riley doesn't like skull-themed arenas

i had run into percy who was pacing outside the marriott.

"oh my gods," percy exclaimed, holding my shoulders. "are you hurt? why'd you take so long?"

i wanted to respond, but i couldn't. i was panting, and too tired to even make a sound. i was saved from answering by annabeth. she flung herself towards me and percy had to choose between getting crushed in her way, or moving out of her way.

he moved.

annabeth was muttering a bunch of things i didn't understand. after prying her off of me, i quickly explained that the man had left. i didn't tell them about the russian, about the vision i had when i saw his face, about how he reacted when he actually saw my face, and what he'd said about 'winter soldier'. it didn't seem right to tell them for some reason.

"that's it? he just left?" percy didn't sound like he believed it. 

"look," i sighed, "we have to get on with the quest. i was going to follow him, but i didn't. because we have a quest to deal with."

"wait, no," annabeth protested. "who was that? he tried to kill you. why you? and what happened? he didn't just leave, he could—"

"stop," i pressed my hands on either side of my head and squeezed my eyes shut. the entire incident with the winter soldier/buck was making my head hurt. "please stop. i don't want to get another vision."

"vision?" annabeth repeated. "what vision? does it have to do with the dude who tried to kill you?"

before i could answer, the world spun, and i was sucked back into another vision.

"steve," rebecca's voice had a warning tone, "touch that again, and i'll break your fingers."

rebecca and steve were in a kitchen, i think. there was a frosted cake sitting on the counter and steve was eyeing it greedily.

"oh come on," he complained. "just one bite."

"it's for buck's birthday," she said sternly, "not yours."

"oh, he won't mind."

"but i will," she told steve.

"freckles," he whined. "i'm asthmatic, tiny, and i have a bunch of other things that could kill me right now. you're not even gonna give me a bite."

"not until buck get's the first bite," she told him, picking up the cake.

she carried it to another room — buck's bedroom — with steve following her, grumbling about how all he wanted was a piece.

"on three," rebecca told steve, placing the cake on a desk.

they counted down, and rebecca smacked a stray pillow against buck's face.

"hey, huh?" buck got up, mumbling incoherently and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

steve and rebecca launched into the 'happy birthday' song, though steve's main focus was the cake. buck smiled a little as they finished, before he looked at the cake.

"is that for me?"

"yup," rebecca nodded, with a proud look on her face. "i made it all by myself."

"i helped," steve added. "but she still didn't give me a piece."

"oh sure," rebecca muttered sarcastically, "if you call running away with the frosting helping, then yeah, i couldn't have done it without you."

"okay, enough you two," buck said, getting out of bed. "i wanna cut the cake."

the three of them cut the cake, and shared it amongst themselves. 

"okay, birthday boy," rebecca said to her brother. "we got an excited day planned for you."

"oh, really?" buck muttered, licking some frosting off of his cake.

"oh, yeah," she told him. "coney island, luna park."

"yes!" buck grinned. "the one with the cyclone?"

"the one with the cyclone," steve muttered, miserably.

rebecca laughed at steve's reaction.

the vision changed.

this vision was different.

the visions i normally saw held a focus on rebecca and her point of view. this one was of buck/the winter soldier. while the other ones had an old-timey feel, this one seemed more modern. the old ones made me feel at home, this one gave me the chills.

buck was in a chair, looking detached from the world around him.

"mission report?" someone asked.

he gave no response.

"mission report, now!" the man commanded.

he slowly looked up at the man. the man's features were blurry. everything was blurry except buck/the winter soldier.

"the — the girl," he told him. "who is she?"

"your mission," the man said to him.

"who is she?" buck repeated.

the man sighed, "riley annaliese stark. daughter of tony stark, her mother's unknown. granddaughter of howard and maria stark. she's a stark, she's got the stark genes."

"why do i have to kill her?" he asked. "why her?"

"her father," he said. "we need something, and he has it. the way to get him is through her."

buck was silent for a few moments, "that's not who she is. she's... she's not a stark. i knew her. i know her."

"no you don't," the man said sternly. "she was born decades after you died."

"she was born four years after me," buck insisted. "annaliese. her middle name. she hated it. but it means graced. i told her it was a beautiful name. rebecca. she — she was named after — after..."

"you're remembering," the man commented.

"no," buck's eyes widened. "no, please."

"wipe him," the man told someone else, walking away.

the vision darkened as it neared it's end, but i could still hear buck's pained screams. 

