"I'll distract them," I said. "Meet you at the rendezvous point."

 

"Percy—"

 

"Wish me luck."

 

He looked like he wanted to argue. The whole idea had been to get in and out

without being spotted.

 

But we were going to have to improvise.

 

"Good luck," he said.

 

I charged out the door.

 

A half dozen telkhines were tromping down the stairs. I cut through them with

Riptide faster than they could yelp. I kept climbing — past another telkhine,

who was so startled he dropped his Lil' Demons lunch box. I left him alive —

partly because his lunch box was cool, partly so he could raise the alarm and

hopefully get his friends to follow me rather than head toward the engine room.

 

I burst through a door onto deck six and kept running. I'm sure the carpeted

hall had once been very plush, but over the last three years of monster

occupation the wallpaper, carpet, and stateroom doors had been clawed up and