𝐍 𝐄 𝐖   𝐇 𝐎 𝐏 𝐄   !

𝙲 𝙷 𝙰 𝙿 𝚃 𝙴 𝚁   𝙾 𝙽 𝙴   !

( 𝔴𝔢𝔩𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔥𝔢𝔩—𝔰𝔬𝔯𝔯𝔶 , 𝔱𝔞𝔯𝔱𝔞𝔯𝔲𝔰 ! )

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

          "𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓'𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆?"

Aurora peered over her father's shoulder, trying her best to decipher the words on the pages of his book. Despite being dyslexic, she always tried to read in hopes that she'd overcome the challenges. And while most of the time she could get by on guess work and patience, the books her dad read were nearly impossible for her to decipher.

Her dad chuckled softly and gestured for her to join him on the couch. Aurora beamed and sat down beside him, resting her chin on his shoulder. "It's a book written by Hesoid, an old Greek poet."

The brunette frowned. "That doesn't look like poetry."

"The poets of old were much different than the poets now, Ari," her dad reminded her. "Remember when I told you about Odysseus and his tales?"

She thought for a moment before nodding. "Homer wrote them, right? They were a form of epic poetry, which meant they were basically written like stories."

Her dad smiled at her. "That's right."

"So what's this poem about?"

Her dad wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "Hesoid had a theory back when he was alive, that to reach Tartarus from the mortal world, one would have to fall for nine days."

Aurora tilted her head. "What's Tartar sauce?"

"No, sweetie. Tartarus. It's the deepest pit in the Underworld. The home of all mythological monsters. It's where the worst of the worst go," he explained, running his fingers through her hair. "And the only way to get there was to either die and be sent there, or fall."

The girl pulled a face. "Why would anyone want to go there if they had to fall for nine days? That sounds like a painful landing."

"It does, doesn't it?" Aurora nodded. "Well, I guess no one really chooses to go there. It kind of just happens."

Aurora crossed her arms. "Well, I would never want to go there. Sounds like a crappy place."

This time, her dad laughed. Loud and boisterous, grabbing the attention of her mom and younger sister, who had been in the kitchen going over Belle's homework.

"What's going on in here?" her mom asked, looking between the two.

Her dad smiled brightly. "Our daughter here doesn't want to go to Tartarus because it's a crappy place."

Belle gaped at her older sister. "Mama, daddy said Ari said a bad word!"

Her mother placed her hands on her hips and gave Aurora a mocking glare. "Well then, I guess it's time for someone to go to Tartarus."

Aurora's eyes widened as she scrambled off the couch, trying to get away from her mom who was playfully approaching her.

"No, mamma! Non voglio andare!" Aurora screeched as her mom grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up over her shoulder.

"Ah, I've got you now, il mio piccolo raggio di sole! Off to Tartarus we go!"

Aurora's eyes snapped open, echoing laughter fading from her mind. She'd forgotten all about that conversation so many years ago. She could faintly remember how her family's laughter had filled the entire apartment for hours as she and Belle pretended to fall to Tartarus, dragging each other down onto the couches and chairs while their parents watched. Then, it had been funny and lighthearted.

Now, Aurora was wishing she was back in that apartment.

Wind whistled in her ears as Percy pulled her close, hugging her tight as they tumbled through an endless darkness. She nuzzled her head into his chest, searching for any kind of comfort as the air began to grow hot and damp. Normally, heat didn't bother her, seeing as she could control the heat of the sun. But this heat was different—darker. It didn't belong to her father, nor herself. It belonged to the monster they were currently falling into.

To think that all of this pain was caused by a single monster hell-bent on hurting her friends. If it hadn't been for Aurora getting Annabeth free, the poor daughter of Athena would be in this situation instead, getting dragged to her certain doom by the very creature she'd battled moments prior. Most likely with Sarah instead of Percy in tow.

And while Aurora didn't have a crushing fear of spiders, she didn't want to face off with Arachne. She didn't know if the spider monster was still alive or not, but she hoped she wasn't. Aurora would already be facing one too many problems, and she didn't want a vengeful spider-woman coming for her ass as another one. 

Scenarios of how this would all end kept playing through her mind. In most of them, she and Percy got flattened on impact when hitting the bottom—assuming there even was a bottom. In others, they survived only to die at the hands of the monsters that called Tartarus home. And in the very few that weren't depressing, she and Percy managed to make it to the Doors of Death and survive the Hell that they were about to encounter. 

