In a weird, demented way, I was kind of glad I'd been to Tartarus before as I finished falling into it. As much as the thought of it made my stomach try to punch out of my body, I also knew what to expect, and that helped. A little.
It also sucked. A lot.
Understatement of the millennia.
Falling for what could have been several hours to several days also got me bored enough to actually plan. Hey, it was what Annabeth would do and made me feel closer to her. (Did everyone get sappy in their old age, or was it just me?)
I would need to push everything I had into reaching out with my senses, searching for water… or whatever equivalent flowed through the rivers. I'd gotten them to respond to me before, so that would be my best bet, just like the first time.
I needed to be more careful than last time, though. With everything that had happened before I jumped—before I was forced to jump—I couldn't go anywhere near the Cocytus like I had the first time. Not if I wanted to live. I didn't have Annabeth with me, so I didn't know if I'd be able to drag myself out of depression incarnate alone, let alone fight any monsters I ran into afterwards.
Going through the other rivers in Tartarus, I quickly came to the conclusion that I didn't want to have anything to do with the Acheron or Lethe rivers—even if I could control the water so it didn't touch me, I wasn't sure I could concentrate enough to exert that kind of control after falling for however long I'd been falling for—and I had a feeling that the Styx wouldn't be good for me right now either, not to mention control of that river had always been difficult. As much as the curse might help me, I wasn't sure if I could concentrate on my mother's blessing enough to survive…
That just brought up memories of my mother again. I had to bite my lip and shake away the last image in my mind, of her holding Estelle and grinning at me, telling me to be safe at camp. Yeah. Right.
I shook my head and continued to plan. I needed to concentrate and worry about landing safely… or at all, without dying.
That meant the Phlegethon. There really wasn't any other way around it. I'd just have to do my best to make it to that river. End of story. That was my goal if I wanted to survive.
(It may have been simple, but it was a plan.)
As soon as the dim light of the domain became visible below me, I almost cried in relief. Then I remembered what it meant and almost wished for the blackness again. It took me far too long to tell myself to get over it and start surviving.
I hit the red clouds and focused on finding water. This entrance could have been the one I'd fallen through before (despite having different openings at different areas on the Earth—things dealing with gods and Tartarus were insane like that) but I couldn't be sure. I could only hope it would be close enough to the Phlegethon so I could get there ASAP. As much as the idea of having to consume that… liquid again made my stomach shrivel in disgust, I doubted I'd survive without it. It would also be a relatively safe landmark to aim for.
Logic worth of Annabeth… I hoped.
Once I passed through the clouds and could see somewhat clearly, I swept my eyes over what I could make out of the dark (but strangely illuminated somehow) land mass below, searching for the fire river. It wasn't difficult to find, actually, far off to my left and glowing through the gloom very obviously.
There was another river closer to me on the right, and one off in front of me but I didn't even bother checking to see which ones they were.
I bit my lip, not liking that my goal was so far away. Story of my life. Something that could save me was within view but I'd never reached that far before. Maybe I'd just have to land in one of the other rivers after all? As much as I hated the idea. Then I'd have to head towards the Phlegethon… Could I even cross the land and get there from wherever I happened to end up? I highly doubted I'd be able to land remotely safely without using one of the rivers.
Gritting my teeth, I desperately stretched out with my powers, reaching as far as I could. Either Tartarus gave me a power boost, or my desperation did because I managed to barely sense the liquid I wanted. I still had a ways to fall, but details on the land were getting bigger really fast. I almost panicked. How could I get over there? Then a thought occurred to me. I was made of mostly water. Did that mean I could manipulate myself? So I latched onto the Phlegethon water with my mind and yanked. It felt like someone had sunk a couple-hundred fish-hooks into my skin and pulled… but it worked. I'd definitely lurched to the side. Painfully. (Then again, Tartarus was pain incarnate.)
I yanked again.
And again.
And again.
The feeling of fish-hooks got worse each time, but I ignored it as best I could. It was that or risk dying. I remembered how bad it had been away from the Phlegethon. If it hadn't been for Bob…
Yeah. Not thinking about that.
Eventually, I realized that while I'd gotten much closer, I wouldn't make it to the river. That bubble of panic rose inside me again, but I squashed it mercilessly and continued to pull myself towards the river. However, at the same time, I pulled the water to me. A pillar of glowing liquid shot out of the river. I kept yanking, ignoring how much I wanted to cry out each time I did it. Instead I forced my gaze to stay fixed on the floating water shooting towards me.