"well?" annabeth asked me once i came back. "are you gonna tell me the truth?"

she gave no indication that she noticed me falling into a vision. i looked at percy and the redhead. even they didn't seem to realize what just happened.

"listen," i told them. "we have a quest to finish. i'll tell you everything, later, i swear. but right now, we have something more important to do."

i walked away with my shoulders held high, but i knew. i knew that for as long as i lived, i'd never be able to forget buck's pained screams.

the metal door was half hidden behind a laundry bin full of dirty hotel towels. i didn't notice anything at first, but redhead pointed to the corner. i recognized the faint blue symbol etched in the metal. 

"it hasn't been used in a long time," i said. 

"i tried to open it once," redhead said, "just out of curiosity. it's rusted shut." 

"nah," i shook my head as i stepped forward, "it just needs the touch of a half-blood."

sure enough, the mark glowed blue. lines ran through the wall, and it slid open.

"wow," redhead said. "so... uh, after you?"

"you're the guide," i said with mock politeness. "lead on."

the stairs led down to a large brick tunnel. it was so dark, i could barely see my hand in front of my face. percy and annabeth switched on flashlights, while i let a small orb of energy sit in my palm. as soon as the light flooded the tunnel, redhead yelped. i followed her gaze.

a skeleton was grinning at us. it wasn't human. it was huge, for one thing — at least ten feet tall. it had been strung up, chained by its wrists and ankles so it made a kind of giant x over the tunnel. 

(it reminded me of 'the fairly odd parents' episode where timmy the barbarian kept getting the answers wrong and the chains tied around his hands and ankles. huh, that was a weird thought)

i looked closer, and noticed something that really sent my skin crawling with goosebumps. in the center of it's skull was a single socket.

"a cyclops," annabeth said. "it's very old. it's not... not anybody we know." 

i knew she was trying to tell us this wasn't tyson, but that didn't bring me much relief. it was hung up like a warning, and that sent shivers down my spine. i could hardly imagine what percy was feeling.

"you know a cyclops?" redhead asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"tyson," percy said, absentmindedly, "my half-brother."

"your half-brother?"

"hopefully we'll find him down here," percy said. "and grover. he's a satyr." 

"oh." the redhead's voice was small. i wondered if she regretted her decision to help us already. "well then, we'd better keep moving." 

she stepped under the skeleton's left arm and kept walking. percy, annabeth, and i all exchanged looks. i shrugged. there was no way little red (that's what i decided on calling her) was crazier than the rest of us.

we followed little red deeper into the maze. after fifty feet we came to a crossroads. ahead, the brick tunnel continued. to the right, the walls were made of ancient marble slabs. i felt a little hopeful seeing the ancient architecture. to the left, the tunnel was dirt and tree roots. 

percy pointed left. "that looks like the tunnel tyson and grover took." 

i pursed my lips, and annabeth frowned. 

i pointed my head towards the right, "yeah, but the architecture to the right — those old stones — that's more likely to lead to an ancient part of the maze, toward daedalus's workshop." 

"yeah," annabeth agreed with me, "daedalus' workshop should be in the deepest part of the maze."

"we need to go straight," little red cut in. 

we looked at her. 

"that's the least likely choice," annabeth said. 

"you don't see it?" little red asked. "look at the floor." 

i looked at the floor, and told her what i saw. "dirt, and mud, and bricks." 

"there's a brightness there," little red insisted. "very faint. but forward is the correct way. to the left, farther down the tunnel, those tree roots are moving like feelers. i don't like that. to the right, there's a trap about twenty feet down. holes in the walls, maybe for spikes. i don't think we should risk it." 

i didn't see anything that she was describing. part of me wondered if it was a trap, but i wasn't sure. 

percy, however, acted like that's all the reassuring he needed, "okay. forward." 

"you believe her?" i asked, the question slipping out. 

"yeah," percy said. "don't you?"

i opened my mouth to argue, when annabeth put a hand on my shoulder. i decided we might as well try the little red's game and see where we get. 

"lead on," i waved a hand.

together we kept walking down the brick corridor. it twisted and turned, but there were no more side tunnels. we seemed to be angling down, heading deeper underground. 

"no traps?" percy asked, eyes darting back and forth. 

"nothing." little red knit her eyebrows. "should it be this easy?" 

"i don't know," percy said. "it never was before." 

"so, rachel," annabeth said, "where are you from, exactly?" 

i knew annabeth was only being my friend, and i appreciated her for sticking up for me. the way she said it wasn't really nice, but little red didn't sound offended.

