★ 。＼｜／。★

𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗘

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖎𝖙𝖗𝖊 𝖛𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖙-𝖈𝖎𝖓𝖖:
NYX AND THE MANSION
OF NIGHT

★ 。／｜＼。★

BELLE ADAIR WAS afraid of many things. She was afraid of Gaea's power and what she could do if she woke. She was afraid of whatever her boyfriend had just done to Akhlys. She was afraid of that horrible monster Kampê she had tried to fight in the Battle of the Labyrinth. She was afraid of losing Percy Jackson again. She was afraid of Katie Gardner and Connor and Travis Stoll suddenly hating her. She was afraid of not living up to Demeter's expectations. She was afraid of the look Annabeth Chase gave her when Belle tried to talk to her in the morning and she hadn't had her coffee yet. However, among these, the dark was not one of her fears.

But now it was.

Nyx, Goddess of night, was a forty-foot-tall churning figure of ash and smoke that loomed over the void of Chaos. Her dress was as black as the void and mixed with colors of a space nebula, as if galaxies were being born right in her bodice. Only the pinpoints of her eyes were able to be seen and shone like quasars through the darkness. Waves of darkness rolled over the cliffs every time her black wings beat. It made Belle feel heavy and tired and her eyesight began to get dim.

Her chariot was made of Stygian Iron — the same material as Nico di Angelo's sword — and was pulled by two massive horses that were all black except for their silver fangs. The horses' legs floated in the abyss and turned from solid to smoke every time they moved. They snarled and bared their fangs right at Belle, making her take a step backwards and grip onto Percy's arm. Nyx lashed her whip made of a thin streak of stars, making the horses rear back.

"No, Shade," Nyx scolded. "Down, Shadow. These little prizes are not for you."

Percy eyed the horses nervously as they nickered. He looked like an out-of-focus corpse since he was still shrouded in Death Mist, which still made Belle's heart ache every time she looked at him. It also didn't seem to be very good camouflage since Nyx could obviously see them. Belle wasn't able to read the expression on Percy's ghoulish face very well, but apparently he didn't like whatever the horses were saying.

"Uh, so you won't let them eat us?" Percy asked. "They really want to eat us."

Nyx's eyes burned a little brighter. "Of course not. I would not let my horses eat you, any more than I would let Akhlys kill you. Such fine prizes, I will kill myself!"

Belle knew they had to do something, or else this conversation would be very short. And then she thought: what would Annabeth do?

Stall, obviously.

"Well, don't kill yourself," Belle scoffed, dropping her hand from Percy's arm. "I mean, we're not that scary. Look at us, we're only Demigods."

Nyx lowered her whip. "What? No, I didn't mean—"

"Oh, good!" Belle exclaimed, looking to Percy and forcing a laugh. "Scaring you is the last thing we want to do. Isn't that right?"

"Ha, ha," Percy added weakly. "No, definitely not."

Nyx's horses looked confused. They reared back, snorted, and knocked their dark heads together. Nyx pulled back on the reins to control them.

"Do you know who I am?" she demanded.

Think of Annabeth, Belle reminded herself as she began to panic slightly. Channel Annabeth through you. Strategy. Stall. Strategy. Stall.

"Judging by how dark you are, I'm gonna say that you're Night," Belle replied. "You know, the brochure didn't say much about you, though."

Nyx's eyes went black for a second. "What brochure?"

"Hold on." Belle patted her pockets dramatically. "I'm almost positive we had one. Where did it go?"

Percy licked his lips nervously. "Not sure."

He was still gazing at the horses with his hand tight on Riptide's hilt. Percy seemed to be following her lead, but Belle hoped she wouldn't make things worse. Although, now that she thinks about it, things really couldn't get much worse than this.

"I guess it doesn't matter," Belle continued. "Anyways, the brochure didn't highlight you as an attraction on our tour. We saw the River Cocytus, River Phlegethon, the Arai, the poisonous glade of Akhlys, and even some random Titans and Giants on our way. But Nyx? I don't remember seeing your name featured."

"Featured?" Nyx repeated. "Highlighted?"

