Chapter two, let's go. I won't waste any time, I just want to say thanks for the reviews! They mean a lot! We got a few last chapter so I'll respond to some.

SuAvE ViPeR:"Finally, you're back! This lived up to my expecations and more! I really wasn't expecting the darker tone this book, and Matt's new bleak attitude, feeling like he's alone and desperately trying to find Ouranos. I understand where he's coming from, and I can't wait to read his arc. Also, Tartarus is terrifying! Him being the villain raises the stakes a lot! Can't wait to see what he has in store."

Response: Yep, I'm back, and hopefully better than ever. Matt's going to get an interesting arc this book, and he's in a place that I'm really excited to explore. As for Tartarus, yeah, he's going to be very sinister, and unlike other villains, it's going to take more than strength to beat him. Expect a lot of mind games to ensue.

thesuperone342: "Absolutely epic intro bro.

Let's start with Matt and co.. going to Atlas. You threw me off with that, as that's how I thought the plot was going to get rolling, but that's not how it went. Atlas knows nothing.

And Matt's character is getting some new development in this one it seems. He's absolutely obsessed with taking down Ouranos, to the point where he's not taking care of himself and where he's taking his frustration out on everyone around him. Makes sense, considering what he saw in the last chapter of the crossover. Can't wait to see where this goes.

And of course, there's everybody else, but I feel like their character arcs are less important in this book, except maybe for Harper. This is Matt's book, and this is his time to shine.

And last but CERTAINLY not least, is Tartarus. This man is absolutely sinister, reminding me completely of Anti-Spiral in terms of appearance. His powers are odd and difficult to deal with, not to mention terrifying. His introduction was perfect, and I can't wait to see the absolutely horrible shit he does throughout book 4.

All in all, excellent intro chapter, bro. Can't wait to see where this goes and how you'll write it. Update soon please!"

Response: Thanks man. Glad you enjoyed the chapter, all the setups, and Tartarus. This is definitely Matt's time to shine, his arc this book is the most important, and he will get plenty of time to show what he's got. Hope you enjoy this one.

MANGOLYFE: "Binge read the entire thing and you, Sir dare I say have created the best PJ fic I have ever read or to grace this doing what you do bro it's amazing."

Response: Wow, thank you. I really don't know what to say to that. That's amazing to hear, and I'm really glad you're enjoying it so far, I hope you continue to follow along and read the rest!

Guest: "Nah, you can't be messing with my emotions about Matt and Harper. Please tell me they won't end their relationship in this book."

Response: No promises...

Shadowhunter2077: "Damn, this Tartarus belongs to a horror movie, because holy shit this guy is creepy as hell, and I'm curious to see how you will handle this because to defeat Tartarus you will need someone on his weight class and there few of those.

And also will we see what is happening on Olympus, I'm curious to see that."

Response: Yeah, Tartarus is creepy. You'll definitely see more of him in this chapter and future chapters. I can't wait to write more of him. Defeating him is going to be very difficult, and Matt can't and won't do it alone. That's all I'll say about that.

As far as Olympus, I plan on showing what's going on with the gods, so your curiosity will be met.

RedX316: "Aaaaand that's how you write an intro chapter. Love the setup, and it looks like Tartarus is going to be an interesting villain. Can't wait for the rest"

Response: Appreciate it. Can't wait to write the rest. Hope you enjoy this one.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters (except the OC's) Percy Jackson & The Olympians, Heroes Of Olympus, or Trials Of Apollo. All of that belongs to Rick Riordan.

Now then, on with the second chapter.

2. Tartarus Goes Viral

Harper

The girl walked outside the front door of her home, fiddling with her fingers. She had watery eyes, and she sought out a particular person for comfort.

There he sat, on the top step of the porch, looking out at the night sky, full of stars and trees. She loved the night, oddly enough, the other children she knew didn't. They thought it was scary, but she felt different. Maybe it was because of the moon. She loved the moon, because she could actually look at it, unlike the sun. It was so big, so bright, so…cool.

But tonight she wasn't focused on that. She had a bad dream, one which she awoke from in a sweat, tears forming in her eyes. She began to question everything, as much as her six-year-old mind could handle.

"L-Lee?" She called.

Her brother turned, his eyes shining in alert. They already warmed her body, slowly easing her fears. But it wasn't enough.

"Harper, what's wrong? You should be asleep."

She shook her head, her mouth quivering. "I-I can't. B-bad dream."

Levi sighed, and motioned for her to come sit next to him. "Come here and tell me about it, kiddo."

She smiled for a fleeting moment, and walked over to where he was. Taking the spot to his left, she didn't take her eyes off his.

"I-Is Mama dead?"

Levi furrowed his eyebrows, "What? Where's this coming from?"

"Is she?"

She wasn't letting up. Levi frowned, unsure of how to answer. He tried to tell her before about their mother, how she wasn't around anymore and wasn't coming back, but Harper was more or less oblivious. She often wondered where her mama was, and missed her…even though she'd never met her.

Levi knew why. Their father was no good, and she wanted that motherly comfort. It was a child's instinct, to have that other half, but she didn't. She missed something she never had.

"She's not dead. She's just…away."

"Missing?" She asked innocently.

"No, no, just…not around. She's alive, but out in the world somewhere, not here."

He tried his best to explain, but looking at her doe eyes and pouted lips, she still didn't understand.

"Listen, don't worry about her. She's gone, and she's not coming back. I'm here, okay? I'm here for you."

That didn't make her feel better. She looked away from him and to the ground, "B-But what if you go too? What if you die?"

Levi felt compelled to pull her in for a gentle hug. "Hey, don't think like that. I'm not going to die, or go anywhere, okay? I'm always going to be right here, by your side."

Harper weakly put her hands on his back, wanting to believe his words. She always believed everything he said, but in that moment, she had a horrible feeling that what he said might not be true.

"Always, kiddo."

That memory hurts. Too much.

What, I'm supposed to take the reigns on this thing now? I'm not in the mood.

I'm not.

…

Alright fine, you wanna know how I feel? I feel like shit.

I'm lying on my bed right now, my hands behind my head, staring up at the ceiling. I'm trying to make sense of everything.

I keep thinking about that argument with Matt, thinking about what I said, what he said. I felt in the right on a lot of the things I said, but…he's equally right. And that's something I don't want to admit.

The truth is, I have been shutting people out, especially Matt. I've never been good at conveying my feelings, or talking about stuff that bothers me. And this thing, really bothers me.

It makes me want to curl up in my pillow and scream. Sob, cry my heart out, or something. But I haven't. I don't have any tears left to shed, I feel so empty, so dead inside.

The brother I always wanted came back to me, and then he was taken. Ripped away from my arms. How is that fair?

After hating him for years, wanting to bury him in the ground, I finally got my wish. But it was nowhere near the way I intended it. He had changed, and for the first time in forever, I saw light in his eyes, and the future was a bit brighter. I wanted him to have a spot in this cabin so badly. It gave me hope, hope that my dream would come true. Some kind of resemblance to normalcy, of the past, would come to life.

And then the damn Titan had to impale him.

