The Demigod Diaries (The Heroes of Olympus)(22)

“Your friends?” Annabeth asked.

Cacus waved off the question. “Doesn’t matter. You won’t live that long, and I’m only in it for the money. With this staff, I’ll make millions! Maybe even thousands! Now hold still. Perhaps I can get a good price on two demigod statues.”

I wasn’t fond of threats like that. I’d had enough of them a few years ago when I fought Medusa. I wasn’t anxious to fight this guy, but I also knew I couldn’t leave George and Martha at his mercy. Besides, the world had enough traveling salesmen. Nobody deserved to answer their door and find a fire-breathing giant with a magic staff and a collection of knockoff Rolexes.

I looked at Annabeth. “Time to fight?”

She gave me a sweet smile. “Smartest thing you’ve said all morning.”

You’re probably thinking: Wait, you just charged in without a plan?

But Annabeth and I had been fighting together for years. We knew each other’s abilities. We could anticipate each other’s moves. I might have felt awkward and nervous about being her boyfriend, but fighting with her? That came naturally.

Hmm…that sounded wrong. Oh, well.

Annabeth veered to the giant’s left. I charged him head-on. I was still out of sword-reach when Cacus unhinged his jaw and blew fire.

My next startling discovery: flaming breath is hot.

I managed to leap to one side, but I could feel my arms starting to warm up and my clothes igniting. I rolled through the mud to douse the flames and knocked over a rack of women’s coats.

The giant roared. “Look what you’ve done! Those are genuine fake Prada!”

Annabeth used the distraction to strike. She lunged at Cacus from behind and stabbed him in the back of the knee—usually a nice soft spot on monsters. She leaped away as Cacus swung the caduceus, barely missing her. The silver tip slammed into the bulldozer and the entire machine turned to stone.

“I’ll kill you!” Cacus stumbled, golden ichor pouring from his wounded leg.

He blew fire at Annabeth, but she dodged the blast. I lunged with Riptide and slashed my blade across the giant’s other leg.

You’d think that would be enough, right? But no.

Cacus bellowed in pain. He turned with surprising speed, smacking me with the back of his hand. I went flying and crashed into a pile of broken stone cows. My vision blurred. Annabeth yelled, “Percy!” but her voice sounded as though it were underwater.

Move! Martha’s voice spoke in my mind. He’s about to strike!

Roll left! George said, which was one of the more helpful suggestions he’d ever made. I rolled to the left as the caduceus smashed into the pile of stone where I’d been lying.

I heard a CLANG! And the giant screamed, “Gah!”

I staggered to my feet. Annabeth had just smacked her shield across the giant’s backside. Being an expert at school expulsion, I’d gotten kicked out of several military academies where they still believed paddling was good for the soul. I had a fair idea how it felt to get spanked with a large flat surface, and my rump clenched in sympathy.

Cacus staggered, but before Annabeth could discipline him again, he turned and snatched the shield from her. He crumpled the Celestial bronze like paper and tossed it over his shoulder.

So much for that magic item.

“Enough!” Cacus leveled the staff at Annabeth.

I was still dizzy. My spine felt like it had been treated to a night at Crusty’s Water Bed Palace, but I stumbled forward, determined to help Annabeth. Before I could get there, the caduceus changed form. It became a cell phone and rang to the tune of “Macarena.” George and Martha, now the size of earthworms, curled around the screen.

Good one, George said.

We danced to this at our wedding, Martha said. Remember, dear?

“Stupid snakes!” Cacus shook the cell phone violently.

Eek! Martha said.

Help—me! George’s voice quivered. Must—obey—red—bathrobe!

The phone grew back into a staff.

“Now, behave!” Cacus warned the snakes. “Or I’ll turn you two into a fake Gucci handbag!”

Annabeth ran to my side. Together we backed up until we were next to the ladder.

“Our tag game strategy isn’t working so well,” she noticed. She was breathing heavily. The left sleeve of her T-shirt was smoldering, but otherwise she looked okay. “Any suggestions?”

My ears were ringing. Her voice still sounded like she was underwater.

Wait…under water.

I looked up the tunnel—all those broken pipes embedded in the rock: waterlines, sewer ducts. Being the son of the sea god, I could sometimes control water. I wondered…

“I don’t like you!” Cacus yelled. He stalked toward us, smoke pouring from his nostrils. “It’s time to end this.”

“Hold on,” I told Annabeth. I wrapped my free hand around her waist.

I concentrated on finding water above us. It wasn’t hard. I felt a dangerous amount of pressure in the city’s waterlines, and I summoned it all into the broken pipes.

Cacus towered over us, his mouth glowing like a furnace. “Any last words, demigod?”

“Look up,” I told him.

He did.

Note to self: When causing the sewer system of Manhattan to explode, do not stand underneath it.