FINALLY! It's done! Chapter 10 is here. I hope you like it! Enjoy...

Percy IV

Percy was having a bad feeling that the dragon wanted him for dinner. They didn't seem to get along that much ever since they had tried to fight each other to the death. Thank the gods, that Annabeth had actually "tamed" the dragon, Pythos. A huge beast that, after trying to kill Percy, decided that it would help them just so he would be "free" of his bonds with some evil dude called Prometheus. Percy hoped that it wasn't the same guy from the movie, Prometheus, because it if was, then –no, it couldn't be possible.

After receiving some very useful "help", Percy and Annabeth had exited the cave to start of their journey. The hundred-handers hadn't really been helpful when he had asked them what they had to do. "Just follow the map." They said, "Everything would be fine," they said. Percy sighed, as much as he enjoyed actually being with Annabeth after they had been separated for 8 months, they still had no clue on what they were supposed to do.

Together, they exited the cave and Annabeth took the map from Percy and examined it. All of a sudden the map grew red. Annabeth shrieked and then dropped it. The map was now smoking as if it were on fire!

After the map seemed to cool down, Percy bent down to grab it. It was a simple map, nothing too complicated for Percy to understand. Off to the west, was a large river that twisted and turned off the map. Off to the east was a large forest and then a large clearing that seemed to look like a small city perhaps? I guess giant 100 feet monsters need a home too, thought Percy. Then, something else caught his eye and it seemed as if Annabeth saw it as well because they both pointed at a large mountain, or volcano, North East of the map, and on the map where Greek letters all written in gold. It read: Πρώτη θέση σας, which Percy knew meant: Your first destination.

OK, so first, a huge dragon helping them for the quest, then a whole colony of a hundred-handers, and now a magical map? Tartarus WAS weird, Percy has concluded.

"Well I guess, we should get going now." Said Percy.

"No, not now, not after all of this, we should get a good sleep and then go after," said Annabeth, "I don't want to run into anymore Cyclops's."

Percy realized that she was right. What if there were more monsters just waiting for them once they left this cave? The hundred handers had given them protection and had even saved their lives, but no everyone in Tartarus would have been so nice. And where was Typhon? And Kronus? Had they all just magically disappeared? For the hundredth time this day, he had felt grateful for Annabeth being here, because if he were to be alone, he was sure that he would be killed by the Cyclops's, or eaten by a dragon…whichever came first.

"Yeah, I think you're right." Said Percy, "Lets camp near the cave just to be sure, but no fire, we don't want to attract any attention"

After a few minutes, they had both managed to set up a small camp near the cave. Pythos had gone to hunt and the hundred handers had left them alone, although he knew that they were keeping a close eye on them. The both sat on a log that Percy had found, holding hands.

"So we're in Tartarus" said Percy.

"So we're in Tartarus" responded Annabeth.

"And we have another quest to do," then he looked over at Annabeth, "Just like old times"

Old times meaning a year ago, over the Titan war.

Annabeth pursed her lips, "But Percy, what if Nico can't lead them over to the mortal side of the doors? What do we do then?"

Percy was surprised that Annabeth was the one asking him, the questions.

"Don't worry, Nico promised us that he will do it, and I know he will" said Percy. No matter what, Percy was determined to defeat Gaea, he had too. The gods where arrogant and couldn't accept that once again, they needed their children's help. Inside Percy knew that he would win this battle no matter what because he had one thing that Gaea didn't. A reason worth dying for. He wondered if that was his fatal flaw talking again. When he had last met Athena, she had warned him,-actually she warned him every time he met her- that he had been too loyal to his friends. If the time came to choose whether to defeat the giants, or rescue his friends, he knew he couldn't decide. He also knew that the time to decide was coming very soon.

"I hope you're right Percy, because then this quest will be useless" said Annabeth.

"Hey, when am I ever wrong?" he said, giving Annabeth that mischievous smile again. Whether she hated it or had gotten used to it, he wasn't sure. He leaned in and kissed her.

Then they both sat looking at the horizon. It probably would have been more appealing to monsters, considering this whole horizon was red, but oh well, the designers is Tartarus had some work to do.

After a few minutes, their large dragon friend, Pythos came into view and landed on the clearing next to them. He regarded Percy for a second and then snorted out dust on him. Percy figured that it was as if the dragon had just spit on him. They seemed to be getting along "fine" now, and Percy hoped that snorting on people meant that: You amuse me, I will kill you last, human.

An ancient voice rattled their heads.

I have scouted the area around and have found no enemies or traps nearby, so it is safe to move, and I suggest you do if you have any chance of surviving.

"Well then let's get moving!" said Percy. Even though he hated to admit it, the dragon was right.

