{EVANGELINE}

The last thing she remembered was seeing the empousai on Percy; after that, everything went blank. And then when she returned to her senses she saw the Titan and what she'd done.

It had happened again even after she'd promised herself it wouldn't. She was starting to wonder if Tartarus' effect on her was driving her to do that to the monsters, but she hadn't been in Tartarus when she'd killed Ephialtes. She couldn't blame a place for her horrible actions, it was cowardly.

Something in her head kept telling her that she deserved to be here, and she couldn't help but agree.

Monsters came here to die—monsters, not demigods. She had been dragged in here to die just like a monster. Everybody she'd ever met had always called her one or thought of her as one. What she'd done to Ephialtes and the Empousa wasn't humane; it was something a monster would do.

Maybe the voice was right, she deserved to die here. She spared a glance at Percy who was walking ahead with Bob the Titan. He was putting on a brave face for her even though she could see how scared he was.

Once in a while, he would squeeze her hand, offer her a smile, or even kiss her for comfort. She was silently grateful for him being there but she also felt responsible for it.

Evangeline had come to terms with the fact that she would be in Tartarus for the rest of her life while they were following the empousai. But she knew she had to get Percy out of there, he didn't deserve to suffer because of her.

She would get him out of there, even if it was the last thing she did.

They followed the Titan through the wasteland, tracing the route of the Phlegethon as they approached the stormfront of the darkness. Her eyes were on the Titan's back as he led them toward the wall of darkness which was a few yards away now.

His blue janitor's coveralls were ripped between the shoulder blades as if someone had tried to stab him. Cleaning rags stuck out from his pockets. A squirt bottle swung from his belt, the blue liquid inside sloshed around hypnotically.

Apparently from what she was told, Nico, Percy, and Spark Plug had worked together to defeat Bob on the banks of the Lethe, but they didn't have the heart to kill him so Persephone promised he'd be looked after.

They picked their way across the ashen wasteland as red lightning flashed overhead in the poisonous clouds. Evangeline couldn't see far in the hazy air, but the longer they walked, the more she realized that the entire landscape was a downward curve.

She couldn't help but wonder if Bob had turned back into Iapetus, and was still pretending to be Bob to gain their trust before betraying them to get revenge. She knew it was wrong to think that way, but she couldn't help it, Titans couldn't be trusted.

Tartarus was a bottomless pit, a place where no one dared to go near. It would be the perfect place to get rid of two demigods who had played a major part in defeating his siblings.

They passed a blister in the ground—a writhing translucent bubble the size of a minivan. Curled inside was the half-formed body of a drakon. Bob speared the blister without a second thought. It burst into a geyser of steaming yellow slime, and the drakon dissolved into nothing.

The Titan kept walking.

The monsters reformed in zit-like bubbles on the skin of Tartarus. Earlier when they'd arrived at the wasteland, the steps had turned out to be teeth, and the ground was like skin. Evangeline was starting to think they were walking on the body of the god Tartarus—the most ancient incarnation of evil. If the god noticed them there, she was certain he wouldn't be pleased.

"Here," Bob announced.

They stopped at the top of a ride. Below them, in a sheltered depression-like moon crater, stood a ring of broken black marble columns surrounding a dark stone altar.

"Hermes's shrine," Bob explained.

Percy frowned. "A Hermes shrine in Tartarus?"

The Titan laughed in delight. "Yes. It fell from somewhere long ago. Maybe the mortal world. Maybe Olympus. Anyway, monsters steer clear. Mostly."

"And how did you remember that this was here?" Evangeline narrowed her eyes.

Bob's smile faded as he got a vacant look in his eyes. "I—I don't know."

"That's convenient," she muttered.

"What?" Bob blinked.

"That's okay," Percy said quickly.

Evangeline didn't trust Bob and his little act for a second, but Percy seemed to be convinced that there was no trace of the previous Titan left.

They climbed into the crater and entered the circle of columns. The inky storm front was less than a hundred feet away now, obscuring everything ahead of them. The crater's rim blocked their view of the wasteland behind. They'd be well hidden here, but if monsters did stumble across them, there wouldn't be a single warning.

"Who's chasing us?" She questioned.

Bob swept his broom around the base of the altar, occasionally crouching to study the ground as if looking for something. "They are following, yes. They know you are here. Giants and Titans. The defeated ones. They know."

So she had guessed right, the monsters they'd defeated would come after them. Sometimes she hated when she was right—sometimes—other times she was pretty glad she had figured it out ahead of time.