Smaller details on the ground were visible now and I certainly wasn't slowing down. Gritting my teeth, I stretched my hand out desperately as the fire-water came forward.
I wouldn't make it, I realized.
I yanked harder and almost cried out with the agony, but I didn't let up. Instead I stretched farther and my fingers barely brushed the column of liquid as I fell past it. I'd forgotten how much it burned—so hot it was cold to the touch—but it was enough. My fingers stuck in the glowing water even as my body continued to fall, likely dislocating multiple joints. I screamed in pain again, but refused to lose my focus. With all the force of a person falling at the speed of gravity, I swung down below the glowing snake of floating Phlegethon water, and then up into it.
I'd never been in the river before. It felt about like I'd imagined. But worse. Of course. Like someone had… well, thrust me into a river of lava with little heat resistance. I tried to push the pain to the side, but it consumed me. I couldn't focus on anything except how it burned.
So.
Much.
I may have screamed, but seeing as I was in the fire water, I probably just hurt my throat. For better or worse, I felt the water fill my mouth and heal it. Painfully, of course. I eventually managed to get on top of the water, gasping and barely able to hold onto what control I had on it. If it hadn't been a life-or-death situation, I wasn't sure I could have.
After a moment, I let the snake of floating water return to the river, allowing gravity to more or less pull it (and me) along, and eventually came to the banks of the River of Fire. Once close enough, I let go of the shaky hold I had on the water and it all splashed onto the black rocks that lined the river, sizzling. I followed immediately after and couldn't do much more than kneel there on all fours for several seconds (minutes? Hours?), allowing the lingering effects of river that had burned me to heal me again and hating the awful smell of the place that haunted my nightmares. I could already feel the toxic air choking my lungs. The beginning of my new life, full of pain.
I don't know how long I knelt there, but eventually the feeling of burning and regrowing faded and I could begin to relax knowing that my body would be in full working order due to the river's healing properties. I'd landed safely and in a good place. It would be an advantage. I had to make the most of it.
It took too long to gain the presence of mind to take stock of my surroundings, but I had just fallen for what may have been more than a week and plunged into the river of pain. Give me a break.
I sat, naked, on the black stone and sand that lined the Phlegethon. Riptide, in pen form, lay before me innocently. I didn't know if I'd lost the sword when I'd lost my clothes—burned off by the fire water—but at least it had come back. I loved that sword. The bag had been the only other thing that survived. Not even my camp necklace… and that hurt to lose more than I would ever admit aloud. The bag, on the other hand, looked singed, but otherwise unharmed.
I really hoped there was an extra set of clothing in there. I'd take just underwear, even—
"I smell something over here!" The distant but still distinct voice had me whipping around so fast I almost gave myself whiplash. I couldn't see anyone, but that didn't mean anything. They could smell me down here after all.
Gulping, I scrambled to pick up Riptide as I stood, but didn't uncap it just yet. Call me crazy, but I didn't exactly feel like trying to fight monsters in the buff after falling for a week. Normally, I'm all for a good fight, but right then, I really just wanted a place to hide… or at least make a stand. I hoped I had enough time to at least go through the backpack and find something to fight in.
(I really hoped.)
I coughed on the toxic air but wasn't seeing any problems with my skin yet, so I should be good to fight… once I wasn't flashing any monster coming along.
Off to the right, I saw a small hill covered in black lava stone. It didn't look big enough to have caves, but it was worth a shot, I figured.
"What even was that?" another voice had me stumbling forward, wincing as the sharp, jagged stones cut into my feet, but I didn't stop. "I've never seen the fire river act like that…"
"No clue, but something smells… tasty," a third, much deeper voice, said.
"And there was something in it or on it or something," the first voice said. "I got a good feeling about this."
I managed to make it to the hill and spotted a little crevice behind a boulder a little larger than a small horse, and far more solid. I squatted down behind it and may have torn the bag in my haste to open it if it hadn't been, you know, god-made material.
On the very top of the pile inside, like it had just been sitting there the whole time and not clutched for days as I fell or dragged through the Phlegethon, sat a necklace. Below the necklace was a folded piece of paper.
Frowning, I snatched the necklace and then the paper.
