CHAPTER TWELVE 
( MEET-UPS AND STRETCHES )

"KALI," PERCY BEGAN AS they all stared in alarm at the date, "if you have anything optimistic to say right now, that would be great."

Her brows lowered as she thought. She said, "We still have time. It's not the solstice yet."

Grover brayed anxiously. "We're hundreds of miles from Los Angeles without a ride!"

She placed her hands on her hips and frowned. "Well, then we'll find one. Steal a car if we have to; I mean, Percy and I are already wanted for the two explosions in New Jersey and at the Arch, car theft can't hurt. But that can be Plan B."

"So then what's Plan A?" asked Percy.

"Annabeth." At her name, she looked at Kali, who smirked. "You have a plan in that head of yours?"

"Of course I do." She smirked back, though it was short lived as her expression became determined. "Let's go."

Annabeth lead them away from the newspaper stand, and down the sidewalk until they came up to a parked taxi. They all loaded themselves into the backseat, which ended up being a pretty tight fit.

"Los Angeles, please," she told the taxi driver.

The man chewed on his cigar as he twisted around in the driver's seat. He eyed them, sizing them up. It's not everyday four kids ask to go to Los Angeles. "That's three hundred miles. For that, you gotta pay upfront."

"You accept casino debit cards?" Annabeth asked.

He shrugged. "Some of 'em. Same as credit cards. I gotta swipe 'em through first."

She handed him her green LotusCash card.

He looked at it skeptically.

"Swipe it."

He did.

The meter machine began to rattle. The lights flashed. Then, an infinity symbol came up next to the dollar sign.

The cigar fell out of the cabbie's mouth. He looked at them again, this time with wide eyes. "Where to in Los Angeles...uh, Your Highness?"

"The Santa Monica Pier." Annabeth straightened in her seat a little. Kali could tell she liked the 'Your Highness' thing. "Get us there fast, and you can keep the change."

Not once did the speedometer go below ninety-five the entire way through the Mojave Desert.

+++

On the road, they had plenty of time to talk. Kali and Percy told Annabeth and Grover about their shared dream. Well, some of it. As they tried to remember it, the details got more and more skewed, and it became harder to pull up specifics. Maybe the Lotus Casino did something; short-circuited their brains, or something. She knew the voice of the invisible servant had sounded familiar, but she couldn't recall who it sounded like. And the servant had called the monster in the pit something... "My lord" but also another name...

"It was some special title," Percy said. He scowled out of the window as he tried to remember.

"The Silent One?" Annabeth suggested from in between them. "The Rich One? Both of those are nicknames for Hades."

"Maybe..." Percy said, unsure.

"Neither of those sound right," Kali said. That had Annabeth frowning.

"That throne room sounds like Hades's," Grover said on the other side of Kali. "That's the way it's usually described."

Percy shook his head. "Something's wrong. The throne room wasn't the main part of the dream. And that voice from the pit... I don't know. It just didn't feel like a god's voice."

"He's right. It sounded more like..." Kali trailed off, remembering the dream she heard Percy tell Luke at the car wash place. A lightbulb went off in her. A dark voice, coming from the pit in the Underworld... She had had her suspicions then too, and now... Look, she didn't know everything about the gods and Titans seeing as she was still learning, but she did know some things. And she also knew some things might not be mere coincidences. With those thoughts in her mind, tried not to let her worry show too much as she began to say, "What are the chances it's a–?"

Annabeth gripped her wrist, eyes wide. Her expression quickly made Kali not say another word.

"What?" asked Percy, noticing Annabeth's expression, too.

"Oh, uh... Nothing," she lied.

Annabeth let go of her wrist, and said, "It has to be Hades. Maybe he sent this thief, this invisible person, to get the master bolt, and something went wrong–."

"Like what?" Percy asked.

"I– I don't know," she admitted. "But if he stole Zeus's symbol of power from Olympus, and the gods were hunting him, I mean, a lot of things could go wrong. So this thief had to hide the bolt, or he lost it somehow. Anyway, he failed to bring it to Hades. That's what the voice said in your dream, right? The guy failed. That would explain what the Furies were searching for when they came after us on the bus. Maybe they thought we had retrieved the bolt." Her face was pale; Kali doubted she looked any better.

