CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
just like a phoenix, i rise from the ashes

     FOUR PEARLS. FIVE PEOPLE.

     The math was simple. Five individuals need the quick getaway from the Underworld when they successfully retrieved the Master Bolt. Percy, Grover, Annabeth, Sally Jackson, and herself. However, after their run-in with a three headed beast, they were now left with only four pearls to escape from the gates of hell with. Four keys to their freedom from the darkness they planted themselves in the centre of. The longer Delia Cromwell allowed the thoughts to nag and eat away at her brain, like a deadly disease with no cure to extinguish the rot spreading violently over her, the sooner she begun to realise not all of them would be leaving the Underworld after all. The thought alone left her body shaking with dread.

And as the girl continued to walk through the dark forest, barely being able to see through the thick cloud of mist surrounding herself and her friends, she realised it was all she could think about. She couldn't think about completing the quest, or saving Percy's mom, when it wouldn't even matter if it meant one of them would have to be left behind. And considering Grover was the only one left without a pearl, it made logical sense that it would be him. The thought left a sickening feeling in the pit of Delia's stomach. Grover was the first friend she ever had. He was her protector, and not the kind where it was considering his job to protect every demigod child he came across. He protected her like how a brother would protect a sister.

Delia couldn't allow Grover to stay behind because of a mistake that wasn't his fault. She would rather die than leave him behind.

The girl swallowed thickly as she continued to stumble through the dark forest. She couldn't leave any of her friends behind, and she wouldn't allow Percy to lose his mother again. Speaking from experience, Delia Cromwell knew the pain of losing not one, but two of her parents and if she could spare her friend of such a cruel fate, then maybe it was her turn to make a sacrifice. The kind of sacrifice that meant her entrapment in the desolate lands of the Underworld. She would remain behind to ensure her friend's freedom. Maybe it would only be for a few hours longer than planned. Maybe it would be a few days before she returned. Or weeks. . . Or maybe help would never come and she would remain confined to her dark and twisted solitude of a life in Hades's realm forever.

It was a terrifying thought, and a fate worse than death itself. But if it was the only way to save her friends from a lifetime trapped in the deepest and darkest pits of hell, then it was a fate she would force herself to welcome with open arms.

     Delia wasn't the only one to experience these terrifying and dark thoughts either. It didn't take long for Grover to speak up, breaking the uncomfortable silence between the four of them. "We can't ignore this. The four of us, plus your mom, is five people, and only four pearls," He paused, his voice shaky. "Someone is staying behind, and it should really be me," He declared. Delia hated it when the satyr tried to act nobel because he blamed himself for something none of them resented him for. This caused for Delia to turn and look over her shoulder, staring at Grover as she began to shake her head disapprovingly.

     "Don't say that," Delia stated firmly, her voice stern, but she wasn't good at hiding the fear and uncertainty in her tone either. "We're not leaving you behind because of a simple mistake that any of us could've made in the heat of the moment."

     "She's right. It wasn't your fault. And even if it were, you're not getting left behind," Percy piped up, nodding his head in agreement with Delia's previous statement. The group then stopped in their tracks when Percy turned around and retrieved a pearl from his pocket, placing it into the palm of Grover's hand. "After we get the bolt and stop this war, you guys are leaving with my mom," He elaborated, offering them all a small and reassuring smile before he turned his back and began to move forward once again.

Delia shook her head and quickly caught up with the curly haired boy. "What have I told you about the heroics, Sea Boy?" She questioned in a rhetorical manner.

Percy shrugged his shoulders. "It's the right thing to do," He reminded the girl, and picked up the pace to avoid an argument with her. They seemed to argue a lot over self-sacrifice these days.

"We'll talk about this more after we get to Hades's palace. But for now, we're not deciding who stays and who goes just yet," Delia countered, watching the boy from behind. "Plus, I don't think your mom will leave you behind in the Underworld of all places. So we might have to figure out a new plan," She informed, pointing out the obvious. From what she could tell, Sally Jackson loved her son dearly. So much that she almost died for him. Delia doubted she would willingly leave him behind in the most dangerous place in their world.