"Hey… the scent's gone!" one of the nearby voices whined.
"No… it's still there… it's just faint," another voice disagreed as they sniffed the air.
That… was nice. I blinked and then opened the paper.
You should have found the necklace first. The note said in narrow, spidery script. Had… Hades written this?
I read on.
Wear it. It will mask your scent. I do not know for how long it will last and I doubt it can be replaced as the craftsmanship of several gods went into it. Hecate, Athena and myself, just to name a few.
I felt my mouth drop open and I looked at the necklace again. It hung from a strong rope-chain that shone like celestial bronze… likely was now that I thought about it. On the bottom, a large, opal-like stone had been encased in more of the bronze. It was… very nice looking and very much stood out against its new background, but I wasn't about to complain.
Quickly, I slipped it over my head.
The nearby movement of the monsters that had smelled me continued for a couple of minutes and then stopped.
"Whatever it was, it's gone now," one of the voices complained.
"I wonder what it was," one of the others said thoughtfully.
"It almost smelled like… a demigod."
A pause as I held my breath, slowly looking through the pack for some clothes… just in case. Fortunately, it looked like someone had packed a couple of… well, I could see underwear and Greek tunics. That pinned with buttons and draped and…
I sighed. Quietly.
It could be worse, I thought, a little miserably.
They even had shoes in there. Like actual converse shoes. No wings involved.
Huh.
I'd take it.
The tunics were probably someone's idea of a joke… Or were they trying to get me to blend in somehow?
Fortunately, I did know how to wear said tunics and carefully pulled one over my head (after I'd donned the underwear of course).
"We're not that lucky," one of the monsters muttered. "We don't get demigods down here. Come on. Let's go find something else to eat."
"Right," several others agreed. How many had there been? I wasn't about to risk peeking out just to see. Curiosity wasn't my fatal flaw. Thankfully.
I wondered for a moment if I should jump out and chase them down so I didn't have to worry about them coming back, but… after I'd been falling for so long and what all had led up to it… I just wanted to sit down and take a moment to breathe.
(Too bad I couldn't scream. I really, really wanted to.)
Once I could no longer hear anything monster wise, I picked the paper back up and read on, thankful that it was in Ancient Greek instead of English.
The following should be in the bag:
-Several bags of Ambrosia—use them sparingly! In case you didn't know, it will keep indefinitely.
-A canteen of Nectar—your father wanted to get you a refillable one, but we could not find or make one on such short notice.
Okay, not a bad score there… in any other circumstance. Shaking my head I read on.
-A book on how to survive in Tartarus. Nico had put some ideas down on paper and I asked him for copies to put it together. A couple of other gods have put in advice. I picked the best of them.
That was so Hades.
-Some steel knives and some celestial bronze knives for you to use as you need.
-Your father insisted we put some seashells in here.
I almost cried at that. Right then and there. Part of the reason why Tartarus sucked so much was the fact that there was no actual water. Everything I knew of was corrupted somehow. That alone would make my entire stay that much better.
-Hephaestus put in a hammer.
-Apollo has given you a scroll that can summon the words of any written mortal book and translate them to any language. (He must like you… not sure why, but to each their own, I suppose.)
Seriously, Hades?
I shook my head and focused on the list again. I appreciated the gifts, I did, but… I didn't read much. I'd have a hard enough time with Nico's book, I suspected. And I'd never been a builder. So a hammer from Hephaestus… It seemed a little useless to me, but gift horses and all that.
I read on.
-Unbreakable rope. As much as we could get on a short notice. It can hold a Titan or a Giant without breaking. (Don't try using it on a Primordial.)
-Some regular rope. It likely won't last long in the atmosphere down there, but could come in useful for a while.
I appreciated the thought. Kind of.
-A celestial bronze sphere. Another thing Hephaestus insisted on putting in. I do not know what it does. He just said to keep it on you at all times or hidden in a base that you return to regularly.
I frowned. Leo had come through for us enough times on the quest that I could put a little faith in his dad, I supposed. Besides, that was the second thing Hephaestus had given me. Weird, but not unwelcome.
-Clothes. Aphrodite says they can change at will, but they aren't invulnerable to damage.
I looked down at the tunic I'd been wearing for a second, then closed my eyes. When I opened them again, I wore my usual jeans and Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. That was… kinda cool. A relief, honestly. In more ways than one.
