Percy and I followed the River Phlegethon, stumbling over glassy black terrain, jumping crevices, and hiding behind rocks whoever the vampire girls slowed in front of us. It was tricky to stay far enough back to avoid getting spotted but close enough to keep the empouasi in our eyesight in the dark hazy air.

The heat of the river baked my skin. Every breath I took was still acidic. When we needed a drink, the best we could do was sip the spicy liquid fire. As we traveled on I pulled my hair into a ponytail to keep it out of my face with the elastic I had around my wrist. I was surprised it was still there and not broken.

Time was impossible to judge with no rising and setting sun to keep track of. We trudged along, following the river as it cut through the harsh landscape. Luckily, the empousai weren't fast walkers as they continued to hiss and fight with each other. They appeared to be in no hurry to get to the Doors of Death.

Once, the vampire demons sped up with excitement and swarmed something that looked like a beached carcass on the riverbank. I couldn't tell what it was from the distance we kept away from them. Whatever it was, the empousai attacked it with relish.

When they moved on, Percy and I reached the spot and found nothing except a few splintered bones and glistening stains drying in the heat of the river. A pit grew in my stomach when I thought about how empousai most likely ate demigods the same way.

"Come on." Percy slipped his hand in mine and gently led me away. My eyes drifted from the remains to his face. "We don't want to lose them."

"Right." I slowly nodded.

A few more miles, the empousai disappeared over a ridge. When we caught up, we found ourselves at another massive cliff. The River Phlegethon spilled over the side in jagged tiers of fiery waterfalls. The empousai were picking their way down the cliff, jumping from ledge to ledge as if they were mountain goats.

My stomach dropped. The landscape below was bleak, ash-gray plain bristling with black trees. The ground was pocked with blisters. Every once in a while, a bubble would swell and burst, disgorging a monster. All the newly formed monsters were crawling and hobbling in the same direction-toward a bank of black fog that swallowed the horizon like a storm front. The Phlegethon flowed in the same direction until halfway across the plain, where it met another river of black water. The two floods combined in a steaming, boiling cataract and flowed on as one toward the black fog

The longer I stared into the storm of darkness, the less I wanted to climb down the cliff. It could be hiding anything from a bottomless pit to an army of monsters. But if the Doors of Death were in that direction, it was our only chance of getting out of here and going home.

"Wish we could fly." Percy peered over the edge of the cliff.

I glanced upward to see dark winged shapes spiraled in and out of the blood-red clouds.

"Maybe not a good idea." I pointed above us.

"Furies?" Percy wondered.

"Or some other kind of monster." I shrugged. "Tartarus has thousands."

"Okay, so we climb." Percy said, knowing we had no other choice.

I glanced back below to see that we've temporarily lost the empousai. They'd disappeared behind one of the ridges. Even if we lost them, we knew we're to go. Like all the monsters crawling over the plains of Tartarus, we had to head toward the dark horizon.

We started down the cliff. My mind was focused on keeping my footing, making sure I didn't step on any loose rocks that would alert the empousai of our presence, and making it down safely. Percy was concentrated as he led us down. When we were halfway down the precipice, I couldn't handle going on much longer without a break. We hadn't made a stop to rest yet and my legs were shaking to the point if I didn't take a rest now, I would most likely slip and fall to my death. My ankle was flaring up like an old sports injury.

"Can we have a quick break?" I asked.

Percy quickly apologized, looking beat up for not calling a rest earlier. I gave him a soft smile to reassure him. We sat together on a ledge next to a roaring fiery waterfall. Percy put his arm around me, and I leaned against him. My body trembled from exhaustion. I just wanted to close my eyes and sleep. Since we've hit the Mediterranean, I've been having trouble sleeping and become more sleep deprived. I feel like the lack of sleep has finally caught up to me.

"It could be worse." I ventured, studying Percy's stressed expression.

"Yeah?" Percy tried his best to sound upbeat.

"We've could've fall into the River Lethe." I snuggled closer to him. He smelt of smoke and it brought back happy memories of the times we've spent around the campfire back at Camp Half-Blood. "Lost all of our memories."

"Yeah, the Lethe." Percy muttered, wearing a frown. "Not my favorite."

