𝐍 𝐄 𝐖   𝐇 𝐎 𝐏 𝐄   !

⎯ 𝘍 𝘖 𝘜 𝘙 ⎯

( 𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔲𝔫𝔨𝔫𝔬𝔴𝔫 ! )

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

          𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐘 𝐓𝐎 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐔𝐒.

Not that she hadn't already put that on her bucket list, but tripping over a Titan while feeling half-dead was her final straw. 

After entering the storm front, they plodded on for what seemed like hours, relying on the light of both Riptide and Solstice, as well as the crazy silver glow that came off of Bob. 

Aurora could only see about five feet in front of her. It was a bit startling that she couldn't see further, since children of Apollo often gave off their own glow when surrounded by darkness. But, then again, Aurora's abilities had been acting up since falling into Tartarus. And Bob had mentioned something about her sun getting weaker . . .

Don't think about that now.

Rocks loomed out of nowhere. Pits appeared at their feet, and Aurora barely avoided falling in. Monstrous roars echoed in the gloom, but Aurora couldn't tell where they came from. All she could be certain of was that the terrain was still sloping down.

Down seemed to be the only direction allowed in Tartarus, which added to Aurora's extensive list of reasons why she wished she could kill the little shit. Out of curiosity, Aurora had tried backing up to higher ground, but the action had left her more drained than she already was, causing her to nearly topple over and take poor Percy with her. 

After the daunting message given by Bob about Aurora growing weaker, Percy hadn't left her side. Not that he would've before the whole ordeal, but it seemed as though he'd super glued himself to her, not once letting go of her hand during the entire trip. He'd shoot her worried glances every few feet, like he was waiting for her to suddenly disappear in a puff of smoke. 

She couldn't blame him. With how weak she felt, she wouldn't be surprised if her bones turned to ash and her body went up in smoke. Each movement felt as if gravity was forcing her down further, and it was only making her more annoyed. Of course she'd be dealt such shitty cards by the universe. Of course the Fates would choose to send her of all people to Tartarus, knowing full well that it would kill her in the most prolonged way possible. 

Her murderous thoughts sparked something within her. For a moment, just a breath, Aurora felt stronger. But it wasn't the usual strength she got from soaking in the sun's rays or getting a good night of sleep. This was . . . darker. It was cold like ice, slipping around her muscles and shocking her to the core. It felt like when she'd jumped in the Little Tiber during the winter⎯unforgiving, icy, and unbelievably numbing. 

It was quick to vanish, however, when her body suddenly went careening over a ledge.

"Whoa!" Percy's grip on her hand grew tighter, but she was already falling.

Fortunately, it was only a shallow depression. Most of it was filled with a monster blister. She had a soft landing on a warm bouncy surface and was feeling lucky⎯until she opened her eyes and found herself staring through a glowing gold membrane at another, much larger face. 

Aurora bit back her screams, not wanting to alert any monsters, and did her best to maneuver off the blister without popping it. The last thing she wanted to do was cover herself in monster puss. While the sight of it wouldn't make her hurl, being drenched in it might. 

Percy helped her to her feet. "You alright?"

She only gave him a nod in response, not trusting herself to answer verbally. If she so much as opened her mouth, she'd scream, and that would lead to more problems than she could manage. 

But gods of Olympus, did she want to let out the shrillest scream possible. One that would earn her a place on the list of Scream Queens in the world. Curled in the membrane bubble in front of her was a fully formed Titan in golden armor, his skin the color of polished pennies. His eyes were closed, but he scowled so deeply he appeared to be on the verge of a bloodletting war cry. Even through the blister, Aurora could feel the heat radiating from his body. She was half tempted to join him, a little slither of her usual strength returning. 

"Hyperion," Percy muttered. "I hate that guy."

