ｔｈｅ ｂａｔｔｌｅ ｏｆ ｔｈｅ ｌａｂｙｒｉｎｔｈ

THE METAL DOOR WAS HALF HIDDEN BEHIND A LAUNDRY BIN FULL OF DIRTY HOTEL TOWELS. Rachel showed them where to look, and they recognized the faint blue symbol etched in the metal.

"It hasn't been used in a long time," Annabeth said.

"I tried to open it once," Rachel said, "just out of curiosity. It's rusted shut."

"No." Lucia stepped forward. "It just needs the touch of a half-blood."

Sure enough, as soon as Lucia put her hand on the mark, it glowed blue. The metal door unsealed and creaked open, revealing a dark staircase leading down.

"Wow." Rachel looked calm, but Lucia couldn't tell if she was pretending or not. She'd changed into a ratty Museum of Modern Art T-shirt and marker-colored jeans, her blue plastic hairbrush sticking out of her pocket. Her red hair was tied back, but she still had flecks of gold in it, and traces of the gold glitter on her face. "So...after you?"

"You're the guide," Annabeth said with mock politeness. "Lead on."

The stairs led down to a large brick tunnel. It was so dark Lucia couldn't see two feet in front of them, As soon as she willed herself to glow, Rachel yelped.

"Wha—"

"Apollo is my dad," Lucia explained indifferently

"The sun guy?"

Lucia scoffed, she didn't think she would ever defend her father, but something about Rachel minimizing her to be the sun guy's daughter made her angry. Or maybe it was just Rachel herself. "And music, healing, truth, prophecy, knowledge, plague, do you want me to continue?"

"Cool." Rachel said, she stared at Lucia for seconds longer "You know you look like you bathe in liquid sunlight? Woah, do you? "

"uh no?" Embarrassment gnawed at Lucia's stomach, the anger dissipated as instantly as it appeared. Lucia had every right to be upset maybe even jealous (she'd rather take her chances in Tartarus than admit she was) but she knew there was no reason to take it out on Rachel unprovoked.

She opened her mouth to apologize but the redhead let out another scream.

Percy and Annabeth turned on their flashlights fully revealing the skeleton that was grinning at them. It wasn't human. It was huge, for one thing—at least ten feet tall. It had been strung up, chained by its wrists and ankles so it made a kind of giant X over the tunnel. But what sent shivers down Lucia's spine was the single black eye socket in the center of its skull.

"A Cyclops," Annabeth said. "It's very old. It's not...anybody we know."

It wasn't Tyson, she meant. But that didn't make Lucia feel much better. She still felt like it had been put there as a warning. Whatever could kill a grown Cyclops, She didn't want to meet.

Rachel swallowed. "You have a friend who's a Cyclops?"

"Tyson," Percy said. "My half-brother."

"Your half-brother."

"Hopefully we'll find him down here," He said. "And Grover. He's a satyr."

"Oh." Her voice was small. "Well then, we'd better keep moving."

She stepped under the skeleton's left arm and kept walking. The trio exchanged looks. Annabeth shrugged. They followed Rachel deeper into the maze.

After fifty feet they came to a crossroads. Ahead, the brick tunnel continued. To the right, the walls were made of ancient marble slabs. To the left, the tunnel was dirt and tree roots.

Percy pointed left. "That looks like the tunnel Tyson and Grover took."

Annabeth frowned. "Yeah, but the architecture to the right—those old stones—that's more likely to lead to an ancient part of the maze, toward Daedalus's workshop."

"We need to go straight," Rachel said.

Annabeth and Percy both looked at her.

"That's the least likely choice," Annabeth said.

"You don't see it?" Rachel asked. "Look at the floor."

Lucia saw nothing except well-worn bricks and mud.

"There's a brightness there," Rachel insisted. "Very faint. But forward is the correct way. To the left, farther down the tunnel, those tree roots are moving like feelers. I don't like that. To the right, there's a trap about twenty feet down. Holes in the walls, maybe for spikes. I don't think we should risk it."