"Didn't you use water from the Lethe on that one Titan?" I glanced up at him. "What was his name again?"

"Uh...Iapetus. He said it meant the Impaler or something."

"But didn't you give him a new name after he lost his memory?"

"Oh, yeah. Bob." Percy said.

"Bob the Titan." I managed a weak laugh.

Percy smiled down at me. He turned his gaze across the ashen plains. My eyes were starting to feel heavy. I must've dozed off for a little while, because I felt Percy kiss my forehead and my eyes fluttered open.

"We should keep moving." Percy told me. "You want some more fire to drink?"

"It's sad that drinking fire sounds normal now." I sighed, shaking my head. "I'll pass for now. Maybe when we get closer to the bottom of this horrendous cliff."

We struggled to our feet. The rest of the cliff looked impossible to descend- robing more than a crosshatching of tiny ledges-but we kept climbing down. My fingers started to cramp. I could feel blisters forming on my ankles, causing discomfort. Hunger gnawed at my stomach. I was at the point where I was getting shaky from hunger.

The thought of dying of starvation came into mind. Would the fire liquid manage to keep up alive until we reached the surface? My stomach growled and bitter regret coursed through me. I should've finished my calzone back in Rome while I had the chance.

We finally reached the bottom. Percy helped me down to the ground. My legs were shaky and I'm pretty sure my feet were covered in nasty painful blisters. Percy and I collapsed on the ground.

Wasteland stretched for miles, bubbling with monstrous blister pods and trees. To our right, the Phlegethon split into branches that etched the plain, widening into a delta of smoke and fire. To the north, along the main route of the river, the ground was riddled with cave entrances. Spires of rocks littered the ground forming exclamation points.

I stood up. The little rest we had stopped my legs from shaking. I wiped away the soot and sweat from my face. My eyes drifted to the darkness in the horizon.

"We're going to be completely exposed, crossing this plain." I informed Percy.

About a hundred yards ahead of them, a blister burst on the ground. A monster clawed its way out. It was a telkhine. The telekhine managed to crawl a few yards before something shot out of the nearest cave, with great speed I couldn't register what type of monster it was. The reptilian monster snatched the squealing telkhine in its jaws and dragged it into the darkness.

"Oh, yeah." Percy swallowed. "This'll be fun."

"Where's your sense of adventure?" I helped Percy to his feet, trying to lighten the mood.

"Somewhere better than Tartarus, that's for sure." Percy said as we started to walk.

We made sure to avoid the cave entrances, sticking close to the bank of the river. Percy and I were skirting one of the slides when he froze. I stopped beside him, glancing around for danger.

"The empousai." Percy grabbed my arm. "Where are they?"

Alarm bells were ringing in my mind. Where were they? I surveyed around us, doing a three-sixty. Nothing. They were located in any visible place in the plains. My heart sunk. They weren't visible because they were hiding.

I plucked a grape from my necklace as it grew into a sword in my hand. Percy drew Riptide. It was too late. The empousai emerged from the rocks all around us. The five of them formed a ring. Kelli limped forward. She fixed her red glowing eyes at my boyfriend and bared her fangs. A scowl grew on my face as I tightened my grip on my sword.

"Percy Jackson." Kelli cooed. "How awesome! I don't even have to return to the mortal world to destroy you! And your friend Ivy is with you! Oh, yeah, I totally remember her."

Kelli hissed with laughter. She touched her sternum where my sword had pierced through when I had stabbed her in the back a few years ago. I had the strong urge to stab her again. Percy and I stood shoulder to shoulder as we've done many times before, ready to fight. But neither of us were in good shape for battle. Even with the both of us armed, I remembered how fast and dangerous Kelli was and now there were five empousai. There was nowhere to run and no one coming to help.

"So..." Percy started," I guess you're wondering what we're doing in Tartarus."

"Not really." Kelli snickered. "I just want to kill you."

"That's too bad." I added, trying to stall as I thought of a plan to get us out alive. The empousai's argument from earlier came to mind. "Because you have no idea what's going on in the mortal world."

The other empousai circled, watching Kelli for a cue to attack. Kelli snarled, crouching out of reach of our weapons. My mind reeled as a full plan started to formulate. The empousai already had weary doubts about Kelli. If I played with that they would most likely turn on each other.

