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Travis's POV
For the size of her arms, Kampe was one strong monster. The deformed animals on her waistline tore at my clothing with their mouths, scratching my skin a couple of times. My wrists and sides were stinging as I was thrust into another section of the jail.
If I'd thought the first hall was destroyed then this one was annihilated. The smell of monster leaked through the gaps in the bars, and bricks were tumbling out of the walls. The room was lit dimly so I could faintly make out the silhouettes of monsters hiding away in the cells. Farther ahead, a dirty hunchbacked creature sat alone in a cell, turned towards the back wall. Demonic laughter filled my ears as I was taken down the long walkway over to where a small figure was sitting in a chair facing the other way. Under normal circumstances, I would've laughed; a small, bushy eye browed spirit spinning around dramatically in an office chair with the price tag still dangling off the arm. But I could tell Dolos meant business.
"Travis Stoll." he greeted giving me a cheeky, ugly smile.
"Dolos," I replied with a slim grin, "Nice to finally meet you."
Kampe gave me a warning squeeze on each arm before letting go of me and turning to leave. Dolos, on the other hand, remained in his chair and crossed his legs casually. He trusted me to remain where I was, not out of kindness but because he knew I knew what would happen to me if I tried to escape. Monsters still cackled from every corner of the prison and they sent shivers up my spine. I didn't show my fear to Dolos, however – I had to remain calm.
"So," I began, "You called me here, you obviously want something. If you wanted to kill me you would've done so a while ago."
Dolos laughed. "Son, if I had wanted to kill you, you wouldn't have been born in the first place." He smiled as my eyes widened slightly. "I am here, obviously, because I need something from you."
"Oh," I nodded, "Of course. I should've guessed. You're the spirit of trickery; clearly you have a reason for bringing me here. What is it, may I ask?"
He smiled. "Quick to the point, just like me. And you are correct; I have had a plan in mind ever since that Athena girl began rebuilding Olympus. It has to do with recognition, Mr. Stoll. Something the spirits do not get much of. The gods would not have won the war against the Titans had it not been for us spirits. Granted, most of us worked behind the scenes, but it's a lot like a play; the show would not go on if it weren't for the crew, you see?"
"Not exactly." I admitted.
"Well understand this, Mr. Stoll!" Dolos shouted suddenly. "I have worked much too long on the side of the gods, and put in too much of my own sweat and blood to be given such a limited amount of appreciation." he spat out the word. "Gods and demigods do not appreciate all the work we put into their safety."
"Well, you can't tell them that." I informed him. "You try and Zeus will zap you out of the sky."
"I'm not stupid, little demigod."
"Could've fooled me."
"I am very capable of coming up with a plot to destroy you and your friends and show the Olympians once and for all that we spirits are dangerous and powerful and deserve credit for all we do."
"And what is this plan, exactly, and how do I fit into it?"
Dolos grinned. "It doesn't have to be you, Stoll. It could be any of you fools. In fact, I could kill you right now and I'd still have two goons to work with."
"No you don't." I said quietly. "They ditched me, remember? They ran off." My fists clenched as I pictured their terrified faces as they left me in the arms of the demon.
"That's where you're wrong, buddy. Isn't that right, my dear Kampe?"
"Correct, my lovely Dolos." said a slimy voice from behind me. I turned around to see the demon herself clutching the arms of two familiar demigods. Connor looked at me and raised his eyebrows as a greeting. Katie just stared at the dirty floor.
"I was telling them the plan the whole way here." she gushed.
"Wonderful." said Dolos. "Then perhaps they'd like to explain it to their friend over here. How 'bout it, kids?"
Connor rolled his eyes. "They intend to take over Camp Half-Blood, Travis."
"They want the gods to fear for the lives of their children." Katie explained.
"Precisely, beautiful Katie, and, by the way, I enjoyed watching your show earlier." He winked and Connor looked at Katie confusedly.
