by Rick Riordan
‘I hope you’re right, Hazel. You see, it’s a battle to the death …’
She waited for that to sink in. Hazel remembered what Phineas had said in Portland – how he had had a shortcut back from death, thanks to Gaia. She remembered how the gorgons had tried to re-form in the Tiber.
‘Even if you kill her,’ Hazel said, ‘she’ll just come back. As long as Thanatos is chained, she won’t stay dead.’
‘Exactly,’ Hylla said. ‘Otrera has already told us that she can’t die. So, even if I manage to defeat her tonight, she’ll simply return and challenge me again tomorrow. There is no law against challenging the queen multiple times. She can insist on fighting me every night, until she finally wears me down. I can’t win.’
Hazel gazed at the throne. She imagined Otrera sitting there with her fine robes and her silver hair, ordering her warriors to attack Rome. She imagined the voice of Gaia filling this cavern.
‘There has to be a way,’ she said. ‘Don’t Amazons have … special powers or something?’
‘No more than other demigods,’ Hylla said. ‘We can die, just like any mortal. There is a group of archers who follow the goddess Artemis. They are often mistaken for Amazons, but the Hunters forsake the company of men in exchange for almost endless life. We Amazons – we would prefer to live life to the fullest. We love, we fight, we die.’
‘I thought you hated men.’
Hylla and Kinzie both laughed.
‘Hate men?’ said the queen. ‘No, no, we like men. We just like to show them who’s in charge. But that’s beside the point. If I could, I would rally our troops and ride to my sister’s aid. Unfortunately, my power is tenuous. When I am killed in combat – and it’s only a matter of time – Otrera will be queen. She will march to Camp Jupiter with our forces, but she will not go to help my sister. She’ll go to join the giant’s army.’
‘We’ve got to stop her,’ Hazel said. ‘My friends and I killed Phineas, one of Gaia’s other servants in Portland. Maybe we can help!’
The queen shook her head. ‘You can’t interfere. As queen, I must fight my own battles. Besides, your friends are imprisoned. If I let them go, I’ll look weak. Either I execute you three as trespassers, or Otrera will do so when she becomes queen.’
Hazel’s heart sank. ‘So I guess we’re both dead. Me for the second time.’
In the corner cage, the stallion Arion whinnied angrily. He reared and slammed his hooves against the bars.
‘The horse seems to feel your despair,’ the queen said. ‘Interesting. He’s immortal, you know – the son of Neptune and Ceres.’
Hazel blinked. ‘Two gods had a horse for a kid?’
‘Long story.’
‘Oh.’ Hazel’s face felt hot with embarrassment.
‘He’s the fastest horse in the world,’ Hylla said. ‘Pegasus is more famous, with his wings, but Arion runs like the wind over land and sea. No creature is faster. It took us years to capture him – one of our greatest prizes. But it did us no good. The horse will not allow anyone to ride him. I think he hates Amazons. And he is expensive to keep. He will eat anything, but he prefers gold.’
The back of Hazel’s neck tingled. ‘He eats gold?’
She remembered the horse following her in Alaska so many years ago. She had thought he was eating nuggets of gold that appeared in her footsteps.
She knelt and pressed her hand against the floor. Immediately, the stone cracked. A chunk of gold ore the size of a plum was pushed out of the earth. Hazel stood, examining her prize.
Hylla and Kinzie stared at her.
‘How did you … ?’ The queen gasped. ‘Hazel, be careful!’
Hazel approached the stallion’s cage. She put her hand between the bars, and Arion gingerly ate the chunk of gold from her palm.
‘Unbelievable,’ Kinzie said. ‘The last girl who tried that -’
‘Now has a metal arm,’ the queen finished. She studied Hazel with new interest, as if deciding whether or not to say more. ‘Hazel … we spent years hunting for this horse. It was foretold that the most courageous female warrior would some day master Arion and ride him to victory, ushering in a new era of prosperity for the Amazons. Yet no Amazon can touch him, much less control him. Even Otrera tried and failed. Two others died attempting to ride him.’
That probably should’ve worried Hazel, but she couldn’t imagine this beautiful horse hurting her. She put her hand through the bars again and stroked Arion’s nose. He nuzzled her arm, murmuring contentedly, as if asking, More gold? Yum.