"brooklyn," she said. 

i clutched my head as i felt another vision.

"you're a nurse," a man said to rebecca. "you should go overseas. help your brothers."

rebecca scoffed, "have you met them? they're too overprotective. besides, this clinic allows me to help people who also need it."

"how many people get hurt daily in brooklyn?" the man asked sarcastically.

rebecca shook her head, "you'd be surprised."

i blinked rapidly as i felt myself leaving the vision. so rebecca had a clinic in brooklyn. i made a mental note of that. 

i furrowed my brows as i realized something about little red, "aren't your parents going to be worried if you're out late?" 

little red exhaled through her nose. "not likely. i could be gone a week and they'd never notice." 

annabeth looked at her, "why not?" this time annabeth didn't sound as sarcastic. having trouble with parents was something she understood. it was something many demigods understood. 

before little red could answer, there was a creaking noise in front of us, like huge doors opening. 

"what was that?" i tried to look ahead. 

"i don't know," little red said. "metal hinges." 

"oh, that's very helpful," my tone dripped with sarcasm, "i know that! i mean, what is it?" 

before anyone could comment, heavy footsteps sounded, shaking the corridor — coming toward us. 

"run?" percy asked. 

"run," little red agreed.  

we turned and fled from the same way we came. we didn't even make it twenty feet when a group of monsters stopped us in our path. three dracaenae levelled their spears towards us. 

percy uncapped riptide, annabeth drew her knife, and i pulled out my dagger from it's bracelet form. before it had even fully morphed into my weapon, the empousa in the middle launched at little red. her hand transformed into a claw, and she held a talon against her neck. 

"taking your little mortal pet for a walk?" the empousa asked. (it was kind of hard to take her seriously since she was in a high school cheer outfit. it said kelli) "they're such fragile things. so easy to break!" she ran her talons down little red's throat.

behind us, the footsteps came closer. a huge form appeared out of the gloom — an eight-foot-tall laistrygonian giant with red eyes and fangs. the giant licked his lips when he saw us. "can i eat them?" 

"no," the empousa — kelli from percy's dream? — said. "your master will want these. they will provide a great deal of entertainment." 

she smiled grotesquely at percy. "now march, half-bloods. or you all die here, starting with the mortal girl."

we were pushed forwards, with dracaenae, the laistrygonian, and kelli.

they walked behind us — kelli keeping her talons on rachel — and made sure we didn't turn back. apparently, they didn't care if we ran forward.

up ahead i could see bronze doors. they were about ten feet tall, emblazoned with a pair of crossed swords. i assumed those were the 'metal hinges' from before. from behind them came a muffled roar, like the roar of the stadium at the superbowl last year.

"oh, yessssss," said the snake woman on our left, turning to percy. "you'll be very popular with our hossssst." 

"who's your host?" percy asked. 

she hissed, which might have been a laugh. "oh, you'll sssssee. you'll get along furiousssly. he'ssss your brother, after all."

"my what?" 

my first thought was tyson, but that was impossible. i wondered what she talking about. i didn't have much time to wonder because the giant pushed past us and opened the doors. he picked up annabeth and i by our shirts and said, "you stay here." 

"hey!" annabeth protested, but the guy was twice our size and he'd already confiscated her knife, percy's sword, and my dagger. 

kelli laughed. she still had her claws at little red's neck. "go on, percy. entertain us. we'll wait here with your friends to make sure you behave." 

percy looked at little red. "i'm sorry. i'll get you out of this." 

i knew she was only a mortal, but i couldn't help the pang of hurt at my heart. of course, little red was being held at talon-point, but it wasn't like annabeth and i were free either. 

little red nodded as much as she could with a demon at her throat. "that would be nice." 

the dracaenae prodded percy toward the doorway at javelin-point, and he walked out onto the floor of an arena.

there was a fight between a giant and a centaur raging in the middle of the arena. the stands were filled with all different types of monsters who were cheering at the bloodshed.

the skulls were everywhere. they reached the railings, they hung off of chandeliers, they were in between the seats, everywhere. some were old, and bleached white to the bone. others, had blood stains splattered on them. the rest — i don't even think i could describe them.

proudly displayed on the spectator's wall was a green banner. a trident — the symbol of poseidon — was emblazoned on the banners. above the banner — in the seat of honor — was someone that made my heart hurt, and made me want to crawl into a hole.

luke.

