Nasim knew that this was probably suicide. I mean, she warned me fair and square, he thought to himself as he stood uneasily outside of Cabin Thirteen. He raised a fist hesitantly, then knocked on the door. No sound came from within.
It had taken him an entire weeks to read the entire content of The Book, but that was only because the pages changed so much that one page actually carried the amount of information normally occupied by twenty pages.
He knocked again, knowing that he was eventually going to have to work up the courage to go inside. It was dark outside; Nasim hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings when he'd finished reading. He'd just come straight here.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?" a voice asked. Nasim whirled around, head filling with fighting spells and his hands obediently blazing to life with purple, fiery magic.
A boy with olive-toned skin and dark, shaggy hair stood there. He was wearing an aviators jacket and black jeans; a sword hung at his side and a backpack was slung on his shoulder.
"Nico?" Nasim gaped.
"It's 3 am," Nico informed him, checking his watch. "Now, what the damnation are you doing outside my door at 3 in the freaking morning?"
"I could ask you the same question," Nasim retorted. There was a spot behind his eyes that was pulsing with pain. "You're never here."
Nico gave him a sort of smirk as his backpack slipped off his shoulder. "Are you here to see Andy?" he asked.
"Yes," Nasim said slowly, extinguishing the fire in his hands.
"Are you her boyfriend?"
"What? No!"
"No need to sound so disgusted, that's my sister you're talking about," Nico flared.
"She's not your sister, she's your - " Nasim frowned, trying to figure it out in his head. "Niece? Whoa, that's weird."
"Yeah," Nico frowned as well. "Never thought of it that way."
"I'm surprised we haven't woken her up," Nasim noted, nodding toward the door.
"Uh, do you know Andy?" Nico grinned. "Nothing can wake her in the morning. And it is technically morning."
"I need to talk to her," Nasim insisted.
"Your funeral," Nico said, opening the door and stepping inside. Nasim slowly followed, looking around. The Book was tucked into his jacket; he could feel its pulsing energy against his side. The Book was the greatest gift to a half-blood since Daedalus's laptop. Actually, it might be even better. Nasim hadn't stop thanking his mother since he'd realized what it contained.
The beds were all empty except for one; the blankets had bunched up over a sleeping figure. A book lay just under Andy's bed, but Nasim didn't really spare it a second glance.
"Um, Andy?" Nasim asked, moving closer.
"Man, you don't know anything, do you?" Nico said, rolling his eyes. "Always check for weapons before trying to wake her up." Andy's sword lay under the bed; Nico nudged his toe under the blade and expertly kicked it away. He made a sarcastic motion indicating that it was now safe to approach the sleeping girl.
Nico made no move to unpack, and Nasim didn't think he would. He probably wouldn't be staying long. Nasim tentatively reached out and poked Andy's shoulder, leaping back just in case. Nothing happened.
"Andy? Come on, wakey wakey," Nasim said, moving close enough to shake her shoulder and feeling really nervous about being that close. "Andy? Andy!" He bent down and started to shout in her ear.
Nico was looking amused, leaning back against his bunk with a patronizing smile on his face. When Nasim looked at him hopelessly, Nico smirked even more and walked into the bathroom. There was a sound of running water. Nasim began to wrack his head for spells that might help him wake up Andy.
"What are you doing now?" Nico asked, reappearing and holding a tub of water. "Trying to wake her up telepathically?"
"No, trying to remember something that will - " Nasim was cut off as Nico pushed past him and dumped the tub of water on Andy.
She screeched like a banshee and flew out of bed. Hair streaming with water, she snarled like an angry cat and her hands found Nico's neck and began to throttle him. He reacted surprisingly well, simply pulling something out of his pocket and holding it up for Andy to see.
"Pop-tart?" he offered.
"Strawberry?" she growled.
"Would I bring you anything else?" Nico asked. Andy let go off him - well, she really pushed him away - and snatched the pop-tart. Ripping the foil off, Andy bit into it with a vicious ferocity that indicated she was taking her anger out on it.
"Actually, this dude wanted to see you," Nico said, jerking his thumb at Nasim. Andy turned her glare on him.
"Well, at least he didn't dump a pail of water on me," Andy noted, slowing her eating down.
"Only cause he didn't know," Nico grumbled.