That image would never leave me. As much as I tried to push it away, drown it out with my aggression, my constant training…it never worked. It never went away. At one point I even asked Talon to give me some of his alcohol. I'd tasted some of Dad's beer before and hated it, but it wasn't the flavor I longed after, it was the ability to forget.

But of course he said no. I remember it clearly. He shook his head and said, "It makes you remember more than it makes you forget, goth girl. You don't wanna go down that road."

And I believed him. He's had more than enough, who am I to question that?

I heard a loud knock on my door, and I groaned. Speak of the devil.

"What do you want?" I called, letting the annoyance seep through.

He called back, unfazed, "Let me in little pig, or I'll blow your house down."

I huffed and ignored him. I wasn't in the mood for any of his jokes, any of his lame comments, or just him in general. Being around Talon always does three things. One, make me laugh, two, roll my eyes, and three, make me angry.

He dropped the jokes and got serious. I could practically hear his sigh through the door. "Seriously kid, let me in."

My lips tightened in frustration, "You could've this entire time. We don't have a lock on the door, dumbass."

I heard a sound, and then the door came creaking open, blaring me in the eye with uncomfortable sunlight, and the white of the snow on the ground. It made me cringe and turn away.

Talon quickly shut it and walked over to me casually. "You talk to him?"

"Who?"

"You know who, genius," he grumbled.

I stayed silent for a moment. What business was it of his anyway? Why did he care what happened between Matt and I? Was it just some setup for a stupid joke?

"Yeah, we talked. Didn't go well. You can leave now."

"Hold your horses, woman. I'm asking because we ain't seen Matt since he left to chat with you." He scanned my body, like I was some kind of ticking time bomb. "Must've said something pretty rough to drive him off like that."

I finally sat up to glare at him. "I didn't say anything else than what I usually do. I told him to chill out, stop obsessing over this search, and get some freaking rest." I frowned at the bedsheets, "And like every other time, he didn't listen."

Talon took it in, and slowly nodded. "Oh…well, where'd he go?"

I shrugged, "He said something about visiting his mom. Why do you care?"

He scoffed, "The better question is, why don't you care? The kid's a loose cannon right now, we can't exactly have him going off wherever he wants without us."

"Why?"

"Do I have to spell it out for you? He might do something dangerous!"

I shook my head and laid back down, getting in my comfortable position again. "It's Matt we're talking about. Freakishly powerful Matt. I think he'll be okay. Besides, he can do what he wants, I'm done arguing with him."

I expected Talon to retort, but he was interrupted by a strange noise coming from the center of the room. It sounded like shimmering, or trickling water. One of the two.

We looked over to see the air glimmering. You know, like when you fill a car up with gas and you can see the fumes in the air, that kind of image. Except it was forming a picture in front of us. Figures, furniture, and finally, the sound of people talking.

I sat up and scooted over to the edge of the bed, Talon inched closer as well, his boots thumping against the wooden floor.

"What the hell is that?" He asked.

"I…think it's an iris message." I'd received them before, and they looked a lot like this. But it was weird. Who would be iris messaging me right now? It could be Aiden. He was at Camp Jupiter right now with Nico, visiting his little sister Hazel. They had left a couple of days ago, so maybe it was them just checking in.

But as the figures on the 'screen' began to pop up, it was definitely not Aiden and Nico. It was a single girl.

"-This thing working?" The girl said, her voice slightly muffled.

The image became fully clear shortly after she said that. On the other side, I saw a familiar face. Her beauty struck me immediately, then the near brown skin, and finally the choppy, chocolate colored hair.

"Piper?" I said, rearing my head back. I hadn't seen her in…gods, a long time. Probably two years or more at this point. I'd met her longer ago than that, when she first came to Camp actually. We spoke a couple of times, but never had any deep conversations. She seemed cool, and I knew how good a friend she was to Annabeth. Plus, she totally crushes the daughter of Aphrodite stereotype. Girl's actually pretty skilled and badass. I had to respect her.

She clearly remembered me. She sighed with relief and smiled, "Harper! Thank the gods! I was afraid you wouldn't answer."

Talon nudged my shoulder, "Wait a minute, is that the McLean chick?"

I shushed him and turned back to Piper, a little worried. Why would she be calling me of all people?

"What's going on?"

She put a finger up, "Hold on a second." She turned and shouted at someone behind her, "Annabeth, I got her! Come here!"

Within seconds, a tall frame with a blonde head came running over and practically jumped on the couch Piper was sitting on. She shoved her face next to hers and peered into the Iris message to look at me.

She grinned, "Harper, it's good to see you!"

I couldn't help but mirror her smile. Despite my recent mood, I was really happy to see Annabeth. Along with Sera, I consider her a sister.

"Hey, Annie. What's going on up there? Did you guys need something?"

Annabeth started to answer, but Piper's eyes kept flicking over to Talon curiously.

"I'm sorry, but who's that? You look familiar." She interrupted.

We fell silent. I couldn't see Talon's eyes, but I knew his eyebrows were to his hairline. He put a hand over his chest, "Me?"

Annabeth waved a dismissive hand at Piper, "You remember the cowboy I told you about? The guy that reminds me of Leo?"

Piper nodded, her eyes widening. "Oh yeah! Talon, right?"

Talon looked a little offended, but a bit embarrassed at the implication that Annabeth mentioned him to her old friends. "Yeah, that's me. Did you just compare me to Valdez?"

I snickered. I'd met Leo too, and I wasn't really sure what Annabeth was talking about, but at the same time…man, I could kind of get it. Leo and Talon were like night and day in terms of appearance, but as far as personality goes, they could be brothers.

Annabeth snapped us back to reality, "Listen, Percy was channel surfing earlier, and when he landed on the news…well, just take a look."

Both Annabeth and Piper leaned back to give us a view of the TV. Percy was standing next to it, and when he saw us, he practically jumped out of the way to let us see.

Talon and I had to squint to see what was on the screen. With one good eye, I'll say, it was pretty tough to make out anything up there. But after a few seconds, I was able to see a helicopter shot of a huge city. No wait…not just any city, it was New York. The Empire State Building was right there, along with the Chrysler Building.

"If we can switch over to the ground crew, we'll get a better look at the catastrophe."

The camera cut to a lower, but still relatively high shot. It showed a massive crowd of people gathered in a circle, standing behind an equal array of orange cones, yellow caution tapes, police officers, and paramedics.

There were probably hundreds of bright blue lights, police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances, littered across several blocks. What the hell was going on?

The reporter said something else, but I didn't catch it. In that moment, the camera managed to go past the crowd and towards whatever they were looking at.

In the center of it all, was an enormous scar in the road, stretching for at least half a mile. It looked like one of the Olympians had taken a giant axe and sliced the ground in half. I couldn't tell how wide the gap was, or if anyone had fallen in, but it looked very, very dangerous. It was a wonder the entire street hadn't sunken in.

"Oh gods…" I whispered, my hand itching to cover my mouth, but it couldn't. I was just frozen in place, at a complete loss.

The shot held still for a few more moments, and then it cut to a reporter, a woman holding a mic in front of her mouth.

"Experts still aren't sure what magnitude the Earthquake was, or how it even came about. Geologists are puzzled, the Earthquake was never detected on any seismometer, making it an odd phenomenon."

