enough to paralyze two chariot drivers. They veered into a line of cars. The

other four chariots kept charging. The monster bared its fangs to strike and got

a mouthful of Celestial bronze javelins.

 

"EEESSSSS!!!!!" it screamed, which is probably drakon for OWWWW!

 

"Ares, to me!" Clarisse screamed. Her voice sounded shriller than usual, but I

guess that wasn't surprising given what she was fighting.

 

Across the street, the arrival of six chariots gave the Party Ponies new hope.

They rallied at the doors of the Empire State Building, and the enemy army was

momentarily thrown into confusion.

 

Meanwhile, Clarisse's chariots circled the drakon. Lances broke against the

monster's skin. Skeletal horses breathed fire and whinnied. Two more chariots

overturned, but the warriors simply leaped to their feet, drew their swords, and

went to work. They hacked at chinks in the creature's scales. They dodged poison

spray like they'd been training for this all their lives, which of course they

had.

 

No one could say the Ares campers weren't brave. Clarisse was right there in

front, stabbing her spear at the drakon's face, trying to put out its other eye.

But as I watched, things started to go wrong. The drakon snapped up one Ares

camper in a gulp. It knocked aside another and sprayed poison on a third, who

retreated in a panic, his armor melting.