ΉӨЦƧΣ ӨF ΉΛDΣƧ

LOSING HER SENSES HAD BEEN BAD ENOUGH. Being isolated from Percy had been absolutely horrible.

But now that she could see again, see as he died slowly from gorgon blood poison without any ability to do anything to purge it out of him— well that felt like the worst curse of all.

Bob slung Percy over his shoulder like a bag of sports equipment while the skeleton kitten Small Bob curled up on Percy's back and purred.

Bob lumbered along at a fast pace, even for a Titan, which made it almost impossible for Lucia to keep up.

Her lungs rattled. Her skin had started to blister again. She could feel herself burning up, black spots were in her vision. She probably needed another drink of firewater, but they'd left the River Phlegethon behind. Her body was so sore and battered that she'd forgotten what it was like not to be in pain.

"How much longer?" she wheezed.

"Almost too long," Bob called back. "But maybe not."

Yeah, 'cause that made a whole lotta sense Bob, Lucia thought, but she was too winded to say her remark.

Bob. She thought again. Bob.

What's your name? B.o.B?

So, they calling you Bob?

Lucia snickered to herself, She was a little delirious after the fight against the Arai. But at least she had enough memorized lyrics to distract herself from grieving over her iPod.

The landscape changed again. They were still going downhill, which should have made traveling easier; but the ground sloped at just the wrong angle—too steep to jog, too treacherous to let her guard down even for a single moment.

The surface was sometimes loose gravel, sometimes patches of slime. Lucia stepped around random bristles that were sharp enough to impale her foot, and clusters of... well, they weren't rocks exactly. More like humongous warts.

Lucia took careful steps. Her eyes kept flickering to the boy on Bob's shoulder. Her heart dropped to her stomach when she saw Ethan lying over Bob for a split second, red splotches on his forehead. Lucia needed to do a double take for Percy to reappear again...

Ugh. I hate it here.

If she had to guess (and she really didn't want to) she supposed Bob was leading her down the length of Tartarus's large intestine.

The air got thicker and stank of sewage. The darkness maybe wasn't quite as intense, but she could only see Bob and Percy because of her aura, the glint of the Titan's white hair, and the point of his spear.

She noticed he hadn't retracted the spearhead on his broom since their fight with the arai. That didn't reassure her too much.

Percy flopped around, causing the kitten to readjust his nest in the small of Percy's back. Occasionally Percy would groan in pain, and Lucia felt like she was punched in the gut.

She flashed back to her tea party with Piper, Hazel, Annabeth, and Aphrodite in Charleston. It seemed like so long ago. Aphrodite had sighed and became nostalgic about the good old days of the Civil War: how love and war always went hand in hand. The girl cringed at the time. (Especially as the grandchild of Clio, Lucia couldn't fathom thinking of the Civil War as the good ol' days )

Then, the Goddess gestured proudly to Lucia, using her as an example for the other girls: I once promised to make your love life interesting. And didn't I?

Lucia instantly became bothered, she loved Aphrodite. The woman was impossible not to admire. But her powers could be just as painful as they were healing. And Lucia, had quite enough of interesting.

Aphrodite conveyed the complexity of love to Lucia at the time, acknowledging its ability to drive people to extremes. Lucia already knew that firsthand as it was her fatal flaw...

Still, Lucia couldn't understand how love could ever mean pain. Sure she was in pain when those she loved weren't around, or when Percy was oblivious before they got together. Or when the people she loved were hurting. But Lucia, would never hurt someone she loved just to hurt them, or for her own benefit.

Even brainwashed, her genuine love was just too strong, too selfless...So much so that she jumped in front of a knife for Percy despite fully believing she hated his guts.

Now, Lucia was in a much better state of mind, but she wasn't all the way there yet and she was fully aware of that.

Being dragged into another grand prophecy overwhelmed her, especially when she knew that she had a much bigger role in this one...

The fall of the sun.

Apollo was banished.

The final Verse.

no more prophecy.

She didn't want to torture herself thinking of the rest. But,
When Aphrodite expressed uncertainty about her capacity, as the personification of love, to navigate Lucia's situation, to navigate her own journey.

Well, Lucia couldn't help but get pissed, confused, and anxious.

She had revealed that even the fates couldn't control the challenges Lucia would face.

Lucia hated that. The fates were all-powerful, they had more power and control than even Zeus himself. 

So what the actual fuck? Her entire life was literally supposed to be in their hands.

Her hands began to shake. She struggled with the haunting images from when she defeated the Skolopendra. She didn't know how set in stone they were. Especially since she didn't die in the water and Annabeth didn't fall into Tartarus...