We all watched on. Talon's lips were tight next to me, Piper and Annabeth's hair could barely be seen in frame, but I could tell they were uneasy. Percy was right next to the TV, shaking his head.

The woman kept talking, and this time, it caught my attention. "There are bystander accounts however, that say otherwise. Many people have come forward and claimed that they saw a tall, dark figure causing the chaos, while facing down a young man holding a baseball bat. A now viral video has even been uploaded to YouTube, displaying the account. Here it is."

When it began to play, my heart sank. Even her words, I knew immediately what 'young man with baseball bat' meant. But I hoped to everything that it wasn't true.

The video was shaky, and the quality wasn't very good. Whoever was holding it was obviously freaking out, but the news outlet managed to muffle their voice and focus on the sound of the actual event. It lasted less than a minute, and it was very hard to make out anything to be honest. But there were a few frames that the camera caught, and in them, I saw indeed, a very tall, slender figure coated in black, with long octopus-like tendrils jutting out of it's body, throwing cars into buildings. In front of him, closest to the phone camera, was the glint of armor, the pixel of a wooden club, and brown hair.

Matt.

I gasped. What the hell was going on? Who…who was that figure?

The video stopped and the woman appeared back on the screen, concluding the segment. When they switched to the weather, the TV was shut off.

Nothing but silence.

That can't be real. No, no, I'm still asleep. There was no catastrophe in New York, no dark figure, no Matt. It couldn't be possible.

Annabeth and Piper slowly came back into view, their eyes full of concern. Percy walked over and joined them, standing back to let them keep their space.

Nobody spoke, yet there was a silent conversation between all of us but Talon, trying to decide on what to say first.

It was him that spoke first, "Holy shit."

That broke the ice. Annabeth almost pleaded, "Do you know anything about that? Did Matt really go into the city?"

"H-He said he was going to visit his mom."

They all exchanged a nervous look.

"Any idea on what that figure could've been?" Piper asked.

Percy and Annabeth then immediately looked at each other, and their faces darkened ten shades. I could see in their eyes that looking at that figure brought horrible memories.

"We have an idea…" Percy said nervously, "But for Matt's sake, I really, really hope it's not true."

"It can't be." Annabeth affirmed, almost shouting, "It isn't, Percy. Don't even say that."

"What? Isn't what?"

They clearly didn't want to even say it, even contemplate it. What could be that bad? Was it Ouranos? Some other type of god he's seduced?

Annabeth's breath was shaky, but she managed to whisper the name. "T-Tartarus. We think it's Tartarus, in physical form."

Our mouths all fell open, Piper shook her head vigorously, "No way! That's not- I mean, that can't be possible, can it?"

Percy's eye twitched, "He's a Primordial. Not many things aren't possible for them."

"Doesn't make sense though." Talon said, "What the hell does Tartarus want with Matt?"

Annabeth flinched at the mere name, "We don't even know that it's Tartarus. It just resembles him, that's all. It could be one of Ouranos's new minions or something. The point is, Matt was there."

Piper gave a time out signal, "Hold on, I'm lost again. We're sure that's Matt?"

"It's him," I confirmed. "The armor, the build, the weapon, no doubt about it."

Nothing else was said for what felt like several minutes. Everyone's eyebrows were lowered with concern, and my mind was racing. I needed to get to the city now.

Annabeth seemed to notice that in my good eye, and I was thankful.

"Figure this out, and keep in touch, okay?"

I nodded, "I will."

They smiled at me, and just as the Iris message disappeared, I heard Piper offer a "be careful" and then they were gone.

I wanted them here. I wished I could talk this out with them, try and make sense of what we just saw, form a plan, sort these insane thoughts out. But I knew Matt was in trouble. Tartarus or not, that figure was dangerous, and it was somehow connected to that giant scar in the road. Hell, it more than likely caused it.

I looked up at Talon, my tone brokering no argument whatsoever. "Get Malachi and Sera. We're going there right now."

Matt

Everyone knows about the Hesoid theory. That it would take nine days for a person to fall from the surface of the Earth and reach Tartarus.

I never confirmed this with Annabeth or Percy. She said it was a 'long time' and that it 'felt like days, but it was probably just a few hours.'

I can tell you right now, it feels like nine days have already passed.

I couldn't see a thing. Darkness was everywhere, and it never ended. The wind roared in my ears, the sounds of screaming souls were deafening. Gravity was turned up to one million.

I tried to fly up so many, and I mean so many times. I would thrust my limbs desperately and try to somehow use the air around me to force myself up, digging into the deepest depths of my energy. It never worked. The thing pulling me down was far stronger, far more resilient. It wasn't taking no for an answer.

Time didn't exist anymore; the problems of the outside world didn't exist anymore. This is the only place that matters now.

I flailed over to the side of the abyss, hitting what felt like a rocky surface. I immediately latched out and slammed my fingers into it. They sunk in, and my descent finally began to slow. It sounded like an avalanche, and it felt like glass scraping against my skin.

I thought I had some hope, maybe I could climb out, or maybe I could take Tartarus by surprise and fly up at the speed of light. I could escape here.

That hope was crushed when the force pulled me harder.

My fingers were yanked out of the rock and I fell down into the Pit even faster than before. It was pulling at my skin, ripping away at my fibers, my bones, my being. My soul was being compacted and crushed over and over.

"AGGHHH!"

I kept screaming in pain. I can't resist against this. My chances have slimmed and slimmed. I can't make it out of this.

My vision flashed, even though there was no light. I found it harder to breathe by the second, all of the air was being taken from my lungs.

"NO!" I shouted. I wasn't going to give in this easily. He would have to kill me to get me down there! I wasn't going! I wasn't!

It was a matter of instinct at this point. My body began to act on its own. I thrusted my hands out, red beams erupted and attached themselves to the wall on both sides, acting as ropes.

A laugh boomed from the bottom of the pit, and I recognized it immediately. "Resistance is futile. You are a part of me now…and there is no escape."

The bright red beams shriveled up and turned black, disintegrating with the thick air. The rocks shifted and shook, effectively breaking my temporary hold. My body flailed and I tried desperately to form more beams, but it didn't work. Nothing felt right here, like…like my body couldn't function correctly.

The few times that my body turned to the bottom of the pit, I saw an even darker darkness than the one above. That sounds vague, and probably all kinds of weird, it should be the opposite. I thought Tartarus was a place of fire. I would expect at least a hint of red. Was I still that far up?

But as I looked closer, I discovered that whatever it was, was moving. Towards me. It was like a giant snake made of smoke, tunneling up and trying to eat my body.

I didn't care what it was, everything screamed dangerous. Every fiber of my being was screaming at me to never, ever let my guard down, for as long as I'm down here. If you thought I wasn't getting sleep before, you'd better believe I won't get any now.

I'm going to fight and claw my fucking way out of here.

I unsheathed Viribus as quickly as I could and aimed it at the snake. It flashed blue for a moment, but died.

"Work, you piece of shit! Fucking work!" I shouted, panic rising in my chest, bursting out my mouth. This isn't the time!

Call it the last shred of my available energy, or will, or whatever, but I managed to force lightning to explode from the club. It shot out the tip, a straight blue coil of energy that met the black snake in the head. I expected it to do something, but it didn't. It just bounced off like a tin can, or a piece of freaking paper. It practically ate it.

