CHAINS OF THE SOUL

"tied down while stripped of life"

ARIADNE HAD SUMMED UP THE STORY WHILE THEY WERE ON DECK. Coach Hedge was adamant on hearing it, while the brunette tugged at her tied up curls and Percy attempted to stop her small pacing session.

"So Annabeth was kidnapped on a motor scooter," Piper summed up, "by Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn."

"No, not kidnapped, exactly," Ariadne said. "Look, I've got this feeling in my gut..." She took a deep breath, leaning into Percy's chest as he stopped her pacing. "She's—she's gone. Maybe it was a bad idea to let her—"

"You had to," Percy said. "Annabeth is tough and smart. She'll be fine."

"Maybe you're right. Anyway, Gregory—I mean Tiberinus—said we had less time to rescue Nico than we thought. Hazel and the guys aren't back yet?"

Piper check the time on the helm control. She hadn't realized how it was getting. "It's two in the afternoon. We said three o'clock for a rendezvous."

"At the latest," Jason said.

Ariadne nodded at Piper's dagger. "Tiberinus said you could find Nico's location with that."

"I've tried," she said. "The dagger doesn't show what I want to see. I'm fact, it hardly ever does."

"Please," Percy said. "Try again."

He pleaded with those sea-green eyes, like a cute baby seal that needed help.

"Fine," she sighed, and drew her dagger.

"While you're at it," said Coach Hedge, "see if you can get the latest baseball scores. Italians don't cover baseball worth beans."

"Shh." Piper studied the bronze blade. The light shimmered. She saw a loft apartment filled with Roman demigods. A dozen of them stop around a dining table as Octavian talked and pointed to a big map. Reyna paced next to the windows, gazing down at Central Park.

"That's not good," Jason muttered. "They've already set up a forward base in Manhattan."

"And that map shows Long Island," Percy said.

"They're scouting the territory," Jason guessed. "Discussing invasion routes."

Light rippled across the blade. She saw ruins—a few crumbling walls, a single column, a stone floor covered with moss and dead vines—all clustered on a grassy hillside dotted with pine trees.

"I was just there," Ariadne said. "That's in the old Forum."

The view zoomed in. On one side of the stone floor, a set of stairs had been excavated, leading down to a modern iron gate with a padlock. The blade's image zoomed straight through the doorway, down a spiral stairwell, and into a dark, cylindrical chamber like the inside of a grain silo.

Piper dropped the blade.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked. "It was showing us something."

Piper looked sick. "We can't go there."

Ariadne was ticked. "Nico is dying. We've got to find him. Not to mention, Rome is about to get destroyed."

Piper's voice wouldn't work. She picked up the knife again. It's hilt seemed colder than usual.

Ariadne saw two giants in gladiator armor sitting on oversized praetors' chairs. The giants toasted each other with golden goblets as if they'd just won an important fight. Between them stood a large bronze jar.

The vision zoomed in again. Inside the jar, Nico di Angelo was curled in a ball, no longer moving, all the pomegranate seeds eaten.

"We're too late," Jason said.

"No," Percy said. "No, I cant believe that. Maybe he's gone into a deeper trance to buy time. We have to hurry."

The blade's surface went dark. Piper slipped it back into It's sheath.

"We should wait for the others," she said. "Hazel, Frank, and Leo should be back soon."

"We can't wait," Percy insisted.

Coach Hedge grunted. "It's just two giants. If you guys want, I can take them."

"Uh, Coach," Jason said, "that's a great offer, but we need you to man the ship—or goat the ship. Whatever."

Hedge scowled. "And let you four have all the fun?"

Percy gripped the satyr's arm. "Hazel and the others need you here. When they get back, they'll need your leadership. You're their rock."

"Yeah." Jason managed to keep a straight face. "Leo always says you're his rock. You can tell them where we've gone and bring the ship around to meet us at the Forum."

"And here." Piper unstrapped Katoptris and put it in Coach Hedge's hands.

The satyr's eyes widened. A demigod was never supposed to leave her weapon behind.

"Keep an eye on us with the blade," Ariadne ordered. "And you can check the baseball scores if that makes you happy."

That sealed the deal. Hedge nodded grimly, prepared to do his part for the quest.

"All right," he said. "But if any giants come this way—"

"Feel free to blast them," Jason said.