"But if I'd already stole the bolt," Percy said, "why would I be traveling to the Underworld?"

"To threaten Hades," suggested Grover. "To bribe or blackmail him into getting your mom back."

He whistled. "You have evil thoughts for a goat."

"Why, thank you."

"But the thing in the pit said it was waiting for two items," Percy reminded them. "If the master bolt is one, what's the other?"

Grover shook his head, clearly mystified. Kali was confused about that part, too, even with a new idea of who might be the evil voice in the pit. None of this was making sense.

Annabeth look at Percy like she knew his next question, and was silently willing him not to ask it.

He did, anyway. "You have an idea what might be in that pit, don't you? I mean, if it isn't Hades?"

"Percy...let's not talk about it. Because if it isn't Hades... No, it has be Hades."

Outside of the taxi, the wasteland passed by in a blur. They passed a sign that said CALIFORNIA STATE LINE, 12 MILES. Good, Kali thought, they were almost there.

She felt bad not telling Percy who it might in the pit, if not Hades. But, well... If she and Annabeth were right, then everything just got a whole lot more dangerous. More serious. It almost made Kali want to bail out of the quest, to do everything she could to get back home and protect Naia and Makoa, but that wouldn't help anything. Besides, Percy's her brother, too. She wasn't about to let him go into the Underworld without her, even if she didn't want to go down there even more, now.

There was a still a chance Hades had the bolt. A very, very slim chance, but a chance nonetheless. If they were wrong...

Kali shoved those thoughts away.

"We're finishing this quest," she said determinedly, and ignored her own fear and dread of the situation, especially when she noticed how unsure Percy now looked. "We can do it. I know we can. Hades or not, it doesn't matter."

"The answer is in the Underworld," Annabeth assured with a nod. "You guys saw spirits of the dead, Percy. There's only one place that could be. We're doing the right thing."

She tried to boost morale by suggesting clever strategies for getting into the Land of the Dead. Kali listened the best she could, and let her speak; figuring out various plans ahead of time probably helped her nerves of the situation. But Kali's thoughts strayed elsewhere.

Their quest suddenly felt far more bigger and dangerous than before, if what she thought was true.

+++

The sun was beginning to set by the time the taxi got them to the beach in Santa Monica. From the movies she's watched, L.A. beaches looked the exact same in person as they did on the screen, but it sure didn't smell the same; it was awful. Carnival rides lined the Pier, and palm trees lined the sidewalk; there were a few homeless people sleeping on sand dunes, and there were surfers waiting for the perfect wave.

Kali hadn't been on a surf board in years. Heck, she barely got started learning before she stopped, but she still felt the itch to be out there with the waves. The waves here were small, though. Nothing compared to the ones back in Hawaii. It was honestly disappointing.

...Maybe one day she'd try surfing again. For now, though, she had a godly aunt to visit with her brother.

The four of them walked to the edge of the surf. Whereas the others stopped right at the edge, Kali continued on. The Pacific Ocean, even as polluted it as it was in this area, was such a beautiful, inviting sight with the setting sun turning it gold, that she didn't want to wait any longer than she had to. Once she was waist deep, she dove under the surface.

For wonderful, blissful moment, she was one with the sea. She felt at home, the same way she did when she swam at the beach at camp. The undercurrents were weak, but even still she didn't fight against them. She swam deeper for a few more feet, eyeing the different temperature currents through the murky water with ease, until she decided to pop her head above the surface again. A small wave crashed against her head, though it didn't affect her.

Closer to shore, Percy was only waist deep in the water but was steadily going deeper.

"Hurry up!" she called out, before immediately going back under. She sunk down until her feet touched the bottom. It didn't take too long for Percy to catch up to her, but he was looking at her oddly. "What?" she asked.

He motioned vaguely at her. "You're...rippling?"

"Huh?" Kali looked down at her arms. Sure enough, it looked as though she was rippling; more so, it seemed as if her body couldn't decide whether or not to stay transparent like the sea around them, or stay normal. She concentrated until it stopped, until she still looked like a normal person.

It didn't last long. Percy flinched, and they both looked down to find two, five-foot long mako sharks. One rubbed against his legs; the other acted like it wanted to get closer to Kali but stayed away. It didn't stop her from gasping and flinching back, accidentally becoming transparent again. This time there weren't any ripples.

