Emilia was the only one not frozen.

Percy and Annabeth were staring up at Tartarus, completely paralyzed with fear. They weren't reacting to the horde of monsters now turned toward them, all waiting for Tartarus to act. The god of the pit flexed his fingers, examining his own polished black talons. He had no expression, but he straightened his shoulders as if he were pleased.

It is good to have form, he intoned. With these hands, I can eviscerate you.

His voice sounded like a backward recording– as if the words were being sucked into the vortex of his face rather than projected. In fact, everything seemed to be drawn toward the face of this god– the dim light, the poisonous clouds, the essence of the monsters. Every object on this vast plain had grown a vaporous comet's tail– all pointing toward Tartarus.

Emilia was trying to process how this could work in her favor. She could turn the trail into shadows, she could suck monsters directly into her spear to keep them away from her friends. If she were willing to take the risk, she could push them into Tartarus, make him absorb them.

He was taking his sweet time savoring his new form. It was the only reason he hadn't already vaporized Annabeth and Percy. The latter of the two dropped his sword, will completely gone. Tartarus hissed again– possibly laughing.

Your fear smells wonderful, said the god. I see the appeal of having a physical body with so many senses. Perhaps my beloved Gaea is right, wishing to wake from her slumber.

He stretched out his massive purple hand and might have plucked up Percy like a weed, but Bob interrupted. "Begone!" The Titan leveled his spear at the god. "You have no right to meddle!"

Meddle? Tartarus turned. I am the lord of all creatures of the darkness, puny Iapetus. I can do as I please.

His black cyclone face spun faster. The howling sound was so horrible, Emilia had to sweep shadows into her and her friends' ears to drown it out. Bob stumbled, the wispy comet tail of his life force growing longer as it was sucked toward the face of the god. He roared in defiance. He charged and thrust his spear at Tartarus's chest. Before it could connect, Tartarus swatted Bob aside like he was a pesky insect. The Titan went sprawling.

Why do you not disintegrate? Mused Tartarus. You are nothing. You are even weaker than Krios and Hyperion.

"I am Bob," said Bob.

Tartarus hissed. What is that? What is Bob?

"I choose to be more than Iapetus," said the Titan. "You do not control me. I am not like my brothers." The collar of his coveralls bulged. Small Bob leaped out. The kitten landed on the ground in front of his master, then arched his back and hissed at the lord of the abyss.

Small Bob began to grow, his form flickering until the little kitten had become a full-sized, translucent skeletal saber-toothed tiger. "Also," Bob announced, "I have a good cat."

No-Longer-Small Bob sprang at Tartarus, sinking his claws into Tartarus's thigh. The tiger scrambled up his leg, straight under the god's chain-link skirt. Tartarus stomped and howled, apparently no longer enamored with having a physical form. Meanwhile, Bob thrust his spear into the god's side, right below his breastplate.

Tartarus roared. He swatted at Bob, but the Titan backed out of reach. Bob thrust out his fingers. His spear yanked itself free of the god's flesh and flew back to Bob's hand. Small Bob dropped out of Tartarus's skirt. He ran to his master's side, his saber-toothed fangs dripping with golden ichor.

You will die first, Iapetus, decided Tartarus. Afterward, I will add your soul to my armor, where it will slowly dissolve, over and over, in eternal agony.

Tartarus pounded his fist against his breastplate. Milky faces swirled in the metal, silently screaming to get out. Bob turned to the demigods, grinning. "Take the Doors. I will deal with Tartarus."

"I'm staying with you," insisted Emilia, summoning her spear. "Annabeth, Percy, go."

Tartarus threw back his head and bellowed—creating a vacuum so strong that the nearest flying demons were pulled into his vortex face and shredded.

Deal with me? the god mocked. You are only a Titan, a lesser child of Gaea! I will make you suffer for your arrogance. As for the puny girl that wishes to stay... you may be of Nyx's family but you have only a fraction of my sister's power. You have one last chance to flee. Otherwise, I will consume you, too... along with your tiny mortal friends...

Tartarus swept his hand toward the monster army, beckoning them forward. DESTROY THEM!

