The Shadow Summoner | Book Three - PJO Universe

sixteen

SUMMONING A GODDESS

Okay, why did it have to be bicycles?

Ariana understood that cars were a deal-breaker. They had crashed enough vehicles for one week. She understood that jogging to camp was out of the question, given the fact that they could barely stand.

But why a bike?

Across the street from Target stood a rack of canary-yellow Go-Glo bikes. Meg inserted a credit card into the kiosk (where she got the card, Ariana had no idea,) freed three cycles from the rack, and offered one to each of them.

Joy and happiness. Now they could pedal into battle like the neon-yellow warriors of old. They took the side streets and sidewalks, using the columns of smoke in the hills to guide their way.

With Highway 24 closed, traffic was snarled everywhere, angry drivers honking and yelling and threatening violence.

Ariana was tempted to tell them that if they really wanted a fight, they could just follow them. They could use a few thousand angry commuters on m their side.

As they passed the Rockridge BART station, they spotted the first enemy troops. Pandai patrolled the elevated platform, with furry black ears folded around themselves like firefighter turnout coats, and flat-head axes in their hands.

Fire trucks were parked along College Avenue, their lights strobing in the underpass. More faux-firefighter pandai guarded the station doors, turning away mortals.

Ariana hoped the real firefighters were okay, because firefighters are important and also because they are hot, and no, that wasn't relevant right then.

"This way!" Meg veered up the steepest hill she could find, just to annoy Apollo.

He was forced to stand as he pedalled, pushing with all his weight to make progress against the incline.

At the summit, more bad news.

In front of them, arrayed across the higher hills, troops marched doggedly toward Camp Jupiter.

There were squads of blemmyae, pandai, and even some six-armed Earthborn who had served Gaea in the Recent Unpleasantness, all fighting their way through flaming trenches, staked barricades, and Roman skirmishers trying to put Apollo's archery lessons to good use.

In the early evening gloom, Ariana could only see bits and pieces of the battle.

Judging from the mass of glittering armor and the forest of battle pennants, the main part of the emperors' army was concentrated on Highway 24, forcing its way toward the Caldecott Tunnel.

Enemy catapults hurled projectiles toward the legion's positions, but most disappeared in bursts of purple light as soon as they got close. Ariana assumed that was the work of Terminus, doing his part to defend the camp's borders.

Meanwhile, at the base of the tunnel, flashes of lightning pinpointed the location of the legion's standard.

Tendrils of electricity zigzagged down the hillsides, arcing through enemy lines and frying them to dust.

Camp Jupiter's ballistae launched giant flaming spears at the invaders, raking through their lines and starting more forest fires. The emperors' troops kept coming.

The ones making the best progress were huddled behind large armored vehicles that crawled on eight legs and...

"Myrmekes," Apollo said. "Meg, those are myr-"

"I see them." Meg (nor Ariana) didn't even slow down. "It doesn't change anything. Come on!"

"Get pedalling, Sunshine!"