"We shouldn't stay in one place," she said. "It would just give the defeated ones an advantage. We should keep moving."

"Soon," Bob said. "But mortals need rest. Good place here. Best place for...oh, long, long, long way. I will guard you."

Her eyes hardened into a glare. Percy placed his hand over her shoulder. "You sleep," he told her. "I'll keep the first watch with Bob."

Bob rumbled in agreement. "Yes, good. When you wake, food should be here!"

Evangeline grabbed Percy and dragged him to a corner. Keeping her eye on the Titan, she whispered low enough so only the raven-haired boy could hear. "I don't trust him,"

"Bob?" He asked. "He saved our lives. He won't hurt us, you heard what he said, he doesn't remember his old life."

"That's what he wants us to think," She said. "He's acting."

"What?" Percy frowned.

"Tartarus is meant to bring out the worst in everyone inside of it." She said. "If Bob jumped back in here—his old prison—what makes you think he hasn't remembered everything and changed back?"

"Okay, but why hasn't he killed us yet?" He raised a brow.

"To lead us into a bigger trap," she said. "Maybe he's on Gaea's orders, maybe he's supposed to deliver us to her."

"Evangeline," Percy gripped her arms. "Do you trust me?"

"With my life," she said. "But—"

"Then trust me on this," He said softly. "Bob is on our side. And if anything does happen, I'll wake you up. But for right now, just rest, okay?"

She scowled, and he offered her a smile.

Evangeline had begun to feel like she would collapse from sheer exhaustion if she argued any further, so reluctantly, she agreed. "Fine," she grumbled. "But don't let me sleep for more than one watch. I mean it, Perseus, don't be a hero."

His smile shifted into a smirk. "Who, me?"

"I mean it," she warned.

"I know," He kissed her, his lips parched and feverishly warm. "Go to sleep, princess."

The brunette huffed. She curled up on the hard ground and her eyelids fell shut as soon as her head rested against the black marble.

When she closed her eyes, she had expected a nightmare; she hadn't expected herself to be back in her old house. The walls were painted a dark green that had begun to peel off. The furniture was covered in dirty, old white sheets. Cobwebs were in every corner, and dust had settled over the mantel above the fireplace.

The house looked the same as the day they'd left it. She could still hear her mother's voice dismissing her as a liability.

Some days, Evangeline would wait patiently for the sound of her mother returning home, the other days; she would roam the empty corridors of the manor, stare out the windows, or go into the backyard adorned with flowers to draw. All in order not to face the spirits of the deceased, clinging to her like shadows she couldn't escape.

"There are no such things, Evangeline," her mother would tell her. "Ghosts are not real." But they were real. They were ever so real.

She would see them in the mirrors, in the corner of her room at the dead hours of the night, whenever she would look over her shoulder. There would always be a spirit, watching her every move. People would tell her mother to send her away to an insane asylum, calling her a lunatic at the ripe age of seven.

Evangeline would hide amongst the walls of the manor, keeping everyone on the outside so it could just be her and her mother. But the woman who she'd considered as everything—considered her nothing.

She walked toward the door on the wall next to the fireplace. Her hand wrapped around the rusted gold knob, the hinges creaking in the house's silence as the hallway stretched endlessly before her.

Her footsteps padded along the red carpet on the floor. She gazed at the cracks running down the walls, hearing screeching whispers echoing through the empty space. The brunette froze, her eyes landing on a small figure at the end of the hallway...

Nico.

It felt like a weight had been lifted from her, relief washed over her like a tsunami. Nico would always find a way to transport himself in her dreams whenever she was troubled. She was glad he had managed to do it even when she was in Tartarus.

"Thank the gods, you're here," she sighed, making her toward him.

Instead of turning to face her, he started walking away.

"Where are you going?"

He didn't respond; walking further down the hallway.

"Nico?" she called.

The son of Hades continued his stride away from her, the cracks on the walls following him.

"Neeks!" she called out. When she was met with more silence, she felt her heart hammering against her chest, her trembling hands clenched into fists.

Evangeline followed after him once he disappeared around the corner. Each step she took, it felt like the air was getting colder and thicker.

"Why aren't you listening—" She faltered as she rounded the corner. Nico lay on the ground, his body limp, black smoke seeped out of his mouth and eyes—just like it had with Ephialtes.

