{EVANGELINE}

The sons of Hephaestus and Mars recounted what had happened in the room with the Archimedes spheres, and the visions Gaea had shown them in the bronze mirror.

They quickly decided that their best lead for finding Annabeth was the cryptic advice Bacchus had provided: The Emmanuel Building. Frank started typing at the helm's computer while Leo tapped furiously at his controls, muttering, "Emmanuel Building. Emmanuel Building." Coach Hedge tried to help by wrestling with an upside-down street map of Rome.

Landon snatched the map from the satyr and shot him an annoyed look.

Lorelai bandaged Piper's sprained shoulder with Jason while Hazel sat at the stern with Nico, the daughter of Pluto fed the younger boy ambrosia. He could barely lift his head. His voice was so quiet, that Hazel had to lean in whenever he spoke.

Evangeline stared at her hands, which were now covered with black veins that spread out like spiderwebs. The memory of Ephialtes's body, the screeching voice and the figure in the stands, she felt like she was one step away from going insane.

She wasn't sure what had happened back there, but the sight of the giant—lying there on the ground with his bones sticking out from each limb, horrified her.

She wondered if it would ever happen again. If one day she just snapped and did it to someone she loved. It could be Nico, it could be Annabeth...it could be Percy.

She couldn't let it happen again. No matter what.

"There it is!" Leo cried out, pointing to his monitor. "Frank, you're amazing! I'm setting course."

Frank shrugged. "I just read the name off the screen. Some Chinese tourists marked it on Google Maps."

Leo grinned at the others. "He reads Chinese."

"Just a tiny bit," Frank said.

"How cool is that?"

"Guys," Hazel broke in. "I hate to interrupt your admiration session, but you should hear this."

Evangeline helped Nico to his feet.

"Thank you," he rasped. His eyes darted nervously around the group, his grip on the brunette tightening. "I'd given up hope."

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

Nico slumped against the helm. "Percy, I'm sorry. I discovered Camp Jupiter last year. My dad led me there, I wasn't sure why. He told me the gods had kept the camps separate for centuries and that I couldn't tell anyone, not even you." He glanced at Evangeline.

The brunette swallowed harshly. She remembered the time when she'd first found out about Nico being her brother, her father had lied to her and then told her he'd done it to protect her.

But he lied again, sent her brother on a dangerous mission, and almost got him killed. She wondered what excuse the god would make up this time. Whatever it would be, she didn't want to hear it.

Nico doubled over in a fit of coughing. She held him until he could stand again.

"I—I thought Dad meant because of Hazel," he continued. "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."

The air turned electric—literally, as Jason started throwing off sparks.

"Did you find the doors?" Percy asked.

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."

Lorelai must've been nervous because the color of her eyes changed to a dark blue. "And where is it?" she asked.

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..."

Evangeline felt a shiver crawl up her spine. There was only one place the Underworld where not even the gods could go to...

"Tartarus," she muttered.

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

Hazel pursed her lips. "No mortal has ever been to Tartarus," she explained. "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 the monsters go when they die on the earth. It's well, no one knows exactly what it's like."

Her eyes drifted to their brother. She didn't need to finish her thought, they all knew what she would say: No one except Nico.

Hazel handed the son of Hades his black sword.

He leaned on it like it was an old man's cane. "Now I understand why Hades hadn't been able to close the doors," he said. "Even the gods don't go into Tartarus. Even the god of death, Thanatos himself, wouldn't go near that place."

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 instantly. They're so powerful down there...no demigod would stand a chance. I almost went insane."

Nico's eyes looked like shattered glass. Evangeline wondered sadly if something inside him had broken permanently. Something that was way past repair.

He would've never been in that position if you hadn't been so wrapped up in finding your little boyfriend. The voice whispered. This was your fault.

She felt her chest tighten, unintentionally pulling Nico closer to her. It was her fault. He'd been put into danger because she had been too focused on finding Percy. She had been too stupid.

"Then we'll sail for Epirus," Percy said. "We'll just close the gates on this side."