My eyes widened. The snake came at me faster than I could blink, and wrapped around my midsection, tighter by the inch. My bones cracked audibly, and I knew the air was taken out of my lungs. I gasped for air, but it never came. It never came for what felt like miles, and I couldn't breathe. I probably looked like a dead fish, it's mouth agape and trying to desperately come back to life. But it was far, far too strong, it's grip was far too firm.

It wasn't a snake. It was a hand.

"I have your body, Matthias," Tartarus said, a dangerous whisper. "And soon, I will have your mind in the palm of my hand. Shattered."

My gut was nearly thrown out of my eye sockets when he yanked me. My body arched back, and I felt my neck throb in pain from the whiplash. Picture the craziest roller coaster, the biggest thrill you've ever felt, a five-hundred-foot drop, and that doesn't even begin to come close to this. If my skin were just a hair less durable, my bones and organs would've been trailing in the air behind me.

I uselessly beat against the crook of his hand as hard as I could, all of the strength I could muster. It did nothing. In fact, it only hurt me further. When my skin touched his, if you can even call this skin, it burned. Hotter than anything I'd ever encountered. I could smell my burning flesh, when I looked at the sides of my hands, in the faintest light, I could make out dark red marks and giant blisters, my muscle tissue hanging out.

The sight should've made me pass out. The pain was nearly enough, but the adrenaline in my veins kept me awake, it kept fueling me.

The momentum never ceased. For several minutes, he pulled me miles and miles, maybe hundreds, I wasn't sure. But I do know that we had to be moving quick, very, very quick. It had to be the same day, and I was already seeing the hints of bright red at the bottom of the pit. I'm sure that nine-day theory is true…but Tartarus wanted me down there, so he was quickening the pace.

This was his body. This place…he can manipulate it all, anything to his will. This hand isn't his real hand, if he even has a real hand. It's just the will of his mind, a simple thought.

The odds have never been so against me. Even Atlas was more reachable than this. This is impossible. This power, this grip, a simple thought.

A few seconds passed, and I cleared the tunnel, entering a massive landscape, as wide as the eye could see. It was covered in steam, magma, brimstone, jagged rocks, and rivers. I could only make out a small percentage. There were so many details, so many things, it would take an eternity to find it all. I might've been in horrific awe if I weren't being crushed to a pulp. I might've even had time to ponder if this was an infinite domain. It's own plane of existence, never ending.

I needed to act fast. I'd heard about several of the rivers in Tartarus, what they can do to your mind, your body, and I wanted no part of that. One was below me, without color, as far as I can tell, but it was wide and encompassing, ready to swallow me in it's embrace. I couldn't discern what kind it was, but I knew I didn't want to find out.

Tartarus was still gripping me tight, his intentions clear. He was going to throw me into that river.

My mind scrambled to create a plan, and fast. I looked around me, to the left stood land, not flat, but it would do. It was sort of an island to the magma, and it was the safest thing that I could see. Safe doesn't exist here, but if it did, it would be that Island. I made it my new purpose to get to it. I had to get there; my life depended on it.

My body shook, and I felt the adrenaline dose increase tenfold, everything I had pouring into the hairs of my skin. The red glow strobed in and out, a weak flicker. Why wouldn't it work here? Nothing seemed to want to work right?

It's like I said before, it's his domain. What he wants, goes. If he doesn't want me to transform, then I wouldn't.

Screw that shit. Who am I? What kind of Matt is this? Didn't I say before that I would become more than a demigod? A symbol. That's what I said. I'd be a hypocrite to go back on that. A symbol doesn't just get caught in the first step of the course, or the first level of the game.

Might as well look at this as a game. It might make it seem less depressing. This is the first level then, and if I lose now, well…I'm nothing. I might as well just quit and never come back. Game over.

I roared. It wasn't special, not like the others, where it sounded like thousands of lions were about to charge at a horde of wildebeests. This was hoarse, feeble, and it sounded very human.

But still, somehow, the red aura managed to outline my body, just for a moment. It thwarted Tartarus's hand and dissipated it to small specks in the air. I knew that wasn't enough though. It might've boosted my spirits to think so, but I knew he let me get out of that one. Like throwing a bone to a dog. Here you go, I'll give you a little something just to make this more interesting.

I didn't care. Whatever. I'm still alive.

I was maybe thirty feet away from the dark river. I twisted in the air and slammed my hands together, the shockwave pushing me to the side just in time. I cried out in pain, the burn on my hands was worse than I thought.

My shoulder hit the rocks hard, I rolled around and shut my eyes tight, not even wanting to look where I was going. I couldn't stop it, I just had to take whatever came to me.

Scrapes and cuts appeared all over me, I could feel tings of pain everywhere, especially the bare skin. For once, I wished I had on full body armor.

I tumbled until I hit something sharp. It struck me in the side, just below my armpit. I felt instant pain, greater than the scrapes, and even the burns.

I finally slid to a stop on my back, staring at the roof of the endless cavern. My breathing was heavy, but I wasn't inhaling anything resembling air. This was like gas, or sulfur. It stung my nose and hurt my chest. Every time I inhaled, it got worse.

I winced. This was going bad, far too quick. I just got here, and so far, my ribs had been crushed, my lungs were being filled with toxic air, and my hands probably had third degree burns.

Oh, and my side. It had most likely been stabbed.

I had to throw my body forward just to get my shoulders up. I gripped the hem of my armor tight and shimmied to take it off. I groaned in agony as I slid it off my shoulders. Okay, this wound might be even worse than I thought, or…maybe it was just the air on the open wound.

But when I craned my neck to look at it, I could tell it wasn't just the air.

It was worse than I thought. The gash was several inches wide, gaping open and gushing blood. My entire stomach was dark red, and the rest of my body was covered in small cuts.

I leaned back and laid on the rough surface, "Great, just great."

I planted my foot and tried to prop my elbows up, but just as I tried the gash throbbed in a horrible wave of pain. I went limp and fell back down, every muscle relaxed.

"Shit…"

Tartarus' voice came back, and he laughed again.

"Your blood is delicious, Matthias," he said, licking invisible lips. "Down for the count already. This is going to be easier than I thought."

I growled, "Not a chance, you son of a bitch." I pushed up again, more conviction behind it. It hurt so bad, but I didn't stop, I kept pulling the band aid. "I'm not going to make it easy for you."

I stood on my feet, shakily, but firm enough to not fall down. That would be the last time. I wasn't going to give him any satisfaction. I'd like to imagine that Tartarus's smug smile just fell.

I reached down, grabbed my chestplate, and began walking. Towards what? I had no idea.

Harper

Kyros was eager to come with us.

I'm glad he didn't need a pilot to get where he wanted to go, because we would've been lost by now. I don't know the first thing about flying a giant eagle. Feeding it, that I could do.

Kyros had been laying next to Peleus, the dragon that guards the Golden Fleece, (Yes, the real Golden Fleece) at Camp, when I went up to him and told him what was going on. Next to Matt, he knew me the best, so I hoped whatever I said got through to him.

It apparently did, because as soon as he heard Matt and trouble, he was on his feet and ready to go. From there, he did the navigating. I didn't even have to tell him New York City. It was like he could feel his owner was in danger.