She felt as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice on her. Her mind flashed back to the image of the giant's carcass then back to her brother. Her hand reached out for him, but tendrils of shadows wrapped around him like chains and he disappeared.

"Look at what you've done," The voice sneered. "You killed him, just like you killed Bianca."

"I—I didn't kill her," Evangeline's voice cracked. Her breathing became heavier as her vision began to grow glassy.

"How can you be so sure?" It drawled, "You had sensed that she was going to die; but you stood by and did nothing. Her blood is on your hands."

More smoke started seeping out of the cracks in the walls. The tendrils slithered toward her as more darkness spread taking over the hallways she'd grown up in, removing every trace of her life before all the chaos.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Evangeline ran back to where she'd come from, the tendrils right at her feet.

A horrifying screech followed behind, getting closer and closer.

She reached the door at the end the corridor, but it wouldn't budge. She frantically tried to open it as the darkness neared, finally it budged. She opened it quickly, only to be met with Percy staring back at her. She yelped and scrambled back.

Percy reached his hand out to her, but it was covered in blood. His eyes had a dull sheen—like his spirit had been slowly extinguished. "Look what you did," he rasped out. "You ruined everything."

She saw a stain of crimson red appear on his Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, her hands felt clammy and began to tremble as the blood spread like wildfire. "No, no, no," she murmured, shaking her head.

The sea green irises she had grown to love turned pitch black. "Nowhere to go now," he shook his head; it wasn't his voice, it was an old, seething voice. "Nowhere to hide. Just accept it."

Her eyes shot open, her hands grasping out toward Percy's. Her chest heaved up and down as she caught her breath.

"Bad dream?" Percy asked. She blinked a few times to remove the image of him from her dream.

"Something like that," she muttered. "Is it my turn to watch?"

"No, no. We're good. I let you sleep."

"I told you not to," she hissed.

"Hey, it's fine. Besides, I was too excited to sleep. Look."

Bob sat cross-legged by the altar, happily munching a piece of pizza.

Evangeline stared at the Titan. "Is that—"

"Burnt offerings," Percy finished. "Sacrifices to Hermes from the mortal world, I guess. They appeared in a cloud of smoke. We've got half a hot dog, some grapes, a plate of roast beef, and a package of peanut M&M's."

"M&M's for Bob!" The Titan beamed. "Uh, that okay?"

Percy brought her a plate of roast beef, and she didn't waste a minute in devouring it. She hadn't eaten anything in almost a week and she felt like she would die of starvation if she didn't eat as quickly as possible. It weirdly tasted like the brisket at Camp Half-Blood.

"I know," said the son of Poseidon, reading her thoughts. "I think it is from Camp Half-Blood."

She glanced at the packet of M&M's in Bob's hands, she remembered Conner would always burn a packet for his father at dinner. She wondered if all the burnt offerings went to the gods' respective altars on Olympus or in this case...Tartarus.

Percy put his hand over hers. "Hey, this is good. Actual food from home, right?"

She nodded once, and the three of them ate in silence.

Bob chomped down the last of his M&M's. "Should go now. They will be here in a few minutes."

"A few minutes?" The brunette raised a brow.

"Yes...well, I think minutes." Bob scratched his silvery hair. "Time is hard in Tartarus. Not the same."

Percy crept to the edge of the crater. He peered back the way they'd come. "I don't see anything, but that doesn't mean much. Bob, which giants are we talking about? Which Titans?"

Bob grunted. "Not sure of names. Six, maybe seven. I can sense them."

"But can they sense you?" Evangeline asked.

"Don't know." Bob smiled. "Bob is different! But they can smell demigods, yes. You two smell very strong. Good strong. Like...hmm. Like buttery bread!"

Percy climbed back to the altar. "Is it possible to kill a giant in Tartarus? I mean, since we don't have a god to help us?" He took a deep breath. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but, what about your dad?"

Evangeline pursed her lips. "He's going to be of no help. He's as useless as the others. We can only rely on ourselves."

Bob started cleaning up, collecting their trash in a little pile, and using his squirt bottle to wipe off the altar.

Ignoring the dread that washed over her, she got to her feet and dusted off her clothes. "Where do we go now?"

Percy pointed at the stormy wall of darkness. "Bob says that way. Apparently, the Doors of Death—"

"You told him?!"she hissed, making the boy wince.

"While you were asleep," he admitted. "Don't get mad, okay? He can help, besides, we need a guide."