Now all I needed was some armor. Again, I closed my eyes, but that seemed beyond what the clothes could do.
With a sigh, I looked back at the list.
-Compact sleeping bag.
-Spade. It can grow into a shovel. Surprisingly, Demeter offered this. It is not made of celestial bronze.
No drachma as even if you could make a rainbow in Tartarus, Iris does not take calls from there. You are out of our hands now, Percy Jackson. Surviving is up to you.
-Hades
P.S. Your father is livid. He contacted me right after the council deciding your fate let out. Seeing as Ares just arrived as I am writing this, his fast action was prudent. He says he will find a way to bring you justice—bring you back if he can. Don't count on it. Without a war, Zeus won't give in.
I read that last line a couple of times before I closed my eyes and just sat for a moment, focusing on not thinking about anything.
When I finally allowed myself to breathe again, I could really only think that Poseidon wouldn't save me. For whatever reason. Sure, he helped on quests and he gave me things. I knew he wanted to help me, but… he wouldn't come down here for me.
Annabeth would.
Which meant I had to figure out how to survive in literal Hell on my own for an unknown period of time. The necklace would help. I may even be able to sleep without being attacked if monsters couldn't smell me.
(Yeah. Right.
I wasn't that lucky… although I'd likely get that desperate.)
I stuffed the letter back into the bag and zipped it closed. I needed… well, a plan. Another one. I wasn't sure I had any more left in me, though. Have I mentioned I'm not good at those?
A pang of pain shot through my heart as I realized yet again that I didn't have my Wise Girl—my planner—with me. Maybe I'd relied on her a little too much for that?
Then I shook the thought from my head. She wasn't there, so I'd have to do what she would (even if I could only attempt and fail miserably). Okay, what had we done the last time we were there? We'd basically followed the Phlegethon to the heart of Tartarus so we could get to the doors of death. At least that had been how we'd started out.
Somehow, that didn't strike me as the soundest strategy now.
Okay, what could I take from our last trip here that was useful.
Basically, stay near the Phlegethon. Maybe call for Bob? If he was still alive and not reforming somewhere in the aether…
"Bob?" I said, as loud as I dared. "Are you there? I… could use your help right now."
Nothing.
"I… Iapetus?"
Still nothing.
I sighed.
"Damesen?"
No answer. Not that I really expected one, but still…
It hit me as to just how alone I was and I had to fight not to curl in on myself. It took me a couple of moments, but eventually I did what I usually did when faced with problems or monsters: I stood up, uncapped Riptide and stuck up my chin in defiance, despite no one being there to see me.
Okay, so I needed to stay near the fire river. Right. But I needed some place defensible.
Yeah. I could do that. Okay.
Nodding, I turned and scanned the hill behind me. Instantly, I saw a few places that could be a cave or another small shelter. The hill was larger than I'd thought before. I just had to find something that blocked me from view for a little while—something a little better than just behind a boulder. Someplace relatively safe.
(I doubted anywhere would be safe anymore.
Had I ever really been safe?)
With a huff, I hefted my bag over my shoulder and started off.
xXx
It took me a couple of tries to find a cave.
And, naturally, the first I found large enough to be a decent shelter was occupied. I found several cynocephali (ha, Annabeth, I did remember!) that had made a den there. I didn't even realize until something barked, something else howled, and they came pouring out of a crack in the side of the hill. They must have seen me approaching their den, but I didn't see them until I was practically on top of them. All too soon, I found myself fighting far too many dog-headed people in a free-for-all.
To be fair, I was willing to back off, and I would have let any of them who had wanted to run go—Hades, I would have just left if they didn't want a fight—but I don't think running even crossed any of their minds. Fortunately, they came at me only two or three at a time and so I kept swinging Riptide until nothing else moved and I just stood there, surrounded by monster dust. After several seconds of making sure nothing else would come at me, I took stock, and realized the worst I got were a couple of bites. I hoped they weren't venomous. I didn't think they were.
I still dipped the bites in the Phlegethon just in case.
(Ouch. No, seriously, ouch.)
After that, well, why let a perfectly good—and now very empty—cave go to waste? It smelled horrible, but then so did everything down here and it was somewhat safe so…
I found a relatively clean corner in the back of the cave and sat down with my back to the wall, already ready to fall asleep (not that I'd be able to but that didn't stop my fatigue). Then I leaned Riptide against the wall next to me for light and started to go through the backpack more thoroughly.