"They aren't attacking," Percy told her. Which...yeah. Kali could see that now. The one next to him kept nuzzling Percy, heeling like a dog.

Sharks... She still liked them, even after getting attacked by one. But that didn't mean she didn't fear them, either.

They didn't have time for her to be scared, though. So, Kali gathered up all the courage she could muster, willed herself to not blend in with the water, and carefully stuck out a hand for the second mako shark. It swam closer slowly, as if not to scare her, and placed it's nose against her palm. The shark turned, allowing her hand to glide against it's side. She removed her hand as the shark circled around her, gently nudging her every so often.

Percy tentatively reached out to the shark that still nuzzled him. He touched the dorsal fin, and the shark bucked, as if inviting him to hold tighter. As he did, Kali did the same to the second shark.

Both sharks took off the moment their hands were secure. They carried Percy and Kali down into the darkness, up until they came to the edge of the ocean proper. The sandbank dropped off into a huge chasm. Kali was pleasantly surprised that it didn't scare her, even with how deep it went and how dark it was.

About a hundred and fifty feet above them, the surface shimmered. It was pretty, and Kali was a bit in awe. She'd never swam so deep before. Any other normal person would be dead by now either because of the pressure or lack of air. Or both.

"How far down do you think we can swim?" Percy asked.

"I don't know," Kali answered, then smiled. "We should test it out some time."

He grinned back at her. "Definitely."

Suddenly, in the darkness below, something began to glimmer, becoming bigger and brighter as it came closer. A woman's voice called out: "Percy Jackson. Kali Beaumont."

It became easier to recognize who it was as the figure got closer. One of her godly aunts; a Nereid, the same one from the Mississippi River. She rode a stallion-sized sea horse and dismounted when she got close enough. The sharks and sea horse took off. Kali smiled when she realized that they were playing some sort of tag.

Her aunt smiled at them both. "You've come far, young ones. Well done."

Percy bowed, and so did Kali just to be polite. "You're the woman who spoke to us in the Mississippi River."

"Yes, child.  I am Eudora, a Nereid, spirit of the sea; perhaps my niece, here, has mentioned it?" She motioned to Kali, who grinned. Beside her, Percy nodded with a confused expression. "It was not easy to appear so far upriver, but the naiads, my freshwater cousins, helped sustain my life force. They honor Lord Poseidon, though they do not serve his court."

"And...you serve in Poseidon's court?"

Eudora nodded. "It has been many years since a child of the Sea God has been born. We have watched you with great interest."

Percy was quiet for a moment. "Me or her?"

"Both. Once we knew where she was, we watched her just the same as we did with you."

Kali hesitated before asking, "Were you there when...?" Unable to find the words, she pointed to the sharks.

Her aunt nodded sadly. "Not me specifically, but yes. Two of my sisters helped you back to shore. They were too late for Auli'i. For that, I am sorry."

She shrugged, and looked down the chasm, swallowing back the forming lump in her throat. "It wasn't your fault," she whispered.

"If our father is so interested in us," Percy said, "why isn't he here? Why doesn't he speak to me or Kali? Or even her mother?"

A cold current rose out of the depths.

"Do not judge the Lord of the Sea too harshly," Eudora told him. "He stands at the brink of an unwanted war. He has much to occupy his time, as does the Queen. Besides, they are forbidden to help you directly. The gods may not show such favoritism."

"Even to their own children?"

"Especially to them. With your sister, they tried differently when she was born, but alas..." She sighed. "The gods can work by indirect influence only. That is why I give you a warning, and a gift."

She held out her hand. White pearls flashed in her palm.

"There are only three," Kali noted. If these were meant to be for her, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover, then it didn't help all of them.

Eudora titled her head, as if motioning to something. "Check your necklace, dear one."

Kali frowned a little, but pulled out the celestial bronze shell necklace her parents had given her for her birthday. She twisted it around until she realized it was a locket. She opened it, and her brows rose in surprise at seeing a pearl in there. "Oh."

"I know you journey to Hades's realm," Eudora said. "Few mortals have ever done this and survived: Orpheus, who had great music skill; Hercules, who had great strength; Houdini, who could escape even the depths of Tartarus. Do you have these strengths?"