‘I would feed you more, Arion.’ Hazel glanced pointedly at the queen. ‘But I think I’m scheduled for an execution.’
Queen Hylla looked from Hazel to the horse and back again. ‘Unbelievable.’
‘The prophecy,’ Kinzie said. ‘Is it possible … ?’
Hazel could almost see the gears turning inside the queen’s head, formulating a plan. ‘You have courage, Hazel Levesque. And it seems Arion has chosen you. Kinzie?’
‘Yes, my queen?’
‘You said Otrera’s followers are guarding the cells?’
Kinzie nodded. ‘I should have foreseen that. I’m sorry -’
‘No, it’s fine.’ The queen’s eyes gleamed – the way Hannibal the elephant’s did whenever he was unleashed to destroy a fortress. ‘It would be embarrassing for Otrera if her followers failed in their duties – if, for instance, they were overcome by an outsider and a prison break occurred.’
Kinzie began to smile. ‘Yes, my queen. Most embarrassing.’
‘Of course,’ Hylla continued, ‘none of my guards would know a thing about this. Kinzie would not spread the word to allow an escape.’
‘Certainly not,’ Kinzie agreed.
‘And we couldn’t help you.’ The queen raised her eyebrows at Hazel. ‘But if you somehow overpowered the guards and freed your friends … if, for instance, you took one of the guards’ Amazon cards -’
‘With one-click purchasing enabled,’ Kinzie said, ‘which will open the jail cells with one click.’
‘If – gods forbid! – something like that were to happen,’ the queen continued, ‘you would find your friends’ weapons and supplies in the guard station next to the cells. And who knows? If you made your way back to this throne room while I was off preparing for my duel … well, as I mentioned, Arion is a very fast horse. It would be a shame if he were stolen and used for an escape.’
Hazel felt like she’d been plugged into a wall socket. Electricity surged through her whole body. Arion … Arion could be hers. All she had to do was rescue her friends and fight her way through an entire nation of highly trained warriors.
‘Queen Hylla,’ she said, ‘I – I’m not much of a fighter.’
‘Oh, there are many kinds of fighting, Hazel. I have a feeling you’re quite resourceful. And, if the prophecy is correct, you will help the Amazon nation achieve prosperity. If you succeed on your quest to free Thanatos, for instance -’
‘- then Otrera wouldn’t come back if she were killed,’ Hazel said. ‘You’d only have to defeat her … um, every night until we succeed.’
The queen nodded grimly. ‘It seems we both have impossible tasks ahead of us.’
‘But you’re trusting me,’ said Hazel. ‘And I trust you. You will win, as many times as it takes.’
Hylla held out Percy’s necklace and poured it into Hazel’s hands.
‘I hope you’re right,’ the queen said. ‘But the sooner you succeed the better, yes?’
Hazel slipped the necklace into her pocket. She shook the queen’s hand, wondering if it was possible to make a friend so fast – especially one who was about to send her to jail.
‘This conversation never happened,’ Hylla told Kinzie. ‘Take our prisoner to the cells and hand her over to Otrera’s guards. And, Kinzie, be sure you leave before anything unfortunate happens. I don’t want my loyal followers held accountable for a prison break.’
The queen smiled mischievously, and for the first time Hazel
felt jealous of Reyna. She wished that she had a sister like this.
‘Goodbye, Hazel Levesque,’ the queen said. ‘If we both die tonight … well, I’m glad I met you.’
XXXII
Hazel
THE AMAZON JAIL WAS AT THE TOP OF a storage aisle, sixty feet in the air.
Kinzie led her up three different ladders to a metal catwalk, then tied Hazel’s hands loosely behind her back and pushed her along past crates of jewellery.
A hundred feet ahead, under the harsh glow of fluorescent lights, a row of chain-link cages hung suspended from cables. Percy and Frank were in two of the cages, talking to each other in hushed tones. Next to them on the catwalk, three bored-looking Amazon guards leaned against their spears and gazed at little black tablets in their hands like they were reading.
Hazel thought the tablets looked too thin for books. Then it occurred to her they might be some sort of tiny – what did modern people call them? – laptop computers. Secret Amazon technology, perhaps. Hazel found the idea almost as unsettling as the battle forklifts downstairs.
