The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus Book 4)

grimaced. ‘Well, I’m not sure about the giants.’
    ‘Oh, yes.’ Bob nodded earnestly.
    Annabeth sensed they’d already been in this place too long. Their pursuers would be closing in.
    ‘We should go,’ she urged. ‘What do we do about …?’
    ‘Bob,’ Percy said, ‘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. If he’d been aiming at Annabeth or Percy, they would’ve been cut in half. Instead,Bob slashed through the monstrous blister, which burst in a geyser of hot golden mud.
    Annabeth wiped the Titan sludge out of her eyes. Where Hyperion had been, there was nothing but a smoking crater.
    ‘Hyperion is a bad Titan,’ Bob announced, his expression grim. ‘Now he can’t hurt my friends. He will have to re-form somewhere else in Tartarus. Hopefully it will take a long time.’
    The Titan’s eyes seemed brighter than usual, as if he were about to cry quicksilver.
    ‘Thank you, Bob,’ Percy said.
    How was he keeping his cool? The way he talked to Bob left Annabeth awestruck … and maybe a little uneasy, too. If Percy had been serious about leaving the choice to Bob, then she didn’t like how much he trusted the Titan. If he’d been manipulating Bob into making that choice … well, then, Annabeth was stunned that Percy could be so calculating.
    He met her eyes, but she couldn’t read his expression. That bothered her, too.
    ‘We’d better keep going,’ he said.
    She and Percy followed Bob, the golden mud flecks from Hyperion’s burst bubble glowing on his janitor’s uniform.

XXIV
     

ANNABETH
     
    A FTER A WHILE, Annabeth’s feet felt like Titan mush. She marched along, following Bob, listening to the monotonous slosh of liquid in his cleaning bottle.
    Stay alert
, she told herself, but it was hard. Her thoughts were as numb as her legs. From time to time, Percy took her hand or made an encouraging comment, but she could tell the dark landscape was getting to him as well. His eyes had a dull sheen – like his spirit was being slowly extinguished.
    He fell into Tartarus to be with you
, said a voice in her head.
If he dies, it will be your fault.
    ‘Stop it,’ she said aloud.
    Percy frowned. ‘What?’
    ‘No, not you.’ She tried for a reassuring smile, but she couldn’t quite muster one. ‘Talking to myself. This place … it’s messing with my mind. Giving me dark thoughts.’
    The worry lines deepened around Percy’s sea-green eyes. ‘Hey, Bob, where exactly are we heading?’
    ‘The lady,’ Bob said. ‘Death Mist.’
    Annabeth fought down her irritation. ‘But what does that mean? Who is this lady?’
    ‘Naming her?’ Bob glanced back. ‘Not a good idea.’
    Annabeth sighed. The Titan was right. Names had power, and speaking them here in Tartarus was probably very dangerous.
    ‘Can you at least tell us how far?’ she asked.
    ‘I do not know,’ Bob admitted. ‘I can only feel it. We wait for the darkness to get darker. Then we go sideways.’
    ‘Sideways,’ Annabeth muttered. ‘Naturally.’
    She was tempted to ask for a rest, but she didn’t want to stop. Not here in this cold, dark place. The black fog seeped into her body, turning her bones into moist Styrofoam.
    She wondered if her message would get to Rachel Dare. If Rachel could somehow carry her proposal to Reyna without getting killed in the process …
    A ridiculous hope
, said the voice in her head.
You have only put Rachel in danger. Even if she finds the Romans, why should Reyna trust you after all that has happened?
    Annabeth was tempted to shout back at the voice, but she resisted. Even if she were going crazy, she didn’t want to
look
like she was going crazy.
    She desperately needed something to lift her spirits. A drink of actual water. A moment of sunlight. A warm bed. A kind word from her mother.
    Suddenly Bob stopped. He raised his hand:
Wait.
    ‘What?’ Percy whispered.
    ‘Shh,’ Bob warned. ‘Ahead. Something moves.’
    Annabeth strained her ears. 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.’
    For the millionth time, Annabeth wished she had her dagger. She picked up a chunk of jagged black obsidian and crept to the left. Percy went right, his sword ready.
    Bob took the middle, his spearhead glowing