Lucia didn't see anything like she was describing, but she nodded. "Okay. Forward."

"You believe her?" Annabeth asked in disbelief.

"She's our guide," Lucia shrugged. "Isn't the whole point to follow her?"

Annabeth looked like she wanted to argue, but she waved at Rachel to lead on. Together they kept walking down the brick corridor. It twisted and turned, but there were no more side tunnels. They seemed to be angling down, heading deeper underground and deeper into the dark.

"No traps?" Lucia asked anxiously. She could feel herself slowly falling back into a memory, one she'd been trying to erase for years.

"Nothing." Rachel knit her eyebrows. "Should it be this easy?"

"I don't know," Lucia said. "It never was before."

"So, Rachel," Annabeth said, "where are you from, exactly?"
She said it like, What planet are you from? But Rachel didn't look
offended.

"Brooklyn," she said.

"Aren't your parents going to be worried if you're out late?"

Rachel exhaled. "Not likely. I could be gone a week and they'd never notice."

"Why not?" This time Annabeth didn't sound as sarcastic. Having trouble with parents was something she understood.

Before Rachel could answer, there was a creaking noise in front of them, like huge doors opening.

"What was that?" Annabeth asked.

"I don't know," Rachel said. "Metal hinges."

"Oh, that's very helpful. I mean, what is it?"

Then Lucia heard heavy footsteps shaking the corridor—coming toward them.

"Run?" Percy asked.

"Run," Rachel agreed.

They turned and fled the way they'd come, but they didn't make it twenty feet before they ran straight into a danger zone. Two dracaena—snake women in Greek armor—leveled their javelins at their chests. Standing between them was Kelli, the empousa cheerleader.

"Well, well," Kelli said.

Percy uncapped Riptide, Lucia, and Annabeth pulled at their weapons; but before Percy's sword was even out of pen form, Kelli pounced on Rachel. Her hand turned into a claw and she spun Rachel around, holding her tight with her talons at Rachel's neck.

"Taking your little mortal pet for a walk?" Kelli asked Percy. "They're such fragile things. So easy to break!"

"Get off her!" Lucia snapped

Kelli flinched before hissing at her. She tilted her head. "Why would I do that when the fun has only begun." 

Behind them, the footsteps came closer. A colossal form appeared out of the gloom—an eight-foot-tall Laistrygonian giant with red eyes and fangs.

The giant licked his lips when he saw them. "Can I eat them?"

"No," Kelli said. "Your master will want these. They will provide a great deal of entertainment." She smiled at me. "Now march, half-bloods. Or you all die here, starting with the mortal girl."

☼

IT WAS PRETTY MUCH A NIGHTMARE. They were marched down the tunnel, flanked by dracaena, with Kelli and the giant in back, just in case they tried to run for it. Nobody seemed to worry about them running forward. That was the direction they wanted them to go.

Up ahead Lucia could see bronze doors. They were about ten feet tall, emblazoned with a pair of crossed swords. From behind them came a muffled roar, like from a crowd.

"Oh, yessssss," said the snake woman on Percy's left. "You'll be very popular with our hossssst."

Lucia had never gotten to look at a dracaena up close before, and she wasn't real thrilled to have the opportunity. She would've had a beautiful face, except her tongue was forked and her eyes were yellow with black slits for pupils. She wore bronze armor that stopped at her waist. Below that, where her legs should've been, were two massive snake trunks, mottled bronze, and green. She moved by a combination of slithering and walking, as if she were on living skis.

"Who's your host?" Percy asked.

She hissed, which might have been a laugh. "Oh, you'll sssssee. You'll get along furiousssly. He'ssss your brother, after all."

"My what?"

Immediately Lucia thought of Tyson, but that was impossible. What was she talking about?

Kelli hissed out orders "Grab only the blonde."

The giant pushed past them and opened the doors. He picked up Annabeth by her shirt and said, "You stay here."

"Hey!" Annabeth protested, but the guy was twice her size and he'd already confiscated her knife, Lucia's quiver and daggers, and Percy's sword.