     Percy looked over his shoulder, his eyes meeting Delia's again. "Well, I won't give her another option," He told her before he turned back around, his swift steps coming to a sudden halt when he came face to face with a tall figure in the centre of the woods. Delia stopped in her tracks soon afterwards, standing beside Annabeth when she looked around to see these tall, lifeless stick figures mimicking the tall trees were all around them. The sight of them was enough to send chills up and down Delia's spine. Especially when she stared into their cold, black, lifeless eyes. She wondered what they are, or more who they were before they found themselves trapped in the Underworld.

     "This must be Asphodel. I read a book about this place," Annabeth's familiar voice flooded the tense silence before she brushed back Delia and crouched down in front of the figure. She waited a few seconds before she pulled back some frayed cloth to reveal roots. "Souls here are bound by regret. Haunted by choices they made in life...or never made."

     Delia felt a chill go up her spine once again, making the girl shiver. This caused for Delia to wrap her arms around herself to try and shield herself from the make-believe cold that was virtually nonexistent in the Underworld. She knew it was her fears catching up to her again, and making her so scared that her body started to tremble. The very thought of being trapped in such a desolate land, tied down by the roots and left behind to rot away reliving your mistakes and suffering with the consequences of the choices you made in your past life seemed to be a fate worse than death itself. Delia wanted nothing more than to leave in that very moment.

     Right on cue, a loud and ferocious roar echoed loudly through the woods from behind them. It was a long distance away, but the intimidating growls were enough to ignite the fear in Delia again. She turned around and stared off into the distance, peaking through the thick cloud of white and grey fog, a shaky breath escaping her past quivering lips. It sounded like Cerberus had become bored with his chew-toy and was now hot on their heels, ready to eat them like a bowl of puppy chow. "Guys..." Delia paused, her eyes growing wide when she heard the footsteps that belonged to the three-headed beast. "I think that's our cue to run."

     And just like that. . . The four of them sprinted off into the distance. Percy led the way while Delia and Grover followed close behind, the cool winds whooshing through the air and past Delia's ears. The girl felt her heart hammering hard against her chest, like it was going to explode out of her ribcage at any moment, just like that one alien movie she watched with her stepfather all those years ago. Delia hoped that wasn't possible, but if it was, maybe it would be a better fate than becoming dog food for a three-headed beast and protector of the Underworld.

Now out of breath, Delia stopped in her tracks and turned around along with Percy and Grover, and when she noticed Annabeth was missing, she thought her heart had stopped beating altogether. Delia wandered around aimlessly, her frantic gaze searching for her friend, hoping she would emerge from the fog and everlasting darkness. But when she couldn't catch a single glimpse of the girl, Delia started to panic. And she wasn't the only one either. It didn't take long for Percy and Grover to appear beside her, looking into the same direction as her. "Annabeth!" Percy called out, his voice beginning to shake.

"Guys!"

Delia snapped her head into the direction of where Annabeth's familiar voice was coming from. She turned back and exchanged a few glances with Percy and Grover before they sprinted into the direction they originally came from. When they came to a stop, they saw Annabeth at a standstill, and when Delia lowered her gaze, she saw the roots wrapping themselves around the young girl's legs, trapping her securely to the ground. She was bound to the land of the Underworld. Both Delia and Percy crouch down and tug harshly at the roots, hoping to free Annabeth, but it was no use. She was stuck. "I already tried. It's too strong," She informed.

Percy shakes his head. "How did this happen?" He asked, struggling to comprehend how Annabeth could've possibly wound up tied down by some dead roots.

Delia then lifted her gaze to meet Annabeth's, her eyes softening. "You're bound here by regret. That's what happens in this place, right?" She inquired, stating what they all knew deep down. "But what is there for you to regret?" She asked, but Annabeth remained silent before she turned her attention back to Percy.

