Annabeth Chase and the Titan's Curse

Chapter 18 - I play with rocks

Thalia is scary when she charges. Her shield comes up, her spear is lowered and it seems like electricity ignites about her. I was almost glad when Luke shoved me to the ground to engage her.

I hit the ground hard and rolled quickly to get away as Luke blocked Thalia's spear attack with his sword. All of his dracaenae bodyguards fled before Thalia's shield, abandoning the golden coffin as they raced, or slithered, away.

If I hadn't been gagged and tied up and in danger, I would have stopped to watch Luke and Thalia fight. They were evenly matched, Luke having advantage of training over the last few years while Thalia was incapacitated as a tree, but he was weak at the moment, while she was at full strength and had the most powerful god as her father working behind her.

Luke slashed at Thalia, who took it on her shield, bending her knees to take away the weight. At the two weapons clashed, lightning burst between them, some strands landing so close to me I felt a little fried.

When I looked across the area, I was in time to see Percy charge Atlas, Riptide in hand. I didn't have time to scream no before the Titan had battered my friend away with his javelin like he would a fly. Percy slammed into the black wall, looking dazed as he slowly got to his feet.

I couldn't believe that Percy actually charged the Titan. The ancient rules dictated that immortals like Titans couldn't attack mortals like demigods. Yet heroes can attack any one or thing. But if they attack an immortal, then the immortal is free to retaliate. I thought he would have learnt his lesson from two years ago when he battled Ares.

"Fool!" Atlas yelled gleefully, knocking away one of Zoë's arrows with a hand. She was on a high rock nearby, shooting determinedly at her father, but her arrows hurt him less than bee stings. "Do you think, simply because you could challenge that petty war god, that you could stand up to me?"

Percy seemed to shake his head as he got back to his feet. I wanted to yell at him to make him stop but couldn't make out a word through my gag. I had to free myself to help Percy, but how?

Thalia was still fighting Luke, their weapons flashing faster and more and more lighting sparking as their battle accelerated. They were both masters, dodging and attacking faster than I could follow, neither able to get a hit on the other. There would be no help from there.

Zoë was concentrating on firing at her father but there seemed to be something wrong with her. She winced every time she extended her body to shoot and her hand kept drifting to her left side. I could see blood dripping from beneath her silver jacket.

There was definitely no help from Artemis seeing as the goddess couldn't even help herself.

And Percy . . . I looked in time to see him attempt to raise his sword to block Atlas's javelin but somehow he couldn't. It was like it weighed a ton all of a sudden.

I could only watch helpless as he was battered aside a second time, this time to the feet of Artemis. And this time he wasn't getting back up.

Atlas strolled towards him, taking his time now he could see that Percy was beaten. I had to help him, but first I had to free myself.

My arms were still tied behind my back and seeing as I wasn't double-jointed, I couldn't roll them over my head. Instead, I rolled myself onto my back and stretched my arms down to my legs. Tucking my knees up to my chest, I managed to slip my bound wrists beneath my feet and brought them to my front.

I had to roll aside again as Luke and Thalia came closer, neither seeing me on the ground as they clashed and lighting sparked. Percy seemed to be talking to Artemis as Atlas got closer to him.

I scrabbled on the gravelly ground for a rock sharp enough to cut the ropes binding my wrists. I felt one dig into my stomach and managed to grab it. But when I tried to rub it against the rope, I couldn't get it close enough but was cutting my skin instead.

I sat up and clasped the rock between my knees, clenching as hard as I could to keep it steady as I rubbed the rope against the sharp part. It was slow going and my arms were tiring quickly from the exertion I was putting in. I needed something shaper.

I looked around for something only to see that Percy had made it to his knees but was still crouched beside Artemis. I watched in horror as he stepped into her spot and took the sky from her as she slipped out.

I tried to scream through my gag to him as he bowed beneath the weight, nearly being crushed immediately. His face went a horribly bright red and sweat broke out all over him. Every moment he was under the sky pushed him further and further down until he was barely upright.

I remembered when I held it. My body thrummed with the pain he must be feeling. I had to get out of these bonds, right now.

Renewed strength pushed through me and rubbed at the rock harder, feeling the rope start to weaken. Some threads were snapping off already. Just a bit longer.

Thalia was pushing Luke further and further back, holding up her shield to ward him off. After so long together, even he wasn't immune to it, trembling and groaning as he retreated before it.

"Yield!" Thalia yelled, pointing her spear at him. "You never could beat me, Luke."

He growled at her. "We shall see, old friend."

Not far away Atlas and Artemis had engaged and were fighting even quicker and fiercer. The goddess was changing forms in a heartbeat, a blur of fur, horns, spikes, feathers and scales. She slashed at him with her tiger claws, then sped up to dive-bomb him as a falcon before spinning to kick him with her rear-hooves as a deer then to snap at his feet in wolf-form.

Zoë helped by distracting her father by her continuous stream of arrows and although they didn't do him any injury, they irritated him enough so that Artemis had a better chance.

Yet Atlas's strength seemed to be unstoppable. He managed to deflect every attack she threw at him, not tiring even as she leaped and darted around with a deadly sort of grace.

From where I was crouched, sawing at my bonds, I could see what Artemis was doing. She was moving everywhere, darting around and around but she was moving gradually towards where Percy was bowed under the sky, close to collapsing. Atlas didn't seem to realise this, too focused on pursuing the goddess.

"You fight well for a girl," he growled. "But you are no match for me."

Artemis didn't reply, but instead readied the two hunting knives she held in each hand that seemed to stay with her even as she changed form. She looked in a bad way, which seemed impossible for a goddess. Her dress was hacked to pieces and her skin scratched and sore. She was even bleeding, her golden blood coating parts of her skin.

I felt one of the ropes binding me snap and I desperately tried to unravel it but it was all messed up and my scrabbling fingers weren't helping.

Atlas went to jab at Artemis and she dodged instinctively but he changed direction at the last moment and swept his javelin under her feet. She didn't have time to dodge again as she was knocked down heavily.

Atlas raised his javelin for the kill.