Kelli laughed. She still had her claws at Rachel's neck. "Go on, Percy. Loud one. Entertain us. We'll wait here with your friends to make sure you two behave."

Percy looked at Rachel. "I'm sorry. I'll get you all out of this."

She nodded as much as she could with claws at her throat. "That would be nice."

The dracaena prodded them toward the doorway at javelin-point, and Percy and Lucia walked side by side out onto the floor of an arena.

☼

THE ARENA WAS PRETTY SPACIOUS CONSIDERING THE WHOLE PLACE WAS UNDERGROUND. The dirt floor was circular, just big enough that you could drive a car around the rim if you pulled it really tight. In the center of the arena, a fight was going on between a giant and a centaur. The centaur looked panicked. He was galloping around his enemy, using sword and shield, while the giant swung a javelin the size of a telephone pole and the crowd cheered.

The first tier of seats was twelve feet above the arena floor. Plain stone benches wrapped all the way around, and every seat was full. There were giants, dracaena, demigods, telekhines, and stranger things: bat-winged demons and creatures that seemed half human and half you name it—bird, reptile, insect, mammal.

But the creepiest things were the skulls. The arena was full of them. They ringed the edge of the railing. Three-foot-high piles of them decorated the steps between the benches. They grinned from pikes at the back of the stands and hung on chains from the ceiling like horrible chandeliers. Some of them looked very old—nothing but bleached-white bone. Others looked a lot fresher.

Lucia looked away.

In the middle of all this, proudly displayed on the side of the spectator's wall, was something—a green banner with the trident of Poseidon in the center. What was that doing in a horrible place like this?

Above the banner, sitting in a seat of honor, was Luke.

He was wearing camouflage pants, a white T-shirt, and bronze breastplate. But he wasn't wearing his sword, which Lucia thought was strange. Next to him sat the largest giant she'd ever seen, much larger than the one on the floor fighting the centaur. The giant next to Luke must've been fifteen feet tall, easy, and so wide he took up three seats. He wore only a loincloth, like a sumo wrestler. His skin was dark red and tattooed with blue wave designs.

There was a cry from the arena floor, Lucia jumped back and bumped into Percy as the centaur crashed into the dirt beside her.

He met her eyes pleadingly. "Help!"

The centaur struggled to get up as the giant approached, his javelin ready.

The centaur couldn't get up. One of his legs was broken. The giant put his huge foot on the horseman's chest and raised the javelin. He looked up at Luke. The crowd cheered, "DEATH! DEATH!"

Luke didn't do anything, but the tattooed sumo dude sitting next to him arose. He smiled down at the centaur, who was whimpering, "Please! No!"

Then the sumo dude held out his hand and gave the thumbs down sign.

Lucia closed her eyes as the gladiator giant thrust his javelin. When she looked again, the centaur was gone, disintegrated to ashes. All that was left was a single hoof, which the giant took up as a trophy and showed the crowd. They roared their approval.
A gate opened at the opposite end of the stadium and the giant marched out in triumph.

In the stands, the sumo dude raised his hands for silence.

"Good entertainment!" he bellowed. "But nothing I haven't seen before. What else do you have, Luke, Son of Hermes?"

Luke's jaw tightened. Percy could tell he didn't like being called son of Hermes. But he rose calmly to his feet.

His eyes glittered. In fact, he seemed to be in a pretty good mood.

"Lord Antaeus," Luke said, loud enough for the crowd to hear. "You have been an excellent host! We would be happy to amuse you, to repay the favor of passing through your territory."

"A favor I have not yet granted," Antaeus growled. "I want entertainment!"

Luke bowed. "I believe I have something better than centaurs to fight in your arena now. I have a brother of yours." He pointed at Percy. "Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon."

The crowd began jeering at him and throwing stones, most of which he dodged, but one caught him on the cheek and made a good-sized cut.

Lucia wanted them all to burn.

Antaeus's eyes lit up. "And who's the girl."

