The Price of Escape
"Enough, stop getting in my way!" Echidna roared furiously, as if those flies were nothing more than obstacles between her and the brats who had killed her little princess.
She slammed once again into an energy shield created by Luther's special shield.
Each impact made the ground split apart, cracking even the concrete itself, while a rain of arrows fell toward her. They barely seemed to hurt her, but to Echidna it felt like being bitten by mosquitoes from every direction, and it was starting to truly irritate her.
Gema stood on the rooftops, shifting position after every shot from her bow.
Meanwhile, Dorian appeared and disappeared, striking at the weakest points of any creature. Even if his blades couldn't pierce Echidna's skin, he remained a constant nuisance.
At the same time, the mage used his spells to guide and reposition his allies, keeping them from being hit, his control precise and flawless.
Any direct attack from Echidna could kill them in a single blow, but everyone there had experience fighting beings that could end them just as easily. Whether it was the Pendragon knights or Sirius himself, a war hero from the last British magical war, where a single spell could be enough to erase you completely.
So even if Sirius had never fought side by side with knights before, he adapted without issue thanks to that experience. The problem was that he was not Dumbledore, and he didn't have an endless reserve of magic to keep casting without pause. As he moved, small vials could be seen falling from his hands after being downed in a single gulp, potions meant to restore his magic.
But drinking so many of them was taking a toll. His skin had begun to turn faintly green, as if he were being poisoned by the excess.
Even so, none of them showed any intention of stopping, even when their attacks did no real damage.
Because they were not trying to kill Echidna.
They were buying time.
Time for Harry and Percy to be safe.
Even if it cost them their lives.
Echidna opened her mouth, and a thick green mist poured out once more, clearly poisonous, aimed straight at Sirius. He immediately used apparition to move again, disappearing from the spot.
He reappeared right beside Adrien, who was running toward the Gateway Arch with Harry and Percy, barely holding back the urge to vomit.
"Take them," Adrien said, tossing the two boys toward Sirius.
One of them was still unconscious, and judging by his pale skin and condition, he looked severely poisoned.
Sirius nodded, catching both Harry and Percy, while Adrien turned around, drawing his massive sword again as he rushed back into the fight to buy more time.
Sirius began using apparition in short bursts, moving every few meters.
The motion twisted Harry's stomach, even though he was barely conscious. Sirius noticed, but there wasn't much he could do. The only reason he wasn't apparating long distances was because, in their current condition, it could be dangerous for their bodies.
"Hold on a little longer, Harry," Sirius said softly as he got closer to the Arch.
Thanks to the time the knights had bought him, they were just at the entrance when suddenly what looked like a rhinoceros in shining armor charged toward Sirius in a frenzy, followed by other strange beasts.
Sirius clicked his tongue and, even with Harry in one arm, flicked his wand toward the ground.
Chains burst out from the concrete, shooting forward and wrapping around the beasts' legs, causing the rhinoceros to crash face-first into the ground, while the creatures behind it slammed into its body.
"Over here!" a voice shouted from near the entrance to the Arch, from the lower level where the museum was located.
Sirius looked and saw Annabeth and Grover calling out to him. He used apparition again, appearing right in front of them, and quickly handed Harry and Percy over before turning, wand raised, ready to stop the beasts getting back up.
"It's fine, monsters can't enter, this is a temple of Athe…" Annabeth began, but her eyes widened in shock as a large number of monsters crossed the Arch's grounds without any resistance, charging straight at them, wild and hungry.
"That's not possible," she said, confused.
"Get inside!" Sirius shouted, raising his wand again.
"Pestis Incendium."
Fire swirled at the tip of his wand and shot forward toward the incoming monsters. This time, the cursed flames of dark magic didn't take shape like before. Sirius didn't have enough energy left.
Still, the creatures were affected. Many were burned, recoiling as they hesitated.
At the same time, Sirius glanced back toward the entrance and quickly moved his wand, sealing it completely to prevent anything from getting inside, while he remained there himself, blocking the way.
The problem was not just the monsters.
Echidna was coming too.
Even held back for a moment by the knights, she was still advancing, furious.
Sirius watched for a second before pulling another potion from his pocket and drinking it in one gulp. His skin grew even more sickly from the excess, but he didn't hesitate as he unleashed more fire.
"I promised I would protect Harry with my life… and I'm not breaking that now, James," Sirius muttered, never taking his eyes off what was in front of him.
Before him, the beasts kept gathering, held back only by the infernal flames he could barely control.
The moment he lost control…
Even he would burn.
Even though he could use apparition to escape, there wasn't even the slightest doubt in his mind.
…
"Sirius!" Harry shouted as he saw the entrance seal shut behind his godfather.
"We're completely surrounded," Grover said in panic, as he could almost feel and smell all the monsters gathering outside, along with Echidna's roar shaking everything as she approached. It felt like the end was closing in.
Annabeth, meanwhile, remained in shock.
Monsters weren't supposed to be able to cross the grounds of a god's temple, like her mother's… unless the gods themselves allowed it.
"We have to do something," Harry said firmly.
He was pale, weakened, his stomach worse than ever, but he forced himself to think.
The adults were in danger because of him.
And Percy was still poisoned.
And every second that passed only made it worse.
He opened his eyes and looked at Annabeth and Grover. "The fireplace… did you find the fireplace?" he asked quickly.
That snapped Annabeth out of her thoughts, shaking her head as she refocused.