the encounter from a few months ago was still fresh in my brain, and it hurt me looking at him. he smiled coldly, and i wondered if it was because annabeth and i said no to him. i wondered if things would've been this bad if we agreed to go with him. 

but like janus said, i already made a choice.

there was no point dwelling on 'what ifs?' now.

it took almost a minute for me to notice the giant sitting next him. 

he was easily fifteen feet tall, and took up three whole seats. he was even bigger than the iron monger suit. he wore a loincloth and had wave designs tattooed over his body. (he looked suspiciously like el macho)

there was a cry from the center that my bought my attention back to the fight. the centaur landed at percy's feet. i couldn't tell what he was saying, but it was obvious that he was pleading for help. percy's hand went to his pocket, but came back empty. his sword hadn't returned yet.

the giant approached the centaur, his javelin ready.

the centaur couldn't get up. the giant put a foot on his chest to prevent him from getting up. he looked up at luke. the crowd cheered, "death! death!" 

luke didn't do anything, but el macho arose. he smiled down at the centaur, who was whimpering.

el macho held out his hand and gave the thumbs down sign.

the gladiator giant thrust his javelin downwards. my eyes hadn't moved from luke's. i don't think he even noticed me. how could he just watch this happen? he didn't even flinch. instead, he even looked a little hopeful.

i looked back to the giant as the roaring of the crowd grew louder. the giant was holding up a single hoof. his spoil of war.

a gate opened at the opposite end of the stadium and the giant marched out in triumph.

in the stands, el macho raised his hands for silence.

"good entertainment!" he bellowed. "but nothing i haven't seen before. what else do you have, luke, son of hermes?" 

luke's jaw clenched a little. i knew he didn't like being referred to as 'son of hermes'. he hated his father, and wanted nothing to do with him. for a half a second, i thought he was going to fight el macho (which would be suicide) but instead, he rose calmly.

his eyes glittered and he seemed to be in a good mood. after seeing the broken and scared look on his face last time we met, it left me wondering what put him in a good mood.

"lord antaeus," luke said, loud enough for the crowd to hear. (i preferred el macho) "you have been an excellent host! we would be happy to amuse you, to repay the favor of passing through your territory." 

"a favor i have not yet granted," el macho/antaeus growled. "i want entertainment!"

luke bowed.  "i believe i have something better than centaurs to fight in your arena now. i have a brother of yours." he pointed at percy. "percy jackson, son of poseidon." 

the crowd jeered at him and threw stones. 

el macho's (i refuse to call him antaeus) eyes lit up. "a son of poseidon? then he should fight well! or die well!" 

"if his death pleases you," luke said, "will you let our armies cross your territory?" 

"perhaps!" el macho said. i had a feeling he was just saying that, and he wasn't actually going to let them cross.

luke didn't look too pleased about the "perhaps." he glared down at percy.

"luke!" annabeth yelled from next to me. "stop this. let us go!"

luke seemed to notice both of us for the first time. he looked stunned for a moment. "annabeth? riley?" 

"enough time for the females to fight afterward," el macho interrupted. "first, percy jackson, what weapons will you choose?" 

percy stared up at el macho. "how can you be a son of poseidon?" 

"i am his favorite son!" el macho boomed. "behold, my temple to the earthshaker, built from the skulls of all those i've killed in his name! your skull shall join them!" 

a sick feeling began creeping up in my stomach. the fact that el macho had killed all these people in tribute did not sit well with me.

"gaea." i turned my head towards annabeth who just muttered that to herself.

"percy!" annabeth called. "his mother's gaea! gae—" the laistrygonian clamped a hand over her mouth.

i didn't remember el macho from any myths, but i did remember a certain child of poseidon and gaea. and as long as he was touching the ground...

"goddess of the earth!" i yelled, taking over annabeth's place. "gaea!! he can't die if he—"

the giant clamped another hand over my mouth. i silently prayed that percy got what i was trying to tell him.

"you're crazy, antaeus," percy said. "if you think this is a good tribute, you know nothing about poseidon." 

the crowd screamed insults at him, but el macho raised his hand for silence. "weapons," he insisted. "and then we will see how you die. will you have axes? shields? nets? flamethrowers?" 

"just my sword," percy said, not even looking at towards the weapons. laughter erupted in the stands, but as soon as percy got out riptide, uneasy murmuring began. the bronze blade glowed with a faint light. 