"Lucia Verano, Daughter of Apollo. She was blessed with some of his gifts."

Antaeus scoffed "I said I wanted entertainment. Surely you can't expect this girl to be worthy of my amusement."

The two demigods glared daggers at him

"But a son of Poseidon you say? Then he should fight well! Or die well!"

"If their deaths please you," Luke said, "will you let our armies cross your territory?"

"Perhaps!" Antaeus said.

Luke didn't look too pleased about the "perhaps." He glared down at Percy and Lucia, as if warning them that they'd better die spectacularly or he'd be in big trouble.

"Luke!" Annabeth yelled. "Stop this. Let us go!"

Luke seemed to notice her for the first time. He looked stunned for a moment. "Annabeth?"

"Enough time for her to fight afterward," Antaeus interrupted. "First, Percy Jackson, what weapons will you choose?"

The dracaena pushed him into the middle of the arena. Lucia stepped in too slow to have at least reached for his hand.

"Perce..." her voice trailed off. She thought back to the last time she thought she lost Percy.

please be okay please be okay

He stared up at Antaeus. "How can you be a son of Poseidon?"

"I am his favorite son!" Antaeus boomed. "Behold, my temple to the Earthshaker, built from the skulls of all those I've killed in his name! Your skull shall join them!"

Lucia stared in horror at all the skulls—hundreds of them—and the banner of Poseidon.

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled at him. "His mother is Gaea! Gae—"

Her Laistrygonian captor clamped his hand over her mouth.

"You're crazy, Antaeus," He spat. "If you think this is a good tribute, you know nothing about Poseidon."

The crowd screamed insults at him, but Antaeus raised his hand for silence.

"Weapons," he insisted. "And then we will see how you die. Will you have axes? Shields? Nets? Flamethrowers?"

"Just my sword," He said.

Laughter erupted from the monsters, but immediately Riptide appeared in his hands, and some of the voices in the crowd turned nervous. The bronze blade glowed with a faint light.

A small smirk formed on Lucia's lips

"Round one!" Antaeus announced. The gates opened, and a dracaena slithered out. She had a trident in one hand and a weighted net in the other— classic gladiator style. Percy trained against those weapons at camp for years.

She jabbed at him experimentally. He stepped away. She threw her net, hoping to tangle his sword hand, but he sidestepped easily, sliced her spear in half, and stabbed Riptide through a chink in her armor. With a painful wail, she vaporized into nothing, and the cheering of the crowd died.

"No!" Antaeus bellowed. "Too fast! You must wait for the kill. Only I give that order!"

Percy glanced over at Lucia then at Annabeth and Rachel. Despite everything, Lucia sensed he was trying to figure out a way to save them.

"Nice job, Percy." Luke smiled. "You've gotten better with the sword. I'll grant you that."

"Round two!" Antaeus yelled. "And slower this time! More entertainment! Wait for my call before killing anybody. OR ELSE!"

The gates opened again, and this time a young warrior came out. Lucia's eyebrows furrowed together. She leaned forward to get a better look as the boy made his way to the center of the arena. She blinked, once, twice. The figure of Percy's opponent became oddly familiar. Then she gasped.

He was a little older than her, about sixteen. He had glossy black hair, and his left eye was covered with an eye patch. He was thin and wiry so his Greek armor hung on him loosely. He stabbed his sword into the dirt, adjusted his shield straps, and pulled on his horsehair helmet.

"Who are you?" Percy asked.

"Ethan," Lucia whispered,

"Ethan Nakamura," he said. "I have to kill you."

"No!" Lucia tried storming into the center of the arena when she heard someone's cry of pain. She turned to see Rachel's widened eyes, Lucia gasped when a dracaena grabbed her by the arms pulling her back into her previous position. a warning

"Wait your turn foolish girl" Antaeus scolded "Whoever of the two survives will be your opponent in the next round."

Lucia felt like melting his head off but at that moment she didn't dare move a muscle. If she tried stopping the fight, Annabeth and Rachel would be in danger. If she did nothing Percy or Ethan would die...and then she would have to either kill one of them or die herself.