Aurora blinked and turned to her boyfriend. She knew he'd fought during the Titan war like she had. While he'd been battling Saturn⎯sorry, Kronos⎯in Manhattan, Aurora and her camp had been defeating Krios on Mount Tam. The two didn't really talk about the war too much, what with it being still fresh on their minds despite the new one heading their way. Too many losses and bad memories kept them from discussing it in depth, but they'd gone over the basics with each other momentarily.

During the war, Percy had battled Hyperion, along with Sarah, Annabeth, and their satyr friend Grover. "Wait a minute. Didn't your friend turn him into a tree or something?"

"Yeah," Percy agreed. "Maybe the maple tree died, and he wound up here."

Aurora went to open her mouth, to suggest that they popped his bubble before he could emerge and wreak havoc on the world. But she stopped herself, noting how quiet their Titan friend had become. 

She looked at Bob and frowned. The silvery Titan was studying Hyperion with his own frown, one of consideration. Maybe recognition. Their faces did look very much alike and⎯oh no.

Hyperion and Iapetus were brothers. One was the lord of the east, while the other controlled the west. If she were to change Bob out of his janitor clothing and put him in golden armor, cut his hair and paint him gold, he'd look identical to Hyperion. 

The fact that Bob was unknowingly looking down at his brother . . . having no clue who he was . . . her heart ached for him.

"Bob." She made sure her voice was gentle. "Are you okay?"

"Gold, not silver," Bob murmured. "But he looks like me."

"Bob," Percy said. "Hey, buddy, over here."

The Titan reluctantly turned.

"Am I your friend?" Percy asked.

"Yes." Bob sounded dangerously uncertain. "We are friends."

"You know that some monsters are good," Percy said. "And some are bad."

"Hmm." He looked contemplative. "Like . . . the pretty ghost ladies who serve Persephone are good. Exploding zombies are bad."

Exploding what?

"Right," Percy said. "And some mortals are good, and some are bad. Well, the same thing is true for Titans."

"Titans . . ." Bob loomed over them, glowering. Aurora swallowed thickly, wanting to believe that her boyfriend hadn't just made a huge uh-oh.

"That's what you are," Percy said calmly. "Bob the Titan. You're good. You're awesome, in fact. But some Titans are not. This guy here, Hyperion, is full-on bad. He tried to kill me . . . tried to kill a lot of people."

Bob blinked his silver eyes. "But he looks . . . his face is so⎯"

"He looks like you," Percy agreed. "He's a Titan, like you. But he's not good like you are."

"Bob is good." His fingers tightened on his broom handle. "Yes. There is always at least one good one⎯monsters, Titans, giants."

Aurora winced. "Maybe not the giants, but everything else sounds about right."

"Oh, yes." Bob nodded earnestly.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and she got the feeling they were being watched. They'd been stationary too long. They needed to move.

"We should go," she said, looking around. "What should we do about . . . ?"

"Bob," Percy said, "it's your call. Hyperion is your kind. We could leave him alone, but if he wakes up⎯"

Bob's broom-spear swept into motion. If he'd been aiming at Aurora or Percy, they'd be cut in half. Instead, Bob slashed through the monstrous blister, which burst in a geyser of hot golden mud. 

Aurora swallowed the bile crawling up her throat as she wiped sludge from her eyes and mouth. this is exactly what she'd been trying to avoid, and yet now she was covered head-to-toe in . . . well, she didn't want to think about that. All that remained of the blister was a smoking crater, no Titan in sight.

"Hyperion is a bad Titan," Bob announced, his expression grim. "Now he can't hurt my friends. He will have to re-form somewhere else in Tartarus. Hopefully it will take a long time."

The Titan's eyes seemed brighter than usual, like he was about to cry quicksilver. The healer within Aurora acted without thought, causing her to reach forward and take Bob's hand.

"Thank you, Bob." Her voice was filled with gratitude as she gave him hand a squeeze. She didn't know if Percy had been serious about leaving the decision up to Bob, but she trusted him. She understood that in their predicament, they had to take extensive measures to get home safely. And if he'd been manipulating Bob, then she admired the amount of calculation he'd put into it all. "Do you want a hug?"