"What's up?" Andy asked Nasim, softening. Nico's eyes registered surprise and flashed from Andy to Nasim and back.
"Sure you aren't dating," Nico snorted.
"Shut up Nico," Andy growled. "I've gotten better with a sword since you left."
"Andy, I've got an idea," Nasim said slowly. "My mom told me. And, well, my dad sort of." Andy stopped eating.
"To... save him?" Andy asked.
"Yes." Andy dropped the pop-tart, which hit the ground and broke.
"Andy... doesn't... want... a pop-tart?" Nico looked stunned. "What the Hades is going on?"
"You think you know where he is?" Andy asked.
"No, but I think I can take us to him," Nasim said slowly. "Are you coming?"
"A more important question," Nico interrupted. "Are you wearing my shirt?"
"Yeah, so what?" Andy asked, scrambling to find her shoes, which she shoved on without socks. "Where's my sword?" She found it and strapped it on.
"It's my shirt!" Nico protested. "Wherever and whatever you're doing, don't rip it, burn it, get poison or blood on it - "
"Blah, blah, blah," Andy mimicked. "Best friend to save if he's still alive!"
"... best friend?" Nico asked. "Wait, does that involve my dad? Andy? Andy, this better not involve your grandfather!"
"Take my hands," Nasim said. Andy immediately did so, tossing her head to flick a strand of hair out of her face.
"Aren't you going to tell Chiron?" Nico asked desperately.
The edges of Nasim's vision began to go grey with veins of purple fire streaming through it. Nico faded and his voice grew more and more distant. He was still muttering indignantly about his shirt - who cares? Like anyone knew that band anymore, Nasim thought.
Everything went grey and the veins of purple arched around them, always three to four feet away. The only thing that remained clear was Andy.
"Where are we?" she asked, her voice echoing strangely.
"The space between worlds," Nasim said. "This is the world where Hecate walks. And Morpheus. Centaurs use it as well, to bend time."
The grey began to dissolve like mist, leaving the purple veins behind. Between the encasing vines, dark shadows began to fill. They were in the Underworld.
Everything was shades of black except for two figures right before them. As the purple fire extinguished, Andy and Nasim were left standing in front of two chairs.
In one of the chairs slumped an unconscious youth with curly hair and grey, dead-looking skin. But they did not look at him long, because of who was sitting in the second chair.
Robin's skin was pale, almost bloodless. His head was slumped forward and he looked like he would have fallen out of his chair if not for the bonds holding him there. It was as though the earth itself had risen up to encase Robin's lower body in a solid sheath. Four or five tendrils of earth had snuck up, snake-like, to wrap themselves around his torso and hold it in place.
"Robin!" Andy cried, half laughing and half sobbing, running towards him. She fell to her knees in front of the chair. "Robin, it's me! It's Andy and Nasim!"
"He can't hear you," a cool, female voice said. Nasim whirled around and saw a young woman with pale skin and black hair wearing a white dress and holding a shallow clay bowl in both hands. "And even if he could, he would not remember."
"What are you talking about?" Andy asked, her voice shaking. "He knows us! We're his best friends."
"And that is the chair of forgetfulness," the woman (Nasim knew it was Persephone) told her. She moved closer and Andy backed away from her, staring at the goddess. "He does not even remember his own name."
Persephone took a damp cloth from the bowl and began to bathe Robin's forehead with it. Something shimmered behind the chair and two men, silvery and transparent, appeared.
One of them was tall and handsome, but looked slightly worn by battle. His armor was scratched, his crimson cloak torn, and his face was drooped with sadness. The other looked a lot like Robin, with long dark hair and a handsome, sorrowful face. He wore a simple tunic and an ornate lyre was slung at his hip.
The second one knelt at Robin side and carefully, gently held his hand. The other, more war-like of the two, hung back and sighed heavily.
"I've seen you," Andy said suddenly, narrowing her eyes at the warrior. "On the Black Pearl."
"I thought you might have," the man nodded. "But only Robin was supposed to see me. I was only supposed to be real to Robin." His voice cracked and he put a hand to his eyes.
"Odysseus believes it is his fault the boy was taken," Persephone told the half-bloods.
"I encouraged him!" Odysseus moaned. "I tempted the Fates, thinking they couldn't harm me because I was already dead."
