Shadow travel was their only choice.

As soon as they'd grabbed hold, Emilia concentrated, the shadows swirling around them and pulling them back out, to the entrance of the Pantheon. Once Leo had realized he didn't actually need to throw up, he managed to hack into Coach Hedge's favorite satellite channel, asking him to bring the ship there.

When he arrived, he told them how Piper, Jason, and Percy had left together– apparently, Annabeth had been kidnapped by Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, who were actually Tiberinus and Rhea Silvia. As they set course for the old Forum, they began to see a series of bright lights in the distance– right at the Colosseum.

The giants were nothing like Emilia had expected. First off, she hadn't actually thought Percy was being fully serious about the stupid performance act they seemed to cling to. Or maybe, she'd just wished it wasn't real. Apparently, she'd been wrong to want that.

The hypogeum ascended through a forest of weathered stone columns, into the middle of a ruined coliseum. Some special effects machines had laid planks across ruined support beams, creating a strange floor. The bleachers were gleaming white. A giant red-and-gold canopy extended overhead to provide shade from the afternoon sun. The emperor's box was draped with silk, flanked by banners and golden eagles. The roar of applause came from thousands of shimmering purple ghosts, the Lares of Rome brought back for an encore performance.

Vents on the floor sprayed sand across the arena. Huge props had sprung up— garage-size mountains of plaster, stone columns, and life-size plastic barnyard animals. A small lake appeared to one side. Ditches crisscrossed the arena floor in case anyone was in the mood for trench warfare.

Bacchus, as he'd been in Kansas, sat in the emperor's box wearing purple robes and golden laurels. At his left sat Nico and Piper, tended to by nymphs. Locked in battle with Percy and Jason were the twin giants.

Ephialtes was about twelve feet tall, dressed in a ridiculous flowery shirt that had a garish print made up of dying heroes, horrible tortures, and lions eating slaves in the Colosseum. The giant's hair was braided with gold and silver coins. He wore bright white jeans and leather sandals on his feet, which were actually curved snakeheads. Otis was the same height, but dressed in a skin-tight baby-blue leotard. The toes of his massive dancing slippers were cut away so that his snakes could protrude. A diamond tiara was nestled in his green, firecracker-braided hair.

"FIRE!" yelled Coach Hedge from the deck, manning the ballistae and raining a jet of green fire down on the giants. An explosion rocked the Colosseum just before the Argo II began to land. Emilia leaned over the railing, making sure Jason and Percy were out of the way– Jason had been crouched behind an improvised bomb shelter.

Ephialtes lay charred and groaning on the arena floor, the sand around him seared into a halo of glass by the heat of the Greek fire. Otis was floundering in the lake, trying to re-form, but from the arms down he looked like a puddle of burnt oatmeal.

Percy staggered over to Jason and clapped him on the shoulder. The ghostly crowd gave them a standing ovation as the Argo II extended its landing gear and settled on the arena floor. Coach Hedge danced around the firing platform, pumping his fist in the air and yelling, "That's what I'm talking about!"

Percy turned to the emperor's box. "Well?" he yelled at Bacchus. "Was that entertaining enough for you, you wine-breathed little—"

"No need for that." Suddenly the god was standing right next to him in the arena. "I have decided you are worthy partners for this combat."

"Partners?" growled Jason. "You did nothing!"

Bacchus walked to the edge of the lake. The water instantly drained, leaving an Otis-headed pile of mush. Bacchus picked his way to the bottom and looked up at the crowd. He raised his thyrsus. The crowd jeered and hollered and pointed their thumbs down. Bacchus smacked Otis's head with his pinecone staff, and the giant pile of Otismeal disintegrated completely.

The crowd went wild. Bacchus climbed out of the lake and strutted over to Ephialtes, who was still lying spread-eagled, overcooked and smoking. Again, Bacchus raised his thyrsus.

"DO IT!" the crowd roared.

"DON'T DO IT!" wailed Ephialtes. Bacchus tapped the giant on the nose, and Ephialtes crumbled to ashes.

