We soon found ourselves in the shadows of Valencia Boulevard, gazing up at a sign. It was black marble with gold letters. It read 'DOA Recording Studios', and underneath that stencilled onto the doors read 'No Solicitors, No Loitering, No Living'. Checking my watch, it was almost midnight, but the lobby was practically at full capacity. The person behind the security desk looked like he wrestled boars for fun and was wearing sunglasses and an earpiece. Percy turned to us. "Ok, you remember the plan." He stated.

"The plan." Grover said, gulping. "Yeah, I love the plan."

"What happens if the plan doesn't work?" Annabeth asked.

"Don't think negative." Percy replied.

"Perfect." I said sarcastically. "We're just going into the Underworld the Land of the Dead, someplace only four people have ever escaped from and you don't want us to think negatively?" Percy pulled out the pearls, four milky-looking green spheres that he got from Santa Monica. Annabeth put her hand on Percy's shoulder.

"She's sorry, Percy." The blonde said. "You're right. We'll make it, it'll be fine." I felt an elbow in my stomach.

"Yeah, yeah." I muttered. "Sorry dude."

"Oh right!" Grover exclaimed. "We got this far, we'll find the Master Bolt and save your mum. No problem." Percy looked between Annabeth, Grover and I. He put the pearls back in his pocket.

"Let's whup some Underworld butt." Percy said. And with that, the four of us walked into the DOA lobby. Muzak played softly in the background on speakers I couldn't see. The walls were grey and pencil cacti grew in almost every corner available. There was black leather furniture and each seat was taken, but there was at least ten times more people standing around. We walked up to the security guard's podium, which was raised just enough so we had to look up at him. He had dark skin and bleached blonde hair, he was wearing a fitted Italian suit with a black rose pinned to his lapel. Percy peered at the nametag. "Your name is Chiron?" I read the nametag and...this guy's name was not Chiron. He leant forward so much we could see our reflection in his sunglasses.

"What a precious young lad." He cooed. "Tell me, mate, do I look like a centaur?"

"N-no."

"Sir."

"Sir."

"Can you read this, mate?" The man said, showing us his name tag and running is fingers under the letters. "It says C-H-A-R-O-N. Say it with me, CARE-ON."

"Charon." Percy repeated.

"Amazing. Now, Mister Charon."

"Mister Charon."

"Well done." Charon leant back in his chair. "I hate being confused with that old horse-man. And now, how may I help you little dead ones?"

"We want to go to the Underworld." Annabeth said.

"Well, that's refreshing."

"It is?"

"Straightforward and honest, no screaming no, 'There has to be a mistake, Mister Charon'. Now, how did you die then?"

"Oh! Um, drowned...in the bathtub." Grover said.

"All four of you?" Charon asked.

"We were being interrogated and it went south." I covered with a shrug.

"I don't suppose you have any coins for passage. Normally, with adults, you see, I could charge your American Express, or add the Ferry Price to your last cable bill. But with children...alas, you never die prepared. Suppose you'll have to take a seat for a few centuries."

"Oh, but we have coins." Percy said. He set four Drachma on the counter.

"Well now…" Charon muttered, licking his lips. "Real Drachma. Real golden Drachma. I haven't seen these in…" Charon's hand hovered over the coins, but then he looked up at Percy. "Here now, you couldn't read my name correctly. Are you dyslexic, lad?"

"No, I'm dead." Charon lent forward in his seat again, sniffing.

"You're not dead. You should've known. You're a Godling."

"We have to get to the Underworld." What seemed to be a growl echoed in Charon's throat. This caused the entire lobby to start to get agitated, smoking, pacing, running hands through hair, it was subtle chaos.

"Leave while you can." Charon told us. "I'll just take these and forget I saw you." As Charon went for the coins, Percy snatched them off the counter.

"No service, no tip. It's a shame, too, we had more to offer." Percy lifted the entire bag he snatched from Crusty's place. He took out a fistful of Drachma and let them spill through his fingers. Charon's growl turned into a weird purr.

"Do you think I can be bought, Godling? Eh...just out of curiosity...how much have you got there?"

"A lot." Percy teased. "I bet Hades doesn't pay you well enough for such hard work."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it. How would you like to babysit these spirits all day. Always, 'Please don't let me be dead' or 'Please let me cross for free'. I haven't had a pay raise in three-thousand years. Do you imagine suits like this come cheap?" Maybe he shouldn't be buying such expensive suits. I thought bitterly.

"You deserve better. A little appreciation. Respect. Good pay." With each word, Percy placed another coin on the stack in front of Charon. Charon glanced at his jacket.

"I must say, lad, you're making some sense now." Charon stated. "Just a little." Percy added some more coins.