She really hoped that the last ones ended up becoming a reality.

Aurora tugged Percy closer, stifling a sob in his shirt. Gods, she wanted this to be a dream. A fucked up, terrible nightmare that she could wake up from by pinching herself. But she knew it wasn't. She'd seen this coming, even if she could hardly remember it. Years ago, she'd had a dream about falling into a pit encased in darkness. Little had she known that that pit was Tartarus, and that she wouldn't be falling alone. 

She knew that most demigods died horrible deaths at young ages. Hell, she'd almost died a horrible death at a young age. But, because Fate loved to screw with them, the ones that made it past twelve usually died a worse death than those who didn't. Whether it be at the hands of monsters or demigods or mortals, the true heroes always had the worst deaths. And Aurora blamed it wholly on the Fates.

Not the Greeks, who invented tragedies. Not the Romans, who lusted for blood. The Fates.

She wanted to curse them so bad. It wasn't fair. She had been through so fucking much in her life, and they just threw this at her like we need just a bit more spice in our lives, so here's this fuckery that you have to battle through, Enjoy!

Aurora wanted to curse Gaea, as well. She was the one who started this mess. She was the one who has caused Aurora so much pain throughout her life—killing her sister, dragging her away from her family, and hurting her in more ways than one could imagine. All she wanted to do was kill the bitch and go home. Whatever home was, anyways.

She felt Percy's lips against her ear, "I've got you. I've got you."

He kept muttering it over and over, but it did nothing to ease her sadness. She just wanted to go home.

There was nothing either of them could do to slow their fall or send them in the other direction. Aurora couldn't control the winds like Jason and Percy couldn't shapeshift like Frank, so they were left falling at terminal velocity toward a potential ground and a certain death. 

Finally, the first change happened. 

The darkness took on a gray-red tinge. She could see Percy's hair as she hugged him. The whistling in her ears turned into more of a roar. The air became intolerably hot, permeated with a smell like rotten eggs.

Suddenly, the chute they had been falling through opened into a vast cavern. Below them, Aurora could see the bottom. The entire San Francisco Bay could have fit inside this cavern—and she couldn't even see its full extent. Red clouds hung in the air like vaporized blood. The landscape—at least what she could see of it—was rocky black plains, punctuated by jagged mountains and fiery chasms. To her left, the ground dropped off in a series of cliffs, like colossal steps leading deeper into the abyss.

Aurora fought back a gag at the strong stench of sulfur as she looked directly below her. There was a ribbon of glittering black beneath them, and Aurora felt some semblance of hope. A river.

"Percy!" she yelled in his ear. "Water!"

She gestured frantically. Percy's face was hard to read in the dim red light. He looked shell-shocked and terrified, but he nodded as if he understood.

Percy could control water—assuming that was water below them. He might be able to cushion their fall somehow. Of course Aurora knew the truth about the horrible rivers of the Underworld, how they could erase memories or burn ones body and soul to ashes. But this was their only hope of survival, and she'd take that small sliver over her pessimistic thoughts any day

The river hurtled toward them. At the last second, Percy yelled defiantly. The water erupted in a massive geyser and swallowed them whole.

Luckily, the impact hadn't killed her.

Unluckily, the cold nearly did.

It reminded her of the time when she'd been dared to jump into the Little Tiber during the winter in nothing but a tank top and shorts. Her blood had frozen and her limbs had turned as useless as jelly as she'd pulled herself out of the water and into the warm embrace of her cousin. He'd called her an idiot, yes, but she'd won a couple of denarii, so she wasn't too bothered.

This time, she didn't have the promise of a warm hug or denarii to keep her calm. The freezing water shocked the air right from her lungs as her limbs turned rigid and her muscles gave out. She lost her grip on Percy immediately, mind panicking while her body began to sink. Strange wailing sounds filled her ears—millions of heartbroken voices, as if the river were made of distilled sadness. The voices—much like the ones from her earlier prophetic dreams—were worse than the cold. They weighed her down and made her numb.

What's the point of struggling? they told her You're dead anyway. You'll never leave this place.

She could sink to the bottom and drown, let the river carry her body away. That would be easier. She could just close her eyes and . . .

Percy gripped her hand and jolted her back to reality. She couldn't see him anywhere in the murky water, but suddenly she didn't want to die. Together, they kicked upward and broke the surface.