We were getting close. I could see the giant scar from here, and it was even bigger in person. If you laid a skyscraper on the road, it probably wouldn't reach the length of the crack. But that's all it was, a crack. Several firemen were trying to poke at it and get inside, but it was no use. It wasn't even wide enough to fit a human.

Hundreds of civilians surrounded it, jumping and nearly trampling each other just to get a better view. Nearly all of them had their cell phones out, filming law enforcement as they tried to get inside the pit.

"Oh my..." Sera whispered, her eyes wide at the scene. "M-Matt fell into that?"

"We don't know for sure." I said, trying to put as much hope into it as possible. But it would be in vain, I already knew. If this really was Tartarus, then he never stood a chance. The Primordial more than likely split the Earth open and just threw Matt in by the scruff of his neck.

Where were the gods? At a time like this, you'd think they would at least be in the sky, watching and getting a read on things. I know they aren't very reliable, but after Mom helped us with Atlas, well, I guess I had a small shred of hope that they were more involved than we think they are. In their own way, of course.

But there wasn't one. At least, not that I could see. Whatever. We could investigate on our own.

My eyes flickered over the city rooftops, trying to find a place for us to land. Nothing looked promising. We'd either have to jump down, or break a door and take the stairs to one of the lobbies. Both would make us look suspicious.

So I decided to pop into an alley. It was between two long buildings, shadowed and secluded. Good enough for us to avoid the main crowd and sneak by.

I pointed, "We're gonna land there guys, get ready."

Everyone braced themselves, and I tapped Kyros on the neck, letting him know it was time to land. I'd seen Matt do it before, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

He listened, and swooped down swiftly into the alley, tucking his wings in and planting his talons on the pavement.

We hopped out, and I took a quick scan of the area above. We were hidden well, and nobody from the street could see us unless they really tried. With the big ass scar in the road, that was unlikely.

There were, however, some drug addicts in the alley, two of them to be exact, staring at us with wide eyes. Specifically Kyros, most of all. I don't mean to be rude or presumptuous when I say drug addicts, but anyone could tell. They had spots all over their faces, their eyes were bloodshot, and their hands were constantly shaking. I'd seen enough on the streets to recognize them.

They began to scoot on their butts, "Wh-What the hell is that thing?!"

Talon was next to me in a flash, his hand on his hip in a threatening manner. I saw his eyes turn red under his sunglasses, bloodlust emitted from them and hit the men.

"Beat it, junkies." He snarled.

They scrambled to their feet and scurried off, holding on to each other for support as they booked it out of the alley. I didn't know what they thought Kyros was, but even if they told anybody, they wouldn't believe them. I mean, if I was a mortal, even a regular eagle would sound far-fetched, considering you never see them in the city.

I smirked a thanks to Talon and walked back over to Kyros, now empty saddled. I got close to his beak and made him look at me.

"Alright buddy, I need you to make yourself small, okay?"

He let out a caw that sounded a lot like a human groan. Matt told me that he hated turning into a regular sized bird, that it made him uncomfortable or something. I nodded sympathetically at him and stroked his feathers.

"I know, I know. It'll only be for a minute, okay? Please?"

He grumbled for another minute, but finally transformed into a much, much smaller eagle. About the size of a barn owl. He flew up and perched himself on my shoulder, being careful as to not pierce my skin.

"Alright, let's go."

"Wait," Malachi said, raising an eyebrow, "You are taking him with us?"

Kyros let out another caw, and I shushed him. "He wants to find Matt as bad as we do, so I'm taking him with us. Besides, the mist will probably hide him as a pet monkey or something."

Talon snorted, "Yeah, cause pet monkey is better than pet eagle."

"Just come on."

Together, we left the alley and walked down the street. Even though the scar in the road had gathered quite a crowd, the sidewalks were still busy. We got a few strange looks, but nobody said anything or stopped us, not even police. We were in the clear.

After we gained a clearing in the road, we jogged over to the horde of people, trying to get a better look at what was going on.

The mortals were like a vanguard. They had set up a clear wall that no one could get through, unless they forced their way in. People were screaming at others to move out of the way, shoving people, jumping up in the air so they could get a better shot on their cell phone or camera. It was madness.

Finally, Talon had enough. He put a hand on mine and Sera's stomachs and gently pushed us back.

"Watch out, I'm about to clear the way for us."

I already knew what was going to happen. He was about to use it again. Normally, I'd consider it a risky move, but I really wanted to find out what was going on, and if Matt was safe. So I went along with it.

Talon removed his sunglasses for a second, a mist of red pushed it's way through the crowd and everyone was struck with an immediate fear. They began to scream and run for their lives, parting a massive path for us to walk through. People were throwing themselves just to get a foot further away from Talon, trampling others and bull rushing their way through the crowd.

He held it for a moment longer, and ceased it, putting his sunglasses back on like nothing had happened. The police glanced over, but just put it off as New Yorkers being New Yorkers, shrugged, and went back to work.

As we began to walk to the caution tape, Sera shuddered.

"I do not like it when you use that ability. It always…makes me feel weird."

Talon kept his eyes forward, "Had to, Princess. We gotta save the kid." He then looked down at me, "We will save the kid."

I nodded at him thankfully and kept walking. Talon looked as serious as I'd ever seen him. What Annabeth said, and the look on both her and Percy's faces must've made something click in Talon's head. This was serious, and if they were afraid, then we had a right to worry. This was no joke.

I put my hands on one of the little orange hazard gates and peeked over. There it was, the middle of the crack. It looked a lot wider up close, and I had no idea why nobody could get through it. It looked like you could fit a dozen cars inside there at the same time.

But I got my answer shortly after. One of the firemen swung down an axe at the edge of the opening, trying to chip away at some kind of rock or other matter. When he did, some kind of black smoke snapped back at him, like a snake, it nipped at the axe and nearly threw him to the ground.

So it was sentient. It had a mind of its own.

"You guys see that?"

Sera nodded, biting her lip. "Y-Yes."

"I do not sense him." Malachi stated, "Wherever he is, it's not in the city."

Talon nudged him hard on the shoulder, signaling him to be quiet. "I think we got a pretty damn good idea of where he is, man." He gestured to the scar with his chin, trying to hide it from me, but I caught it.

I wasn't sure why I kept staring at it. It wasn't going to open up for me just because I wanted it to. I wasn't about to peer into the depths of Tartarus and see if I could spot Matt. That was wishful thinking, it wasn't that easy.

"Let's split up." I ordered, "Talon, come with me. Malachi and Sera, try and ask the officers about what happened."

"Why?"

"So we can find out what the mortals saw."

Talon cocked his head, "But the video-"

"I know what the video showed," I interrupted. "But I want to hear it from their mouths."

Talon kept staring at me, while Malachi and Sera shot each other a worried look. Not sure of what to do.

"I-I don't like the idea of splitting up. Wh-What if…" Sera looked around, as if something was going to come out of the ground and grab her. "What if he is still here?"

I scowled at the asphalt, "If he is, then we fight. But if he does have Matt, then he's probably busy with him, so that should give us enough time to do what we gotta do." I reiterated, "It won't take long, okay? We only split up this once."