She was in a terrible position

She anxiously watched as Ethan and Percy stood on opposing ends: weapons in hand.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Hey!" a monster jeered from the stands. "Stop talking and fight already!"

The others took up the call.

"I have to prove myself," Ethan told me. "Only way to join up."

Lucia felt bile rise in her throat at the implication.

And with that Ethan charged. Their swords met in midair and the crowd roared.

Ethan pressed forward. It was no surprise to Lucia that he was good. He parried Percy's strike and almost slammed him with his shield, but Percy jumped back. He slashed. He rolled to one side.

They exchanged thrusts and parries, getting a feel for each other's fighting style. Percy tried to keep on Ethan's blind side, but it didn't help much. He'd been fighting with only one eye for a while now, so he was excellent at guarding his left.

"Blood!" the monsters cried.

Ethan glanced up at the stands. That was his weakness, Lucia realized. He needed to impress them. Percy didn't.

He yelled an angry battle cry and charged him, but Percy parried his blade and backed away, letting him come after him.

"No!" Lucia couldn't stop the cry as it fell from her lips. Her voice boomed through the arena, the ground trembled under everyone's feet "Don't hurt him!"

She didn't know which of the two she was screaming to but the dracaena guarding her didn't seem to appreciate her interruption. She hissed at her.

"Enough!" Antaeus said. "Stand and fight!"

Ethan pressed Percy, but he had no trouble defending, even without a shield. He was dressed for defense—heavy armor and shield—which made it very tiring to play offense. Percy was a softer target, but he also was lighter and faster. The crowd went nuts, yelling complaints and throwing rocks. They'd been fighting for almost five minutes and there was no blood.

Finally, Ethan made his mistake. He tried to jab at Percy's stomach, and Percy locked his sword hilt in his and twisted. His sword dropped into the dirt. Before he could recover, Percy slammed the butt of his sword into his helmet and pushed him down.  He fell on his back, dazed and tired. He put the tip of his sword on his chest.

Lucia held her breath, she closed her eyes tightly.

"Get it over with," Ethan groaned.

"Forget it." the sound of a sword being sheathed rung in Lucia's ears. Lucia looked up despite feeling she lost all her strength.

"Don't be a fool," Ethan groaned. "They'll just kill us both."

Percy offered him his hand. Reluctantly, Ethan took it. he helped him up.

"No one dishonors the games!" Antaeus bellowed. "Your heads shall both be tributes to Poseidon!"

Percy looked at Ethan. "When you see your chance, run." Then he turned back to Antaeus. "Why don't you fight me yourself? If you've got Dad's favor, come down here and prove it!"

The monsters grumbled in the stands. Antaeus looked around, and apparently realized he had no choice. He couldn't say no without looking like a coward.

"I am the greatest wrestler in the world, boy," he warned. "I have been wrestling since the first pankration!"

"Pankration?" Percy asked.

"He means fighting to the death," Ethan said. "No rules. No holds barred. It used to be an Olympic sport."

"Thanks for the tip," he said.

"Don't mention it."

Rachel was watching him with wide eyes. Annabeth shook her head emphatically, the Laistrygonian's hand still clamped over her mouth. Lucia couldn't move or say anything, but Percy found her eyes. His face twisting in worry like he wasn't the one that almost died.

He pointed his sword at Antaeus. "Winner takes all! I win, we all go free. You win, we die. Swear upon the River Styx."

Antaeus laughed. "This shouldn't take long. I swear to your terms!"

He leaped off the railing, into the arena.

"Good luck," Ethan told him. "You'll need it." Then he backed up quickly. Lucia went to march over when the reptile woman hissed at her once again.

"I get it hot breath." Lucia rolled her eyes

Antaeus cracked his knuckles. He grinned, and Lucia saw that even his teeth were etched in wave patterns, which must've made brushing after meals a real pain.

"Weapons?" he asked.

"I'll stick with my sword. You?"

He held up his huge hands and wiggled his fingers. "I don't need anything else! Master Luke, you will referee this one."

