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"AND YOUR FRIEND LUCIA IS WITH YOU!" Kelli hissed with laughter. Kelli touched her sternum, where two of Lucia's arrows had penetrated through her skin. "Oh, yeah, I totally remember—"

"His girlfriend, Lucia." She corrected, her eyes bore into Kelli's. A hand fell on her hip.

Percy nodded beside her, he would have cheered her on for correcting her in any other circumstance. You know, if it wasn't for the demons that surrounded them.

Kelli hissed, "I don't care! All I care about is using those arrows of yours to stop you from breathing!"

Lucia and Percy stood shoulder to shoulder as they had many times before, ready to fight. But neither of them were in good shape for battle. They were hopelessly outnumbered. There was nowhere to run. No help coming.

Fighting was a long shot.

That left them to rely on other tactics: trickery, talk, distraction.

"So..." he started, "I guess you're wondering what we're doing in
Tartarus."

Kelli snickered. "Not really. I just want to kill you."

That would've been it, but Lucia chimed in. She was much better at being distracting than he was.

"Too bad," Lucia singsonged. Her voice echoed throughout Tartarus. "Because you have no idea what's going on in the mortal world. No Idea." She repeated for emphasis.

The other empousai circled, watching Kelli for a cue to attack; but the ex-cheerleader only snarled, crouching out of reach of Percy's sword.

"We know enough," Kelli said. "Gaea has spoken."

"You're heading towards failure." Lucia sounded so confident, but inside, she was doing her best not to break character and reveal her fear.

She glanced at the other empousai, one by one, then pointed accusingly at Kelli. "This one claims she's leading you to victory huh? She's a liar, I would know as a daughter of Truth. The last time she was in the mortal world, Kelli was in charge of keeping Luke Castellan faithful to Kronos. She failed, Terribly. She didn't even make it to the final battle. Why? Because I killed her. And in the end, Luke rejected Kronos. He gave his life to expel Kronos. The Titans lost because Kelli was defeated miserably. Now Kelli wants to lead you to another disaster."

The other empousai muttered and shifted uneasily.

"Enough!" Kelli's fingernails grew into long black talons. She glared at Lucia as if imagining her sliced into bite-sized pieces.

"Don't believe me?" She hummed, and she raised her hands. Dim golden sparks fell from her fingertips, "My name is Lucia Verano. But you may know me as—"

The empousai began to chatter amongst each other, backing up nervously. "It's Apollonione—"

"Thee Apollonione—"  One emphasized

"She was able to break free from our mistresses' charmspeak. They say she resisted the enchantments and was able to regain control, she resisted the goddess..."

"Our Dark Lady!"

Another empousa added, "There are tales of her, they say she could flay her opponents with a stroke of a hand. She was Kronos' favorite! She is more deadly than she seems. I've heard her powers are legendary."

Kelli, still locked at the end of Percy's sword, growled, "She's nothing more than a threat to be eliminated. Don't be swayed by her boasts."

The empousai exchanged uncertain glances, torn between the stories of Lucia and Kelli's attempts to discredit her.

Percy, seizing the opportunity, added, "She faced Kronos himself and brought him to his knees. How many people do you know can bring a titan to their knees? Do you really want to follow someone who couldn't even stay alive long enough to see the Titan Lord lose?"

Kelli growled. "So the Titans lost. Fine! That was part of the plan to wake Gaea! Now the Earth Mother and her giants will destroy the mortal world, and we will totally feast on demigods!"

Lucia stepped in front of Percy, He held her, afraid she was going to attack and they'd get overwhelmed. Her back pressed up against his chest. She could feel his erratic heartbeat.

"The demigods have united!" Lucia's voice boomed. "You'd better think twice before you attack us. Romans and Greeks will fight you as one. You don't stand a chance!"

The empousai hissed more, "Romani."

Lucia guessed they'd had experience with the Twelfth Legion before, and it hadn't worked out well for them.