"Yeah," Percy responded, seemingly warming up to Belle's idea. "We wanted to see some exotic destinations, you know? The places we've already been to were so boring. Like, the Underworld is okay, but it's overdone. Mount Olympus is such tourist trap—"

"Oh, Gods, don't even get me started!" Belle agreed. "So we booked this Tartarus tour, but none of our travel agents said we'd run into Nyx. I guess they thought you weren't important."

"Not important!" Nyx shouted.

She cracked her whip made of stars. Her horses bucked and snapped their silver fangs. Waves of darkness began to roll out of the chasm. Belle felt her insides constrict with fear, but she didn't dare show it right now. She pushed down on Percy's arm and forced him to lower Riptide. Meanwhile, she kept Sunflower pointed at the ground and maneuvered the Drakon bone sword hanging from her belt loops to stay pressed up against her leg. They couldn't fight this Goddess. It was beyond anything they had ever faced. Nyx was older than the Olympians, Titans, Giants, and even Gaea. Two Demigods couldn't possibly beat her.

Belle forced herself to look at Nyx's massive dark face. "Have you seen any other Demigods on this tour, then?"

Nyx's hand went slack on her reins. "No. Not one. This is unacceptable!"

"Well, perhaps it's because you haven't done anything big enough to get in the news," Belle continued, literally improvising and getting surprised at every word flying out of her mouth. "Like, of course Tartarus is important. This whole place is named after him, after all. Or if we could meet Hemera, Goddess of day—"

"Oh, for sure," Percy cut in. "Day would be impressive. I'd totally want to meet her. Do you think she'd give me her autograph? I want it for my book of signatures."

"Day!" Nyx yelled. "Hemera! She is my daughter! Night is much more powerful than Day!"

"Really?" Belle inquired, acting unimpressed. "I don't see it. The Arai and Akhlys were better."

"They are my children as well!"

Percy yawned dramatically. "Guess you've got a lot of children, huh?"

"I am the mother of all terrors!" Nyx cried. "The Fates themselves! Hecate! Old Age! Pain! Sleep! Death! And all of the curses! Behold how newsworthy I am!"

Nyx lashed her whip again. Darkness congealed all around her. On either side of the Goddess, an army of shadows appeared — more Arai, which Belle wasn't very happy to see; a withered man who she guessed was Geras, God of old age; and a younger woman wearing a black toga, her eyes gleaming in insanity and a serial killer smile on her face that made Belle realize she was Eris, Goddess of strife. More and more demons and minor Gods kept appearing, each one a child of Nyx.

Belle wanted to run away screaming from this. But if she ran, she would die anyways. So why not conquer her fears and face them? She looked over to Percy to notice that his breathing was turning shallow. He took a step closer to her, which told Belle he was on the verge of panic. Belle had to keep this act up if they wanted to survive. She gripped his wrist for a second.

"It's okay," Belle whispered. "Think about what Annabeth would do. That's what I'm doing."

"What Annabeth would do," Percy replied quietly. "Yeah, okay. Gods, Beauty, I miss her."

Belle felt herself get choked up. "Me too. But we'll see her soon, all right? Just keep going." She cleared her throat and raised her voice, letting go of Percy's wrist and staring up at everything in front of her. "You know, this isn't bad. I would love to get a picture for the Tartarus scrapbook we're making, but you're just so . . . dark. I don't know if it would come out right even if I used the flash."

"S-She's right," Percy stammered. "You guys aren't really photogenic."

"You — miserable — tourists!" Nyx hissed. "How dare you not tremble before me! How dare you not whimper and beg for my autograph and a picture for your scrapbook! You want newsworthy? My son Hypnos once put Zeus to sleep! When Zeus pursued him across the Earth, bent on vengeance, Hypnos hid in my palace for safety, and Zeus did not follow. Even the king of Olympus fears me!"

"Yeah, okay," Belle responded before turning to Percy. "Anyways, it's getting pretty late. We should take a rest stop for lunch at one of those restaurants the tour guide recommended before finding the Doors of Death."

"Aha!" Nyx laughed in triumph.

The shadows around her stirred and echoed the same thing. "Aha! Aha!"

"You wish to see the Doors of Death?" Nyx asked. "They lie at the very heart of Tartarus. Mortals such as you could never reach them, except through the halls of my palace — the Mansion of Night!"

