Uh, hi? I know it's been a while. I was having writer's block. But I'm back now and ready to continue this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter and please give me reviews because that's what encourages me to go on. Right, enough talk. Time for some action.

Chapter 24

Outskirts of Tartarus

Leo was starting to get rather bored. The five of them, the Percy Rescue Team, had walked quite a bit from the Shrine of Nyx, searching for an entrance to Tartarus. Normally, that was not an act one would ever even think of doing, but then again, one would never even think of kidnapping a Primordial either. Especially one who controlled misery and poison.

But that was exactly the task that the five heroes were trying to do right now. Or at least, four of them were doing their job, while Leo was walking around aimlessly. He was trying to focus, he really was, but all sorts of unnecessary things were popping into his head every time he tried to think of something useful. Was there a god who controlled this sort of thing? If so, then he must really have had a grudge against Leo.

Thoughts of Festus and Calypso invaded his head. Oh why, why had he forgotten to bring his beloved mechanical dragon with him? Surely the dragon could offer him comfort and aid him in the quest. But of course, the Fates were cruel. They had made sure Leo remembered absolutely nothing of Festus until they were well into their journey, to the point where returning was not an option.

Or at least, that's what Leo liked to think. It was much easier to blame the Fates than to own up to his own ignorance.

And then there was Calypso. God, he missed her so much. At this point, he would give anything just to get a glimpse of her. heck, he would even willingly let her punch him, and he was telling you, those punches hurt. Her caramel hair that smelled like cinnamon, her almond-shaped eyes, and her amazing smile. Leo was almost wishing he had never come on this quest.

But then another thought occurred to him. Was this what Annabeth had been feeling for the past five years? If so, then Leo could not even begin to fathom how hard it must be for her. How could she handle it? Annabeth was strong, Leo had always known. But now, he had no doubt about just how strong she was. To be able to keep herself together even after all this, she was definitely a strong person.

Thinking about this, Leo felt rather ashamed. He was nothing when compared to her. Sure, he could produce fire and crack a few jokes, but then what? He didn't possess any of Annabeth's wits or her strength of mind to keep going even in dire situations like these.

Leo made his decision. He would not back down. He would see it through to the end, and he would make sure to find Percy, even if it was just for Annabeth's sake. He had always admired Annabeth and she was one of his dearest friends. It was the least he could do for her.

And Percy too, of course. Percy was an amazing guy, and whoever said so otherwise deserved to be decked in the face. Percy had been the only person who did not beat the shit out of him when he returned back from the dead. He had been understanding, and he had cleared every lingering tension that had been between then regarding Calypso, and he was really grateful for that. The least he could do was save him from Crazy Lady Nyx and reunite him with his girlfriend.

Reinvigorated with these thoughts, Leo focused on the job at hand. Right, what were they doing again? Oh yes, trying to capture a crazy old Primordial from Tartarus who could probably kill them with a stroke of her finger. OK, no sweat. Easy peasy.

Then suddenly, as if Athena had suddenly blessed Leo on a whim, a brilliant idea came to his mind. It was totally crazy and insane, yes, but brilliant nonetheless. It had to have at least 0.04% chance of working. At that point, they were all so desperate that anything which had even the remotest chance of working was acceptable by them.

Leo gathered up all the others to tell them about his crazily brilliant plan. Or was it brilliantly crazy? Oh whatever, that was not the point. The point was, Leo told the others about his plan, and they did not seem to think that it was brilliant at all. Why, though, Leo could not understand. It seemed perfectly fine to him.

"Leo," started Piper, her eyebrow twitching. It was a sign that he was not going to like what she was about to say next. "You're suggesting that instead of finding her ourselves, we should make Akhlys find us? Dude, are you crazy? You want to call a batshit crazy Primordial to us? Don't you know that then we'll have to play host, preventing us from attacking while she gets every opportunity to turn us into demigod roast? Are you serious?"

Well, Leo had to admit that the plan did sound a little impossible. But still, he felt the need to defend his plan.

"Well, the host rules only apply when we're in a building or something like that, right? We're in open space now so that doesn't apply. It's worth a try. It could save us the trouble of going to Tartarus."

Piper was about to argue back but Annabeth stopped her. Annabeth's lips were pursed, her eyebrows cringed and eyes looked glassy. Clear signs that a plan was developing in her head. Everyone stood waiting for her to say something, but she did not open her mouth. Just when Leo was about to speak out of impatience, Annabeth spoke up.

"I think... I think Leo's plan could actually work. If we could just figure out how to lure her out..." Annabeth paused. She seemed to consider something for a moment, before shaking her head. "No, no, the plan I'm thinking of is too dangerous. And stupid. We could all get killed."

"Come one, Annabeth, tell us," Grover urged, "If I've learned one thing from having been Percy's best friend for all these years, it's that sometimes, stupid and dangerous plans are the only things that can save you. And besides, you've always said those same things about Percy's plans, and have they ever disappointed?"

Annabeth pursed her lips again. "You have a point," she finally conceded, "I was thinking that, well, since Akhlys is the Protogenos of misery, it might possibly be the only thing she could be attracted to. So maybe... maybe if we had a way to channel misery... then..."

Just then, something clicked in Leo's head. "The Valdezinator!" He yelled out. Of course, that was what they needed. The Valdezinator, which Leo had accidentally created, could translate feelings into music. Surely it could also translate misery. Only problem, it was with Apollo.

"Are you sure, man?" asked Jason. "Didn't you, like, give it to Apollo? How are we supposed to use it?"

"I'm sure I could make it again..." Leo mumbled, his hands already pulling out all sorts of stuff from his tool-belt. He could do it. He knew he could do it. He pulled out different things, some of which he didn't even recognize, and started working on a replica of the Valdezinator. Before long, the instrument was completed.

"Here!" said Leo, his face rather flushed from working too much so quickly. "But who's gonna play it?" They all had their fair share of misery, after all.

"Me." Annabeth's voice, though soft and barely above a whisper, drifted through the wind in a chilling way. And suddenly, Leo felt extremely guilty. Obviously Annabeth was suffering the most out of them. He really could not compare. And although he knew that he didn't have a hand in this, he could not help but feel really, really guilty when he slowly handed the Valdezinator to her.

Annabeth's hands shook as she took it. She inhaled a deep breath, before starting to play.

I am inexplicably sorry for the short chapter, but I'm still trying to pick things up. Thank you for understanding.