I'm soooooo excited you guuuuyyss. I hope ya'll are as excited as I am. 'Cause I'm pretty excited. But that's not the point. The point is that I decided to give you an extra long chapter as reward for just being so rad. I am a generous god (I accept animal sacrifices and reviews as payment to my godly awesomeness).

Okay, sorry for getting a little carried away. Don't actually kill any animals, I love animals. BUT you CAN totally REVIEW. But read the chapter first...

After eating way too many Oreos, and going into a sugar coma, I wake up to discover we're in Nevada. Las Vegas, Nevada to be precise. We gaze out the window at all the dazzling lights. Then in the darkness a white suit stands out. I clutch the armrest.

"Annabeth, are you alright?" Percy asks. He doesn't notice the stranger who is closely monitoring the passing cars.

"I think we should get out here." I say. Percy and Grover seem confused, but agree.

"As soon as we get out, speed away as quickly as you can." I tell Alfred. "And I couldn't have asked for a better zombie butler named Alfred. We had some great times." A single tear rolls down my cheek. "I'll miss you buddy."

We slow down as we turn a corner and Percy, Grover, and I quickly jump out of the limo and run for cover. We walk down the block. It is nearly a hundred and ten degrees, but we keep walking. A few times I think I see a flash of white behind us. We take a few more zigzagging turns. I look back, and see that white suit. I look at the pavement and start walking faster.

"In here." I say. We turn the next corner, only to find ourselves in a dead end. We're standing in front of the Lotus Hotel and Casino.

"Oh no." I groan.

"Annabeth, is something wrong?" Percy asks. "Is something following us?"

"I think so." I say. I really don't want to do this but I don't think we have any other choice. "Let's go in there for a few minutes to hide." I point at the entrance that was a huge neon flower, the petals lighting up and blinking. No one is going in or out, but the glittering chrome doors are open, spilling out air-conditioning that smells like flowers-lotus blossoms to be exact.

The doorman smiles at us. "Hey, kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?"

"Yes!" I say, and we rush in. Just as we make it into the sanctuary of the air-conditioned Casino, the Editor appears. He takes a moment, studies the dead end, then continues on. I breathe a sigh of relief.

"I think we're in the clear. We should hang here for a few minutes, then continue on." I say to Percy and Grover. There's no answer.

"Percy? Grover?" I ask. There's no one there. "Oh no…"

I feel overwhelmed when I wander into the Casino. The entire lobby is a giant game room. There's an indoor water slide that's at least forty floors high. There's also a climbing wall on one side of the building and an indoor bungee-jumping bridge. There's virtual reality laser tag and about a bazillion different video games…but no sign of Percy or Grover.

I know that a minute in here could be an hour outside, so it's the utmost importance that I find them as soon as possible.

"Hey!" A bellhop says. "Welcome to the Lotus Casino. Here's your room key."

"That's great, but I'm looking for my two frie-"

"And here's your LotusCash card." He says. He hands me the room key and green credit card, and walks away before I can ask him if he's seen my friends. I toss the cards away.

"Percy! Grover!" I start yelling. I'm forced to search the entire floor. There aren't many people around, but I ask them if they've seen anyone matching Percy's or Grover's descriptions. No one even acknowledged me. They were all too absorbed in the games. I decided that they must've gone up to a room. I sneak over to the reception desk. There's no one there, which I suppose makes sense because it's not like anyone is actually paying to stay here. It's good for me though because it gives me a chance to sneak back. I analyze the different room keys. There are about thirty missing. That means there are thirty rooms being used right now. I'm never going to have enough time to go through all those rooms.

Then I notice a speaker. I pick up the microphone and turn it on.

"Ahem. Ahem." I say. My words echo through the hotel. Perfect. "Could Percy and Grover please come to the front desk to pick up their new and improved cash cards?"

I put down the microphone.

"Excuse me, Miss." It's the bellhop from before. "You really shouldn't be back there. If you'd just come with me."

Nope. I quickly race away from him and disappear into the game room. I sneak into one of the laser tag rooms as the bellhop walks by. I peek my head out, check for bellhops, and sneak back to the front desk. Percy and Grover are already there.

