Page 27

‘I practically lost myself in that place,’ said Percy. ‘The things I saw … The things Idid.’ He shuddered. ‘I still have nightmares about Akhlys.’

‘Well, thisdefinitelydoesn’t make me feel any better,’ said Will, plopping down next to Nico.

‘And you two arewillinglygoing there?’ said Annabeth, her voice pitched high. ‘What is this quest? What possible reason –’

‘Bob!’ Nico shouted, louder than he’d intended. ‘I’m going back forBob.’

Now it was Percy and Annabeth’s turn to look uncomfortable. Percy closed his eyes for a long moment. ‘Oh, Nico,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘I know this is going to sound terrible,’ said Annabeth, ‘but I wasn’t even thinking of him. Gods, how could I forget?’

Will reached over and grazed the back of Nico’s hand with his fingertips. ‘We know this quest is a bad idea, but … there’ve been some developments. Nico, tell them.’

And so Nico did, as carefully as he could. When he recounted his most recent string of nightmares – the voice calling for help, the apparitions all telling Nico to listen – Percy and Annabeth became visibly upset.

‘We shouldn’t have left Bob down there,’ said Percy softly. ‘I knew this would come back to haunt us one day.’

‘I suspected it would, too,’ said Annabeth. ‘But … whyyou,Nico? I mean, no offence, but wouldn’t Bob reach out to me and Percy as well, since we were the ones who saw him last?’

Nico didn’t answer, though one theory lurked in a dark corner of his mind:Maybe because Bob thoughtIwould help, but he wasn’t sure about you two.

Will seemed to pick up on his brooding thoughts. He hooked his finger around Nico’s. ‘Guys, I agree it’s troubling that this prophecy seems geared only for Nico. We don’t know what Bob’s situation is. We don’t know if this is some kind of trap –’

‘I don’t care if it is!’ said Nico. ‘Because Bob is really in pain. Iknowit. I need to do something to help him. We can’t leave him down there to suffer.’

Will squeezed his hand. ‘Exactly. We have to try. So if there’s anything you guys could tell us that might help …’

Percy’s gaze became unfocused, as if he were staring into the past. ‘Well, Bobisa former Titan. That means Tartarus itself doesn’t affect him the way it does us. At least he has some mental protection against the place. If he survived that battle with Gaia’s minions …’

Nico could tell Percy was grasping at reasons for optimism, but they all knew Tartarus was the bleakest, most dangerous, most toxic environment in creation. Even if Bob had some resistance, even if he was an immortal being … there were plenty of things down there that could make a Titan wish hecoulddie. Nico was beginning to wonder if this Percabeth pep talk had been such a good idea after all.

‘Is there any protection I can bring?’ Will asked. He let go of Nico’s hand and rummaged through his knapsack. He pulled out a sun globe. ‘I do have this.’

‘Why would you need –?’ Annabeth began. ‘Oh,duh. Child of Apollo. That’s actually really smart.’

Percy frowned. ‘Yeah, no sunlight … I didn’t consider that.Tartarus is going to be worse for you than anyone else.’ When Annabeth gently slapped his shoulder, he winced. ‘What? I’m not wrong.’

Will’s whole body seemed to deflate. ‘So there’s nothing else I can do?’

‘Now, wait a second,’ said Annabeth. ‘That’s not what either of us said. In fact, I would say that you and Nico have onebigadvantage.’

Percy nodded. ‘You two haveeach other.’

Nico squinted at him. ‘Um … okay? What does that mean? Besides sounding like a cheesy Hallmark card.’

‘It’s exactly what it sounds like,’ said Annabeth. ‘Because that cheesiness is what’s going to make the journey survivable.’

‘Okay,’ said Will. ‘Meaning what, though?’

‘Tartarus wears down your sense of self,’ said Percy. ‘It honestly feels like it wasdesignedto make mortals suffer. The more time you spend down there, the worse it gets.’

‘I remember that,’ said Nico, a familiar coldness creeping into his limbs. ‘It’s like … an endless dark voice in your head, telling you that you’re the worst.’

Percy was nodding. ‘And then there’s the Cocytus – the River of Lamentation – which is like that times ten.’

Will ran his fingers through his blond hair. ‘So … how is this supposed to help, exactly?’

‘Nico went through Tartarus alone,’ said Percy. ‘Well, maybe not totally alone, but he certainly didn’t have someone alongside him who cared about him and was invested in making sure he survived the journey. Honestly, I don’t know how he did it.’