"Are you serious right now? The shackles are overkill."

The giant kicked the side of the cage. "You're telling me how to kidnap you!"

"Well, I'm not going anywhere." I followed the length of chain that secured my feet with my eyes.

"I can show you how to cut his throat so you sever the vocal cords but he won't bleed out," another one said. I peered through the bars, trying to see the new speaker. But the cage was too small. I couldn't move around like I needed to.

"I'm just saying that having a cage and chains and shackles is redundant."

"Redundant? Is it now?"

"Well... yeah."

He picked up the entire cage and held it in front of his face. "If I hear one more thing from you, I'm going to boil you alive."

"No you won't. You need me alive."

He sneered at me and tossed the cage to the ground. It hurt. A lot. I tried repositioning myself but there wasn't any room. It wasn't easy but I managed to reach through the bars and grab some of the scattered bones that were everywhere.

"Gello," one of them said. The word rippled through the crowd. The giants were afraid of whatever this was.

"Jello," I wondered out loud. I struggled to look past this cramped little cage. I pushed against the bars with my back. The crouching position it was forcing me to stay in, was killing my leg muscles. If I leaned to the side it wasn't so bad.

"I want it," someone said. They spoke in a dozen voices at once.

"We're taking the demigod to meet Gaea."

"I want it. Give it to me. I will give you riches."

A face pressed against the bars. With a pale silvery countenance, she was somehow beautiful and hideous at the same time. She leered at me. She reached inside with hands made of smoke and vapor. She cut the side of my face with her fingernail.

I backed up as far as I could which wasn't much. I hit my head on the bars, trying to get away from her.

The cage was snatched up again. I was tossed back and forth from the sudden change.

I groaned and tried to find something more comfortable. The return to reality was jarring, as usual.

Will Solace was there and that made everything better. I rested my head on his shoulder. I leaned heavily on him. "Jellyfish are in the pasta," I told him. Wait. Not what I meant to say.

"Are they? Is that some weird Italian dish I don't know about?"

"No. The turtles are escaping!" Nearby someone laughed but I was on the edge of panic.

"Get out," Will said. The cold anger in his voice was palpable and it scared even me. "Don't worry about it," he told me, his tone soothing again. "We changed the linens and your clothes. You'll be in hospital clothes for awhile and I'm sorry for that."

I felt my foot twitch. Will must have noticed too. A few seconds passed. "There's nothing wrong with you, Nico," he insisted.

How can you say that now? "They're bringing the apples inside?" The twitch became a tremor and it crept up to my knee.

"Apó ton skýlo." An ancient Greek curse, but an extremely mild one. By the dog; It was such a Will Solace thing to say...

The tremor spread upward and out, became more violent. Soon, he wouldn't be able to keep me upright at all.

Fear rose like a tidal wave. Will and I stood at ground zero as it loomed over our heads. I clung to him waiting for the inevitable.

Chiron's words came back to me. I must not fear. I must not fear. I must not-

"Hello?"

I froze in place. The voice echoed off of everything.

"Hello!"

I grabbed the ghost nearest to see if it was them. But they quickly turned back to vapor and rushed away chattering like mice. I searched every ghost frantically hoping the next would be the right one.

This was Asphodel. Everyone here had lost their identities. It wasn't possible that someone could speak. But here I was looking for that person.

She ran into me, literally. She hit my side so hard with her elbow as she ran past, that I was knocked to the ground.

She stopped after a few paces and looked back at me. She was herself, not like the ghosts but she was one of them. So what was she doing here?

"I'm Hazel," she said.

"How are you doing that," I asked, feeling incredulous.

"Me? How are you doing it?"

"I'm alive," I told her.

She gave a short, confused laugh. "Then how are you even here?" Then she noticed my sword. She yelped in surprise and covered her mouth. Then she turned and ran back into the darkness.

I followed her into the shadows.