They both climbed onto the dragon's back and Annabeth looked at the map.

"Right so, according to this map, we should be, ah, about 30 kilometers from this mountain and it should be-"

The mountain you say, is actually a, what do you people call it? A volcano, but don't worry, it hasn't erupted for quite a while now, 2 days to be exact. I know the way and I shall aid you, but I am not going up there, for it is…forbidden.

Percy hoped that the dragon was joking about the volcano erupting but if he wasn't then they were in for a tough fight. And why was this place forbidden? Percy had no clue, but by the way the dragon was talking about it, he could guess that something bad happened there. Something really bad…

And with no warning, the dragon took off into the air and heading North East, Percy assumed according to the map. He probably would have fallen off if it weren't for Annabeth who caught his arm and pulled him back up.

"Uh, thanks" he said.

For the first time, he actually seemed to enjoy flying up so high. So this is how Jason feels, thought Percy. Funny, he seemed to compare so much to Jason these days.

He took a look around him as they were flying. The view was incredible. They were up so high, and Percy could see everything from here. The cave itself looked like an ant. For the first time in the last few days, he smiled as the wind hit his face. He felt like superman, except his underwear wasn't over his pants…and the fact that they were one a dragon.

After about 10 minutes, the tip of the volcano came into view, and Percy had a horrible memory come back to him about Mount St. Helen's. That had been a bad time when Percy had unleashed Typhon from his chains. It was also the time when he started to have stronger feelings towards Annabeth. And of course, there was Calypso's island of Ogygia. He still thought about it often. What if he had stayed there forever?

As they neared the volcano, Annabeth seemed to become tenser. Was she hiding something? But why? They were in this together had had been a team for so long. No, that couldn't be it.

The volcano was massive! It looked like a typical evil lair for some mad scientist, with lightning around it, and thick red fog surrounding the volcano. The rock itself appeared to be about as tall as St. Helens had been, and Percy grew sicker by just watching it.

Below him, he could see a clearing on the volcano's side, and then a tunnel to who know where? Oh great, that's exactly where Pythos was heading.

The dragon spread his majestic wings out to come for a landing. Once he did, Percy and Annabeth climbed off.

I…should be off now, I will meet you here in 1 hour, if you do come back alive, I cannot come with you, but know that this place is guarded by the king of Lapiths. And with that, the dragon was off, and although Percy couldn't see much through the fog, he could make out a dragons figure, flying…fast.

"Oh this is just awesome!" said Percy, "Do you know what he was talking about? About some king of la-what?"

Annabeth seemed paranoid. "I-I'm sure it's nothing, now let's go!"

They both began walking into the tunnel, and as soon as he did, Percy wished he could go back out and run away with Annabeth. The place gave even Percy chills. The tunnel was straight and probably ended about a kilometer from here, but the place seemed to laughing at them as if saying: Dinner is this way, and you're on the menu! And although Percy couldn't see anyone or hear anything other than their footsteps, he knew that they weren't alone. Annabeth seemed better now with her ankle but she occasionally had to ask Percy for help.

They walked for what seemed like hours, and then days, and then Percy realized that it had only been 5 minutes, which was kind of sucked because they had only been here for a couple minutes and they had already been freaked out.

See, people in Tartarus weren't very good in giving advice. If you asked them a question, they usually responded in rhymes or prophecies. It was like hearing an echo or worse, Apollo.

They soon neared the clearing and gasped as they both saw the room. Well it was actually a round hall which a domed roof. There were several other tunnels extending out to other places, and right in the middle, THE very middle, was a half pillar, and on the pillar, sat a diamond shaped piece of celestial bronze that Percy figured was the first part of the key. It seemed to be calling to them.

"No..no,no,no" said Annabeth, "This is way too easy, there's got to be some sort of trap"

"Ah Annabeth, so intelligent, you have guessed correctly," A deep voice rumbled through the hall, and when Percy looked off to the left tunnel, he saw a strange man who would have done well for a homeless person in New York. He was freakishly thin, had trembling fingers, was twitching, and was moving his eyes like a mad man, which he probably was. He was wearing purple royal robes.

"Are you the guy from the mad hatter?" said Percy.

The man began to laugh and roll on the floor, and then he began to cough up blood. He sounded like a dying Hyena who was dying from laughing. Man, this guy was messed up in the head.

"I," said the man, "am...wait who am I?" he asked Annabeth as he walked around as if he where drunk.

"OH THAT'S RIGHT" he shouted, "I am, Obam-no, that's not right either."

Then he walked near Percy as began to ramble on and on about who he was. Percy pulled out his sword, Riptide, just to be safe, but it looked as if even a fly could beat this guy up.

