In which Percy hears something that makes her rather happy and she has some wise words for Bob.
Replies:
Undeath9087: I am curious as to what your theories are! And yes, Tartarus shall be soon. Which will be lots of fun.
Jubby1905: She's good with blood but it does take a lot of focus so she's only ever done it to one person, and Ichor is more questionable if she'd be able to control it.
Guest: Not bad suggestions.

On a scale of one to ten- one being 'Everything's fine' and ten being 'We're about to die' hearing someone calling for Iapetus was probably a ten thousand. And Percy's gaze swung quickly, focusing on a Titan that was striding toward them, casually kicking lesser monsters out of his way. He was roughly the same height as Bob, with elaborate Stygian iron armor, a single diamond blazing in the center of his breastplate. His eyes were blue-white, like core samples from a glacier, and just as cold. His hair was the same color, cut military style. A battle helmet shaped like a bear's head was tucked under his arm. From his belt hung a sword the size of a surfboard.

Despite his battle scars, the Titan's face was handsome and strangely familiar. Percy was pretty sure she'd never seen
the guy before, but his eyes and his smile reminded Percy of someone.…

The Titan stopped in front of Bob. He clapped him on the shoulder. "Iapetus! Don't tell me you don't recognize your own brother!"

"No!" Bob agreed nervously. "I won't tell you that."

The other Titan threw back his head and laughed. "I heard you were thrown into the Lethe. Must've been terrible! We all knew you would heal eventually. It's Koios! Koios!"

"Of course," Bob said. "Koios, Titan of…"

"The North!" Koios said.

"I know!" Bob shouted.

They laughed together and took turns hitting each other in the arm.

Apparently miffed by all the jostling, Small Bob crawled onto Bob's head and began making a nest in the Titan's silver hair.

"Poor old Iapetus," said Koios. "They must have laid you low indeed. Look at you! A broom? A servant's uniform? A cat in your hair? Truly, Hades must pay for these insults. Who was that demigod who took your memory? Bah! We must rip him to pieces, you and I, eh?"

"Ha-ha." Bob swallowed. "Yes indeed. Rip him to pieces." and okay- okay this was bad. Bob looked uncomfortable to say
the least- also-

"Him?" Percy hissed the word, "I know I should be glad 'cause like, I'd rather they didn't come after me or whatever but seriously? Him?"

"Is not the time?" Nico whispered back, giving Percy an incredulous look. And okay, okay he might have a point.

She definitely didn't like Bob's brother though- and huh, that probably made him Kronos' brother too then. And wow that was an awkward thought- at least he hadn't spotted her yet. She wondered how the introductions would go. 'Hi, I'm Percy Jackson, your dick of a brothers wife, please don't brutally rip me to pieces.' Yeah, that probably wouldn't work out very well. "Ah, it's good to see you.…" Koios drummed his fingers on his bear's-head helmet. "You remember what fun we had in the old days?"

"Of course!" Bob chirped. "When we, uh…"

"Holding down our father, Ouranos," Koios said.

"Yes! We loved wrestling with Dad.…"

"We restrained him."

"That's what I meant!"

"While Kronos cut him to pieces with his scythe."

"Yes, ha-ha." Bob looked mildly ill. "What fun."

"You grabbed Father's right foot, as I recall," Koios said. "And Ouranos kicked you in the face as he struggled. How we used to tease you about that!"

"Silly me," Bob agreed.

"Sadly, our brother Kronos was dissolved by those impudent demigods, that was his own fault really, foolish, choosing some mortal girl to replace Rhea." Koios heaved a sigh. "Bits and pieces of his essence remain, but nothing you could put together again. I suppose some injuries even Tartarus cannot heal."

"Alas!"

And Percy did not fist pump the air- despite what Leo and Nico might say. She didn't have to stop herself from doing a little happy dance at that piece of news. First she'd gotten rid of Alabaster, and now she found out that Kronos was definitely never going to be able to come back again. That was a rather good victory for her- and even Leo cast her an unimpressed look when she did a teeny tiny happy dance.

In any case, the other Titan didn't seem keen to shut up. "But the rest of us have another chance to shine, eh?" He leaned forward conspiratorially. "These giants may think they will rule. Let them be our shock troops and destroy the Olympians—all well and good. But once the Earth Mother is awake, she will remember that we are her eldest children. Mark my words. The Titans will yet rule the cosmos."

"Hmm," Bob said. "The giants may not like that."

"Spit on what they like," Koios said. "They've already passed through the Doors of Death, anyway, back to the mortal world. Polybotes was the last one, not half an hour ago, still grumbling about missing his prey. Apparently some demigods he was after got swallowed by Nyx. Never see them again, I wager!"

Percy wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh at that- the whole never see them again comment, or to panic. Because that meant that all of the Giants were there, they'd be after their friends. If their need to get to the Doors of Death hadn't been strong enough, it certainly was now.

"Well!" Koios drew his massive sword. The blade radiated a cold deeper than the Hubbard Glacier. "I must be off. Leto should have regenerated by now. I will convince her to fight."

"Of course," Bob murmured. "Leto."

Koios laughed. "You've forgotten my daughter, as well? I suppose it's been too long since you've seen her. The peaceful ones like her always take the longest to re-form. This time, though, I'm sure Leto will fight for vengeance. The way Zeus treated her, after she bore him those fine twins? Outrageous!"

Percy almost grunted out loud.

