"In the bend of the seaboard one comes, first, to a headland that projects into the sea, Taenarum, ... near by, to the cavern through which, according to the myth writers, Cerberus was brought up from Hades by Heracles." - Strabo, Geography, 8.5.1.
"Hecataeus of Miletus gave a plausible explanation, stating that a terrible serpent lived on Taenarum...called the hound of Hades...But Homer... note did not give it a name or describe it as of manifold form..." -Pausanias, Descriptions of Greece, 3.25.5-6.
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Annabeth squinted in the face of the new source of eye-watering light. To her sensitive eyes from being underground for so long, the light was near blinding. She blinked to try to get rid of the tears.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, you?" Percy asked. He sounded really tired but something else too.
"I've been better," she said while resting her head against the cave wall to support her so as to not accidentally put too much pressure on any fresh wounds.
"How about an ambrosia square?"
"Yeah, thanks," she said as he passed her one.
"I think we are near water."
"Now that she focused on it she could feel the faint smell of the ocean. Her senses felt dulled after her excursion in Tartarus but it was starting to come back.
"I'm going to go ahead."
"Wait," she felt an instance of panic. She didn't want to be left alone. They only had each other. Being so close to freedom she didn't want anything to go wrong. They just need to get to their friends.
Percy looked ahead, his eyes having adjusted to the new source of light, it wasn't much but it was too bright for their overly sensitive eyes. Annabeth realized the same thing. "Grab my hand, but I'm going to try to reach some seawater and then we can get our bearing."
Annabeth felt a little better from the ambrosia square but her body was slowly adjusting to normal pain levels and now she realized that was a bad idea. She might just pass out soon if the ambrosia couldn't keep her standing. She had barely eaten, ambrosia might not be a good idea on an empty stomach. Maybe Alecto was right, the food for the immortals and the land of the dead did not mix well. She needed to be able to stand on her own before trying ambrosia. What if there wasn't enough mortal food in her to stop her from burning up? Holy Hera maybe she hadn't thought this through, then again her head felt lightheaded for a while now, the malnutrition was having an impact on her cognitive abilities.
As they moved farther from the underworld, they heard more echoes of conversations. It sounded like tourists. Great, just what they needed.
They checked every corner to make sure there was no one and dodged people as they hid behind stalactites. The fluorescent lighting was giving Annabeth a headache but she leaned on Percy as they seemed to head in the direction of the sea breeze. It kept getting stronger and stronger until natural light replaced the fluorescent lighting. The echoes of voices soon were no match for the noise of the crashing waves.
Percy leaned her on the tunnel and she didn't dare sit down in case her legs wouldn't get her back up again. If she stopped properly, she might not start up again. "I'll try to heal up in the sea."
Annabeth knew it was petty, she didn't want to be alone. Nonetheless, she nodded.
Percy kissed her cheek, gave her a loving look and turned to the waters below. The rocks were sharp; the water was fierce; the weather was beginning to change from sunny to stormy. Given their luck, it might just be an omen of ill luck. Don't jinx it. Annabeth breathed in and breathed out slowly trying to focus on not falling part this close to freedom.
Percy jumped in. For a second she was scared he would hit the rocks. Instead, the waters rose to greet him like a loving mother waiting for her son to come home. The rocks just let him pass as if protective brothers saying, well it's about dam time.
Annabeth hobbled closer to the opening of the cave to catch a glimpse of Percy. The water was so turbulent that she wasn't even sure why she found it so mesmerizing, maybe it was the fact it was a relief to see a body of water that didn't want to kill or torture them. She flinched, she might not be able to look at drinking water the same way after getting home. After being in Tartarus for so long she felt like ages have passed while they drank river-fire to stay alive.
Then, noticing her train of thought, she realized she couldn't see Percy. Where was Seaweed Brain? What was taking him so long? What could-
He emerged grinning, the sea raised him and he outstretched his hands, "Let me show you the world!"
"You geek!" Annabeth felt the corner of her lips quirk up. She couldn't help smiling at her dork. She wouldn't have it any other way. She was glad that the sea at least helped him feel better.
She put the knapsack that fell down her shoulder back on and grabbed his hands and tried to not think of the descent while she was still so weak. "What took you so long?"
"Ichthyocentaurs," Percy said grinning tiredly.
"So you got to meet some after all."
"Yeah, it turns out they rather not get accused by Poseidon of letting me get myself killed."
"So they knew we were here."
"No, but they were expecting some kind of breach through the Doors of Death. They said they saw troops up top."
She looked up and realized that the mountain would be a good place to station newly released dead soldiers.
"We can't take on an army right now much less a few who are out on patrol."
"That's what I was thinking." He said, "Ichthycentuars said they can help you with your injuries." They were slowly sinking into the water. A bubble of air surrounded her. Annabeth would have preferred it if Percy was in the bubble with her but said nothing.
