Chapter 3: Separated

Percy felt a chill crawling up his spine as he stared into the blackness of the center doorway. On either side of him, the rest of the demigods visibly shared his discomfort.

"Alright," Luke whispered, "We all agree that that's not Grover, right?"

He didn't need to wait for their confirmation. The son Hermes set his jaw and unsheathed his sword.

"Then let's go get him back."

"Wait," Annabeth said quickly, sliding her slim backpack off one shoulder, "Ambrosia first."

The four demigods each ate a full square of the god food, ensuring they were at full strength for whatever lay lurking in the dark. Percy closed his eyes as the taste of his mother's blue chocolate chip cookies swept through him. The warm chocolate melting in his mouth reminded him of a safer, quieter life, but as the ambrosia worked to return his drained energy, Percy understood that that life was firmly behind him.

He opened his eyes to find Thalia looking at him like she was about to say something, but a creak from the left doorway wrenched their attention from each other. Luke and Annabeth stalked towards the dark corridor, their weapons drawn and ready.

"Annabeth and I will follow where Grover went," Luke said.

"And we'll head down the middle," Thalia affirmed.

The demigods wished each other luck and split off into the pitch darkness. Percy fished a flashlight out of his rucksack, and when it didn't immediately turn on, he slapped it a few times to no avail. It wasn't until they were a few yards in, when both Thalia's leading speartip and Percy himself walked into a wall, that their guiding light sputtered to life.

"Are you alright?" Thalia asked.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Percy turned the flashlight on her to see she was stifling a smile.

"I'm good," he answered, "Stupid flashlight."

Percy shone it at the wall blocking their path and forcing them to turn right. Just a few steps further, a blockade of intertwined pipes forced another left. Past that, there was yet another turn. Percy and Thalia crept forward shoulder to shoulder as they realized they'd found themselves in some kind of maze.

The duo continued on the path laid out for them, sticking to the center of the corridor that could have easily fit a minivan. Percy's flashlight shifted from wall to wall on each turn they took, searching for some kind of distinguishing sign, but everything looked the same: twisted lead pipes weaved so densely that they couldn't even see through the sparse gaps. They continued their walk forward.

Minutes passed with Thalia taking a slight lead, her spear held out in front of her, before they came across an imprint on the wall. Percy froze when his flashlight found the three-fingered claw mark that had raked straight through the lead pipes. He could feel the shiver that went through Thalia's arm.

"I really need my own weapon," Percy murmured.

Thalia nodded before they continued more slowly. It was only a few steps later that they found a filled wooden crate sitting in the middle of the path. At the top of the pile lay a bronze sword, its blade nearly two feet long. Percy shared a quick glance with Thalia. He probably would have laughed at the convenience of it all if the situation wasn't so dire. Quickly, the demigods crouched beside the crate to see what else they could find.

Percy tentatively lifted the sword, admiring its natural glow that pushed back the darkness. The luminescent weapon only glowed more brightly when it caught the glare of his flashlight. Before Percy could inspect the leather hilt, Thalia hissed his name. He twisted on his heel to see her shuddering while holding a bronze helmet. Percy didn't understand her discomfort until she turned it and half a skull fell back into the crate.

Percy's stomach rose into his throat while Thalia dropped the helmet and clamped a hand over her mouth, stifling a scream. She scooped up her spear as Percy shot upright, and the pair fled from the crate, leaving behind faded orange shirts and shorn sets of armor. Percy had accidentally left the flashlight beside the crate, but his bronze blade lit their way as he and Thalia tore through the turns laid before them.

Percy's breathing quickly became ragged, his heart throbbing as he replayed the image of the skull cracking back against the container. Thalia was leaning into him as they ran, both her hands tight on her spear while the corridor shrank and filled with boxes welded shut. Their legs may have carried them until they collapsed if a sudden shadow hadn't cast from the turn ahead.

