Chapter 9: Prisoners

Percy sighed. "It's exactly what it sounds like. An Ant hill. But the Ants are not just normal ants. We call them the Myrmekes, which is the Greek word for ant anyway."

"What do you mean not normal ants?" Jaz frowned and shivered. Next to her Sadie also looked interested but extremely grossed out. Her brother had a similar expression where he sat.

"They're bigger. Like the size of a really big dog with large shells and they can snap at you. They can be really dangerous."

"Ants?" asked Magnus skeptically.

"Just watch."

Ants started to march out of the tunnels. All were large and red with snapping pincers. All were carrying things. Some carried tree trunks, some old metal pieces, one had a car hood, and some had raw meat.

"Oh."

"Yeah," Percy agreed. Around the room people were cringing and inching away from the scene. Sadie and Carter seemed the most uncomfortable, the latter more than the former.

"You guys have an issue with this stuff?"

"Not so much ants. But yeah. They kind of bring up bad memories," Carter said.

"He's lying." Sadie shook her head. "It's Carter you should be scared for. He's deathly afraid of insects after a few scorpion incidents."

"I'm pretty sure scorpions are arachnids," Carter and Magnus both said.

"Don't want to know why you both know that," Alex grimaced. "But seriously. Those things are both terrifying and awesome at once. Think I can do one?"

"Please no," several people begged.

Beckendorf explained they loved shiny metal. Especially gold. His face squinted up in envy. They had more of that than for Fort Knox.

"Oh man."

"Don't," Hazel squeaked. "Please don't."

"I think you guys would be friends actually," Apollo noted.

"How about no one tries and makes friends with them," Grover suggested.

"Beckendorf seems like he wants to try," Hearth signed. He carefully formed each letter of Beckendorf's name. He had no sign name for him or most of the others around.

"He wants to see the things they have," Leo said eyes gleaming. "So do I."

"No."

"Doesn't mean I won't get too."

"Obviously if we're watching this and talking about it you will," Piper agreed.

Percy said not to even think about it. Beckendorf promised he wouldn't. They should get out while they could. Then he trailed off and his eyes widened.

"See?" Leo said. "You're obviously not getting out of there for a while."

"Leo, dude," Chris asked. "Please, just be quiet and watch. You'll want too."

"What?"

"Chris is right. Just watch."

Two ants dragged a huge hunk of metal, gold and bronze with wires. It rolled as they dragged it and finally there was a face. It's snout was the size of Percy, with a mouth hanging open. It had gold and bronze scales and Ruby eyes.

Leo paused and looked back from Percy to the scene. "Yeah. You shouldn't leave. You should stay. Stay."

"Why? What on earth is that thing?" asked Carter.

"That is no thing, my friend. That is a masterpiece named Festus."

"To be fair, back then he didn't have a name," Percy pointed out.

"Shut up! Let's watch you guys with Festus!"

Percy startled and said that's a— Beckendorf stopped him and shushed him. Percy tried again. Beckendorf interrupted again, saying that was a Dragon's head. Yes. He saw it. Beckendorf said if they got it to the hill then the other hands would help them. They had to stop it.

"No offense but why is that a good idea?" asked Magnus. "Both the ants and the thing they're dragging look pretty dangerous."

"They are."

"He is."

Every turned to look at Percy and Leo who had both answered. Jaz looked between them. "Then why would you go towards it?"

"Because that's what we always do?"

"Good point."

Percy asked what and why? Beckendorf said it was a sign from Hephaestus and urged him to come on! He ran into the clearing. Percy sighed.

"A sign from Hephaestus? Is that another one of his automatons?" Blitzen asked interested.

"Not one of his, I mean not exactly," Leo said bouncing up and down. Blitzen leaned in looking more and more interested.

Percy got ready to step forward when a voice said surprise. It was recognizably Annabeth's, and his neck was tense.

"Annabeth?"

"She had her knife to my neck," Percy's voice came out raspy gasped rubbing at his neck. He could feel the cold metal there right now. "If you can't tell."

Silena came out next with a drawn sword. She wore pink and red armor that matched her clothes and makeup. She told Annabeth nice work. Percy's sword disappeared. The pen form of Riptide reappeared in Annabeth's hand as she took off her cap and gave a smug smile.