"Percy! Grover! Thank goodness." I say, and embrace them both in a hug.

"Annabeth, we're about to have our cash cards upgraded." Grover says excitedly.

"That's great. But we need to go now." I say. They both look upset. "We have a quest. Remember?"

Both boys need a moment to remember what I'm talking about.

"We've wasted enough time in here." I say. I grab their hands and drag them out. They look longingly at the game room.

"Can I interest you in a platinum card?" A bellhop asks us at the exit.

"Find someone else to hoodwink." I say and hurry past. As soon as we leave the building, Percy and Grover start to regain focus. Percy picks up a newspaper sitting on the ground. He looks distressed.

"We were in the Lotus Hotel for five days." He says. "We have one day to complete our quest."

"What? There's a deadline for this quest?" I ask, now distressed myself. "We'd better hurry it up then." I see a nearby taxi. Percy still has his Lotuscard. I hope this works. I walk up to the taxi and ask him, "Do you except credit cards?" He nods and I hand him the card. Sure enough, it works! So we climb into the taxi and I tell him we're going to Santa Monica Pier, Los Angeles. He nods again, and we're off.

I'm relieved when we finally make it to Santa Monica. We walk out to the beach.

"Now what?" I ask. Percy was told to go to Santa Monica, but that was as far as instruction went. Then Percy starts to wade into the water.

"Uh, is now really the time for a swim?" I ask, but Percy is gone. "Guess we wait." I say.

A while later, Percy returns. He steps out of the water, but he's already dry. He holds out his hands to reveal three pearls. He explains how they can get us out of the Underworld.

"That's helpful. First we need to get into the Underworld though." I point out.

"At Medusa's there was an address to the Underworld. Something DOA Recording Studios." Percy says.

"Give me a second." I say. I run up to a civilian sun-tanning on the beach.

"Excuse me, would you mind looking something up on Google Maps?" I ask. The woman looks a little annoyed, but hands me her phone. It's probably because of my adorable looks. I type in DOA Recording Studios and learn it's in West Hollywood, and I write down the address.

"Thank you!" I say to the woman and head back to Percy and Grover.

"It's in West Hollywood. I got the address. Let's take another taxi." I suggest. And we do.

Soon enough, we're in West Hollywood. I'm glad we already have the address because the place looks a little sketchy. We pass one place called CRUSTY'S WATER BED PALACE. It looked pretty ratchet. Can you imagine if we had to go in there for directions? That could've been messy.

Finally the taxi lets us out outside a building that read DOA Recording Studios. Underneath, on the glass doors, it read No Soliciting, No Loitering, No Living.

"Okay. You remember the plan." Percy says.

"Yup." I say enthusiastically. I also have that rubber ball from the waterpark. Luckily I remember that detail from the book.

We walk into the DOA studio. Immediately I knew we were in the right place. There were people everywhere, and no one talked or moved. If I looked at someone out of the corner of my eye, they looked transparent. Percy walks up to the security guard's desk and starts talking to him.

Percy starts trying to convince him to let us into the Underworld. I can't focus though because one of the ghosts catches my eye. For some reason all the ghosts suddenly become active. This ghost also starts to move around and I can't get a good look at her. But I swear, she looks familiar. I'd recognize that hair, that nose, that little face that I encircled with flowers when she died. Rue, who I sang a final goodbye to. Maybe it is just my guilt driving me crazy, but the ghost is Rue's identical twin. With a heartbeat, I realize that I recognize another ghost that looked familiar. This one is wearing a white suit though.

"Come along." The security guard says. I follow Percy and Grover into the elevator with the man. When I look back, the two ghosts have both disappeared.

"What happens to the spirits waiting in the lobby?" I ask.

"Nothing."

"For how long?"

"Forever, or until I'm feeling generous."

"I thought hell was supposed to be in the Underworld?" I say. The man laughs.

"Supposed to be."

As we descend deeper into the Underworld, the elevator starts to transform into a boat.

"Aaaand, now we're on a Disney ride." I mutter. "Deeeead meen teeeeell nooo taaaaales." I moan. Grover shivers.