‘Get moving, girl,’ Kinzie ordered, loud enough for the guards to hear. She prodded Hazel in the back with her sword.
Hazel walked as slowly as she could, but her mind was racing. She needed to come up with a brilliant rescue plan. So far she had nothing. Kinzie had made sure she could break her bonds easily, but she’d still be empty-handed against three trained warriors, and she had to act before they put her in a cage.
She passed a pallet of crates marked 24-CARAT BLUE TOPAZ RINGS, then another labelled SILVER FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS. An electronic display next to the friendship bracelets read: People who bought this item also bought GARDEN GNOME SOLAR PATIO LIGHT and FLAMING SPEAR OF DEATH. Buy all three and save 12%!
Hazel froze. Gods of Olympus, she was stupid.
Silver. Topaz. She sent out her senses, searching for precious metals, and her brain almost exploded from the feedback. She was standing next to a six-storey-tall mountain of jewellery. But in front of her, from here to the guards, was nothing but prison cages.
‘What is it?’ Kinzie hissed. ‘Keep moving! They’ll get suspicious.’
‘Make them come here,’ Hazel muttered over her shoulder.
‘Why -’
‘Please.’
The guards frowned in their direction.
‘What are you staring at?’ Kinzie yelled at them. ‘Here’s the third prisoner. Come get her.’
The nearest guard set down her reading tablet. ‘Why can’t you walk another thirty paces, Kinzie?’
‘Um, because -’
‘Ooof!’ Hazel fell to her knees and tried to put on her best seasick face. ‘I’m feeling nauseous! Can’t … walk. Amazons … too … scary.’
‘There you go,’ Kinzie told the guards. ‘Now, are you going to come take the prisoner, or should I tell Queen Hylla you’re not doing your duty?’
The nearest guard rolled her eyes and trudged over. Hazel had hoped the other two guards would come, too, but she’d have to worry about that later.
The first guard grabbed Hazel’s arm. ‘Fine. I’ll take custody of the prisoner. But if I were you, Kinzie, I wouldn’t worry about Hylla. She won’t be queen much longer.’
‘We’ll see, Doris.’ Kinzie turned to leave. Hazel waited until her steps had receded down the catwalk.
The guard Doris pulled on Hazel’s arm. ‘Well? Come on.’
Hazel concentrated on the wall of jewellery next to her: forty large boxes of silver bracelets. ‘Not … feeling so good.’
‘You are not throwing up on me,’ Doris growled. She tried to yank Hazel to her feet, but Hazel went limp, like a kid throwing a fit in a store. Next to her, the boxes began to tremble.
‘Lulu!’ Doris yelled to one of her comrades. ‘Help me with this lame little girl.’
Amazons named Doris and Lulu? Hazel thought. Okay …
The second guard jogged over. Hazel figured this was her best chance. Before they could haul her to her feet, she yelled, ‘Ooooh!’ and flattened herself against the catwalk.
Doris started to say, ‘Oh, give me a -’
The entire pallet of jewellery exploded with a sound like a thousand slot machines hitting the jackpot. A tidal wave of silver friendship bracelets poured across the catwalk, washing Doris and Lulu right over the railing.
They would’ve fallen to their deaths, but Hazel wasn’t that mean. She summoned a few hundred bracelets, which leaped at the guards and lashed round their ankles, leaving them hanging upside down from the bottom of the catwalk, screaming like lame little girls.
Hazel turned towards the third guard. She broke her bonds, which were about as sturdy as toilet paper. She picked up one of the fallen guards’ spears. She was terrible with spears, but she hoped the third Amazon didn’t know that.
‘Should I kill you from here?’ Hazel snarled. ‘Or are you going to make me come over there?’
The guard turned and ran.
Hazel shouted over the side to Doris and Lulu. ‘Amazon cards! Pass them up, unless you want me to undo those friendship bracelets and let you drop!’
Four and a half seconds later, Hazel had two Amazon cards. She raced over to the cages and swiped a card. The doors popped open.
Frank stared at her in astonishment. ‘Hazel, that was … amazing.’
Percy nodded. ‘I will never wear jewellery again.’
‘Except this.’ Hazel tossed him his necklace. ‘Our weapons and supplies are at the end of the catwalk. We should hurry. Pretty soon -’
Alarms began wailing throughout the cavern.