Aurora gasped for air, almost unable to taste just how awful it was. The water swirled around them, and she realized that Percy was creating a whirlpool to buoy them up.

Her mind was a torrent of thoughts, but she did her best to clear them away. Think, she yelled at herself. Think!

"Land," she managed. All rivers had shores. "Go sideways!"

Percy looked near dead with exhaustion. Usually water reinvigorated him, but not this water. Controlling it must have taken every bit of his strength. So, Aurora focused on the healing magic in her blood, allowing it to pass from her to him through their connected hands. A faint golden glow filled her body and faded into Percy's, giving him the strength to keep the whirlpool going. 

The river was working against them as they forced their way toward the shore, thousands of weeping voices whispering in her ears and getting to her brain.

Life is despair, they said. Everything is pointless, and then you die.

"Pointless," Percy murmured. His teeth were chattering from the cold. Aurora nearly sobbed when he stopped swimming, the whirlpool dissipating beneath them.

"Percy!" she shrieked, nearly going under again. Her body ached as she kept her power going, keeping them as warm as possible. "The river is messing with our minds. It's the . . ." She had to stop and think. Think, think, think, think. "It's the Cocytus—the River of Lamentation. It's made of pure misery!"

"Misery," he agreed.

She wanted to give up so badly, but she couldn't. For Percy. "Fight it, please!"

Aurora kicked and struggled against the current, trying her hardest to keep them both afloat while also keeping them warm. She was draining quickly, and without the sun above her, she didn't know how long it would take for her to recharge. They needed to get out of this river quickly.

She hugged Percy close to her and kissed him softly. "Remember—remember what you told me on the Argo II those nights ago? About the future you saw for us in New Rome. Tell me about it, please!"

"New Rome . . . For us . . ."

She nodded, tears of desperation leaking from her eyes. "Yeah, Kelp Head. Tell me everything. What did you plan on studying at the college? Probably something to do with the sea, right? Or maybe blue food?"

She was trying to joke so badly. Because she knew that something in her voice would snap him out. It had to. She wanted that future with Percy so badly, even if they'd only just started in their relationship. She wanted to go to college with him, watch him grow into an amazing man and see him fulfill so many dreams. She wanted that for him, but they wouldn't get that unless they got out of the stupid river.

"College." The fog started to clear from his eyes. His beautiful sea green eyes. "We could go there together. You'd probably study something involving healing or music. I remember . . . remember . . ."

"Remember what?" she asked.

"During the quest to find Annabeth, when we first met, you told me you wanted to be a music teacher," he said, sounding more confident.

Aurora's heart warmed. "Yeah. That's right. I want to be a music teacher. What about you?"

"Dunno," he admitted.

"Marine science?" she asked. "Oceanography?"

"Surfing?"

Aurora laughed. She actually laughed. And it sent a shock wave through the water. The wailing faded to background noise. She wondered if anyone had ever laughed in Tartarus before—just a pure, simple laugh of pleasure. She doubted it.

Together, they used the last bit of their strength to reach the riverbank. Her feet dug into the sandy bottom. She and Percy hauled themselves ashore, shivering and gasping, and collapsed on the dark sand.

Aurora allowed her power to sink back into her. She needed to conserved energy. She needed to keep herself healthy, because she didn't know how long she'd be in Tartarus without sunlight. Without her father's aid.

Every part of her wanted to curl into a ball beside Percy and sleep. She wanted to shut her eyes and pretend she was back on the Argo II with her friends and her cousin and Percy, safe and sound despite the world's issues. 

But, no. They were really in Tartarus. At their feet, the River Cocytus roared past, a flood of liquid wretchedness that had tried so hard to kill them. The sulfurous air stun Aurora's lungs and prickled her skin. When she looked at her arms, she saw they were already covered in an angry rash. She tried to sit up and gasped in pain.

The beach wasn't sand. They were sitting on a field of jagged black-glass chips, some of which were now embedded in Aurora's palms. 

Aurora went through the mental checklist she'd been making. Acidic air? Check. Water made of misery? Check. Ground made of broken glass? Check. Everything aiming to hurt, maim, or kill her? check, check, and check! And with her strength failing her due to lack of light, she wouldn't be able to heal both her and Percy. Not for long.

Next to her, Percy coughed. "This place smells like my ex-stepfather."

Aurora managed a weak smile. She'd never met Smelly Gabe, Percy's ex-stepfather, but she had heard stories about him from Percy, Annabeth, and Sarah. Enough to make her glad she'd never met him, but also make her eager to meet his mother, Sally. 

