The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus Book 4)

trailed off.
    Ahead of them, jagged streaks of darkness tore through the air – like lightning, except pure black.
    ‘The Doors,’ Bob said. ‘Must be a large group going through.’
    Percy’s mouth tasted like gorgon’s blood. Even if his friends from the
Argo II
managed to find the other side ofthe Doors of Death, how could they possibly fight the waves of monsters that were coming through, especially if all the giants were already waiting for them?
    ‘Do all the monsters go through the House of Hades?’ he asked. ‘How big
is
that place?’
    Bob shrugged. ‘Perhaps they are sent elsewhere when they step through. The House of Hades is in the earth, yes? That is Gaia’s realm. She could send her minions wherever she wishes.’
    Percy’s spirits sank. Monsters coming through the Doors of Death to threaten his friends at Epirus – that was bad enough. Now he imagined the ground on the mortal side as one big subway system, depositing giants and other nasties anywhere Gaia wanted them to go – Camp Half-Blood, Camp Jupiter or in the path of the
Argo II
before it could even reach Epirus.
    ‘If Gaia has that much power,’ Annabeth asked, ‘couldn’t she control where
we
end up?’
    Percy really hated that question. Sometimes he wished Annabeth weren’t so smart.
    Bob scratched his chin. ‘You are not monsters. It may be different for you.’
    Great, Percy thought.
    He didn’t relish the idea of Gaia waiting for them on the other side, ready to teleport them into the middle of a mountain, but at least the Doors were a chance to get out of Tartarus. It wasn’t like they had a better option.
    Bob helped them over the top of another ridge. Suddenly the Doors of Death were in plain view – a freestandingrectangle of darkness at the top of the next heart-muscle hill, about a quarter mile away, surrounding by a horde of monsters so thick Percy could’ve walked on their heads all the way across.
    The Doors were still too far away to make out much detail, but the Titans flanking either side were familiar enough. The one on the left wore shining golden armour that shimmered with heat.
    ‘Hyperion,’ Percy muttered. ‘That guy just won’t stay dead.’
    The one on the right wore dark-blue armour, with ram horns curling from the sides of his helmet. Percy had only seen him in dreams before, but it was definitely Krios , the Titan that Jason had killed in the battle for Mount Tam.
    ‘Bob’s other brothers,’ Annabeth said. The Death Mist shimmered around her, temporarily turning her face into a grinning skull. ‘Bob, if you have to fight them, can you?’
    Bob hefted his broom, like he was ready for a messy cleaning job. ‘We must hurry,’ he said, which Percy noticed wasn’t really an answer. ‘Follow me.’

LXIII
     

PERCY
     
    S O FAR, THEIR D EATH M IST camouflage plan seemed to be working. So, naturally, Percy expected a massive last-minute fail.
    Fifty feet from the Doors of Death, he and Annabeth froze.
    ‘Oh, gods,’ Annabeth murmured. ‘They’re the
same
.’
    Percy knew what she meant. Framed in Stygian iron, the magical portal was a set of elevator doors – two panels of silver and black etched with art deco designs. Except for the fact that the colours were inverted, they looked exactly like the elevators in the Empire State Building, the entrance to Olympus.
    Seeing them, Percy felt so homesick he couldn’t breathe. He didn’t just miss Mount Olympus. He missed everything he’d left behind: New York City, Camp Half-Blood, his mom and stepdad. His eyes stung. He didn’t trust himself to talk.
    The Doors of Death seemed like a personal insult, designed to remind him of everything he couldn’t have.
    As he got over his initial shock, he noticed other details: the frost spreading from the base of the Doors, the purplish glow in the air around them and the chains that held them fast.
    Cords of black iron ran down either side of the frame, like rigging lines on a suspension bridge. They were tethered to hooks embedded in the fleshy ground. The two Titans, Krios and Hyperion, stood guard at the anchor points.
    As Percy watched, the entire frame shuddered. Black lightning flashed into the sky. The chains shook, and the Titans planted their feet on the hooks to keep them secure. The Doors slid open, revealing the gilded interior of an elevator car.
    Percy tensed, ready to charge forward, but Bob planted a hand on his shoulder. ‘Wait,’ he cautioned.
    Hyperion yelled to the