"We know enough. Gaea has spoken." Kelli said.

"You're heading toward a major defeat." I tried my best to sound confident. I glanced at each of the empousai before looking at Kelli accusingly. "This one claims victory. She's lying. The last time she was in the mortal world, she was in charge of keeping Luke Castellan faithful to Kronos. In the end, Luke rejected him and gave his life to expel Kronos. The Titans lost because Kelli failed. Now Kelli wants to lead you to another disaster."

The empousai muttered and shifted uneasily.

"Enough!" Kelli's fingernails grew into long black talons. She glared at me. "This girl lies. So the Titans lost. Fine! That was part of the plan to wake Gaea! Now the Earth Mother and her giants will destroy the mortal world, and we will totally feast on demigods!"

The other empousai gnashed their teeth in a frenzy of excitement. Percy gripped his sword tighter.

"The demigods have united!" I yelled, hoping to disband them. Now, I had to choose my words carefully. "You'd better think twice before attacking us. Romans and Greeks will fight you together. You don't stand a chance!"

"Romani." The empousai hissed as they backed away nervously.

"Yeah, you bet Romani." Percy bared his forearm. He showed them the brand he got at Camp Jupiter- the SPQR mark with the trident of Neptune. "You mix Greek and Roman, and know what you get? You get BAM!"

Percy stomped his foot and the empousai scrambled backward. One fell off the boulder she was perched on. Kelli seemed unfazed.

"Bold talk for two demigods lost in Tartarus." Kelli said. I mentally cursed in my head. What else can I think of to persuade them to not kill us? "Lower your swords, Percy Jackson and Ivy Pittaluga, and I'll kill you quickly. Believe me, there are worse ways to die down here."

"Wait!" I readjusted my grip on my sword. Something Annabeth had mentioned to me during our research came to mind. "Aren't empousai the servants of Hecate?"

"So?" Kelli's lip curled.

"So Hecate is on our side now." I placed a hand on my hip, raising a brow. "She has a cabin back at Camp Half-Blood. Some of her demigod children are my friends. If you fight us, she'll be angry."

"Is this true, Kelli?" One of the other empousai growled. "Has our mistress made peace with Olympus?"

"Shut up, Serephone!" Kelli screeched. I had to fight a smile. "Gods, you're so annoying!"

"I will not cross the Dark Lady."

"You're better off following, Serephone." I quickly interrupted, fueling more gasoline to the fire. Kelli gave me a seething look. "She's older and wiser."

"Yes!" Serephone shrieked. "Follow me!"

Kelli lashed out so fast, I didn't have time to react. She attacked Serephone. For half a second, the two empousai were a blur of fangs and slashing claws. Then it was quickly over. Kelli stood triumphantly over a pile of dust. From her claws hung the remains of Serephone's dress.

"Any more issues?" Kelli snapped at her sisters. "Hecate is the goddess of the Mist! Her ways are mysterious. Who knows who she truly favors? She is also the goddess of crossroads, and she expects us to make our own choices. I choose the path that will bring us the most demigod blood. I choose Gaea!"

Her friends hissed in approval. I tightened my grip on the hilt of my sword and glanced at Percy. There were no other ideas I could think of besides defend ourselves.

"For two years I churned in the void." Kelli stated. "Do you know how completely annoying it is to be vaporized, Ivy Pittaluga? Slowly reforming, fully conscious, in searing pain for months and years as your body regrows, then finally breaking the crust of this hellish place and clawing your way back to daylight? All because a little girl stabbed you in the back?"

I bit my tongue, holding back a snarky comment. That would only make matters worse than what they are right now. Kelli's eyes balefully held mine.

"I wonder what happens if a demigod is killed in Tartarus. I doubt it's ever happened before. Let's find out."

Percy sprang, slashing his sword in a huge arc. He cut one of the empousai in half. Kelli dodged his attack and charged at me. I leaned back to avoid her claws. Despite the sudden rush of adrenaline, I was still feeling pretty weak. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Percy trying to make his way toward me. Two empousai launched themselves at him to grab his arms. Another jumped on his back.

