The Daughter of Hecate (Percy Jackson/Harry Potter)

Briares and Kampê

The good news: the left tunnel was straight with no side exits, twists, or turns.

The bad news; it was a dead end.

After sprinting a hundred yards, they had run into an enormous boulder that completely blocked their path. Behind them, the sounds of dragging footsteps and heavy breathing echoed down the corridor. Something-definitely not human-was on their tail.

"Tyson," Percy said, "can you-"

"Yes!" He slammed his shoulder against the rock so hard the whole tunnel shook. Dust trickled from the stone ceiling.

"Hurry!" Grover said. "Don't bring the roof down, but hurry!"

Vitani turned around, readying her wand just in case the monster had managed to catch up to them.

The boulder finally gave way with a horrible grinding noise. Tyson pushed it into a small room and everyone dashed through behind it.

"Close the entrance!" Annabeth said.

When they all got on the other side of the boulder, everyone helped Tyson push the boulder back into place.

The monster chasing them wailed in frustration as they heaved the rock back into placed and sealed the corridor.

"We trapped it." Percy said.

"Or trapped ourselves." Grover said.

They were in a twenty-foot-square cement room and the opposite wall was covered with metal bars. They'd tunnelled straight into a cell.

"Well, now I can safely say that I've been in jail before." Luke joked.

"That not a good thing." Vitani sighed.

"What in Hades?" Annabeth tugged on the bars. They didn't budge.

Through the bars they could see rows of cells in a ring around a dark courtyard-at least three stories of metal doors and metal catwalks.

"A prison." Percy said. "Maybe Tyson can break-"

"Shh," said Grover. "Listen."

Somewhere above them, deep sobbing echoed through the building. There was another sound, too-a raspy voice muttering something that no one couldn't make out. The words were strange, like rocks in a tumbler.

"What's that language?" Vitani whispered.

Tyson's eye widened. "Can't be."

"What?" Percy asked.

He grabbed two bars on their cell door and bent them wide enough for even a Cyclops to slip through.

"Wait!" Grover called.

But Tyson wasn't about to wait, he ran and they all ended up chasing after him. The prison was dark, only a few dim fluorescent lights flickering above.

"I know this place." Annabeth said. "This is Alcatraz."

"You mean that island is near San Francisco?" Percy asked.

"Alcatraz Prison? Isn't this place supposed to be haunted or something?" Luke asked.

She nodded. "My school took a field trip here. It's like a museum."

It was hard to believe that they had ended up on the other side of the country using the labyrinth.

"Freeze." Grover warned.

But Tyson kept going. Grover grabbed his arm and pulled him back with all his strength. "Stop, Tyson!" he whispered. "Can't you see it?"

Everyone turned.