Luke smiled down at Percy. "With pleasure."

Antaeus lunged. Percy rolled under his legs and stabbed him in the back of the thigh.

"Argggh!" he yelled. But where blood should've come out, there was a spout of sand, like he'd busted the side of an hourglass. It spilled into the dirt floor, and the dirt collected around Anateus's leg, almost like a cast. When the dirt fell away, the wound was gone.

He charged again. Fortunately, Percy had some experience fighting giants. He dodged sideways this time and stabbed him under the arm. Riptide's blade was buried to the hilt in his ribs. That was the good news. The bad news was that it was wrenched out of his hand when the giant turned, and he was thrown across the arena, weaponless.

Lucia's right foot shifted forward

"MMCIA" The place was rowdy, monster cheers only going higher in octaves but she heard a muffled voice through all the noise calling her name. A voice she knew. "LUMMMM"

Lucia turned to look at Annabeth, She motioned to the ground with her eyes. Then towards the giant.

The earth, Lucia thought. Antaeus's mother was Gaea the earth mother, the most ancient goddess of all. Antaeus's father might have been Poseidon, but Gaea was keeping him alive. Percy couldn't hurt him as long as he was touching the ground.

Antaeus bellowed in pain. But he groped for the hilt, pulled out the sword, and tossed it behind him. More sand poured from the wound, but again the earth rose to cover him. Dirt coated his body to his shoulders. As soon as the dirt spilled away, Antaeus was fine.

"Now you see why I never lose, demigod!" Antaeus gloated. "Come here and let me crush you. I'll make it quick!"

Antaeus stood between him and his sword. Desperately, Percy glanced to either side, and when he found Lucia, she prepared herself.

"Don't let him touch the ground!" she cried, "the earth is keeping him—AGHHHHHH"

Lucia saw white when a SNAP echoed in the arena. She wasn't able to scream, the pain didn't allow it. It was only when she fell to the ground that she noticed the snake woman looking down at her. "I warned you missssssy"

"Luz!"

She immediately knew she'd broken her leg. Pain like a hot steel wire jabbed its way up into her hip.

She almost blacked out. Her head spun. Her vision, spotted. Her breath became short and rapid. She could only hope that Percy understood what she was trying to say.

She heard shuffling after but her eyes were squeezed shut as she tried steadying her rapid breaths. The world narrowed to just her, her leg, and the agony.

"Puny boy," Lucia could hear Antaeus mock. "Not a worthy son of the sea god!"

Lucia willed herself to look when Percy charged like a bull straight ahead, crouching low like he was going to roll between his legs again. While he was stooping, ready to catch Percy like a grounder, he jumped for all he was worth—kicking off his forearm, scrambling up his shoulder like it was a ladder, placing his shoe on the giant's head.

He did the natural thing. He straightened up indignantly and yelled "HEY!"

Percy pushed off, using his force to catapult himself toward the ceiling. He caught the top of a chain, and the skulls and hooks jangled beneath him. He wrapped his legs around the chain, just like they used to do at the ropes course in gym class. He drew Riptide and sawed off the chain next to him.

"Come down here, coward!" Antaeus bellowed. He tried to grab him, but Percy was just out of reach.

Hanging on for dear life, He yelled, "Come up and get me! Or are you too slow and fat?"

He howled and made another grab for him. He caught a chain and tried to pull himself up. While he was struggling, Percy lowered his sawed-off chain, hook first. It took him two tries, but finally he snagged Antaeus's loincloth.

"WAAA!" he yelled.

Quickly Percy slipped the free chain through the fastening link on his own chain, pulled it taut, and secured it the best he could. Antaeus tried to slip back to the ground but stayed suspended by his loincloth. He had to hold on to the other chains with both hands to avoid getting flipped upside down.