"Sorry. I just enjoyed that ride a lot." I explain.

We make it to the black shoreline. We walk up the path to the entrance, which looks rather like the Jersey Turnpike. The long lines remind me of Disney World.

"Maybe we really are going to Disney World!" I joke. My smile falls when I see Cerberus.

"He's a Rottweiler" Percy notices. The dog's middle head cranes toward us. It sniffs the air and growls.

"It can smell the living." Percy says.

"But that's okay," Grover says, trembling, "because we have a plan."

"Better." I say. "We have a rubber ball."

With that I dramatically take out the rubber ball, and march straight up to Cerberus.

"See the ball? You want the ball! Sit!" I say. I pray this works. I've only ever had cats. I think. I feel like I was probably a cat person. I'm worried Cerberus will think I'm a cat person too. OOOOOHHH Wait a second…Remember that time I was a cat? I really really REALLY hope that Cerberus doesn't remember that time I was a cat. It looks like Cerberus does smell cat on me but then he sits. Hallelujah.

"Good boy!" I say. I throw the ball. He catches it in his middle mouth. It is barely big enough for him to chew, and the other heads start snapping at the middle, trying to get the new toy.

"Drop it!" I order. The head's stop fighting and look at me. I try not to be afraid. (I hear dogs can smell fear). The ball is wedged between two of his teeth like a tiny piece of gum. He makes a loud, scary whimper, then drops the ball, now slimy and bitten nearly in half, at my feet.

"Good boy." I say. I pick up the ball, trying to ignore the monster spit all over it.

"Go now!" I yell at Percy and Grover. Cerberus starts to growl.

"Stay!" I say. "If you want the ball, stay!" Percy and Grover walk under Cerberus's stomach. They make it to the other side. Now I have to make it to the other side.

"Want the ball? Fetch!" I yell, and throw the ball as far away as I can. I then scamper off to follow Percy and Grover.

"That actually wasn't so bad." I say. We all push through the metal detector, and a million alarms start going off.

"Quick! Run!" I say. We race into the Underworld. A few minutes later, we are hiding, out of breath, in the rotten trunk of an immense black tree as security ghouls scuttled past, yelling for backup from the Furies.

Grover murmurs, "Well, Percy, what have we learned today?"

"That three-headed dogs like red rubber balls?"

"No," Grover says, "We've learned that your plans really, really bite!"

"Hahaha. Bite. I see what you did there." I laugh. "I have one. Who did the ghost take to the prom? His ghoulfriend. Hahaha. Get it?"

"Ok, ok, but have you heard the one about why the skeleton couldn't play music in church?" Percy asks.

"Why?"

"Because he had no organs!" He says. We burst into laughter. We continue telling bad puns as we make our way to Hade's Palace.

"What's George Washington's ghost's favorite color combination?" Grover asks. "Red, white, and boo!"

"Hahaha. That's a good one. I'm writing that down." I say. Grover yelps. His sneakers sprout wings and his legs shoot forward, pulling him away from us. He lands flat on his back in the grass. I hit myself on my head. I completely forgot to make Grover take off the cursed shoes.

"Grover!"

"I'm not doing this!" He yells. His shoes are flapping like crazy now. They levitate off the ground and start dragging him away from us.

"Maia!" He yells to no effect. "Maia, already! Nine-one-one! Help!"

"Take off the shoes!" I scream. Percy and I start running after Grover. He tries to untie the shoes, but it's rather difficult because he's being dragged by them at full speed. We get closer Hades Palace. Then his shoes veer sharply to the right. Oh no. I try to run faster. The slope has gotten steeper. Grover is picking up speed. We enter a narrow side tunnel.

"Grover!" Percy yells, his voice echoing in the tunnel. "Hold on to something!"

Suddenly, my toe hits a rock and I start tumbling down the slope. I hear more yelling from Grover and Percy as my face gets all scratched but by rocks. I roll into a big rock. The wind is knocked out of me.

