mastermind - percy jackson

vii. tug

"bravely fought, percy jackson."

Blackjack gave them a ride to the Williamsburg Bridge.

They saw the battle before they were close enough to make out individual fighters. It was well after midnight then, but the bridge blazed with light. Cars were burning. Arcs of fire streamed in both directions as flaming arrows and spears sailed through the air.

They came in for a low pass, and Cassandra saw the Apollo campers retreating. They would hide behind cars and snipe at the approaching army, setting off explosive arrows and dropping caltrops in the road, building fiery barricades wherever they could, dragging sleeping drivers out of their cars to get them out of harm's way. But the enemy kept advancing.

An entire phalanx of dracaenae marched in the lead, their shields locked together, spear tips bristling over the top. An occasional arrow would connect with their snaky trunks, or a neck, or a chink in their armor, and the unlucky snake woman would disintegrate, but most of the Apollo arrows glanced harmlessly off their shield wall. About a hundred more monsters marched behind them. 

Hellhounds leaped ahead of the line from time to time. Most were destroyed with arrows, but one got hold of an Apollo camper and dragged him away. Cassandra wasn't able to see what happened next, but she didn't want to know.

"Right there!" Cassandra called from the back of Blackjack.

Sure enough, in the middle of the invading legion was the Minotaur himself.

Cassandra had only seen the Minotaur once before, but because it was so long ago she had almost forgotten what he looked like. From the waist down, he wore standard Greek battle gear—a kilt-like apron of leather and metal flaps, bronze greaves covering his legs, and tightly wrapped leather sandals. His top was all bull—hair and hide and muscle, leading to a head so large he should've toppled over just from the weight of his horns. He was huge—at least ten feet tall. A double-bladed axe was strapped to his back, but he was too impatient to use it. As soon as he saw Percy circling overhead, he bellowed and picked up a white limousine.

"Blackjack, dive!" Percy yelled.

They must've been a hundred feet up, but the limo came sailing toward them, flipping fender or fender like a two-ton boomerang. Blackjack tucked his wings and plunged, the limo sailed over their heads, Cassandra using the winds to make sure it missed them. It cleared the suspension line of the bridge and fell toward the East River.

Monsters jeered and shouted, and the Minotaur picked up another car.

"Drop us behind the lines with the Apollo Cabin" Percy told Blackjack. "Stay in earshot but get out of danger!"

Blackjack dropped them behind an overturned school bus where a couple of campers were hiding. Cassandra and Percy leaped off as soon as his hooves touched the pavement. Then Blackjack soared into the nightsky.

Micheal Yew ran up to them. He had a bandaged cut on his arm, his face smeared with soot and his quiver almost empty, but he was smiling like he was having an amazing time.

"Glad you could join us" He said. "Where are our other reinforcements?"

"For now, we're it" Percy said.

"Then we're dead."

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Do you still have that flying chariot?"

"Nah" Micheal said. "Left it at camp. I told Clarisse she could have it. Whatever you know? Not worth fighting about anymore. But she said it was too late. We'd insulted her honor for the last time or some stupid thing."