"It's not that easy," Evangeline said. "The doors need to be closed from both sides."

"Maybe—" Nico said. "Maybe all ten of you working together could defeat Gaea's forces on the mortal side, at the House of Hades. But unless you had a team fighting simultaneously on the Tartarus side, a team powerful enough to defeat a legion of monsters in their home territory—"

"There has to be a way," Jason said.

Nobody volunteered any ideas.

The ship descended toward a big building like a palace. "We'll figure out the Tartarus problem later," Percy said. "Is that the Emmanuel Building?"

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

"We get Annabeth out of there," Landon said.

"Well, yeah," Leo agreed. "But, uh.." He looked like he wanted to say, What if we're too late? But he wisely 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."

The satyr blew up the parking lot in a matter of seconds.

Landon hadn't wasted any time in getting off the ship as the rope ladder was lowered. He climbed down the ladder as if his life depended on it. The brunette followed behind.

"Annabeth!" He yelled.

"Here!" The daughter of Athena sobbed.

Annabeth stood by the edge of a gaping hole. Jagged rock walls plunging into the darkness. A few small edges jutted out here and there.

Landon ran to her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her away from the edge. Annabeth buried her face in his chest as she broke down.

"It's okay," Landon muttered. "We're all safe."

When he pulled away, Evangeline hugged the blonde as the others joined them. "Never do that again, blondie."

"I promise," Annabeth sniffled.

"What happened?" Jason asked, looking at the blonde's ankle which had Bubble Wrap around it.

The daughter of Athena started to explain. Evangeline could see how tired and terrified Annabeth was. She knew fighting Arachne wasn't easy for Annabeth, the daughter of Athena was terrified of spiders. She couldn't imagine what it must've been like living through your worst nightmare, alone.

When the girl finished, everyone stared at her with amazement.

"Gods of Olympus," Jason said. "You did all that alone. With a broken ankle."

"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 the Athena Parthenos!"

Everyone gazed at the statue.

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

"I vote we let her fall into the hole," Landon muttered, glaring at the statue distastefully. "Teach Athena a lesso—"

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

"The giants' bane stands gold and pale," Hazel quoted. "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 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."

"What about you guys?" Annabeth asked. "What happened with the giants?"

Percy told her about rescuing Nico, the appearance of Bacchus, and the fight with the twins in the Colosseum, he left out the part about the brunette's horrific attack on Ephialtes, and Evangeline was silently grateful for that.

He explained what Nico had found out about the Doors of Death, and how they had to be closed on both sides. Even with sunlight streaming in from above, Percy's news made the cavern behind them seem darker.

"So the mortal side is in Epirus," Annabeth said. "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 which made Evangeline's skin crawl.

Percy must have felt it too. He guided her a little further from the edge.

Landon cut the bridal trail of spider silk which trailed behind Annabeth. "Don't want you tripping now, do we, M'lady?" He said, trying to lighten the mood.

Annabeth chuckled softly but her smile quickly disappeared when the chamber groaned. The Athena Partheons tilted to one side. Its head caught on one of the webs, but the marble foundation under the pedestal was crumbling.

"Secure it!" Annabeth cried.

They all seemed to understand immediately.

"Zhang!" Leo cried. "Get me to the helm, quick! Coach is up there with Piper."

Frank transformed into a giant eagle, and the two of them soared toward the ship.

Jason wrapped his arm around Lorelai. He turned to Percy and Evangeline. "Back for you guys in a sec."

Lorelai waved at them before Jason summoned the wind and shot into the air.

"Did he just ditch us?" Landon scoffed, shaking his head.

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

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.

Landon helped Annabeth up first and the two of them went ahead. Hazel lunged for the bottom of the rope and gestured for Nico to follow, but he was in no condition to sprint.

Percy gripped Evangeline's hand. "It'll be fine," he muttered.

Evangeline hummed, but she had started to feel nauseous. Her ears were ringing and her throat felt dry.

She saw the grappling lines shoot from the Argo II and wrap around the statue. One lassoed Athena's neck like a noose. Leo shouted order from the helm as Jason and Frank flew frantically from line to line, trying to secure them.