Katie ignored Connor and stared at me. "He plans to burn Camp Half-Blood to the ground as some sort of power play to scare the gods."
Dolos nodded. "And the best part is we only need one of you to do the deed and give us permission into the camp. The other two I can give to my lovely servants who have been waiting so patiently." the cell bars rattled as the monsters inside roared.
"No." I said quietly, my voice drowned out by the monsters.
"What's that, boy?" Kampe asked.
I continued, "That can't be true, if you only wanted permission into the camp you would've had Isabel do the deed. She's a demigod."
"Ahh, we had hoped." Dolos admitted. "But apparently half god who is also half demon doesn't work the same way."
Connor suddenly raised his head. "Hold on, Isabel is the spawn of you and…" he looked up at the monster who was clutching his arm.
Kampe smiled. "Problem, kiddo?"
The three of us shuddered. "That's gross." I told Dolos.
"Yes, and very inconvenient, because now I've got an extra demigod on my hands that is of no use to me… So I suppose she will share the same fate as two of you."
Katie stared at him. "You… You don't care about your own daughter?"
He shrugged. "Why should I. She was going to betray me anyway. She came back to the prison with a blade in her hands prepared to cut my head off or something." he chuckled. "You can tell by her current state that her plan ultimately failed." He pointed to the cell next to me and I gasped as I recognized the dirty, hunched over creature as the girl who I had been kissing less than twenty four hours ago.
"Isabel?" I gasped.
She didn't respond. In fact, she didn't even move. She looked awful – covered in dirt and grime. The only clean thing on her was a sparkling hairclip fastened just above her ear. Seeing that clip brought forth a sense of déjà vu in my head, but I just couldn't place it.
"Don't worry darling, you'll get to see her soon enough." Dolos swooned. "See her get eaten, anyway." He chuckled and began going on about the different ways he intended to destroy Camp Half-Blood once he got inside. I took the time to look around the room, desperate for an escape.
Various fluorescent lights were suspended above us, swaying whenever Dolos raised his voice. Not too far ahead a door stood, and I could only hope it was unlocked. I met Connor's eye and he nodded to me.
He had a plan.
Connor's POV
When Travis met my eyes, I knew he was thinking the same thing I was.
We couldn't fight them.
A spirit of trickery and a demon as old as the gods themselves; we had about as much of a chance as three ants against two lions. Escape was our only option, preferably with Isabel – Travis's eyes seemed to say. I nodded at Katie to tell her that I was going to begin my plan. I could only hope that Dolos was as stupid as I thought.
I started by clearing my throat. "Excuse me, Mr. Dolos, I apologize for interrupting you, but I'd just like to commend you."
Dolos opened his mouth to tell me to shut up, but when he heard what I said last, he paused. "Commend me?"
"Oh yes. Very much, sir. This is a very well thought out plan and I think you did wonderfully – A plus." I added.
Dolos snorted but his eyes seemed pleased. "Young man, flattery will get you nowhere. Although I might spare you, just for your effort."
"Thank you sir." I smiled, praying to the gods that my brother and Katie didn't think that was my actual plan. "I'd be honored to allow you into Camp Half-Blood."
"Really?" Dolos raised one bushy eyebrow. "You would?"
"Pft," I waved a hand dismissively, "Of course! It would be a dream come true to be part of such an ingenious plan. I mean, honestly, using the jail was exceptionally inventive."
"Well it's good to be appreciated." Dolos admitted before turning back to Katie.
"Actually," Kampe took a step forward, causing Katie and I to stumble along. "Actually, sweetheart, the whole 'jail' aspect was my idea."
Dolos blinked. "Was it? I can't remember. We can just say it was mine, for the sake of it, okay darling?" he smiled at Kampe who was doing the exact opposite back at him. "Anyway-"
"Actually," Kampe repeated, taking another step. I was prepared this time, but Katie nearly fell, dragging the rest of us down with her. "Actually, we can't. Most of this plan was my idea anyway, love."