Anger flared in my chest. Glaring at the cheerleader, I slashed at her side. Kelli barely dodged it, my sword cutting the fabric of her uniform. Her eyes narrowed at me as she rushed forward. I rolled away to avoid the sharp claws. Picking up a handful of gravel, I chucked it at her eyes. Kelli wailed and I went for a stab.

Percy thrashed from side to side to throw off the empousai on his back. She had her claws sinking into his shoulder.
Kelli wasn't as blind as I had hoped. She swung her arm, her claws raking down the side of my forearm. A cry slipped past my lips as I stumbled away from her. Blood ran down my arm as it stung. Kelli kicked me in my stomach, causing me to fall onto my back.

I could see Percy stumbling in my direction. The vampire on his back sunk her teeth into his neck and his knees buckled. The other two empousai bit into his arms. My heart started to beat against my ribcage when I saw him collapse to the ground. Riptide clattered to the ground. My vision went red and a tug grew in my stomach.

Kelli loomed over me with a triumphant grin. Glaring at her, I swept my legs at her ankles. The smile quickly fell from her face as she landed hard on the ground. Vines started to slowly grow from the ground. The leaves withered from the sulfuric air, but they wrapped around Kelli. More started to grow around the others.

I slowly stood to my feet and switched my sword to my non-dominant sword arm. Before I could stab Kelli's sternum, a deep war cry bellowed from above. A Titan dropped into the battlefield and stomped Kelli into monster dust. I stumbled backwards, cautiously lifting my sword.

The Titan was tall with silver Einstein hair, silver eyes, and muscular arms protruding from his ripped up blue janitor uniform. He had a massive push broom. The Titan wore a name badge that read BOB.

The Titan named Bob turned toward Percy. An empousai went to attack Bob. She lunged off of Percy. A spearhead jutted from the end of Bob's broom. With a swipe, the spear turned the empousai to dust. The last vampire tried to run away. Bob threw his broom like a massive boomerang. It sliced through the vampire and returned to his hand.

"SWEEP!" The Titan grinned with delight and did a victory dance. "Sweep, sweep, sweep."

"How...?" I stared at the Titan in shock.

"Percy called me!" Bob said happily. "Yes, he did."

"Called-Wait, you're Bob?" I blinked at him, cradling my bleeding arm. It stung badly and blood was starting to drip from my fingers to the ground. "The Bob?"

"Owie." Bob frowned when he saw my torn up arm.

He took a step toward me. Instinctively, I shuffled away. I hugged my injured arm closer to my chest. My eyes drifted to Percy to see that his neck and arms were bleeding from the bites. Percy was swaying a little, most likely from blood loss.

"It's okay." Percy reassured me. "He's friendly."

Bob slowly made his way to me, making sure I didn't run off. I eyed him nervously as he knelt beside me. The Titan gently tapped my forearm and it mended itself. The pain instantly went away. I blinked in shock. Bob chuckled, pleased with himself, then bounded over to Percy. He healed my boyfriend's injuries.

"All better!" Bob declared, his silver eyes crinkling with pleasure. "I am Bob, Percy's friend!"

"Um, I'm Ivy, Percy's girlfriend." I gave him a small wave, not knowing what to say.

"Uh...yeah." Percy managed. "Thanks for the help, Bob. It's really good to see you again."

"Yes! Bob. That's me. Bob, Bob, Bob." He shuffled around, obviously pleased with himself. "I am helping. I heard my name. Upstairs in Hade's palace, nobody calls for Bob unless there is a mess. Bob, sweep up these bones. Bob, mop up those tortured souls. Bob, a zombie exploded in the dinning room."

I furrowed my brows and turned to glance at Percy. What was he talking about? Percy looked like he had no idea how to answer my puzzled expression.

"Then I heard my friend call! Percy said, Bob!" Bob grabbed Percy's arms and hoisted him up to his feet.

"That's awesome." Percy told him. "Seriously. But how did you-"

"Oh, time to talk later." Bob's expression turned serious. "We must go before they find you. They are coming. Yes, indeed."

"They?" I nervously asked.

Percy scanned the horizon. I bit my lip and surveyed for any monsters. There was nothing but the dark gray horizon.

"Yes." Bob agreed. "But Bob knows a way. Come on, friends! We will have fun!"

I love Bob so much in the house of hades book