Nyx gestured behind her. About three hundred feet below, a doorway made of black marble that led into some sort of large room was floating in the abyss. Belle felt her heart pound against her chest violently. This was their one way out of here. However, it was a near impossible jump. If her and Percy happened to miss, they would fall straight into Chaos and be scattered into nothingness. Even if they just so happened to somehow make the jump, Nyx and her children stood in their way.

What would Annabeth do?

Belle knew her answer. She needed to somehow distract Nyx and her children so her and Percy had a window to escape. In order for that to happen, she needed to keep up her act.

She sighed, sounding very bored. "All right, all right, we can do one picture. But a group shot wouldn't work. There's no way we could possibly get you all in one photo. So, Nyx, how about you choose your favorite child to pose with?"

The shadows rustled. Dozens of horrible glowing eyes turned towards Nyx. The Goddess of night shifted uncomfortably while her horses huffed and pawed at the void of Chaos.

"My favorite child?" Nyx questioned. "All my children are terrifying!"

Percy snorted in amusement. "Seriously? I've met the Fates. I've met Thanatos. They weren't so scary. You've got to have somebody in this crowd who's worse than that."

"Choose someone who's the darkest and most like you," Belle suggested.

"I am the darkest," Eris announced. "Wars and strife! I have caused all manner of death!"

"I am darker still!" Geras argued. "I dim the eyes and addle the brain. Every mortal fears old age!"

"Okay, that's a great start, but it's still not dark enough for me," Belle stated, ignoring how her limbs felt like they were turning to jelly from how terrified she was. "Come on, you're the children of Night. I want to see dark!"

The horde of Arai wailed and flapped their leathery wings so clouds of blackness stirred up. Geras spread his withered hands and dimmed the entire abyss even darker. Eris breathed a shadowy spray of blackness across the voice.

"I am the darkest!" one demon hissed.

"No, I!"

"No! Behold my darkness!"

It was extremely dark now. Belle couldn't imagine anything blacker than this. She gripped Percy's hand so she wouldn't lose him and tried to calm herself down.

"Wait!" Nyx cut in, suddenly very panicked. "I can't see anything."

"Yes!" one of her children shouted proudly. "I did that!"

"No, I did!"

"Fool, it was me!"

Dozens of voices continued to argue in the darkness while Shade and Shadow whinnied in alarm.

"Stop it!" Nyx yelled. "Whose foot is that?"

"Eris is hitting me!" someone cried. "Mother, tell her to stop hitting me!"

"I did not!" Eris screamed. "Ouch!"

The sounds of scuffling got louder and the darkness became deeper, if that was even possible. Belle's eyes couldn't possibly get adjusted to how dark it was. They had to get out of here.

Belle squeezed Percy's hand. "You ready?"

"Ready for what?" Percy inquired. He then paused for a moment. "Gods, Belle, you cannot be serious. You know I love you, but this is insane."

"Trust me on this one," Belle pleaded.

"Somebody give me light!" Nyx demanded. "Gah! I can't believe I just said that!"

"It's a trick!" Eris realized. "The Demigods are escaping!"

"I've got them," an Arai said.

Geras gagged. "No, that's my neck!"

"Now!" Belle told Percy.

Together, while holding hands, they leaped into the darkness and aimed for the doorway far below.

After falling into Tartarus, Belle thought their three-hundred-foot jump to the Mansion of Night would've felt quick. Instead, it was the exact opposite. Her heart rate seemed to decrease and time seemed to go in slow motion. Nothing was in her mind except the fact that this plan was entirely idiotic.

Finally, her feet hit solid floor. Belle felt pain shoot up her legs. Ignoring that for now, she stumbled forwards and began to run, dragging Percy along with her. They left behind the sounds of Nyx and her children scuffling and yelling I've got them! My foot! Stop it! and just ran. Belle kept her eyes shut. She couldn't see, anyways. Using her other senses, she listened for the echo of open spaces, felt for cross-breezes against her face, and tried to smell for any scent of danger.

The yelling of Nyx and her children got farther and farther away, which was good. Percy was still running next to her while gripping her hand tightly. That was also good. Suddenly, in the distance ahead of them, Belle started to hear a throbbing sound like a heartbeat that was so loud it made the floor vibrate. It made her feel really nervous and uneasy, so naturally, she decided to run towards it. As the beat got louder, Belle smelled smoke and heard flickering torches on either side. That meant there was light. However, a chill climbing up her spine told her that opening her eyes would be a mistake.