The ghosts cheered and threw spectral confetti as Bacchus strode around the stadium with his arms raised triumphantly, exulting in the worship. He grinned at the demigods (even the confused ones standing on the Argo II's deck. "That, my friends, is a show! And of course I did something. I killed two giants!"

As they disembarked from the ship, the crowd of ghosts shimmered and disappeared. Piper and Nico struggled down from the emperor's box as the Colosseum's magical renovations began to turn into mist. The arena floor remained solid, but otherwise the stadium looked as if it hadn't hosted a good giant killing for eons.

"Well," said Bacchus. "That was fun. You have my permission to continue your voyage."

"Your permission?" snarled Percy.

"Yes." Bacchus raised an eyebrow. "Although your voyage may be a little harder than you expect, son of Neptune."

"Poseidon," Percy corrected him automatically. "What do you mean about my voyage?"

"You might try the parking lot behind the Emmanuel Building," Bacchus said. "Best place to break through. Now, good-bye, my friends. And, ah, good luck with that other little matter." The god vaporized in a cloud of mist that smelled faintly of grape juice.

Hazel rushed up toward Nico as they reached the others. Hedge was having a great time, "Was that Dionysus? I love that guy!"

Coach Hedge trotted up to Percy, with Hazel, Frank, and Leo close behind. "Was that Dionysus?" Hedge asked. "I love that guy!"

"You're alive!" Percy said to the others, ignoring him. "The giants said you were captured. What happened?"

Emilia explained things while Hazel fussed over Nico and Jason over Piper. Percy interrupted before she was fully done, "Where's Annabeth?"

"In trouble," said Emilia gravely. "Gaea showed us a vision– she's hurt, her leg is broken. We need to go and find her."

Percy glared at her as if he wanted to strangle her, presumably for not saving Annabeth first. She stared back at him, daring him to say something. He decided, "Tell me about the vision. Tell me everything."

The floor shook. The wooden planks began to disappear, spilling sand into the pits of the hypogeum below. "Let's talk on board," suggested Hazel. "We'd better take off while we still can."

They sailed out of the Colosseum and veered south over the rooftops of Rome. All around the Piazza del Colosseo, traffic had come to a standstill. A crowd of mortals had gathered, probably wondering about the strange lights and sounds that had come from the ruins.

The demigods gathered around the helm. Jason bandaged Piper's sprained shoulder while Hazel sat at the stern, feeding Nico ambrosia. The son of Hades could barely lift his head. His voice was so quiet, Hazel had to lean in whenever he spoke.

They exchanged the rest of their stories as they followed the cryptic advice Bacchus had provided: the Emmanuel Building. Frank ended up finding it fastest because a Chinese tourist had marked it on Google Maps. Leo probably would've given a speech about how awesome he was if Hazel hadn't interrupted him to tell them Nico had something to say.

She helped Nico to his feet. He'd always been pale, but now his skin looked like powdered milk, eyes dark and sunken. "Thank you," rasped Nico. His eyes darted nervously around the group. "I'd given up hope."

"You knew about the two camps all along," said Percy. "You could have told me who I was the first day I arrived at Camp Jupiter, but you didn't."

Emilia wanted to argue that this was not what they needed to discuss now, but Nico chose to answer as he slumped against the helm. "Percy, I'm sorry. I discovered Camp Jupiter last year. My dad led me there, though I wasn't sure why. He told me the gods had kept the camps separate for centuries and that I couldn't tell anyone. The time wasn't right. But he said it would be important for me to know..."

He doubled over in a fit of coughing. Hazel held his shoulders until he could stand again. "I—I thought Dad meant because of Hazel," continued Nico. "I'd need a safe place to take her. But now...I think he wanted me to know about both camps so I'd understand how important your quest was, and so I'd search for the Doors of Death."

There was a beat of silence. "Did you find them?" whispered Emilia.

Nico nodded. "I was a fool. I thought I could go anywhere in the Underworld, but I walked right into Gaea's trap. I might as well have tried running from a black hole."

