AU REVOIR!² percy jackson

005

❛005❜

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 ran 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!"

the boulder finally gave way with a horrible grinding noise. tyson pushed it into a small room and they dashed through behind it.

"close the entrance!" annabeth said.

ivy created a pink energy beam, lifting the boulder and placing it back in its place. now, using that much power didn't even wind her up, which she couldn't have done six months ago. whatever had been chasing them wailed in frustration from the other side of the rock.

"we trapped it," percy said.

"or trapped ourselves," grover said.

the brunette raised an eyebrow. "why are you talking about we? i did everything!"

they ignored her, turning to look at their surroundings.

percy sent her a lazy wink, "you did amazing, princess."

ivy crossed her arms, trying to not make her delight at his words of praise obvious. "of course i did amazing. i am amazing."

"that you are," he said with a chuckled, walking past her.

finally, she turned to look at where they were. they were in a twenty-foot-square cement room, and the opposite wall was covered with metal bars. they had tunneled straight into a cell.

"what the fuck?" 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.

"it's some sort of prison," ivy said.

percy ran his calloused palm against the metal door. "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 ivy couldn't make out. the words were strange, like rocks in a tumbler.

"is that latin?" annabeth whispered to ivy.

the brunette shook her head, "no, i've never heard anything like that."

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. they ran after him. the prison was dark, only the pink beam of light guiding them along with a few dim fluorescent lights flickering above.

"i know this place," annabeth said. "this is—

"alcatraz," ivy cut off.

"you mean that island near san francisco?"