Rick Riordan Percy Jackson and the Olympians
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" What are you doing , Jackson ?" hissed Dr . Thorn . " Keep moving !" I opened my eyes and kept shuffling forward . " It ' s my shoulder ," I lied , trying to sound miserable , which wasn ' t hard . " It burns ." " Bah ! My poison causes pain . It will not kill you . Walk !" Thorn herded us outside , and I tried to concentrate . I pictured Grover ' s face . I focused on my feelings of fear and danger . Last summer , Grover had created an empathy link between us . He ' d sent me visions in my dreams to let me know when he was in trouble . As far as I knew , we were still linked , but I ' d never tried to contact Grover before . I didn ' t even know if it would work while Grover was awake .
Hey , Grover ! I thought . Thorn ' s kidnapping us ! He ' s a poisonous spike-throwing maniac !
Help !
Thorn inarched us into the woods . We took a snowy path dimly lit by old-fashioned lamplights . My shoulder ached . The wind blowing through my ripped clothes was so cold that I felt like a Percysicle . " There is a clearing ahead ," Thorn said . " We will summon your ride ." " What ride ?" Bianca demanded . " Where are you taking us ?" " Silence , you insufferable girl !" " Don ' t talk to my sister that way .'" Nico said . His voice quivered , but I was impressed that he had the guts to say anything at all .
Dr . Thorn made a growling sound that definitely wasn ' t human . It made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck , but I forced myself to keep walking and pretend I was being a good little captive . Meanwhile , I projected my thoughts like crazy — anything to get Grover ' s attention : Grover ! Apples ! Tin cans ! Get your furry goat behind out here and bring some heavily armed friends ! " Halt ," Thorn said . The woods had opened up . We ' d reached a cliff overlooking the sea . At least , I sensed the sea was down there , hundreds of feet below . I could hear the waves churning and I could smell the cold salty froth . But all I could see was mist and darkness . Dr . Thorn pushed us toward the edge . I stumbled , and Bianca caught me . " Thanks ," I murmured . " What is he ?" she whispered . " How do we fight him ?" " I … I ' m working on it ." " I ' m scared ," Nico mumbled . He was fiddling with something — a little metal toy soldier of some kind . " Stop talking !" Dr . Thorn said . " Face me !" We turned . Thorn ' s two-tone eyes glittered hungrily . He pulled something from under his coat . At first I thought it was a switchblade , but it was only a phone . He pressed the side button and said , " The package — it is ready to deliver ."
There was a garbled reply , and I realized Thorn was in walkie-talkie mode . This seemed way too modern and creepy — a monster using a mobile phone . I glanced behind me , wondering how far the drop was . Dr . Thorn laughed . " By all means , Son of Poseidon . Jump ! There is the sea . Save yourself ." " What did he call you ?" Bianca muttered . " I ' ll explain later ," I said . " You do have a plan , right ?" Grover ! I thought desperately . Come to me ! Maybe I could get both the di Angelos to jump with me into the ocean . If we survived the fall , I could use the water to protect us . I ' d done things like that before . If my dad was in a good mood , and listening , he might help . Maybe .
" I would kill you before you ever reached the water ," Dr . Thorn said , as if reading my thoughts . " You do not realize who I am , do you ?"
A flicker of movement behind him , and another missile whistled so close to me that it nicked my ear . Something had sprung up behind Dr . Thorn — like a catapult , but more flexible … almost like a tail .