Emilia's lips twitched, lifting her arms and tugging at the wisps, shadows snaking over them toward the army of monsters. Behind her, Annabeth and Percy cut the chains. Before the monsters could stop them, Emilia thrust her hands out, concentrating every last speck of darkness against them, letting the pit fill her with strength that she repurposed, that she guided with the love she contained within her– something Tartarus could never have.

She imagined a group of telkhines breaking into conflict, and within seconds, they stopped rushing at them and instead began to snarl at each other, just as Lycaon's wolves had done. When a horde of arai tried to swarm Percy and Annabeth, she had the shadows drag them right into the ground, flattened and returned by force to the Mansion of Night once more.

Emilia lifted Incubo, the shadows rising with the spear and forming a protective dome that stopped spears, clubs, and arrows from piercing her friends. When a lone empousa tried to make a beeline for Annabeth, Emilia flicked her hand, the creature seizing up, arms and legs flailing like a puppet as she was forced to stagger back until she collided with Geryon. They both froze, unable to escape as she sent a bolt of dark energy at them, vaporizing them and drawing their essence into her spear, never to be re-formed again.

She realized Percy and Annabeth hadn't moved. They stared at her, perhaps terrified. She was vaguely aware that her vision had sharpened, as if all her senses were heightened to come to her aid, but it was only until she saw her reflection in Riptide that she realized her eyes were glowing a blackish-purple, as if she'd turned into a demon herself.

"What are you waiting for?" she hissed at Percy and Annabeth, willing the shadows to act as an extension of herself. "Go!"

Bob was still going head-to-head with Tartarus, but it wasn't going very well. They had to leave now, before Tartarus got too much control over his new body. Bob's attacks were getting slower. Small Bob was managing a great deal in saber-tooth form, but Tartarus was large enough that he could smack the cat away without much of an effort. Even when Bob came to his defense, he managed to be kicked aside.

YIELD! Tartarus thundered.

"I will not," said Bob. "You are not my master."

Die in defiance, then, said the god of the pit. You Titans are nothing to me. My children the giants were always better, stronger, and more vicious. They will make the upper world as dark as my realm!

Tartarus snapped the spear in half. Bob wailed in agony. Saber-toothed Small Bob leaped to his aid, snarling at Tartarus and baring his fangs. The Titan struggled to rise, but Emilia knew it was over and she knew what she would have to do. Even the monsters turned to watch, as if sensing that their master Tartarus was about to take the spotlight. The death of a Titan was worth seeing.

"Emilia, I know what you're thinking!" shrieked Annabeth. "Tartarus can't be fought. Not by us. He's a class by himself, he's more powerful than gods or Titans, if Bob couldn't..."

"I don't need to fight Tartarus," said Emilia, pumping her fists and preparing herself. "I'm not leaving Bob and Small Bob. I stopped Porphyrion from rising by repurposing his energy. I can give him an edge but I can't focus on that andkeep you both safe. I'll press the button with my foot and work with my hands. You have to–"

A ripple of alarm passed through the army. In the distance, Emilia heard shrieks, screams, and a persistent boom, boom, boom that was too fast to be the heartbeat in the ground—more like something large and heavy, running at full speed. An Earthborn spun into the air as if he'd been tossed. A plume of bright- green gas billowed across the top of the monstrous horde like the spray from a poison riot hose. Everything in its path dissolved.

Across the swath of sizzling, newly empty ground, they saw the cause of the commotion. The Maeonian drakon spread its frilled collar and hissed, its poison breath filling the battlefield with the smell of pine and ginger. It shifted its hundred- foot-long body, flicking its dappled green tail and wiping out a battalion of ogres.

Riding on its back was a red-skinned giant with flowers in his rust-colored braids, a jerkin of green leather, and a drakon-rib lance in his hand.

"Damasen!" cried Annabeth.

The giant inclined his head. "Annabeth Chase, Emilia Gonzalez, I took your advice. I chose myself a new fate."

Tartarus was not pleased. What is this? Why have you come, my disgraced son?

Damasen glanced at Annabeth, a clear message in his eyes: Go. Now. He turned toward Tartarus. The Maeonian drakon stamped its feet and snarled.

"Father, you wished for a more worthy opponent?" Damasen asked calmly. "I am one of the giants you are so proud of. You wished me to be more warlike? Perhaps I will start by destroying you!" Damasen leveled his lance and charged.

