Chapter three: Seeking comfort

Annabeth's Pov:

The moment I had arrived back in my room I had heard a knock on the door, "Who is it" I said as tears continued to flow down my face.

"It's me Jason," "Come in" I said. He entered and looked at me sadly.

"Annabeth I'm here If you need someone to talk to someone" then he gave me a quick hug and left, and as he did my heart seemed to warm slightly, He then got up and left.

Each day I woke up miserably only to lay back down and cry in my pillow all day, only for the cycle to repeat itself the next day. Percy was gone. I knew without a fraction of a doubt, how would he have survived the landing, I knew there were rivers in the underworld, but they didn't flow into Tartarus, and even if they did he might have had his memory erased only to be killed, or his could and body could have been burned away. He wasn't a son of Zeus or rather Jupiter like Jason, so he couldn't have flown. As I thought about him, I realized that he would have wanted me to move on. I knew I would be able to find solace in the arms of another and after all that's what Percy would have wanted, my happiness.

I had started to find comfort in Jason. He was so kind and so comforting; he would come check on me every night before he went to bed. For the first few days I dint do much but cry and sleep, Jason had changed that on the fifth day convincing me to come up to eat as the last meal I had eaten was before I had set off to face the trials of the mark of Athena. even after all I had suffered, I felt like the Fates had finally delivered, saving me in my hour of need was the best gift I could have asked for.

Then on the sixth day Jason did something that shocked me to my core, he kissed me. As it happened, I was shocked by a couple of things, one: he was dating piper so why was he kissing me, the second: I didn't pull away, and instead I leaned in and continued to kiss him passionately. Before long my shirt was on the ground and he was on top of me…

A few hours later Jason started to put his clothes back on before sneaking back to his cabin around 4 am to go to sleep. I couldn't believe what I had done, but it had felt so right. Things had continued on for the next week before Jason broke up with piper. At this I knew I had to be with him, maybe it was the fact that he reminded me of Percy or the fact that Id always wanted what I could not have I didn't know.

After Jason had ended it with Piper, she had run below deck sobbing, I had almost felt bad but then remembered that I was a savior of Olympus I had earned this, and I think that all of the gods would agree, why wouldn't they I was their favorite demigod, at least now that Percy was dead. We still had a mission do, how would we close the other side of the doors of death, we had all been counting on Percy but that was no longer an option. We needed a new plan, one we could all count on to bring us victory, a plan worthy of Athena.

Percys Pov:

I didn't know how long id been following the Empusai, but they had continued on at the same slow pace as before which was a blessing for me, I was tired, soar, and extremely hungry, I was just lucky I had water. The Empusai had only sped up once, to devour the rotting carcass of a beached animal? Monster? Which confused me more most monster disintegrated when killed so what it was, evaded me. When I got approached the scene there was nothing left but splinted bones and gruesome stains on the glassy shore.

Disturbed I continued to trek after demon donkey ladies only to see that they had disappeared over a ridge, as I continued forwards I saw another massive cliff, however it seemed I was luck this one was only about seventy feet high. Bellow me The River Phlegethon spilled over the side in jagged tiers of fiery waterfalls. The demon ladies were picking their way down the cliff,

jumping from ledge to ledge like mountain goats. My heart crept up into my throat. It also wasn't like I had much to look forward to. The landscape below them was a bleak ash-grey plain bristling with black trees, like insect hair. The ground was pocked with blisters. Every once in a while, a bubble would swell and burst, disgorging a monster like a larva from an egg.

All the newly formed monsters were crawling and hobbling in the same direction – towards a bank

of black fog that swallowed the horizon like a storm front. The Phlegethon flowed in the same

direction until about halfway across the plain, where it met another river of black water possibly the

Cocytus? The two floods combined in a steaming, boiling cataract and flowed on as one towards the

black fog.

The longer I looked into that storm of darkness, the less I wanted to go there. It could be

hiding anything, an ocean, a bottomless pit, an army of monsters. But if the Doors of Death were in

that direction it was my only chance to get home, to get back to her.

I decided that waiting for the hags to continue on their way before continuing was a smart decision, I didn't want them to look behind them and see a demigod slowly climbing down a cliff after them. After waiting for a good thirty minutes I could no longer see the empusai which would have been a problem but I knew which direction they wer going again. I grabbed the silk cable out of my backpack again before securing it to anear by boulder and began to decend down the cliff, about half way down some of the fiery water touched my leg and burned. It took all of my strength not to sream in pain, but when I looked down I saw that the blisters that had formed all over my body were fading.

A memory surfaced in the back of my mind, it was a logn time ago but Annabeth had told me about the rivers of the underworld, I guess it made sense that they would flow into Tartarus. Anyways the river was called the Phlegethon, it flowed through the fields of punishment, it wasn't meant to heal, its purpose was to keep the wicked in one piece to continue their torture. A depressing thought.

That thought reminded me of one of my other quests to the underworld with thalia and nico, we had been ordered by Persephone to acuire the sword of hades and return it to her. In the process we had fought with the titan Iapetus in the end I had blasted him with the river Lethe and he had lost his memories, I had then convinced the titan that we were allies and that his name was Bob the titan of the west. In a moment of sadness and possibly guilt I spoke "I miss you Bob, I hope your happy."

