Chapter 27.
Kampe screeched before charging towards Percy. As they reached each other, Kampe brought her scimitars down towards his head. Percy brought his shield up to block the strike, grimacing as the force of the blow pushed him down into the ground.
With a determined effort, Percy pushed up with his shield, forcing her swords back before retaliating with a swift jab towards her midsection with his spear. Kampe let out a piercing screech as his spear pierced her stomach, causing her to stagger back a few feet.
Percy charged again, this time with renewed determination. Kampe blocked his strike with one sword while pressing the attack with her second. Percy knew the effectiveness of his spear, crafted from Void silver, which would inflict severe wounds on Kampe. However, he knew he needed to land more hits to fully utilize its draining properties.
Void silver had a unique property of slowly draining the essence of its victims and pulling them into the Void instead of Tartarus. Kampe's wound on her stomach wasn't closing, indicating that the spear continued to drain her essence. It was only a matter of time before it either killed her or Percy finished the job. Yet, Percy couldn't resist the thrill of battle and aimed to land more hits, despite knowing he could simply stall until the draining effect took its toll. After all, where's the fun in that?
Percy grinned as he pressed on with his relentless assault on Kampe, forcing her onto the defensive. However, he wasn't expecting her to counter so swiftly. In a surprising move, she blocked his attacks and then quickly turned, whipping her tail to slam into Percy's shield. The force sent him flying back into a wall.
Percy groaned as he struggled to stand up, shaking debris off him. He pushed his way out of the rubble and back into the hall where Kampe waited, her eyes glowing with rage. "Come on!" he yelled defiantly as Kampe charged again.
Realizing Kampe's tail posed another threat, Percy stayed on the defensive while he formulated a plan. After a few moments, an idea struck him. "Thalia!" he yelled. Thalia swiftly pulled her spear out of a monster's chest before turning to Percy. "Get your spear ready!" he instructed as he pushed Kampe back towards her.
Thalia nodded before sprinting over to Percy's side, just in time to block a sword swing with her shield. "What's the plan, Percy?" she asked as they stood side by side. "On my signal, spear her tail into the ground," he replied, his gaze fixed on Kampe. "Got it," she confirmed.
Percy and Thalia pressed the attack together, their coordinated strikes forcing Kampe on the defensive. Percy could see Kampe's strength fading and her desperation growing as they fought. After a few more minutes, Kampe whipped her body and her tail around. "NOW!" Percy yelled. Reacting swiftly, Thalia switched grips on her spear before driving the point down onto Kampe's tail, pinning it to the floor.
Kampe screeched in agony as Percy quickly tossed his spear to Thalia. "I'll toss you up, and you electrocute this bitch," he said, grinning. Thalia's expression mirrored his enthusiasm as she caught the spear. "With pleasure," she replied, supercharging the weapon with electricity.
Percy positioned himself in front of Thalia as she sprinted toward him. As she reached him, he crouched down and, using his shield as a springboard, launched Thalia into the air. He watched with anticipation as she soared upward, driving the electrified Void spear into Kampe's back with a powerful strike.
Kampe screeched in pain as her body convulsed from the electricity, before she slumped and fell over, exploding into a pile of gold that was swiftly pulled into Percy's spear. Thalia grinned as she turned to Percy and tossed him his spear back, which he swiftly willed back into bracelet form.
"That was fun," she said, a smile lighting up her face. Percy chuckled in agreement, turning to watch his friends finish off the last of the monsters. Glancing back at where Kampe's body had fallen, he couldn't help but grin at the sight of the bundle of white string rolling around. With a swift movement, he scooped it up and tossed it to Annabeth as she approached.
"Mission accomplished, quest leader," Percy announced with a laugh, reveling in the cheers that erupted from the group. But Theo's question brought them back to reality. "How are we gonna get home then?" he asked, prompting Percy to ponder for a moment.
Then, a mischievous glint sparkled in Percy's eyes. "Let's head outside to the water," he suggested, his grin widening. The group exchanged puzzled glances, but they nodded in agreement as they made their way out of the prison and down to the water's edge.
As they reached the shoreline, their gazes fixed expectantly on Percy. He turned to face them, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips. Without hesitation, Percy waded into the water, the playful glint in his eyes growing stronger as he beckoned them to follow.
With a swift, dramatic movement, Percy flung himself backward into the water, disappearing beneath the surface. The group watched in confusion until suddenly, their eyes widened in amazement as a majestic creature emerged from the depths.
A solid black hippocampus, as large as an orca whale, breached the surface with a resounding splash. Percy let out a proud neigh, prompting Theo to grin and translate for the others. "Percy says to hop on board. We've got a long journey ahead," Theo announced, taking the lead as he climbed onto Percy's back, followed by Annabeth, Thalia, and Grover.
Once everyone was settled, Percy surged forward, propelling them through the water with effortless grace. As they traveled, Thalia couldn't contain her curiosity. "Theo, can you understand Percy?" she asked. Theo nodded in response. "My father is Poseidon, the lord of horses. Hippocampi are close enough to horses that I can understand them," he explained.
Thalia nodded in understanding and settled in as they continued their journey. After what felt like hours, Theo leaned forward to pat Percy on the side of the neck. "We're close, Percy. Take us left," he instructed. Percy responded with a neigh, obediently adjusting their course. Soon enough, the familiar sight of Camp Half-Blood's beach came into view.
Pulling up to the dock, Percy allowed the demigods to slip off his back before shifting back to his human form and shadow traveling onto the dock, only to stumble and fall into the water with a splash. "Never took that form before, that was fun," Percy exclaimed with a grin as he emerged from the water and shifted into his wolf form.
