Chapter 2 – Fauns, Chimeras and half-bloods.
"Aren't we going to your office Mr. Milkgoat?" Liam asked, sounding confused.
"No Liam." Mr. Milkgoat answered. "You will be spending your detention in the basement cleaning up all the stored equipment down there, football, music, lacrosse, swimming, you know, the works".
"No one ever goes down there" Liam said. "it's deserted".
"Indeed" said Mr. Milkgoat. "It'll be just you and me".
The hairs on the back of Percy's neck and arms stood up, and once again, his hand shot to his pocket where the ballpoint pen was. He got nervous and all his instincts started to scream run. He tried to ignore his increased feeling of panic as he stepped into a huge, dark basement with two kids he didn't know and a teacher that seemed to hate him.
The basement was packed high with all kinds of rubbish thrown by generations of students and lazy caretakers. There were corridors of shelves packed with trophies and sports uniforms. On one side of the room there were old instruments, podiums and music sheets. There seemed to be no order whatsoever and dirt and dust covered every single surface. Piles of junk and books littered the far side of the room.
Mr. Milkgoat directed Percy to the corner where all the sports implements were. It stank, badly, like they hadn't been washed before they'd been stored. Liam, on the other hand, had volunteered to go to the instrument section, just saying that he loved music and would prefer that part of the room. Jamie was sent to the piles of junk and books and told to sort it all out before cleaning.
After Percy got to his corner and Mr. Milkgoat left with Liam and Jamie, his nerves doubled. There was no way to see the others from his side of the room and he doubted he would hear them through the shelves, even if any of them screamed. Mr. Milkgoat had told him to stay put and clean, but he hadn't given him any cleaning supplies and it seemed like he just wanted them in the dark and separated from one another.
Percy could hardly see. Alarm bells were ringing in his head, so he forgot about the sports equipment and walked slowly to the centre of the basement. He supposed he'd be able to go to where either one of his "friends" was quickly from that position. Trying not to make any noise he knelt at the corner of a tall shelf and looked around.
"Don't move, or I'll knock your head off" a voice whispered behind him. Percy felt something heavy placed upon his right shoulder, brushing his ear, and out of the corner of his eye he saw a round brown shape that looked like a mace or a cudgel. "Turn around. Slowly. And tell me who you are and why you're here" the voice said again.
Percy turned around cautiously. It was Garret. He had a grim look about him and was holding a large wooden cudgel in his right hand, ready to bat his head away like a baseball if he made a wrong move.
"You're a halfblood, a powerful one, too" he stated. "Are you here to pick up Liam and Jamie? Did you come from Castra Roma? Are you taking them back to camp?" he asked.
Percy's body shook at Garret's questions. Halfbloods, camp. These words meant something to him. "I-I don't know. I don't remember anything, but everybody thinks I'm a student here. You don't know me?"
"Today was the first I've seen you. The Mist may have fooled everyone, but I know better. You've never been here before. But you have a very powerful scent and you have had some training, I can tell. You even have some magical weapons with you".
Percy had no idea what he was talking about. Other than throwing his shoes, he didn't have any form of weapon. Garret looked irritated. "In your pocket and on your wrist, man. Come on". Percy pulled out his ballpoint pen, incredulously and offered it. "Uncap it" Garret ordered.
He did and watched fascinated as his pen grew out into a three foot bronze sword. It glowed faintly and illuminated his shocked face and Garret's look of confirmation in the middle of the dark basement. Garret then grabbed his hand and fidgeted with his watch. He caught some button and a bronze filament opened up vertically and then spiraled into a large bronze shield. It was a beautiful thing, with scenes of battle, showing Cyclopes, sea monsters and what appeared to be him and a girl.
"The arms of a Spartan warrior" said Garret, slightly surprised. "Long sword and large round shield. Weird, but I'll guess it'll do. I'll need you, if we're going to have a chance of saving Liam and Jamie".
"Why is it weird?" Percy asked. He felt completely comfortable holding his sword and shield. They were both perfectly balanced and they had a feeling of safety and familiarity that comforted him when everything around him was new and uncertain. "And what do they need saving from?"
"It's weird because it's an outdated form of battle. After the fall of Greece, Rome surpassed that strategy of combat with short gladius swords and large rectangular shields. They made better locks in a phalanx and they could be lifted to block an incoming blow whilst stabbing from beneath with the gladius. That strategy won the Romans the Greek isles as well as much of their empire".
"Maybe" Percy argued. "But it would also make them slower and limit their reach and –"
"Never mind!" Garret cut in. "Just keep them ready and follow me. The other's lives are in danger".
Without giving him a chance to ask another question, Garret turned and walked silently towards the far side of the room, where the music equipment was and where Liam was supposed to be. Percy was wondering what halfbloods were and what Castra Roma was when Garret stopped so suddenly he almost crashed into him.