"Go. I'll distract the dog and buy you guys some time," Annabeth instructed firmly, her voice shaking slightly. There was no denying she was afraid, but trying to remain strong and confident in front of her terrified friends. Percy strained against the roots around Annabeth's ankles, while Delia stepped forward, hoping to protest against Annabeth's plan. But she was interrupted when her friend retrieved the pearl from her pocket. "This will work. I'll be okay. I trust your dad. You can do this. I know you can," Annabeth told them, her eyes remaining on Percy.

Percy stands back up onto his feet, and although it took all his strength to turn his back on Annabeth and run, he grabbed Delia's hand and tugged her along before letting go and encouraging Grover to follow. Delia ran through the forest with the boys, an aching feeling resonating deep in her heart that made her hate herself for leaving Annabeth behind. But knew she had to trust her friend and hope she would make it out alive. So when she stopped at the edge of the woods, and turned back around, a sigh of relief left her lips when she saw a flash of white light shimmer brightly through the forest. And then when the light faded, it showed that Annabeth was gone. She was safe and sound. . . Wherever the pearl chose to take her.

     "Come on, we have to keep going," Grover spoke up, trying to encourage the other two. That was when Delia turned back around and followed him out of the forest with Percy trailing close behind.

After emerging from the dark forest, Delia was soon welcomed by sandy dunes and the pale skies hovering above her. She stared into the distance to see Hades's palace was close, standing tall underneath a thick bank of clouds, encased in darkness. Delia inhaled sharply for a moment before she went over in her head what would happen. What had to happen. They would confront Hades. They would retrieve the master bolt and free Percy's mom. Then Delia would give her pearl to Percy and beg him to use it to save himself over her. Delia knew it would be a conversation that wouldn't go down well between the three friends. However, she had made her peace with the situation. She just hoped they could accept her decision too.

     All of a sudden, Delia is snapped out of her thoughts and back to reality when she turned to her left to see Grover was wandering off into a completely different direction. Delia couldn't help but furrow her brows together. But before she had the chance to question the satyr, the wings on his shoes began to flap violently before they used all their strength to pull him further to the left. Grover yelled for help, calling out for his friends in the process. Delia watched with her mouth falling open as her friend fell down the sand dunes, her eyes growing wide in horror when she saw what was waiting for him down below.

     Tartarus.

     "Grover!" Delia cried out, rushing down the sand dunes with Percy following her.

     Delia threw herself down to the ground and grabbed ahold of her friend's hand, holding onto him tightly, using all the strength she had to pull him back from the bottomless pit in front of them. She fought against the strength of the winged shoes and was slowly losing. The closer they came to Tartarus, the more Delia struggled to hold on. The only thing she could think to do to save Grover was to try and take the shoes off his hooves. So Delia let go of Grover's hand and slid down to his furry goat legs, wrapping her hands firmly around one of the red converses, trying to pull them off before they were pulled into Tartarus. Delia felt the laces of the shoes become loose, and for a moment, she had hope as Percy grabbed Grover's hand with his own before using his sword, stabbing it into the ground to bring them to a standstill.

     That was until Delia felt the ground beneath her shift before she went over the edge of Tartarus, her grip falling from the satyr when the winged shoes slipped off his hooves and into the bottomless pit down below. Delia reacted quickly and grabbed ahold of the cliffside, a loud yelp slipping past her lips as her nails began to dig into the rocks holding her up. Delia knew she couldn't hold on for long, her hardened grip on the rocks dwindling with every waking second that passed her bye. And just as she started to let go, she felt a hand grab ahold of her wrist, allowing her to hold onto his own, and when she looked up, she came face to face with Percy Jackson, who appeared so pale that he could've easily thrown up by now at the sight of Delia, and the chance of her falling into the dark pit beneath her.

"I've got you, I've got you," Percy reassured her, his voice shaky as he spoke. "Just hold on."

     Delia shook her head. "Percy, be careful," She warned him. The last thing she wanted was for the both of them to fall into Tartarus together.

