The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus Book 4)

would be worse than staring at the face of Medusa. Better to run in darkness.
    The throbbing got louder still, sending vibrations straight up Annabeth’s spine. It felt like someone was knocking on the bottom of the world, demanding to be let in. She sensed the walls opening up on either side of them. The air smelled fresher – or at least not quite as sulphurous. There was another sound, too, closer than the deep pulsing … the sound of flowing water.
    Annabeth’s heart raced. She knew the exit was close. If they could make it out of the Mansion of Night, maybe they could leave the dark brood of demons behind.
    She began to run faster, which would have led to her death if Percy hadn’t stopped her.

LVI
     

ANNABETH
     
    ‘A NNABETH!’ P ERCY PULLED HER BACK just as her foot hit the edge of a drop. She almost pitched forward into who-knew-what, but Percy grabbed her and wrapped her in his arms.
    ‘It’s okay,’ he promised.
    She pressed her face into his shirt and kept her eyes closed tight. She was trembling, but not just from fear. Percy’s embrace was so warm and comforting she wanted to stay there forever, safe and protected … but that wasn’t reality. She couldn’t afford to relax. She couldn’t lean on Percy any more than she had to. He needed
her
, too.
    ‘Thanks …’ She gently disentangled herself from his arms. ‘Can you tell what’s in front us?’
    ‘Water,’ he said. ‘I’m still not looking. I don’t think it’s safe yet.’
    ‘Agreed.’
    ‘I can sense a river … or maybe it’s a moat. It’s blocking our path, flowing left to right through a channel cut in the rock. The opposite side is about twenty feet away.’
    Annabeth mentally scolded herself. She’d heard the flowing water, but she had never considered she might be running headlong into it.
    ‘Is there a bridge, or –?’
    ‘I don’t think so,’ Percy said. ‘And there’s something wrong with the water. Listen.’
    Annabeth concentrated. Within the roaring current, thousands of voices cried out – shrieking in agony, pleading for mercy.
    Help!
they groaned.
It was an accident!
    The pain!
their voices wailed.
Make it stop!
    Annabeth didn’t need her eyes to imagine the river – a black briny current filled with tortured souls being swept deeper and deeper into Tartarus.
    ‘The River Acheron ,’ she guessed. ‘The fifth river of the Underworld.’
    ‘I liked the Phlegethon better than this,’ Percy muttered.
    ‘It’s the River of Pain. The ultimate punishment for the souls of the damned – murderers, especially.’
    Murderers!
the river wailed.
Yes, like you!
    Join us
, another voice whispered.
You are no better than we are.
    Annabeth’s head was flooded with images of all the monsters she’d killed over the years.
    That wasn’t murder
, she protested.
I was defending myself!
    The river changed course through her mind – showing her Zoë Nightshade, who had been slain on Mount Tamalpais because she’d come to rescue Annabeth from the Titans.
    She saw Nico’s sister, Bianca di Angelo, dying in the collapse of the metal giant Talos because she also had tried to save Annabeth.
    Michael Yew and Silena Beauregard … who had died in the Battle of Manhattan.
    You could have prevented it
, the river told Annabeth.
You should have seen a better way.
    Most painful of all: Luke Castellan. Annabeth remembered Luke’s blood on her dagger after he’d sacrificed himself to stop Kronos from destroying Olympus.
    His blood is on your hands!
the river wailed.
There should have been another way!
    Annabeth had wrestled with the same thought many times. She’d tried to convince herself Luke’s death wasn’t her fault. Luke had chosen his fate. Still … she didn’t know if his soul had found peace in the Underworld, or if he’d been reborn, or if he’d been washed into Tartarus because of his crimes. He might be one of the tortured voices flowing past right now.
    You murdered him!
the river cried.
Jump in and share his punishment!
    Percy gripped her arm. ‘Don’t listen.’
    ‘But –’
    ‘I know.’ His voice sounded as brittle as ice. ‘They’re telling me the same stuff. I think … I think this moat must be the border of Night’s territory. If we get across, we should be okay. We’ll have to jump.’
    ‘You said it was twenty feet!’
    ‘Yeah. You’ll have to trust me. Put your arms around my neck and hang on.’
    ‘How can you possibly –’
    ‘There!’ cried a voice