"Um..." Frank chewed his lip. "What kind of black hole are you talking about?"

Nico started to speak, but whatever he needed to say must have been too terrifying. He turned to Hazel. She put her hand on her brother's arm. "Nico told me that the Doors of Death have two sides—one in the mortal world, one in the Underworld. The mortal side of the portal is in Greece. It's heavily guarded by Gaea's forces. That's where they brought Nico back into the upper world. Then they transported him to Rome."

Piper must've been nervous, because her cornucopia spit out a cheeseburger. "Where exactly in Greece is this doorway?"

Nico took a rattling breath. "The House of Hades. It's an underground temple in Epirus. I can mark it on a map, but— but the mortal side of the portal isn't the problem. In the Underworld, the Doors of Death are in... in..."

"Tartarus," said Emilia grimly.

Nico nodded. "They pulled me into the pit, Percy. The things I saw down there..." His voice broke.

Hazel pursed her lips. "No mortal has ever been to Tartarus. At least, no one has ever gone in and returned alive. It's the maximum-security prison of Hades, where the old Titans and the other enemies of the gods are bound. It's where all monsters go when they die on the earth. It's... well, no one knows exactly what it's like."

Her eyes drifted to her brother. The rest of her thought didn't need to be spoken: No one except Nico. Hazel handed him his black sword. Nico leaned on it like it was an old man's cane. "Now I understand why Hades hasn't been able to close the doors. Even the gods don't go into Tartarus. Even the god of death, Thanatos himself, wouldn't go near that place since he left it."

Leo glanced over from the wheel. "So let me guess. We'll have to go there."

Nico shook his head. "It's impossible. I'm the son of Hades, and even I barely survived. Gaea's forces overwhelmed me instantly. They're so powerful down there... no demigod would stand a chance. I almost went insane."

"But I would," said Emilia, mostly to herself.

Nico's eyes looked like shattered glass. "Emilia, you don't know what you're saying."

"I do," she said, voice beginning to waver. "I'm guessing you need someone on the other side to close the doors. I was made in the Mansion of Night. Eris and Nemesis sent me to this world from there. You said no mortal has ever been to Tartarus but I was born there. Rhea needed me to get my mother back to the Mansion of Night... I think I understand why I had to be the one to get her there. It wasn't just so discord was no longer on Gaea's side. It's so someone who would protect me is on that side so that... so..."

"You can't be volunteering for this," said Jason, bewildered. "Emilia, no. Just... no. We're not letting you go in there by yourself, that's crazy."

"I wouldn't be by myself!" said Emilia. "My mother is there. My real home is there. I can find my way to the Doors of Death, I can close them."

"We're not going to entertain this idea," said Jason firmly. "We'll figure that problem out later. Let's just save Annabeth now."

"Jason..."

He gave her a pointed look. Maybe what he wanted to say and wouldn't was that he didn't want to imagine losing a sister again. Or maybe that's just what Emilia wanted to hear, a reason for her to stay. "Is that the Emmanuel Building?" asked Jason, changing the subject.

Leo nodded. "Bacchus said something about the parking lot in back? Well, there it is. What now?"

"We have to get her out," said Percy immediately.

"Well, yeah," Leo agreed. "But, uh..." He looked like he wanted to say, What if we're too late? Wisely, he changed tack. "There's a parking lot in the way."

Percy looked at Coach Hedge. "Bacchus said something about breaking through. Coach, you still have ammo for those ballistae?"

The satyr grinned like a wild goat. "I thought you'd never ask."

It took only one good hit (Emilia had to admit, Coach Hedge had good aim when he finally got a chance to touch the ballistae) to break through the parking lot. As the fire cleared, a cavern opened, sunlight streaming in. Chunks of asphalt tumbled into the cavern, along with six or seven Italian cars. A faint glow burst back at them, knocking one of the cars aside.