"Uh...no, ma'am," Percy said.

"Ah, but you have something else. You have gifts you have only begun to know. The oracles foretold a great and terrible future for you both, should you survive to adulthood. Poseidon would not have you die before your time. Therefore take these, and when you are in need, smash a pearl at your feet."

"What will happen?"

"That," she said, "depends on the need. But remember: what belongs to the sea will always return to the sea." Eudora gestured to Kali's necklace, which sat outside of her shirt, the shell now closed so the pearl wouldn't get lost. "Should you use the one in your necklace, another will grow back in time." She smiled warmly. "My sisters and I would love a visit – your mother included. Tales from Eione are only so fulfilling."

"Thank you," Kali said, and returned the smile. "I'll try."

"What about the warning?" Percy asked.

Eudora's eyes flickered with green light. "Go with what your heart tells you, or you will lose all. Hades feeds on doubt and hopelessness. He will trick you if he can, make you mistrust your own judgment. Once you are in his realm, he will never willingly let you leave. Keep faith. Good luck, Percy Jackson and Kali Beaumont."

She summoned her sea horse and road toward the void.

"Wait!" Kali called. "At the River, you said not to trust gifts. What gifts?"

"Goodbye, young heroes," Eudora called back, her voice fading as she went deeper. "You must listen to your heart." She became a glowing green speck in the distance and then, she was gone.

It was tempting to follow Eudora, but they had more important things to do. The mako sharks came back and took Percy and Kali to where they first saw them. From there, they swam back to the shore.

When they reached the beach, their clothes dried instantly, and they told their friends about what happened, as well as showing them the pearls.

Annabeth grimaced. "No gift comes without a price."

"Mine's a birthday gift," Kali defended, "from my parents. It's no different from your cap from Athena."

"Okay, I get that. But the others..." She shook her head.

Percy put the pearls away. "They were free."

"No. 'There is no such thing as a free lunch.' That's an Ancient Greek saying that translated pretty well into American. There will be a price. You wait."

+++

They used some of the spare change in the backpack Ares had given them to ride a bus into West Hollywood. Percy showed the driver the Underworld address slip he'd taken from Medusa's place, but the man had never heard of DOA Recording Studios.

"You remind me of somebody I saw on TV," he told Percy. "You a child actor or something?"

Percy struggled to find words for a moment. "Uh... I'm a stunt double...for a lot of child actors."

"Oh! That explains it."

They thanked him and quickly got off at the next stop, where the four of them then wandered around for miles on foot as they searched for DOA. No one seemed to know where it was. It didn't even appear in a phone book.

Two times, did they have to duck into alleys to avoid cop cars.

At one point, Percy froze in front of an appliance-store window, almost making Kali walk into his back. She stopped just in time not to, and was about to question him when she saw the television in the window. The news was on. A greasy, pathetic excuse of a man was talking. He barely had any hair on his head, and what hair he did have were combed as if that made him look even slightly decent. He had a beer gut, too. A woman, Barbara Walters, was interviewing him in an apartment, in the middle of a poker game, and a blonde lady sat next to the man, patting his hand.

A tear glistened down his cheek. Kali wouldn't be surprised if it was fake. "Honest, Ms. Walters, if it wasn't for Sugar here, my grief counselor, I'd be a wreck. My stepson took everything I cared about. My wife...my Camaro...I– I'm sorry. I have trouble talking about it."

Oh, Kali realized. That's Percy's stepdad. Her face twisted into disgust. Gross.

"There you have it, America," Barbara Walters turned to the camera. "A man torn apart. An adolescent boy with serious issues. Let me show you, again, the last known photo of this troubled young fugitive, taken a week ago in Denver."

The screen cut to a grainy shot of Percy, Kali, Annabeth, and Grover standing outside the Colorado diner as they talked with Ares. It had to be the picture the waitress took that night.

"Why is Kali Beaumont with him? Was she forced to go? Who are the other children in this photo?" Barbara Walters asked dramatically. "Who is the man with them? Is Percy Jackson a delinquent, a terrorist, or perhaps the brainwashed victim of a frightening new cult? When we come back, we chat with a leading child psychologist, and later Ralph Beaumont. Stay tuned, America."