Percy looked up and saw what the matter was. They were one shelf away from the instrument section and they could see through an empty part of the shelf, between a tuba and a violin. Liam was sitting down in the middle of the instrument section, cleaning being the last thing in his mind. He had grabbed an instrument, a small harp it seemed, and was plucking the strings. He didn't seem to know any tune or how to play but he was catching notes in a soft and soothing tone, which would give one pause in the midst of a hurry. Jamie was sitting next to him and listening, seeming perfectly happy. The problem was that perched on a shelf above them was… something.
The creature was incredibly large. It occupied the whole length of a 20 feet long shelf and it must have been 8 or 9 feet tall. It was a lion, mostly. It had golden fur, huge claws and the majestic, but fierce, head of the king of the jungle. However, where its tail should be, a snake, which seemed to have a life of its own, twitched about, and from the side of its body another head protruded, a goat's head. Three pairs of red eyes gazed intently at the kids below, giving the creature an eerie glow as it stood with its head grazing the basement's roof.
"A chimera" Garret muttered, scared. Percy looked at the thing and saw that it had been ready to pounce for a while now, but that it wasn't because it was listening to the music. It seemed to hold him in some form of trance.
Suddenly, Liam stopped playing and the silence that followed his music was as harsh as an iron hammer coming down on a forge. "I'm bored" he muttered. Immediately, the chimera came out of its reverie and, a split second later, pounced.
Percy reacted like lightning. As the chimera sprang towards Liam and Jamie, adrenaline and instinct kicked in. He used the shelf in front of him as a springboard, jumped onto the top shelf and threw his sword as hard as he could straight at the chimera's face. Without stopping, he jumped from the top of the shelf towards the place where Liam and Jamie were, landed and rolled to their side.
The chimera saw the flash of the bronze sword flying towards it and twisted in mid-air, turning its straight jump into a side flip. The move spoiled its pounce, making it crash into a base guitar 10 feet beyond the kids. The bronze sword flashed past and sank hilt deep into the shelf behind them.
Jamie and Liam yelled in panic and backed all the way into the shelf, whilst Percy stood in front, holding his shield for cover. The chimera recovered from its fall and growled menacingly. Percy saw its muscles tense, ready to pounce again, but before he could react, Garret charged. He ran bravely, swinging his cudgel and came up to three feet of the chimera, obviously hoping to jump onto its back.
But he had forgotten about the tail. The snake headed tail flew down towards him, its mouth open wide and its teeth shining. Garret swung his club wildly and caught the snake smack in the face. However, the tail lashed at him throwing him sideways and forcing him to circle the beast to the place where Percy, Jamie and Liam were.
"Nice try" said Percy. "Now what?"
"I don't know" said Garret.
The chimera recovered quickly from Garret's charge and eyed them cautiously, probably deciding which one to eat first. "You always need a plan" he thought, and a small bubble of confidence grew inside him. A small warmth. "Liam" he said, "play something on the harp, something soothing. Jamie, climb that shelf and get my sword, go quickly. Garret, we can hold it off."
Without a word, Jamie turned and started to climb the shelf to where his sword had landed. Liam, on the other hand said "are you kidding? You want me to play music now? That thing's gonna kill us!"
Percy didn't get a chance to answer because the chimera chose to charge right then. It ran straight between Garret and Percy, the lion head aimed towards the small kid and the goat's head bent to shoot Percy all the way across the room. Percy remembered what Garret had said about roman war strategy and ducked slightly, using his shield to block the horns and redirect them upwards. At the same time, he threw a punch from under the shield, straight at the goat's neck. His fist connected with the goat's larynx and the beast roared and choked and gasped for breath.
Garret was less lucky. He managed to block the lion's teeth with his cudgel but one of the chimera's claws swiped at him and caught his left leg. He screamed and went down, his pants completely torn. Percy ran to him and used his shield to bash the lion's head as he passed. The chimera staggered backwards and looked at him murderously. Percy pulled Garret to his feet, only were his left foot and leg should've been, there was fur and hooves.
Weird as that was, Percy had bigger concerns at the moment. "Liam play something now!" he ordered. After a second, Liam grabbed the harp he had tossed away and started to play. At first, only jarring notes followed and Percy cringed, but slowly, the notes turned to a melody and the melody into a great music. It was a beautiful tune, sad but inspirational, soothing but powerful, and it made Percy feel like he were being the told the tales of great heroes that had changed the world and been forgotten. The chimera slowed down, stopped and relaxed, although its attention didn't leave Percy and Garret. It stayed still, watching and wrestling with the song.
Jamie got to the top of the shelf and wrenched his sword out of the wood easily, even though Percy had doubted she'd have the strength for it. She threw the sword at Percy and he caught it deftly. "OK" he said. "Don't stop playing Liam. Jamie, come down quickly but quietly. We're gonna back up, real slow, now. Help me with Garret".
With Jamie's help, they helped Garret walk slowly back. He was bleeding from his furry leg, but it didn't seem serious, he could probably walk with a limp. Liam kept playing as they crept back and the chimera stayed still, watching them.
