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Piper<br />
PIPER’S DAD USED TO SAY that being in <strong>the</strong> airport didn’t count as visiting a city. Piper felt <strong>the</strong> same<br />
way about sewers.<br />
From <strong>the</strong> port to <strong>the</strong> Acropolis, she didn’t see anything <strong>of</strong> A<strong>the</strong>ns except dark, putrid tunnels. The<br />
snake men led <strong>the</strong>m through an iron storm grate at <strong>the</strong> docks, straight into <strong>the</strong>ir underground lair,<br />
which smelled <strong>of</strong> rotting fish, mould and snakeskin.<br />
The atmosphere made it hard to sing about summertime and cotton and easy living, but Piper kept it<br />
up. If she stopped for longer than a minute or two, Kekrops and his guards started hissing and looking<br />
angry.<br />
‘I don’t like this place,’ Annabeth murmured. ‘Reminds me <strong>of</strong> when I was underneath Rome.’<br />
Kekrops hissed with laughter. ‘Our domain is much older. Much, much older.’<br />
Annabeth slipped her hand into Percy’s, which made Piper feel downhearted. She wished Jason<br />
were with her. Heck, she’d even settle for Leo … though maybe she wouldn’t have held his hand.<br />
Leo’s hands tended to burst into flames when he was nervous.<br />
Piper’s voice echoed through <strong>the</strong> tunnels. As <strong>the</strong>y travelled fur<strong>the</strong>r into <strong>the</strong> lair, more snake people<br />
ga<strong>the</strong>red to hear her. Soon <strong>the</strong>y had a procession following behind <strong>the</strong>m – dozens <strong>of</strong> gemini all<br />
swaying and sli<strong>the</strong>ring.<br />
Piper had lived up to her granddad’s prediction. She had learned <strong>the</strong> song <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> snakes – which<br />
turned out to be a George Gershwin number from 1935. So far she had even kept <strong>the</strong> snake king from<br />
biting, just like in <strong>the</strong> old Cherokee story. The only problem with that legend: <strong>the</strong> warrior who<br />
learned <strong>the</strong> snake song had to sacrifice his wife for <strong>the</strong> power. Piper didn’t want to sacrifice anyone.<br />
The vial <strong>of</strong> physician’s cure was still wrapped in its chamois cloth, tucked in her belt pouch. She<br />
hadn’t had time to consult with Jason and Leo before she left. She just had to hope <strong>the</strong>y would all be<br />
reunited on <strong>the</strong> hilltop before anyone needed <strong>the</strong> cure. If one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m died and she couldn’t reach <strong>the</strong>m<br />
…<br />
Just keep singing, she told herself.<br />
They passed through crude stone chambers littered with bones. They climbed slopes so steep and<br />
slippery it was nearly impossible to keep <strong>the</strong>ir footing. At one point, <strong>the</strong>y passed a warm cave <strong>the</strong><br />
size <strong>of</strong> a gymnasium filled with snake eggs, <strong>the</strong>ir tops covered with a layer <strong>of</strong> silver filaments like<br />
slimy Christmas tinsel.<br />
More and more snake people joined <strong>the</strong>ir procession. Sli<strong>the</strong>ring behind her, <strong>the</strong>y sounded like an<br />
army <strong>of</strong> football players shuffling with sandpaper on <strong>the</strong>ir cleats.<br />
Piper wondered how many gemini lived down here. Hundreds, maybe thousands.
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