"Yes, yes. There's one right here," she said. She still didn't fully understand why they needed a fireplace in a situation like this. No one had really explained it to her, and she didn't know much about the magical world.
Hearing that, Harry's face filled with hope.
"That's it… if we leave, maybe they'll stop chasing us, and Sirius and the others will be safe," he said quickly.
The roar came much closer.
Not just a sound.
The air itself seemed to vibrate.
The wall didn't just crack.
It burst inward.
Concrete burst apart like projectiles, and a massive, grotesque hand covered in dark veins, with claws like black talons, tore through everything as if the building were made of paper.
It was Echidna's hand.
Too large to fit inside…
But that didn't seem to matter.
She would tear everything apart until she could reach them.
A figure was sent flying through the opening, as if launched by that same strike. It was Luther, badly wounded, covered in blood, still holding his shield.
"Luther?" Harry said when he saw him.
Luther stood up as if nothing had happened, even with blood pouring from several wounds, and gave them a reassuring smile, as if everything was fine.
Then he ran toward the breach in the wall and raised his shield, forming a barrier of magic as the monsters slammed into it, trying to force their way inside.
A moment later, a wave of infernal fire surrounded them.
Sirius.
"You should get going," Luther said, blood slipping from his mouth.
"Graaah!" came the roar again from outside as the ceiling began to crack, and a section collapsed, briefly exposing the sky above.
What they saw…
Echidna was right above them.
All the adults' attacks rained down on her, but she was completely fixated on reaching them. And when her gaze passed through the opening and found them, she smiled.
"There you are… brats," she growled, her hand rising slowly. "Did you really think you could run?"
Before it could reach them, Dorian and Adrien leapt toward it, one with his massive sword, the other with his twin blades, both glowing with runes, their armor shining the same way.
The impact was powerful, almost like an explosion…
But it only pushed Echidna's hand back slightly, leaving behind a faint mark.
"The fireplace, now!" Harry shouted. This was their last chance. Especially seeing how obsessed Echidna was with them. The only reason the others hadn't fled was because they were buying time. If Harry and Percy were gone, they could escape.
Annabeth nodded immediately, and she and Grover carried Percy, while Harry forced himself to move. He felt just stable enough, even though one of his legs was badly injured.
They rushed toward where Annabeth had seen the fireplace.
Chunks of ceiling kept falling, making it clear that everything could collapse at any moment.
Finally, they saw it.
The fireplace stood out in the middle of all that chaos.
"Inside, quickly," Harry said, just as another piece of ceiling crashed down, barely missing them. For a moment, they saw Echidna's eye searching for them.
"I will devour you," she roared.
Annabeth and Grover stepped into the fireplace while holding Percy. Harry reached it just in time to grab the blue powder from the corner. He spilled quite a bit onto the floor, but this wasn't the moment to worry about that.
He handed some to Grover and Annabeth, and placed a bit in Percy's hand.
"Throw it down when I say the destination," Harry said quickly.
Annabeth didn't fully understand, but Grover, who had used the Floo Network before, nodded and held Percy's hand, ready to make him release the powder at the right moment.
Harry raised his hand, filled with powder, about to shout the destination—
When suddenly, a massive hand tore through the ceiling.
Echidna's hand.
It couldn't be stopped.
It rushed toward them at terrifying speed, claws aimed to pierce straight through them.
For a moment, all three froze.
It felt like death was right there.
But just before the claws could reach them, a shadow emerged from Harry's own shadow and stepped in front of them.
The claws pierced through it.
Stopping just inches from Harry's face.
He opened his eyes.
It was the hound of the underworld… the one that had been helping them against the chimera.
And now, again.
Harry watched as it turned to dust.
Their eyes met for a brief moment.
As if…
It was saying goodbye.
As if it already knew this was the end.
Its body slowly broke apart, carried away by the air, disappearing right in front of him.
And Harry couldn't do anything.
His breath trembled… but he forced himself to move.
Echidna, realizing she had struck something, pulled her hand back slightly when she saw it wasn't the boys. She was about to attack again, but Sirius unleashed a powerful burst of flames. Not to hurt her, since it didn't seem to work, but to block her vision for a moment.
Harry stood frozen, watching as the one who had helped them until now vanished right before his eyes.
Annabeth shook him.
That snapped him out of it.
He threw the powder to the ground and shouted:
"Avalon!"
Annabeth and Grover, moving Percy's hand, released the powder as well.
Suddenly, green flames burst to life, engulfing everything.
The light spread through the cracks and holes, spilling out into the outside world.
Echidna seemed to feel them vanish.
And she went furious.
"No! Catch them! Now, now!" she roared, slamming her fists into the ground, trying to break through and reach the underground museum.
The beasts around her immediately obeyed.
They stopped attacking Sirius and the others and rushed inside through every opening.
Not as a group.
As a stampede.
Bodies crashing into each other, tearing everything apart, pushing forward without care.
As if their only goal was to devour whatever remained inside.
Unfortunately for them…
There was no one left.
Sirius and the others saw the flash. They recognized it immediately.
Harry and the others had escaped.
Again.
And this time…
They couldn't help but feel a bit of pride.
Without hesitation, Dorian and Adrien jumped beside Luther, who was barely standing, grabbed him by the shoulders, and began retreating quickly.
Gema moved to support Sirius, who was in terrible condition, possibly even poisoned, helping him escape as well.
Just before the beasts, realizing their prey was gone, turned on them in rage.
"You can run… but now I know your scent," Echidna roared, her body halfway buried underground as she tore apart the entire museum… and everything around it.