"It won't stay under for long" Garret muttered. "You guys need to go on ahead, get to safety. Percy, you'll have to lead them".
"Lead them where?" Percy asked. "I don't know where I am, much less where to go. I still need you to explain what halfbloods are, and where I come from. And I won't leave you behind".
They had reached the door that led to the stairway and the chimera had not moved. But Percy knew that the second they walked out and the music grew dimmer, the chimera would come out of the spell in a rampage. Garret reached inside his pocket, took out a plastic bag and handed it to Percy. "Take this" he said. "And only use if you are in great danger". He then got out of their support and said "take them to the Caldecott Tunnel on Highway 24. They'll be safe there, if they pass the challenges. I am a protector, I should have taken them weeks ago. I can buy you some GO!"
He shoved Percy towards the door. He crashed into Jamie and Liam and together they went through the doorway that led to the stairs. Garret then slammed the door behind them and they heard a terrible roar from the other side as the chimera woke up. Percy tried to open it but Garret had blocked it or sealed it. It didn't budge. They heard Garret yell and charge, a strong thump, a crash, and the sound of shelf falling upon shelf like dominoes, and then silence. The door suddenly gave way. They entered and saw that the room was trashed. Garret had somehow managed to make the chimera crash into the shelves, and one had fallen on top of it. It was dazed, but seemed to be recovering. Their friend was nowhere to be seen.
"Damn that stupid satyr" Percy cursed. "Ok, let's go, before that thing gets loose".
He returned his weapons to their normal state and broke into a run. Jamie and Liam, still carrying the harp, ran behind him. As they got to the top of the stairs they heard a roar and a huge crash as if the chimera had just broken through the wall that led to the staircase. Percy ran all the way through the first floor of the school and towards the main exit, his friends close on his heels.
"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Jamie yelled. She was in a panic. "We need to stop, call the police. What the hell was that thing? And what happened to Garret? Where did you get those weapons? Who are you?"
Percy tried to make them move, but they resisted. "There's no time!" he argued. "That thing'll be lose any second now. It is a chimera, a mythical creature, I don't know why it attacked us, I already told you, I don't remember anything, but it's not dead and it will follow us. We need to move. Now!"
Liam held his arm and said "Ok, let's go, but we need to tell the police, I mean about Ga-".
Boom. An explosion cut their conversation and they turned around to see a great plume of smoke and dust rise from the side of the school. A hole had been blasted in one of the walls, a clean round hole twenty feet in diameter. Out of the hole, the chimera leapt out and smelled the ground.
People went nuts. An alarm rang and people started running around, screaming. The chimera turned and faced them, its back to the road they needed to take. Percy looked around and saw that on the other to their right was open fields, they'd never get away that way. Behind them, there was about 200 feet before the ground ended in a steep cliff and beyond that, the sea. The school overlooked the sea.
"Come on!" Percy shouted and ran towards the cliff. Behind them, the chimera roared and started the chase. It would catch up in no time. "What do we do now?" Jamie asked as they ran. She looked scared but determined. "Should Liam play again?"
"I don't think that's going to work this time" Percy answered. "I think I know how to kill it. It's coming so fast I think we can use its momentum to make it fall off the cliff. Maybe. You guys stand on either side of me. It will catch up to us very close to the cliff, if we distract it enough it won't break in time.
They nodded. The chimera was running at 50 miles per hour easy, and didn't seem to realize it was heading into a cliff. They continued to run, a second, two seconds. Percy got his sword out. The chimera caught up with them about thirty feet away from the cliff. "Now!" Percy shouted. Jamie and Liam dodged right immediately, barely missing the chimera's claws. He waited a quarter of a second, jumped to the right and swung his sword at the same time, chopping the goat head off as it passed.
But, just like Garret, Percy hadn't counted on the tail. As the chimera barreled past him the snake headed tail lashed and wrapped itself around his waist, pulling him along. Jamie yelled "no!" and grabbed on to his shirt and Liam grabbed on to Jamie. They were all pulled straight ahead. The chimera saw the cliff and hit the breaks but it was too late. It tripped on a rock at fifty miles an hour and catapulted into a 500 feet fall to the ocean and the rocks.
As they fell Percy swung his sword and cut off the tail with his sword. The chimera roared and swiped at him, missing by inches. Instead it hit Liam's side and blood splattered all over. "No!" Percy yelled, struck his sword into the chimera's side and kicked away. As they continued to fall, the monster turned to dust, and it spiraled out into the sky.
"Hang on to me!" Percy yelled and they all clung to one another for dear life. "I guess that's it" he thought as he watched the ocean approaching, "we'll die". But his mind rebelled at that. They could survive this. He had done this before. His instincts kicked in again and when they were near the water he willed himself to live, to survive. There was a wrenching pull in his gut and the sea rose to meet him. A great wall of water shot out like a geyser towards them and it cushioned their fall like a baseball glove. They surfaced close to the beach and beyond it, Percy saw a road. He called out to Jamie but the fight and the fall had taken too much from him. He blacked out.