Percy

"This is it." Lassa gasps, all of us still catching our breath from the last horde of monsters we fought through. I take off my book bag and pull out the jug, pouring the last bit of ocean water over me and Lassa to keep us fresh. We all also take a swig from our nectar flask. "At the end of this tunnel is the place where she created the curse. I'm going to have to stand in the center and say the reverse incantation. But here… where the curse was created, our scent is going to be more powerful than ever. I'm willing to bet more monsters are on their way now. Are you three ready to fight more off?"

"I'm good." Jesse and I both say, then I Look at Annabeth, who's clutching her abdomen. She's battered, bruised, and bleeding from scrapes all over her body, covered head to toe in monster dust.

"Annabeth, I'm begging you, please," I say, taking her hands. "Go back to the Wavecrest."

"And let you fight all those monsters alone?"

"Yes! We can handle it!"

"You don't have the mark of Achilles anymore, Percy."

"I'm also not pregnant."

"I'm going, Seaweed Brain. The more time we spend arguing, the more time monsters have to catch up." I let out a frustrated groan but pull out Riptide to light the way down the dark tunnel. Annabeth goes behind me, Lassa behind her and Jesse brings up our rear

They both follow, no one saying anything. I know Lassa and Jesse are both on my side, but They won't say anything more than they already have. Most of the time I really appreciate them minding their own business and not getting involved in our marriage, but right now I really wish Lassa would tell Annabeth to stay on the boat. But she won't. I'll just have to take as much of the fight as I can and keep them off of her.

As we get closer and closer to the air gets harder to breathe. I can practically feel the monsters behind us getting closer, but I don't want to worry the rest of them so I don't say anything, I just Pick up the pace and start jogging a bit. They do the same.

After a while, I see the opening at the end of the cave. It's got a tile flooring that paints some sort of design and an altar with a stone basin for sacrifices.

"Alright, Lassa, what now?" I ask. "Your quest. Your lead."

"The tile flooring. Alabaster's instructions say We need to tear it up." She says and gets on her knees, using her pocket knife to start prying up the tiles. The second she does, wind shoots up from where the tile is. A voice fills the room and hisses.

"Thalassa Beth Jackson! Stop this at once!" Lassa frowns and leans back on her heels.

"Who are you?"

"You need not know."

"Then I need not Listen. My guess is you're the spirit of Lamia, anyways." She says and gets back to work on the floor. I kneel down with Riptide and start to Help, Annabeth and Jesse doing the same on Lassa's other side. The wind keeps blowing, and fills up the cave more and more when Annabeth and I both dig a tile up. "Perseus Achilles Jackson! Anna Elizabeth Jackson! Jesse Mathias James! Stop Now! The cost will be greater than you know." The voice shouts over the wind. Suddenly I hear a scream that makes my blood run cold. It's My mother. But that's impossible, she's on the other side of the world.

"Percy Stop! It's hurting me! It's hurting Estelle!"

"Mom?" I choke out, scrambling back from the flooring.

"No, Percy! Remember what we learned from Alabaster! None of this is real! It's an evil illusion to keep us from doing it!" Lassa shouts over the wind and voices. I shake my head and get back to work. In the corner of my eye I see Annabeth dig up hers, and hear two boys wailing.

"Annabeth! Stop!" Her stepmother's voice screams. "You're hurting my sons! You're hurting your brothers! Haven't you put them through enough already!" Annabeth's face goes white but she digs up another one.

"Lassa! Lassa, Honey, Stop! Stop! It'll kill us if you keep going!" The voice of her father booms through the chamber.

"Jesse! Sweetheart, if you stop, if your friends stop, I can come home!" I hear a woman's voice say. "We can be together again!" We all keep going, the air blowing harder with each tile we pry up. The voices get worse, not just our loved ones in agony, but every insecurity we have. It yells at me I'm not strong enough to protect my family. It tells Annabeth she'll always be alone and invisible and never truly loved. Lassa is in tears as she works, listening to how she'll always be an outsider amongst mortals and demigods alike. Jesse has to listen to who I'm guessing is his mother yell how he should have found a way to save her. But we keep working, and when we dig up the last tile, it all abruptly stops. My ears are ringing from the taunts and wind. We all collapse on the ground, but Lassa gets up, knowing time is short, and as she does the walls in front of us open up, revealing a room with an altar in the middle of it.

"There are three entry ways around the chamber. This one, an East one, and a west one. You'll each have to defend one. I'll get started." She says and climbs onto the altar. Closing her eyes, I can tell she's praying before she starts the incantation. When she does, the wind picks up again, but not like before. It's Ventus. And then come in Centars, but not like the Party Ponies, these are evil ones ready to kill. I start fighting and with each monster I kill it seems three more take its place. Hellhounds, Emposia, Harpies, Cyclops, you name it, they came. Their entry was somewhat limited thanks to the chambers so that slows them down enough for me to fight, but never to check on Annabeth. It takes all my strength to keep them off. I hear Lassa's voice behind me, And Annabeth's frustrated grunting. Jesse's yelling. I keep fighting, slashing, rolling, stabbing, keeping the monsters away from my sister and away from my wife and away from this kid who might as well be my brother by now.

"Percy!" I hear after I don't know how long. The ground is shaking, but only slightly. I chance a look behind me and I see Lassa on her knees looking pale and strained. " The incantation's finished, but I-I can't do it! I can't make an Earthquake strong enough! I need help bringing down the cavern!" I nod, then out of the corner of my eye I see Annabeth, fighting for her life against too many monsters. And I see blood has soaked her shorts and is running down her legs. The realization of what happened hits me, and I let out a deafening, angry, grief stricken roar, and all around us the ground shakes and the cavern collapses.