They still didn't like the sound of it, and I really didn't either. The last thing we wanted to do was split up, but divide and conquer was always a hell of a plan, especially in recon situations. You want to find out as much information as you can in the shortest amount of time. And since the four of us can't be everywhere at once, splitting up is the best option.

Malachi put a hand on Sera's shoulder, "Meet us back here in five minutes. Don't get sidetracked."

"We won't." I said, and motioned my head at Talon, "Come on."

I turned and power walked up to the mental hospital. The place where Matt's mom stays, with Talon close behind me.

"You sure about this?"

"Yeah."

"What if that bastard really is still lurking around? I mean, what if-"

I stopped abruptly at the door, turning to face him. The movement nearly made Kyros fall off my shoulder. "If he was, then he would've killed us already, along with the mortals."

Talon reared his head back.

"Look, I don't want to say things like that around Sera. She's worried enough as it is. And I can tell this whole thing has Malachi shaken up too."

"We're all shaken up." He said, correcting me. "But we stick together. Why are we even going in this place? What's a few crazies gonna tell us that mortal officers can't?"

I frowned, "It's not just a few crazies, Talon. Matt's mom is in here, and they more than likely saw what happened." I pointed up at the glass windows lining the building, noting that one of them near the top was broken. "Some questions won't hurt."

He held my gaze for a moment, silently challenging me. I held my ground; I wasn't giving up on this one.

He sighed and held the door open for me, waving his hand in a mocking gesture.

"After you then, miss."

Matt

Red and black, as far as the eye could see.

The red might've been my blood being evaporated, and the black might be my vision tunneling, coming in and out of consciousness. But I knew this place was filled with darkness, and the only light was the fire of damnation.

My entire body ached and throbbed, my skin stung from the sheer sulfuric air. I might've been mistaken, but It the air had a tint of yellow that I couldn't wrap my head around. I knew it was irritating the hell out of my lungs, and it was burning my skin, but it couldn't actually be sulfur, could it?

Well, everything here was designed to break you down and kill you slowly, so I wouldn't put it past this place. I've been down here for all of thirty minutes, and I can tell it's the worst place known to man, the worst place imaginable, even. The underworld was different. It was at least boring, you weren't being tortured by your surroundings, and there were even other souls there. Here, it's a barren wasteland of nothingness. I haven't come across one immortal, or even one monster yet. I've walked several football fields worth, jumped across a few lakes of fire, and It's just been me, myself, and I so far.

I knew I wouldn't last much longer. The gash in my side was getting worse by the second. It's intense pain was dull now, and I knew that was a bad sign. It meant my brain was spinning, and I was about to pass out on the ground. My body was focusing so much on healing the wound, it was ignoring the energy I needed to keep walking. I had a natural healing factor, but it wasn't even a fraction of what Viribus could do. It was only a bit faster than a regular mortal's.

I couldn't even muster up the energy needed to unsheathe Viribus. I could walk, but I couldn't raise my arms to pull the necklace off, they ached so bad. Whenever I tried, the wound on my side would flare in agony, and I'd scream at the top of my lungs.

I had no idea where I was going, or even what I was doing. There was no goal here. For all I knew, this could be an endless trap from Tartarus. He might've already induced me in a trance, and I'm stuck in my own mind, forced to "walk" down an infinite path of emptiness while my real body is laying on the ground of broken glass, slowly dying.

That's the horrifying part. I can't even tell.

I shook my head and tried once again to get Viribus. I would do it quick this time, like ripping off a band aid. If I could just touch it to the wound for even half a second, it would close it up completely and I'd regain a ton of energy.

I raised them as quickly as I could, my fingers were inches away from the lion head, when the pain came in a massive wave.

I screamed and fell to my knees; the broken glass shouldn't have hurt me. I was more durable than that. But somehow it did, either enhanced by Tartarus or through magic or whatever. Little stings and pricks of pain littered my kneecaps and it only made me scream louder.

My stomach churned and I felt vomit rise up in my throat. Unable to hold back, I lurched forward and threw up everything in my stomach. It came out in a disgusting pile that I don't even want to describe. I had to turn away from it and catch my breath.

The pain subsided just enough for me to crane my head and wipe my mouth on my shoulder. What was I going to do here? I had no game plan, no way of escape. Tartarus hadn't spoken in minutes, and to be honest, it was driving me insane. I already felt alone enough on the surface world, but this here…was pure isolation, like spending years in the hole in prison. I couldn't handle it.

At least before, I knew he was watching me, and there was a clear struggle. But now it was more like survival, instead of fighting an all powerful being. It was location, not person, now.

Would I be trapped here forever? No, no that would be too cruel, even for me. I'd probably just die, or succumb to this wound one.

I said I wouldn't make it easy for him. That statement is becoming harder and harder to live by.

I feel like giving up. I want to just curl up in a fetal position and lay there, wait for death to come and scoop me up. Just anything to get away from this pain, anything to get away from this fight I've been forced into.

My body started to relax on it's own, and the drowsiness of two entire weeks began to catch up to me. It was like a gas had been sprayed in my face, a sleeping gas, enhancing what was already there. I knew I could stay up for much longer, and this place was the last place you would expect to fall asleep in. But I knew it was another trick, another obstacle to leave me vulnerable.

My eyes closed, I felt myself leaning forward, ready to faceplant on the broken glass. I managed to stop myself with my hands, which wasn't any better. The same stinging sensation in my kneecaps now surged through my palms, getting hot with blood. I held back a whimper and grinded my teeth together. It was everywhere, literally all around me. Small shards of it, just scattered across the ground, a few inches deep, kind of like snow. The crazy thing was, more seemed to materialize the farther I looked. Was this all in my mind?

It couldn't be. This pain was too real, too awful. If I were asleep, or in a trance, then I would hate to know what reality felt like.

"RAGHHHHHHHH!"

My entire body jolted, bringing my hands, and several shards of glass stuck to them up in the air. I nearly fell over at the sudden noise. What the hell was that?

Then, to my right, I saw a shadow. A massive shadow with glowing eyes that towered over the black mountains, and almost reached the roof of the cavern. It had made that noise, that loud roar that shook the ground.

"I SMELL HERACLES!" The giant bellowed, "WHERE ARE YOU, HERACLES?!"

Heracles? My…my dad?

No, he smelled him on me.

It was a pretty good guess, because monsters, if that thing even is a monster, have a great sense of smell, and more often than not, they can smell the godly parent on a demigod. How, I don't know, but I've had it happen to me before, many times.

I tried to reach out with my aura sense, but it was no use. Everytime I tried to activate it, something as equally quick shot back and negated it. Tartarus…

It wouldn't work here, and it didn't even matter. Looking at that thing in the distance, it was massive, it seemed to hate my dad, and I was in no condition to fight anything, let alone something that was dangerous and blood lusted.

I didn't think to run first. I knew the pain would be unbearable, so I did the first thing that came to mind; I reached down and began to scrape the glass to the side with my hand. It hurt like absolute hell. My hands were getting very red, not just with blood, but my skin complexion. The flesh was slowly being ripped away.