Percy got an idea, he maneuvered around her and stepped forward. "Yeah, you bet Romani."

He bared his forearm and showed them the brand he'd gotten at Camp Jupiter—the SPQR mark, with the trident of Neptune. "You mix Greek and Roman, and you know what you get? You get BAM!"

He stomped his foot, and the empousai scrambled back. One fell off the boulder where she'd been perched.

"Bold talk," Kelli said, "for two demigods lost in Tartarus. Lower your weapons, and I'll kill you quickly. Believe me, there are worse ways to die down here."

"Wait!" Lucia tried again. She came up with a quick lie. "Aren't empousai the servants of Hecate?"

Kelli curled her lip. "So?"

"So Hecate is on our side now," The words were bitter in her mouth, but if she needed to say it to save Percy and her, she'd do it. "She has a cabin at Camp Half-Blood. Some of her demigod children are our friends. If you fight us, she'll be angry. Vengeful."

One of the other empousai growled. "Is this true, Kelli? Has our mistress made peace with Olympus?"

"Shut up, Serephone!" Kelli screeched. "Gods, you're annoying!"

"I will not cross the Dark Lady."

Lucia took the opening she needed. "If I were you all, I'd follow Serephone. She's older and wiser."

"Yes!" Serephone shrieked. "Follow me!"

Kelli struck so fast, that they didn't have time to react.

Fortunately, she didn't attack Lucia or Percy. Kelli lashed out at Serephone. For half a second, the two demons were a blur of slashing claws and fangs.

Then it was over. Kelli stood triumphant over a pile of dust. From her claws hung the tattered remains of Serephone's dress.

"Any more issues?" Kelli snapped at her sisters. "Hecate is the goddess of the Mist! Her ways are mysterious. Who knows which side she truly favors? She is also the goddess of the crossroads, and she expects us to make our own choices. I choose the path that will bring us the most demigod blood! I choose Gaea!" Her friends hissed in approval.

Lucia glanced at Percy, silently sending the message that she was out of ideas. She'd done what she could. She'd gotten Kelli angry enough to eliminate one of her own. She instilled doubt in the Empousai. Now there was nothing left but to fight.

"For two years I churned in the void," Kelli said. "Do you know how completely annoying it is to be vaporized, Lucia Verano? Slowly re-forming, fully conscious, in searing pain for months and years as your body regrows, then finally breaking the crust of this hellish place and clawing your way back to daylight? All because some loud girl shot you in the back?"

Her baleful eyes held Lucia's. "I wonder what happens if a demigod is killed in Tartarus. I doubt it's ever happened before. Let's find out."

Percy sprang, slashing Riptide in a huge arc. He cut one of the demons in half, but Kelli dodged and charged Lucia. The other two empousai launched themselves at Percy. One grabbed his sword arm. Her friend jumped on his back.

Percy tried to ignore them and staggered toward Lucia, determined to go down defending her if he had to; but Lucia was doing fine on her own.

She tumbled to one side, evading Kelli's claws, and came up with her bow in her hand, which she smacked straight into Kelli's nose.

Kelli wailed. Lucia took her chance to swing it again, this time she gained momentum by pulling back, she knocked out some of her teeth—including her fangs.

Meanwhile, Percy thrashed from side to side, trying to throw off his empousa hitchhiker, but her claws sank deeper into his shoulders. She only slightly lost her grip when a flash of light burned into her arm. But she quickly regained composure and held on tighter, snarling louder. The second empousa held his arm, preventing him from using Riptide.

"No!" Lucia tried to run to him, but that was when Kelli lunged.

She raked her talons across her arm. Lucia screamed and fell. She held the deep and long wound on her arm as blood trickled out. She felt herself becoming queasy.

"Luz!" He called,

Percy stumbled in her direction. The vampire on his back sank her teeth into his neck. Searing pain coursed through his body. His knees buckled.