They heard screaming, though it didn't sound very human. It faded quickly as debris continued to fall– Emilia really hoped they hadn't already crushed Annabeth.

"ANNABETH!" Percy yelled, probably thinking the same thing.

Please, please let her show herself, thought Emilia.

"Here!" she sobbed.

Percy leaned so far over the railing, he almost toppled off. He waved down at Annabeth as the Argo II descended, hovering over the shaky ground. Annabeth managed to stand, definitely injured but fully alive. Whatever supplies she'd taken with her were long gone.

Near her was a chasm, a gaping hole suspiciously shaped like a Fiat 500. Jagged rock walls plunged into the darkness with a few small ledges jutting out here and there clinging to what looked like Christmas tinsel.

The ship stopped about forty feet from the floor, the rope ladder lowered. Percy leapt onto it, climbing down first, followed by Emilia, Piper, Jason, Leo, Hazel, and Frank. Annabeth looked at them wearily, so dazed (perhaps she thought she'd never see them again) that she didn't realize Percy was running up to her until he was there, arms wrapped around her. Piper made a sound like a hiccup, as if she was trying not to cry.

Annabeth broke into tears, burying her face in Percy's chest. "It's okay," whispered Percy. "We're together."

Emilia couldn't wait to say such a thing to Hylla again, though she hoped it would not come from an encounter like this. As soon as they were out of here, she'd have to Iris-message her to let her know all was well. Then, she needed to make sure she contacted her aunt, otherwise she'd worry too much.

"Your leg." Piper knelt next to her and examined the Bubble Wrap cast. "Oh, Annabeth, what happened?"

Annabeth explained shakily, as if talking was difficult. She'd had to go underground alone, climbing off a large cliff using kite string and plastic swords to form a rope bridge. She'd seen skeletons of other Athena children on the floor but it hadn't deterred her. She'd outsmarted ghosts, followers of Mitras, and collapsed the cavern, though unfortunately fell and broke her ankles. She'd had to escape in that condition as a tunnel filled with spiders, and when she'd found the Athena Parthenos, she'd come across Arachne herself. Annabeth had been trapped, but still managed to trick Arachne into creating woven Chinese finger-traps, effectively imprisoning herself before she fell into Tartarus through the chasm.

When she finished, the demigods' faces were slack with amazement. "Gods of Olympus," said Jason. "You did all that alone. With a broken ankle."

Annabeth was humble. "Well... some of it with a broken ankle."

Percy grinned. "You made Arachne weave her own trap? I knew you were good, but Holy Hera— Annabeth, you did it. Generations of Athena kids tried and failed. You found the Athena Parthenos!"

Everyone gazed at the statue. It was forty feet tall, depicting Athena in a luminous ivory skin and a dress of gold. In her outstretched hand, the goddess held a statue of Nike, the winged victory goddess—a statue that looked tiny from where they stood, but was probably as tall as a real person. Athena's other hand rested on a shield as big as a billboard, with a sculpted snake peeking out from behind, as if Athena was protecting it. Now, the marble under its pedestal was a starburst of fractures.

"What do we do with her?" asked Frank. "She's huge."

"We'll have to take her with us to Greece," said Annabeth "The statue is powerful. Something about it will help us stop the giants."

"The giants' bane stands gold and pale," quoted Hazel. "Won with pain from a woven jail." She looked at Annabeth with admiration. "It was Arachne's jail. You tricked her into weaving it."

Leo raised his hands. He made a finger picture frame around the Athena Parthenos like he was taking measurements. "Well, it might take some rearranging, but I think we can fit her through the bay doors in the stable. If she sticks out the end, I might have to wrap a flag around her feet or something."

Annabeth shuddered, apparently eager to change the subject. "What about you guys? What happened with the giants?"

Percy told her about rescuing Nico, the appearance of Bacchus, and the fight with the twins in the Colosseum. Nico didn't say much. Emilia explained on his behalf what Nico had found out about the Doors of Death, and how they had to be closed on both sides– she decided not to say anything further, given the glares Jason, Leo, and Piper were sending at her for having volunteered to go in.