"round one!" el macho announced. 

the gates opened, and a dracaena slithered out. she had a trident in one hand and a weighted net in the other — classic gladiator style. it was something the campers would train against in our first year. this would be easy.

she jabbed at percy experimentally. he stepped away. she threw her net, but percy sidestepped easily, sliced her spear in half, and stabbed riptide through a chink in her armor. 

with a painful wail, she vaporized into nothing, and the cheering of the crowd died. i cheered as much as i could with a giant's hand covering my mouth. (it wasn't much, but it was something)

"no!" el macho bellowed. "too fast! you must wait for the kill. only i give that order!"

"nice job, percy." luke smiled. i thought i saw a hint of pride in his eyes. after all, luke was percy's first sword trainer. "you've gotten better with the sword. i'll grant you that."

"round two!" el macho yelled. "and slower this time! more entertainment! wait for my call before killing anybody. or else!"

el macho passed a look to our captor. the laistrygonian lifted annabeth and i a few feet off the ground. i squirmed and tried to kick away. 

"enough." luke's voice sounded nonchalantly, and the giant dropped us, making sure to keep a hand on our mouths.

"round two!" el macho said, and with difficulty percy turned his gaze to the door.

this time a teenager came out. he looked asian, japanese, maybe, had glossy black hair, and his left eye was covered in an eyepatch. his armor hung loosely on him, and for some reason he looked vaguely familiar. 

even after he put on his helmet, i couldn't help but wonder where i recognized him from. i don't think he had an eyepatch then, because the only pirate i remember meeting is nick fury.

percy and pirate-teen were having a small pre-fight conversation when a monster yelled at them to hurry from the stands. immediately, pirate-teen attacked.

their blades met mid-strike. pirate-teen pressed forward, and percy continued to fight back. 

pirate-teen was actually pretty good. he was holding his own against percy. i knew it was mainly because percy didn't want to hurt him, whereas pirate-teen didn't care.

the monsters cried for blood. a few minutes into the fight, percy abruptly changed his style. instead of fighting offense, like he was, he switched to defense. 

pirate-teen followed him, but percy kept backing up. the crowd booed, wanting blood. they threw rocks, shouting complaints. unfortunately for himself, pirate-teen was dressed for defense, which made offense hard.

the fight went on for at least another five minutes — with percy blocking and parrying pirate-teen's strikes — and there was still no blood.

pirate-teen jabbed towards percy's stomach, and percy locked his sword hit and threw it away. he slammed the butt of his sword on pirate-teen's helmet, and he fell down. percy pressed the tip riptide to pirate-teen's chest, but made no move to kill.

it was silent for a second, the heavy breathing of everyone in the arena being the only sound. then el macho — face stony with displeasure — put his hands in a thumbs down motion.

"forget it," i barely heard percy say as he sheathed his sword.

i couldn't hear pirate-teen's response. percy held a hand out to pirate-teen. he looked at it skeptically, before taking it.

el macho was furious. 

"no one dishonors the games!" el macho bellowed. "your heads shall both be tributes to poseidon!" 

percy said something to pirate-teen before turning back to el macho. i internally groaned. he was going to do something stupid. "why don't you fight me yourself? if you've got dad's favor, come down here and prove it!" 

the monsters grumbled in the stands. el macho looked around, and apparently realized he had no choice. he couldn't say no without looking like a coward. 

"i am the greatest wrestler in the world, boy," he warned. "i have been wrestling since the first pankration!" 

"pankration?" i could hear percy's voice.

pirate-teen gave him a quick explanation of fighting to the death.

percy looked back at us and i tried to shake my head. he couldn't kill him, not while he was on the ground. 

percy looked back at el macho, jaw clenched, "winner takes all! i win, we all go free. you win, we all die. swear upon the river styx."

"this shouldn't take long," el macho laughed. "i agree to your terms."

he leaped off the railing, and into the arena. he was so large, i felt the ground vibrating from where i was standing/being held captive.

pirate-teen backed away quickly. (i don't blame him. el macho smelt like he hadn't taken a shower since the first pankration).

"weapons?" el macho asked percy. 

"i'll stick with my sword. you?" 

he held up his huge hands and wiggled his fingers. "i don't need anything else! master luke, you will referee this one." 

luke smiled down at them. "with pleasure."

and with that, el macho lunged. percy rolled under his legs and stabbed him in the back of the thigh. 