"What about annoying tourists?"

"No," they all said in unison.

"Bah. Fine. Just don't take too long, or I'm coming after you with ballistae blazing."

***

FINDING THE PLACE WAS EASY. Ariadne led them right to it, on an abandoned stretch of hillside overlooking the ruined Forum.

Getting in was easy too. Jason's golden sword cut through the padlock, and the metal gate creaked open. No mortals saw them. No alarms went off. Stone steps spiraled down into the gloom.

"I'll go first," Jason said.

"No!" Piper yelped.

The three turned toward her.

"Pipes," what is it?" Jason asked. "The image in the blade...you've seen it before, haven't you?"

She nodded, her eyes stinging. "I didn't know how to tell you. I saw the room down there filling with water. I saw three of us drowning. And one of us chained."

Jason and Percy frowned. Ariadne stood straighter.

"I can't drown," Percy said, though he sounded like he was asking a question.

"Maybe the future has changed," Jason speculated. "In the image you showed us just now, there wasn't any water."

"Look," Ariadne decided. "Percy and I will check it out first. It's fine."

Before there were any objections, they disappeared down the stairwell. Piper and Jason guessed that multiple quests in the past four years made them noticeable to plans.

They returned, Percy looking more baffled than relieved.

"Good news: no water," he said. "Bad news: I don't see any exits down there. And, uh, weird news: well, you should see this..."

They descended cautiously. Ariadne and Percy took the lead, with Riptide drawn. Piper followed, and Jason walked behind her, guarding their backs. The stairwell was a cramped corkscrew of masonry, no more than six feet in diameter. Even though they were given the all clear, eyes were open for traps.

As they wound their way underground, Ariadne saw old graffiti gouged into the stones: Roman numerals, names and phrases in Italian. Finally, they reached the bottom.

Percy turned. "Watch this last step."

He jumped to the floor and followed Ariadne into the cylindrical room, which was five feet lower than the stairwell.

Piper clambered down, and Jason followed.

The room was just like they'd seen it in Katoptris's blade, except there was no water. The curved walls had once been painted with frescoes, which were now faded to eggshell white with only flecks of color. The domed ceiling was about fifty feet above.

Around the back side of the room, opposite the stairwell, nine alcoves were carved into the wall. Each niche was about five feet off the floor and big enough for a human-size statue, but each was empty.

The air felt cold and dry. As Percy had said, there were no exits.

"All right." Percy raised his eyebrows. "Here's the weird part. Watch."

He stepped into the middle of the room.

Instantly, green and blue light ripples across the walls. She heard a fountain, but there was no water. There didn't seem to be any source of light except for the threes' blades.

"Do you smell the ocean?" Ariadne asked.

She was right. The scent of salt water and storm was getting stronger, like a summer hurricane approaching.

"An illusion?" Piper asked. All of a sudden, she felt strangely thirsty.

"I don't know," Percy said. "I feel like there should be water here—lots of water. But there isn't any. I've never been in a place like this."

Jason moved to the row of niches. He touched the bottom shelf of the nearest one, which was just at his eyes level. "This stone...it's embedded with seashells. This is a nymphaeum."

Piper's mouth was definitely getting drier. "A what?"

"We have one at Camp Jupiter," Jason said, "on Temple Hill. It's a shrine to the nymphs."

Ariadne's fingers grazed the bottom of the niche closest to her. Jason was right. The alcove was studded with cowries, conches, and scallops. The seashells seemed to dance in the watery light. They were ice-cold to the touch.

Compared to the nymphs at Camp Half-Blood, this place felt unnatural, hostile, and very dry.

Jason stepped back and examined the tow of alcoves. "Shrines like this were all over the place in Ancient Rome. Rich people had them outside their villas to honor nymphs, to make sure the local water was always fresh. Some shrines were built around natural springs, but most were man-made."

"So...no actual nymphs lived here?" Piper asked hopefully.

"Not sure," Jason said. "This place where we're standing would have been a pool with a fountain. A lot of times, if the nymphaeum belonged to a demigod, he or she would invite nymphs to live there. If the spirits took up residence, that was considered good luck."

"For the owner," Percy guessed. "But if would also bind the nymphs to the new water source, which would be great if the fountain was in a nice sunny park with fresh water pumped in through the aqueducts—"

"But this place has been underground for centuries," Piper guessed. "Dry and buried. What would happen to the nymphs?"