The group laughed, their spirits lifted by the successful journey and Percy's accident, and began to walk toward camp. However, their joy was short-lived as they heard a thud behind them. Turning around in concern, they realized that Percy had collapsed.
"Percy, are you okay?" Annabeth asked, rushing over to him. "He probably tired himself out," Theo suggested, recalling a similar incident during a previous journey. "This happened before when he transported us from Miami to camp. Taking that big of a form for that long and moving at that speed probably exhausted him."
Thalia nodded in agreement before bending down to pick up the unconscious Percy. With a sense of urgency, the group hurried into camp, making their way to the Artemis cabin. "Theo, Grover, go find Chiron and let him know we're back with the string," Thalia instructed firmly. The boys nodded and quickly set off toward the Big House, while Thalia and Annabeth continued on to the Artemis cabin, carrying Percy with them.
When they arrived, Annabeth knocked hurriedly. After a minute, Zoe opened the door, her expression initially confused until her eyes settled on Percy. They widened in concern as she glanced up at the girls.
"What happened?" she asked worriedly, her gaze shifting between Percy, still cradled in Thalia's arms, and the rest of the group.
"He carried us from California to camp as a giant Hippocampus and collapsed as soon as he changed into his wolf form," Annabeth explained swiftly. Zoe nodded in understanding before turning her head and raising her voice.
"MY LADY!" she called out urgently. A moment later, a door within the cabin opened, and Artemis appeared, her expression a mixture of surprise and concern.
"Yes Zoe?" Artemis inquired as she appeared at the door. Zoe stepped aside, allowing Artemis to see Percy cradled in Thalia's arms. Artemis's eyes widened in concern as she swiftly approached them.
"What happened to Percy?" she asked, directing her gaze to Annabeth.
"He exhausted himself carrying us home," Annabeth explained promptly. Artemis nodded in understanding before gently taking Percy from Thalia's arms.
"Thank you for bringing him here. Did you complete your mission?" Artemis inquired as she looked fondly down at Percy.
Annabeth nodded, her expression filled with pride, as she held out the string. Artemis and Zoe exchanged smiles before Artemis retreated into the cabin, carrying Percy with her.
Zoe turned back to the girls. "We'll take care of him. He should be fine by tomorrow. Thank you for bringing him," she said gratefully. With that, she closed the cabin door, leaving the girls to make their way back into camp.
As Zoe entered the room, she smiled at the sight of Artemis gently brushing Percy's fur with a brush. "Is he going to be okay, my lady?" she inquired with concern. Artemis returned the smile warmly. "Yes, he will be. He doesn't have any visible wounds, but he's asleep. He should be fine by morning."
With reassurance from Artemis, Zoe nodded and quietly exited the room, leaving Percy in Artemis's care. Artemis continued to brush Percy's fur in soothing strokes until he began to stir. Sensing his awakening, she set the brush aside and sat back, watching as Percy slowly opened his eyes.
"Hello Percy. Feeling better?" she asked softly, her voice gentle and comforting. Percy responded with a soft bark before closing his eyes again, settling back into sleep. Artemis smiled fondly at him before getting up to put the brush away, preparing for dinner with the girls.
After dinner, Chiron called for a meeting to discuss their next steps now that they had obtained the string. "Alright, now that everyone's here, let's get started. Annabeth, could you please tell us what happened and how you acquired the string?" Chiron inquired.
Annabeth nodded and began her explanation. She recounted how they had used the disk provided by Hephaestus to track the string to Alcatraz, followed by the battle with Kampe. "After Thalia defeated Kampe, we retrieved the string from where her body fell. Then, we made our way out of the prison, where we encountered a Hippocampi the size of an orca. Theo communicated with it, and it agreed to transport us back to camp," she concluded.
Chiron looked at her with furrowed brows before turning to Artemis. "Lady Artemis, is this hippocampus by any chance a friend of yours? I've never heard of a hippocampus the size of an orca before."
Artemis smiled and nodded. "Indeed it is." The cabin leaders exchanged surprised glances, not expecting Artemis to have such a companion. "He's quite magnificent, my lady," Thalia remarked with a grin.
Artemis smiled fondly at the comment, while Zoe voiced her disappointment at missing out on seeing the creature. The group shared a laugh before turning their attention back to Chiron. "Chiron, I have a question," Annabeth interjected. "If the string is needed to map the maze, why would it have been left with Kampe in California?"
Chiron looked thoughtful before his expression darkened. "I don't know Annabeth. Perhaps they already reached their goal and had no use for the string. But I dread to think of what that would entail," he replied.
The cabin leaders looked at each other in concern. If the Titans had no use for the string anymore, what did they accomplish while they had it?
"Well until we figure out what their plan is, we must remain vigilant on Zeus's fist. We need a guard on it during the evenings," Chiron said. "We'll figure something out Chiron," Zoe said while looking up at Artemis, who nodded.
Chiron nodded before replying,"Very well. Then this meeting is over. Have a good evening everyone." The cabin leaders nodded as they left the room and out of the big house to return to their evening activities and cabins.
As Artemis headed for the door, Chiron's voice halted her. "Lady Artemis, a moment, if you please," he requested. Artemis turned back, acknowledging him with a nod.
"I noticed Percy was absent from the meeting. Is he alright?" Chiron inquired, concern etched into his features. Artemis's smile was reassuring as she replied, "Yes, he's fine. He's currently resting in my cabin."
Chiron visibly relaxed, his expression softening. "That's good to hear. Thank you," he said gratefully. "Have a good night, my lady."
Artemis returned the sentiment with a nod before exiting the room, Zoe trailing behind her. They made their way back to the cabin, ready to settle in for the night.