The pair of demigods grabbed each other, catching their pace and ducking behind the nearest metal box. They evened their breathing, holding fingers to their own lips and assuring each other to stay completely silent. Heavy light poured from the exit ahead, indicating that the thinning passage opened into a larger room. But the looming shadow warned that the area was occupied by at least one hulking creature.

Percy's heart rate steadied. He steeled his nerves, taking deep breaths as Thalia did the same. She met his eyes, her bright irises shining determination, and she nodded. Percy felt his own confidence returning, only feeling more sure of himself as his hands tightened around his new sword. He moved to stand when a voice rang out and turned his blood to ice.

"Percy!" his mother exclaimed, "Come here!"

Before he knew it, he'd taken a step forward. His eyes welled at the sound of her honeyed voice. She was calling for him just like she did every night; dinner must be ready. Somehow, his mother was back.

"Tha-ya!" another voice called out, a baby's, "Tha-ya!"

A vice wrapped Percy's forearm and wrenched him back behind the box. It was just Thalia's hand, but the way her nails were digging into him made him feel like they'd go straight through flesh and bone. He winced from the pain, gritting his teeth.

"What are you doing?" he grated.

"It's not real," Thalia whimpered, her voice hitching, "It's not real."

In the dull light of his blade, Percy realized she was shaking. Her eyes were unfocused, darting across the far wall. Her hand was still painfully tight around his forearm. Ignoring the ache, Percy softly put down his sword and moved his freed hand to her face. She was crying. He thought he should move his hand away, but Thalia was looking at him now, pressing into his palm as her breathing slowed.

She swallowed hard, easing her grip on Percy's forearm. The voices from the lit room continued. Percy heard his mom again. She was becoming increasingly irritated that he hadn't come out, and the baby had started whining for 'Tha-ya,' resorting to throwing a tantrum. But the sound felt dull while Percy kept his focus on Thalia, letting her steady herself. She sniffed roughly as the voices died out.

A deep sigh rang. Far too deep to have been Percy's mother.

"Oh well," it grumbled, "They must have left you guys. What kind of name is Taiya anyways?"

Thalia let go of Percy's forearm. His hand left her cheek before they stood up together. Thalia didn't look away as she wiped her tears, and Percy could see her thanks in her eyes. A bubbling sound peeled them away, and the duo stalked towards the light.

They squinted as they peeked their heads around the corner, seeing the industrial maze open into a cluttered, circular room with a fire pit in the center. A bubbling cauldron sat atop it, and most of the black pot was obscured from the demigods' vision by the creature casting the shadow into their passage.

From the back, it looked like a huge man – maybe seven feet tall – wearing too-small overalls that covered nowhere near enough of his hairy back. On his overalls were a cartoonish amount of "Hello, my name is" stickers that all pointed Percy to the conclusion that the monster's name was Jones. The text font was huge, and the stickers were plastered up and down his back and legs. When the monster started walking around the cauldron, Percy realized they covered his sides, too.

The creature groaned as he tore through boxes, frustratedly searching until he pulled out a massive mixing ladle. While Percy was still watching the monster prepare some kind of meal, Thalia shook his shoulder. He glanced to where she was pointing, and his heart clenched.

A pole was driven into the ground near one of the other exits of the area. At its base slumped Luke and Grover, both shackled with their wrists above their heads. Grover lay unconscious with a welt growing through his curly hair. Beside him, Luke's head lolled to the side, but he was awake. Percy could see the older demigod gritting his teeth, his eyes burning hatred towards the monster stirring the pot. In the flickering firelight, the son of Hermes almost looked deranged as he fought against his restraints.

"Patience, little demigod," the monster rasped, "For killing my brother, you will die second."

Luke shouted, jerking his wrists forward as he bucked against the pole. But the metal rod didn't budge. Grover moaned weakly, pulled back to consciousness by Luke's efforts. Moving to face them, the monster exhaled.

"Finally awake," he mused, "I'd save you for last, demigod, but satyrs just make the best dessert."