"Did you not notice Beckendorf running off after a bunch of giant ants?" Thalia asked with a dramatic sigh. "I expect that from Percy and not you."

"Hey!"

"Also, what is that armor?" asked Sadie.

"I actually approve." Alex looked to Blitzen. "Think I could get something in pink and green?"

"Already have a design," Blitzen said looking up from a sketchbook.

Piper shrugged. "It's not actually the worst armor someone in my cabin has worn. I kind of like it."

"How did Percy not see it though?" Sadie asked again. "It's more visible than Carter's invisibility spell!"

Carter spluttered as he thought of a comeback.

"You'll have to tell me more about that later," Alex muttered to her.

Annabeth said boys were easy to follow. They were noisier than lovesick minotaurs. Percy turned red.

"Probably because they are lovesick?" Clarisse groaned. "Seriously. Enough!"

"I don't think we're louder than a minotaur though," Percy pointed out. "But Clarisse is right. We both were a little lovesick."

"A little?" Will asked him skeptically.

"A lot," Percy amended.

"Just look how Percy's blushing!" Jason chuckled.

"We all get it," Percy groaned. "Moving on…"

Annabeth said Percy was their prisoner. Now they had to get Beckendorf.

"You still haven't noticed?"

"Just watch," Annabeth said as she pinched the bridge of her nose at Piper's question. "Idiot."

Percy looked around startled then yelled Beckendorf's name. The boy in person was already halfway to the dragon. Percy told Annabeth to come on! She pulled his arm and stopped him and asked where he thought he was going; he was a prisoner.

"A little too serious?"

"Idiot, it's a battle situation," Annabeth explained. "That practice needs to get done somehow. If you think we're bad ask Magnus what they do on Valhalla to practice."

"Please don't," Magnus blanched.

"Please do!" Alex grinned wildly.

Percy told her to look. Annabeth looked into the clearing and cursed a her eyes widened. Beckendorf was no longer hiding but attacking the ant. His sword bounced off the ant's back. It turned and snapped trying to get him. It bit his leg and he fell to the ground as another ant sprayed goo in his face. There was a painful scream as Beckendorf tried to get it out of his eyes.

"Oh my gods," Piper said as she held her hand to her mouth.

"More like thank the gods," Apollo muttered thanking himself and everyone else on the Olympian council that the kids that had disappeared into the Grove of Dodona hadn't gotten hurt by the ants.

"What was that stuff?" asked Jaz, she made it her duty to know about all types of poisons. That was the only way she could cure them. "And what happened to his leg."

"I explained to Percy then," Annabeth assured her. "Idiot."

Percy tried to help but Annabeth held him back. She said no and shushed Silena as she screamed for Charlie. Annabeth hissed not too. It was already too late.

"What are you talking about?" Jason asked. "He's right there! You can save him if you go now!"

"Already happened Jason," Rachel reminded him. "Trust me, if anyone understands confusing the past and the future it's me."

Percy asked what she was talking about. They had to.. He paused as he noticed the ants dragging Beckendorf away before they could have done a thing.

"Hear that, Jason?" Thalia asked.

"Can I choose dare again?"

"Don't see why not."

"But I see what Annabeth meant now," he said. "Those ants were way too fast. You would have been taken too and no one would have known what happened."

"Exactly, idiot."

Silena yelled no and pushed past Annabeth saying she let them take Charlie. Annabeth said there was no time to argue and yelled to come on.

"Didn't you just say you couldn't save him?" Blitz questioned her.

"Not by rushing the ants. Idiot. "

"Then what are you running to?"

She ran toward the dragon head which had been left behind by the ants and grabbed the wires to drag the head toward the woods. Percy asked what she was doing. What about Beckendorf. Annabeth said to help her. Quickly before they got back. Silena exclaimed oh my gods saying Annabeth was more worried about this junk instead of Charlie.

"She has a point," Magnus told his cousin.

"You know I'm obviously doing this for a reason," Annabeth said with an eyeroll. "Idiot."

"Trust her. That dragon head is something they need," Leo grinned.

