A Steampunk Guide to Hunting Monsters 12 | Page 6

crawled at their touch , but that was not the worst of it ! Looming from the foliage came a gigantic spider nearly 10 feet tall ! It was quite the size of an omnibus !
Thunderboy rushed to our aid , axe drawn , and he struck the beast most fiercely ! I steeled my nerves , took a hold of my parasol and we began to smack the horrid little creatures as they darted and hopped about .
Percy joined us as we ran down the little lane , and once we made it to the clearing , we saw the Mayor most majestically cutting down the arachnids . Not a hint of monsters for an age for the masculine Mayor with the tousled hair , and here he found himself waist deep in giant spiders . When it rains it pours , I suppose . He fought them quite adeptly , and though I didn ' t
have time to enquire at that exact moment , I hoped he was taking something away with him that he could apply to the protection of Venice . It seemed his sole goal .
It has since reached my attention that the other hunters and guests had made it safely inside . Therefore , it was we four who remained outside the safety of the island shelters and cabins . We were unable to get to our rooms !
We were gathered close to that giant steam vent , which I mentioned before , though now no steam came from below . It occurred to me , though Percy gave voice to it , that the spiders were pushing us towards their web !
I said , " We must leap into the chasm , for the webs will slow our fall ! It is our only escape !" This seemed to horrify Percy , who remained most