The sound of water changed to a chorus of hissing, like ghostly snakes. The rippling light shifted from sea blue and green to purple and sickly like. Above them, the nine niches flowed. They were no longer empty.

Standing in each was a withered old woman, so dried up and brittle they reminded Piper of mummies—except mummies didn't normally move. Their eyes were dark purple, as if the clear blue water of their life source had condensed and thickened inside them. Their fine silk dresses were bow tattered and faded. Their hair had once been piled in curls, arranged with jewels in the style of Roman noble-women, but now their locks were disheveled and dry as straw.

"What would happen to the nymphs?" said the creature in the center niche.

She was in even worse shape than the others. Her back was hunched like a handle of a pitcher. Her skeletal hands had only the thinnest papery layer of shin. On her head, a bartered wreath of golden laurels glinted one her roadkill hair.

She fixed her purple eyes on Piper. "What an interesting question, my dear. Perhaps the nymphs would still be here, suffering, waiting for revenge."

Jason and Percy stood on either side of Piper, their swords ready. Ariadne stood in the front, an annoyed look on her face.

"Who are you?" Percy demanded.

The central nymph turned her head. "Ah...names. We once had names. I was Hango, the first of nine?"

"The nine," Jason repeated. "The nymphs of this shrine. There were always nine niches."

"Of course." Hagno bared her teeth in a vicious smile. "But we are the original nine, Jason Grace, the ones who attended the north of your father."

Jason's sword dipped. "You mean Jupiter? You were there when he was born?"

"Zeus, we called him then," Hagno said. "Such a squealing whelp. We attended Rhea in her labor. When the baby arrived, we hid him so that his father, Kronos, would not eat him. Ah, he had lungs, that baby! It was all we could do to drown out the noise so Kronos could not find him. When Zeus grew up, we were promised eternal honors. But that was in the old country, in Greece.0

The other nymphs wailed and clawed at their niches. They seemed to be trapped in them, as if heir feet were glued to the stone along with the decorative seashells.

"When Rome rose to power, we were invited here," Hagno said. "A son of Jupiter tempted us with favors. A new home, he promised. Bigger and better! No down payment, an excellent neighborhood. Rome will last forever."

"Forever," the others hissed.

"We gave in to temptation," Hagno said. "We left out simple wells and springs on Mount Lycaeus and moved here. For centuries, our lives were wonderful! Parties, sacrifices in our honor, new dresses and jewelry every week. All the demigods of Rome flirted with us and honored us."

The nymphs wailed and sighed.

"But Rome did not last," Hagnos snarled. "The aqueducts we're diverted. Our master's villa was abandoned and torn down. We were forgotten, buried under the earth, but we could not leave. Our life sources were bound to this place. Our old master never saw fog to release us. For centuries, we have withered here in the darkness, thirsty...so thirsty."

The others clawed at their mouths.

"I'm sorry for you," Piper said, trying to use charmspeak. "That must have been terrible. But we are not your enemies. If we can help you—"

"Oh, such a sweet voice!" Hagno cried. "Such beautiful features. I was once young like you. My voice was as soothing as a mountain stream. But do you know what happens to a nymph's mind when she is trapped in the dark, with nothing to feed on but hatred, nothing to drink but thoughts of violence? Yes, my dear. You can help us."

Percy raised raised his hand. "Uh...I'm the son of Poseidon. Maybe I can summon a new water source."

"Ha!" Hagno cried, and the other eight echoed. "Ha! Ha!"

"Indeed, son of Poseidon," Hagno said. "I know your father well. Ephialtes and Otis promised you would come."

Piper put her hand on Jason's arm for balance.

"The giants," Ariadne said. "You're working for them?"

"Yes, lovely. "Hagno smiled. The old nymph looked as though she was stripping her skin and bones. "Their chambers lie beyond this pace, where the aqueducts water was diverted for the games. Once we have dealt with you...once you have helped us...the twins have promised we will never suffer again."

Hagno turned to Jason. "You, child of Jupiter—for the horrible betrayal of your predecessor who brought us here, you shall pay. I know the sky God's powers. I raised him as a baby$ once, we nymphs controlled the rain above our wells and springs. When I am done with you, we will have that power again. And Percy Jackson, child of the sea god...from you, we will take water, an endless supply of water."