"C'mon," Grover told Percy, who's expression showed pure anger. Grover hauled him away before he could punch a hole in the window.

Kali hesitated to leave. The TV still showed Barbara Walters with Percy's stepdad on one part of the screen, as another news anchor spoke. Her eyes landed on a large jug of water on the poker table closest to Barbara, the man, and Sugar the 'grief counselor.' She imagined the jug suddenly spilling over, soaking the three adults, and was thoroughly surprised when it did. Kali's eyes widened in shock, but then snickered to herself, amused at the chaos it caused on screen. Pleased, she turned to catch up with the others, only to nearly run into Annabeth.

Her brows were knitted together, and her mouth was parted slightly as she stared at the television in the window. "Did you just–"

Kali turned on her heel and hurried to walk away. "Let's catch up with the boys."

+++

Los Angeles was different from New York, in more ways than one. Where New York was seemingly compact and sensible street patterns, L.A. was spread out and chaotic. It was harder to navigate than back home, and somehow louder and stranger, too. People Kali immediately distrusted at first glance came out as it got darker, which put her more and more on edge. Sure, she didn't live in the safest part of the city back in New York, but she quickly learned that being street smart was the best bet at staying safe. Here, she didn't know how well that would work.

Paired with how hard it was to move around, Kali's optimism about finding the Underworld's entrance was dwindling.

Gangbangers, bums, and street hawkers eyed them as they passed by. Their gazes held nothing but trouble, probably wondering if it was worth the risk to mug four kids.

Just as they hurried by the entrance of an alley, a voice from the darkness said, "Hey, you."

Kali ignored it and walked on, only to run into Percy, who had stopped like an idiot.

Within seconds, they were surrounded, encircled by a gang of white kids with expensive clothes and mean faces. She made eye contact with one on accident, and his face turned meaner. Instinct had her unsheathing her sword just a second behind Percy.

At the sight of the two weapons, all of the kids backed off except for the leader. He was either really stupid or really brave, because all he had was a switchblade against two swords. When he didn't stop, Percy swung, and the blade of his sword harmlessly passed through the mortal. The leader looked down. "What the..."

"Run!" Percy screamed.

Kali didn't need to be told twice. She, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover pushed through the gang of kids, and when the one she made eye contact with tried to grab her, she swung her sword at him. Like his friend, it passed through him and stunned him enough to make him falter, and she raced to catch up with the others.

"There!" Annabeth shouted after they took a sharp turn.

Up ahead was a store with windows glaring neon in the dark of the night. It looked to be the only store on the block that was open, so they ran over. Kali took one look at the sign and glowered at the gibberish. Gods, she was so tired of reading English.

"Crusty's Water Bed Palace?" Grover translated, voice going up in question.

"Best hiding place is where they're least likely to look," Kali said.

They burst through the doors, ran behind a water bed, and ducked. Not even a second later, the gang of kids ran past outside.

Kali breathed a sigh of relief and sheathed her sword.

"I think we lost them," panted Grover.

"Lost who?" A new voice boomed from behind, making each of them jump.

Standing behind them was a guy who looked like a human version of the raptors from Jurassic Park. No hair, seven feet tall at the least, wore a leisure suit, and had gray, leathery skin, thick-lidded eyes, and a cold, reptilian smile. He moved over to them slowly, but something told Kali he could move fast if he needed or wanted to like... Well, like a raptor.

The suit he wore was out of date – it had to be from the seventies, or something. The shirt was shiny with a colorful, floral pattern, and it was buttoned halfway down, showing his hairless chest. The lapels on his the velvet jacket were thick, and there were too many silver chains around his neck to even count.

"I'm Crusty," he introduced himself, and gave them a tartar-yellow smile.

Kali held back outwardly reacting to it in disgust.

"Sorry to barge in," Percy told him. "We were just, um, browsing."

"You mean hiding from those no-good kids," he grumbled. "They hang around every night. I get a lot of people in here, thanks to them. Say, you want to look at a water bed?"

Percy didn't get a chance to decline. Crusty placed a large hand – no...paw? – on his shoulder and steered him deeper into the showroom. Annabeth and Grover followed, but Kali stayed back. She ducked behind a nearby waterbed and quietly crawled underneath it when their backs were to her. She didn't trust this guy.

