The Titan's Curse

worry, little brats. You will be meeting my employer soon enough. Then you will have a brand-new family.”
    “Luke,” I said. “You work for Luke.”
    Dr. Thorn’s mouth twisted with distaste when I said the name of my old enemy—a former friend who’d tried to kill me several times. “You have no idea what is happening, Perseus Jackson. I will let the General enlighten you. You are going to do him a great service tonight. He is looking forward to meeting you.”
    “The General?” I asked. Then I realized I’d said it with a French accent. “I mean . . . who’s the General?”
    Thorn looked toward the horizon. “Ah, here we are. Your transportation.”
    I turned and saw a light in the distance, a searchlight over the sea. Then I heard the chopping of helicopter blades getting louder and closer.
    “Where are you taking us?” Nico said.
    “You should be honored, my boy. You will have the opportunity to join a great army! Just like that silly game you play with cards and dolls.”
    “They’re not dolls! They’re figurines! And you can take your great army and—”
    “Now, now,” Dr. Thorn warned. “You will change your mind about joining us, my boy. And if you do not, well . . . there are other uses for half-bloods. We have many monstrous mouths to feed. The Great Stirring is underway.”
    “The Great what?” I asked. Anything to keep him talking while I tried to figure out a plan.
    “The stirring of monsters.” Dr. Thorn smiled evilly. “The worst of them, the most powerful, are now waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years. They will cause death and destruction the likes of which mortals have never known. And soon we shall have the most important monster of all—the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus!”
    “Okay,” Bianca whispered to me. “He’s completely nuts.”
    “We have to jump off the cliff,” I told her quietly. “Into the sea.”
    “Oh, super idea. You’re completely nuts, too.”
    I never got the chance to argue with her, because just then an invisible force slammed into me.
    Looking back on it, Annabeth’s move was brilliant. Wearing her cap of invisibility, she plowed into the di Angelos and me, knocking us to the ground. For a split second, Dr. Thorn was taken by surprise, so his first volley of missiles zipped harmlessly over our heads. This gave Thalia and Grover a chance to advance from behind—Thalia wielding her magic shield, Aegis.
    If you’ve never seen Thalia run into battle, you have never been truly frightened. She uses a huge spear that expands from this collapsible Mace canister she carries in her pocket, but that’s not the scary part. Her shield is modeled after one her dad Zeus uses—also called Aegis—a gift from Athena. The shield has the head of the gorgon Medusa molded into the bronze, and even though it won’t turn you to stone, it’s so horrible, most people will panic and run at the sight of it.
    Even Dr. Thorn winced and growled when he saw it.
    Thalia moved in with her spear. “For Zeus!”
    I thought Dr. Thorn was a goner. Thalia jabbed at his head, but he snarled and swatted the spear aside. His hand changed into an orange paw, with enormous claws that sparked against Thalia’s shield as he slashed. If it hadn’t been for Aegis, Thalia would’ve been sliced like a loaf of bread. As it was, she managed to roll backward and land on her feet.
    The sound of the helicopter was getting louder behind me, but I didn’t dare look.
    Dr. Thorn launched another volley of missiles at Thalia, and this time I could see how he did it. He had a tail—a leathery, scorpionlike tail that bristled with spikes at the tip. The missiles deflected off Aegis, but the force of their impact knocked Thalia down.
    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