Bob nodded, and Aurora pulled him close. Hugging him was like hugging her godly parent. With how tall he was, she only reached his torso, and her arms were barely able to wrap around him halfway. Still, she tried her best to put all her warmth into the hug, smiling slightly when his big arms held her in return. Despite him being a Titan, and despite all the bad he'd done, he was still a being with emotions. He still just killed his brother, and he deserved comfort. 

When she pulled away, Percy took her hand once more. "We better keep going."

She and Percy followed Bob, the golden mud flecks from Hyperion's burst bubble glowing on his janitor's uniform. 

⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯

After a while, Aurora's feet felt like Titan mush. She marched along, following Bob, listening to the monotonous slosh of the liquid in his cleaning bottle.

She was trying her best to stay awake, but her bones felt like jelly and her muscles were like lead. All she wanted to do was close her eyes and sleep, but she couldn't. So she focused on the warmth coming from Percy's hand in her own, bringing heat to her cold fingers. And she listened to his words of encouragement, managing a small smile here and there to let him know she was okay.

But this place was getting to him. She could sense it. She saw it in the dull sheen that covered his usually bright eyes. It was in his walk, which was slow and cautious. And she could hear it in his voice. He was losing his spirit, just like she was.

It's your fault, you know, her mind spoke, sounding much darker than it normally did. It sent a chill down her spine. If you hadn't been foolish enough to help that girl, you wouldn't have been dragged here, and he wouldn't have followed you.

Aurora knew she shouldn't listen to her thoughts. Tartarus was much like the Underworld⎯it was made to make the worst come out of people. But it was so hard to fight those thoughts, because deep down, she knew they were true. If she'd gone with the others to secure the statue, she wouldn't have freed Annabeth and ended up with spider silk wrapped around her ankle. She wouldn't have been dragged to the chasm, Percy holding onto her for dear life and sacrificing his own happiness to ensure her safety. 

If he dies down here, it'll be on you, that voice whispered, cool and calculating. You'll be left to deal with the blame. 

She could feel something slipping into her soul. It was like the shadows around her were pushing into her skin and slithering around her soul, much like the fingers of Death. Frigid blackness began to take over a part of her, sinking its icy talons into what remained of her internal sun and claiming her soul as its own. She tried to fight it off, but it felt futile to try. She wasn't meant to be down here. Her soul was not meant to be surrounded by this much darkness. So why not let it take over, huh? What would be the harm?

Give in, daughter of light. Don't fight it. 

"Rory?" Her eyes snapped up from the ground, and she felt some of the darkness lift. It was still there, waiting for another chance to sink its fangs into her, but it was lighter now. "Are you okay?"

Aurora met the worried eyes of her boyfriend. "Yeah . . . yeah, I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" There was a depth to his eyes that scared her a bit. Had they always been so . . . haunting? "You went really pale for a moment, and . . ."

She tilted her head. "What?"

"Your eyes. I could've sworn they went black." She sucked in a deep breath. What? "What's going on?"

Aurora looked down at her free hand, noting that it was much paler than it was before. There was a gray sheen to her skin that made her veins more visible. "This place is messing with my head. Giving me thoughts I wouldn't normally have."

Anxiety lined his face. "Hey, Bob, where exactly are we heading?"

"The lady," Bob said. "Death Mist."

A tinge of irritation made Aurora sigh internally. "I know names hold power and everything, but is there anything more you can tell us?"

Bob glanced back. "Not a good idea."

Perfect. Just wonderful.

"Can you at least tell us how far?" she asked.

"I do not know," Bob admitted. "I can only feel it. We wait for the darkness to get darker. Then we go sideways."

Aurora glanced at Percy. "Did I hear that right?"

He nodded. "Yep."

"Okay."

