Tempting the Fates

Chapter 38

There's Always a Trap

Percy

When he opened his eyes he saw nothing before him. For a moment, Percy wondered if he'd finally taken one too many hits to the head and wound up blind. It honestly would not surprise him in the least. Groaning, he lifted his hand to his skull and sure enough there was a lump forming not far from his temple. Well that was going to leave a mark. Rolling to his side, the son of Poseidon coughed a few times through the dizziness that was currently tilting the dirt floor beneath him at impossible angles.

Maybe this is what it feels like to be sea sick. Land sick? He questioned himself. It took effort but he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, and another few seconds before he was on his feet and standing. The world was still a bit topsy turvy but he didn't feel like he was going to hurl. Another few moments and his eyes began to adjust, just in time to prevent himself from very nearly tripping over the previous occupant of his cell. Because that's where he was, somewhere in the belly of the mansion of Night in a freaking cell sharing a room with Rando Dead Guy.

"Fan-fucking-tastic."

Percy muttered to himself as he kicked the bars of their cell but given the whole mostly-made-of-death-mist thing, it hardly made a clang. He was currently sharing it with Nico and a number of skeletons who looked like they'd seen better days. You and me both, he thought. Eventually, Riptide would return to his pocket but fat lot of good that would do against stone walls and stygian steel bars. Then again, maybe a glorified can opener would help him wedge the ancient lock a few times until it sprang open before is captors noticed… but Percy wasn't really counting on it. Just like he hadn't counted on Nyx having a dungeon of her own.

Which was really stupid of him in retrospect. Not like Nico had thought of it— or at least Percy didn't think that he had. Somewhere in the middle of the mansion, halfway through their tour, and about the same time Nyx and her children attacked them— which totally ruined the vibe of the tour— they'd gotten separated. Unless she had some other hidden room in the basement, Nico wasn't down here. Percy kicked at the bar again, getting a little more of a rattle this time and hoped that somewhere the son of Hades was working on a way to get him out… or at least he'd made it out himself. One of them had to make it to the Doors of Death.

"You're wasting your energy," came a scratchy voice outside the door.

Like the rest of the mansion, his cell was dim, but at some point his eyes must have adjusted. I wonder if this is what happens with mole people living in the subway. Eventually their eyes take up like half of their face… Then their offspring are probably born blind with echolocation. Or is that bats… wait, am I going to leave Tartarus with bug eyes? C'mon, Perce, focus. That was something to worry about later after he made it out of Tartarus. If he made it out of Tartarus. That whole getting out alive thing wasn't guaranteed so it was a bit premature to be worrying about what sort of mutant he might be if he made it topside again. From where he stood, he couldn't make out which of Nyx's children they'd left to watch him.

Percy's fingers wrapped around the bars of the cage and he leaned as far forward as he could, wishing his mist form to disassociate just a little, so he might press himself further through and get a good look at his captor. Nyx had disappeared somewhere but down the end of the long corridor of what the demigod assumed were also cells, there was a faint flickering glow and the murmur of voices. Besides the normal dungeon smells — mildew, damp earth, stagnant water, dust, probably something that died a long time ago — there came smoke. It tickled is nose, not like the bonfires at camp or the ones that he and Annabeth sometimes had on the beach by themselves when they escaped to the coast between camp and school, but more pungent.

"And?" he coughed.

"And everyone knows that stress degrades the taste of meat. We want you tender and fresh."

There was a scratching noise, potentially wood against stone, and his captor stood up and peered into the cage. The god held a gnarled piece of wood with the fattest piece worn almost smooth with grooves that skeletal fingers rest upon. The end was sharp, almost to a point where it shouldn't have been able to hold up the meager weight of the man hunched before him. It's literally like a toothpick. Science just doesn't support this… Percy cringed at the sight of his eyes, though, milky and clearly blind and yet somehow peering into him. There were things caught in the gods beard that he imagined were previous meals in various states of decay and the scent that wafted towards him was sick and sweet like death.

"Speaking of fresh," he gulped air through his mouth, holding his nose, "have you thought about taking a shower? I've smelled unwashed cyclopses that've made my eyes water less. Seriously. My brother is one."

"Watch your tone young man. Don't you know it's punishable by death to disrespect your elders?" In a move that was quicker than the eye could trace, the geriatric god whipped the end of his cane forward and rapped the demigod's knuckles breaking the skin. Percy dropped his hold on the cell and let out a string of curses he was sure would earn him a smack upside the head from his mother, and sucked on the wounded digits.

"And I think it's disrespectful to smell like a fridge full of rotten meat!"

He jumped back, receding into his cell where he was safe from the other.

"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth!?" He bellowed, gnashing what would have been his teeth but given his age, and probably lack of dentistry in Tartarus, he did little more than smash together his gums. Drool began to form at the side of his mouth.

"Yes! And she likes it. Wait…"

"Gross, kid, gross."

And that was how Percy Jackson realized that going on a tour of some Titan goddess' mansion without an actual plan for getting out was probably not the brightest thing he'd ever done.

