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Chapter 37
We Visit The Demon Ranch
Volume 4: The Battle of
the Labyrinth
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The left tunnel went straight with no side exits, twists, or turns. Pat could tell where to step in his frenzy to follow Annabeth, and he knew when to stop; a hundred meters down, they ran into an enormous boulder that completely blocked their path. There was no time to stop though, judging by the sounds of heavy footsteps and loud breathing that was echoing behind them.
"Tyson," Percy said, "can you--"
"Yes!" He slammed his shoulder against the rock so hard the whole tunnel shook. Pat felt dust hit his head as it fell from the ceiling.
"Hurry!" Grover said. "Don't bring the roof down, but hurry!"
The boulder 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.
They all helped shoved the other side of the boulder. Whatever was after them wailed in frustration when they were met with the sealed corridor.
"We trapped it," Percy said.
"Or trapped ourselves," Grover said.
"Elaborate on that," Pat said as he reached out to get a feel for the room. The wall he found was cement, but Pallas tugged him back before he went too far.
"A cell," He told him.
"Prison?" Pat furrowed his eyebrows, then raised them, "Oh no. I think I know what's about to happen."
"Speaking of that," Annabeth sounded upset, "You need to tell us about your visions, Pat. You knew Janus would be in that room and you didn't warn us."
"And all that stuff with Hera too," Percy doubled up, "What's going on, man?"
"That is a very long discussion that I do not want to have," Pat rushed past them to put his free hand on one of the metal bars of the cell. He felt the bars up and down and tugged on them, but they didn't budge.
"Pat, it's dangerous--" Annabeth started, and Pat cut her off.
"To keep secrets on a quest, blah blah blah, I know. Look--" He pulled a pained expression and debated explaining everything. If he started talking, he'd have to talk about Greg, and really, that's what all of this was about. He really did not want to process what Pallas had told him, but this quest, the blessing of Apollo, and his nosy friends were really pushing it. He was eternally grateful to Pallas for not speaking up about it yet. He sighed, "Later. Please. It's about to get ugly."
"How ugly?" Annabeth asked.
"I can feel the poison, and I want to stab myself in the throat." Pat deadpanned--because he could; the burning rush of poisonous claws, the way that his eyes and arms and veins boiled. "Game faces now, gossip faces later."
Percy tried to suggest, "Maybe Tyson can break--"
"Shh," said Grover. "Listen."
Somewhere above them, deep sobbing echoed through the building. Another sound too, a raspy voice muttering in another language, like rocks in a tumbler. Percy asked, whispering, "What's that language?"
YOU ARE READING
Prophesied Powder, PJO
Fanfiction(Atropos cuts the threads of Human Fate.) Pat was destined for something great. Apollo himself had said it. The only issue is, no one knows what he's meant to do or how he's involved in the so-called Great Prophecy. Percy is the only son of Posideon...