She was tempted to ask for a rest, but she didn't want to stop. Not here in this cold, dark place. The black fog seeped into her body, making that darkness inside of her grow. It coiled around what remained of her inner sun, momentarily sticking before she forced it away. 

The thought of her message not getting through plagued her mind. She hoped that the Oracle⎯Rachel Elizabeth Dare⎯would understand what she was trying to say. Sure, the girl didn't know Aurora, but she should understand the urgency in her letter. 

You've signed this girl's death warrant, that voice said, slithering into her head. Even if she finds those Romans, why would Reyna trust her? You know how she is. After everything that has happened, you expect this of her? 

Aurora didn't have the energy to fight back. And even if she did, she didn't think voicing her opinions out loud would make her seem sane. Percy was already looking at her anxiously every couple of seconds, so arguing randomly with a voice only she could hear would not do her well. 

With her inner sun dying, Aurora really needed something to regenerate her. Maybe some water, or food from her home? 

Suddenly Bob stopped. He raised his hand: Wait.

"What?" Percy whispered. 

"Shh," Bob warned. "Ahead. Something moves."

Aurora strained her ears. Deep within the fog came a deep thrumming noise. It reminded her almost of the traffic that would come from the tunnel during scouting duty back at camp. She could feel the vibrations through her shoes.

"We will surround it," Bob whispered. "Each of you, take a flank."

The daughter of Apollo bit back a groan. She wasn't ready to fight. She'd need about a hundred more hours of sleep, some good food and water, and some fucking sunlight to be prepared for another battle. And yet, she gripped her sword tightly and crept to the left, Percy going right. 

Bob took the middle, his spearhead glowing in the fog.

The humming got louder, shaking the gravel at Aurora's feet. The noise seemed to be coming from immediately in front of them. 

"Ready?" Bob murmured.

Aurora crouched down, ready to spring. "On three?"

"One."

That darkness began to slither around inside of her once more. It coiled around her muscles and bones, tightening its grip on her soul.

"Two."

It was like a switch flipped.

The black fingers of whatever it was inside of her pierced the remaining sun. A rush of cold filtered through her body, turning her insides to ice and bringing goosebumps to her skin. If she'd been able to see, she would've noted the dark tinge to her fingertips that was steadily growing upwards to encase her hands. She would've noticed that the darkness around her seemed to thrum with a new life.

"Wait!"

Aurora paused, blinking rapidly as the dark receded once more. It still lingered, maybe closer than before, but it was gone, a pounding headache replacing it. 

Percy had been the one to shout, and it was then that she noticed her sword point was just inches from a . . . tiny calico kitten? 

"Rrow?" said the kitten, clearly unimpressed by their plan of attack. It butted its head against Aurora's foot, purring loudly. 

It was mind boggling. The deep rumbling was coming from this kitten. When it purred, the ground vibrated and pebbles danced. The kitten fixed its lamp-like eyes on a rock right between Bob's feet and pounced.

Aurora was having a hard time wrapping her mind around this. The cat could've been anything⎯a monster or a demon or some kind of Titan that took on a feline form. That had to be the only answer, right? How could there be an actual fucking kitten in Tartarus, of all places? It just didn't make sense. 

"How did . . . ?" Aurora ran a hand over her face. "What is a kitten doing in . . . ?"

The kitten moved on from the rock, deciding that rubbing against Bob's shoes was more interesting. 

Percy laughed. "Somebody likes you, Bob."

"It must be a good monster." Bob looked up nervously. "Isn't it?"

Aurora stayed silent, still trying to process it all. She looked at her sword, seeing how her hands were shaking and her grip was tight enough for her knuckles to be painted white. What had come over her? She'd almost . . . gods, she'd almost killed a kitten. And a part of her felt not shame about it. No guilt. 

Tartarus was changing her in more ways than one. It was beginning to scare her. Not only was she just now realizing how big Tartarus was in comparison to herself⎯looking at the tiny kitten at Bob's feet knocked that into her⎯but she was also beginning to understand what Bob had meant by her inner light dying. Her soul was being affected. 

