The Shadow Summoner | Book Three - PJO Universe

nineteen

ITS OVER

Ariana waited for the sounds of renewed combat outside. The bookstore was so quiet she could almost hear the zombies breathing.

The city remained silent.

"Right about now," Tarquin repeated, snapping his finger bones again.

"Having communications issues?" Hazel asked.

Tarquin hissed. "What have you done?"

"Me? Nothing yet." Hazel drew her spatha. "That's about to change."

Aristophanes struck first. Of course the cat would make the fight all about him. With an outraged mewl and no apparent provocation, the giant orange tub of fur launched himself at Tarquin's face, fastening his foreclaws on the skull's eye sockets and kicking his back feet against Tarquin's rotten teeth.

The king staggered under this surprise assault, screaming in Latin, his words garbled because of the cat paws in his mouth. And so the Battle of the Bookstore began.

Hazel launched herself at Tarquin. Meg seemed to accept that Hazel had first dibs on the big baddie, considering what had happened to Frank, so she and Ariana concentrated on the zombies instead, using their weapons to stab and hack and push them toward the nonfiction section.

Apollo drew an arrow, intending to shoot the ghoul on the balcony, but his hands trembled too badly.

He couldn't get to his feet. His eyesight was dim and red. On top of all that, he realised he had drawn the only arrow remaining in his original quiver: the Arrow of Dodona.

"Are you giving me a pep talk?" The idea made Apollo giggle. "Whew, I'm tired."

Apollo collapsed on his butt.

Ariana stepped over him and slashed a zombie who had been about to eat his face.

"Thank you," Apollo muttered, but she'd already moved on.

The ghouls had reluctantly put down their books and were now closing in on her. Hazel stabbed at Tarquin, who had just flung Aristophanes off his face.

The cat yowled as he flew across the room. He managed to catch the edge of a bookshelf and scramble to the top.

He glared down at Apollo with his green eyes, his expression implying he meant to do that.

"That's a really hard job," Apollo muttered. "I hate my job. Wait for what?" Apollo murmured. "Hold on to what? Oh...I guess I'm holding on to you."

Ariana, in the midst of a fight, assumed Apollo was speaking to his talking arrow.

"Isn't that from a movie?" Apollo asked. "Like...every movie? Wait, you actually care if I die?"

"Apollo!" yelled Meg, slashing at Great Expectations. "If you're not going to help, could you at least crawl someplace safer?"

Apollo wanted to oblige. He really did. But his legs wouldn't work.

"Oh, look," he muttered to no one in particular. "My ankles are turning gray. Oh, wow. My hands are, too."

"Apollo!" Ariana demanded, stabbing at another creature. "Can you stop listening to your talking arrow for two seconds and listen!"

"For what?"

"Sweet Caroline!" Apollo warbled. "BAHM! ВАНМ! BAHM!" Apollo continued.

At last his voice dried up. Apollo's vision tunneled. The sounds of combat seemed to reach his ears from the ends of long metal tubes.