     "It's okay. Grover is holding onto me," Percy told her, a ghost of a smile on his lips, trying his best to keep the tone light in a moment where Delia's life hanged in the balance. "Come on, give me your other hand and I'll pull you up," He encouraged.

     Delia nodded her head and tried to throw her other arm up so Percy to grab her other hand. But it was no use. She wasn't strong enough to hold. She wasn't sure how long could hold onto her friend's hand without putting his life on the line too. "I can't..." Delia strained, and she felt Percy's grip slipping as she fell deeper into the pit. But Percy quickly regained control of his strength and held onto her wrist with a tight grip once again.

     "Delia, please..." Percy pleaded through gritted teeth. His muscles tensed as he tried to hold onto her, but Delia knew to remain holding onto her meant falling into the pit together too. And that was a fate she couldn't accept for them all.

     Delia felt the tears form in the corners of her eyes before she looked down towards the dark, black pit beneath her. She wondered what would be waiting for her down below if she fell, and if she would even survive the fall. But if it meant she could be saving the lives of her two friends still with her now, then maybe this was a fate she had to accept. Maybe this was what the Fates meant when they insinuated one of them would die on this quest. And that was when Delia realised what she had to do — she had to sacrifice herself to ensure Percy and Grover made it to Hades's palace, saved his mom, and stopped the war between the Gods. This is why she was on the quest. To be sacrificial lamb at the alter. To die for a greater purpose.

     Delia turned back to Percy, who stared back at her, like he had been reading her mind the entire time. "No," He denied.

     "You have to let me go," Delia ordered firmly. Percy shook his head, straining. "Percy, you can't pull me up without falling into Tartarus with me. It's a risk you can't take. If you guys fall with me, your mom stays here for the rest of her life, the war between the Gods destroys the world, and everyone we know and love will die. You can't let that happen, Percy. You can't! You have to do this. I know you can. I believe in you," She explained, her voice cracking in the process.

     Percy didn't say anything. He just watched as a stray tear fell from Delia's eye before it rolled down her cheek, his bottom lip starting to quiver when he realised she was right. But he still couldn't find it in his heart to let go. Delia then shot him a warm smile, hoping to ease his pain. "It's okay. I'm okay," She whispered to him. "Tell Feyre and Alina that I'm sorry. I tried. I really did try," and that was the last thing Delia said before she let go of Percy's wrist and used all her strength to loosen his grip on her, allowing him to let go and before she fell into the bottomless pit beneath her.

"No!" Percy cried, his shaky hand stretched out in front of him as he watched the girl disappear into the darkness.

     Grover was soon next to Percy, his dark eyes staring into the deep abyss down below. "She saved our lives," He uttered, his voice just above a whisper.

     Percy turned to Grover for a moment. He saw the pure and utter devastation on the satyr's face, and he could've sworn there was a tear or two that threatened to fall down his tanned cheeks. Percy understood Delia's and Grover's friendship was strong. He was her protector long before he became his. In that very moment, he could see Grover felt grief for losing a dear friend, or even failure for not being able to save Delia from a terrible fate. If she was lucky enough to survive the fall into Tartarus, then she would spend the remainder of her days trapped in a dark pit of monsters and sinister whispers that threatened to break her soul into nothing.

     "But I couldn't save her," Percy admitted, his own feelings of failure creeping up on him, like a shadow threatening to choke him until he was dead along with his friend.

One minute, he had Delia Cromwell at his fingertips, adamant that he would never let her go. And the next, she was gone, lost to the cruelty of their world. And now she was nothing more than another lost demigod. A name scratched out from history for the remainder of their days.

━━━━━━━━

Darkness. That was all the young girl saw at first. Nothing except an embankment of darkness that cascaded over her.