"So the mortal side is in Epirus," said Annabeth. "At least that's somewhere we can reach."

Nico grimaced. "But the other side is the problem. Tartarus." The word seemed to echo through the chamber. The pit behind them exhaled a cold blast of air. Percy guided Annabeth a little farther from the edge. Her arms and legs trailed spider silk like a bridal train.

"Bacchus mentioned something about my voyage being harder than I expected," said Percy quietly. "Not sure why—"

The chamber groaned. The Athena Parthenos tilted to one side. Its head caught on one of Arachne's support cables, but the marble foundation under the pedestal was crumbling. "Secure it!" Annabeth cried.

They all reacted quickly. "Zhang!" cried Leo. "Get me to the helm, quick! The coach is up there alone." Frank transformed into a giant eagle, and the two of them soared toward the ship.

Jason wrapped his arm around Piper as Emilia swept her hands out, using the darkness of the cavern to hold the bottom of the statue, trying her hardest to lift it even just a bit to keep the ground from crumbling beneath it. Jason turned to the others. "Back for you guys in a sec." He summoned the wind and shot into the air.

"This floor won't last!" warned Hazel. "The rest of us should get to the ladder."

"You first!" yelled Emilia, straining to push the statue up. "Hazel, go, take Nico as fast as you can!" Plumes of dust and cobwebs blasted from holes in the floor. The spider's silk support cables trembled like massive guitar strings and began to snap.

With a nod, Hazel lunged for the bottom of the rope ladder and gestured for Nico to follow, but Nico was in no condition to sprint. Percy gripped Annabeth's hand tighter. "It'll be fine," he muttered, trying to keep her spirits up.

Grappling lines shot out from the Argo II and wrapped around the statue. One lassoed Athena's neck like a noose. Emilia did her best to push it into the hooks as Leo shouted orders from the helm. Jason and Frank flew frantically from line to line, trying to secure them.

"Guys, hurry!" groaned Emilia, unable to keep pushing much longer. "This shit is heavy! Percy, Annabeth, go–"

Nico had just reached the ladder when Annabeth gave a gasp, stumbling. "What is it?" asked Percy frantically.

When Annabeth tried to stagger towards the latter, her legs swept out from under her and she fell on her face.

"Her ankle!" Hazel shouted from the ladder. "Cut it! Cut it!"

Emilia turned, seeing where the problem was. "The webs!" she shouted to Percy. He couldn't do anything at that moment– Annabeth was suddenly dragged toward the pit, and he threw himself to grab her arm. The momentum carried him along, the two figures skidding toward the chasm at an alarming speed.

She let go of the Athena Parthenos without a second thought. Hopefully, the others could handle it. Emilia flung the shadows toward Percy, forming hands that grabbed his ankles. She sank to her knees, digging them into the ground in the hopes of slowing them down. Whatever was clinging to Annabeth was pulling too hard– even as she tugged the shadows back, she got the sense she was about to topple over and break a tooth.

"Hazel, Nico stay back!" shrieked Emilia, looking over her shoulder when she heard Nico starting to stumble toward them. Beneath her knees, the ground was cracking. She wasn't sure the others could even see what was going on– the Athena Parthenos was falling fast and without anything holding it up from the bottom, Emilia was sure they had less than a minute before it broke open a new hole and plunged into Tartarus.

Annabeth sobbed as another violent tug came from within the chasm, her legs going over the side of the pit. Emilia let out a strangled scream as she was dragged forward, the rough burn of the ground ripping through her jeans. She could feel blood running out of her knees– no matter how hard she pulled, she couldn't get Percy and Annabeth back up. If she could trust that they wouldn't fall for five seconds, she swore she could send a bolt of energy into the webs to cut off the connection to Annabeth.

"Percy!" shrieked Emilia. "Can you reach it?! Can you cut it?! I can't– I can't hold on much longer!"