"Hey! I'm Arthur," An ichthyocentaur said startling her. "You must be Annabeth, we got a combat medic who could help." They wasted no time, they didn't seem to want to stay near Percy and Annabeth long, to not get dragged into politics, or at least that's what they said last time.
She turned and saw there were another half a dozen troops, the water didn't allow her to see farther than that. The clouds were coming in and turning the turquoise waters a deeper darker shade.
The combat medic approached them, he wore Asclepius' conventional symbol on his chest and his right arm sleeve. "Sup', I'm Dr. Clamme and I'll be looking after your injuries today." The doctor was warmer towards them then Artie, maybe it's his bedside manner kicking in but he was more approachable.
Arthur set her down on a cot. Careful of the air bubble, he tended to her injuries. Soon the cool water was making her drowsy and she felt herself drift off.
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"Annabeth?" a familiar voice asked.
"Hmmm?" Annabeth said half-heartedly.
"Annabeth, we have to go, you've been discharged."
She looked around and it was only the two of them. "Where are the others?" The sea was darker than before. The sun wasn't blinding but it was clear the sun was setting.
"They left. They saw to it that I could look after myself and that you were patched up and they were off. The good news is they left some brownies. They didn't want to share their stash of brownies but figured being half-dead and escaping the Tartarus warranted a welcome home party."
"So we got brownies." she deadpanned.
"Not just any brownies. They are Aphros' brownies. These are precious currency, not everyone has such a great teacher in cooking." Percy slowly ate his brownie to make the brownie last. Annabeth could sympathize with finally being able to enjoy good food on a traumatized stomach.
While shovelling a brownie into her mouth, she asked the time.
Percy told her the day. "Time is hard here, but according to their calendars, which they had to sync to ours, it's July the eighteenth which means we have fourteen days till the Feast of Spec. According to the charts, it means we are maybe six hours behind the Argo II, if they left after the disturbance at the House of Hades. We are near the Caves of Diros so if we're lucky they would have been sailing near the coast and maybe could pick us up somewhere around Cape Matapan."
"If not, we have to get back somehow," Annabeth stated matter of fact, she would feel better with a map and her laptop, but that was long gone. Of course, nothing is easy, getting out of the underworld was half the journey. They weren't with their friends just yet.
"Did you let the crew know we are alive?" Annabeth asked.
"Uh-" Percy looked sheepishly around, "No. I didn't want to leave you; plus, brownies." She shared his sentiment and his face was so helplessly cute that she couldn't find a reason to chastise him.
"Let's go, then we need them to at least know we are alive," Annabeth said.
Once on the beach, which was harder said than done, they were near the cliffs so getting away from the possible enemy troops and to a beach to make an Iris Message wasn't easy. They were mindful that there seemed to be tourists walking around some distance away. If the caves hadn't split them out where they did, they might have had an awkward encounter with tourists.
They proceed to arrange their offering. Annabeth rummaged in their souvenir backpack from Tartarus, Percy created mist and called out "Fleecy do me a solid, show me Jason on the Argo II." They hoped that worked because that's as much information as they knew.
After some interference, the mist formed to show the crew on a picnic. Okay ouch, that was not what they expected. But once Jason noticed them he exclaimed in excitement. The rest looked over.
"Percy!"
"Annabeth!"
"Percabeth!" They all looked at Piper, "What? It was shorter, got both their attention didn't it?"
"What are you doing guys?" Annabeth asked, trying not to sound hurt.
All of a sudden they realized how it looked.
"Oh well-"
"You see-"
Jason, in the main field of view awkwardly pointed out Reyna, "Reyna got your message."
"Reyna!" Annabeth said, "What a relief."
"Are you okay?" Percy asked her.
Now that Annabeth looked closer, her head still felt fuzzy, but she noticed that Reyna was covered in scratches, some healing, some that were covered in bandages.
"I have arrived, Scipio did not make the trip." She looked down, her eyes still red-rimmed and bloodshot.
"I am so sorry for your loss," Annabeth said and meant it. Having been used to seeing Percy talk to horses and pegasi she understood the friendship between a person and their horse.
"I will make sure Scipio did not die in vain." Reyna's voice was like steel. "Leo is working on the harness for the statue for when Nico will shadow-travel.
"Nico you can't!" Percy spoke up, "You aren't well."
"I'm fine, we need this," Nico said from behind the crowd. He looked relieved to see them but didn't seem to be in a talkative mood.
"But-" Percy said.
"I've tried to talk him out of it-," Hazel said but was cut off.
"Percy, it's his choice," Annabeth said, she gave him a look, they have no way of stopping Nico given where the two of them are. She's too tired to argue right now, the nap she took was only a few hours.
Percy relented.