I bore it, managing not to cry out in pain. After a few seconds, I saw the actual rocky ground, and made a space big enough for me. I laid down as quietly as I could and rolled around in the dirt and dust, trying to get as much as I could on my bare skin. It didn't seem to be a problem at first, I was sweaty, and I had dropped my armor a few minutes ago, so the residue of the ground stuck to me perfectly.

The giant was getting closer with every huge bound he took. He stepped over the rivers of fire casually, the same rivers that took effort from me just to jump over and not fall in. His shadow loomed larger and larger as he got closer, his nose making a very audible sniffing noise, trying to locate me.

"Where did you go, Heracles?" He said, growling. "I smelled you, but now…I don't. Come out, coward!"

His form came into view, and I sunk down on my back, gripping the smallest ledges of rock as tightly as I could. My heart slammed against my chest when I saw his leg hit the ground not thirty feet in front of me, then the rest of him.

I didn't have a great view, but I could tell he was beefy, very, very tall, and had only a tattered burlap cloth to cover his waist. He was no Laestrygonian or Cyclopes, no way in hell. He was far worse. I could feel the hatred coming off of him, the power, even. He would crush me in an instant if he found me in this state.

He kept looking around and sniffing, but not taking another step in any direction. I waited several minutes, but he made no movement whatsoever. The glass was starting to reform on the ground, and it was stabbing my back. I needed to get out of here, now.

I shifted my weight and pushed myself up shakily. When it didn't alert him, I sighed with relief and kept pushing my luck. Taking the smallest of shuffles and making my way to the opposite side of the cavern.

It was a stretch of nothingness, but even that has to end somewhere. I had to find myself in another area.

But what if this is nothing compared to that? What if this is peaceful compared to everywhere else down here? It had to be. I mean, Tartarus is the underworld for immortals, and there were a lot of reforming monsters. There had to be millions down here.

The giant craned his head in the opposite direction, facing away from me. This was my chance!

Quickly, I grabbed my armor and shuffled faster. That shuffle soon became a desperate jog, then an outright run. I didn't even care if it made noise anymore, or how much it hurt now. I would put as much distance as I could between me and that thing. I had a head start, I needed to take it.

I cleared the river of fire closest to me, jumping over the gap with difficulty, but making it nether the less. There was nothing but flat ground in front of me, and the silhouette of cavern walls with a bunch of tunnels dug into them, possible leading into another "room." I wasn't sure what dug those tunnels, but from here, they looked big enough for me to fit through.

For several minutes, I ran and ran, while the giant kept standing there. I guess he was either too stupid, or too persistent to catch the hint that he wasn't going to find my dad. I almost smiled at the feeling of freedom. If I can keep overcoming obstacles like this, one step at a time, I might have a chance.

I crossed maybe a mile of distance, the cavern wall was becoming clearer and clearer now, and the giant's form was gone in the sulfur fog. I could actually relax a tiny bit now, and focus on my next plan instead of worrying about dying. Didn't mean I had to throw out stealth or caution altogether. That thing probably has super hearing, and I wasn't going to be dumb and find out for myself.

A few more sprints, and I was there, at the cavern wall. It reached all the way up to the roof, next to the brimstone and shining rocks above. All across it, were tunnels, as wide as the ones that you'd see on a highway underneath a bridge. They didn't look like they had been formed by Tartarus, but rather…something else. Maybe a hive of monsters?

I was about to investigate further, when something caught my eye in my left peripheral. Maybe a hundred feet away, sat the strangest sight I had seen since I got down here.

From my view, it looked like a large, fleshy egg, with something being kept inside of it. What, I couldn't discern.

Without thinking, I retracted my step into the tunnels and began walking over to the egg. When I stood flush in front of it, I could see clearly what was going on.

My description was still correct, even up close. It was oval shaped, and fleshy. When I say fleshy, I mean disgusting and slimy. It was red, and had a light inside of it, like it was some kind of experiment gone wrong in a lab. Little tendrils of what felt like alien skin protruded from the sides and stuck to the ground, keeping it in place.

I cringed in disgust. If this entire location was Tartarus' body, then this would be a zit. A zit that needed to be popped, ASAP.

There was definitely something inside it, and it was human shaped. A bit larger maybe, but definitely not a monster, that much I could tell. But I still couldn't see properly, the light inside the egg wasn't bright enough to make it anything more than a silhouette.

I was sort of grateful that I had already thrown up earlier, because what I did next would've definitely sealed the deal. I leaned up and pressed my face to the egg. It was horrible, and so…slimy. Not even stick, but slick and warm.

It offered a much better image though. I could now see clearly what was inside, and what I saw took me by complete surprise.

It was…a woman.

A beautiful, raven-haired woman, at that. She looked to be about my mom's age, maybe a bit younger, mid-thirties, something along those lines. Her clothes didn't scream feminine, and it looked rather warrior-like than civilian-like to me. She had on what might've passed as a toga, if it were a bit longer and more traditional, like the ones I'd seen the gods wear. Hers was draped over one shoulder, coming down to cover her right breast, leaving the shoulder and arm above it bare and uncovered, like a one-strapped backpack or something. It came down to just above her knees, white with blue markings on both the hem, and the spot above the leather strap on her waist.

It puzzled me. That wasn't a strap or belt, it was a sheathe. A sheathe holding a three-foot-long sword made of celestial bronze, with strange engravings on it. It didn't even look like they meant anything, or formed words, they looked more like…scribbles of enchantment.

Just who was this woman? She looked like a goddess, but not the Aphrodite or Demeter kind, more like an Athena or Artemis. I couldn't tell how strong she was, due to my aura sense being constantly slapped away by Tartarus.

I kept staring at her, longer than I probably should've. She had to be an immortal, why else would she be in Tartarus? Her eyes were shut, and from the way her hands were bound by that weird fleshy stuff, I would say she's being held prisoner in this egg thing.

I should've just kept going and left her. I should've bolted for the tunnels and never looked back, not a second thought in my head. This was survival, not a rescue mission. I'm sure whatever she did, or whatever happened to get her down here was warranted. It wasn't my concern.

But I just couldn't break away. She looked too human, too innocent to leave behind.

Too much like my mom.

I don't know what it was about her. They didn't even look that similar, but I just got a weird feeling in my gut. Saving her from this was the best decision I could make right now.

"This better work," I mumbled.

I put my hands together and stretched my fingers to a point. With a weak thrust, I jabbed them into the egg. To my surprise, it broke open.

Or…meshed open. I don't really know how to describe it. It's like sticking your hands through a jellyfish. Disgusting, easy, sticky, and slimy.

I had just enough strength to pry open the flesh with my arms. When I got enough space to lean in, I ripped the tendrils from around her wrists and broke her free.

That was my mistake. When her hands were free, her entire body fell loose and she tipped over, hitting me square in the chest.

I couldn't stop myself from falling over with her on top of me. I hit the ground hard, my wound roared with pain, more blood spewed out from the impact.

I felt a scream building in my throat, like a geyser ready to burst and launch hot water in the air. I couldn't hold it back anymore.

"AGHHHHHH!"

As soon as it came out, I clamped my mouth shut. But it was too late. The sound reverberated through the cavern and echoed tenfold.

The ground shook, a deep, thunderous voice called out, "Heracles…"

Shit.