"I could mention a pay raise while I'm talking to Hades."

"The boats almost full anyway." Charon sighed. "I might as well add you four and be off." I smirked in victory. Charon scooped the coins off the counter and gestured to us. "Come along." We pushed through the crowd of spirits as Charon escorted us to the elevator. He yanked two spirits trying to get on and ushered us Demigods in. Each of the spirits in the elevator was holding a green boarding pass. "Right, no one gets any ideas while I'm gone." Charon announced to the lobby. "If anyone moves the dial off my easy-listening station again, I'll make sure you're here for another thousand years, understood?" The doors closed and Charon pulled a keycard into a slot and the elevator started to descend.

"What happens to the spirits waiting in the lobby?" Annabeth questioned.

"Nothing."

"For how long?"

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

"Oh. That's...fair."

"Whoever said Death was fair, young miss?" Charon asked with a raised eyebrow. "Wait until it's your turn, you'll die soon enough where you're going."

"We'll get out alive." Percy stated.

"Ha." I looked around as our scenery changed. The Spirits around us flickered and their clothes became grey robes and the elevator became a boat. Looking over at Charon, his suit was replaced with a long black robe and looking into his eyes, they had become pits of death and despair. He looked over at me. "Well?"

"You look dope." I told him.

"I think I'm getting seasick." Grover complained. We started to float over a dark oily river that was filled with almost everything you can imagine. Bones, dead fish, dolls, flowers, diplomas, jewellery, you name it, it was in here. Mist curled from the water, and from the ceiling, stalactites were barely peeking from the darkness.

"The River Styx…" Annabeth trailed off. "It's so…"

"Polluted." Charon offered. "For thousands of years, you humans have been throwing everything in as you come across, hopes, dreams, wishes that never came true. Impossible waste management, if you as me." As we neared the shores of the Underworld, I felt someone grab my clothes. I looked down and saw Annabeth clutching my shirt and jacket, pressing close, and one hand reaching out to grab Percy's. I sighed, resting my hand on Annabeth's head. I could hear Percy muttering a prayer to a God, I wasn't sure who, but...someone. The shoreline came into view. Black sand stretched inland about fifty or so meters and hit the base of a massive stone wall that stretched as far as I could see in both directions. A trio of howls cut through the green light. "Old three-face is hungry." Charon sai. "Bad luck for you, godlings." Our boat slid onto the black sand, prompting the dead spirits to disembark. I finally got a good look at the other people who were riding with us. A mother and child, an old man and his partner arm in arm, and a boy no older than Percy or Annabeth. I grit my teeth. So young, it never should have happened. "I'd wish you luck, mate, but there isn't any down here. Mind you, don't forget to mention my pay raise. After counting his coins, Charon took up his pole and pushed off the bank and made it's way back down the river.

The four of us shared a look before following the dead spirits up the path. My expectations for the Underworld isn't what I got. Instead of large gates and everyone filing through easily, but it was more like an airport security check. There were three entrances under an archway that read 'YOU ARE NOW ENTERING EREBUS'. Through those gates were three metal detectors and too many security cameras to count. There were toll booths too, each manned by a ghoul that looked to be just like Charon. Cerberus was nowhere to be seen which didn't fill me with any confidence. There were three lines, one at each gate. Two of them read 'ATTENDANT ON DUTY' and was moving at snails paces, and the last one read 'EZ DEATH', which was the fastest moving out of all of them. "What do you figure?" Percy asked, turning to Annabeth.

"The fast line must go straight to Asphodel." She informed. "No contest, they don't want to risk judgement from the court, because it might go against them."

"There's a court for dead people?"

"Yeah, 'course there is." I said, crossing my arms as we walked. "Otherwise the Underworld would be more overrun than it is. There are three judges, and they change constantly. People like King Minos, Thomas Jefferson, Shakespeare, people like that. If one chooses, they can have their life looked at by these judges. If these people's lives have been extraordinary, or they deserve a reward, they get to go to the Feilds of Elysium. But a lot of people's lives weren't all that special, so they get carted off to the Feilds of Asphodel." I saw the looks of bewilderment from my travelling companions. My cheeks heated up. "What? I know some things."

"What do people do in the Field of Asphodel?" Percy asked.

"Imagine standing in a wheat field in Kansas. Forever." Grover responded.

"Harsh."

"Not as harsh as that, look." Grover gestured to a man who was getting the full-pat down by two ghouls at the security desk. "He's that preacher who made the news, remember?"

"Oh yeah." I had no idea who these two were talking about, so I could only assume he did something to get the pat-down. "What are they doing do him?"

