Chp. 10 - Kampe

The group made their way into the tunnel with their weapons drawn as they took cautious steps. The tunnel didn't look like much it was dark and the walls were plain stone, unlike the room they were in a few minutes ago. However, the stone looked quite old that made them think that it might be the correct way to Daedalus's workshop. All of their senses were on full alert, their footsteps echoed the walls as they walked, even though they tried walking as silently as they could. Then devastatingly, they meet a split of right and left. Annabeth cursed in Ancient Greek, and said: "I hate Hera."

"Yep," Percy replied.

"So... right or left?" Harry asked taking a look at both ways, both ends of the tunnel lead to absolute darkness. Basically like all other parts of the Labyrinth. Suddenly, Harry felt a very faint disturbance from the tight corridor, then he saw Grover tense up.

"Left," said Grover.

"How do you know?" asked Percy re-looking at the separate tunnels.

"Because there's something on the right," Harry replied, already making his way towards the left tunnel, trying t get away as far as possible from the right tunnel.

"Left it is." said Percy.

They made their way towards the left quickly, trying to get as far away as possible from whatever was in the right tunnel. They then found something they had been dreading since the start of their labyrinth exploration; a dead end. This time it was Percy who swore.

"Uh, guys. I think the monster followed us," said Grover, his voice shaking slightly from fear. Everyone became silent and there it was harsh non-human breathing. "Try to find the Daedalus sign!" whisper shouted Annabeth. Then in a panic, the four of them searched every inch of the dead end as their last hope to not facing the monster that was coming closer to them by every second.

"Here!" Harry shouted, finding the small triangle in the very bottom corner of the wall. Pressing it, the triangle glowed a bit before opening up a small opening, just enough for them to fit through. Percy was the last one to cross just in time as the monster figure came into view, they heard more than saw the monster charge, disappeared but by the time it reached the wall, disappeared.

Breathing in a bit, they took a look at their surroundings, they came out of a small corner of a large prison. It wasn't normal human prison though, the cells were all caves carved in a massive cliff, with metal bars closing all of them. Sounds of roars and wails could be heard but the thing that captured all of their attention was the monster guarding the whole prison. The monster made them rethink about going back through where they came from, but the Daedalus sign disappeared so there was no re-opening the entrance.

"What the hell is that?" asked Percy as his eyes landed on the terrible monster. From waist up was a woman with unfashioned snake hair, but then from waist down was a dragon. A 7 metres long black dragon, completed with a barbed tail, wings and legs which had snakes somehow growing from it. Then on her waist was some sort of morphing creatures belt.

"Kampe," answered Grover who was pale from fright, and Annabeth swore again.

"The exit?" suggested Percy.

"On the other side." answered Annabeth.

"How do you know?" asked Harry.

"I've been here before, it's Alcatraz."

"San Francisco?" Percy said.

"Yea." There was no use in asking how they ended up on the other side of the country, right now, the main priority was to get out of this prison without the monster noticing them.

"Wait, you said the 'other side'?" asked Harry.

"Yep."

Percy and Harry swore.

"Soooooo the plan?" asked Harry.

"Sneak past the monster?" replied Percy with 100% doubt in his voice.

"What should we do if she finds us," Asked Grover.

"That's a brilliant question Grover." said Percy "We can do it the British way, have tea and a couple of biscuits with her. Maybe if we seem nice enough she'll let us pass without killing us."

"Yea right, I'm sure we'll be delicious as her biscuits." the idea was so stupid that it was funny.

"But is that the only way out?"

"We're on an island unless you can jump far enough to reach the sea and work your Poseidon powers then no."

The two son of Poseidon looked at where the sea meets the island and swore again because Annabeth was right, they were far too high up and far too in to have much control over the sea. Since there was no other way, the four of them crept, trying to blend with the stone, but just a few metres later, Kampe sat up and smelled the air. It would've been great for anyone else because that means there's a hotdog stand or food truck nearby, but when you're a demigod and a monster smells the air... you're probably the hotdog. Before she could pinpoint where exactly they were, they sprinted, monsters from inside the cells screeched and some even jumped onto the bars scaring the wits out of them as they ran for their lives.

About one or two hundred metres away from the exit, Kampe caught up to them. Hooray, because everyone wants to meet the famous dragon-snake lady who spits poison. She screeched and spat poison at them, luckily she needs glasses and missed them by a couple metres, but the part of the floor that came in contact with the poison wasn't as luckily and burned away making a very deep dent on the floor. If they didn't want to get hit by the poison before, this certainly was the last proof they needed.

All of them drew out their weapons, but the monster was huge, the snakes from her legs were starting to crawl off her and was making their way towards them. As Kampe wonderfully landed in front of them, blocking the exit, they have to somehow get from her and towards the exit.

Percy was either seriously stupid or he was seriously stupid, he shouted"Hey Kampe!" to get her full attention, because that's what everyone wants to have evil red eyes looking straight at you. "I love your- um- hair! We can always sit by your wonderful cells and have tea, you know? Like to talk about how wonderful we are and you don't have to kill us!"

As Percy was busy talking to her, Harry and Grover took one side of Kampe while Annabeth put on her invisibility hat and took the other. Too bad she had snake hair which can basically tell her what is happening 360 degrees around her, that there were a satyr and a demigod walking beside you.

As she lost interest in Percy\s rant she turned to Harry and Grover, but just as she was about to spit her poisonous spit, she cried out in pain and golden blood gushed out of her tail. Taking the small moment of distraction, the three ran for it. The exit was still too far away when Kampe stopped screeching from pain so they quickly turned into a random corner each trying to figure out a plan.

Percy suddenly felt a movement of air beside him before Annabeth took off her cap, totally unharmed. "Sooo, plan?" asked Percy.

"She's too fast." said Harry "did you see how far she can spit the poison!"

"We can't outrun her, it's not possible. We'll have to trick her," said Annabeth, her whole body tense.

"Do you think there's an entrance here back into the labyrinth?" asked Harry

"Doubt it, it's too close to the last one and trying to find the sign would be too slow."

Just as the words left her mouth they heard a bunch of hissing sounds that seems to be getting closer by the second.

"I can try to use my magic, it might be able to cause a distraction. When I turn around, run to the exit, I'll be behind." Just then, Harry stepped out of the corner and raised his wand "Bombarda!" he shouted causing an explosion just by Kampe. "Confringo!" setting a group of snakes that were coming towards them on fire and off the cliff. Casting another few blasting curses, and another Bombarda on Kampe, he ran for it towards the exit.

Poison spit was sent towards his way but thank the gods that Kampe can't see him that clearly through the dust that was made from the explosions. Once he was out, he saw his friends a couple metres in front.

Catching up to them he said, "Now where?"

"No idea, but I have a feeling... follow me," said Annabeth as she continued running in a certain direction. Without any choice, the boys followed her. Just as they rounded the third corner, they heard a big crash. No one turned around, they just kept running until Annabeth ran down a flight of stair. They were barely noticing their surroundings and they stopped as they entered a room.

It was a cleaning cupboard, closets and cupboards lined the wall but Annabeth took no notice, right in the centre of the far wall was the Daedalus sign. They literally flew towards it as they heard another crash and opened to entrance back into the labyrinth.

Publish: 22/6/2017