The daughter of Apollo knew that if she'd fallen into Tartarus alone, she would have been doomed. With her unstable mental state from being in her old country, and the constant depression begging to take over her mind, she would have let the River Cocytus take her mind, body, and soul. 

But luckily, she wasn't alone. She had Percy, and that was enough for her. That was enough to keep her going. 

"I still prefer this over voting for Octavian, you know," Aurora said, looking around. And she meant it.

Percy managed a laugh, groaning after. "Ironic, huh?"

Aurora started to take note of everything around her. Luckily, her ankle hadn't been injured when she'd been pulled forcefully into the pit. The webbing had fallen from around her foot at some point, leaving her free from Arachne's dead body. The only injuries she really had were the little cuts caused by the glass shards of the beach, but she could deal with that.

Luckily, her ring was still on her finger, meaning she had a weapon. And Percy's pen-sword would still be in his pocket, seeing as it always returned to him like her ring always returned to Aurora. It made her feel better knowing they both had something to defend themselves with. 

Sadly, they lacked food and water and any helpful supplies. 

Wonderful.

Aurora glanced at Percy. He looked pretty bad. His dark hair was plastered across his forehead, his tee shirt ripped to shreds. His fingers were scraped raw from holding on to that ledge before they fell. Most worrisome of all, he was shivering and his lips were blue.

She forced herself onto her knees, ignoring the pain of the glass digging into her skin, and crawled closer to him. With just a bit of remaining strength, Aurora took his hand and began muttering a hymn to her father. That faint golden glow from before illuminated the darkness and she smiled when she saw his color return just a bit.

Aurora only stopped when she felt lightheaded, but she kept her hand in his. "We should keep moving or we'll get hypothermia," she managed. "Can you stand?"

He nodded. They both struggled to their feet. 

Aurora moved her hand from his and placed her arm around his waist, though she wasn't sure who was supporting whom. She scanned their surroundings. Above, there was no sign of the tunnel they'd fallen down. She couldn't even see the cavern roof—just blood-colored clouds floating in a hazy gray sky. It was like staring through a thin mix of tomato soup and cement.

The black-glass beach stretched inland about fifty yards, then dropped off the edge of a cliff. From where they stood, Aurora couldn't see what was below, but the edge flickered with red light as if illuminated by huge fires.

Aurora thought back on her stepfather's words. Back when he was teaching her a bit about Tartarus, he'd shown her a map that people had constructed off of beliefs and stories. A map of the rivers and the cliffs and the chasms. She could faintly remember him saying something about a river made of fire. 

Percy inhaled sharply. "Look."

Aurora followed his finger to see a familiar-looking baby-blue Italian car. It had crashed headfirst into the sand, adding more glass to the beach. It looked just like the Fiat that had smashed into Arachne and sent her plummeting into the pit.

She hoped to all things holy that she was wrong, but how many Italian sports cars could there be in Tartarus? Part of her didn't want to go anywhere near it, but she had to find out. She had to know if this stupid spider-woman-thing was alive after putting Annabeth through so much pain. Because if she was still living, Aurora was gonna kill her. She was gonna kill her for doing all of this—dragging her and Percy into Tartarus while leaving Annabeth hurt in the world above. 

One of the car's tires had come off and was floating in the backwater eddy of the Cocytus. The Fiat's windows had shattered, sending brighter glass like frosting across the dark beach. Under the crushed hood lay the tattered, glistening remains of a giant silk cocoon. It was unmistakably empty. Slash marks in the sand made a trail downriver . . . as if something heavy, with multiple legs, had scuttled into the darkness.

Aurora's expression morphed into horror. "She's alive. Arachne . . . she's still alive."

Percy held Aurora tighter. "It's Tartarus," he said. "Monster home court. Down here, maybe they can't be killed."

She ran a hand through her knotted hair. "All that work Annabeth put into killing her—" She shook her head. "That bitch."

He pressed a shaky kiss to her hair. "Let's just hope she's badly wounded and crawled away to die."

Aurora nodded. "Yeah."

Percy was still shivering. Aurora wasn't feeling any warmer either, despite the hot, sticky air. In fact, she felt colder than Percy. Her internal warmth was failing her, and it would continue to do so until she saw the sun once again.

She was blooding from her cuts, the toxic air making it harder and harder to breathe. "This place is killing us," she said. "Literally. And it will continue to unless . . ."