"Bob helps!" Bob agreed. "Into the Dark Lands. The Doors of Death...hmm, walking straight to them would be bad. Too many monsters gathered there. Even Bob could not sweep that many. They would kill Percy and Evangeline in about two seconds." He frowned. "I think second. Time is hard in Tartarus."

"You already said that," Evangeline wrung her hands. "Is there any other way?"

"Hiding," said the Titan. "The Death Mist could hide you."

"How do plan on getting that?" She demanded.

"From the lady," Bob said. "If the lady will give you Death Mist, it might hide you. If we can avoid Night. The lady is very close to Night. That is bad."

"The lady," Percy repeated.

"Yes." Bob pointed ahead of them into the inky blackness. "We should go."

Evangeline felt like someone was standing right behind her again, a burning sensation spread across her hands. She glanced at the altar, if the offerings came from camp then what was stopping her from sending a message back?

If there was even a slight chance, she was going to take it.

"You have that look on your face," Percy said.

"What look?" She looked at him.

"The 'I'm-plotting-something' look."

"I don't have that look,"

"You totally do, and so does Nico. You guys get it when you're planning some scheme." Percy nodded, looking very pleased with himself for his observation.

She rolled her eyes, walked over to the pile of trash, and picked out the cleanest paper napkin there. "Give me your sword," she held her hand out toward him.

Percy brought out the pen and uncapped it. As usual, it sprang into a full-sized sword.

"The cap too," she said.

He looked at her curiously but did as told. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Sending a message," she said, pressing the cap to the hilt of the sword. Riptide shrank back into a ballpoint pen, but now the writing point was exposed.

"Whoa," Percy said. "How'd you know it could do that?"

"Landon stole it from you once and we tried to see if it could write, it took us a few tries because it kept going back in your pocket," Evangeline explained quickly.

"When did that happen?" Percy blinked.

"Long time ago," she waved him off. "Don't worry about it."

"So who are you sending it to?" He inquired.

"Rachel,"

"Rachel?" The son of Poseidon. "You mean our Rachel? Oracle of Delphi Rachel?"

"Yes, that Rachel." She finished writing the note and folded the napkin. On the outside, she wrote:

Conner,

Give this to Rachel. Not a prank. Don't be an idiot like you usually are.

Love, Eve.

She silently prayed it would work before she glanced at Bob. "Do you have something that could work as a match?"

The point of Bob's spear shot from his broom handle. It sparked against the altar and erupted in silvery fire. She lit the napkin and set it on the altar, watching it as it crumbled to ash.

"We should go now," Bob advised. "Really, really go. Before we are killed."

Evangeline gazed at the wall of darkness in front of them. Somewhere in there was a lady who dispensed Death Mist that could help them hide from monsters—a plan recommended by a Titan. The more time she spent with him, the more she became certain Bob was going to be the reason they died.

Percy stumbled upon the second Titan. Literally.

After entering the storm front, they plodded on for what seemed like hours, relying on the light of Percy's Celestial Bronze blade, and on Bob, who glowed faintly in the dark like some sort of crazy janitor angel.

Rocks loomed out of nowhere. Pits appeared at their feet, and she managed not to fall in. Monstrous roars echoed in the gloom, she could feel something watching her from the shadows but she tried not to focus on that feeling.

Everything about Tartarus was made to drive a person mad. Carefully crafted to make you suffer with every step you took, you couldn't go anywhere but down, deeper and deeper into the depths of despair.

Then Percy tripped over the ledge.

She grabbed for his arm, but he was already falling.

Fortunately, it was only a shallow depression. Most of it was filled with monster blisters. She saw Percy land on something and bounce on impact; he had landed on a glowing gold membrane.

The son of Poseidon yelped, falling off the mound.

"Percy!" Evangeline hurried over to him. She helped him up.

"You okay?" She asked, he answered with a nod.

She glanced at the membrane bubble in front of them and got a better look.

Inside the bubble was a fully formed Titan in golden armor, his skin of the color polished pennies. His eyes were closed, but he scowled so deeply that he appeared to be on the verge of a bloodcurdling war cry. Even through the blister, she could feel the heat radiating from his body.

"Hyperion," She muttered.

"I hate that guy." Percy said.

The brunette felt like her shoulder had been stabbed again. During the Battle of Manhattan, Percy had fought the Titan at the Reservoir, she remembered smacking a wall made up of shadows into the Titan's face.