The monstrous army swarmed him, but the Maeonian drakon flattened everything in its path, sweeping its tail and spraying poison while Damasen jabbed at Tartarus, forcing the god to retreat like a cornered lion.

Bob stumbled away from the battle, his saber-toothed cat at his side. Percy raised his arms, giving them as much cover as he could, causing blood vessels in the ground to burst one after the other. Some monsters were vaporized in Styx water. Others got a Cocytus shower and collapsed, weeping hopelessly. Others were doused with liquid Lethe and stared blankly around them, no longer sure where they were or even who they were.

Bob limped to the Doors. Golden ichor flowed from the wounds on his arms and chest. His janitor's outfit hung in tatters. His posture was twisted and hunched, as if Tartarus's breaking the spear had broken something inside him. Despite all that, he was grinning, his silver eyes bright with satisfaction.

"Go," he ordered. "I will hold the button."

Percy gawked at him. "Bob, you're in no condition—"

"Percy." Annabeth's voice threatened to break. "We have to."

"We can't just leave them!"

"You must, friend." Bob clapped Percy on the arm, nearly knocking him over. "I can still press a button. And I have a good cat to guard me." Small Bob the saber-toothed tiger growled in agreement. "Besides, it is your destiny to return to the world. Put an end to this madness of Gaea."

A screaming Cyclops, sizzling from poison spray, sailed over their heads. Fifty yards away, the Maeonian drakon trampled through monsters, its feet making sickening squish squish noises as if stomping grapes. On its back, Damasen yelled insults and jabbed at the god of the pit, taunting Tartarus farther away from the Doors.

Tartarus lumbered after him, his iron boots making craters in the ground. You cannot kill me! he bellowed. I am the pit itself. You might as well try to kill the earth. Gaea and I—we are eternal. We own you, flesh and spirit! He brought down his massive fist, but Damasen sidestepped, impaling his javelin in the side of Tartarus's neck.

Tartarus growled, apparently more annoyed than hurt. He turned his swirling vacuum face toward the giant, but Damasen got out of the way in time. A dozen monsters were sucked into the vortex and disintegrated.

"Go," insisted Emilia, tired of saying it. Once, she'd thought it impossible to be part of a team, to care for anyone other than herself. Now, she cared too much to let them stay here a moment longer. This was her contribution to them. She had a plan. She had to see it through. "Go, find the others. I'll meet you. Bob and Damasen will come with me. I'll make sure of it."

Annabeth jumped and threw her arms around the Titan's neck, kissing his cheek as she said her goodbye, just for now. Emilia hoped she could make good on her promise. "Monsters are eternal. No matter how today ends, we will remember you and Damasen as heroes, as the best Titan and the best giant. We'll tell our children. We'll keep the story alive."

Bob ruffled her hair. Smile lines crinkled around his eyes. "That is good. Until then, my friends, tell the sun and the stars hello for me. And be strong. If it ends... differently... this may not be the last sacrifice you must make to stop Gaea." He pushed her away gently. "No more time. Go."

Annabeth grabbed Percy's arm. She dragged him into the elevator car. Bob winked at Annabeth. "Hold the Doors closed on your side," he said. "They will resist your passage. Hold them—"

The panels slid shut. He jabbed his finger into the button, making a noise of discomfort. "You should not have stayed," he warned to Emilia. "You have no way of knowing..."

"I don't," said Emilia. "But I can make a difference in other ways." She turned to the monsters. "Everyone monster thinks I remind them of Tartarus. They'll see that tenfold today."

She raised her arms, focusing on the shadows rippling around Tartarus. As Damasen continued to frustrate him, she drew the shadows out, tendrils extending in every possible direction like branches from a massive tree. The shadows collided with monsters all over, dragging them into each other, into the pit itself, into the rivers, and into her spear. She felt her body becoming lighter, and realized that the darkness had swirled at her feet, lifting her in the center of a small tornado, formed by the constant churning of souls being brought to their doom.

Twelve full minutes was all they needed. Emilia had never been particularly religious (she always lied about how much she prayed when her aunt took her to church) but she prepared herself for the longest prayer she'd ever recited.

Thanatos, I don't expect you to know who I am. We've never met. But you've seen my friends Percy, Hazel, and Frank. They freed you. You were close to your siblings once, you remember my mother. Maybe you two weren't all that close, but we are family. I ask that you listen for just a moment.