Hades had been meticulous. And honestly, the fact that he'd likely packed the bag himself was… well, probably a peace offering of some kind. It wasn't nearly enough, and both he and I knew it, but it was something I supposed.
For several seconds, I just stared at the seashells my father had sent, mostly small and in a plastic bag, although some of the larger ones had been wrapped carefully in paper to stop them from breaking and were in their own bags. Then I closed my eyes and reached inside myself for that part of me that would always belong to the sea. After a moment, I unwrapped one of the larger shells and held it before me, slowly turning as I did so. Once again, I could almost hear the ocean… could smell the salt. Although it took longer than the second I expected, I kept pulling.
Eventually, water burst out of the shell and I almost cried at the welcome sight. Then I grabbed the water with my power and dragged it around the interior of the cave, feeling it pick up the dirt and whatever had remained of the cynocephali (I really, really didn't want to know). Then I directed it out of the mouth of the cave and let go, listening to it splash outside. That left the area feeling far cleaner, although I had plans on using the Phlegethon water to disinfect everything later. It was also very damp and mud got everywhere.
I really didn't care.
I felt both relieved and disappointed that I'd called saltwater. I could control seawater better, but would have liked something else to drink. Although… I could breathe salt water. Did that mean I could also drink it instead of regular water? Did I want to take that chance? I'd be drinking Tartarus water whether I wanted to or not as I'd need the Phlegethon to heal whatever damage the air down here did anyway. Even if seawater could heal me, I doubted it would be enough in the long term to keep me alive with the toxic air.
I still wanted (needed) a drink.
I sighed and forced myself to think positively. At least I had access to water. A near infinite supply, actually. I briefly imagined emptying the seas into Tartarus. It… was an extremely amusing thought, but as tempting as it sounded, I knew how much water that would take and it could hurt surface Earth, so yeah… I'd have to be careful (but not stingy—I'd use whatever I had to to survive) about my water usage.
I continued going through my new backpack, finding the Ambrosia and Nectar next. Part of me wanted to eat some now, but I forced myself to refrain. I had no idea how long I would be down here, and while I was positive I'd get out again, it could take Annabeth months or years or even (and I really hated thinking this one) decades.
Yeah, I'd wait on eating and drinking those for as long as I could.
Next I found the hammer and spade, neither of which I removed from the backpack. I also found the ropes under the other two sets of clothes I'd found. It was easy to tell which one could hold a god and which one couldn't. The silvery glow, much like starlight, may have had something to do with that.
(I thought about hanging that up on the cave ceiling just to remind me of the stars… if I could justify that to myself.)
Under that, I found the sleeping bag. It was… small, but I was still grateful for it. Besides, the gods were very good at spacial manipulation. It would probably be bigger than I thought… I hoped at least. After some thought, I decided to get it out for now so I wouldn't have to dig it out again.
The knives I found in the side pockets. One side held the celestial bronze ones, the other held a bunch of switchblades and one swiss army knife. I knew that would be worth its weight in gold. Unfortunately, I found it with the regular knives, so I doubted it had any particularly special properties, but it was still a good find.
The last thing I found was the scroll Apollo had given me in the front pocket. It wasn't large, but as much as I didn't want to admit it, I knew it may very well be the key to keeping my sanity down here. I could finally read Lord of the Rings like Annabeth wanted… in Greek. Ancient Greek perhaps? A combination maybe…?
(Annabeth would kill for something like this.
I wished I could gift it to her.)
Eventually, though, I ended up putting back everything but Riptide, the sleeping bag, and the book Nico had… written? Co-written? I needed to go through and see if there was any useful information. Knowing he'd lived through Tartarus boosted my faith in him. Plus, it was Nico. He liked to focus on details and tended to be extremely thorough. Never did anything by halves, and that could be very useful to me.
The 'book' looked more like a very large journal than anything, with dark-brown leather bindings. Thankfully, it was written in Greek instead of English. I doubted my ADHD mind would let me read much for long, but at least I wouldn't have to deal with swimming letters. As much.
I opened to the first page.
So you have found yourself in Tartarus.
You have my sincerest empathy and apologies. No one deserves to be thrown down there, in my opinion. No one.