"argggh!" he yelled. instead of blood, sand poured out. it collected around him like a cast, and then fell away. he was healed by the earth.

el macho took percy's confusion to his own advantage, and charged. fortunately, percy was quick on his feet. he dodged sideways, and stabbed him under his arm. 

el macho turned towards him so violently, percy flew across the arena weaponless. riptide was buried hilt-deep under el macho's arm.

el macho pulled the weapon out, and once again, sand poured around him like a cast and he was healed.

i wanted to use some energy and blast el macho out of here, but it was too risky. there were too many monsters, and the redhead was mortal. she'd die.

"now you see why i never lose, demigod," el macho gloated. "come here and let me crush you. i'll make it quick!"

el macho was in between percy and his sword. there was no way percy could get to his sword without going through el macho. i could feel his worry radiating off of him, and i knew he was trying to find a way to his sword.

percy's eyes met mine, and i tried to tell him again. i motioned to the ground, and el macho. then i looked back at percy, and looked up. i wasn't sure if he understood properly, but his emotions shifted.

he tried to skirt around el macho to get to his sword, but el macho anticipated it. he kept close to percy, toying with him. with each passing second, i felt el macho's pride grow, and percy's confidence.

percy crouched low, and i thought he was going to roll between his legs again. el macho thought the same thing, because he went to grab him, when percy jumped.

he used el macho like a ladder, and climbed to his head. el macho stood and cried out, "hey!!"

percy used the force to propel himself towards the chains hanging from the ceiling. he wrapped his leg around it, pulled out riptide and cut off the chain next to him.

"come down here, coward!" el macho bellowed. 

he tried to grab percy, but he was just out of reach. 

percy decided to do something really stupid and decided to yell, "come up and get me! or are you too slow and fat?"   

i would've face-palmed, but i didn't want to miss what was happening.

el macho jumped again, and caught on of the chains. i couldn't see exactly what was happening, but percy began jumping around like a monkey on drugs. he looped, twisted, and turned the chains all around el macho.

percy jumped onto the ground a few minutes later, panting. 

"get me down!" el macho demanded. 

"free him!" luke ordered. "he is our host!" 

percy uncapped riptide. "i'll free him." 

and like the true drama queen he was, he then stabbed the giant in the stomach. el macho bellowed, and sand poured out, but he was too far up to touch the earth, and the dirt did not rise to help him. el macho just dissolved, pouring out bit by bit, until there was nothing left but empty swinging chains, and a really big loincloth on a hook.

now, i'd seen quite a few monsters dying. i've even killed my fair share. but this was absolutely new. i cringed from where i was being held captive.

"jackson!" luke yelled. "i should have killed you long ago!" 

"you tried," percy reminded him. "let us go, luke. we had a sworn agreement with antaeus. i'm the winner." 

what luke said didn't even surprise me anymore. 

"antaeus is dead. his oath dies with him. but since i'm feeling merciful today, i'll have you killed quickly." he pointed towards annabeth and i (where we were being held captive by one of his allies). 

i couldn't even meet his gaze. he wasn't the luke i grew up idolizing. that luke died years ago. now, he was the head of the titan army, the enemy.

"spare the girls." his voice quavered just a little."i would like to speak to them before — before our great triumph." 

i wanted to flip him off, but the giant had our hands bound. 

every monster in the audience drew a weapon or extended its claws. we were trapped. hopelessly outnumbered. they weren't going to go easy, especially because percy just killed el macho.

just when i thought the monsters were going to attack, percy took something out of his pocket. a whistle. he blew into it, but it made no audible sound. as soon as he removed it from his mouth, it shattered.

luke laughed, "what was that supposed to do?"

no sooner that he said that, the giant holding annabeth and i captive flew across the arena. i flopped to the ground as soon as he wasn't holding me up.

"ugh," i groaned, taking annabeth's hand and getting up.

"aroof!"

i recognized mrs. o'leary (quintus' hellhound). she threw kelli (the empousa) across the arena, into luke.

she snarled at the other monsters, and we took the distraction.

"the far exit! that's the right way!!"

we followed redhead ('cause everything was happening so fast) and ran towards the far exit.

"what are you waiting for?!" i held an arm out for pirate-teen, who was knocked onto his bum during the chaos. "let's go!!"

he looked wary, but he knew if he stayed he would die. making a split-second decision, he grabbed my arm and we ran.

REY WRITES !

thank you to thatvongirl for commenting
the idea about the vision at the start of this chapter!

no time passes in the outside world when
 riley's in a vision, like maybe a second or two, but that's it.

thanks for reading !!