The fortieth chapter can now begin!

Let it commence.

Annabeth

The tunnel opened up in front of me, giving enough room to stand up. The tunnel was nicer than the ones located in the sewers. It was lined with torches, which cast flickering shadows that danced on the walls.

"So the reason why we're down here is because we think Nate's locked up here, and if he is, we don't know exactly where?" Frank asked, looking around.

"In a nutshell," I said. "Pick a direction."

Bethany swiveled around and pointed to a side tunnel on the left. "There."

Frank started walking, but I stopped him. I was starting to feel nervous. I had no idea how big this prison could be, and I really didn't need another reminder that I had spent a long time lost in the Labyrinth.

"Wait," I said. "We could get lost down here. Bethany, hand me your sword."

She looked confused, but did. I held the sword loosely at my side, letting the tip touch the ground. As I started to walk forward, the sword traced a line in the soft dirt.

"Brilliant," Bethany said. "Now we'll know where we've been."

"Just be sure not to step on it," Frank pointed out.

With that advice, I started to walk down the tunnel Bethany had seen. The three of us walked by barred doors, but all of them were empty. The tunnel soon came to another fork, and we took the right side. The corridors were like a maze, and we randomly chose which direction we went down. Every time, there were no prisoners in any of the cells.

After a few minutes, we came to the same conclusion: the hidden prison was deserted.

"He has to be down here!" Bethany exclaimed suddenly. We had just reached another dead end, and all of our tempers were running thin.

"We might just have to look somewhere else," I said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"But what if he's...?" Bethany let the thought hang in the air.

"No," Frank said. "Don't think that. Octavian would keep him alive. Nate has information that Octavian could use."

"I think I saw a tunnel down there that we hadn't gone down," I said. "We should check that before we give up."

Bethany nodded and walked quickly down the tunnel. Frank and I exchanged a look before we followed.

I found Bethany at the entrance, and I could immediately tell that this wasn't here before. The soft ground we had been walking on turned into a packed dirt. The cut stone of the prison morphed into the craggy gray walls of a cave. A musty draft blew down the passageway, causing the hairs to lift up on my arms, and I immediately got a sick feeling in my stomach. Something about this wasn't...natural.

"I don't like this," Frank said, voicing the exact thing I was thinking.

"We have to go down," Bethany insisted. "Nate could be down there."

She then did a stupid thing: she ran inside.

"Bethany! I don't think that's advis-" I started. She ignored me and disappeared in the darkness. "Able," I muttered.

"Does that mean we have to go after her?" Frank asked nervously.

"Yes, I'm afraid it does," I groaned. "Let's go get her. Who knows what's down there?"

"That's why I don't want to go down there," Frank said quietly as we walked.

I jogged after Bethany, calling her name. My knife was held tightly in my hand. Like I said, I didn't know what was down here.

"Annabeth!" Frank suddenly yelped.

A sudden roar broke the sound of our footsteps. Without a second glance, I whirled around and threw my knife as hard as I could. A cry of pain told me that I'd hit my mark.

I ran to the monster as it writhed on the ground. Frank stabbed it in the stomach and it disintegrated into dust before I could see what it was.

"What was that?" Frank gasped.

"I have no idea," I said, picking up my knife from the ground. "But I can almost guarantee there'll be more of them."

I frowned at the remains. "What I'm wondering is why there are monsters in a Roman prison." I looked at Frank, but he shrugged.

"Don't ask me," he said. "I wasn't normally filled in on what was happening at camp."

"Let's just find Bethany," I said, trying to hide my disappointment. "And keep your eyes open for more of those...things."

We hurried down the cave tunnel, keeping a sharp eye for the monsters and for any sign of Bethany.

After a few seconds, I managed to find Bethany. Unfortunately, I found her by tripping over her.

I broke my fall by smoothly somersaulting out of it. Frank was not so lucky. He tripped over her too, but landed flat on his face. Bethany moaned in pain.

"Sorry," Frank wheezed.

"What happened?" I asked, pulling Bethany to her feet.

"I was attacked from behind," Bethany said, gingerly touching her head. She winced, pulling her hand back to show a bit of blood.

"We can always go back," I offered. "Frank and I ran into something nasty. It was probably the thing that attacked you."

"No," Bethany said firmly. "We're finding Nate."

I sighed, but couldn't help but feel appreciation for her determination. I was exactly the same way when Percy went missing. I never stopped looking until I was positive he was in California. I had a feeling that Bethany would do the same.

"This time we're sticking together," Frank said. "I don't want to run into another monster trying to find you again."

Bethany nodded, looking a bit sheepish.

