“You said Otrera’s followers are guarding the cells?”
Kinzie nodded. “I should have foreseen that. I’m sorry—”
“No, it’s fine. ” The queen’s eyes gleamed—the way Hannibal the elephant’s did whenever he was unleashed to destroy a fortress. “It would be embarrassing for Otrera if her followers failed in their duties—if, for instance, they were overcome by an outsider and a prison break occurred. ”
Kinzie began to smile. “Yes, my queen. Most embarrassing. ”
“Of course,” Hylla continued, “none of my guards would know a thing about this. Kinzie would not spread the word to allow an escape. ”
“Certainly not,” Kinzie agreed.
“And we couldn’t help you. ” The queen raised her eyebrows at Hazel. “But if you somehow overpowered the guards and freed your friends…if, for instance, you took one of the guards’ Amazon cards—”
“With one-click purchasing enabled,” Kinzie said, “which will open the jail cells with one click. ”
“If—gods forbid!—something like that were to happen,” the queen continued, “you would find your friends’ weapons and supplies in the guard station next to the cells. And who knows? If you made your way back to this throne room while I was off preparing for my duel…well, as I mentioned, Arionis a very fast horse. It would be a shame if he were stolen and used for an escape. ”
Hazel felt like she’d been plugged into a wall socket. Electricity surged through her whole body. Arion…Arion could be hers. All she had to do was rescue her friends and fight her way through an entire nation of highly trained warriors. “Queen Hylla,” she said, “I—I’m not much of a fighter. ”
“Oh, there are many kinds of fighting, Hazel. I have a feeling you’re quite resourceful. And if the prophecy is correct, you will help the Amazon nation achieve prosperity. If you succeed on your quest to free Thanatos, for instance—”
“—then Otrera wouldn’t come back if she were killed,”
Hazel said. “You’d only have to defeat her…um, every night until we succeed. ”
The queen nodded grimly. “It seems we both have impossible tasks ahead of us. ”
“But you’re trusting me,” said Hazel. “And I trust you. You will win, as many times as it takes. ”
Hylla held out Percy’s necklace and poured it into Hazel’s hands.
“I hope you’re right,” the queen said. “But the sooner you succeed the better, yes?”
Hazel
slipped the necklace into her pocket. She shook the queen’s hand, wondering if it was possible to make a friend so fast—especially one who was about to send her to jail.
“This conversation never happened,” Hylla told Kinzie. “Take our prisoner to the cells and hand her over to Otrera’s guards. And, Kinzie, be sure you leave before anything unfortunate happens. I don’t want my loyal followers held accountable for a prison break. ”
The queen smiled mischievously, and for the first time, Hazel felt jealous of Reyna. She wished that she had a sister like this.
“Good-bye, Hazel Levesque,” the queen said. “If we both die tonight…well, I’m glad I met you. ”
XXXII Hazel
THE AMAZON JAIL WAS AT THE TOP OF a storage aisle, sixty feet in the air.
Kinzie led her up three different ladders to a metal catwalk, then tied Hazel’s hands loosely behind her back and pushed her along past crates of jewelry.
A hundred feet ahead, under the harsh glow of fluorescent lights, a row of chain-link cages hung suspended from cables. Percy and Frank were in two of the cages, talking to each other in hushed tones. Next to them on the catwalk, three bored-looking Amazon guards leaned against their spears and gazed at little black tablets in their hands like they were reading.
Hazel thought the tablets looked too thin for books. Then it occurred to her they might be some sort of tiny—what did modern people call them?—laptop computers. SecretAmazon technology, perhaps. Hazel found the idea almost as unsettling as the battle forklifts downstairs.
“Get moving, girl,” Kinzie ordered, loud enough for the guards to hear. She prodded Hazel in the back with her sword.
Hazel walked as slowly as she could, but her mind was racing. She needed to come up with a brilliant rescue plan. So far she had nothing. Kinzie had made sure she could break her bonds easily, but she’d still be empty-handed against three trained warriors, and she had to act before they put her in a cage.
She passed a pallet of crates marked 24-CARAT BLUE TOPAZ RINGS, then another labeled SILVER FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS. An electronic display next to the friendship bracelets read:People who bought this item also bought GARDEN GNOMESOLAR PATIO LIGHT and FLAMING SPEAR OF DEATH. Buy all three and save 12%!
Hazel froze. Gods of Olympus, she was stupid.
Silver. Topaz. She sent out her senses, searching for precious metals, and her brain almost exploded from the feedback. She was standing next to a six-story-tall mountain of jewelry. But in front of her, from here to the guards, was nothing but prison cages.
“What is it?” Kinzie hissed. “Keep moving! They’ll get suspicious. ”
“Make them come here,” Hazel muttered over her shoulder.
“Why—”
“Please. ”
The guards frowned in their direction.
“What are you staring at?” Kinzie yelled at them. “Here’s the third prisoner. Come get her. ”