"Keep your eyes closed," Belle voiced.

"I wasn't planning on opening them," Percy responded. "You feel it too, right? We're still in the Mansion of Night, which is something I really do not want to see."

What he said was true. Whatever horrors that laid in the Mansion of Night weren't meant for mortal eyes. It would be enough to drive them mad, and Belle had not made it this far to make a stupid mistake of opening her eyes and going insane. It was better to run in darkness.

The throbbing got louder as they continued to run and it sent vibrations through Belle's body. She then sensed the walls opening up on either side of them. The air smelled not quite as sulphurous before. And there was another sound that was closer to them than the deep pulsing . . . flowing water. Belle's heart raced. The exit was close now, and if they could make it out of the Mansion of Night, it was possible to leave all those demons behind. She ran faster, which was idiotic on her part, because she almost died.

"Belle!" Percy shouted.

He grabbed her in his arms and pulled her back into him just as her foot hit the edge of a drop. Belle gasped and gripped onto his arm tightly. Percy gently moved her head to lay against his chest as she breathed heavily. Belle listened to the sound of his heartbeat — which was much more comforting than the deep throbbing sound — and tried to steady her own, which was racing rapidly.

"It's all right," Percy promised, stroking her hair softly. "You're okay, Beauty."

Belle was trembling from fear. She wanted to stay in Percy's embrace forever. It was warm and comforting and made her feel safe, but they weren't safe in Tartarus. Belle couldn't afford to relax. Leaning all on Percy wasn't fair. He needed her, too.

"Thank you," she said quietly, pulling away from him. "Do you know what's in front of us?"

"Water," Percy answered. "I don't think it's safe to look yet, though."

"Neither do I."

"It's either a river or a moat. I'm not sure, but I can tell it's blocking our path, flowing from left to right through a channel cut in a rock. The opposite side of it is about twenty feet away from us."

Belle nodded before she realized he couldn't see her. "Uh, okay. How are we supposed to get across? Is there, like, a bridge or something?"

"I don't think so, but there's something wrong with the water. Just listen."

Belle concentrated. Within the roaring current, thousands of voices began to shriek in agony and plead for mercy.

Help! they groaned. It was an accident! The pain! Make it stop!

And then another book page flashed in Belle's mind. An illustration of a black river, whose current swept tortured souls deeper and deeper into Tartarus.

"It's the Acheron," Belle announced. "One of the five rivers of the Underworld."

"I prefer the Phlegethon," Percy muttered. "Wow, did I really just say that?"

Belle laughed slightly at that. "Honestly, I don't blame you. The Acheron is called the River of Pain. It's the ultimate punishment for damned souls, especially murderers."

Murderers! the river wailed. Yes, like you!

Join us, it whispered. You are no better than we are.

Belle's mind was immediately flooded with images of all of the monsters she had killed over the years. Empousai, Dracanae, Telekhines, Hellhounds . . . the list went on and on.

No, Belle protested. That wasn't murder. I was only protecting myself.

But then the river changes course in her mind. She saw Castor, son of Dionysus, and Lee Fletcher, son of Apollo, who had died in the Battle of the Labyrinth. She saw Daedalus, who had given up his life so that the Titan army wouldn't be able to use his Labyrinth anymore. She saw Charles Beckendorf, son of Hephaestus, who had died to save Percy. She saw Michael Yew, son of Apollo, and Silena Beauregard, daughter of Aphrodite, who had died in the Battle of Manhattan. And finally, she saw Luke Castellan, son of Hermes, dying on the floor of Mount Olympus with his blood staining Annabeth's knife to stop Kronos. Although Belle thought doing one good thing before dying still hadn't excused his actions whatsoever, she wondered where Luke's soul had gone, exactly.

"Do you see it too?" Belle asked.

"Yeah," Percy answered, his voice as brittle as ice. "Ignore it. I think . . . I think this moat is the border of Night's territory. We should be okay if we get across, but we'll have to jump."

"Didn't you say it was twenty feet?"

"Belle, you'll have to trust me, just like I trusted you when we jumped to the Mansion of Night," Percy told her. "Put your arms around my neck and hang on tight."