Luke tried lunging again to no avail. His captor guffawed as he spun back towards the cauldron, and Percy finally got a good look at his face. He had a thick, disheveled mop of black hair that probably hadn't been washed in weeks. His nauseating grin revealed thick and yellowed teeth, half of them missing. But the most unnerving part of him was the single bulging eye that sat too low on his forehead.

"A cyclops," Thalia whispered from beside Percy, a hand tight on his shoulder.

The cyclops hummed as he mixed his pot, the deep thrum nearly drowning out Luke's struggling. Percy was still searching for Annabeth when the monster clapped.

"It's ready!" The creature wagged a finger at Luke. "Time for your punishment, boy. Watch your little friend be painfully roasted, and don't worry, she'll wake up when the heat reaches her."

A tightness coiled in Percy's chest as he and Thalia shifted their eyes up. They found Annabeth hanging down from the ceiling with her arms and legs in chains, her eyes shut and her head bleeding profusely. Moments later, she shook awake and snapped her frantic gaze towards the ground below. Annabeth gnashed her teeth at the cyclops and wrestled against the chains binding her, but anyone could see that she was terrified.

When her tears began to fall, Percy felt blood roar into his ears. Thalia may have said something from beside him, but he couldn't hear a word over the pounding that had overtaken his skull. His vision tunneled on the cyclops, so when he shoved forward from behind cover and into the open area, he didn't see the floor fracturing beneath his feet.

The ground shook violently, knocking over stacked boxes and nearly prying loose the pole that Luke and Grover were chained to. Cracks spidered a dozen feet forward, reaching the center of the room and forcing a stumble from the cyclops. The one-eyed monster caught himself on his cauldron as the room rumbled, his weight peeling the pot forward and revealing its contents to Percy.

Boiling water. The image worsened the overwhelming roar that had gripped the young demigod, and the tightness spread painfully to his gut. He felt it screaming to be released, and Percy thrust his arms forward on pure instinct. He shouted in tandem, and the water erupted from the cauldron in a tight tendril that shot into the eye of the cyclops.

The monster's roar shook the room further as he clutched his blinded eye, tumbling away from the pot that continued to pour boiling water. Percy swiped with his empty hand, and the liquid slowly pooled to the side of the room opposite Luke and Grover. Behind him, Thalia had already lifted her jaw and made her way to the bound duo.

While she recovered Luke's sword from close by and worked to free them, Percy continued forward on autopilot, locking both hands on the hilt of his sword as he ran at the shrieking cyclops. He covered the distance quickly, slashing his sword into the monster that was flailing on his back. The blade ripped open a deep gash in his side, opening a dam of sludge through his overalls.

The cyclops wailed and fumbled his hands around a loose floor pipe, wrenching it from the wall and swinging blindly at his assailant. Percy was mid-roll before he even knew what had happened, and he came up right in his enemy's face. Flipping his grip on the blade, Percy gritted his teeth and raised his weapon overhead. He cut the monster off mid-scream, stabbing straight down through the cyclops' nose. His silenced enemy dissolved into golden dust, leaving behind only a blade buried halfway into the floor.

Percy shoved upright, stumbling as his adrenaline began to fade. He pried his weapon from the floor and used it like a cane while a wave of vertigo made its way through his head. As it subsided, he walked over to Thalia, who had freed Luke and Grover of their restraints.

"That was incredible, Percy," Luke said as he massaged his wrists.

Percy blushed while both Thalia and Grover voiced their agreement.

"Thanks," he managed before pointing upwards, "But how are we going to get Annabeth down."

"The crank!" she called down, "It's on the wall."

They found the lever moments later, murmuring to themselves how Annabeth had seen it so quickly. After safely lowering her over the emptied pot, Thalia swung her to the side as Luke jumped up and cut her chains. The moment Annabeth landed, she caught Percy in an iron embrace.