Of course, Aurora knew that all children of Apollo were born with a dark side. After all, their father was responsible for the destruction of multiple towns back in ancient times. She knew it was possible for that dark side to take over if she ever entered a bad state of mind, but she didn't think it would be so . . . normal to give into it. Comfortable, even. 

She just wished she could reach her dad in Tartarus. Right now, more than ever, she wished she could talk to him. Have him tell her that this whole thing would be okay. That giving into the darkness wouldn't end her life. That she'd be able to bounce back from this. Gods, she needed a pep talk from him right now.

Bob knelt down and scooped up the cat. It fit perfectly in his palm, but decided to explore. It climbed the Titan's arm, made itself at home on his shoulder, and closed its eyes, purring like an earthmover. Suddenly its fur shimmered. In a flash, the kitten became a ghostly skeleton, as if it had stepped behind an X-Ray machine. Then it was a regular kitten again. 

Aurora blinked. "Did you see⎯?"

"Yeah." Percy knit his eyebrows. "Oh, man . . . I know that kitten. It's one of the ones from the Smithsonian."

She had to blink again, even though it did nothing to help her with her confusion. A ghostly kitten from the Smithsonian? She'd never been to the famous museum before, but she was certain that it didn't house dead kittens and other supernatural creatures. Or, she thought it didn't. But why would Percy lie about something like this?

He wouldn't.

Percy took note of her confusion and explained, his hand finding her own in the process. "Several years ago, when Annabeth had been kidnapped by the Titan army and trapped on Mount Tam, forced to hold up the sky. While on a quest to save her, we stopped at the Smithsonian, where Atlas was making a skeletal army. But his workers were dumbasses so they planted saber tooth tiger teeth and made ghostly kittens instead."

Aurora's brows furrowed. "So you're saying that this kitten was grown from a tooth?" She rubbed her face. "How did it even get here?"

Percy spread his hands helplessly. "Atlas told his servants to take them away. Maybe they destroyed the cats and they were reborn in Tartarus? I don't know."

"It's cute," Bob said, as the kitten sniffed his ear.

She had to agree that the kitten was adorable, and seeing something like that made her feel a little bit better at the moment. But she wondered if it was safe to carry around a cat grown by a Titan. Then again, they were traveling with a Titan, so it couldn't be all that dangerous.

Bob scratched the kitten's chin. There was no denying that they had grown a bond. It would be heartless of her to make him leave the cat behind.

"I will call him Small Bob," Bob said. "He is a good monster."

With that, Bob lifted his spear and continued into the gloom. Aurora leaned closer to Percy and lowered her voice. "Should we tell him that Small Bob is most likely a she?"

Percy shook his head with a grin. "Nah."

"Okay."

⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯

Aurora walked in a daze, trying not to think about the darkness inside of her. To keep herself distracted, she watched Small Bob the kitten pacing across Bob's shoulders and purring, occasionally turning into a glowing kitty skeleton and then back to a calico fuzz-ball. 

"Here," Bob announced. 

He stopped so suddenly, Aurora almost ran into him. Bob stared off to their left, as if in deep thought.

"Is this the place?" she asked, rubbing her head. "Where we go sideways?"

"Yes," Bob agreed. "Darker, then sideways."

It was then that Aurora realized that it had gotten darker. The air was colder and thicker, sifting through her body like sand through an hourglass. The change reminded her almost of camp. When she was inside the barrier, the climate was always controlled and comfortable. But the second she stepped outside, it would be different. Slightly colder, or maybe warmer. It brought a sense of homesickness to her that made her mood drop even more.

Bob struck off to the left. They followed. The air got colder. Aurora leaned into Percy for warmth, holding his hand tight enough to cut off circulation. She needed something familiar to keep her from giving in. Percy squeezed her hand three times before moving to wrap his arms around her, hugging her close. 