"No!" said Percy in a strained voice. "My sword– I can't reach it!" He was holding onto Annabeth with one arm, the other desperately clawing at the ground. "Emilia– I can't–"

She gave another yell of frustration, tugging with all her might, but the shadows from the pit wouldn't come up no matter how much she called to them– it was one or the other. She had to pick between those shadows and the ones here, outside of Tartarus. She could feel it, a faint tug in her gut, like the shadows wanted to answer to her but wouldn't unless she surrendered to them. How could she? How could she let Percy and Annabeth fall?

Percy's arm gave. She was thrown fully to the ground as Annabeth fell fully into the pit. Emilia barely managed to grab Percy's arm with her own hand– not the shadows anymore. They were right at the edge, Percy partially hanging off, Emilia sprawled on the ground face-down. She couldn't see anything but the darkness below, calling to her. It didn't feel dangerous even thought she knew it was.

"She has to cut it!" begged Emilia, digging her feet into the ground. She couldn't support both of them– already she was being dragged further and further to the edge. "She could climb over us, she could–"

She could feel Nico getting closer. "STAY BACK!" she begged. "You can't hold us!" He was too weak, he was still too far away...

"Percy, let me go," croaked Annabeth. "You can't pull me up."

"Never," said Percy. "Emilia– let us go."

"I'm not gonna do that!" she said. Percy's face was white with effort as he tried to hold onto her– she could only imagine how pale her own was. Her body was weak here, she could sense that in the darkness, she'd feel better.

"Soon, you will be forced to make a choice to help your friends," Rhea had told her. "Following them either to where you are strongest or where you are weakest."

She would've chosen it even if she wasn't leaning over the chasm. She knew what she had to do. She knew what choice she had to make.

"As for the price you must pay," Nemesis had crooned. "It will be high. You will feel you made the wrong choice either way, when the time comes. But the one you choose will bring you strength like never before. Only then will your mother see what you've been trying to tell her all along."

Emilia loved her friends too much to let them die. She could make this journey alone but she wasn't sure they could. She needed to be with them. She needed to find Eris there, she needed to recruit her help.

She couldn't remember the last thing she said to Hylla. Did she tell her how much she cared about her? Did she again dismiss her dream about being swallowed by darkness? Gods, Emilia wasn't sure she could remember whether Hylla had smiled or not. She'd wanted to Iris-message her earlier and decided against it.

"Oh, gods." She sobbed to herself when she realized that while she knew what the choice needed to be, she didn't actually want to make it. She didn't want to know what would happen in the pit, she didn't want to think of leaving the others orleaving Percy and Annabeth. She didn't want to leave her aunt without a call the next morning, she didn't want to plunge into darkness after telling Hylla it wouldn't happen. She didn't want to leave her.

"Let us go!" begged Percy. "Emilia–"

"No, I can't," she said, shaking her head. "I'm going with you."

Percy and Emilia locked eyes. Maybe he was remembering the first time he really looked at her, the first time he gave her a chance. The first time he believed that she was capable of this– of caring for someone other than herself this deeply. Of being more than what Kronos believed her to be.

This is what Eris didn't think was possible for herself. But she'd see it. She'd know it. She'd find her daughter there and she'd help her. Emilia had to believe that.

Percy seemed to understand that she wasn't changing her mind. He did his best to look up at Nico. "The other side, Nico! We'll see you there. Understand?"

Nico's eyes widened. "But—"

"Lead them there!" Percy shouted. "Promise me!"

"I—I will."

Below them, the voice laughed in the darkness. Sacrifices. Beautiful sacrifices to wake the goddess.

"It's okay," said Percy. He looked down at Annabeth. "We're staying together. You're not getting away from me. Never again."

"As long as we're together," said Annabeth weakly, face contorted in pain.

Nico and Hazel were still screaming for help that wouldn't arrive. Percy turned back to Emilia, who nodded and let go of the ground. She closed her eyes, shutting out the last few beams of sunlight that reached her.

I never told Hylla that I love her.

As her body fell free into the chasm, the darkness swallowed her.