Percy swallowed the lump in his throat as he hugged her back just as tightly, feeling her cheek still wet against his. The awful coil in his chest finally unwound. He'd only known her for two weeks, but seeing her in that position had made Percy feel like the world had been ripped from beneath his feet. Until now, he hadn't explicitly realized how quickly she and Luke and Thalia had become his family, and he prayed to whatever gods he could that he'd never see any of them like that again.

They pulled away from each other, but Percy's eyes immediately widened at the blood still trickling from the side of Annabeth's head. She gave him an assuring smile while Luke and Thalia wrapped her in their own hugs before rummaging through their bags in a panicked race to find her some ambrosia. Luke won out, handing her another full square while the rest of the demigods rationed their own dwindling supplies.

"We should go now," Grover said, nervously surveilling the room, "Luke killed the other cyclops, but we never know if there's a third. And now that Percy used both the earthshaker and water powers of Posiedon, his scent has gotten stronger."

Grover's ominous tone wasn't one any of the demigods wanted to argue with. They ran the way Percy and Thalia had come, sprinting through the turns and past the crate without so much as a backwards glance. The party didn't stop until they were back in the tiled front lobby of the building, where they paused to catch their breaths.

It was then that Annabeth fell to one knee. The demigods and Grover all exclaimed as they dropped next to her. Thalia quickly put a hand to her forehead.

"Oh gods, she's burning up."

"No," Annabeth slurred, "I'm fine. Let's go."

She pulled herself upright only to trip forward. Luke caught her as Grover felt her neck with the back of his hand.

"It's the ambrosia," Grover explained, "When demigods eat more divine food than they can handle, they get extremely feverish."

Luke's shoulders fell.

"It's my fault," he said quietly, "I gave her a full square so the wound on her head would close all the way. With the one we ate before going in, it must have been too much."

"Not your fault," Annabeth murmured back, fighting to keep her eyes open.

Luke hoisted her onto his back while the rest eyed her worriedly.

"Let's get her to a car," Grover said, pushing through the front doors, "It's not far at all to camp now, and we can take care of her there."

They tore through the midnight streets and made a beeline for the nearest car parked on the side of the road. Grover whispered an apology before he donkey-kicked the driver seat window, shattering it and unlocking the rest of the doors. The demigods gently moved Annabeth into the backseat, and Percy and Thalia sat on either side of her while Luke sparked the engine. Once the car turned over, the son of Hermes climbed into the passenger seat, and Grover floored the gas to get them back on the highway.

Back on track, the party hurtled down the sparsely populated road in silence. They'd all just been through an ordeal, and even the gods' ambrosia hadn't been able to shrug off the fatigue that covered them like a blanket. To make matters more dreary, Annabeth's sudden fever had become worse.

She was asleep in the middle seat, shivering terribly while her body was burning up. Her head rested against Thalia's shoulder while she held Percy's hand tightly. Both demigods wore somber expressions as they stared at her shuddering form. Percy wished he had some kind of blanket to throw over her, but neither the stolen car nor any of their backpacks had one available. He squeezed her hand.

"In the maze, was that your mother's voice?" Thalia asked quietly, her eyes not leaving Annabeth.

Percy looked up at her.

"Yes," he whispered back.

"It was pretty. I bet it was great listening to her tell stories."

"It was the best."

Thalia met his eyes, and Percy saw them welling.

"Mine was my brother's." she said almost inaudibly, "Jason's. He died when he was two."

"I'm sorry, Thalia." Percy didn't know what else he could say. "I'm so sorry."

She shook her head, smiling as she blinked back tears.

"I don't know how the cyclops did it, but it was still nice to hear his voice again."

Grover cleared his throat from the front seat as he swerved between two cars.

"Cyclopes can copy voices perfectly. If you're nearby, they can sort of hear into your head and mimic the people you love. I don't even think it's a conscious decision; they can just do it."

"That's probably why Jones thought you'd left," Luke added, "He didn't have any information on you guys besides the voices that popped into his head, so he couldn't tell that you were right there."