"Where did the other girl go?" she heard Crusty ask not too long after.

"What other girl?" Percy asked. "It's only us three. Can we see those water beds now?"

"Ah, yes! This way..."

Kali crawled on the floor from bed to bed, all the while keeping an eye on the others' feet. She didn't dare get too close, though.

It wasn't a nice feeling, tucking herself into another small space; it made anxiety pool in her stomach, though she did her best to ignore it and focused most of her attention on her friends and 'Crusty'.

When everyone came to a stop, Kali debated on what to do. She didn't want to stay under the bed any longer than necessary, but she didn't want to let Crusty see her, either.

"This is my most popular model," she heard him speak proudly about whatever bed they were looking at currently. "Million-hand massage. Go on, try it out. Shoot, take a nap. I don't care. No business today, anyway."

"Um. I don't think..."

"Million-hand massage!" Grover cried, interrupting Percy. Kali heard a thump, and had a pretty good guess that he just jumped onto the bed. "Oh, you guys! This is cool."

Crusty hummed. "Hmm. Almost, almost."

"Almost what?" asked Percy.

Kali frowned to herself. She stared down at her forearms and hands, and thought back to what had happened right before she and Percy spoke with Eudora.

"Do me a favor and try his one over here, honey. Might fit."

Annabeth started to say, "But what–," only to get cut off.

Kali shut her eyes to concentrate, focusing her thoughts mostly on the sea and water. When she opened them again, her body was made up of water. Whereas it felt no different in water, on land it was just weird, and it took much more concentration to stay that way. And she wasn't completely transparent this time, either. Light refracting off of her showed anyone looking that she was there. It didn't to anything to her clothes or weapons, which was a shame.

She rolled out from under the bed, breathing a little easier at not being stuck under something or in a small space, and crouched behind the bed. She peered over the mattress. Annabeth struggled on one of the beds as ropes kept her tied down. The same with Grover. Percy still stood by Crusty, who's hand was clamped down on the back of his neck.

"Whoa, kid," Crusty said. "Don't worry. We'll find you one in a sec."

"Let my friends go," demanded Percy.

"Oh, sure I will. But I got to make them fit, first."

"What do you mean?"

"All the beds are exactly six feet, see? Your friends are too short. Got to make them fit."

Annabeth and Grover continued to struggle.

"Cant stand imperfect measurements," Crusty muttered. He snapped his fingers. "Ergo!"

More ropes came from the top and bottom of the beds, wrapping around Grover and Annabeth's ankles, then around their armpits. The ropes began to tighten, pulling them from both ends.

"Don't worry," Crusty told Percy. "These are stretching jobs. Maybe three added inches on their spines. They might even live. Now why don't we find a bed you like, huh?"

As he spoke, Kali inched closer, but stayed behind the beds to keep out of sight. She thought about going up and cutting the ropes, but Crusty's hand was still on Percy's neck and she didn't want to risk anything, despite how badly she wanted to go ahead stab the guy for hurting her friends and keeping that weird paw-hand of his on her brother.

"Percy!" Grover yelled.

It was then that Percy saw her. She didn't know how he spotted her when Crusty hadn't yet, but she wasn't going to question it right then. His mouth parted a little in surprise, and Kali raised a finger and placed it over her mouth. He looked away after that.

"Your name isn't Crusty, is it?" Percy asked.

"Legally, it's Procrustes," he admitted.

"The Stretcher."

Now things made complete sense. Procrustes was the giant who tried to kill Theseus with excess hospitality on his way to Athens. And Kali, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover had entered his water bed store. Fantastic.

"Yeah," the giant said. "But who can pronounce Procrustes? Bad for business. Now 'Crusty,' anybody can say that."

"You're right. It's got a good ring to it."

His eyes lit up. "You think so?"

"Oh, absolutely," said Percy. "And the workmanship on these beds? Fabulous!"

Procrustes' grin was huge. Unfortunately, his hold on her brother didn't lessen. "I tell my customers that. Every time. Nobody bothers to look at the workmanship. How many built-in lava lamp headboards have you seen?"

"Not too many."

"That's right!"

