Hades ushered the group out of the dungeon. A few skeletal electrical engineers walked down to the dungeon to fix the lights.
Hades held the same solemn gaze he had when Persephone turned. He didn't say much to them. The only thing he had said to them was they could go back inside once the lights were fixed and he trudged back the still quiet Hestia and down the hall.
After an hour Deimos and Phobos led the half-bloods back down. They were still shaken up about what had happened in Hermes' mind. Especially Hazel.
Phobos looked inside Athena's cell. She was facing the corner. Talking to herself and laughing like she was holding up a conversation with the funniest person she'd ever met.
Phobos wasn't built up like his brother. He had a lanky frame and his eyes were sunken into his head. He looked like a reject for the military. His eyes held a kind of cowardice to them. Ready to run at the sign of any threat.
Annabeth looked inside the cell. Athena's back was to them. Her black hair was in tangles now and her white robe was now bloodied. The bed had been torn apart and the walls had large dents from the times Athena had abused herself.
Annabeth looked back at Percy. She needed to help her mother. It reminded her of when she was Minerva. How she seemed so lost and confused. But this time her well being was at stake.
Thalia hugged Annabeth from behind. She turned and hugged back.
"We'll help her," Thalia said.
The half-bloods stood in front of Athena's cell and once again Phobos and Deimos sent them on their way inside the goddess's mind.
They ended up in a vast room with a huge ceiling. All around them were bookshelves. They lined the walls. They towered high on tables and they were in piles on the floor. The room felt cold, naturally. Large windows shown in the sun's rays from outside and large purple drapes hung at their sides.
Despite the elegant look of the library, many different sized owls chased each other throughout the room knocking down bookcases and sending towers of books falling to the ground. A tiger and a bobcat battled behind one of the tables in the farthest corner of the room. Tiger lilies sprung up in random places of the room. Some of the more mischievous owls would drop olives from above and they'd land on sleeping tigers. The tigers would roar in anger causing the owls to shriek and circle the room like vultures overhead.
The current would cause pages amd many of the lightweight books to fly around.
Two grand staircases led to a second floor which held more books. In the center of the two staircases at the second floor was a woman with wavy black hair. It was pulled back into a ponytail and she wore a silver girdle and a white, greek robe. A book was within her hands and she mumbled to herself.
She seemed oblivious to the chaos happening around her.
The demigods made it to the second floor as quickly as possible avoiding the cats as best as they could.
Annabeth walked nearer to the goddess. Her grey eyes seemed panicked,"Can't read...Can't read...what use is wisdom without knowledge...can't read...ophiophobia...anxiety...lygophobia or nyctophobia?...monophobia...what does that mean?...Who are you? What might I be?...Stare at the sun. 1 means 3. At the helm of insanity...you're too far gone. Now you're just losin' your mind...the broken ones...the broken ones..."
"Mother?"
Athena threw the book across the room out of frustration and screamed. Annabeth jumped.
Athena began to sweat and she lashed out on the books on the walls,"We're doomed! We're doomed! We're doomed! What use is wisdom without the knowledge!? We're doomed! Years of always being right! Being the foothold! Why am I the one responsible for keeping the peace always!? Here I am without a clue! Not even knowing the color blue! Oh woe to me. He let me be. Now I'm stuck in endless insanity."
Annabeth stared at her mother's concerned face. Her grey eyes had the same lost look to them. She continued to cry about how lost they were. How doomed they were. So many things were happening in Athena's mind it was hard to believe it was hers at all. Until Hazel caught a certain phrase Athena had cried,"The broken ones! The broken ones! I can't see! I can't see! We turn weak! Find the key!"
"The broken ones? That's exactly what Hermes said,"Hazel stated.
Annabeth held onto Athena's shoulders. The latter screeched and tried to wriggle out of her grasp.
"Athena! We're trying to save you! What do you know about the broken ones?"
"Broken! Broken! Token! Spoken! The ocean!... Porcelain. Course and boardin'. Left and right. Wrong from right. Up and down. Turn around. See it through. Peek-a-boo."
"Mother!"
Athena laughed. It was the same laugh Hera made when they first saw her and it scared Annabeth.
She looked back at the library. All the books that were littered. She bent over and picked one up. She opened it.
The words were fading. As she turned the pages she could see the letters fading. Half the book was blank.
What good is wisdom without knowledge.
She closed the book and read the cover. Wars and How to Prevent Them by Athena
She picked another one up. They were all books based on Athena's experiences. Wars, parties, conflicts, and family issues. The knowledge she collected over the years and all the words were fading.
She looked up to Athena and showed her a page from a book deacribing her rivalry with Ares,"Athena, where is the chink in Ares' armor?"
"Chink?"
"Yes, the chink."
Athena stared at the book blankly and began to hyperventilate,"No no. Rain, go away. Never come back, please delay."
Annabeth looked back down at the book. The words were fading again. She looked back up. Athena searched frantically in different books but all the ones she picked up were blank.
At one point one of the books turned to dust.
They all looked on as the dust blew in the air. Athena looked on as if someone had killed her favorote pet. Her eyes filled with tears and she turned to Annabeth.
"The broken ones. Find the key. Find the key! Don't leave me be!"
She advanced on Annabeth dangerously and the latter backed away from her.
"Save me! Save me! One two three! I can't be free! The killing spree! Mortals! Mortals! Beware! Face your fears if you dare!" she cried.
The cats roared. The owls screeched. The flowers wilted. The room dimmed.
"Lost knowledge! Lost knowledge! Crumbling college! Save me! Save me! Set me free!"
She took out a dagger and swung at the demigods.
Annabeth saw it in her eyes. She no longer recognized them. Whatever was happening she was losing her memory of them.
Annabeth stepped back. How did they go back last time?
Athena cornered them. Behind her stalked the tigers. They licked their maws hungrily.
Suddenly Annabeth remembered. You pinch yourself to make sure if something is real or just a dream. That's why the gods abused themselves so much. To keep themselves planted in the real world.
She looked at the knife in Athena's hand she didn't want to do it. But it was the only way.
She ran straight at her and tackled Athena to the ground. They wrestled with the knife and rolled over in the litter of pages.
Annabeth finally had the upperhand. She aimed the knife over Athena's heart and pushed down. Athena screamed trying to push her away.
"Annabeth!" Percy cried.
She looked up. A tiger pounced on Annabeth but she jumped off Athena. The goddess pulled out the bloody and just managed to slice her chest and Annabeth cried out in pain.
However the tiger landed on Athena. It roared and bit down on her stomach.
She let out a bone chilling scream and suddenly the half bloods were in the dungeon again.
Annabeth panted. She held onto her chest where the knife wound was supposed to be but as she checked herself she realized nothing was there.
She looked back up at her mother who screamed and screamed. She had balled her hand into a fist and kept hitting her own stomach.
Annabeth hid her face in her hands. She shook her head and began to cry with her mother.