"Annabeth! Are you alright?" Percy asks, helping me up. I give him a thumbs up, and motion for him to get Grover. I use the rock to help me up and start weakly running after them. They entered the huge dark cavern that the tunnel lead to. In the middle is a chasm the size of a city block. I catch up to them. Percy is frozen, staring at the chasm. Grover is sliding straight toward the edge.

"Come on, Percy!" I yell. But Grover was already inches away from the chasm. If I hadn't of fallen, we might have had a chance. We race to catch him, but he slips over the edge.

"Grover!" Percy yells, reaching his hand over the edge. He's close enough to fall in himself. I don't even know what I'm doing and I can barely breathe, but I instantaneously jump over the edge.

I whistle through the air, keeping my arms tight against my body for minimum friction. When I'm a few feet away from Grover, I reach out my arms to grab him. I hit him at full speed and encircle him with my arms so that he doesn't slip away. Once I'm sure that I have him safely secured, I unfurl my wings.

This sudden rush of air nearly rips off my wings. I scream in pain, but start to pull Grover up. It's hard work though. The air is heavier down here, and only gets heavier deeper into the chasm. It almost feels like the darkness of the chasm is pulling us in. I push my wings more forcefully. My heart pounds against my chest in a constant beat, almost like war drums. I'm breathing heavily. I think I can see the light of the cavern though.

Lost child.

For a moment, I stop falling from sheer shock. Grover's screams wake me up though. I keep flying and try to pretend as if I didn't hear anything.

You don't belong here.

I can get you home.

Ignore the voice. It's lying. There's no way it could know about my…predicament.

But I do know. And I can help you. Just stop flying. Just relax. Just fall down. The voice urges me, and my flying slows down. Yes. Keep falling. The darkness gets thicker and starts to envelope Grover and myself. You can go home.

Home.

But I don't even remember home. Grover's yells begin to pierce the veil of the voice. I don't even know what home is. I can't abandon Grover and Percy to something I don't even know or remember.

Home.

"Thank you very much, but I have enough voices in my head, without yours. So could you PLEASE SHUT IT!" I yell, and propel Grover and myself upwards. It feels as if dark tentacles are holding us back, but I keep flying.

I can find your friend. Get you home

"There is no home!" I yell the darkness.

I can-

The voice comes to an abrupt stop as Grover and I slash through the net of darkness that had been holding us down, and into the (relative) safety of the cavern. We crash-land beside Percy. I just stare up at the dark cavern ceiling, breathing heavily, stretching out my tired wings.

"We have to go." Percy says. I nod, and he helps me up. The three of us race out of the tunnel at top speed.

A cold blast of wind pulls at our backs, as if the entire pit is inhaling. I see Percy lose ground, his feet slipping in the gravel. If we'd been any closer to the edge, we would've been sucked in.

We keep struggling forward, and finally reach the top of the tunnel, where the cavern widens out. The wind dies. A wail of outrage echoes from deep in the tunnel.

"What was that?" Grover pants, when we'd collapsed in a black poplar grove. "One of Hades's pets?"

"Pfft. Yeah. The one that starts with a K and rhythms with Bronos." I say. Grover and Percy don't say anything.

"Let's keep going." Percy says. He looks at Grover. "Can you walk?"

"Yeah, sure. I never liked those shoes, anyway." He tries to sound brave about it, but he's trembling as badly as Percy and I. We start walking towards the palace of Hades.

"Annabeth?" Percy asks.

"At your service."

"In the pit, I heard you yelling…What did you mean, 'There is no home'?" Percy asks. I look away from him.

"Annabeth, ever since you got hurt at camp a few days before the capture the flag, you've seemed…off. Is everything ok?" Percy asks again. What do I say? Do I tell the truth? Would he even believe me? Would he still trust me?

"I, uh…it's just kind of hard to explain. Heck, I don't even know if you'd believe me!" I explain. Hades's Palace looms closer to us. I look back at Percy. "How about this? When we get back to camp, which I know we will, I promise that I'll tell you. I'll explain everything."

"Ok." Percy says. He seems troubled.

"Just know that you can still trust me. I promise." I say. Percy nods. It looks like he's about to say something else, but notices how close we are to the Palace. We had reached the main doors.