Tartarus was faltering. It no longer mattered that he'd gotten used to his body– he couldn't maintain that and the state of the pit at the same time. Cracks were beginning to appear under his massive feed, some made by Damasen and the drakon, others by his own side steps as he tripped over himself. The glow beneath his helmet seemed to alternate between too-bright and awfully dum, as if he was grappling with a choice between giving up or continuing his attempt to consume Damasen, Bob, Emilia, and everyone else who was getting in his way.

I offer you the souls of these monsters, consumed by my spear and never to return. I ask that you think of the Death you will receive again now that the Doors are closed, now that they are yours to control again. I only wish for them to be open once more, in the reverse direction. I only ask that you welcome the deaths that will come by letting me and my friends out to get our revenge against those who chained you, against those who changed the natural course of life, those who disrupted balance.

Damasen gave a roar of near-triumph, the vortex within Tartarus growing smaller. Emilia had repurposed nearly every monster– at least all those who hadn't run away snarling. Her spear glowed bright, perhaps having absorbed the essence of a thousand monsters just in one sitting. Bob was breathing unsteadily behind her, Small Bob having shrunk back down and lapping at his face affectionately.

Do you see this? Can you understand what history we've made? Foes have borne arms to the Doors of Death. A Titan and a giant have helped us give this back to you. Even now we face permanent Death, we face meeting you, because we are not afraid. I will accept Death when it is my time, even if I hope it to be in the future. I will cross those Doors again. All I ask is that now, this first time, you help me cross to the life I still have. I'm not dead yet.

Figuring she could spare it, she turned a wave of shadows to Bob, trying to imagine them healing him as she'd seen her mother do. Eris said it was only for minor injuries, but Emilia willed it to be more than that, she willed a reversal of the wound by trying to imagine the shadows 'sucking' out the darkness Tartarus put into Bob. Anything to alleviate his pain. He deserved that, after being so selfless. He'd been willing to die for them, for people he didn't need to care about.

Bob and Damasen deserve a second chance at life. They will bring peace. We have worked to close the Doors for you.. I know you don't owe us anything, I know we have no leverage for this favor. I know that no sacrifice would truly serve as worship. But we ask it of you anyway. We'll never ask for anything else. Please, hear me.

With the monsters gone, she rushed to help Damasen. Tartarus had shrunk down, as if thinking to preserve his energy by matching his son in magnitude. He tried to swat at Emilia, but she simply bounced around, shadow-traveling so fast that she was appearing in a new place before he could do anything. She began to battle, hoping that a show of strength would be enough for Thanatos to hear her plea.

Fighting Tartarus was just about the stupidest thing she could have done, and somehow also the most exhilarating. Given that Bob and Damasen had already tired him out so much, it wasn't all that different from the battle with Enceladus. She leapt out of the way effortlessly, dodging strikes before he could fully deliver them and giving Damasen openings to weaken Tartarus further. At one point, she managed to slash Incubo across his thigh, eliciting a roar so powerful, she was caught off-guard long enough for him to kick her aside.

If the shadows hadn't cushioned her fall, she probably would've broken every bone in her body. Giving a sharp gasp as she rolled on the ground, she stumbled back up, inhaling a breath of darkness and drinking up a new burst of energy.

Tartarus sneered. So you've chosen death. It will greet you swiftly!

"Oh, I can do this all day," she said, hefting her spear again. "I could fight you forever. You couldn't kill me if you tried. I wasn't raised to give up."

"It's time," cried Bob suddenly. "It is about to be twelve minutes. Damasen!"

They'd retreated so far, Emilia wasn't sure they'd make it in time. She spun the spear over her head, pivoting every last shadow she could at Tartarus, slamming every bit of force into him until he stumbled. She shadow-traveled back to Bob just as the same explosive energy burst out again, sending Damasen flying through the air, landing a hundred meters from them. Where Tartarus had been standing was now a crater, vacant and faintly steaming.

"Please work," begged Emilia. "Put your hands against the Doors, quickly!"