Annabeth spun her around and grasped her shoulders shaking her to get the message in. She told Silena those were Myrmekes. Like fire ants but worse. They had poison bite and sprayed acid. Then they communicated with other ants to swarm attackers. If they'd helped Beckendorf they'd have been dragged away too. They'd need help to get him back. She ordered Silena to grab something and pull.

"How's a metal dragon head supposed to help?" Carter asked.

"It's not just any metal dragon head," Jason answered from beside him.

"He's right."

"We owe a lot to that dragon," Apollo agreed.

Percy looked at her and with a determined look of trust decided to help her pull the dragon away. They were far away when they finally collapsed in a sweaty mess while breathing. Silena however was gasping because she was crying saying Charlie was probably dead already.

Leo almost asked for a moment if this was it. The moment. Then he remembered all he heard of Beckendorf dying for a major sacrifice. He knew that Beckendorf had dealt with Festus, but the one moment wasn't it. This couldn't be it. His brother was a hero and this was just one of his adventures, another great thing he was able to achieve before the end.

Annabeth said no. They wouldn't kill him right away. There was a half hour. Percy asked how she knew that.

"She's Annabeth," Grover looked at him. "What do you think?"

"I know. Stupid question."

Annabeth said she'd read all about Myrmekes. They paralyze their prey so they can soften them up before— Silena sobbed they had to save him.

"That's not really helpful information," Piper told her. "Remember, emotions are a thing Annabeth."

"Gee, thanks Piper. I hadn't realized. Idiots."

Annabeth told Silena they were going to save him but she needed to get a grip. There was a way. Percy said to call the other campers or Chiron. Chiron would know what to do.

Percy winced. He loved his mentor but he knew now that Chiron, like the gods didn't have all the answers. No matter how much he wanted him too. He also wasn't always the most sensitive about disappearance or deaths, having seen to many in his immortal life. Percy didn't want to think that some of his friends would end up like Actaeon, replaced by a straw dummy. He would freak if Chiron had one of him too.

Annabeth shook her head and said it would be too late by the time they got the campers who were scattered all back together. Even then they wouldn't be strong enough to invade the Ant hill.

"Really?"

"Maybe now," Percy said.

Annabeth agreed. "The idiot is right. Back then we were a lot smaller camp. It's different."

Percy asked then what. Annabeth pointed at the dragon head. Percy frowned and said okay. They were going to scare the ants with a big metal puppet. Annabeth rolled her eyes and said it was an automaton.

"Is that any better than the ants?" asked Zia. "From what we've seen I wouldn't believe so."

"Depends on the Automaton," said Clarisse. "This one's in the middle, I guess. I hate it but I don't."

"Like everything else around, you," Percy said teasing you.

Percy asked so what. It was just a head. It was broken. Annabeth explained that it wasn't just any automaton, it was the bronze dragon. Hadn't he heard the stories?

"Is this another of the really old camp stories everyone is supposed to hear but doesn't?" asked Jason.

"But in this case, we heard the story."

"True," Leo agreed. "But it was more like we got it out of people by force."

Percy looked at her confused. Silena's eyes widened and said the old guardian. That was just a legend.

"Like Atlantis," Jason said to Percy.

"We get it," Percy said with an eyeroll. "You are right though. Our entire life is legends. It's better to assume most of them are steeped in a bit of reality."

"Wish it was that easy," Sadie sighed.

"Trust me, I know." He was sitting here with people involved in the mythologies of three different pantheons. Those were just the ones he had already seen, but there were likely more. All those myths and legends came from somewhere, and those that hadn't might have been brought to life by belief.

Percy said whoa and asked what old guardian. Annabeth explained before Thalia's tree, before the camp had magic boundaries to keep out monsters the counsellors found ways to protect themselves. The most famous was the bronze dragon which was built by the Hephaestus cabin with their father's blessing. It kept camp protected for over a decade until fifteen years ago when it disappeared into the woods.

"A hell of lot longer than a decade," Leo corrected under his breath.

"How do you not know if it exists if it only happened fifteen years ago?" asked Magnus.

"Almost everyone here didn't know about Thalia's tree which was a lot more recent," Percy pointed out. "This stuff just gets forgotten about when there's new stories. And a lot of the time in the past there were no longer people around who knew about it. Demigods weren't around for long. Remember? And the people who were around didn't want to talk about that stuff."