Frustration grew as she grappled with the cryptic words she heard, feeling as if the fates were toying with her mind. She longed for Rachel and Ella's prophetic words to bring clarity. But she couldn't even look to them, even if she wasn't stuck in Tartarus. Now, with only gut feelings to rely on, Lucia could only feel unsettled.

Then, the Arais voice ran through her like a stab wound.

your destiny has been placed in our hands. And there is no escapeeee...

Surely that wasn't possible, no matter what the legends said about tragic heroes. Her destiny couldn't have been in the hands of those...those creatures...

They had to have meant something else, they only wanted to freak her out. To make her believe she was doomed in Tartarus. But Lucia, she couldn't be doomed. Even if she was the model demigod for tragical beauty—as her great aunt Melpomene loves to say.

There had to be exceptions, right? If suffering led to reward, then she believed she deserved some kind of prize...

She thought about Percy's daydream of New Rome the two of them settling down there, going to college, making a life together.

It caused her to fall into her own daydream.

Lucia would study to become a music producer and manager. She'd create her own music but most importantly she'd make a safe space for others to create it.

She and Percy could have a wedding on the beach, in the summer of course. Maybe June? August? Annabeth and Will would be her people of honor. Apollo would walk her down the aisle, she'd have hyacinths for her bouquet...

At first, the idea of living among the Romans hadn't attracted her. She was too attached to the Greeks at Camp Half-Blood, her siblings, Her cabin, and every single part of her crazy camp life.

But now, she would accept that offer without a blink of an eye.

If only they survived this. If only Reyna had gotten her message. If only a million other long shots paid off.

Stop it, she chided herself. You're spiraling.

She had to concentrate on the present, putting one foot in front of the other, taking this downhill intestinal hike one giant wart at a time.

Her knees felt warm and wobbly, her bones felt brittle. Percy groaned and muttered something,

'Mmm want Pizza'

Bob stopped suddenly. "Look."

Ahead in the gloom, the terrain leveled out into a black swamp. Sulfur-yellow mist hung in the air. Even without sunlight, there were actual plants- clumps of reeds, scrawny leafless trees, even a few sickly-looking flowers blooming in the muck. Mossy trails wound between bubbling tar pits. Directly in front of Lucia, sunk into the bog, were footprints the size of trash-can lids, with long, pointed toes.

Sadly, Lucia was pretty sure she knew what had made them. "Drakon?"

"Yes." Bob grinned at her. "That is good!"

"Uh. How?"

"Because we are close."

Bob marched into the swamp. Lucia wanted to scream out a protest, but this may have been her only chance.

Also, Bob had Percy; She took several hurried steps forward. Afraid she may lose them in the dark.

She hopped from moss patch to moss patch and hoped she was at the very least lucky enough to not fall into a sinkhole.

At least the terrain forced Bob to go slower. Once Lucia caught up, she could walk right behind him and keep an eye on Percy, who was mumbling deliriously, his forehead dangerously hot. Lucia knew he was in a feverish state.

Several times he muttered out for her, calling her Luz, and she fought back her sobs.

The kitten just purred louder and snuggled up. At least, The cat could keep him some company.

Lucia looked at her hands. She could see her veins. She was glowing orange, her hands were scorching. She felt a bit lightheaded...

Keep going, She told herself.

Finally, the yellow mist parted, revealing a muddy clearing like an island in the muck. The ground was dotted with stunted trees and wart mounds. In the center loomed a large, domed hut made of bones and greenish leather. Smoke rose from a hole in the top. The entrance was covered with curtains of scaly reptile skin, and flanking the entrance, two torches made from colossal femur bones burned bright yellow.

What really caught Lucia's attention was the Drakon skull.

Fifty yards into the clearing, about halfway to the hut, a massive oak tree jutted from the ground at a forty-five-degree angle. The jaws of a drakon skull encircled the trunk, as if the oak tree were the dead monster's tongue.

"Yes," Bob murmured. "This is very good."

Nothing about this place screamed good to Lucia, but she guessed she'd have to take Bob's word for it.

Small Bob arched his back and hissed.

Behind them, a mighty roar echoed through the swamp a sound Lucia had last heard in the Battle of Manhattan.

She turned and saw the drakon charging toward them.

༄

LUCIA WAS INSULTED THAT THE DRAKON WAS SHINIER THAN SHE WAS IN THE DARK. Which probably wasn't the most important thing in a life-threatening situation. But she was a daughter of Apollo, and she really really hated when people had more shine than her.

Its hide was dappled green and yellow, like sunlight through a forest canopy. Lucia grumbled at that. Its reptilian eyes were her favorite shade of sea green, having a stark resemblance to the ones on her boyfriend. When its frills unfurled around its head, Lucia couldn't help but think what a regal and amazing monster it was that was about to kill her. But how could she possibly get over being killed by someone with more shine than her? Like? It's a travesty!