"Perce!" She responded with a cry,

He fought to stay on his feet. He took a step, and another, doing his best to make it to her.

Then the other vampire bit his sword arm, and Riptide clattered to the ground.

Lucia tried crawling to him. Until Kelli held her down by the ankles and dragged her back. She hissed at the feeling of her claws sinking into her flesh. In the end, Kelli loomed over Lucia, savoring her moment of triumph.

The other two empousai circled Percy, their mouths slavering, ready for another taste.

She reached out for him.  "No..."

That was it. Her luck had finally run out.

Then a shadow fell across Percy. A deep war cry bellowed from somewhere above, echoing across the plains of Tartarus, and a Titan dropped onto the battlefield.

༄

LUCIA HAD THOUGHT SHE WAS ON DRUGS the first time she saw a manticore in a fight. But seeing a huge, silvery figure drop out of the sky and stomp Kelli flat, trampling her into a mound of monster dust. Well, that felt like a real crazy trip.

The Titan was ten feet tall, with wild silver hair, pure silver eyes, and muscular arms protruding from a ripped-up blue janitor's uniform. In his hand was a massive pushbroom. His name tag, incredibly, read: BOB.

Lucia rubbed her eyes, convinced she had accidentally ingested something. "Someone spiked the Phlegethon, seriously."

Lucia yelped when the Titan came closer and tried to crawl away, but the giant janitor wasn't interested in her at all. He turned to the two remaining empousai, who stood over Percy.

One was foolish enough to attack. She lunged with the speed of a tiger, but she never stood a chance. A spearhead jutted from the end of Bob's broom. With a single deadly swipe, he cut her to dust. The last vampire tried to run. Bob threw his broom like a massive boomerang—broomerang

It sliced through the vampire and returned to Bob's hand.

"SWEEP!" The Titan grinned with delight and did a victory dance. "Sweep, sweep, sweep!"

Lucia couldn't speak. She couldn't wrap her head around what was going on. Percy looked just as shocked.

"H-how..?" she stammered.

"Percy called me!" the janitor said happily. "Yes, he did."

Lucia crawled a little farther away. Her arm and her legs were bleeding badly.

"Called you? He—? Wait. You're Bob? The Bob?" She began, "Percy?"

The janitor frowned when he noticed Lucia's wounds. "Owie."

Lucia flinched as he knelt next to her.

"It's okay," Percy said, still woozy with pain. "He's friendly. Bob, That's Lucia. My Girlfriend. Could you help her out for me?"

The giant janitor tapped Lucia's forearm and ankles, and they mended instantly. The Titan's hands were surprisingly warm and gentle.

Bob chuckled, pleased with himself, then bounded over to Percy and healed his bleeding neck and arm.

"All better!" Bob declared, his eerie silver eyes crinkling with pleasure. "I am Bob, Percy's friend!"

"Err—Nice to meet you." She waved hesitantly.

"Uh. yeah," Percy managed. "Thanks for the help, Bob. It's really good to see you again."

"Yes!" the janitor agreed. "Bob. That's me. Bob, Bob, Bob." He shuffled around, obviously pleased with his name. "I am helping. I heard my name. Upstairs in Hades's palace, nobody calls for Bob unless there is a mess. Bob, sweep up these bones. Bob, mop up these tortured souls. Bob, a zombie exploded in the dining room."

Lucia gave Percy a puzzled look, but he had no explanation.

"Then I heard my friend call!" The Titan beamed. "Percy said, Bob!" He grabbed Percy's arm and hoisted him to his feet.

"That's awesome," Percy said. "Seriously. But how did you—"

"Oh, time to talk later." Bob's expression turned serious. "We must go before they find you. They are coming. Yes, indeed."

"They?" Lucia asked. She scanned the horizon intently. She saw no approaching monsters nothing but the stark gray wasteland.

"Yes," Bob agreed. "But Bob knows a way. Come on, friends! We will have fun!"