And when her eyes eventually adjusted to her dark surroundings, she had hoped she would see something comforting to the naked eye. Something to ease the fears over her fall from grace only moments ago. A fall she shouldn't have survived in the first place. Instead, the young Delia Cromwell was met with a dark, bronze wall, and beyond that a three-fold layer of night. Everywhere she looked, it followed her, entrapping her in what seemed like an eternal prison of darkness, despair, and her own everlasting and desolate solitude. And if that wasn't enough to scare her, the shadows of every monster killed at the hands of a demigod would do the trick, circling around the young girl, trickling past her like a gust of wind.

     Then she heard the whispers. The faint whispers of the trapped souls who were unfortunate enough to stumble across the pit themselves. Whether they fell into the pit like herself, or were sent there after an altercation with a demigod that resulted in them being on the wrong side of the sword, Delia could hear them. She heard them all. She heard their screams. Their taunting voices echoing all around her. And even their cries as they begged for their release from this eternal madness. It sent chills down the girl's spine, and caused for her entire body to shake uncontrollably, like she was stuck in a never-ending nightmare. A violent night terror she just couldn't wake up from. Delia wished that was all this was.

     But it wasn't, and this, this was very real.

And when Delia thought it couldn't get any worse, she heard her. Her mom. Delia stood up onto her feet, a wince slipping past her lips when she put too much weight on her left leg. It seemed she wasn't invincible from the deadly fall after all. Delia then began to wander through the darkness, hoping to find where the familiar voice of her mother was coming from. "Mom?" She questioned, calling out for the woman quietly in the midst of all the inaudible whispers. Delia then waited, hoping to hear something that showed her she wasn't alone. "Mom?" She called out again, her voice cracking in the process.

     But there was no response. Not a single flicker of hope that could possible indicate that her mother was here with her, lost in an eternal abyss of darkness. Then, all of a sudden, she heard laughter. But not the kind of laughter that belonged to her dear mother. Her mom's laugh was kind, charismatic, like music on a record player. This laughter was menacing, haunting, and just enough to give Delia this insatiable feeling of overwhelming dread. Something in the girl's body told her that Tartarus only brought pain and suffering. So, whatever lurked in the darkest corners, it could not be good.

"Who's there?" Delia called out, her voice beginning to shake when she realised she wasn't alone down here.

The laughter continued until a figure emerged from the darkness. She could not see his face, but she did see the dark, frayed cloak hanging over his shoulders and shielding his face. And she could certainly spot the lantern clasped within the grip of his skeletal fingers from miles away. Delia swallowed thickly as the cloaked figure began to approach her. But he soon halted in his tracks and faded, like he was nothing more than a figment of her imagination. But his sudden disappearance did not bring the girl any peace of the sort. In fact, it only seemed to fuel her discomfort and poke at her fears until she was left trembling where she stood.

     Then she heard it again — the eerie roar of laughter. And that was when she heard his voice. "Delia Cromwell...daughter of Apollo," He stated.

     Delia turned rather quickly, staring into the direction where the voice came from, but all she saw was a black emptiness. "Who are you?" She asked, her voice demanding answers from the strange voice.

     He laughed again. "You don't recognise your great grandfather?" He inquired, sounding almost amused by the thought.

And that was when it clicked for the young girl. When she realised who she was conversing with, she felt her entire body tense before her breath hitched in the back of her throat. It couldn't be, she thought, but how could she deny what was right in front of her while she remained trapped at the bottom of the darkest pit in the Underworld. "Kronos..." She whispered, her face becoming bereft of colour. "What do you want?" She then asked, fearsome of why the mad Titan would approach her.

"My child..." The Titan paused. It was like he was talking into her ear, sending chills up and down her spinal cord. "I just want to help you get out of here. A girl like you does not belong in a place like this," He offered.

Delia turned around, following the voice as it circled all around her. "That's not all, is it?" She pushed, knowing the Titan had to have an ulterior motive. He wouldn't just lend a helping hand without wanting something in return.

Kronos laughed again when he realised she was already onto his plan. He was impressed by Delia's ability to web out the deception. "Smart girl. You must take after your mortal mother. That brain of yours did not come from my grandson. That much is certain," He chimed, but the menacing tone remained engraved into his voice. "I want the same thing as you. I want out of this pit. And I need all the help I can get. All you have to do is pledge your loyalty to me. Then I will get you out of here, back to that camp of yours if that's what your heart desires," He explained.