Tartarus. Fire. She bit the inside of her cheek. Think think think think think.

"Unless what?" Percy prompted. "You've got a brilliant plan, haven't you?"

She was crazy.

"When will you learn that my plans are never brilliant?" she joked slightly. "You'll hate this, but we need to find the River of Fire."

⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯

When they reached the ledge, Aurora was sure she'd signed their death warrants.

The cliff dropped more than eighty feet. At the bottom stretched a nightmarish version of the Grand Canyon: a river of fire cutting a path through a jagged obsidian crevasse, the glowing red current casting horrible shadows across the cliff faces.

Even from the top of the canyon, the heat was intense. The chill of the River Cocytus hadn't left Aurora's bones, but now her face felt raw and sunburned, which shouldn't have been possible. Every breath took more effort, as if her chest was filled with Styrofoam peanuts. The cuts on her hands and knees bled more rather than less. And the cold within her soul was growing hypothermic.

Assuming they could make it down to the fiery river, which she doubted, her plan seemed certifiably insane. 

"Uh . . ." Percy examined the cliff. He pointed to a tiny fissure running diagonally from the edge to the bottom. "We can try that ledge there. Might be able to climb down."

He didn't say they'd be crazy to try. He managed to sound hopeful, and Aurora appreciate that more than words could ever show. But deep in her heart, she felt as if she was leading them both to their doom. 

Of course if they stayed put, they would die anyway. Blisters had started to form on their arms from exposure to the Tartarus air. The whole environment was about as healthy as a nuclear blast zone. And no amount of Roman legionnaire training could prepare her for this.

Percy went first. The ledge was barely wide enough to allow a toehold. Their hands clawed for any crack in the glassy rock. Aurora had to rip apart her tee shirt to wrap up her knees and bloody palms, but despite that all, her fingers were still slippery and weak.

A few steps below her, Percy grunted as he reached for another handhold. "So . . . what's this fire river called?"

"The Phlegethon," she said. "Attractive, I know."

"The Phlegethon?" He shinnied along the ledge. They'd made it roughly a third of the way down the cliff—still high enough up to die if they fell. "Sounds like a marathon for hawking spitballs."

Aurora had to bite back a laugh. Her body wouldn't be able to handle it. "Don't make me laugh, idiot."

"Just trying to keep things light."

"Okay, first off, that's my job. Don't steal it from me," Aurora mockingly scolded. "And second, thank you. At least I'll have a smile on my face as I fall to my certain death."

They kept going, one step at a time. Aurora's eyes stung with sweat. Her arms trembled. But to her amazement, they finally made it to the bottom of the cliff.

When she reached the ground, she stumbled. Percy caught her. She was alarmed by how feverish his skin felt. Red boils had erupted on his face, so he looked like a smallpox victim. But Aurora was sure she looked about the same, maybe worse. 

Her vision was blurry. Her throat felt blistered, and her stomach was clenched tighter than a fist. 

"Just to the river," she mumbled to Percy, trying to keep herself from coughing. "We can do this."

They staggered over slick glass, around massive boulders, avoiding stalagmites that would've impaled them with any slip of the foot. Their tattered clothes steamed from the heat of the river, but they kept going until they crumpled to their knees at the banks of the Phlegethon.

"We have to drink," she said.

Percy swayed, his eyes half-closed. It took him a three-count to respond. "Uh . . . drink fire?"

"The Phlegethon flows from Hades's realm down into Tartarus," Aurora explained, coughing in between pauses. It hurt so much to breathe. "The river is used to punish the wicked. But also . . . some legends call it the River of Healing."

"Some legends.?"

Aurora swallowed, trying to stay conscious. "The Phlegethon keeps the wicked in one piece so that they can endure the torments of the Fields of Punishment. I think . . . it might be the Underworld equivalent of ambrosia and nectar. I think my dad mentioned it once in passing. Apollo, that is."

Percy winced as cinders sprayed from the river, curling around his face. "But it's fire. How can we—"

"Like this." Aurora thrust her hands into the river.

It was stupid of her, but she had no other choice. If she wanted to survive this stupid place, she had to drink fire and hope it worked.

On first contact, the fire wasn't painful. It felt cold, which probably meant it was so hot it was overloading her nerves. Before she could change her mind, she cupped the fiery liquid in her palms and raised it to her mouth.