Dolos uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, a joke on his lips but a threat in his eyes. "Hmm… Interesting how you see it that way, Honeybee, because I don't see it that way at all."
"Well you should," Kampe snapped, "Because without my input these children wouldn't be standing here now. Without me you would have never decided to blackmail this girl and make her do immoral things to that one just to spite the love goddess!" she thrust her finger towards me.
"Shh! Shh!" While Dolos jumped out of his seat and ran towards Kampe, I tried to process what she had said. Dolos had blackmailed Katie? I turned to look at her and she nodded, grimly. I suddenly felt awful. She hadn't wanted to flirt with me – she probably wanted nothing to do with me. He had forced her to kiss me this morning and I had practically yelled at her, falling right into his trap. That horrible feeling in my chest suddenly turned to stupidity. I tried to make eye contact with Katie, but she was staring at the ground, refusing to look at my face.
Meanwhile, Kampe and Dolos were arguing like a married couple, foot stomping and all. The monsters around her waist were hollering and hissing at the spirit, and the few snakes that served as her hair bared their fangs. Despite what I had hoped, her grip had begun to tighten around my wrist. I grimaced as my hand began to go numb. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Travis at the door to Isabel's cell, trying to figure out how to unlock it. She was whispering harshly at him to get out of here and forget about her. Even from our distance away I could see that her eyes, nose, and cheeks were red from crying. As much as I hated her for tricking Travis, I couldn't help but admire how she had switched so quickly to our side. With this thought, I had a sudden sense of déjà vu. I didn't have time to think about it, however, because Kampe had let go of Katie's and my wrists. Exactly like I'd planned. While she threatened to bash Dolos's face in, we slowly tiptoed away.
We made it over to Travis, unbeknownst to the spirit and the monster, and immediately began to work on an escape plan.
"Any ideas?" I whispered to Travis.
"One." he responded. "Once we get Isabel out."
"Please no!" she whimpered. "Don't waste your time with me. I deserve whatever I get."
"No you don't." I insisted. "You deserve to come to Camp Half-Blood with us. You'll belong there. You'll be one of us."
"I can't." she breathed.
"Yes you can." Katie spoke up from behind us. We all turned, surprised she'd agree with us. "I may not like you, Isabel, but I don't hate you enough to want you eaten by monsters."
Isabel opened her mouth to reply but Katie wasn't finished.
"I don't deny that half this quest I wanted you dead. I was jealous of you, and I know that know and I'm really sorry about the way I treated you. I appreciate the fact that you tried to help us… Even if it was a little last minute." she gave a joking smile and suddenly something clicked in my brain.
"A last minute switch!" I blurted and they all shushed me, whirling around to see if Kampe and Dolos had heard me. To my dismay, Dolos had finally remembered that we were here and was glaring at us.
I hissed, "Isabel, use your hairpin. Quick!"
Katie and Travis gasped, suddenly remembering the prophecy line, 'A last minute switch and a trick with a pin.'
Luckily for us, Isabel understood and immediately took the clip out of her hair. "Go!" she ordered. "Distract them, and I'll get out on my own."
"You won't make it!" I insisted, but she shook her head.
"I know a way."
We took her word for it and immediately took off for the door at the end of the hall. Despite his stout and stubby appearance, Dolos was fast. He took off past Kampe and tore after us, his thudding shoes shaking the fluorescent lights overhead with every stride. As we got closer and closer to our escape, Travis pulled ahead of Katie and me. He held his hand out, prepared to rip open that door with all his strength. He grasped the handle and yanked – and nearly fell over. The locked knob mocked us, seeming to hurt Travis's hand as he recoiled.
This had not been part of his plan. That door was not supposed to be locked.
We looked around wildly for another escape, but Dolos had already slowed down, a devilish looking Kampe at his heels.
"That was very devious, Rat." Dolos complimented me. "And that's coming from the king of devious. It's really such a shame that you're about to be eaten by my monsters."