She looked over at Bob. The silvery Titan was studying Hyperion with a frown of concentration—it looked more like recognition to her. She watched his reaction as he murmured, "Gold, not silver. But he looks like me."

"Bob," Percy said. "Hey, buddy, over here."

The Titan reluctantly turned.

"Am I your friend?" Percy asked.

"Yes." Bob sounded dangerously uncertain. "We are friends."

"You know that some monsters are good," Percy said. "And some are bad."

"Hmm," Bob said. "Like...the pretty ghost ladies who serve Persephone are good. Exploding zombies are bad."

"Right," Percy said. "And some mortals are good, and some are bad. Well, the same thing is true for Titans."

"Titans..." Bob loomed over them, glowering. Evangeline prepared herself for an attack.

"That's what you are," Percy said calmly. "Bob the Titan. You're good. You're awesome, in fact. But some Titans are not. This guy here, Hyperion, is full-on bad. He tried to kill me...tried to kill a lot of people."

Bob blinked his silver eyes. "But he looks...his face is so—"

"He looks like you," Percy agreed. "He's a Titan, like you. But he's not good like you are."

"Bob is good," His fingers tightened on his broom handle. "Yes. There is always at least one good—monsters, Titans, giants."

"Uh..." Percy grimaced. "Well, I'm not sure about the giants."

"Oh, yes." Bob nodded earnestly.

Evangeline heard something scream behind her, she glanced back and her eyes met the same pair of red eyes that had been watching her since she'd fallen in. "We need to go," she urged. "Now."

"Bob," The raven-haired boy looked at the Titan. "It's your call. Hyperion is your kind. We could leave him alone, but if he wakes up—"

Bob's broom spear swept into motion. He slashed through the monstrous blister, which burst into a geyser of hot golden mud.

The daughter of Hades wiped the Titan sludge off of her face. Instead of Hyperion, there was nothing but a smoking crater.

"Hyperion is a bad Titan," Bob announced, his expression grim, but his eyes seemed brighter than usual. "Now he can't hurt my friends. He will have to re-form somewhere else in Tartarus. Hopefully, it will take a long time."

"Thank you, Bob," Percy said.

The brunette felt something hit the ground with a powerful impact in the distance, the ground shook.

When she glanced at Percy, the look on his face was so calm, it was like he hadn't even felt it.

"We'd better keep going," he said.

He followed after Bob, the golden mud flecks from Hyperion's burst bubble glowing on his janitor's uniform. Evangeline glanced back at the red eyes one last time, her skin crawling at the sight. She cleared her throat and followed after the two.

As they walked through the darkness, the black fog seeped into her body, turning her bones into moist Styrofoam.

She felt like she wasn't far from walking into her demise. Evangeline scratched at her wrists, her nails dragging over the scar on her wrist. The black veins had begun to sting as if someone was injecting her blood with hot lava.

"Hey, Bob," Percy spoke up. "Where exactly are we heading?"

"The lady," the Titan told them. "Death Mist."

"What does that mean?" The raven-haired boy questioned. "Who is this lady?"

"I don't think he should name her," Evangeline said.

"The Princess is right," Bob glanced back. "Not a good idea."

"You don't have to keep calling me that," she grumbled.

"Sorry, uh, Evangeline." Bob apologised quickly.

"Okay," Percy shifted on his feet. "Do you know how far we have to go?"

"I do not," Bob admitted. "I can only feel it. We wait for the darkness to get darker. Then we go sideways."

Evangeline's gut feeling about him leading them into a trap was growing stronger and stronger by the minute.

They walked for a few more yards before Bob suddenly stopped. He raised his hand: Wait.

"What?" Percy whispered.

"Shh," The Titan warned. "Ahead. Something moves."

From somewhere in the fog came a deep thrumming noise, like the idling engine of a large construction vehicle. She could feel the vibrations through her shoes.

"We will surround it," Bob whispered. "Each of you, take a flank."

Evangeline grabbed a chunk of black obsidian rock and crept to the left. Percy went right, his sword raised defensively.

Bob took the middle, his spearhead glowing in the fog.

The humming got louder, shaking the gravel at her feet. The noise seemed to be coming from in front of them.

"Ready?" Bob murmured.

"On three," Percy whispered. One, two—"

A figure appeared in the fog. Bob raised his spear.

"Stop," Evangeline said.

Bob froze just in time, the point of his spear hovering an inch above the head of a tiny calico kitten.