"Probably getting a special punishment from Hades himself." I explained. "The worst of the worst get his attention the second they get here. The Kindly Ones are gonna cook up something special for him."

"But if he's a preacher and believes in a different hell…"

"Who say's he's seeing this place the way we're seeing it?" Grover questioned. "Humans see what they want to see. They're very stubborn...er, persistent, that way." As we neared the gates, the howling was so loud, little stones jumped around my feet. The green mist parted and we saw what was causing the loud noises. It was Cerberus, all three of it's heads were staring straight at us.

"He's a rottweiler." Percy commented. He was right. Cerberus was about twice the size of a woolly mammoth. The spirits didn't seem fussed at the presence of the large dog, the 'ATTENDANT ON DUTY' lines parted around him like the red sea as the 'EZ DEATH' line strolled through his front paws. "I'm starting to see him better. Why is that?"

"I think…" Annabeth muttered, licking her lips. "I'm afraid it's because we're getting closer to death." The middle head turned towards us and sniffed, growling.

"It can smell the living."

"But that's ok." Grover said, shaking in his hooves. "Because we have a plan."

"Right." Annabeth breathed. "A plan." And with those words of confidence, we walked closer to Cerberus. As we got closer, the middle head snarled and barked.

"Can you understand it?" Percy asked.

"Oh yeah, I can understand it."

"What's it saying?"

"I don't think humans have a four-letter word that translates, exactly." Percy reached into his bag and pulled out a bedpost from Crusty's. Was he wanting to play fetch?

"Hey, big fella." Percy called to Cerberus. Each of it's heads was trained on him. "I bet they don't play with you much." Cerberus snarled. "Good boy." As Percy waved the stick, the middle head following it's movements. "Fetch!" Percy threw the stick, and it disappeared through the mist. It landed with a ker-plump...it fell in the River Styx. My eyes closed. "Yep, we're dead." A growl reverberated through each of Cerberus' throats.

"Um, Percy?" Percy called softly,

"Yeah?"

"I just thought you'd want to know…"

"Yeah?"

"Cerberus? He's saying we've got ten seconds to pray to the God of our choice. After that...well...he's hungry,"

"Wait!" Annabeth exclaimed, rummaging through her backpack.

"Five seconds." Grover warned. "Do we run now?" Annabeth produced a grapefruit-sized red ball that had the Waterland logo printed on the side. She lifted the ball in the air and marched confidently up to Cerberus.

"See the ball?" Annabeth called. "You want the ball Cerberus? Sit." Three heads tilted to the side as six nostrils expanded. "Sit!" There was a tense moment before Cerberus sat, squashing a couple of spirits underneath it. "Good boy." Annabeth threw the ball. Cerberus' middle head caught it. The other heads didn't like that, and they started to fight over it. "Drop it!" The heads stopped fighting, whined, and then the middle head dropped it. I cringed, the thing was bitten in half and covered in drool. "Good boy." Annabeth picked up the toy, ignoring the gross-ness. She looked back at us. "Go now, the Ez Death line, it's faster."

"But-" Percy started.

"Now!"

"Come on guys." I said.

"Stay!" Annabeth said to Cerberus. "If you want the ball, stay." Cerberus whimpered and listened.

"What about you Beth?" I questioned as we passed her.

"I know what I'm doing, Mako." She muttered. "At least I'm pretty sure…" The boys and I made our way underneath Cerberus' legs. We made it through unharmed and not flat as a pancake. "Good dog." Annabeth threw the ball at Cerberus, prompting the three-headed dog to fight over it once more. Annabeth walked underneath Cerberus' legs and joined us.

"How did you do that?" Percy asked.

"Obedience school." Annabeth replied. "When I was little, at my dad's house, we had a Doberman-"

"Never mind that." Grover interrupted, gripping Percy's shirt. "Come on!" We were about to leave when a whine made us turn. The red ball was in a puddle of drool at Cerberus' feet.

"Good boy." Annabeth's voice sounded hollow. A trio of heads tilted. "I'll bring you another ball soon, would you like that?" Cerberus whined again. "Good dog. I'll come visit you soon, I-I promise." Annabeth turned to us. "Let's go." We walked more forward, and as soon as Percy, Grover and I walked through the metal detectors, they went off like crazy.

"Unauthorised possessions!" A voice wailed. "Magic directed!" Cerberus started to bark. We burst through the EZ Death Line and raced into the Underworld. We soon found refuge in the rotten husk of a black tree, catching our breath as we hid from ghouls.

"Well, Percy, what have we learned today?" Grover questioned.

"Three-headed dogs prefer rubber balls over sticks?"

"No, we've learned that your plans really, really bite!" And with that, we huddled together to wait out the ghouls.