Laughs erupted from every dark corner of the jail and I swear the whole island shook. Travis, bless my brother's heart, stepped forward.
"If you want to kill Connor, you'll have to get past me."
Dolos shrugged. "Okay then. I'll kill you two and Katie will lead us into your camp. That was my original plan, anyway."
Katie walked towards Dolos, her eyes murderous. "You will not kill my friends."
Dolos almost took a step back before he regained his composure. "Sorry love, I don't need them anymore. All they had to do was get you here, and that was easy. They've served their purpose." he looked at her sweetly. "Face it, Kate Pate, you lost." He whispered the final words and Katie clenched her fists.
"You don't have to kill them!" she shouted. "Why do they need to die?"
"I promised my monsters food." he explained. "They want human flesh."
"Well they'll get human flesh!"
The shout echoed across the whole room, causing all of us to freeze. At first I thought it was Katie, but she looked as dumbstruck as the rest of us. It seemed to almost come from above us… But that wasn't possib-
But it was. She swung from the fluorescent lights, her black wings outstretched, dark dirty hair flying out behind her. She was nearly a blur as she swooped down, grabbed Dolos with her huge talons, and carried him down the hall. His stubby little feel kicked around but her grip was firm. Kampe hissed and tried to take flight, but her wings were still burnt. Instead, she made her animal heads shoot her limited venom at Isabel.
Suddenly, she appeared to fall out of the sky, nearly running Dolos over. She hit a cell headfirst and the door swung open. She tossed Dolos in and shut it, breathing heavily. The monsters in the cell roared hungrily and Dolos pleaded. But Isabel was done with him. She folded her wings and started towards us.
Her old cell door was still open and we understood her plan. On my signal we all kicked the demon in the back, sending her sprawling forward – right into the cell. Isabel shut the door and locked it before Kampe could even regain her balance.
"Let's go!" Travis commanded, running back the way we'd come in. We all turned to follow him… Except Isabel.
"Let's go!" Katie urged her.
She shook her head.
"Come on Isabel," said Travis, "You'll love Camp Half-Blood. You'll have a home and a family. Please don't be afraid."
"I want to go." she said.
"Awesome!" I exclaimed.
"But I can't." We all stared at her as she slowly opened her folded wings, or, what was left of them.
A green poison was deteriorating them and making its way towards her torso. We hadn't realized it, but she hadn't fallen into the cell door on purpose. Kampe had gotten her with her poison and it was consuming quickly. Her skin was pale and her eyes looked sickly. "Leave." she ordered. "Go get the gods before Kampe hurts anybody else."
"Isabel." Travis pleaded.
"I'm dying, Travis." she told him. "But you don't need to die too." She turned back to Kampe who was shoving herself against the bars, minutes from breaking through and destroying us.
He nodded in sad understanding, and told her to lie down on the floor. Careful not to touch the poisonous parts, he folded her wings on top of her. She stared at him through slightly opened eyes and took a slow breath. "I hope half demons don't get sent to Tartarus." she joked numbly.
Travis didn't even smile. "I'll make sure you don't."
Isabel motioned for me to come closer and I leaned over her.
"Get them together for me, okay?" she whispered.
I smiled. "I don't think I'll have to do much."
She laughed but then winced in pain. "Thank you." she muttered.
"Thank you." we all told her.
With one final, shaky breath she closed her dark eyes and relaxed for the last time. She looked surprisingly wistful laying there on the ground, seemingly proud of how she died.
"I want to give her something." Travis said thoughtfully. "I just don't know what."
"Well, decide quickly." I urged, nervously glancing at Kampe.
He walked towards Kampe's cell, careful not to step in the puddles of poison. She seemed to have used up all the venom that she had left. Travis picked something up off the ground and returned to us. Brushing over Isabel's cheek, he slid the sparkling pin into her raven hair breathing a secret in her ear. We all wished Isabel a final goodbye before jogging towards our only exit.
The hardest part was not looking back.