A brief silence fell over the car. The only sounds were the rumble of the engine and Annabeth's hitching breaths. Around them, more cars were starting to merge onto the shrinking freeway, but they were almost to the bridge that led into Long Island. Grover had promised that it'd be a quick ride to camp once that bridge was behind them. Leaning back into his seat, Percy hoped his new friend was right.

"My voice was Annabeth," Luke said, breaking the silence, "and then it changed to Thalia. Then Percy. Before we went in, the cyclops was probably mimicking Grover's voice from my head, too."

Luke kept his gaze forward as he spoke. He tried to force his voice level.

"Even the monsters knew that you guys have been the only family I've ever had." He smiled as he itched the corner of his eye. "It's good that we'll be safe soon."

Luke finally turned towards the backseat, playfully rolling his eyes when he found Percy and Thalia on the verge of crying. His smirk slowly fell when he looked at Annabeth still fast asleep, still shivering.

"Who'd you hear, Annabeth," he asked anyway.

"My mom," she muttered back.

None of the demigods had expected a reply. Percy looked down at her hand in his; it was limp like she was still asleep. Thalia touched her burning cheeks, softly pinching for good measure, and got no response. Luke's face had become stone, but his smile slowly returned.

"She's sleep talking," he figured along with the other two.

He shifted back into his seat moments before Grover moaned.

"Car accident," he bleated as they pulled onto the jammed bridge.

They made it halfway across before reaching the barricade of honking cars also stuck on their way to Long Island. Luke raised himself out of the window, shielding his eyes from the drizzle as he looked past the array of cars before them. The demigod groaned as he sat back down.

"It's at the very end of the bridge," he complained, "Barely worse than a fender bender, but the cops are talking right in the street instead of moving the cars out of the way."

"Guess we'll be here a while," Thalia said, putting her arm around Annabeth.

The rain outside became a downpour as more cars arrived on the bridge and boxed the demigods in. Utterly useless honks riddled the air while the accident scene didn't budge at all. Percy knew for certain that everyone in every beeping car was a New Yorker, because nobody liked creating meaningless street noise more than them. He tried to block out the sound as he watched cars in the opposing lanes glide through the rain unobstructed.

"Can this car ram through the divider?" Percy asked.

Grover looked back at him like he was crazy.

"This car is already stolen. We can't destroy its entire front part and then drive on the wrong side of the road past cops!"

Percy slumped in his seat. It wasn't like the car could get to the divider anyways. They were gridlocked in the middle lane, and merging left would be impossible even if they could start inching in any direction. Percy was about to resign himself to sleep for a while when a chill crept up his spine.

"Give us the daughter of Zeus," a voice hissed in his mind.

Percy sat straight up in sync with Luke and Grover. Annabeth softly stirred.

"Did you hear that?" the three asked in near unison.

Thalia eyed them all apprehensively.

"Hear what?"

Percy grabbed his sword from the floor, holding it tightly as he shook off the callous voice that'd gripped him.

"Something's coming for you."

Before Thalia could respond, lightning struck the bridge and razor sharp talons sheared straight through the roof of the car. Not even a moment later, both Percy and Luke stabbed up with their swords and skewered a shrieking creature, rendering it gold powder.

"Get out and run!" Grover shouted.

All four doors opened at once, ejecting the demigods from the car. Thalia pulled Annabeth out with her, and the sick demigod groggily climbed onto Luke's back. As they all started to run in the pouring rain, Percy got that feeling again. The same one that'd overcome him outside the station in Virginia.

He felt incredible strength flowing through his body. His senses all sharpened, his vision dialing up to eleven. The demigod could see through the torrential downpour like the skies were clear, maybe even better. He looked up and immediately honed in on two creatures circling their car high above.

They both had huge bat wings splaying out from lithe, feminine frames. Their faces were uncomfortably angular, and their mouths were morphed into deep-set, permanent scowls. The bigger of the two let out a piercing scream.

