Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
9
9
Grover sprang forward. He put his reed pipes to his lips and began to play—a frantic jig that
sounded like something pirates would dance to. Grass broke through the snow. Within seconds,
rope-thick weeds were wrapping around Dr. Thorn's legs, entangling him.
Dr. Thorn roared and began to change. He grew larger until he was in his true form—his face
still human, but his body that of a huge lion. His leathery, spiky tail whipped deadly thorns in all
directions.
"A manticore!" Annabeth said, now visible. Her magical New York Yankees cap had come off
when she'd plowed into us.
"Who are you people?" Bianca di Angelo demanded. "And what is that?"
"A manticore?" Nico gasped. "He's got three thousand attack power and plus five to saving
throws!"
I didn't know what he was talking about, but I didn't have time to worry about it. The
manticore clawed Grover' s magic weeds to shreds then turned toward us with a snarl.
"Get down!" Annabeth pushed the di Angelos flat into the snow. At the last second, I
remembered my own shield. I hit my wristwatch, and metal plating spiraled out into a thick bronze
shield. Not a moment too soon. The thorns impacted against it with such force they dented the
metal. The beautiful shield, a gift from my brother, was badly damaged. I wasn't sure it would even
stop a second volley.
I heard a thwack and a yelp, and Grover landed next to me with a thud.
"Yield!" the monster roared.
"Never!" Thalia yelled from across the field. She charged the monster, and for a second, I
thought she would run him through. But then there was a thunderous noise and a blaze of light from
behind us. The helicopter appeared out of the mist, hovering just beyond the cliffs. It was a sleek
black military-style gunship, with attachments on the sides that looked like laser-guided rockets. The
helicopter had to be manned by mortals, but what was it doing here? How could mortals be working
with a monster? The searchlights blinded Thalia, and the manticore swatted her away with its tail.
Her shield flew off into the snow. Her spear flew in the other direction.
"No!" I ran out to help her. I parried away a spike just before it would've hit her chest. I raised
my shield over us, but I knew it wouldn't be enough.
Dr. Thorn laughed. "Now do you see how hopeless it is? Yield, little heroes."
We were trapped between a monster and a fully armed helicopter. We had no chance.
Then I heard a clear, piercing sound: the call of a hunting horn blowing in the woods.
The manticore froze. For a moment, no one moved. There was only the swirl of snow and
wind and the chopping of the helicopter blades.
"No," Dr. Thorn said. "It cannot be—"
His sentence was cut short when something shot past me like a streak of moonlight. A
glowing silver arrow sprouted from Dr. Thorn's shoulder.
He staggered backward, wailing in agony.
"Curse you!" Thorn cried. He unleashed his spikes, dozens of them at once, into the woods
where the arrow had come from, but just as fast, silvery arrows shot back in reply. It almost looked
like the arrows had intercepted the thorns in midair and sliced them in two, but my eyes must've
been playing tricks on me. No one, not even Apollo's kids at camp, could shoot with that much
accuracy.
The manticore pulled the arrow out of his shoulder with a howl of pain. His breathing was
heavy. I tried to swipe at him with my sword, but he wasn't as injured as he looked. He dodged my
attack and slammed his tail into my shield, knocking me aside.
Then the archers came from the woods. They were girls, about a dozen of them. The
youngest was maybe ten. The oldest, about fourteen, like me. They wore silvery ski parkas and
jeans, and they were all armed with bows. They advanced on the manticore with determined
expressions.
"The Hunters!" Annabeth cried.
Next to me, Thalia muttered, "Oh, wonderful."
I didn't have a chance to ask what she meant.