder finally gave way with a horrible grinding noise. Tyson pushed it into a small room, and they dashed through behind it.

"Close the entrance!" Annabeth said.

They all got on the other side of the boulder and pushed. Whatever was chasing them wailed in frustration as they heaved the rock back into place and sealed the corridor.

"We trapped it," Percy said.

"Or trapped ourselves," Helena said, taking in their surroundings.

They were in a six-metre-square cement room, and the opposite wall was covered with metal bars. They were in a cell block.

"What in Hades?" Annabeth tugged on the bars. They didn't budge. Through the bars they coils see rows of cells in a ring around a courtyard. Three stories of cell blocks at least

"A prison," Percy said. "Maybe Tyson can break –"

'Shh,' said Grover. 'Listen.'

Somewhere above them, deep sobbing echoed through the building. There was another voice too.

"What's that language?" Helena whispered.

Tyson's eye widened. "Can't be."

"You recognise it?" Helena asked.

"Yes." He grabbed two bars on our cell door and bent them wide enough for even a Cyclops to slip through.

"Wait!" Grover whisper yelled. "You can't just- And he's gone."

Tyson ran and they followed. The prison was dark, only a few dim fluorescent lights flickering above.

"I know this place," Annabeth said. "This is Alcatraz."

"You mean that island near San Francisco?"

She nodded. "My school took a field trip here. It's like a museum."

Helena knew logically that time and space worked differently in the Labyrinth but to actually experience it, was completely different. 

"Stop," Grover warned.

But Tyson kept going. Grover grabbed his arm and pulled him back with all his strength. "Stop, Tyson!" he whispered. "Can't you see it?"

Grover pointed and the group looked over a monster was on the second floor balcony. The monster had the body of a dragon and had a barbed tail. There were snakes sprouting from her legs and hair, and her torso was ever changing . Helena got the feeling she was looking at something half formed, a monster so old it was from the beginning of time, before shapes had been fully defined. She glanced over at Percy top find him looking back at her.

"It's her." Tyson whimpered.

"Who?" Percy asked.

Helena's eyebrows furrowed. The only thing that seemed to scare Tyson was Grover but even then he was only ever uncomfortable. What could scare him that much- 

"Kampê." Helena whispered to Percy.

Grover's eyes widened. "Get down!"

They all dropped into a crouch trying to hide in the shadows but the monster wasn't paying attention to them. It was too busy talking to whatever was in the cell.