Nico had just reached the ladder when a cold wind brushed past Evangeline. She shivered and stumbled. Her hands started shaking, she felt like she'd been stuffed inside a freezer.

"What is it?" Percy asked.

"I—" She tried to move closer to him but something pulled her back.

Time's up. The voice whispered in her ears.

She was thrown to the ground, her necklace falling off to the side as she landed on her back.

Evangeline tried to sit up but a sharp pain shot through her body as something stomped on her ankle, she felt the bone snap and she screamed.

She tried to focus through the pain. She saw the cloaked figure from the arena standing over her, this time she managed to catch sight of a jagged scar on its neck before it disappeared.

Something grabbed her broken ankle and yanked her toward the pit.

Percy lunged. He grabbed her arm, but the momentum carried him along as well.

"No!" Hazel yelled. "Help them!"

Evangeline saw Nico hobbling in their direction, Hazel trying to disentangle her cavalry sword from the rope ladder. The others were still focused on the statue, and Hazel's cry was lost in the general shouting and rumbling of the cavern.

The tug on the brunette grew harder, pulling her over the edge of the pit.

Percy fell with her.

Her body slammed into the rocks. She shrieked, something sharp dug into her ankle, adding onto the pain. Evangeline glanced down, she saw a huge claw which went all the way into the void, wrapped around her leg.

She glanced up. Percy had managed to grab a ledge about fifteen feet below the top of the chasm. He was holding on with one hand, gripping Evangeline's wrist with the other, but the pull on her was too strong.

The pit shook, making Evangeline slam into the rocks again. She felt pain spread throughout her body, making it harder to hold onto Percy.

He was the only thing keeping her from falling into her worst nightmare, but he was barely holding onto a ledge the size of a bookshelf.

Nico leaned over the edge of the chasm, thrusting out his hand, but he was much too far away to help. Hazel was yelling for the others, but even if they heard her over all the chaos, they'd never make it make it in time.

Evangeline choked back a sob. She didn't have it in herself to fight anymore. She was tired. She knew that even if she survived she would be stuck in the same loop of insanity she'd been in since the day her mother had died. And if she went into Tartarus...

But maybe Gaea was right, maybe it would be easier for her if she stopped resisting and accepted her fate.

"Percy, let me go," she said. "You can't go with me."

His face was white with effort She could see it in his eyes that he knew it was hopeless but he still shook his head.

He glanced at her brother, fifteen feet above. "The other side! We'll see you there. Understand?"

Nico's eyes widened. "But—"

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

"I—" he glanced at Evangeline, breathing heavily. She saw his eyes turn glassy as tears formed in them. "I—I will."

Below them, the voice laughed in the darkness. Sacrifices. Beautiful sacrifices to wake the goddess. Love makes one do crazy things does it not?

Evangeline screamed as the claws began piercing through her skin. She blacked out for a few seconds and Percy tightened his grip on her wrist. His face was gaunt, scraped, and bloody, his hair dusted with cobwebs, he met her gaze.

"Percy, let go!" She gritted her teeth. But the more she tried to get him to let go, the more he held on.

"No!" He yelled. "I made you a promise! Even if you were in Tartarus I would be there with you. I can't break that now, not when I just got you back." he shook his head. "We're staying together. Just you and me."

The last line of her prophecy ran through her mind one last time, the grip around her tightened painfully, and she felt blood start to seep out of her leg.

She could still hear her brother and sister screaming for help. She glanced at the sunlight for the last time before she met Percy's gaze.

No matter what she said, he made it clear he wasn't letting go of her. Evangeline was cursed to end up in the darkness and he was going to go with her.

"Just you and me." Her voice broke. Then, the son of Poseidon let go of his tiny ledge.

And together, they fell into the endless darkness.

------✧------

A/N: How's everybody doing on this fine day...

Okay so we're done with moa and next book will be heavy on the Perceline content because 92% of it will be their POVS.

Drink water cus you gotta stay hydrated.