"Ah yes! Yes, yes,yes, I am Ixion, the former king of Lapiths," said Ixion, "I was king until I killed my-"

Then the "king" was interrupted by another fit of coughs.

"Annabeth, I don't like this…" said Percy, "He's too confident, like he knows we're going to die…we can just kill him right now"

"No!" Said Annabeth, and then she turned to Ixion, "Listen, uh, Ixion, we come in peace"

Percy held his hands up and made the spock Vulcan sign from star-treck. "Live long and Prosper"

Annabeth kicked his shin.

"We just need the key and we will be going" she said.

"Oh but my dear, I'm afraid I cannot do that!" said Ixion, "My master, has made so many promises…so many promises to wake the goddess!"

Then he began to limp closer to Annabeth who held the map.

"Catch me…catch me before I destroy them!" he said and he grabbed the map and the key and ran off into the tunnel he had come from. Just as he exited, all the other doors closed except for the ones that they had come from and where the king had ran off too.

And just when Percy thought that thing couldn't get any worse…well you know what comes next right? Yellow gas began to leak out of small holes he hadn't noticed before. And he hoped that it wasn't chlorine.

At this point, Percy really had no clue what he was going to do. The stupid king had taken all the clues they had for solving this quest and ran off with them, if they ran away from this volcano, then they would probably lose everything, and if he ran off to find Ixion, Annabeth would be trapped in the gas as she couldn't run. Even the way they had come from was leaking gas. He was trapped and then he heard a voice in his head saying: When times come, what will you choose? And he knew what it meant. His fatal flaw was to be loyal to his friends, he couldn't just leave Annabeth here and go off and hunt down a mad man, but if he didn't they would lose everything. He looked at Annabeth, and then at the tunnel. They both began to cough as more and more gas filled the room. His lungs where burning and probably Annabeth's too.

Their eyes met for a second and she croaked "Percy, go! There isn't much time and … he'll get away, d-don't worry about me, I'll be fine. The exit's right there, I'll call Pythos"

But he knew that she wouldn't be "fine". After 8 months of separations and so many quests together, he couldn't leave her here because he knew that the world was falling and the only thing keeping him alive was Annabeth.

He saw no choice. Millions were going to die if they didn't stop Gaea, but millions where currently fighting to save or defeat the mortals who had no clue what was going on. For the first time in his life, Percy began to realize the value of life. So many lives were lost just to save people who didn't even care and gods who didn't even acknowledged the fact that they needed help, so who deserved better? The people who were fighting or the people who did nothing? He knew this was his fatal flaw talking again and then he knew what to do.

"I'll be back, I promise, you try to find a way to get out" said Percy. He hugged her and ran off. He looked back once and saw Annabeth limping away towards the exit and coughing a lot. He knew that if he was in her position, he would already be dead. Annabeth was smarter and faster than any other demi-gods he had seen and he felt himself growing confident that things were going to be okay. In the tunnel that Ixion had run to, there was no gas and Percy wondered if he should bring Annabeth here but when he looked back once more, she was gone…and hopefully safe.

He didn't have to go very far to catch up to the king who was holding the key and map to a fire, however Percy had no idea if you could burn Celestial bronze and magical maps. On his other hand, Ixion held a…needle? Where he had gotten mortal supplies, Percy had no clue, but it appeared to be empty.

When the king saw Percy, he began to laugh again and again. He sounded like a rat. Then he did the one thing that Percy least expected. He injected himself with…oxygen? Immediately, the king fell to the ground and tried to throw the map into the fire but missed. His chest began heaving like he was dying. Percy ran over and picked up the map and key which seemed to grow cold in his hand. Then he pulled out his sword and held it to Ixion's throat.

"Why are you doing this?" said Percy, growing more and angrier.

The king simply responded, "So many sacrifices to awaken the goddess," and began to laugh and cough again, "The girl…she is braver than most, but my boy, it is hard to find an exit when your lungs are melting away" then he looked at Percy in the eye and said, "She had 2 minutes"

And with that the king went limp.

Percy's eyes widened. "Annabeth!" he shouted.

Sorry, it's kind of a cliff hanger...ok it IS a cliff hanger :( But I couldn't add that much information into one chapter! I hope you liked it, and if you did, please review, follow, favorite etc. Ixion was actually a real king of some majestic place in Greek Mythology but he was banished to Tartarus after brutally killing people, and he became mentally ill :( I tried to keep it as historically accurate, but if there are any mistakes, please let me know! Thanks for all the viewer. You are all awesome! Next POV is Percy of course.

So until next time GOOODBYE AND REMEMBER TO FOLLOW! :P