Two U.S. Marine skeletons guard the doors. They grin down at us, rocket-propelled grenade launchers held across their chests.

"You know," Grover mumbles, "I bet Hades doesn't have trouble with door-to-door salesmen."

"Well, guys," Percy says. "I suppose we should…knock?"

A hot wind blows down the corridor, and the doors swing open. The guards step aside.

"Mm. Doors that swing open themselves. How…welcoming." I mumble. We meekly walk inside.

Hades is at least ten feet tall and dressed in black silk robes and a crown of braided gold. His skin is albino white, his hair shoulder-length and jet black. He isn't bulked up like Ares, but he radiates power. He lounges on his thrones of fused human bones, looking lithe, graceful, and dangerous as a panther. I'm really wishing we had kept Medusa's head. It would be very useful right now.

"You are brave to come here, Son of Poseidon," he says in an oily voice. "After what you have done to me, very brave indeed. Or perhaps you are simply very foolish."

"Lord and Uncle, I come with two requests." Percy says. Hades raises an eyebrow. When he sits forward in his throne, shadowy faces appear in the folds of his black robes, faces of torment, as if the garment is stitched of trapped souls. It's every emo kid's dream.

"Only two requests?" Hades says. "Arrogant child. As if you have not already taken enough. Speak, then. It amuses me not to strike you dead yet."

"Lord Hades," Percy says. "Look, sir, there can't be a war among the gods. It would be…bad."

"Really bad." Grover adds helpfully.

"Return Zeus's master bolt to me," Percy continues. "Please, sir. Let me carry it to Olympus."

Hades's eyes grow dangerously bright. "You dare keep up this pretense, after what you have done?"

Percy and Grover look very confused. I already know who actually stole the master bolt, but I try to look confused too.

"I think there's some kind of miscommunication. Maybe we should all explain what we think is going on." I suggest. The throne room shakes violently.

"Or not…I saw that on Doctor Phil one time." I explain, putting my hands up defensively.

"You know what happened. You were the thief on the winter solstice," he says. "Your father thought to keep you his little secret. He directed you into the throne room on Olympus. You took the master bolt and my helm. Had I not sent my Fury to discover you at Yancy Academy, Poseidon might have succeeded in hiding his scheme to start a war. But now you have been forced into the open. You will be exposed as Poseidon's thief, and I will have my helm back!"

"Okay…maybe. But I think people are overlooking the fact that on the winter solstice, you had demigods visit from Camp Halfblood. Wouldn't it be a lot easier for one of them to steal your magic jewelry, instead of a kid no one knew about sneaking into Mount Olympus? And here's a crazy idea, what if it's not one of the gods who's trying to start a war? (Except for maybe Ares). The gods do have a lot of enemies. Some of them who probably want to rise from the pits of Tartarus, if you get my drift." I suggest. Hades contemplates this for a moment.

"That's absurd. The girl is clearly out of her mind. Her fragile mortal mind must have snapped from the pressures of visiting the Underworld." Hades says. I scowl.

"You're as bad as Zeus," Percy says. "You think I stole from you? That's why you sent the Furies after me?"

"Of course." Hades says.

"And the other monsters?"

Hades curls his lip. "I had nothing to do with them. I wanted no quick death for you—I wanted you brought before me alive so you might face every torture in the Fields of Punishment. Why do you think I let you enter my kingdom so easily?"

"Easily?"

"Return my property!"

"But I don't have your helm. I came for the master bolt."

"Which you already possess!" Hades shouts. "You came here with it, little fool, thinking you could threaten me!"

"But I didn't!"

"Open your pack, then."

"Wait a second here." I say. "I don't think this is necessary. I think the best plan of action is to gather all the gods together and talk this out. Maybe we could ask the guards at the Empire State Building who entered Mount Olympus on or before the winter solstice."

But everyone ignores me. Percy slings the bag given by Ares off his shoulder and unzips it. I brace myself. This isn't going to be pretty. Inside is a two-foot-long metal cylinder, spikes on both ends, humming with energy.

