Rick Riordan
The Titan’s Curse - 03
"Unfortunately," Thorn said, "you are wanted alive, if possible. Otherwise you would already
be dead."
"Who wants us?" Bianca demanded. "Because if you think you'll get a ransom, you're wrong.
We don't have any family. Nico and I…" Her voice broke a little. "We've got no one but each other."
"Aww," Dr. Thorn said. "Do not worry, little brats. You will be meeting my employer soon
enough. Then you will have a brand-new family."
"Luke," I said. "You work for Luke."
Dr. Thorn's mouth twisted with distaste when I said the name of my old enemy—a former
friend who'd tried to kill me several times. "You have no idea what is happening, Perseus Jackson. I
will let the General enlighten you. You are going to do him a great service tonight. He is looking
forward to meeting you."
"The General?" I asked. Then I realized I'd said it with a French accent. "I mean… who's the
General?"
Thorn looked toward the horizon. "Ah, here we are. Your transportation."
I turned and saw a light in the distance, a searchlight over the sea. Then I heard the
chopping of helicopter blades getting louder and closer.
"Where are you taking us?" Nico said.
"You should be honored, my boy. You will have the opportunity to join a great army! Just like
that silly game you play with cards and dolls."
"They're not dolls! They're figurines! And you can take your great army and—"
"Now, now," Dr. Thorn warned. "You will change your mind about joining us, my boy. And if
you do not, well… there are other uses for half-bloods. We have many monstrous mouths to feed.
The Great Stirring is underway."
"The Great what?" I asked. Anything to keep him talking while I tried to figure out a plan.
"The stirring of monsters." Dr. Thorn smiled evilly. "The worst of them, the most powerful, are
now waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years. They will cause death and
destruction the likes of which mortals have never known. And soon we shall have the most
important monster of all—the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus!"
"Okay," Bianca whispered to me. "He's completely nuts."
"We have to jump off the cliff," I told her quietly. "Into the sea."
"Oh, super idea. You're completely nuts, too."
I never got the chance to argue with her, because just then an invisible force slammed into
me.
Looking back on it, Annabeth's move was brilliant. Wearing her cap of invisibility, she plowed
into the di Angelos and me, knocking us to the ground. For a split second, Dr. Thorn was taken by
surprise, so his first volley of missiles zipped harmlessly over our heads. This gave Thalia and
Grover a chance to advance from behind—Thalia wielding her magic shield, Aegis.
If you've never seen Thalia run into battle, you have never been truly frightened. She uses a
huge spear that expands from this collapsible Mace canister she carries in her pocket, but that's not
the scary part. Her shield is modeled after one her dad Zeus uses—also called Aegis—a gift from
Athena. The shield has the head of the gorgon Medusa molded into the bronze, and even though it
won't turn you to stone, it's so horrible, most people will panic and run at the sight of it.
Even Dr. Thorn winced and growled when he saw it.
Thalia moved in with her spear. "For Zeus!"
I thought Dr. Thorn was a goner. Thalia jabbed at his head, but he snarled and swatted the
spear aside. His hand changed into an orange paw, with enormous claws that sparked against
Thalia's shield as he slashed. If it hadn't been for Aegis, Thalia would've been sliced like a loaf of
bread. As it was, she managed to roll backward and land on her feet.
The sound of the helicopter was getting louder behind me, but I didn't dare look.
Dr. Thorn launched another volley of missiles at Thalia, and this time I could see how he did
it. He had a tail—a leathery, scorpionlike tail that bristled with spikes at the tip. The missiles
deflected off Aegis, but the force of their impact knocked Thalia down.
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