"Sister!" the voice shrieked in Percy's head, and the demigod knew for sure that it came from the monster.

Her coal eyes suddenly centered on Percy, and she nearly stumbled midair before her scowl somehow deepened.

"A son of Poseidon!? Two Forbidden Ones!?"

When the monster dove, Percy took off running behind the rest of the group. He zig zagged through the gridlock, barely ducking the slashing talons that took off the side mirrors of adjacent cars. He kept pounding his legs forward, feeling like he was flying, until the sound of police sirens reached his ears. At the same time, he heard a chorus of deep barks from behind him.

Percy climbed onto the hood of the nearest car, ignoring the shouts of the driver. He looked back and realized he'd run past the rest of the group. He was nearly at the barricaded accident while his friends were still making their way down the innermost lane towards him. That wouldn't have been too terrible of a problem if their only enemies were the bat-women.

More than halfway down the bridge, the barking continued. It echoed dully to Percy's ears, but he could clearly see the source. An entire pack of hellhounds, all the size of golf carts, was making its way down the crowded side of the bridge. The monsters were jumping from roof to roof and hood to hood, rupturing or denting every car in their way. Percy had no idea how the Mist, or whatever, could disguise something like that.

He ran back towards his friends, dodging the winged monsters that continued to dive bomb him, but he was sure now that they weren't trying. They were toying with him, keeping him diverted until the hellhounds could make their way across the gap. Percy gritted his teeth as he slashed at the bat, who just whipped her wings and rose out of reach.

He passed Grover, who was leading the group forward.

"Percy?" the satyr shouted, still running, "How'd you get in front of me?"

"Faster in the rain," Percy answered quickly, moving behind him and shouting over the rain, "Get over the divider!"

The demigods and Grover all clawed their way over to the bridge's emptier side, beginning to struggle against the whipping winds. The rain continued to worsen, becoming heavy while both lightning and thunder became more frequent. On both sides of the bridge, the bay that was supposed to be at rest had begun to churn with waves. Somehow, without looking, Percy could feel the waves getting bigger. 5 feet, 6 feet, 7 feet.

The bridge swayed beneath the storm that was berating it from all sides. It wasn't enough to knock any of the demigods over, but that also applied to their enemies. Percy glanced back and found that the hellhounds were right behind them. At the same time, one of the bat-women dove straight at Luke, aiming at Annabeth, who was still defenseless on his back.

Luke spun just in time while swinging his sword, but his blade was too slow. Claws raked across his chest and vanished into the dark storm before his bronze arc could catch them.

"Furies!" Grover shrieked, pointing at the pair of monsters still circling above, "You guys must have killed the third one!"

Percy shrugged off his words, helping Luke off his knees and making sure Annabeth's arms were still tight around his neck. He hadn't considered why the hellhounds hadn't reached them yet, but a strike of lightning less than ten yards away answered his question.

Percy spun to see Thalia standing with her back to them, holding her spear out in front of her. She shouted and brought down a second bolt, eviscerating another two hellhounds. The rest of the pack pawed the charred road in front of them, leering at the demigod with their red eyes but not moving past the powder that marked their four dead comrades.

"Keep going!" Thalia shouted over the storm, not turning away from the line of enemies before her.

The entire bridge groaned as it suddenly swayed to one side. Thalia struck the road with the butt of her spear, staying upright. She called down a third strike of lightning, but it was much thinner and it hit nothing. Looking at her, Percy felt the same terror that had gripped him when he'd seen Annabeth in the cyclops' lair. He felt an unbearable pressure in his chest until he turned to Luke.

"Don't stop."

Luke's eyes widened and he lunged to grab Percy with one arm, but the son of Poseidon sidestepped him and shoved him towards Grover. He may have pushed too hard, because Luke stumbled back several feet until Grover caught him and Annabeth. Percy didn't have time to apologize.

"Don't stop!" he repeated, "All three of you need to get to camp!"