"You heroes are always the same," Hades says. "Your pride makes you foolish, thinking you bring such a weapon before me. I did not ask for Zeus's master bolt, but since it is here, you will yield it to me. I am sure it will make an excellent bargaining tool. And now…my helm. Where is it?"

"Lord Hades, wat," Percy says. "This is all a mistake."

"A mistake?" Hades roars.

The skeletons aim their weapons. From high above, there is a fluttering of leathery wings, and the three Furies swoop down to perch on the back their master's throne. I notice they're covered in Nutella.

"There is no mistake," Hades says. "I know why you have come—I know the real reason you brought bolt. You came to bargain for her."

Hades loses a ball of gold fire from his palm. It explodes on the steps, and Percy's mother appears, frozen in a shower of gold.

"Yes," Hades says with satisfaction. "I took her. I knew, Percy Jackson that you would come to bargain with me eventually. Return my helm, and perhaps I will let her go. She is not dead, you know. Not yet. But if you displease me, that will change."

Percy contemplates this for a moment. I'm worried that he may actually give the master bolt to Hades for his mother.

"Ah, the pearls," Hades says. "Yes, my brother and his little tricks. Bring them forth, Percy Jackson." Percy obeys.

"Only three," Hades says. "What a shame. You do realize each only protects a single person. Try to take your mother, then, little godling. And which of your friend will you leave behind to spend eternity with me? Go on. Choose. Or give me the backpack and accept my terms."

I realize with a start that I'm the obvious choice for Percy to choose. After my suspicious behavior moments before, how does Percy even know he can trust me? Even worse though is the possibility that he may give Hades the master bolt.

"Leave me here." I volunteer. It makes the most sense. I don't know how much more help I can be. Plus, I can probably (hopefully) jump to another book soon enough. While it may be an eternity for someone else, it should only be a day or two for me (fingers crossed).

"No. Leave me." Grover chimes in. "I'm a satyr. We don't have souls like humans do. He can torture me until I die, but he won't get me forever. I'll just be reincarnated as a flower or something. It's the best way."

"Stop it, both of you!" Percy yells. "I know what to do. Take these."

He hands us each a pearl.

"Percy…"

"I'm sorry," Percy says to his mother. "I'll be back. I'll find a way."

This is breaking my heart. I get some satisfaction from seeing the smug look on Hades's face a fade. He says, "Godling…?"

"I'll find your helm, Uncle," Percy tells him. "I'll return it. And Charon wants a pay raise."

"Do not defy me—"

"And it wouldn't hurt to play with Cerberus once in a while. He likes red rubber balls."

"Percy Jackson, you will not—"

Percy shouts, "Now, guys!"

We smash the pearls at our feet. For a scary moment, nothing happens.

Hades yells, "Destroy them!"

His army of skeletons rushes forward, swords out, guns clicking to full automatic. The Furies lunge, their whips bursting into flames.

Just as the skeletons open fires, the pearl fragments at my feet explode with burst of green light and a gust of fresh sea wind. We're each encased in a milky white sphere, which was starting to float off the ground. Spears and bullets spark harmlessly off the pearl bubbles as we float up. I force myself to not poke the bubble to see if it'd pop.

"Look up!" Grover yells. "We're going to crash!"

We're racing right towards some stalactites. We all scream as the bubbles slam into the ceiling and…Darkness.

"Great. We're dead." I mutter. I take my words back as we suddenly appear on the sea floor. We continue to float up. We explode on the surface, in the middle of the Santa Monica Bay, knocking a surfer off his board with an indignant, "Dude!"

We swim over to a life buoy. A curious shark start encircling us, a great white about eleven feet long.

"Beat it." Percy says. The shark turns and races away. The surfer screams something about bad mushrooms and paddles away from us as fast as he could.

"So, who's ready to kick Ares's butt?" I ask. The looks on Percy's and Grover's faces tell me that they are all on board.

Now that you've read the chapter, YOU CAN REVIEW! So you should(Please). Because I love reviews. And bonus! If I get reviews, I'll give you another long chapter. Because I'm just a generous person like that.

Thanks for reading!