They'd entered some sort of forest. Black trees towered over them, stretching into the gloom above them. Their branches were bare of any leaves, their ends perfectly round but reminding her of reaching, skeletal hands. If Tartarus was truly the body of the pit, then they were probably headed toward its armpit.

They're coming, the voice whispered in her mind. They shake the trees as they come. They come to curse you. Show them who they're messing with. Make them regret it.

Aurora stopped dead in her tracks, senses alert and eyes wide. Every hair on her body stuck up straight, the feeling of a cool breath on the back of her neck making her go rigid. 

"Rory?" She reached out, pressing a hand to the nearest tree, and looked around in suspicion. "Aurora, what is it?"

Bob turned and looked back, confused. "We are stopping?"

Aurora ignored them, holding her hand up for silence. Had the voice in her head been telling her the truth? Or had she officially lost her mind?

She was about to remove her hand when she felt it. Much like how the ground shook with the kitten's purr, the tree was vibrating. It was quivering, shaking like how someone who was sick would breathe. 

A few yards away, another tree shuddered. 

Above you, it said, sending chills down her spine. It's above you.

"Something's moving above us," she said, her eyes locking on the gloom. "Gather up."

Bob and Percy closed ranks with her, standing back to back.

Aurora strained her eyes, trying to see anything above them in the dark. Nothing moved. There wasn't even a flicker or spark. 

Then, she saw it. A quick, sharp movement from above the trees. Five feet away, the first monster showed itself. 

For a moment, Aurora worried they were facing off against the Furies. The tormentors of the Underworld. 

The creature was a wrinkled hag with batlike wings, brass talons, and glowing red eyes. She wore a tattered black silk dress, and her face was twisted and ravenous, like a demonic grandmother in the mood to kill.

Bob grunted as another dropped in front of him, and another in front of Percy. Soon there were half a dozen surrounding them, more hissing in the trees above them. 

Not Furies, Aurora thought, her blood running cold.

"What are they?" Percy asked, frowning.

Aurora swallowed thickly, remembering the stories her stepdad had told her back in Rome. "The arai. The curses. My stepdad . . . he told me a story about them once." She grit her teeth and stared the monster in front of her down. "What do you want?"

A voice, different from the one in her mind, cackled. It had no clear owner, and none of the demons moved a muscle. To curse you, of course! To destroy you a thousand times in the name of Mother Night!

"Only a thousand times?" Percy murmured. "Oh, good . . . I thought we were in trouble."

The circle of demon ladies closed in.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

𝐀 𝐔 𝐓 𝐇 𝐎 𝐑 𝐒   𝐍 𝐎 𝐓 𝐄   !

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Another day, another chapter! Guys, I feel like my college life has become a K-Drama or some shit. Or a coming of age movie, because the amount of unbelievable stuff that has happened to me in the past two weeks is INSANE!!!

I got kicked out of my dorm by my psycho dorm mate, slept on an air mattress for a week, and now I'm moving into a new dorm! While this was happening, I was getting assigned a TEN PAGE RESEARCH PAPER and a shit ton of quizzes. I swear my professors are out to get me! Not only that, but I just had a guy offer me 2,000 dollars for no reason. What the heck is happening?

Okay, time for story shit. So Aurora is feeling off. Things are taking a downward turn for her, and I'm kinda loving it. Dark!Percy and Dark!Aurora are a power couple, I swear. They haven't even fully become like that yet and I'm already in love! Also we got to meet Small Bob, and will soon be dealing with the curses!

Do you guys want a chapter in one of the other Eight's POV about what's going on outside of Tartarus, or do you want me to stick with just Percy and Aurora's story? Also, I thought more about the little side book I'll be writing for this series that follows Percy and Aurora as they meet people from other fandoms. So far there is Teen Wolf, The Vampire Diaries, Shadow Hunters, and ACOTAR on the list. Want me to add more? Let me know!

Please comment and vote! I love hearing from you!

Love you all and enjoy the holidays!

~ a.h.