‘Yeah,’ she said, ‘that’ll happen. Let’s go!’
The first part of the escape was easy. They retrieved their things with no problem, then started climbing down the ladder. Every time Amazons swarmed beneath them, demanding their surrender, Hazel made a crate of jewellery explode, burying their enemies in a Niagara Falls of gold and silver. When they got to the bottom of the ladder, they found a scene that looked like Mardi Gras Armageddon – Amazons trapped up to their necks in bead necklaces, several more upside down in a mountain of amethyst earrings and a battle forklift buried in silver charm bracelets.
‘You, Hazel Levesque,’ Frank said, ‘are entirely freaking incredible.’
She wanted to kiss him right there, but they had no time. They ran back to the throne room.
They stumbled across one Amazon who must’ve been loyal to Hylla. As soon as she saw the escapees, she turned away like they were invisible.
Percy started to ask, ‘What the -’
‘Some of them want us to escape,’ Hazel said. ‘I’ll explain later.’
The second Amazon they met wasn’t so friendly. She was dressed in full armour, blocking the throne-room entrance. She spun her spear with lightning speed, but this time Percy was ready. He drew Riptide and stepped into battle. As the Amazon jabbed at him, he sidestepped, cut her spear shaft in half and slammed the hilt of his sword against her helmet.
The guard crumpled.
‘Mars Almighty,’ Frank said. ‘How did you – that wasn’t any Roman technique!’
Percy grinned. ‘The graecus has some moves, my friend. After you.’
They ran into the throne room. As promised, Hylla and her guards had cleared out. Hazel dashed over to Arion’s cage and swiped an Amazon card across the lock. Instantly the stallion burst forth, rearing in triumph.
Percy and Frank stumbled backwards.
‘Um … is that thing tame?’ Frank said.
The horse whinnied angrily.
‘I don’t think so,’ Percy guessed. ‘He just said, “I will trample you to death, silly Chinese Canadian baby man.”’
‘You speak horse?’ Hazel asked.
‘“Baby man”?’ Frank spluttered.
‘Speaking to horses is a Poseidon thing,’ Percy said. ‘Uh, I mean a Neptune thing.’
‘Then you and Arion should get along fine,’ Hazel said. ‘He’s a son of Neptune, too.’
&
nbsp; Percy turned pale. ‘Excuse me?’
If they hadn’t been in such a bad situation, Percy’s expression might have made her laugh. ‘The point is he’s fast. He can get us out of here.’
Frank did not look thrilled. ‘Three of us can’t fit on one horse, can we? We’ll fall off, or slow him down, or -’
Arion whinnied again.
‘Ouch,’ Percy said. ‘Frank, the horse says you’re a – you know, actually, I’m not going to translate that. Anyway, he says there’s a chariot in the warehouse, and he’s willing to pull it.’
‘There!’ someone yelled from the back of the throne room. A dozen Amazons charged in, followed by males in orange jumpsuits. When they saw Arion, they backed up quickly and headed for the battle forklifts.
Hazel vaulted onto Arion’s back.
She grinned down at her friends. ‘I remember seeing that chariot. Follow me, guys!’
She galloped into the larger cavern and scattered a crowd of males. Percy knocked out an Amazon. Frank swept two more off their feet with his spear. Hazel could feel Arion straining to run. He wanted to go full speed, but he needed more room. They had to make it outside.
Hazel bowled into a patrol of Amazons, who scattered in terror at the sight of the horse. For once, Hazel’s spatha felt exactly the right length. She swung it at everyone who came within reach. No Amazon dared challenge her.
Percy and Frank ran after her. Finally they reached the chariot. Arion stopped by the yoke, and Percy set to work with the reins and harness.
‘You’ve done this before?’ Frank asked.
Percy didn’t need to answer. His hands flew. In no time the chariot was ready. He jumped aboard and yelled, ‘Frank, come on! Hazel, go!’
A battle cry went up behind them. A full army of Amazons stormed into the warehouse. Otrera herself stood astride a battle forklift, her silver hair flowing as she swung her mounted crossbow towards the chariot. ‘Stop them!’ she yelled.
Hazel spurred Arion. They raced across the cavern, weaving around pallets and forklifts. An arrow whizzed past Hazel’s head. Something exploded behind her, but she didn’t look back.
