Hey. I have returned. And I am very very tired.
Guest reviews:
Hannalin: oh, thanks so much! I will try very hard to become an author, trust me. thank you. :)
Lottie T: Hey. I think I answered your review in pm but I don't know XD So here I am. Thanks so much for loving my story so much. I'm officially home, but brain dead.
dan fo shizzle: I didn't forget it, I just didn't write it in that chapter. Sorry about that.
Willis: Nero?
Dumb EP: I would LOVE to get to 1000 reviews, of course! thanks so much for the review :)
I'm glad you all liked the chapter. And I hope you like this one as well.
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson.
Percy
Percy felt a little guilty. His idea meant that Annabeth and Miley would get out, but he, Alabaster, and Cam would stay down here.
The thing was, Percy was pretty sure that he'd figured out a way for them to be safely out of Tartarus, and her wasn't just going to let the idea slide. Sure Annabeth would never forget him, but still, she'd be safe.
"Annabeth?" He said quietly. He needed to figure something out.
"Hmm?" She asked, turning towards him. They'd stopped after the Styx incident, because everyone was just too rattled to continue.
"What rivers are there in the underworld?" Percy watched as Annabeth's eyes lit up. She loved being asked questions that only she would know the answer to right off the top of her head.
"Well, there's the Styx of course, as you know. It's the boundary between earth and the Underworld, and is called the River of Hate. Then there is the Lethe, which you've also seen. The Lethe is said to border Elysium, and it could make you forget anything. It's also known as the River of Unmindfulness, and is the place where Hades makes the shades of the dead forget their past lives."
Percy smiled as he listened to Annabeth talk. She must have been tired, and stressed, but here she was telling him about rivers.
"The Acheron is a Greek river that is both in the Underworld, and above ground." Annabeth paused, and a faint frown appeared on her face as she continued. "It was called the River of Sorrow. I feel like I've forgotten something important about that one."
She looked disconcerted but moved on. "Then there was the Phlegethon. It should be somewhere around here, since it flows nearby the River Styx, and coils down deep into Tartarus. It's the River of Fire.
"The final river is Cocytus. It is in the deepest depths of the Underworld, and is called the River of Wailing. Both the Phlegethon and the Cocytus rivers flow in the the Acheron."
Percy nodded. So for his purposes, the Acheron would be his best bet, since it was both in the Underworld, and in the real world.
"Percy." Annabeth's voice had changed. Suddenly she was excited. "I'd forgotten, but the rivers reminded me. Oh gods, there is a temple to Hades in Epirus. It's on the banks of the Acheron river, right above where the Phlegethon and Cocytus rivers meet it. The Lethe and the Styx should be right around that area too. Percy, we're close to the Doors of Death." Annabeth's voice had dropped to a whisper.
Percy stiffened. They were close? Were the others close too? Percy stood, leaving Annabeth's side and heading up to the top of the hill they'd been camping on.
When he reached the tip, he looked around, and his jaw dropped open. On all sides but one they were surrounded by different rivers. The River Styx was the closest of course, but just beyond that, he could see the Phlegethon.
There was the Lethe, the Cocytus, and then the Acheron, which shimmered with some sort of strange power.
Annabeth was right. They were almost to the House of Hades.
Percy looked around desperately for the way out that he'd thought of. It had been a faint idea to begin with, but what Annabeth said about the rivers . . . maybe it was actually possible.
Then he caught sight of it. Above the Acheron river, there were holes in the earth, where a faint light was shining through, and cascading waterfalls poured into it.
Perfect.
They'd been walking for a few hours to get to the Acheron river, because that was where Annabeth said the Doors of Death would be, somewhere along the river.
Everyone's nerves were a little more relaxed now that everyone was safe. Well, everyone but Percy's. He was tense, and he kept trying not to think of ways his plan could go wrong.
He knew that Annabeth would never go. So it would have to be the three younger kids. They needed to be safely out of Tartarus when the Doors were being closed, because Percy wasn't sure whether or not he and Annabeth would be leaving.
Alive that is.
If one of them stayed behind, both of them did. There was no question in either of their minds, that was what would happen.
Percy hoped that no one would fight his plan, although he doubted they wouldn't. Alabaster, for one, would be furious at the idea. Cam would be ok with it as long as Miley was safe.
Percy just needed to make sure they were all safe, and this was the only way he could think of. The Doors of Death were sure to be guarded with the worst monsters imaginable, and Percy, having met some of them, didn't want to put the younger kids in danger.
Well, any more danger than they were already in.
"Percy, I don't know what you are planning, but if you are going to leave me, I swear to the gods I will hunt you down and stay with you forever." Annabeth whispered in his ear.
Percy turned his face towards hers and smiled. "I'm not going to leave you Annabeth. I promise. I have an idea that might get Miley, Cam, and Alabaster above ground."
Annabeth's eyes widened. "What? How could that work? And why wouldn't we-" she stopped as she realized what he was saying.
"You don't think we're going to get out of here." She said shortly.
Percy put his arm around her shoulders. If you want me to get you out, I will. But if you want me to keep my promise to not leave you, I would suggest you stay down here with me, and we'll see how it goes."
Annabeth's gray eyes met Percy's green ones. "I'm staying with you." She whispered, and Percy knew she meant more than just Tartarus.
I hope you like it! 3
Review please :)
