Twins of the Hunt - Book 4: The Labyrinth

Chapter 7: J-J-JAILBREAK!

2450 words

Of course, the passage finished in a giant boulder after one hundred yards. We skidded to a stop before it. Ragged breathing and lumbering footfalls reverberated behind us.

"Sounds like a Laestrygonian." Raiden cracked her knuckles. "I'll get him!"

"No!" Annabeth said quickly. "We have to keep moving."

"Fine. I'll move this thing." She thrust her shoulder against the massive rock with a grunt. Dust fell from the ceiling.

"Be careful!" Grover warned. "Don't make the roof cave!"

The boulder moved with a horrid grinding noise that grated on my ears. I gritted my teeth, blocking out the cacophony.

"Move it, people!" Raiden urged, massaging her shoulder and pushing the boulder into a small room.

"Block the entry!" Annabeth said.

Tyson shoved the boulder back into place, initiating a wail of frustration from the thing pursuing us.

"Well, that solves that problem," Percy said. "Now we just have to—"

"We're trapped," Grover interrupted.

The opposite wall of the twenty-foot-square concrete room was lined with metal bars. Our corridor had steered us straight into a cell.

                                      ***

"What is this?" Annabeth pulled on the bars, but they refused to move.

Beyond them, I saw rows of cells in a circle around a shadowy courtyard—three levels of metal doors and catwalks. My heart started to race as I gazed at the courtyard. Although I could see into the courtyard, I knew the darkness was coming. I knew, here, it was finally going to devour me. I could almost hear Kronos whispering in my ear: Your time is up, little huntress.

I shuddered and grasped the grips of my daggers, forcing myself to remain collected.

"What's wrong?" Percy asked.

"Nothing," I said. "Where are we?"

"Alcatraz," Annabeth answered. "The island prison in San Fransisco Bay."

"We're in San Fransisco?" I gulped, clutching the grips of my daggers harder to stop my hands from shaking. My entire hands turned white.

"Yes."

"That's fun," Raiden muttered. "That's really fun. Maybe we—"

"Wait!" Grover said. "Do you hear that?"

I tuned into my hearing. Terrified sobbing reverberated above our heads throughout the prison, accompanied by a raspy voice speaking in a language that sounded like rocks in a tumbler. Chills tumbled down my spine. Every instinct was urging me to flee.

"What's that thing saying?" Percy whispered.

"Let's go." Raiden grabbed two bars, and as though they were clay, bent them wide enough for us to step through individually. Tyson hurried through, looking worried.

We passed through and jogged after him. Suddenly, the most revolting aroma I'd ever smelled reached my nostrils. I inhaled and gagged. My nose told me that the monster we were about to confront was ancient and poisonous.

"Stop!" Grover threw out an arm to stop us. "Tyson!" He seized the Cyclops's arm. "Don't you see her?"

Everyone followed to where Grover was pointing, and my stomach plummeted down to the ocean floor.