The moment Night's Stygian Iron chariot had landed on the other side of the gaping maw that was a one-way-ticket to Chaos (who knew there was anything worse than a trip to Tartarus? Not him!), the son of Poseidon could practically feel the shadows turning and focusing their inky eyes on him like he was a big juicy burger, extra rare. One of the freak shows that was the Goddesses children— Friendship, he later learned, and seriously? Out of all the minor gods and goddesses including the litter of messed up, the nebula eyed Goddess had also birthed the patron goddess of Friendship? Honestly, he would never think about the concept the same way again— kept brushing up against Nico and kept smiling down at him. It was even more disturbing because they currently looked like super convincing extras on the Walking Dead… like Nico's death-mist ear looked like it was slipping off of his body. He was pretty sure the guy was actually dripping. And Friendship was rubbing up on him like they were at some kind of dance. Needless to say, the other demigod looked like he was going to throw up. Whether that was because of the goddess or the mist, or the pull of Chaos? Who knew.

"I hope you have a plan." Percy mouthed at the other but he wasn't particularly comforted by the wild flailing of zombie ghost arms. Either Nico knew sign language and overestimated his ability to translate or it was a whole heap of hopefully we'll figure it out but yang I'm sort of winging it and I hope that's cool, which, by the way, was not cool. Completely not cool.

Their silent exchange is interrupted because the Titan goddess of night has removed something from her dark robes. Percy can't make out what it is until he hears the hissing of air being separated and the crack of leather against skin. The vampire ponies rear and shriek, hurling insults and unpleasantries he'd really rather not translate though their use of adjectives is pretty interesting if not explicit. They disappear into the dark.

"This way, children," Night smiles as she motions towards a nearly sheer cliff face, save for a winding staircase he's not sure was meant for feet. Percy is only half certain that the goddess is speaking to them because the moment she claps her star speckled hands together, the gaggle of bickering children line up single file behind her and begin the ascension. He's positive that he's seen absolutely everything at this point in his life.

Percy's breathing hard by the time they reach the top and that's confusing. Do I even have a heart right now? he wonders because he can practically see through himself and Nico's another story. They boy is like a faint outline of a zombie with the transparency turned way up. And if I do, I'm basically a ghost, which means I weigh of next to nothing. Although it's very likely he's going to have to repeat his junior year for lack of attendance, and he was failing science even before that, Percy's positive that it was not how gravity was supposed to work. See, he could do science! He knew things! Take that Mr. Lanier.

His thoughts were cut short by another clapping of hands, echoing in the dark around them. The sea prince half tripped over Nico, walking straight into him when everyone came to an abrupt stop just before the entrance of the mansion. It rose above him, high into the red streaked atmosphere. Discharge from the electrical storm would glow red and sometimes light up some of the higher levels but even craning his neck, he wasn't sure when the fortress-slash-mansion ended. Near the entrance, he noticed the beginning of a track and what he could only describe as cars from a roller coaster but battered and definitely made out of wood. The sides were painted and weathered making it impossible to read the logo. The fact that it seemed to be grey on black on grey on black for a color scheme wasn't particularly helpful.

"Step right up to the Mansion of Night! Please see the height chart. All entrants must be at least five foot 2. No exceptions!" With a snap of her fingers, a wooden board appeared to the goddess' left and she motioned for both the demigods to come forth. Being 6 feet tall, Percy aced the height requirement. When Nico stepped up, he was half worried that his friend would be told he was too short, but when he straightened his shoulders and lifted his head— since when was Nico only two inches shorter than himself? He could have swore he was at least a whole head taller when they'd fallen into Tartarus.

"And how old are you? This is strictly for marketing and research purposes. As we adhere to global data protections regulations, including GDPR, your details will not be used for any other purposes, and shall not be kept longer than one hundred years, as is standard in Tartarus. Destruction of your details shall include being thrown into Chaos itself where nothing is ever seen again." The goddess' child held a clipboard and had her hair up in a tight bun. He had no idea what she was meant to be the goddess of but he was pretty sure her shirt was actually a straight jacket.

"Seventeen?"

"Roughly eighty."

Percy snorted, slapping his hand over his mouth and gave Nico a look.

"What? It's true."

"You must tell me your secret!" Long gone was the professional air of the otherwise maniacal looking goddess. She ticked whatever boxes she needed on her form and tucked the clipboard under her arm where it disappeared inside the folds of dark fabric and multiple buckles and straps. Already, she was leaning forward, as if trying to find the first line or wrinkle that might boast the boy was lying. How was she meant to see them through the death mist and the flesh slipping from his face (like, honestly, Nico's bones were showing and that was a level of intimacy that embarrassed him for the other, he plucked at the boy's shirt as if to move and try to cover it up for him)?

Nyx, too, had joined in, clutching his chin in her hands. "And to think you look so youthful! I am no expert in the maturation of homosapiens, and I must admit it has been some time since I've read up on this sort of thing, but I don't believe you look a day over fifteen!"

"Do you use Artemis' anti-aging products?!" The looney goddess murmured tugging on a tuft of his wavy hair.

