The Dragon's Daughter

xvi. the time i nearly died

They scrambled down the stairs, through a corridor, past a guard’s station, and out into another block of prison cells.

“Left,” Annabeth said. “I remember this from the tour.”

They burst outside and popped up in the prison yard, ringed by security towers and barbed wire. Now that they're out in the sun, she slipped her gift into her pocket and zipped it to make sure it won't fall.

Tourists were milling around, taking pictures. The wind whipped cold off the bay. In the south, San Francisco gleamed all white and beautiful, but in the north, over Mount Tamalpais, huge storm clouds swirled. The whole sky seemed like a black top spinning from the mountain where Atlas was imprisoned, and where the Titan palace of Mount Othrys was rising anew. It was hard to believe the tourists couldn’t see the supernatural storm brewing, but they didn’t give any hint that anything was wrong.

“It’s even worse,” Annabeth said, gazing to the north. “The storms have been bad all year, but that—”

“Keep moving,” Briares wailed. “She is behind us!”

We ran to the far end of the yard, as far from the cell block as possible.

“Kampê’s too big to get through the doors,” Percy said hopefully.

"She can always break the walls."

Then the wall exploded.

"Why in the world would you jinx it?"

"Sorry shrimpy."

Tourists screamed as Kampê appeared from the dust and rubble, her wings spread out as wide as the yard. She was holding two swords—long bronze scimitars that glowed with a weird greenish aura, boiling wisps of vapour that smelled sour and hot even across the yard.

“Poison!” Grover yelped. “Don’t let those things touch you or…”

“Or we’ll die?”.

“Well…after you shrivel slowly to dust, yes.”

“Let’s avoid the swords."

“Briares, fight!” Tyson urged. “Grow to full size!”

Instead, Briares looked like he was trying to shrink even smaller. He appeared to be wearing his absolutely terrified face.

Kampê thundered toward them on her dragon legs, hundreds of snakes slithering around her body.

For a second she thought about drawing her swords and whatever she can use to face her... Then Annabeth said what everyone was thinking.

“Run.”

Thank the gods.

That was the end of the debate. There was no fighting this thing. They ran through the jail yard and out the gates of the prison, the monster right behind them. Mortals screamed and ran.

Emergency sirens began to blare.

They hit the wharf just as a tour boat was unloading. The new group of visitors froze as they saw her group charging toward them, followed by a mob of frightened tourists, followed by…she doesn't know what they saw through the Mist, but it can't be good.

“The boat?” Grover asked.

“Too slow,” Tyson said. “Back into the maze. Only chance.”

“We need a diversion,” Annabeth said.

Tyson ripped a metal lamp post out of the ground. “I will distract Kampê. You run ahead.”

“I’ll help you."