Frank's POV

It didn't take us very long to reach the so-called Doma after we met the peculiar monster hybrid. The apprehension we had had had soon disappeared once we realised that they did not wish to fight us... not in the passageways, at least.

Once we had 'joined forces' with Sandra, a few empousai had joined our group, sliding up to us and batting their eyelashes. Their attempts of entrancement failed, however, and not just because all the guys in our group were either taken, homosexual or just not interested. Percy had quickly barked at them to stop and – most likely in fear of his abilities – they had complied, but still followed closely behind us, the uneven clunks of metal footsteps mixing with lopsided hoof-tapping in the echoey rock passage.

Right before we had entered the Doma, they had bolted, simply disappearing out of sight where neither their voices nor movement could be heard. To say the least, it was more than mildly concerning.

I was knocked out of my thoughts by a sharp knocking sound – literally. Percy had approached the end of the long corridor where a looming set of dark oak doors loomed, his knuckles loudly rapping against the wood.

It echoed down stone passageway, fading out into nothingness and leaving us all in an unbroken silence. A silence, however, that was broken only moments later when the door loudly creaked open, revealing a sight no demigod should ever lay eyes on.

It was a monstrous version of the Coliseum. Blood and golden dust were splattered on the walls, cracked bones lay discarded along the fighting pit's ring, torches of green and black fire illuminated the cavern in an evil light... and it was sickening.

Monsters of all species and sizes howled and jeered at us as we entered, some even going as far as to throw things at us (such as maces and severed limbs). But they all went silent when an especially large monster raised his hand in a quieting motion.

He (or at least I assumed it was a he) sat in what would be classed as the Emperor's box, alongside two other monsters. Two horrible black wings protruded from his back and coasted an ugly shadow, the shredded skin causing his shadow to have holes in it, making him appear all the more ominous as we approached the centre of the ring.

"Jackson! Sandra! Explain yourselves!" the monster barked in a deep, scratchy voice, "Why have you brought these demigods into our caves?"

He spat out the term as if it were no more than a meagre nuisance, as if someone had just mentioned the losing side of the war to its heroes. The hair on my neck stood up. It was in that way that we described monsters, but why did it feel so different when they used it to describe us?

Percy stepped forwards, almost hesitant as he began to explain.

My mind reeled, Percy was never hesitant or scared usually, which meant this guy was big game in the monster world. If Percy feared him, we should fear him.

Or at least try to size him up before fearing him.