Ugh, There's the poetry again.

It was easily as long as a subway train. Its massive talons dug into the mud as it pulled itself forward, its tail whipping from side to side. The drakon hissed, spitting jets of green poison that smoked on the mossy ground and set tar pits on fire, filling the air with the scent of fresh pine and ginger. The monster even smelled good. Like most drakons, it was wingless, longer, and more snakelike than a dragon, and it looked hungry.

"Bob," Lucia said, "what are we facing here?"

"Maeonian drakon," Bob said. "From Maeonia."

Lucia's fingers fell to the bridge of her nose, she took a steady breath in. Really not helpful B.O.B. "No, I mean, Is there any way we can kill it?"

"Us?" Bob said. "No."

The drakon roared as if to accentuate the point, filling the air with more pine-ginger poison, which would have made an excellent car-freshener scent.

"Okay." Lucia decided then and there. "Then take Percy to safety. I'll stay behind and distract it."

She wouldn't let Percy die, not as long as she had the strength to fight for him.

"You don't have to," Bob warned. "Any minute."

"ROOOOOAAAR!"

Lucia turned just in time to see the giant emerge from his hut.

He was about twenty feet tall, you know typical giant height—with a humanoid upper body, and scaly reptilian legs.

He held no weapon.

Instead of armor, he wore only a shirt stitched together from sheep hides and green-spotted leather. His skin was cherry red; his beard and hair the color of iron rust, braided with tufts of grass, leaves, and swamp flowers.

He shouted in challenge, but thankfully he wasn't looking at Lucia or Bob and Percy. Bob pulled her out of the way as the giant stormed toward the drakon.

They clashed, and Lucia couldn't help but think of Christmas when she saw the combat scene of red versus green. The drakon spewed poison. The giant lunged to one side. He grabbed the oak tree and pulled it from the ground, roots and all. The old skull crumbled to dust as the giant hefted the tree like a baseball bat.

The drakon's tail lashed around the giant's waist, dragging him closer to its gnashing teeth. But as soon as the giant was in range, he shoved the tree straight down the monster's throat.

Lucia flinched, she had seen some gruesome things but she hoped never to see something like that again. The tree pierced the drakon's gullet and impaled it to the ground. The roots began to move, digging deeper as they touched the earth, anchoring the oak until it looked like it had stood in that spot for centuries. The Drakon shook and thrashed, whining out. Lucia knew it was a wild monster, but that didn't stop her from feeling sympathy for the poor creature as she watched it wither in pain.

Pain is universal. Like chocolate. She decided.

The giant brought his fist down on the drakon's neck.

CRACK.

The monster went limp. It began to dissolve, leaving only scraps of bone, meat, hide, and a new drakon skull whose open jaws ringed the oak tree.

Bob grunted. "Good one."

The kitten purred in agreement and started cleaning his paws.

The giant kicked at the drakon's remains, examining them critically. "No good bones," he complained. "I wanted a new walking stick. Hmpf. Some good skin for the outhouse, though."

He ripped some soft hide from the drakon's frills and tucked it in his belt.

Lucia's face twisted in straight-up bewilderment. She was truly, flabbergasted, not surprised, not shocked, flabbergasted.

No way you're using that to wipe your red ass! She almost said, but decided against it. "Erm Bob, do you want to introduce us?"

"Lucia..." Bob patted Percy's leg. "This is Percy."

Her eye twitched, she gritted her teeth. No shit Sherlock, I already know him very well!

She hoped the Titan was simply goofing around but his face didn't reveal anything.

The good thing was that she was much more patient than she was only a few months ago.

She shook her head. "No Bob, I meant the giant. You promised he could help."

"Promise?" The giant glanced over from his work. His eyes narrowed under his bushy red brows. "A big thing, a promise. Why would Bob promise my help?"

Bob shifted his weight. Titans were scary, but Lucia had never seen one next to a giant before. Compared to the drakon-killer, Bob looked downright runty.

"Damasen is a good giant," Bob said. "He is peaceful. He can cure poisons."

Lucia watched the giant Damasen, who was now ripping chunks of bloody meat from the drakon carcass with his bare hands.

"Good meat for dinner." Damasen stood up straight and studied Lucia as if she were another potential source of protein. "Come inside. We will have stew. Then we will see about this promise."

༄

LUCIA WAS SHOCKED TO SEE A PART OF TARTARUS that didn't make her skin crawl.

But even though the giant's hut was as large as a planetarium and constructed of bones, mud, and drakon skin, it definitely felt cozy.