"Endless?" Percy's eyes darted from one nymph to the other, his left hand pressing into Ariadne's back for a reality check. "Uh...look, I don't know about endless. But maybe I could spare a few gallons."

"And you, Piper McLean." Hagno's purple eyes glistened. "So young, so lovely, so gifted with your sweet voice. From you, we will reclaim our beauty."

Hagno swept her eyes to the oldest demigod. "Ariadne Phoenix, we were promised to never suffer once you were brought to your knees. I see we will receive that promise. From you, our chains will be broken, and your own, cause you to be shackled to this earth and swallowed whole. For your power, is ours, now."

Chains of dark gray sprung from the stone. The metal wrapped around her wrists, locked tightly, while chain links about forty feet long became shackled. The brunette struggled against the entrapment while her friends gasped.

All nine niches glowed. The nymphs disappeared, and water poured from their alcoves—sickly dark water, like oil.

The basin filled with alarming speed. Piper, Jason, and Percy pounded on the walls, looking for an exit, but they found nothing. To Percy's chagrin and Ariadne's orders, they left her to use her sword to cut through the chains, but they made no dent, sealed with magic. They climbed into the alcoves to gain some height, but with water pouring out of each niche, it was like trying to balance at the edge of a waterfall. Even as Piper stood in a niche, the water was soon up to her knees. From the floor, it was probably eight feet deep and rising fast.

Ariadne was stuck floating in the middle, as the chains didn't move, and she was losing energy quickly. Percy resolved to letting her lean on him.

"I could try lightning," Jason said. "Maybe blast a hole in the roof?"

"That could bring down the whole room and crush us," Piper said.

"Or electrocute us," Percy said.

"Not many choices," Jason said.

"Let me search the bottom," Percy said. "If this place was built as a fountain, there has to be a way to drain the thing. Besides, I can try to break the shackles on Aidan. You guys, check the niches for secret exits. Maybe the seashells are knobs, or something."

Percy jumped in the water. Jason and Piper climbed from niche to niche, kicking and pounding, wiggling seashells embedded in the stone; but they had no luck.

Sooner than Ariadne expected, Percy broke the surface, gasping and flailing. Piper offered her hand, and he almost pulled her in before she could help him.

"Couldn't breathe," he choked. "The water...not normal. Hardly made it back."

The life force of the nymphs. It was so poisoned and malicious, even a son of the sea god couldn't control it.

As the water rose around her, Ariadne felt it affecting her too. Her arms felt like lead, her veins becoming more prominent in her shrinking body weight. It became harder to breathe as the seconds ticked by. Floating became increasingly more difficult.

The boys moved sluggishly. Jason's face was pale. He seemed to be having trouble holding his sword. Percy was drenched and shivering. His hair didn't look quite so dark, as if the color was leaching out.

"They're taking out power," Piper said. "Draining us."

"Jason," Percy coughed, "do the lightning."

Jason raised his sword. The room rumbled, but no lightning appeared. The roof didn't break. Instead,  miniature rainstorm formed at the top of the chamber. Rain poured down, filling the fountain even faster, but it wasn't normal rain. The stuff was just as dark as the water in the pool. Every drop stung Ariadne's skin.

"Not what I wanted," Jason said.

The water was up to their necks now. Ariadne could feel her strength fading.

Percy started pushing the water away with the back of his hand, like he was shooing a bad dog. "Can't—can't control it!"

"We can't fight this," Piper said. "If we hold back, that just makes us weaker."

"What do you mean?" Jason shouted over the rain.

The water was up to their chins. Another few inches, and they'd have to swim. But the water wasn't halfway to the ceiling yet. Piper hoped that meant that they still had time.

"The horn of plenty," Piper said. "We have to overwhelm the nymphs with fresh water, give them more than they can use. If we can dilute this poisonous stuff—0

"Can your horn do that?" Percy struggled to keep his head above water, which was obviously a new experience for him. He looked scared out of his mind.

Ariadne gasped. Suddenly, the chains around her wrists began reeling in, pulling her lower than she wanted to be. Her friends yelled and cried for her but the girl gave them a harsh glare—well, as much as she could in her weak form. This was an odd sensation, as she had never felt her own powers leave her skin.