Aurora didn't know what to expect. Gasoline? Cement? Pure heat? What she got was so much worse than all three combined. 

She remembered a time when she'd wanted to try a friend's food at dinner. Priya always got some sort of Indian dish, and that night she'd ordered Phaal curry. The spice had nearly burned Aurora's taste buds away, and she'd needed to chug a gallon of milk just to make the pain go away. And yet, somehow, the Phlegethon was worse. It was like drinking a thousand of those bowls of curry. Her sinuses filled with liquid flame. Her mouth felt like it was being deep-fried. Her eyes shed boiling tears, and every pore on her face popped. She collapsed, gagging and retching, her whole body shaking violently.

"Aurora!" Percy grabbed her arms and just managed to stop her from rolling into the river.

The convulsions passed. She took a ragged breath and managed to sit up. She felt horribly weak and nauseous, but her next breath came more easily. The blisters on her arms were starting to fade.

"It worked," she croaked. "Percy, you've got to drink."

"I . . ." His eyes rolled up in his head, and he slumped against her.

Aurora's eyes widened as she scrambled to her knees. She cupped more fire in her palm, ignoring the pain. She was desperate not to lose him. She dripped the liquid into Percy's mouth. He didn't respond. 

She tried again, pouring a whole handful down his throat. Tears were streaming down her eyes as she prayed to her father, begging for him to wake up.

A breath of relief shook her body as he finally coughed and spluttered. She held him tightly as he trembled, the magical fire coursing through his system. His fever disappeared. His boils faded. He managed to sit up and smacked his lips.

"Ugh," he said. "Spicy, yet disgusting."

Aurora laughed weakly, tears still falling down her eyes as she cupped his cheeks. She pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Yeah. That pretty much sums it up."

"You saved us."

"For now," she said, wiping her tears. "The problem is, we're still in Tartarus."

Percy blinked. He looked around as if just coming to terms with where they were. "Holy Hera. I never thought . . . well, I'm not sure what I thought. Maybe that Tartarus was empty space, a pit with no bottom. But this is a real place."

Aurora recalled the landscape she'd seen while they fell—a series of plateaus leading ever downward into the gloom.

"We haven't seen all of it," she warned. "This could be just the first tiny part of the abyss, like the front steps."

"The welcome mat," Percy muttered.

"The demented welcome mat."

They both gazed up at the blood-colored clouds swirling in the gray haze. No way would they have the strength to climb back up that cliff, even if they wanted to. Now they only had two choices—downriver or upriver. They had to stay close to the Phlegethon if they wanted to survive, so which way did they go?

"We'll find a way out," Percy said. "The Doors of Death."

Aurora shuddered. She remembered what Percy had said just before they fell into Tartarus. He'd made Nico di Angelo promise to lead the Argo II to Epirus, to the mortal side of the Doors of Death.

We'll see you there, Percy had said.

That idea seemed even crazier than drinking fire. How could they wander through Tartarus and find the Doors of Death? They'd barely been able to stumble a hundred yards in this poisonous place without dying.

"We have to," Percy said, reading her mind. "Not just for us. For everybody we love. The Doors have to be closed on both sides, or the monsters will just keep coming through. Gaea's forces will overrun the world."

Aurora knew he was right. They had to reach the Doors in order to close them and get the fuck out of Tartarus, but she couldn't imagine a way to do so that resulted in them living. Every possibility ended with either her or Percy dead while the other made it somewhat safely to the surface, missing a few limbs or organs. That's all she could really see happening. 

Not to mention the fact that they had no way of locating the Doors. They didn't know how much time it would take, or even if time flowed at the same speed in Tartarus. How could they possibly synchronize a meeting with their friends? And Nico had mentioned a legion of Gaea's strongest monsters guarding the Doors on the Tartarus side. Aurora and Percy couldn't exactly take down that many monsters with two swords and lacking powers.

Her head hurt. She'd never been so pessimistic in her entire life. Aurora was born optimistic, that was just how she was. Her favorite color was yellow because it was a symbol of happiness. She liked talking things out before acting with swords or fists. She even preferred the daytime over nighttime, because being around the sun make her unbelievably happy. And it's not just because she's a daughter of Apollo.

Being in Tartarus was affecting her in more ways than one. It hadn't even been an hour, and she was already growing depressed. Her skin was paler, body cold and soul frozen. She could feel her power waning as time continued on. She knew that within a day or less, she would be powerless against anything that approached her down there. She was already weak as is, but once her sun went out . . .