In the center blazed a bonfire made of pitch and bone; yet the smoke was white and odorless, rising through the hole in the middle of the ceiling. The floor was covered with dry marsh grass and gray wool rugs. At one end lay a massive bed of sheepskins and drakon leather. At the other end, freestanding racks were hung with drying plants, cured leather, and what looked like strips of drakon jerky. The whole place smelled of stew, smoke, basil, and thyme.

There was even a flock of sheep huddled in a pen at the back of the hut. It made Lucia remember the gorgeous Red cows she met back on Geryon's farm.

Part of her was tempted to run, but Bob had already placed Percy in the giant's bed, where he nearly disappeared in the wool and leather.

Small Bob hopped off Percy and kneaded biscuits on the blankets beside him, purring so strongly the bed rattled.

Damasen plodded to the bonfire. He tossed his drakon meat into a hanging pot that seemed to be made from an old monster skull, then picked up a ladle and began to stir.

Lucia didn't want to be the next ingredient in his stew, but she'd come here for a reason. She took a deep breath and marched up to Damasen, a flame in her eyes. "My boyfriend is dying. Can you cure him or not?"

Percy was a lot more than just her boyfriend. He was her first friend, the boy she grew up with, one of her best friends. Even if they ever grew apart, gods forbid, he would always be a part of her.

They'd been through so much together, at this point Percy was definitely a part she could not live without.

Damasen looked down at her, glowering under his bushy red eyebrows.

Lucia met his eyes, she didn't waver. Even if Damasen did unsettle her. He didn't seem hostile. He radiated sorrow and bitterness, as if he were so wrapped up in his own misery that he resented Lucia for trying to make him focus on anything else.

"I don't hear words like those in Tartarus," the giant grumbled. "Boyfriend. Promise."

Lucia took another approach, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you an actual Healer? Or did Bob overstate your talents?"

Angering a twenty-foot-tall drakon slayer probably wasn't wise, but Percy was dying. She didn't have time to think anything through. She could only feel how desperately she needed to save him.

Damasen scowled at her. "You question my talents? A half-dead mortal straggles into my swamp and questions my talents?"

"Are you deaf?" She raised an eyebrow, "You heard me. Can you heal gorgon blood or not."

"Hmph." Damasen handed Bob the ladle. "Stir."

As Bob tended the stew, Damasen perused his drying racks, plucking various leaves and roots. He popped a fistful of plant material into his mouth, chewed it up, then spat it into a clump of wool.

Lucia watched curiously, she felt as if she were back in the infirmary with Will.

"Cup of broth," Damasen ordered.

Bob ladled some stew juice into a hollow gourd. He handed it to Damasen, who dunked the chewed-up gunk ball and stirred it with his finger.

"Gorgon's blood," he muttered to himself. "Hardly a challenge for my talents."

He lumbered to the bedside and propped up Percy with one hand. Small Bob the kitten sniffed the broth and hissed. He scratched the sheets with his paws like he wanted to bury it.

"You're going to feed him that?" Lucia questioned. "What's in it—?"

The giant glared at her. "Who is the healer here? You?"

Lucia put a hand on her hip, "Well actually, Yes. We both are." She snapped,

Then, a memory of her trying to do stitches hit her. She looked at the herbs he chose from and wrinkled her nose. "But I mean... You know what works here in Tartarus...Go on..." She shut her mouth after that.

She watched as the giant made Percy sip, the giant handled him with a surprising gentleness, murmuring words of encouragement.

With each sip, Percy's color improved. He drained the cup, and his eyes fluttered open. He looked around with a dazed expression, spotted Lucia, and gave her a drunken grin. "Hey Princess, I Feel great!"

His eyes rolled up in his head. He fell back into the bed and began to snore.

"A few hours of sleep," Damasen pronounced. "He'll be good as new."

Lucia sobbed with relief. "Damasen, Thank you,"

Her voice was desperate, she couldn't even begin to show him her gratitude.

Damasen stared at her mournfully. "Oh, don't thank me. You're still doomed. And I require payment for my services."

Her mouth went dry. "Uh... what sort of payment?"

"Sing." He suggested, "You are a child of Apollo are you not?"

Her face hardened, She narrowed her eyes, "I don't sing when I'm told." His request may have hit a little too close to home, but Lucia's throat was also scorched and throbbing. She wasn't going to kill herself by making it worse. If he wanted payment, he'd have to come up with something else.

"Well, Then how about a story." The giant's eyes glittered. "It gets boring in Tartarus. You can entertain us while we eat, eh?"

Lucia beamed, she nodded. "You've got yourself a deal."