Forgotten memories

Bois ammaright?

When I finally came to, the first thing I saw was Percy stabbing a massive giant right in the stomach—while the guy was hanging from the ceiling in chains. Uh... what the heck did I miss? One second I'm on the ground, the next I'm watching some kind of execution scene.

The giant bellowed so loudly it shook the whole arena, and sand started pouring out of him like someone had punctured an hourglass. But he was too far up—suspended in midair, completely out of reach of the earth. The dirt floor didn't rise to help him this time. No magic healing, no nothing. Slowly, painfully, Antaeus dissolved away, piece by piece, until there was nothing left but the empty chains swinging overhead, a ridiculously huge loincloth dangling on a hook, and rows of skulls grinning down like they'd been waiting for this moment forever.

"Jackson!" Luke's voice cut through the stunned silence. His face was red with fury. "I should have killed you long ago!"

"You tried," Percy shot back, calm as ever. "Now let us go, Luke. We had a sworn agreement with Antaeus. I'm the winner."

Luke did exactly what I expected—twisted the rules to his advantage. He sneered. "Antaeus is dead. His oath dies with him. But... since I'm feeling merciful today, I'll have you killed quickly."

Then he pointed straight at Annabeth. "Spare the girl." His voice cracked just a little, like he was trying too hard to sound in control. "I would speak to her before—before our great triumph."

The crowd erupted in roars and growls. Every single monster in the stands drew a weapon or bared its claws. We were surrounded—trapped—with no way out.

I scrambled to my feet and pressed my back against Percy's. "Any ideas?" he muttered.

"None that end well," I whispered back.

And then Percy did something that made me blink in confusion—he pulled out what looked like... a dog whistle? Seriously? It was small, icy-looking, like it had been carved from a block of frozen glass. Without hesitation, he lifted it to his lips and blew. No sound came out—not even a squeak. The whistle just shattered in his hand, melting into slivers of water that dripped through his fingers.

Luke laughed, loud and cruel. "That's it? That's your big move?"

But then I felt it. The ground trembled. Something big was coming. A massive shadow leaped over the broken gates—and I realized what it was just as the audience gasped.

Mrs. O'Leary.

The giant Laistrygonian guard who'd been holding Annabeth and the others? Yeah, he didn't stand a chance. He went flying across the arena and slammed into the wall with a crunch.

"ARROOOF!"

Kelli the empousa shrieked as two hundred kilograms of black mastiff fury lunged at her. Mrs. O'Leary clamped her in her jaws like she was nothing but a squeaky toy and flung her straight into Luke's lap. He went down hard, tangled in empousa legs and flailing furiously.

The entire arena froze in shock. The dracaenae guards staggered back, their weapons shaking. For the first time, the monsters didn't look so confident.

"Let's go!" Percy shouted. "Heel, Mrs. O'Leary!"

"The far exit!" Rachel yelled from across the chaos. "That's the way out!"

Ethan Nakamura didn't need to be told twice. He bolted, and we followed, sprinting across the bloodstained arena floor toward the far gate with Mrs. O'Leary bounding after us like a wrecking ball on paws.

Behind us, the grandstands erupted into chaos—shouts, screams, claws scraping stone as Luke's entire army tried to pour out and follow. But for the first time all night, the odds weren't stacked against us. Not completely.