Chapter 23

Okay, so have you ever watched the Disney movie Hercules? Well, remember when Hercules shook hands with Hades and Hades took Hercules's strength? Then Hercules looked like crap and felt like crap? Yeah, that was how I felt. I felt like Hercules from a Disney movie. Nico was still passed out. Thalia just starred at nothing. I laid against the wall and tried to come up with a good plan. Even to think it hurt.

"How's it going, mortal?" Cain asked as he opened the cell door.

I didn't-couldn't answer.

Cain laughed and knelt in front of me. He grabbed my hair and made me look at his ugly eyes. "Well, you will be put out of your misery soon," Cain told me. "John wants us to blow this castle up. I'm not sure why but he said to leave you guys here. When we blow it up, you'll die. There will be no chance of you or any of your friends defeating John."

"Go to hell," I muttered.

"Isn't that where all souls go? To Hades? To the Underworld?" Cain scoffed. "I'm telling you, Perce, you should have become a god. It would have been real fun killing you."

"The gods will defeat you. If not them, the campers at Camp Half-Blood will," I said.

"Percy, you have to face the fact sooner or later." Cain shook his head. "The gods will fall. So will your precious camp. Oh. Wait, it already has."

"I'll let you kill me, slowly, if you want," I muttered. "Please, don't kill Annabeth."

"Oh, that is so tempting. However, John wants the girl dead. Do you know why?" Cain's grip tightened in my hair. "Annabeth Chase is the only person in the world that knows where your Achilles spot it. Well, besides me. But you don't have it anymore. John does. I can't risk John being killed by the little brat."

"I'll kill you before you even get the chance," I told him.

"Sure, you will," Cain smirked. "Just believe whatever you want, little hero."

Cain left the cell. What could I do? Nothing. It was hopeless.

Nico finally woke up an hour later. "Man, I have a headache that could kill Zeus," Nico groaned.

Thunder rumbled outside. Zeus didn't like people talking about him, I guess. But I guess it was okay for him to talk about killing us? Sure! Because he's the king of the gods! Whatever. "Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty," Thalia muttered.

"Hey, I wasn't asleep for that long, was I?" Nico asked.

"You missed hearing Percy's screams when they took his powers," Thalia said. "He screams like a little girl."

"Shut it, Thalia!" I snapped. "I saw them take your powers, how would you like me to tell everyone that you, Thalia Grace, Daughter of Zeus, couldn't defeat yourself against a couple of mortals when they were taking you to the machine?"

"What's your problem, Jackson?" Thalia growled.

I half expected lightning to strike me down right then and there. But nothing happened. "Guys, come on, don't fight," Nico pleaded. "We're all stuck here together so we might as well come up with a plan to get out of here."

"Gee, Nico, what do you think I've been thinking about? Fluffy bunnies and rainbows?" Thalia said.

"We're not going to get out of here," I muttered.

"Don't be negative, Percy," Nico said.

"This coming from the son of Hades?" I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, we're not getting out unless Nico suddenly gets his powers back and shadow travels."

"Why?" Thalia asked.

"Cain told me they were going to blow up the castle, with us still inside it," I said. "Besides, even if we did get out, we would freeze to death in the cold. Either way, we are so dead."

"Great," Nico muttered.

"Why do demigods always have to die horrible deaths? Most demigods don't even make it out of their teen years! Why to we have to be punished? It's not like we choose our parents," Thalia protested.

"Because that's the way it's always been," I snapped. "I guess that's the way the gods like it."

"Well, it's not fair," Nico muttered.

A knock came from the cell door. Cain peered in through the window. "Just letting you know we're leaving now. So I hope you guys enjoy the last hour of your life."

I decided that I hated Cain more than anyone else. More than Kronos. More than Luke. More than anyone I had ever known in my life.

"How much time do we have left?" Nico asked.

"Who knows?" Thalia muttered.

Since I wasn't chained to the ground anymore, I drew Backbiter and stood up. "Whoa! Percy, killing yourself isn't going to solves anything!" Nico protested.

"What-? I'm not going to kill myself! I was just going to break the chains holding Thalia," I stammered.

"Oh," Nico said. "Its just-Hades doesn't like it when people kill themselves and...I'll shut up now."

"Thank you." I shook my head in disbelief. Nico didn't REALLY think I would kill myself...did he?

The chains holding Thalia weren't very strong because it only took me one hit on both of the chains holding her hands. Thalia rubbed her wrists, which were red from hanging there for so long. "So what are we going to do?" Thalia questioned. "Are we going to try and survive the cold? Or just stay here?"

"No, I just thought your arms might have felt numb." I slid back down the wall.

Footsteps echoed down the hallway. Nico's head shot up. "I thought they were gone."

I was still holding Backbiter and was ready to kill anyone who came through the door. The door opened and I ran at the person standing there. Backbiter hit a celestial bronze dragger. "Gods, Percy! If you wanted to break up with me, just say so!" Annabeth scolded me.

"No-I don't-I mean, I thought you were someone else." I stepped back.

Thalia ran up to Annabeth and gave her a hug. Nico just stood up and leaned against the wall. After Annabeth and Thalia were done hugging Annabeth wrapped her arms around me. She looked into my eyes. "Uh...Percy, why do your eyes look so...I don't know, dead?" Annabeth asked.

I backed away from her. "John...took your powers and now he has all of them. So Thalia, Nico, and I are just normal humans. No special powers or anything. But the good news is I don't have to worry about my Achilles spot anymore...because that's gone too."

"What? Why did you let him do that?" Annabeth protested.

"It's not like we wanted him too. They just...caught us off guard. And man, I'm telling you, if I have to feel THAT kind of pain to get my powers back, I'll stay mortal," Nico said.

I capped Backbiter and put it back in my pocket. "I'd love to stay and catch up, but this place is going to blow any minute," Thalia said.

I nodded. "So how are we getting out of here, Annabeth?"

"You're not going to like it, but my mom is taking us back to Manhattan," Annabeth told me.

Athena was probably still mad at me...but I guess if she saved us from dying. Thalia grabbed my arm, "Come on, Percy."

We ran down the hallway. The walls had bombs covering them. It said we had one minute to get out before boom! Athena was standing right outside the castle. She made a face when she saw me. "I changed my mind, Annabeth, I will not save him," Athena sneered.

I knew she was talking about me. "Mom!" Annabeth said.

Athena sighed. "Fine."

There was a flash of light and suddenly we were standing in the center of Manhattan. Though, it didn't look like Manhattan. Cars were flipped over. People were running and screaming in all directions. Windows had been smashed. Thunder clouds hung above the city. Lightning flashed. "W-What happened here?" Nico stammered.

"John Martin and his damned Demigod Hunters," Athena said.

John did all this? Could he do that? "Percy Jackson," Hermes said suddenly behind me. "Zeus would like to speak to you. He isn't too happy about all this."