While Antaeus cursed and flailed, Percy scrambled around the chains, swinging and cutting like he was some sort of crazed monkey. He made loops with hooks and metal links. Lucia didn't know how he did it but she remembered Sally always saying he had a gift for getting stuff tangled up. within a couple of minutes the giant was suspended above the ground, hopelessly snarled in chains and hooks. Percy dropped to the floor, panting and sweaty. His hands were raw from climbing.

Through her daze, Lucia was able to form a hint of a smile. that kelphead.

"Get me down!" Antaeus demanded.

"Free him!" Luke ordered. "He is our host!"

Percy uncapped Riptide. "I'll free him."

And he stabbed the giant in the stomach. He bellowed, and sand poured out, but he was too far up to touch the earth, and the dirt did not rise to help him. Antaeus just dissolved, pouring out bit by bit, until there was nothing left but empty swinging chains, a really big loincloth on a hook, and a bunch of grinning skulls dancing above him like they had finally had something to smile about.

"Jackson!" Luke yelled. "I should have killed you long ago!"

"You tired," Percy reminded him. "Let us go, Luke. We had a sworn agreement with Antaeus. I'm the winner."

He did just what Lucia expected. He said, "Antaeus is dead. His oath dies with him. But since I'm feeling merciful today, I'll have you killed quickly."

He pointed at Annabeth. "Spare the girl." His voice quavered just a little. "I would speak to her before—before our great triumph."

Every monster in the audience drew a weapon or extended its claws. They were trapped. Hopelessly outnumbered. The dracaena that broke her leg loomed over Lucia.

Percy then took out something from his pocket and blew. It made no audible sound to everyone but Lucia, who heard the piercing noise ringing in her ears, it shattered into shards of ice, melting in his hand.

Luke laughed. "What was that supposed to do?"

From behind him came a surprised yelp. The Laistrygonian giant who'd been guarding Annabeth flew past Percy and smashed into the wall.

"AROOOOF"

Kelli the empousa screamed as a five-hundred-pound black mastiff picked her up like a chew toy and tossed her through the air, straight into Luke's lap. Mrs. O'Leary snarled, and the dracaena guard backed away from Lucia. For a moment the monsters in the audience were caught completely by surprise.

"Let's go!" He yelled at his friends. "Heel, Mrs. O'Leary!"

Someone hurriedly but carefully picked Lucia up into their arms. One arm found itself supporting her lower back and the other carefully cradled her legs. She was only able to catch a glimpse of dark hair when her head started feeling heavier. Laying both of her arms around their neck she softly rested her head on their shoulder. She tried saying thank you but her current state made it sound like 'take joe'. Hopefully, no one takes joe she thought

"The far exit!" Rachel cried. "That's the right way!"

Together they raced across the arena and out the far exit, Mrs. O'Leary right behind them. As they ran, Lucia could hear the disorganized sounds of an entire army trying to jump out of the stands and follow them.

A/N: Lucia taking a quick rest while everyone else runs for their lives (including hers 😭) you know casual stuff. but anyways ! can you guys guess who went to carry her? why do you think it was him? do you have any clues as to what the memory is? Do you have any theories about what's so special about her mortal father? I've tried to add a lot of foreshadowing to this book because she has the gift of foresight but I've tried to be subtle with it too. hopefully, I surprise you all soon with what I've had planned for a while now but I would be pretty happy if some of you caught on too :)

but I hope u enjoyed this chapter <333 honestly I've been kind of excited about it for a while and I'm even more excited for your reactions to the beginning of the next chapter butttttt you'll all just have to wait and see.

one last thing I wanted to say was that I'm sending so much love to everyone who's been reading, voting, and commenting. I started this because I've been in a bad place and wanted to find comfort as well as practice my storytelling ideas and writing in general. In reality, I started this for fun not expecting many to read it but many have! I know I'm not the absolute best at writing (hehe that's why I'm practicing) and I have many typos here and there (nothing has been edited yet I'm sorry 😢) but it's all a work in progress and I enjoy my little old story and I'm so happy you all have too. I guess I just wanted to end this chapter by saying take joe—oops I mean thank you! I appreciate you all :) I hope you'll all stay for everything I have planned <3

-V