His footsteps began booming towards me. As much distance as I'd put between the two of us, it only took about two seconds for his shadowy form to appear in the fog. He casually stepped over the two river crossings and opened his mouth to bellow once again.

"HERACLES! YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME NOW!"

"What the hell's with this guy and my dad?" I said to no one. Was there some giant my dad had killed that I was forgetting about? I tried to rack my brain, but it was no use. I sucked at Greek Mythology.

It was at this point that I finally realized the woman was still on top of me. I grabbed her shoulders and pushed her off, letting her roll on the ground until she stopped to lay on her side. She wasn't moving. Great, she might be dead.

I almost reached forward to check for a pulse, but I didn't have time. The giant was already here, and he was swiping his hand to the clear the fog.

I turned to look up at him. His height was just about to the cavern roof, which meant I might've been as big as one of his toes, if that. He was massive, and his fist looked like it could level this entire area and sink us into the magma, if that's what he wanted.

If I felt up to it, I would destroy him. But in this state, I'm toast. Extra crispy toast. I just saved a woman that's probably freaking dead, and maybe has been for thousands of years. So any help from her is out the window, and any reason I had in saving her is gone. I'm on my own, once again.

The giant huffed, and the fog shot downward, unleashing a horrible stench that I could only discern as his breath. It was like a cartoon bull blowing smoke from its nostrils.

"Heracles, we meet again."

I winced. This wound was going to mess me up so bad. I couldn't hardly move my arms, let alone fight. Maybe I could stall him or talk him down.

An idea came to my head. "Sorry pal, but I'm not Heracles."

I could see his confusion, "But you smell like him."

I snapped my fingers, "Ah, I know what it is. I'm the god of lions, that's why."

I hoped the giant was stupid, because that was a new low of improvising, and that's saying a lot for me.

He growled skeptically, bent down to one knee, and leaned his head to see for himself. I tried to stand my ground and not look at all intimidated when he practically shoved one of his eyes in my face.

"You're lying." He said, "You're not a god, and you're the splitting image of that bastard. Are you his son or something?"

"Nah man, you've got it wrong."

Suddenly, he shot up to his feet, surprisingly quick, and had an outburst.

"YOU'RE LYING! YOU ARE! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Like a flash of lightning, his fist came crashing into me, encompassing my entire body. I felt my feet leave the ground, and I flew from where I stood all the way to the cavern wall.

I felt two impacts, the first was when I hit the wall, and the second was me hitting the ground. Then came the recurring pain. There was no limit now, it just kept getting worse and worse. Now I really couldn't move. It hurt to even breathe.

He lumbered forward and picked me up with his index finger and thumb, peeling me off the ground in my Matt-shaped blood puddle. I was just a plaything now; he could do whatever he wanted with me. I had no energy to resist.

He raised me above his head so I could look at him. I saw dark skin, large yellow teeth, and two dull, menacing eyes. He was a giant alright, a son of Gaea. There was nothing else he could be.

"If I can't kill him, then I'll kill his son. That's the next best thing after all!"

His other fingers snaked around me and began to squeeze. It was agonizing, layers of pain stacked on top of what was already there. My mouth opened, but no sound came out. It felt like I was going to have an aneurysm. The pressure in my head was building, building, building.

Finally, I heard a crack, then another. I screamed as I felt my body get broken in half, like it did with Atlas. The giant laughed and leaned back, his arm going with it.

He let out a grunt and chucked me back to the cavern wall. I hit it again and fell to the ground, this time face up with blood trickling down my mouth. I was completely covered in red, and I didn't even have an idea of where my armor was. Not that it would change anything. It wouldn't.

I bobbed my head back just enough to see the giant stalking towards me upside down. His fist was clenched and dripping red. He was thoroughly enjoying this.

He wasted no monologue or grand speech. He might've been incapable of doing so, so he just settled for "DIE!"

His fist came down like whack-a-mole, and I knew if he did it enough, I was going to be crushed. I'm not sure what I would've done. Probably nothing.

But I didn't. As soon as his fist came down, someone was there to stop it. The woman from before had appeared out of nowhere and stood between me and the giant. It hit her, but she didn't budge. A shockwave burst around the two fighters, and I felt it blow my hair every which way across my face.

The giant raised a bushy eyebrow, "What the hell?"

He grunted with effort, planted his feet, and pushed harder against her. I could see visible strain in her arms, but she still held firm, only sliding back a few inches in the dirt on her heels.

I was amazed. Who the hell was she? She couldn't be a minor god or some small immortal. She was holding her own against a giant in a test of physical strength. Which is kind of what the giants were known for.

Finally, she managed to knock his hand to the side and jumped up on his arm, darting up it and reappeared at his shoulder. She was fast too.

The giant caught her position change, but he couldn't do much about it. He tried to swat her, but she jumped over his other hand and unsheathed her sword in mid-air. The one with all the weird engravings on it.

I did a double take when she gripped it to stab in his shoulder. The engravings flashed an aquamarine blue, and her aura glowed for a split second. The sword sunk into the giant's shoulder and went all the way in, down to the hilt.

It roared in pain and began to thrash, trying desperately to get her off his shoulder. It was no use. She twisted that thing like a lever, golden ichor flew from the wound and the giant's knees were buckling.

The woman jumped off, as swiftly as a lioness and landed softly on the ground. She had the sword sheathed and her hand thrusted to the river of fire before I could even tell what was going on. When she threw her hand at the giant, I was not expecting the river to bend to her will.

But it did. It morphed from literal flames to water. It rose a few feet, like it had been stoked with air or coal, and then it would change into water when she commanded it. It was one of the most amazing things I'd ever seen, as far as manipulation goes. She twisted it and it crashed into the giant in a powerful wave, knocking him on his butt and scooting him away from us.

My expectations kept getting blown away the further I stayed here. I thought she was dead, then a minute later she's the one saving me. Go figure.

Before I could let out a sigh of relief, she was running over to me and picking me up over her shoulders, the one that was bare. Her skin was warm against mine, and I found it oddly comforting.

But this was still weird, make no mistake about it. I wasn't so crazy that I couldn't step back and just say…what the crap is going on here?

"Wh-Where are we going?"

I meant for the question to come out louder and more surprised, but it was more of a shaky croak. It hurt to talk, and with her running, it made it hard with all the bouncing around.

But she must've not heard me, because she didn't answer. She just kept looking forward and running, but never loosening her grip on my waist.

Maybe it was the pain, or maybe it was absurdity of the situation. But I couldn't stay awake any longer. I passed out, and for the only time ever, I put my faith in a stranger I met in Tartarus.

(000)

Matt is really having a tough time. I can't give these characters a break, can I?

Harper is back with another POV! I know, she already had one in Book Two, and I promise the other characters will get their own later down the line, but for now it's important to see Harper's. What she's thinking about Levi, her relationship with Matt, all that good stuff. Plus, she's really fun to write for some reason.

As for the mystery woman, you'll find out who she is and more about her next chapter. I promise you won't guess who she is. It's nobody important actually, but a deity that I really wanted to explore. It's basically a new character in PJO, if you want to put it that way. But she exists in myth.

That's all I got this time around, but keep on the lookout for the next chapter!

Until Next Time.