Percy ran towards Thalia. He heard Luke shout to the sky behind him, but the son of Hermes didn't pursue. Thalia shot a fourth strike of lightning, her spear sputtering in her shaky grasp. Just before she could fall to one knee, Percy caught her, and her bright eyes snapped to him.

"What are you still doing here?!" she shouted in his face.

It wasn't the right time, but he thought she looked beautiful in the rain. He pulled her upright, letting her lean against him.

"You said it the day we met. You go, I go."

Percy didn't wait for her response. He turned his attention to the pooling horde of hellhounds that was regaining its confidence. Above the pair, the two Furies were still circling.

That's good, Percy thought, If they're all here, everyone else can get away.

Thalia exhaled sharply and lined up with her spear. Percy stood beside her, both hands tight on his sword hilt, waiting for the looming charge. A piercing shriek from above signaled that it would start with the Furies. Percy and Thalia backpedaled as they watched both dive at once, but a moment later, the hellhounds charged. It was impossible to defend against both.

Still, Percy turned his attention to the dogs while Thalia reared her spear like a javelin. The monsters were nearly upon them when a huge beam of white lashed from the sky, incinerating both Furies in midair. The blinding strike was immediately followed by thunder that threatened to leave Percy without a fifth sense. He hit the ground. Hard.

"That wasn't me," Thalia murmured from beside him.

Her voice might as well have come from a mile away. His ears ringing, Percy lifted his head from the charred road. He watched as the hellhounds, also flattened by the eruption, shook themselves off and advanced. But only until the wave hit.

A massive arc crested up from the bay, dwarfing the height they stood on, and tore over the bridge as it washed half of the yelping dogs out into the sea. At the same time, the entire bridge shook while the asphalt beneath the remaining hellhounds splintered like wood and swallowed them. Percy could just barely hear whimpering before the water below silenced it.

"That wasn't me," he echoed as he and Thalia shuddered to their feet.

Still holding tightly to their weapons, the two demigods stared blankly at their path that'd suddenly emptied of enemies. Percy blinked twice, still listening to the storm rage. Thalia's mouth opened to speak, but it shut like a trap when the ground in front of them opened into a chasm. It didn't limit itself to just the bridge; the hole continued down through the bay, pushing aside water and digging further deep. Out spilled a heavy torrent of air that stunk like death, and behind it rocketed a black chariot pulled by two skeletal horses.

Neither Percy nor Thalia had to tell the other to run. Their bodies moved for them, jackhammering their legs away as something emerged from the pit and commanded the horses forward. The grating clop of skeletal hooves sent chills through Percy as both horses and chariot struck the bridge and shot after them.

Keeping pace with Thalia, the son of Poseidon cursed under his ragged breath. More lightning spidered through the sky, and the following thunder only made the sputter in the demigod's heart worse. They were nearing the end of the bridge, but he knew they couldn't outrun a horse and chariot, especially not one that had risen from the Underworld. He cast a sideways glance at Thalia before shutting his eyes tightly.

Percy roughly planted his feet, skidding against the bridge's pooling water and slowing enough to spin on his heel. He took off towards the chariot before Thalia could realize what he was doing and reach out for him. The rain carried him faster, away from the daughter of Zeus that turned to run after him, shouting his name. His vision tunneled on the horses, and he heard their mechanical braying as he reached them while swinging his sword. He didn't feel the hairs rising all over his body until it was too late.

Percy thought the entire bridge had exploded. A sheet of white encompassed his whole world, erasing the chilling image of the skeletal horses and the glimpse of their black-helmed charioteer. There was no floor beneath the demigod. He was in free fall, only vaguely lucid because of the impossibly large wave that'd enveloped the bridge the moment everything had turned white.

The demigod could feel his body shutting down. His sword had vanished from his grasp. He couldn't move his arms or legs or, frankly, anything. There was no pain, either. More quickly than he wanted, his pure white world started fading, shifting to a realm of only darkness. As his eyes began to dim, he hoped Thalia had been thrown far enough away from whatever had happened. He hoped she found her way back to Luke and Annabeth and Grover, and that they all got to camp safely. Then that would make this okay. Percy let out a sigh as his world faded to black.