"Rrow?" said the kitten, clearly unimpressed by their attack plan. It butted its head against Bob's foot and purred loudly.

The kitten fixed its yellow lamp-like eyes on one particular rock, right between the brunette's feet, and pounced. It looked up at her and purred, the ground vibrated and pebbles danced at the sound.

She stepped away, frowning at the creature. But somehow, seeing the kitten made her miss her dog. Sam had been with her throughout the war and even after it, whenever she needed him he would be there. She wanted to call him into Tartarus but she knew it would change him completely. He would go back to being a murderous hellhound and stay that way the minute he would enter Tartarus.

The cat padded over to Bob and started purring again as it rubbed against his boots.

Percy laughed. "Somebody likes you, Bob."

"It must be a good monster." Bob looked up nervously. "Isn't it?"

The Titan knelt and scooped up the cat. It fit perfectly in Bob's palm, but it decided to explore. It climbed his arm, made itself at home on his shoulder, and closed its eyes, purring like an earthmover. Suddenly, its fur shimmered.

In a flash, the kitten became a ghostly skeleton, as if it had been raised from the dead. Then it was a regular kitten again.

Her eyebrows scrunched together, it looked familiar.

"Hey, it's one those kittens from the Smithsonian." Percy said. "You remember, the ones Atlas had resurrected?"

"Of course, I do, but how did it end up here?" she asked.

He spread his hands helplessly. "Atlas told his servants to take the kittens away. Maybe they destroyed the cats and they were reborn in Tartarus? I don't know."

"It's cute," Bob said, as the kitten sniffed his ear. "I will call him Small Bob," said the Titan, scratching the kitten's chin. "He is a good monster."

That seemed to be the end of the discussion. The Titan hefted his spear and they continued marching into the darkness.

She walked in a daze, holding Percy's hand to keep her thoughts from drifting back to the nightmare she'd had. His thumb tracing circles on the back of her hand as his head rested on top of hers. The look Percy currently had wasn't much different from the one she'd seen in her dream.

She was worried about what would happen to him after he would leave this place. She dreaded the thought of him losing his spark because she had managed to drag him into her mess.

"Here," Bob announced.

He stopped so suddenly, that she almost ran into him. Bob stared off to their left, as if deep in thought.

"Is this the place?" Percy asked, lifting his head from Evangeline's. "Where we go sideways?"

"Yes," Bob agreed. "Darker, then sideways."

Evangeline could see it getting darker, the air grew colder and thicker as they ascended deeper into the gloom. Soon they entered some sort of forest. Towering black trees soared into the gloom, perfectly round and bare of branches, like monstrous hair follicles. The ground was smooth and pale.

Evangeline's feet halted, the hair at the back of her neck stood. She heard a ringing in her ears.

It was a trap after all.

"What is it?" Percy raised his sword.

Bob turned and looked back, confused. "We are stopping?"

She placed her finger over her lips, shushing the two of them. She saw the tree trunk quivering and her eyes frantically gazed at their surroundings. A few yards away, another tree shuddered.

"Something's moving above us," she whispered.

Bob and Percy closed ranks with her, standing back to back. She swallowed the lump in her throat and the first monster dropped to the ground only five feet away. She would've mistaken it for a Fury if it hadn't been coming straight toward them to attack.

It was a wrinkled hag with batlike wings, brass, talons, and glowing red eyes; the same ones that had been following her. It wore a tattered dress of black silk, and her face was twisted and ravenous, like a demonic grandmother in the mood to kill.

Bob grunted as another one dropped in front of him, and then another in front of the son of Poseidon. Soon there were half a dozen surrounding them. More hissed in the trees above.

"What are you?" she demanded.

The arai hissed a voice. The curses!

Evangeline couldn't see which one of them spoke since none of them had moved their mouths. Their eyes looked dead; their expression was frozen, like puppets. The voice simply floated overhead as if a single mind controlled all the creatures.

She felt a knot in her stomach. "What do you want?" she asked.

The voice cackled maliciously. To curse you, of course! To destroy you a thousand times in the name of Mother Night!

"Only a thousand times?" Percy murmured. "Oh, good...I thought we were in trouble."

And in the blink of an eye, the arai closed in.

------✧------

A/N: Look at this chapter turning out better than I had planned.

The arai were probably my favourite in house of hades so i'm gonna enjoy writing that part because a lot of people have cursed our girly. (It took me like 3 months to decide who it was gonna be)

Also Grover's coming back next chapter. YAYYY!