The three of us started down the passage again. Soon, the tunnel started to have a different feel to it. Before, it felt musty and humid, but now the feeling that was in the draft was getting stronger. It felt almost evil.

The grip that I had on my knife grew tighter until it felt like my knuckles were white. The hairs on my arms stood up on end, as well as the ones on the back of my neck. Even the normal friendly flickering of the torches seemed cold. I couldn't help but shudder.

The tunnel soon hit a sharp corner, and all three of us stopped before we rounded it.

"If there is anything over there that is a threat, take it down," Bethany instructed. She looked determined, and I gave back her sword that I'd been holding.

"You need it more than I do," I said.

I then turned to Frank. "You stay behind. We'll give a signal if you need to bail us out as an elephant or something."

Frank nodded, looking relieved he didn't have to do hand-to-hand combat.

"On my mark," Bethany said, hefting the sword. I twirled my dagger in response.

She gave me a wink and a small smile, and then dove around the corner.

I don't know what was more shocking: that there was a massive door inlaid into the craggy wall, or that the two sentries guarding the door looked just as surprised as I was.

Bethany was on them in a second, me a step behind her.

She started to take down the first guard, which left me with the second monster. I couldn't see its face. The torches on the walls cast a dark shadow on the top half of its body, and the shadows seemed to bend with its movements so it was always hidden in the dark.

I did what I had done with the first monster I encountered, throwing my knife with such force that as it embedded itself in the monsters forehead, the monster actually staggered backwards.

I quickly ran forward and kicked it in the chest so it fell backwards, hissing. As it fell, it yanked my dagger out of its head with a squelching noise, and then threw it at me. I was just able to dive out of the way.

Now I was weaponless.

The monster got to its feet, and then the unthinkable happened.

The earth lifted around it, as if it was going to swallow the monster whole. Yet, when the ground fell away, the wound in its forehead was completely gone.

I blinked, stunned. The only other time that I'd seen this was when Percy was fighting Antaeus in the Labyrinth.

The monster started to advance toward me, and I knew I needed help.

"Uh, Frank? Now would be a good time!" I yelled.

A bear suddenly came charging around the corner, bowling into the monster that was advancing on me. With a mouthful of fur, the monster got knocked over a second time. Frank was easily able to tear the monster into dust with his teeth and claws. Yet, every time he managed to, the yellow dust would swirl together and start to reform.

I ran over and began to scatter the dust until it was unable to merge together again. Frank gave the dust a snort for good measure.

I turned to see Bethany successfully lob the head off of her monster and spread the dust around so it also couldn't get together again.

Frank slowly morphed back into himself.

"That was exciting," he said casually.

"Are we ready to see what's behind door number one?" Bethany asked.

"Let's see what our prize is," I replied. I walked forward and placed a hand on the door. It easily swung open.

The three of us walked in, taking in the surroundings. There wasn't much. The walls were the same craggy stone lined with torches. All it really was was an empty cavern, except for one thing.

Nate was in the middle of the room.

He was up to his shoulders in the hard dirt. His face was disgusting, covered in grime and dried blood. His hair was matted and clinging to his forehead with sweat. He was breathing hard, as if the dirt was pressed up so hard against his chest that he couldn't breathe.

"Nate!" Bethany exclaimed. She rushed forward, looking desperately to try and find a way to pull him out.

"Beth," Nate said, looking relieved. "You found me."

"Of course I found you, you idiot," Bethany said. "How do we get you out of here?"

"You can't."

"What?" Bethany said.

I wouldn't jump to such conclusions, demigod.

I jumped about a foot in the air. The three of us pulled out our weapons, trying to find the source of the voice. It sounded like it was coming from inside my head.

Nate looked absolutely terrified. His eyes were wide and his breathing turned rapid.

The ground in front of us began to bubble and boil until a woman's sleeping face appeared. My fingernails bit into my palm as I squeezed my knife.

I'm pleased that you were able to find your friend she murmured.

Bethany looked at me, fear in her eyes.

"Who is this?" she asked.

I hesitated before answering, and a small smile curled on the woman's lips.

My dear, you've never heard of me? In my Roman counterpart I am Terra, but most people know me as Gaea, mother of the giants. And now that you're here, the fun can now begin.

Well, wasn't that fun? This place that our three heroes have found seems rather familiar, no?

Anyways, sorry if the chapter seems rushed, OOC, or whatever. I'm leaving Hawaii today, so I wanted to get this chapter out before I leave the hotel so I haven't really proofread the chapter or anything. Wifi at the airport and on the plane is expensive!

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it! :)

I'll see you all soon!

OKAY BYE.

~littlebitclever