     The offer was tempting. Delia didn't want to spend the remainder of her days trapped in a dark abyss, but to pledge her loyalty to an evil Titan, one where every story about him offered only death and despair, pain and misery, Delia couldn't fathom it. If she was to help Kronos escape his eternal prison, she couldn't even imagine what he would be capable of, or the people he would hurt to achieve his ambitions, whatever that entails. And if that meant she had to spend the rest of her miserable life trapped inside a pit, alone and scared, then maybe that would be her cross to bear. She allowed herself to fall into Tartarus, and now she must live with the consequences of her actions.

"I can't," Delia spoke up, stumbling backwards when she started to struggle with her injured leg. "I won't."

"Not even if it meant you could bring your parents back?" The Titan questioned in a rhetorical manner, his words catching Delia's attention. "I have the power to undo their deaths. You get me out of here, I can snap my fingers and they'll be fine. It'll be like that night never happened. Don't you want that?" He pushed, hoping to convince the girl.

Delia thought about it. She thought about her parents and how much she missed them. This quest only made her miss them more as it brought up some unresolved issues and feelings. Delia thought about seeing their faces again, and feeling their arms holding her close and telling her everything would be okay again. She thought about going back to her family home and being able to live in a real house instead of living her teenage years at a summer camp, living life as a demigod, and instead she could just be Delia Cromwell, daughter of Denise Cromwell and Damien Alvarez. She could be normal again. She could have her family again, and deep down, that was all she ever really wanted.

     "I want that more than anything," Delia admitted, looking down at the ground.

     "Then pledge your everlasting loyalty to me. I already have allies outside of this pit. I can tell you their names and you can work together to get me out of here. Then in return for your loyalty, I will give you what your heart desires most of all...your family back," He explained, his tempting voice nagging at the girl's brain.

Allies outside of the pit? Delia picked up on that first. It meant that Kronos was working with someone, maybe Ares, and maybe even Clarisse. And if he had gotten to one demigod in camp, then how many others had pledged their loyalty to the Titan? That was when Delia realised she needed to escape more so than ever. She had to warn Percy and the others. Delia then reached up and clutched her sister's pendent necklace with a tight grip, remembering that she had to find her way back because this...this was not what her parents would've wanted. They would rather stay dead and buried for the sake of what's right. And as much as Delia wanted to see them again, she knew she would have to wait a little bit longer before that day came.

"Thank you for the offer," Delia piped up, letting go of the pendent around her neck before she reached down and took an object from her jacket pocket. "But I think I'll find my own way out of this pit," She informed, looking down into the palm of her hand to see one pearl, the same one gifted to her by Percy.

"What are you doing?" The Titan's voice changed immediately when Delia declined his offer. "No!"

The next thing Delia recalled was a sharp pain jabbing into her side before she threw down the pearl, being engulfed in a blaze of white light before she was transported somewhere different. Somewhere familiar. When Delia opened her eyes, she was lying in the tall green grass within the border of camp, lifting her gaze to see Thalia's tree only a few feet away from where she had landed. Delia felt a sigh of relief fall past her lisp before she winced, and when she looked down, she spotted a dark, black liquid seeping through her clothes. This caused for the girl to roll up her shirt to reveal a puncture wound in her side, a strange black liquid falling from the wound she must have suffered when she was in Tartarus.

But all she could do was smile. Because Delia Cromwell was back at camp. She was finally home.

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authors note.
Luke better run for his life because when Feyre finds out what happened to Delia...she's going to go big sister mode and annihilate him, as she should tbh. But the quest has come to an end...which means Delia reuniting with her sisters, and the trio, and the traitor reveal all in the next chapter guys...ahhhhh this is the most excited I have gotten over this story so far. Hold on because it will be insane 🤭😭

Until then I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'll update again soon!!