(Line Break)

Blue. Rainbow. More blue. Another flash of rainbow. A horse? Even more blue.

Percy groaned as his vision slowly came into focus, separating the fuzzied blend of colors into meaningful shapes and images. But when his eyesight fully returned, and he was sure he wasn't daydreaming, the setting still made no sense. For some reason, there was also a horse with a mermaid tail.

The demigod was stunned by the creature. Its horse half was a salmon pink with white detailing down its thick mane and hide. The coloring looked deliberate, like an intricate design that marked it for a select purpose. The white lines drew together between the horse's eyes, etching out a three-pronged trident. But as special as this horse was, Percy had seen horses before. What caught his attention was its back half.

The thick mermaid tail swayed behind it hypnotically. It was almost metallic, refracting the light in the room through the rainbow scales lining up and down its tail. When the creature suddenly barrel rolled, Percy's jaw dropped at the colorful display that shimmered in the water as an afterimage. In the water?

Percy jerked away from the wall when he realized why everything was blue. He coughed on his own breath, panicking when he couldn't hold it in. He thrashed in the water, moving more quickly than he ever had on land, and struck the abalone wall of the room he was in. Percy shook his head roughly, shrugging off pieces of dislodged shells, and frantically looked to the only other living thing near him.

The horse retreated with a whinny to the center of the space, raising its front legs and cycling them in Percy's direction. The demigod prayed he wasn't losing his mind because it looked like the horse was trying to speak. For whatever reason, he nodded to it.

"Young Master!" a frantic voice called.

Percy froze, floating in place in the cylindrical room.

"Did– did you just talk?"

The horse nodded slowly.

"I was told you knew nothing of our world, but this is extreme. All hippocampi can speak to progeny of the Sea; we must only ask for entrance."

Percy nodded as if those words meant anything to him. He chose the first one he didn't know.

"What's a hippocampi?"

The creature whinnied again, his tone becoming even more perplexed than before.

"I will, uh, call the Prince. He said he would see you when you awoke, and he will surely explain everything better than I can."

Swishing his tail around, the half horse swam upwards, vanishing through a whirlpool that coalesced a dozen feet above Percy. The demigod turned his attention to the walls as he waited for whatever "prince" wanted to see him. He put his palm up to the iridescent shells that danced with colors like the horse's mermaid tail. The wall was cool to the touch and soft on his hands. Whatever this place was, it was like nothing Percy had ever seen before.

The whirlpool above him suddenly dissipated. Percy shoved away from the wall as he looked to it, badly wishing he had his new sword with him. But at the thought of his missing weapon, the memories of the bridge returned again. What had happened to him? To his friends? Had they at least gotten away? Percy needed those answers, and he hoped whatever prince was descending could give them to him.

Three bodies lowered from above, one much larger than the others. Percy felt himself shudder as they came level with him. There were two mermen with turquoise skin that wore full sets of golden armor and wielded huge tridents. They didn't scare Percy at all. The demigod's attention was fixated on the one that stood in front of them, a foot away from his face.

His skin was navy blue and he wore no armor. He had two fishtails instead of one, both swishing aimlessly in the water. But that was the only lazy-looking thing about him. His upper half bulged with muscle like a Hollywood superhero, and he bared a grin that revealed a mouth full of shark teeth. Towering over Percy, the merman leered down at him with a glare that the demigod thought might cut him in half. Without ever having met one before, Percy knew he was face to face with a god.

"Hello, Perseus Jackson." The merman held out a hand to shake, but his voice dripped with malice. "I am Triton. Welcome to Atlantis."


A/N: I had like five different directions I wanted to go this chapter, and I hope I chose the right ones. In a bit of a rush uploading right now, but thank you for the reviews and please let me know you how feel about the direction we're going :)