The twins.
She remembered the name Leto: the mother of Apollo and Artemis. This guy Koios looked vaguely familiar because he had Artemis's cold eyes and Apollo's smile. The Titan was their grandfather, Leto's father. The idea gave Percy a migraine.

"Well! I'll see you in the mortal world!" Koios chest-bumped Bob, almost knocking the cat off his head. "Oh, and our two other brothers are guarding this side of the Doors, so you'll see them soon enough!"

"I will?"

"Count on it!" Koios lumbered off, almost knocking over the three Jacksons as they scrambled out of his way.

Before the crowd of monsters could fill the empty space, Percy motioned for Bob to lean in.

"You okay, big guy?" Percy whispered.

Bob frowned. "I do not know. In all this"—he gestured around them—"what is the meaning of okay?"

And- okay that was a fair point. She knew that feeling all too well. And there was that distant look on the Titans face- she'd seen it on her own- back during the journey to Alaska before she'd got her memories back, lost.

"Do you remember Koios?" Percy asked despite the confused looks Nico and Leo were giving her. "All that stuff he was talking about?"

Bob gripped his broom. "When he told it, I remembered. He handed me my past like…like a spear. But I do not know if I should take it. Is it still mine, if I do not want it?"

"If you don't want it-" Leo started to speak but Percy held out her hand, and he trailed off, giving her a curious look-and Nico was shooting her a similar look.

"A few months back I'd have said toss the memories out." Percy said slowly. "I've had a bunch of memories I'd have loved to forget. Then I did..." she bit her lip, "I think- we need to know our pasts to forge our futures. Even if you remember Iapetus you can still be Bob. Our past shapes us and our futures- that's what we have power over. I've spent a long time wishing I could erase my past- the memories of the bad stuff but- that wouldn't be right."

"Future." Bob's voice was soft, distant, "That is a mortal concept. I am not meant to change, Percy. Friend." He gazed around him at the horde of monsters. "We are the same…forever."

"No you're not." Nico frowned, "When I first met you- you'd have never helped us Bob-"

"I like you." Leo piped up, "You can change your future. You already have."

Bob's silver eyes looked darker than usual. He held out his hand, and Small Bob the kitten jumped into it. The Titan rose to his full height. "Let us go, then, friends. Not much farther."

Stomping on Tartarus's heart wasn't nearly as much fun as it sounded.

The purplish ground was slippery and constantly pulsing. It looked flat from a distance, but up close it was made of folds and ridges that got harder to navigate the farther they walked. Gnarled lumps of red arteries and blue veins gave Percy some footholds when she had to climb, but the going was slow.

And of course, the monsters were everywhere. Packs of hellhounds prowled the plains, baying and snarling and attacking any monster that dropped its guard. Arai wheeled overhead on leathery wings, making ghastly dark silhouettes in the poison clouds.

Percy stumbled and her hand touched a red artery- she sucked in a sharp gasp as a tingling sensation went up her arm.
"There's water in here." she breathed out, "Actual water."

Bob grunted. "One of the five rivers. His blood."

"His blood?" Nico grimaced, "It makes sense but gods that is a horrible thought."

"Yes," Bob agreed. "They all flow through his heart."

Percy traced her hand across a web of capillaries. Was the water of the Styx flowing beneath her fingers, or maybe the Lethe? If one of those veins popped when she stepped on it… Percy shuddered. She realized she was taking a stroll across the most dangerous circulatory system in the universe.

"We need to hurry." Leo's voice was unsteady, and Percy could see that his clothes were smoking very slightly- he had to be very nervous for him to be that out of control. "We need to get out of here as soon as we can-"

"Oh gods-" Nico interrupted him, pointing ahead of them, his face a picture of horror.

And Percy followed his gaze quickly. Ahead of them jagged streaks of darkness tore through the air- like lightning except pure black."

"The Doors," Bob said. "Must be a large group going through."

Percy's mouth tasted like gorgon's blood. Even if their friends from the Argo II managed to find the other side of the Doors of Death, how could they possibly fight the waves of monsters that were coming through, especially if all the giants were already waiting for them?

It was hard to force down the waves of despair. "Do- do all of the monsters go through the House of Hades?" she asked shakily, "How big is that place?" it must be huge if it could handle that many monsters.

Bob shrugged. "Perhaps they are sent elsewhere when they step through. The House of Hades is in the earth, yes? That is Gaea's realm. She could send her minions wherever she wishes."

Percy's spirits sank. Monsters coming through the Doors of Death to threaten her friends at Epirus—that was bad enough. Now she imagined the ground on the mortal side as one big subway system, depositing giants and other nasties anywhere Gaea wanted them to go—Camp Half-Blood, Camp Jupiter, or in the path of the Argo II before it could even reach Epirus.

"This." Percy said the word slowly, "Is not going to be fun."

"No." Bob's voice was serious, and his expression was too. "Very dangerous. But it is the only way. You will die down here if you do not leave." and yep, that was a pretty good summary of their situation right at this second.

"Well at least we're sticking together, Team Chaos right?"

"Actually it was the Chaos club." Leo corrected Nico, "And we're missing Piper, but hey, we're the Chaos trio. I'd like to see any monsters or Queen Dirtface stop us from getting back to our friends."

"Hey, no trio." Percy elbowed Leo gently, "After all, we've got Bob and Small Bob too-"

"Chaos squad it is then. You cool with that Bobbo?"

And Bob gave a slow smile. "We shall be the Chaos squad."