"Listen to her," Ariadne ordered. "If she thinks this can help, just do it! I'll be fine."

The chains reeled her in below water. Her lungs screamed for air while she held on, deciding attempting to move would cause her to lose more energy, energy that she desperately needed to keep her body alive and semi-floating. Ariadne's vision became hazy and her hands clawed at the water. Her nails raked through the liquid in vain, while her skin turned to bones so clearly, it reminded her of herself losing her soul.

Despite her attempts, the girl sunk lower, and amethyst eyes lost consciousness.

***

     PERCY WOULD NOT LET HER GO. Ariadne awoke to her boyfriend latching onto her body while she coughed up fresh water. Her lungs screamed and thanked the boy, while the girl held a raspy chuckle.

According to Piper, Percy and Jason combined their powers and allowed the cornucopia to become overflowed with fresh water and salt water. Clean water overpowered the dark liquid, allowing it to drain properly. Now, Ariadne was strewn across Percy's lap his arm around her waist, hugging her closely.

Percy grinned at Jason, who was still gasping like the older brunette. "I'm case you're wondering, that was clean water in your lungs. I could make it come out with no problem."

"What," Ariadne teased, her voice raw, "no mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?"

A laugh left his mouth. "Eh, thought Piper and Jason wouldn't really enjoy seeing that."

"Oh, how much they would suffer."

Jason and Piper smiled at the couple. Their teasing came naturally.

The niches glowed. Nine figures appeared, but they were no longer withered creatures. They were young, beautiful nymphs in shimmering blue gowns, their glossy black curls pinned up with silver and gold brooches. Their eyes were gentle shades of blue and green.

As Ariadne watched, eight of the nymphs dissolved into vapor and floated upward. Only the nymph in the center remained.

"Hagno?" Piper asked.

The nymph smiled. "Yes, my dear. I didn't think such selflessness existed in mortals...especially in demigods. No offense."

Percy got to his feet. Ariadne stood next to him. "How could we take offense? You just tried to drown us and suck out our lives."

Hagno winced. "Sorry about that. I was not myself. But you have reminded me of the sun and the rain and the streams in the meadows. Percy and Jason, thanks to you, I remembered the sea and the sky. I am cleansed. But mostly, thanks to Piper. She shared something even better than clear running water." Hagno turned to her. "You have a good nature, Piper. And I'm a nature spirit. I know what I'm talking about."

Hagno pointed to the other side of the room. The stairs to the surface reappeared. Directly underneath, a circular opening shimmered into existence, like a sewer pipe, just big enough to crawl through.

"You may return to the surface," Hagno said. "Or, if you insist, you may follow the waterway to the giants. But choose quickly, because both doors will fade soon after I am gone. That Piper connects to the old aqueduct line, which feeds both this nymphaeum and the hypogeum that the giants call home."

"Ugh." Ariadne cringed. "Too many big words."

"Oh, home is not a complicated word." Hagno sounded completely sincere. "I thought it was, but now you have unbounded is from this place. My sisters have gone to seek new homes...a mountain stream, perhaps, or a lake in a meadow. I will follow them. I cannot wait to see the forests and grasslands again, and the clear running water."

"Uh," Percy said nervously, "things have changed up above in the last few thousand years."

"Nonsense," Hagno said. "How bad could it be? Pan would not allow nature to become tainted. I cant wait to see him, in fact."

Ariadne and Percy stopped themselves from speaking further.

"Good luck, Hagno," Piper said. "And thank you."

The nymph smiled one last time and vaporized.

Briefly, the nymphaeum glowed with a softer light, like a full moon. Ariadne smelled exotic spices and blooming roses. She heard distant music and happy voices talking and laughing. She guessed she was hearing hundreds of years of parties and celebrations that had been held at this shrine in ancient times, as if the memories had been free along with the spirits.

"What is that?" Jason asked nervously.

Piper slipped her hand into his. "The ghosts are dancing. Come in. We'd better go meet the giants."

Ariadne glared at the walls. Those giants are gonna wish they never made a promise on her life.

authors note:

Wrote this a while ago.

Hope you guys enjoyed!

Q: what vines reminds you of Ariadne???
A: I always was reminded of the 'fuck ya chicken strips' idk I see her saying that to Leo and everyone else at camp and the Argo II only because they would be confused

Love you guys! And we're getting close to the end!