The Last Arrow - The Great Holiday Mystery

10. Just More Tunnels

~Chamber~

Percy arrived first, followed only seconds later by Grover and then by Annabeth.

They emerged into a large circular room, meeting each other’s eyes from different sides of the chamber. Rushing forward, they grabbed one another in a huge group hug. Percy and Grover would both deny it, saying it was a ‘man hug,’ but they had that sappiest hug two best friends could have.

Percy and Annabeth’s lips met before they had time to breathe. In the darkness that surrounded them, lit only by the light of Riptide, the sparks that flew seemed to illuminate the whole world.

Breaking free and staring into each other’s eyes, they knew their love had endured and survived even the complete loss of love magic.

‘Wait,’ Percy looked up. ‘Where’s Piper and Frank?’

Annabeth turned in a circle. The room was now completely sealed off. No tunnels or otherwise could be found.

‘Too much like the Labyrinth,’ Grover shuddered.

Annabeth shrugged, ‘You know, for our story, I’m not looking for “And they lived happily ever after.” I’m just looking for “And they lived.”’

Percy laughed, ‘That would be nice wouldn’t it.’

‘So it’s just us again, huh?’ Grover said. ‘Like the good old days.’

‘Not sure quite what was “good” about them,’ Percy chuckled.

Annabeth swat his shoulder, but then wound her arms around him lovingly. Percy gently planted a kiss on the top of her head. Grover smiled, though the scene reminded him of Juniper. He wondered where she was, how she was, if she was.

‘Where to?’ he asked eventually.

Wind whistled through the chamber, turning their heads towards a wide tunnel (yeah, another one) that wasn’t there when they first got here. The breeze swirled towards it in almost solid form, beckoning.

The walked in single file; Percy, Grover, Annabeth. Percy grip on Riptide was fierce and lethal. Annabeth looked murderous with her bone sword and furious expression. Grover was their only weak link, absolutely terrified with only a small cudgel.

The crept forward silently. In their own minds, thought they did not realize it, they knew something was amiss. It was almost too easy to walk down a tunnel.

Too late, it happened.

A shrill shriek echoed down the tunnel. Before Percy even turned, Annabeth was gone. In her place was a ten foot Laistrygonian giant; bright red skin with a bright red temper.

It roared at Percy and Grover who whimpered and bit at his club.

‘Run!’ Percy shouted the satyr who was only too happy to oblige.

But they couldn’t outrun a giant. They soon came to an identical fork in the paths. The laistrygonian barrelled towards them. Percy pushed Grover towards the left tunnel.

‘Go,’ he ordered. ‘I’ll distract it. Just run!’

The authority in the son of Poseidon’s voice was unmistakeable. He was taking charge of the situation, and Grover had no say. Though reluctant to leave his friend, Grover trusted Percy’s judgement and ran, fleeing down the left corridor.

‘Hey!’ Percy yelled at the approaching giant as he backed up into the right tunnel. ‘Come and get me you giant slimeball!’

The laistrygonian bellowed and ran faster. Percy got ready to bolt down the tunnel. But when the giant reached the crossroad, he didn’t turn right.

He barrelled straight down the left hand corridor, straight towards Grover.

‘NO!’ Percy screamed. ‘No! You coward! This way!’

But the giant was gone in a flash. Percy sunk to his knees. If Grover died, the blame would be on him. He had sent the satyr down that path, and the giant had followed. He had sent his friend to his death.

He brushed the tears from his face. He still had a task, a quest to complete. If nothing else, he would see it through. Annabeth was gone, but he would still reach the end so other couples would never endure the same fate.

Jason had quit, Juniper walked out, Hazel choose the wrong path, Frank and Piper were stuck in their fears, Annabeth was missing and Grover was hunted by a giant. Percy was the only one left.

He walked down the path, tears striking his face and turning him a ghostly shade of bronze in the light of his sword.

He eventually stumbled across another, much smaller round room. At dead centre was a circle with a diameter of about 4 feet. Percy didn’t know what would happen if he dropped down, but if the way the passage he had come from sealed itself off, yet again, it was his only way out.

‘Better out than in,’ he tried to joke to himself, quoting a movie.

Without thinking, he jumped.

Wind whipped and whistled past his ears like a skydiver hurtling from a plane. Percy tucked himself in as tight as he could to try and avoid scraping the sides.

Stupidly, he realized if nothing was at the bottom, he’d be flattened like a pancake. He’d only succeeded in getting himself killed.

‘Percy!’

As the tunnel echoed any and all noise, the shouting voice was indistinguishable. Percy’s eyes widened as he spotted the ground, not far below. He spread his arms and legs, like it would cushion the floor. More likely it would turn him into a starfish shaped grease spot.

‘Percy!’

Percy’s arm was nearly pulled out of its socket as someone grabbed his hand above him. It was a perfect catch, as he was sailing past. Looking up through the blinding pain in his shoulder, Percy saw a familiar and welcome face.

‘Need a hand?’ Frank asked, pulling him up into a side tunnel.

‘Yeah,’ Percy moaned. ‘What happened with you? We thought you were stuck facing your fears.’

‘I was,’ Frank heaved Percy onto the ledge where he panted tiredly. ‘But not for long. I snapped out of it pretty fast. But there was this person, I couldn’t see who they were. They told me I would help and they didn’t want me to. Something about playtime and causing mischief?’

Percy shook his head, ‘Piper?’

‘Haven’t seen her,’ Frank helped Percy up. ‘Can you walk?’

‘Yeah,’ Percy rolled his shoulder carefully and it clicked. ‘Never needed that arm anyway.’

Frank grimaced, ‘Sorry about that. Didn’t know what else to do.’

Percy frowned, ‘That should’ve dislocated my shoulder, or something. That’s magic, that is.’

‘Whoever’s behind all this sure has some explaining to do,’ Frank agreed.

‘Come on, friend,’ Percy smiled, a little reminder that they could fight through the missing bow. ‘Let’s get this over with.’

Frank chuckled, ‘Right you are, friend.’

It wasn’t quite like holding hands, but the two walked down the drain like tunnel with what could only be named as complete and utter faith in one another.