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled. "What are you doing?"

"Don't mind her," Percy told Procrustes. "She's impossible."

He laughed. "All my customers are. Never six feet exactly. So inconsiderate. And then they complain about the fitting."

"What do you do if they're longer than six feet?"

"Oh, that happens all the time. It's a simple fix."

Procrustes let go of Percy's neck, and Kali moved to get closer only to freeze when the giant reached behind a nearby sales desk and brought out a huge double-bladed brass axe; it was similar to the one Adelaide wanted to learn to use back at camp.

He explained, "I just center the subject as best I can and lop off whatever hangs over on either end."

"Ah," Percy said, swallowing hard. "Sensible."

"I'm so glad to come across an intelligent customer!"

The ropes were really stretching their friends now. Annabeth was turning pale, and Grover made gurgling sounds, like a strangled goose. If she didn't trust Percy as much as she did, she would jump in and take over whatever plan he had in his head. Seeing her friends in pain wasn't fun.

"So, Crusty..." Percy said, and she was surprised it still came out mostly light. He glanced at the sales tag on a nearby bed, a valentine-shaped Honeymoon special. Kali crept over to it, thankful that Procrustes' back was to her. "Does this one really have dynamic stabilizers to stop wave motion?"

"Absolutely. Try it out."

"Yeah, maybe I will. But would it work even for a big guy like you? No waves at all?"

"Guaranteed."

"No way."

"Way."

"Show me."

Procrustes eagerly sat down on the bed. He patted the mattress. "No waves. See?"

As Percy glanced at her, she stood straight and snapped her fingers. "Ergo." Her watery appearance went away, and her regular body came back – along with a bought of exhaustion.

Ropes lashed around the giant and flattened him against the mattress. "Hey!" he yelled out, then caught sight of her. "There was another girl!"

"Center him just right," she said.

The ropes readjusted themselves at her command. His entire head stuck out at the top, and at the bottom his feet hung over the edge at the bottom.

"No! Wait! This is just a demo."

Percy uncapped his pen. "A few simple adjustments..."

"You drive a hard bargain," Procrustes said. "I'll give you thirty percent off on selected floor models!"

Kali's mouth twisted into a frown. "Maybe start with the top," she suggested.

"That's not a bad idea," Percy said. He raised his sword.

"No money down! No interest for six months!"

Percy swung the sword. Procrustes stopped making offers.

The ropes on the other beds were cut, and Annabeth and Grover got to their feet with pained groans and winces, and cursed at both Percy and Kali. She paid no mind to them, though. Procrustes struggled on the bed, still. She eyed him for a moment, looked at the axe that he could grab if he tried, and ordered, "Tie his hands, too." As the ropes did as they were told, she finally stepped away on tired legs, just in time to hear Percy tell Annabeth she got taller.

"Very funny," she griped at him. "Be faster next time. And where did you even go?"

The question was directed at Kali. "Around," she replied with a tired shrug. "I was going to cut you guys free, but he had a hold on Percy. I didn't want to risk anything." She leaned against the sales desk as Percy looked at the bulletin board behind it. Shifting into water on land had seriously zapped her energy. So much so that she felt weak.

"You okay, Kali?" Grover asked through a wince when he stepped over. "I didn't see you get stretched."

She nodded. "I didn't. I'm fine. But, um, I figured out a new ability." She lifted one hand to show them, and let it shift from water and then back to flesh. "It's exhausting out of water."

Percy suddenly came from behind the sales desk, halting any responses Grover and Annabeth had. "Come on," he told them.

"Give us a minute," Grover complained. "We were almost stretched to death!"

"Then you're ready for the Underworld," he said. "It's only a block from here."

Kali pushed herself off of the desk. When she took a step, though, her vision got blurry and she stumbled. The others made sounds of surprise, and someone stood in front of her and gripped her shoulders. She stayed still until her vision cleared and everything stopped being dizzy.

"I'm good, I'm okay," she insisted and batted away Percy's hands.

He let go but didn't move away. "Are you sure?"

"Yep," she lied. That weak feeling was still there. But what could they do about it? They were running out of time, and she didn't want to be the reason they didn't finish the quest or save Percy's mom. "I promise. Let's get to the Underworld already, yeah?"