THE PROPHECY ² / Percy Jackson !

17

"THE OTHER WAY," PERCY SAID.

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, Viviene heard the sound of giant wings as Kampê took to the air. She hissed and growled in her ancient language, but Viviene didn't need a translation to know she was planning to kill them.

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 ourselves in the prison yard, ringed by security towers and barbed wire. After being inside for so long, the daylight almost blinded Viviene. 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 wasrising anew.

It was hard to believe the tourists couldn't see the supernatural storm brewing, but they didn't give any hint that anything was wrong.

"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.

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

Then the wall exploded.

Tourists screamed as Kampê 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?" Viviene guessed.

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

"Let's avoid the swords," Percy 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.

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

Then it hit Viviene. They could not fight her.

"Run."

That was the end of the debate. There was no fighting this thing.

They ran through the jail yard and out the gates of the prison, the monster right behind them. 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...Viviene didn't know what they saw through the Mist, but it could not have been good.

"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 Kampê. You run ahead."

"I'll help you," Viviene and Percy said at the same time.

"No," Tyson said. "You go. Poison will hurt Cyclopes. A lot of pain. Butit won't kill."

"Are you sure?"

"Go, brother, warrior girl. I will meet you inside."

Viviene hated the idea. They'd almost lost Tyson once before, and she didn't want to ever risk that again. But there was no time to argue, and they had no better idea.

Annabeth, Grover, Viviene and Percy each took one of Briares's hands and dragged him toward the concession stands while Tyson bellowed, lowered his pole, and charged Kampê like a jousting knight.

She'd been glaring at Briares, but Tyson got her attention as soon as he nailed her in the chest with the pole, pushing her back into the wall. She shrieked and slashed with her swords, slicing the pole to shreds. poison dripped in pools all around her, sizzling into the cement.

Tyson jumped back as Kampê's hair lashed and hissed, and the viper saround her legs darted their tongues in every direction. A lion popped out of the weird half-formed faces around her waist and roared.

As they sprinted for the cellblocks, the last thing Viviene saw was Tyson pickingup a Dippin' Dots stand and throwing it at Kampê. Ice cream and poison exploded everywhere, all the little snakes in Kampê's hair dotted with tutti-frutti.

They dashed back into the jail yard.

"Can't make it," Briares huffed.

"Tyson is risking his life to help you!" Percy yelled at him. "You will make it."

As they reached the door of the cellblock, Viviene heard an angry roar.

She glanced back and saw Tyson running toward us at full speed, Kampê right behind him. She was plastered in ice cream and T-shirts. One of the bear heads on her waist was now wearing a pair of crooked plastic Alcatraz sunglasses.

"Hurry!" Annabeth said.

They finally found the cell where they'd come in, but the back wall was completely smooth-no sign of a boulder or anything.

"Look for the mark!" Annabeth said.

"There!" Grover touched a tiny scratch, and it became a Greek ∆. Themark of Daedalus glowed blue, and the stone wall grinded open.

Too slowly. Tyson was coming through the cellblock, Kampê's sword slashing out behind him, slicing indiscriminately through cell bars and stone walls.

Percy pushed Viviene and Briares inside the maze, then Annabeth and Grover.

"You can do it!" He told Tyson. But immediately he knew he couldn't.Kampê was gaining. She raised her swords.

He need a distraction-something big. Percy slapped his wristwatch and it spiraled into a bronze shield. Desperately, he threw it at the monster's face.

SMACK!

The shield hit her in the face and she faltered just long enough for Tyson to dive past me into the maze. I was right behind him. Kampê charged, but she was too late.

The stone door closed and its magic sealed them in.

Viviene could feel the whole tunnel shake as Kampê pounded againstit, roaring furiously.

They didn't stick around to play knock, knock with her, though. They raced into the darkness, and for the first time (and the last) Viviene was glad to be back in the Labyrinth.