I don't know why you're down there, but I hope that what I've written here can be of use.
You'll need more luck than I can wish you, but I will wish you luck anyway.
That was… surprisingly uplifting for Nico, actually.
I turned the next page and found a table of contents.
CONTENTS
Page:
1. A Brief History of Tartarus
84. What to Expect and What We Know of Tartarus (landmarks, fauna and flora, The Rivers and their properties, general information about the atmosphere, etc.)
89. Maps (Includes areas to draw your own because yes, we know that little about it).
I almost managed a smile. That was so like my cousin. Sarcastic, bratty, dependable Nico. I shook my head fondly and read on.
101. Types of beings that can be found there:
103: Monsters—a brief encyclopedia
204: Known demigods and other beings that do not fit into other categories (pests, bugs, etc.)
218: Gods
234: Titans
269: Giants
296: Primordials
313. Known escapes and escape routes.
315. Ideas for long-term survival
Plans (how to make them and prioritize—Don't Panic)
Finding and securing a water source
Using your demigod powers (more) wisely
Magical Purification and Fire
Weapons
Traps
Useful Tools
General Metalwork
Carpentry
Navigation
Food Preparation and Storage
How to Skin and Dress a Kill
Cloth, Leather-work and Sewing
Toiletries, Hygiene and Waste Maintenance
Looking out for yourself and others—this is FAR more important than you realize
Misc. and/or Recreational
Some of those were… a little strange. Did Nico expect someone to build a summer home down here? Or was that some of the 'godly contribution' Hades had hinted at. Honestly, I found it kind of… overwhelming. A lot of it looked helpful, but a lot of it also looked… involved? Thorough? Scholarly? This was not my area of expertise, even without the dyslexia screwing me over.
But then, I didn't exactly have much else to do at the moment…
A cough bubbled up my throat and I realized my skin had gotten itchy in some places. There would be blisters breaking out soon. I sighed. I still had some time before it got really bad, but I'd have to keep an eye on it. I'd fix that before I tried to get some sleep…
(I was not looking forward to that. I doubted I'd be able to rest much.)
With that in mind, I looked up the page for 'Traps' and began to read.
xXx
45 very frustrating (but still better than school) minutes later, at least according to Tyson's new watch I'd just gotten—I tried not to think of how much it hurt to think that I may never see my brother again—I put the book down and rested my head against the stone wall. I just didn't have the time or energy to put into much more than a couple of simple noise traps that would wake me up when disturbed. I also didn't have much that would make the kind of noise I would need. Most of it would have to be rocks and the basic tools and ropes I currently had.
I did learn something new though. Apparently I could 'declare' certain body parts of monsters and they would be left behind as trophies. This wasn't taught at camps because it caused too much trouble in the modern age with 'heroes' lugging around heads or arms or what not. Some monsters—like Medusa and the Minotaur—would leave trophies that had been declared on them before… which actually explained a lot. I just had to declare what I wished to be left behind before the monster was killed.
Which meant I'd be working with bones and skin and… it made me a little sick to think about. Killing a monster? Sure. I was fine with that. Especially if they attacked me or anyone I was protecting first. Tricking them? Yeah, if it got me and mine out of the situation alive. Hacking up their bodies to be used as trap fodder though…?
But what choice did I really have? I supposed I could try and track down Damesen's swamp. That certainly had trees in it. Or those… hair-follicle-like trees closer to the heart of Tartarus… Although on second thought…
I was glad I felt clear-headed enough, even having as hard a time breathing as I was, that I could realize a Bad Option when I saw one. Maybe later I could think about it… depending on how long I had to stay here.
I still didn't want to think about hacking up even a monster body like some sort of serial killer, but I figured I'd deal with that once I came to it.
(And I'd deal with food—and what I had to eat—when I absolutely had to, and not a moment before.)
So, instead I got to work, ignoring the pangs of hunger in my stomach as I hunted down small pebbles I could place in front of and just behind the opening of the cave like marbles. Two-legged creatures may be caught off guard and slip, hopefully yelling out and thus alerting me. Even four-legged monsters may have issues. More than that and it probably wouldn't do a thing, but it was better than nothing.
I also refused to sleep until I had some sort of noise trap set up or I fainted. Whichever came first.
Fortunately (or unfortunately, as the case may be), even without a scent, I ran into three gryphons.