Aurora decided it was best not to inform Percy of her thoughts. It would just make him worry more, and that was something he didn't need on his shoulders or mind. Besides, after swimming in the River Cocytus, Aurora had heard enough whining and moaning to last her a lifetime. She promised herself never to complain again.

Still better than being around Octavian, she told herself. Still better.

"Well." She took a deep breath, grateful that her lungs were healed if even just a bit. "If we stay close to the river, we'll have a way to heal ourselves. If we go downstream—"

It happened so fast, Aurora would have been dead if she'd been on her own.

Percy's eyes locked on something behind her. Aurora spun as a massive dark shape hurtled down at her—a snarling, monstrous blob with spindly barbed legs and glinting eyes. 

She had time to think: Arachne. But she was frozen in surprise, her reflexes and senses smothered by shock.

Then she heard the familiar SHINK of Percy's ballpoint pen transforming into a sword. His blade swept over her head in a glowing bronze arc. A horrible wail echoed through the canyon.

Aurora watched with wide eyes as yellow dust—the remains of Arachne—rained around her like tree pollen.

"You okay?" Percy scanned the cliffs and boulders, alert for more monsters, but nothing else appeared. The golden dust of the spider settled on the obsidian rocks.

Aurora sucked in a deep breath, her heart pounding. Had that actually happened? Had Arachne actually attempted to kill her? She wasn't Annabeth. But being someone who helped send the spider back into the canyon, she might as well have been.

She stared at her boyfriend in amazement. Riptide's Celestial bronze blade glowed even brighter in the gloom of Tartarus. As it passed through the thick hot air, it made a defiant hiss like a riled snake, causing Aurora's muscles to lock up. Snakes.

"She . . . oh, gods. She would've killed me." Aurora wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her face to his chest in hopes of calming down. "Oh, gods."

Percy wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "She died too easily, considering how much torture she put Annabeth through and her attempt on your life. She deserved worse."

Aurora couldn't agree more. She found comfort in the way Percy held her, not even unsettled by the hard edge of his voice. They were going through shit. She didn't expect him to remain all sunshine and butterflies. Especially if she wasn't going to. 

Though, hearing him so vengeful on the behalf of herself and Annabeth had her heart racing even more. It reminded her of how he'd acted when that Roman soldier was close to killing her. The darkness that had taken over him when he'd seen her so close to death. Was he willing to go down that path if it meant saving her?

Because she sure as Hades was willing to do that for him.

"How did you move so fast?" she asked after pulling away from him, her eyes scanning his face. "It was impressive."

He shrugged. "Gotta watch each other's backs, right? Now, you were saying . . . downstream?"

Aurora nodded, shaking herself out of her momentary daze. The yellow dust dissipated on the rocky shore, turning to steam. At least now they knew that monsters could be killed in Tartarus . . . though they had no clue how long they would stay gone. 

"Yeah, downstream," she said. "If the river comes from the upper levels of the Underworld, it should flow deeper into Tartarus—"

"So it leads into more dangerous territory," Percy finished. "Which is probably where the Doors are. Lucky us."

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Aurora was ready to collapse. 

Her head was pounding like she had a concussion, her muscles aching like they'd been pelted by a thousand boulders. Every step hurt and every breath was painful. She couldn't stop shivering as her inner sun continued to dim, and she was sure Percy could tell. But he didn't comment on it. Not yet and hopefully not at all.

Just as she was beginning to slump from exhaustion, she heard it—female voices having some sort of argument. She was immediately alert. 

"Percy, down!"

She pulled him behind the nearest boulder, wedging herself so close to the riverbank that her shoes almost touched the river's fire. On the other side, in the narrow path between the river and the cliffs, voices snarled, getting louder as they approached from upstream.

Aurora tried to steady her breathing. The voices sounded vaguely human, but that meant nothing. She assumed anything in Tartarus was their enemy. She didn't know how the monsters could have failed to spot them already. Besides, monsters could smell demigods—especially powerful ones like Percy, son of Poseidon. Aurora doubted that hiding behind a boulder would do any good when the monsters caught their scent.

Still, as the monsters got nearer, their voices didn't change in ton. Their uneven footsteps—scrap, clump, scrap, clump—didn't get any faster.

"Soon?" one of them asked in a raspy voice, as if she'd been gargling in the Phlegethon.