"Okay listen, I obviously trust you, but how can you possibly get us—"

"There!" a voice cried behind them. "Kill the ungrateful tourists!"

Nyx's children had found them. There was no more time for discussion. Belle wrapped her arms around Percy's neck to hold on.

"Go!" she shouted.

Belle had no idea how Percy managed the jump since her eyes were closed. She could only guess that he used the force of the river to propel him or he was just charged with adrenaline from being scared out of his mind, but Percy leaped with more strength than Belle thought was possible. The two of them sailed through the air as the River Acheron wailed below them, the churning water splashing Belle's bare ankles and making them sting. Finally, with a CLUMP, they were on solid ground again.

"Can I open my eyes?" Belle questioned timidly.

"Yeah," Percy replied, breathing hard. "You won't like what you see, though."

Belle opened her eyes and immediately blinked. After dealing with the vast darkness of Nyx, Tartarus' dim red glow seemed blinding. It took her a moment to get used to, but she was finally able to see what was in front of her. There was a huge valley stretching on for miles and that booming noise Belle had heard earlier was coming from the entire landscape. Underneath the poisonous clouds, the rolling terrained glistened in a purple color with dark red and blue scar lines decorating it.

"Is that . . ." Belle trailed off, her nausea she did not miss from before suddenly coming back. "It looks . . ."

"Like a giant heart," Percy finished. "This is the heart of Tartarus. We made it, Beauty."

The center of valley was filled with a clump of peppery dots. At first, Belle thought it was those trees she had seen back by the River Phlegethon when she had discovered their roots were veins, but she soon realized it was an army of tens of thousands of monsters gathering at a central pinpoint of darkness. It was hard to make out details since it was so far away, but Belle knew what it was. She could feel its power even from the edge of the valley.

"The Doors of Death," Belle stated. "Percy . . . we're so close."

He nodded. "I know."

His voice was hoarse. Belle looked up at him to see he still looked like a corpse because of the Death Mist. She then remembered the monsters that had been pursuing them.

"Where'd Nyx go?" Belle inquired.

She turned around. Somehow, Percy managed to land them several hundred yards away from the banks of the Acheron, which flowed through a channel cut into black volcanic hills. There was nothing but darkness beyond that. There was no sign of anyone coming after them. Even the children of Night wouldn't be insane enough to cross the Acheron. Belle was just about to ask Percy how he had jumped so far when she heard a rockslide in the hills to their left. She raised Sunflower (which Belle was amazed she hadn't lost that and her Drakon bone sword during their two jumps) while Percy raised Riptide. Suddenly, a patch of glowing white hair appeared of the ridge followed by a familiar grinning face with pure silver eyes.

Belle let out a laugh of relief. "Oh my Gods, Bob!"

"Friends!" Bob exclaimed. He lumbered over to them. Belle saw the bristles of his broom had been burned off and his janitor's uniform had been slashed with claw marks, but nevertheless, he looked delighted. Small Bob the kitten purred from his shoulder. Bob gathered them both in a crushing hug. "I found you! You look like smoking dead people. That is good!"

"Urf," Percy let out. "How did you get here? Through the Mansion of Night?"

"No, no." Bob shook his head quickly. "That place is too scary. Another way — only good for Titans and such."

Belle smiled widely. "Did you go sideways?"

Bob scratched his chin in thought. "Hmm. No. More . . . diagonal."

Belle laughed again. They were at the heart of Tartarus about to face an impossibly army, and here she was, laughing and smiling with glee over the fact Bob the Titan was with them again. She reached up and ruffled his silvery hair, making him giggle and fix it.

"We stay together now?" Bob asked.

"Definitely," Belle responded. "I guess we'll see if this Death Mist works."

"And if it doesn't . . ." Percy began.

He stopped himself. They couldn't afford to think like that. If their disguise didn't work when they marched in the middle of an enemy army, they would be killed in the span of a second. Despite that, Belle allowed herself to smile again. They were so close to getting home, and now they had a Titan with a broom and a loud kitten back on their side. That had to count for something.

"All right, Doors of Death," Belle voiced. "Bring it on."

—  [  ♡  ]  —

guys if you're ever lost just ask yourself what annabeth would do and you'll find your answer

gifs by 1-800-SIMPINGFORSEB !