Three.
Gryphons.
Because of course.
And I didn't have Frank or Hazel to back me up this time. Or Jason, or Piper, or Leo, or Grover—
Stop it, I told myself. I needed to concentrate.
"I declare bodies left as trophies," I rasped and hated how much it hurt to talk and breathe. I regretted not taking another sip from the Phlegethon earlier.
Still… I was right by the river… I reached out, even as tired as I felt, and coaxed some fire-water behind the gryphons to rise into the air. Then they attacked, and so did I. Somehow, I managed to kill one without getting any serious wounds, despite the flurry of feathers, snapping beaks and wickedly-sharp claws.
The second and third ones redoubled their efforts and one scratched me across the chest. I cried out in pain, then coughed as I stumbled back. Fortunately, they didn't expect me to regain my footing as quickly as I did. The fire-water slamming into both of them from behind as they followed through with their attack probably didn't help. They screeched and shrieked but were distracted enough that I gutted one and cut the head off of the other in quick succession.
And… for the first time, I was not covered in dust but… other substances.
It was, in a word, disgusting. No, that didn't begin to cover it. I felt slimy and dirty and…
"Nope," I said aloud as I stumbled towards the Phlegethon. I'd deal with… that and everything that went with it later. For now… I capped Riptide and then knelt down to wash my hands. I almost welcomed the painful, so-hot-it's-cold burn this time.
Then I gently took off my shirt (had it split into two garments? No, I now sat there in my underwear. Joy) and applied the painful liquid to the scratches on my chest. Then I took a large gulp of the spicy-yet-disgusting water. It took several seconds, but eventually I felt much better. Or, at least cleaner.
Then I shoved the now tunic back over my head, stood up, turned around and saw the bodies lying there.
I didn't lose what little I'd eaten, I had a stronger stomach than that, but it was still… unnerving.
And people hunted for fun?
Taking a deep breath, I realized I would either have to learn something completely new within the next couple of hours to gut the gryphons, or I'd have to hide the bodies before the scent of them attracted other monsters. Neither prospect sounded particularly appealing, but I liked the idea of not doing something with my… trophies (I did not let myself shudder) even less.
Eventually I went back to my backpack and grabbed one of the seashells. I used the water I could conjure from them to wash away a lot of the bodily fluids, and then used said water to pile dirt and rocks over the top of them. I did, with much wincing but otherwise firm resolve, cut off each of the fore-paws and dipped them in the Phlegethon to get all the meat off as quickly as possible. It worked surprisingly well and may be a decent method of cooking if I could get the timing down correctly.
By the time I'd finished, I was about ready to collapse from how much energy I'd used that day. Two pretty big fights, a lot of searching, falling, the whole bone thing, and summoning water from seashells… Yeah, I was definitely ready to be safe enough to attempt a nap.
One of the suggestions from the book was to just drape noise-making objects—cans, bones, rocks, etc.—in front of the cave entrance. Fortunately, the opening to the cave wasn't extremely large, so that would probably work well… if I could find a way to anchor the stupid rope above said opening. I tied the different bones to the normal rope half-hazardly—it didn't need to look pretty, just make noise, and it did once I held it up and let the whole morbid wind-chime hang.
Then I went about trying to affix said rope to the cave opening. Why hadn't the gods seen fit to give me a couple of nails? I was thankful for what I had, but still…
In the end, I used some rocks and the hammer to hollow out a sort of hook. It took me way too long, with far too many smashed fingers and broken stones littering the front of the cave, but eventually I had a result I could count as somewhat decent and the primitive alarm dangled in front of the cave's entrance.
I made a mental note to figure out better ways to fix things in the morning (or, whatever passed for morning around here… whenever I woke up, I supposed).
Then I found a dark corner not visible from the mouth of the cave and curled up in my sleeping bag. The part of me that didn't want to sleep kept waking me up, but the part of me that needed sleep kept dragging me under until I finally drifted more deeply, Riptide in hand and celestial bronze knives in my pockets.
xXx
AN: I'd like to thank Undead Prince, D Samson, TimeLordTim, Found and Quathis for their help on this. :D Thank you guys!
Also, I made some last minute changes not run by my beta readers, SOOO if anything is off, it's my fault. Apologies.
Discord: discord. gg/xDDz3gqWfy (no spaces)