"Sorry Hazel, you were saying," Annabeth asked.
"I just mean that we have tried to reason with him, but Reyna has promised to look after him. It won't be one trip but multiple trips, we've had some time to talk about this."
"I will look after Nico," Reyna confirmed solemnly.
Realizing that they needed to get down to business before the mist evaporated, Annabeth said, "We need a way off Cape Matapan."
"Wait, you're where?" Jason asked.
"The Gates of Hades."
They all turned to Nico.
"Hades talks," Nico explained simply. "It's where it's said Herakles went to kidnap Cerberus."
"Isn't Cerberus in-," Percy began saying.
"Yes he is, but he can be in multiple places at once. He needed to guard places and with multiple entrances, there needs to be more than one guard."
"But we didn't see him."
"You wouldn't, he hasn't needed to guard that entrance since the Second World War. Still, it was a myth. It was, really, a snake in the cave. People just reinterpreted it as Cerberus."
"Huh?"
"It's a myth thing, just go with it," Nico said. "But if you want to know the longer version it's more complicated. Herakles did kidnap Cerberus, Hades was mad and sent a giant snake in its place, the one that originally guarded that entrance. Honestly, it hurts my brain to think about it because of how long it took me to get a straight answer from Hades on Cerberus when I asked why I couldn't play fetch with him."
Annabeth didn't know what was more disturbing, that a snake was napping near the entrance full of tourists or that Nico wanted to play fetch with a three-headed dog and couldn't because the dog had a full-time job.
"So do you think you'll be able to pick us up?" Percy asked.
"They might not be able to," Nico said. "You are on the tip of Greece if the Argo II goes down and then around to Athens it would take too long. They don't have time." Seeing their expressions he sighed, "I need a map."
Nico was lightly nudged by a map, he looked and saw Reyna handing him her map. He thanked her. Then, he tried to show them what he meant.
"Here is one, okay so look here," he pointed to Epirus since he only vaguely knew where they were. "This is us, as you guys know, but here-" he pointed to Cape Matapan on the middle finger of the claw-looking Peloponnese, "-is where you guys are."
Annabeth heard someone swear behind Nico.
"Talk to Leo," Annabeth advised, "but this isn't looking good."
"What if a few of us go to pick you up?" Hazel asked.
"Who?" Jason asked her.
"Me," Hazel saw their surprise. "Look, you saw in the House of Hades, I can control the Mist, or at least enough that maybe I can avoid monsters. It would be only me, and I would have Arion. We'll be back before you know it."
"No way!" Frank said, "If you're going, then so am I. I can fly, Arion won't be the best transport for two injured demigods." As if realizing, the group looked closer at them. Beyond what was washed away in the Mediterranean Sea, there were enough marks to tell they went through Tartarus and back. Percy still sported a nasty scar on his shoulder from being stabbed. It looked like the underworld rivers cauterized the wound, but the journey still left a visible mark on him. Annabeth was still leaning on one leg. When she moved, her knee sometimes felt weird and awkward. It wasn't ideal but at least there didn't seem to be any neurological or bone damage that she could see. Overall, they were still standing.
"One injured," Percy corrected, "The seawater helped, it's Annabeth I'm worried about."
"We'll pick you up," Hazel said confidently, "Don't worry about this, just know we are coming for you. You are not alone and we miss you guys. Your friends do too."
At first, Annabeth didn't understand but then she remembered Bob, Damasen and Small Bob. She was so relieved that they were fine that she didn't really think to worry about their safety above ground.
The trio stepped into the already shrinking field of view. "Hi!" There was a lot of waving and 'see you soon's before the mist faded completely into the aether. She guessed the Trio wanted Percy and Annabeth to get a chance to finally talk it out with their friends after seeing them for so long.
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Percy looked at Annabeth, "Now what?"
A shuffling behind them alerted them to intruders, "Well how about: surrender? The Earth goddess has been waiting for her favourite sacrifices-to-be."
Percy and Annabeth turned around to see half a dozen of the living dead pointing spears and swords at them.
A/N: Sorry that this is really late the transition to e-learning wasn't easy for some classes. At least exams are over now. I hope everyone is doing well.
Funny story, I thought I knew which location I would use (on Cape Matapan/Tainaron/Tenaro/Taenarum), but there are multiple places on the site. Another option was Aornum in Thesprotis (in Epirus) but it's in a list of mistaken beliefs held by Greeks so thanks Pausanias, but I'm going to go with the stuff on Herakles for this.
If I make any mistakes, just tell me and I'll try to fix them. Keep in mind, I'm from Canada and using Google Maps for this. I wasn't sure if I should use the Caves of Diros or the Death Oracle of Poseidon but Google Maps is really not ideal for this. Still, if anyone is bored there are photos on the caves on Google Maps.