"Oh my gods!" said another voice. This one sounded much younger and much more human, like a teenaged mortal girl getting exasperated with her friends at the mall. "You guys are totally annoying! I told you, it's like three days from here."

Percy gripped Aurora's wrist. He looked at her with alarm, as if he recognized the mall girl's voice.

There was a chorus of growling and grumbling. The creatures—maybe half a dozen, Aurora guessed—had paused just on the other side of the boulder, but still they gave no indication that they'd caught the demigods' scent. Aurora wondered if demigods didn't smell the same in Tartarus, or if the other scents here were so powerful, they masked a demigods' aura.

"I wonder," said a third voice, gravelly and ancient like the first, "if perhaps you do not know the way, young one."

"Oh, shut your fang hole, Serephone," said the mall girl. "When's the last time you escaped to the mortal world? I was there a couple of years ago. I know the way! Besides, I understand what we're facing up there. You don't have a clue!"

"The Earth Mother did not make you boss!" shrieked a fourth voice.

More hissing, scuffling, and feral moans—like giant alley cats fighting. At last the one called Serephone yelled, "Enough!"

The scuffling died down.

"We will follow for now," Serephone said. "But if you do not lead us well, if we find you have lied about the summons of Gaea—"

"I don't lie!" snapped the mall girl. "Believe me, I've got good reason to get into the battle. I have some enemies to devour, and you'll feast on the blood of heroes. Just leave one special morsel for me—the one named Percy Jackson."

Aurora fought down a snarl of her own. She was itching to grab her sword and kill the monsters. No one was going to kill her boyfriend. No one was going to threaten him and get away with it!

"Believe me," said the mall girl. "Gaea has called us, and we're going to have so much fun. Before this war is over, mortals and demigods will tremble at the sound of my name—Kelli!"

Aurora almost laughed. She wanted to laugh so badly. What kind of name was Kelli?

But, when she looked at Percy to see if he was laughing, she found his face waxy and pale despite being in the red glow of the river. 

"What?" she whispered, so quietly she wasn't sure if he heard.

"Empusai," he muttered. "Vampires."

Aurora's body stiffened. She'd gone against quite a few empousai during her time in the war. Though, she could easily beat them with a well-aimed light blast at their bronze leg and a swift swipe of her sword through their necks. But now, with her energy almost gone and her sun becoming nothing but embers, she didn't know if she could go against them.

The creatures shuffled off, their voices getting fainter. Aurora crept along the edge of the boulder and risked a glimpse. Sure enough, five women staggered along on mismatched legs—mechanical bronze on the left, shaggy and cloven-hooved on the right. Their hair was made of fire, their skin as white as bone. Most of them wore tattered Ancient Greek dresses, except for the one in the lead, Kelli, who wore a burned and torn blouse with a shirt pleated skirt . . . a cheerleading outfit?

Aurora gritted her teeth. Gods, she hated empousai more than anything. Except snakes. She really hated snakes.

In addition to their nasty claws and fangs, they had a powerful ability to manipulate the Mist. They could change shape and charmspeak, tricking mortals into letting down their guard. Men were especially susceptible. The empousa's favorite tactic was to make a guy fall in love with her, then drink his blood and devour his flesh. Not the best first date out there, but Aurora had heard of worse. 

Percy rose. "They're headed for the Doors of Death," he murmured. "You know what that means?"

Aurora sighed. Of course she knew. The squad of flesh-eating monsters were the closest thing to good lick they were going to get in Tartarus. And that was saying something.

"Yeah," she said. "We need to follow them."

Well fuck.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

𝐀 𝐔 𝐓 𝐇 𝐎 𝐑 𝐒   𝐍 𝐎 𝐓 𝐄   !

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Here you go, guys. The first official chapter of NEW HOPE! I'm gonna keep the first half in just Percy and Aurora's POVs because I know that's what you all really wanna see, so no jumping to the other eight. That will be in the second half, though. But only a little bit. 

Anyway, as we can see, Aurora has an issue. Being a daughter of Apollo, she gets her strength from the sun. And mentioned in this story is something called her Inner Sun, which is where she gets her energy and her power of Photokinesis and healing. Without the sun to recharge her every day, though, that sun will keep fading until its gone. And since Tartarus thrives on killing people, its fading faster than normal for her. So she's in a bit of trouble. (Imagine Stella from Winx Club when she was underground in season two. Yeah, that's how bad it is).

Anyways, please comment and vote!

Love you all!

~ a.h.