A small hut came into view and I smiled because I knew what it was. It was made of bones and monster pelt; a particular monster.

"I would kill for a homecooked meal and a real bed," Charlie finally spoke. He sounded tired.

"Would you kill a drakon for it?" I asked with a small smile. Charlie craned his neck to see.

"Dragons aren't real," he said.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes they are, but that's not what I said."

"Dragons are real?" Charlie began to perk up. I laughed and set him down as we approached the rocky landscape outside. He smiled in thanks. I smiled back and my heart jumped to my throat. I'd kissed Charlie Valdez. My heart began beating quickly as I grew nervous, then I decided that I didn't care. I wasn't going to get nervous about this. I was in Tartarus and I probably was never going to come home. So if I kissed a guy and enjoyed his company, then what did it matter. I was in Tartarus. I could do what I want. Charlie looked questioningly at me but I shrugged him off, telling him it was nothing.

Bob knocked gently on the door and yelled, "Hello friend!" He opened the hut's large door.

"Who have you brought, Bob?" the giant asked, not even looking around.

"It is very nice to meet you, I've heard so much about you," I said, beaming at him. It sounds cheesey, but Damasen was my hero. My parents spoke so fondly of him and I'd heard his story since I was a little kid. He was brave and fought for his freedom but in the end, gave it up for friends he knew would save the world. Hades, I was even named after him.

Damasen turned around with a singular raised eyebrow. He was born a monster but he still had a kind face. His expression was amused as he looked down at me with crossed arms.

"And you are?"

"Jason Jackson, sir."

He smiled and uncrossed his arms. "Nobody has called me sir before."

I only smiled and nodded in respect.

"Jackson, huh? Didn't think I'd see one of you back here." He looked sadly at me, then to Charlie.

"This is Charlie, son of Leo Valdez and Calypso," I introduced. Charlie gave cheeky smile and a small wave when I said his name.

"Why are you here, Jason and Charlie?" he asked. He almost sounded scared. I didn't blame him. Last time demigods were here, his parents were taking over the world.

"Well, giants worked with some dude named Nyx and kidnapped the Seven so their kids went to find and save them, then they I landed in a fiery ball on their ship and joined them. We found our parents and there was a big ass fight then Nyx freaked out and long story short, Jase and I were thrown into Tartarus," Charlie explained.

Bob sat down at the table in the one room hut while Damasen moved to the fireplace and lit a fire under the cauldron. Mom had described Damasen to be bitter. To me, he seemed relieved. Like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He looked comfortable.

"Sounds like quite a story," Damasen commented.

"Yes, sir. It's a long, a very long, story," I said.

Damasen smiled and sat down at the table while the water boiled. He motioned for us to sit, so we did.

"I can assure you a meal if it's a tale you're willing to tell," Damasen promised.

"Deal," Charlie agreed, licking his lips. All three looked at me, which I somehow found humorous. I was in Tartarus about to tell a story to a good Titan named Bob who fought with a mop, a sheep-hearding giant that was a disappointment to his parents, and a half-titan boy who I'd kissed earlier.

I cleared my throat and took a deep breath, then began, "When Percy and Annabeth, my parents, emerged from Tartarus, Pasiphae and Clytus were waiting for them. But so were the rest of the Seven…"

I talked for hours, and that I'm sure of. There was a lot to tell. At first, I recounted my parents' adventures since they escaped Tartarus, then I told my own.

"And Casey, of course, didn't answer the Amphisbaena. Instead, she chucked her dagger at it's face and nearly caught its tongue in half. Then while the second one attacked us, she pretended to get scared and told them to have mercy. Of course, they got too confident and jumped in for the kill. At the last second, Casey rolled out of the way and the Amphisbaenas hit each other and died. I would have found much funnier if I wasn't bound to a stick over a fire." I thought fondly back to the times spent with my sister and quickly moved on to the next story before I missed her too much. Bob laughed many times while I spoke and Damasen smiled nearly the whole time. He was a great listener. The water, it looked more like a broth of some sort, had long since boiled and Damasen had dished us up soup for dinner. I had quick spoonfuls between stories. It was delicious. I kept telling my story. We'd finished dinner before I was done talking. "Then finally," I finished, "we met you."

Damasen folded his hands neatly in front of him. "You are a great storyteller, Jason."

I shrugged and smiled at the compliment. "You're a good listener."

Charlie was scraping the bottom of his bowl. "Can we stay here awhile?"

I wasn't sure if he was asking Damasen or if he was asking me. Damasen lifted his shoulders and gathered our empty bowls. "I would be delighted to make meals and provide a place to stay if you would help me gather supplies and tell stories. You may stay until you are ready to continue on your journey" he said. Charlie smiled and looked at me next.

"I don't know, I'd really like to get going," I didn't finish my sentence, because Charlie's accidental puppy dog eyes made me question my choices.

"If we stay here and prepare, we'll be ready. I can't fight, so I'd be useless if we got into trouble. You can train me! And we need to stay and heal. Plus, I really need shoes," Charlie pointed out. Well, I couldn't argue with that. It wouldn't hurt to stay here and take a couple days to get ready. I'd rather get out late than never.

"Ok. We'll stay here until we've fully prepared to move on. That means when we've been healed to an extent, you've been trained, and you have shoes of some sort. Although I'm not sure where we're going to get shoes," I sighed. Charlie grinned wildly and jumped from his seat, placing a quick and unsure kiss on my cheek.

"Thank you!"