I continued to climb; it took me about a total of ten minutes to reach the bottom. I was very grateful to Chiron for forcing me to learn important knots, the one I used now was called the kamikaze knot, yeah terrifying right but it worked on the first cliff so why wouldn't it work again. Actually I could think of ten ways I could end up plummeting to my death but continued before reaching the bottom. I retrieved my rope, putting it in my backpack before continuing.

Only to late did I realize that the distant figures of the Empusai which I had been able to see during my decent had disappeared, I knew I should still be able to see them. I uncapped Riptide needing to feel the familiar weight if the sword in my hand.

"Percy Jackson," she cooed. "How awesome! I don't even have to return to the mortal world to

destroy you!" Kelli spoke from behind me, I turned to see five Empusai spreading out to circle me. I held my trusty sword in my hands trying to keep them at bay.

"So ..." I started, "I guess you're wondering what we're doing in Tartarus."

Kelli snickered. "Not really. I just want to kill you." That would've been it, but I quickly spoke again.

"Too bad," I replied slyly. "Because you have no idea what's going on in the mortal world."

The other Empousai circled, watching Kelli for a cue to attack, but the ex-cheerleader only snarled,

crouching out of reach of Percy's sword.

"We know enough," Kelli said. "Gaia has spoken."

"You're heading towards a major defeat." I sounded so confident, I almost convinced myself. I then glanced at the other empousai, one by one, then pointed accusingly at Kelli. "This one

claims she's leading you to a victory. She's lying. The last time she was in the mortal world, Kelli was

in charge of keeping my friend Luke Castellan faithful to Kronos. In the end, Luke rejected him. He

gave his life to expel Kronos. The Titans lost because Kelli failed. Now Kelli wants to lead you to

another disaster." The other Empousai muttered and shifted uneasily.

"Enough!" Kelli's fingernails grew into long black talons. She glared at Annabeth as if imagining

her sliced into small pieces.

I was pretty sure Kelli had had a thing for Luke Castellan. Luke had that effect on girls – even

donkey-legged vampires – and Percy wasn't sure bringing up his name was such a good idea.

"The girl lies," Kelli said. "So the Titans lost. Fine! That was part of the plan to wake Gaia! Now the

Earth Mother and her giants will destroy the mortal world, and we will totally feast on demigods!"

The other vampires gnashed their teeth in a frenzy of excitement. Percy had been in the middle of a

school of sharks when the water was full of blood. That wasn't nearly as scary as empousai ready to

feed.

He prepared to attack, but how many could he dispatch before they overwhelmed him? It wouldn't

be enough.

"The demigods have united!" I yelled in desperation. "You'd better think twice before you attack us.

Romans and Greeks will fight you together. You don't stand a chance!" The Empousai backed up nervously, hissing, "Romani." By their reaction I figured they'd had experience with the Twelfth Legion before and it hadn't worked out well for them.

"Yeah, you bet Romani." Percy bared his forearm and showed them the brand he'd got at Camp

Jupiter – the SPQR mark, with the trident of Neptune. "You mix Greek and Roman, and you know what

you get? You get BAM!"

He stomped his foot, and the empousai scrambled back. One fell off the boulder where she'd been

perched. That made me feel good, but they recovered quickly and closed in again.

"Bold talk," Kelli said, "for two demigods lost in Tartarus. Lower your sword, Percy Jackson, and

I'll kill you quickly. Believe me, there are worse ways to die down here."

"Wait!" Annabeth tried again. "Aren't empousai the servants of Hecate?"

Kelli curled her lip. "So?"

"So Hecate is on our side now," I said. "She has a cabin at Camp Half-Blood. Some of her

demigod children are my friends. If you fight us, she'll be angry."

Percy wanted to hug himself, he was a genius… sometimes.

One of the other empousai growled. "Is this true, Kelli? Has our mistress made peace with

Olympus?"

"Shut up, Serephone!" Kelli screeched. "Gods, you're annoying!"

"I will not cross the Dark Lady."

Annabeth took the opening. "You'd all be better following Serephone. She's older and wiser."

"Yes!" Serephone shrieked. "Follow me!" Kelli struck so fast; Percy didn't have the chance to raise his sword. Fortunately, she didn't attack him. Kelli lashed out at Serephone. For half a second, the two demons were a blur of slashing claws and fangs. Then it was over. Kelli stood triumphant over a pile of dust. From her claws hung the tattered

remains of Serephone's dress.

"Any more issues?" Kelli snapped at her sisters. "Hecate is the goddess of the Mist! Her ways are

mysterious. Who knows which side she truly favors? She is also the goddess of the crossroads, and

she expects us to make our own choices. I choose the path that will bring us the most demigod blood! I

choose Gaia!" Her friends hissed in approval.

I was out of ideas. I'd done what she could. She'd got Kelli to eliminate one of her own. Now there was nothing left but to fight. So I lunged forward slashing with riptide, I managed to get two of them before the others leapt on me. One of them grabbed my sword arm and bit down on my shoulder, the other jumped on my back and Kelli slashed my chest leaving deep gashes, I dropped riptide and caught it with my other hand before slashing wildly behind my back managing to get the one on my shoulder. Then I swung my swung again forcing Kelli back, finally I managed to get the second to last Empousai off my back and onto my sword. I was about to charge Kelli and end it but before I could, a shadow fell across Percy. A deep war cry bellowed from somewhere above, echoing across the plains of Tartarus, and a Titan dropped onto the battlefield.