"It is not your fault," the other ghost assured him, his voice musical and soothing.
"Can't you do something? Nasim asked him. "Couldn't you have prevented this?"
"The only thing that could have prevented this was a robin feather," the ghost told them. "It's so much more than good luck, it's a protective charm. But maenads, ever the enemy of Calliope's children, took the feather."
"Are you... are you Orpheus?" Nasim asked.
"Was. I was Orpheus, once upon a time, long ago, in a place far away," the dead poet told them.
"Well, can't someone save him?" Andy demanded. "Why have you brought him here?"
"Brought him here?" Persephone asked, straightening up, her dark eyes flashing. "We found him here, we kept him alive. The Earth brought him here." She pointed one long white finger at the mud that encased Robin.
"Is it my imagination," Nasim said uneasily. "Or is that rising?"
"Gaia is consuming him," Persephone said sadly. "There is little time left. She is feeding on him."
"But why Robin?" Andy asked. "We were all there, why not one of us?"
"Because Robin has the most power," Odysseus said. "That was what first drew me to him, his simple complete purity."
"Robin knows the epics by heart, doesn't he?" Orpheus asked Andy. When she nodded shakily the ghost continued, "But I suppose you will not understand as I do. You see, Robin not only knows the words, he knows all that they contain. Every battle and every feast, every laugh and every sob. He knows all the emotions contained in them and all the human souls. That is what Gaia wants, the essence of humanity which the poets captured in words. You can see she is draining him, the magic upon his clothing was the first thing to go."
Nasim took a look at the clothing and noticed that the hoodie, jeans, and t-shirt were gone, all replaced with 17th century clothing and a feathered collar.
"Gaia is using the chair to pull Robin's memories out twice as fast," Odysseus said. "It's a brilliant strategic move."
"What, so you admire her?" Andy asked, voice high.
"Who's that?" Nasim interrupted, pointed towards the second chair and its occupant.
Persephone's gaze went dark and the very ground shook. "That is Pirithous. Never speak of him again."
"Yes, Gran," Andy muttered under her breath.
"Don't call me that," Persephone fumed.
"Can we concentrate on Robin?" Orpheus demanded. At once everyone sobered.
"You know, I've never seen the gods this united in their fondness for a mortal since Hector," Persephone said softly. "Apollo won't even take out his golden scale to see what his Fate is. But then, he always had a soft spot for Calliope. Kivese's ready to kill something with her bare hands."
"If I know her, she'd rather do it with a bow," Andy noted.
"Artemis is no better, her hunters are screaming to be allowed down here," Persephone frowned.
"You're not letting them down?" Nasim asked. "Why not? I thought you said you wanted him to be rescued!"
"Apollo told us not to," Persephone told them.
"Wait, I thought you said Apollo wanted him to be rescued," Andy interrupted.
"Apollo knew he would be," Orpheus sighed, standing up fluidly. Nasim noticed that he floated a few inches above the ground. "So... we're all waiting for you."
"Us?" Andy asked.
"Us," Nasim nodded. "Andy, I've got an idea. Remember Nyx?" Andy's eyes lit up and she scrambled over to Nasim, gripping his hand tightly. They both turned to look at Robin's slumped form.
"Nothing's happening," Nasim noted uneasily.
"I - I don't know where to look," Andy admitted.
"I think I can help," Orpheus said, floating over. Nasim shrugged and reached a hand out for the ghost. Orpheus gave a wan smiled and shook his head.
"I don't think that's possible," Orpheus said. He instead offered his hand to Andy, daughter of the queen of ghosts. Andy hesitated, then took it. As she did, Orpheus became more solid and traces of color bloomed across him.
He turned and looked at Robin; Andy and Nasim followed his lead. But this time they saw. Robin was glowing faintly with a golden light but even as they watched that light was growing dimmer and dimmer. The earth around him now looked like a giant hand clutching him, dragging him down.
Nasim raised his hand, palm facing Robin. Purple streaks of light curled off his palm and writhed through the air like snakes. They slithered towards Robin and began to wiggle into the cracks between Gaia's fingers.
A/N: Footnotes:
Pirithous: A friend of Theseus, he attempted to capture Persephone and make her his wife. Hades found out and imprisoned him in the Chair of Forgetfulness.