"Well of course he must. That skin is so supple, so soft! Look, you can see it even through the mist if you just squint hard enough." Another goddess practically purred, running her hands over him in a way that would have made Percy blush even if it were Annabeth.

"Now, now!" Nyx slapped both her children's hands away. "You'll terrify the boy before he's seen our best terrors." She clucked her tongue and turned back to the demigods as if letting them in on a secret. "I hate to admit it, but Artemis' products are unbeatable. Ever since we overwhelmingly voted Texit— that's Tartarus leaving the Olympic Economic Union— the tariffs and taxes! For all that is dark and gloomy, the tariffs. Trying to import anything for less than a few souls of the innocent and blood of virgins is impossible. Now now… this way…"

"You okay Nico?" Percy opened his mouth to say more but given the ghastly look of the other, he decided not to. Honestly, he wasn't sure how he could tell given the death mist, but Nico looked ready to jump out of his own skin. The son of Hades wrapped his arms around himself, probably to reclaim some of the places the goddesses had been stroking and pinching at. If possible, he looked paler and like he was about to throw up, well, nothing because they hadn't eaten in who knew how long. When Nico didn't respond straight away, Percy slipped his arm around the other's shoulders. "You okay?"

"Please don't touch me."

Nico shrunk away, flinching at the other's touch. Not that Percy could blame him. He'd more or less been groped by the goddess of Creep and two of her offspring. With three sets of hands, it wasn't like he'd been able to keep track of all of them. Ugh. A shudder ran up his spine. Nope, he didn't even want to think about it. "Yeah, no problem." He followed after the other and climbed into the wooden cart taking the seat next to him trying to figure out how to do his seatbelt before pulling down the bar that rested across their laps.

"Be sure your safety belts are securely fastened! Hands and feet inside the carriage at all times!"

Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack. Clackclackclackclackclack.

The rickety cart ticked along its rails, throwing them around corners at speeds he wasn't sure were entirely safe, and every so often Nyx would let out a bellow and her shadowy hands would pull this lever and switch that. It lead Percy to realize that she was driving the thing whilst they were in it… and it was not following some predetermined route. No wonder his neck was more like an overcooked noodle than an actual neck!

"Uhm, excuse me? I have a question."

"Normally we save those for the end of the tour but…yes… go ahead." It wasn't Nyx who answered but her daughter. Unfortunately, it was one of the ones who had had her hands all over the smaller demigod not ten minutes before so when she turned around, Nico was practically clawing his way out of his seat. Good for him, because Percy was pretty positive with the way she leaned forward, she was trying to show off her ahem assets… and the boy totally didn't need an eye full of that. Zeus sandals, he didn't need an eyeful of that.

"Any chance Dracula lives here? That's the sort of vibe I'm getting. Transylvania-chic."

"For a brief time in the 1850s but we must never speak of it." She murmured and raised a hand as if to cover her whisper. "Had a thing for pale blondes. Can you even picture it!? Blech! He had the real thing. The goddess of Night and mother of all that is dark! And to think he wanted something… brighter. Like sunlight!" She practically spit the last word and made gagging motions.

"My girlfriend is blonde." Percy piped up.

"Oh, honey… I'm so sorry. Hang in there, okay? I'm sure some dark temptress will come along and…" she paused there, giving a gentle squeeze to his arm. "And what about you?" She whipped around her long hair smacking Percy in the face. He wasn't sure if it was the speed of her dismissal or how quickly the wooden cart rounded the corner into the next room. "Girlfriend? Boyfriend? Ghoulfriend? No… zombie. Wait! Don't tell me an eligible bachelor like yourself is single!?" She practically screeched with delight.

"Philotes!" Nyx screamed, and the young goddess immediately turned around.

"Sorry, mother."

"You okay?"

"If your definition of okay includes being manhandled by Titan goddesses in Tartarus… then I'm amazing." Nico said darkly, and Percy had never really understood that expression, until the child of Hades' tone was darker than the actual rooms they were flying through. He could practically feel the shadows radiating around him, as if he were pulling them closer, surrounding himself with them.

"I'll take that as—"

Before he could finish that sentence he could feel Nico scrambling next to him, messing with his seatbelt. "Percy!" The other tried to warn as he threw the bar open. "Jump."

"What!?"

The son of Poseidon feels it as the word is half formed in his mouth, not even wholly spoken yet. That strange feeling of both falling and carrying on forward at the same time as the floor in the mansion dropped out beneath them. Nyx is cackling from above; one of the levers must have disengaged their cart from the rest. Another, probably opened a trap door. With the bar no longer across his lap, he fiddles with the seatbelt but the clasp is stuck. So he falls. Because it's a trap. Of course there was a trap. There was always a trap. But Nico is no longer beside him and as Percy hazards a glance up, he's sure he can see the ghoulish outline of the other peering over the hole in the floor. He hears, rather than sees, the other slip his stygian blade from his belt and lets out a cry.

No, he doesn't see the fighting, but he thinks:

at least this time his fall would be much shorter.