She grabbed Bob's free hand, placing it on the door and having Small Bob stand on his wrist, paws reaching out curiously. Damasen held on over her head, the elevator dinging right as Emilia held on, the darkness shielding them– worst case scenario, she'd transport them back where they first dropped in and she'd see if she could shadow-travel them out of Tartarus.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then came the sensation she usually got when she shadow-traveled, the horrible tug and feeling of being drawn into a vacuum. Except, it was a hundred times more powerful, and she saw stars for a full five seconds, body abnormally fuzzy. She was sure she'd fully black out, until a soothing whisper began to scratch in the back of her head, a foreign warmth spreading through her body.

"A dangerous gamble."

Her vision cleared. Everything around her was pitch black, like in Nyx's domain. A lone figure stood in front of her, lean and muscular, with a regal face, honey gold eyes, and black hair flowing down his shoulders. His skin was the color of teakwood, dark wings glimmering in shades of blue, black, and purple.

"You're..." Emilia wasn't sure it was appropriate to say that he was beautiful. She'd heard that Thanatos was frequently mistaken for the god of love, Eros. She never believed it before but now, she was sure of it.

He tilted his head. "It is a miracle you survived your birth. The day your mother finished creating you, I was waiting near enough to Tartarus, expecting you would come to me. You were a marvelous, fragile thing. And now... you ask this of me. A child no more, always closer to Death. Perhaps we will meet again... sooner than you think. Is this really a risk you will take?"

"Yes," said Emilia. "I intend to die on a battlefield. I will do as I did today and I will give what I can... accept Death if it comes once I have saved those I love. Please, I beg of you..."

Thanatos regarded her carefully. "Only because your mother is my sister. Only because you reek of the Pit, a place I do not go to, and I wish for you to be out of my sight. Do not push your luck, child. And when the time comes... do not be afraid. I will send you to your friends. The giant and the Titan I have sent to Hades's realm, where they can find their way to you. I cannot transport them fully to the mortal world. Close your eyes."

As she did, she felt the dragging sensation one final time. The ground reappeared beneath her feet, and she crumpled down, coughing as a rush of fresh air reached her, cool morning air caressing her face and smelling of sweet honeysuckle.

She opened her eyes, finding herself on a hillside overlooking the River Acheron. The sun was rising, making the water glitter and the clouds grow orange. Further up the hill were her friends– Hazel holding hands with Frank on her left, Nico on her right. Leo sitting on the floor, Percy and Annabeth being held up by Piper and Jason. The Argo II floated over the river a few hundred yards away.

"Emilia!"

She barely had a moment to sit up on her knees. Leo scrambled over, crashing into her and knocking her to the ground, practically smothering her. "Hey!" she complained playfully. "I'll still be here even if you don't crush me!"

The others ran down to find her, each of them taking a moment to grab her in some way– as if to check that it was reallyher. Piper burst into tears, Jason hugged her hard enough that she was sure she cracked a rib, Hazel kept fussing over her and brushing ash off of her face, and Frank (who was taller and more grown-up-looking than when she'd last seen him) was cramming ambrosia into her mouth.

"Bob?" asked Percy eagerly. "Damasen?"

"In Hades's realm," she said breathlessly. "They'll be okay."

They exchanged stories briefly– everyone was sure there'd be more time to chat once they had a moment to rest. Frank– now Praetor of the Twelfth Legion– and Nico explained something about the Scepter of Diocletian and about Jason and Piper fighting off the monsters that'd already made it past the Doors of Death. Hazel and Leo had defeated a witch, Pasiphaë, and the giant Clytius with Hecate's help and the guidance of a strange farting weasel named Gale.

Behind them, the Argo II veered to port, its aerial oars in motion, its sails catching the wind. Festus's head glinted in the sunlight. Even from a distance, they could hear the dragon creaking and clanking in jubilation.

"That's my boy!" yelled Leo.

As the ship got closer, Hazel saw Coach Hedge standing at the prow. "About time!" the coach yelled down. He was doing his best to scowl, but his eyes gleamed as if maybe, just maybe, he was happy to see them. "What took you so long, cupcakes? You kept your visitors waiting!"

"Visitors?" murmured Hazel.

Three figures stood at the rail next to Coach Hedge. "Hey!" yelled Pollux, waving frantically at Emilia. "Are you going to come say hi or what? Your girlfriend fought off a billion monsters to be here!"

Emilia (very rudely) didn't wait for anyone on the hill before shadow-traveling herself right onto the deck, collapsing in Hylla's arms.