"No," I muttered. "WAIT!"

 

But the monster looked down at her — almost in contempt — and spit poison

directly in her face.

 

She screamed and fell.

 

"Clarisse!" Annabeth jumped off the monster's back and ran to help, while the

other Ares campers tried to defend their fallen counselor. I drove Riptide

between two of the creature's scales and managed to turn its attention on me.

 

I got thrown but I landed on my feet. "C'MON, you stupid worm! Look at me!"

 

For the next several minutes, all I saw were teeth. 1 retreated and dodged

poison, but I couldn't hurt the thing.

 

At the edge of my vision, I saw a flying chariot land on Fifth Avenue.

 

Then someone ran toward us. A girl's voice, shaken with grief, cried, "NO! Curse

you, WF1Y?"

 

I dared to glance over, but what I saw made no sense. Clarisse was lying on the

ground where she'd fallen. Fler armor smoked with poison. Annabeth and the Ares

campers were trying to unfasten her helmet. And kneeling next to them, her face

blotchy with tears, was a girl in camp clothes. It was . . .