This Dark Night ― Percy Jackson & Annabeth Chase¹

―v. another deadly quest is issued

DARKNESS. ENDLESS DARKNESS.

Naomi scrambled to her feet, her nightmare coming to life around her, the darkness pressing in. "No, no, no!"

Hands grabbed her face before the panic could take hold completely. "Nay!"

Like they usually did, Naomi's eyes adjusted with relative ease, allowing her to see Percy's face in front of hers, his brow pinched with worry. His hands were warm and calloused on her cheeks, anchoring her back to reality, out of that awful, awful nightmare.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice echoing.

The darkness wasn't endless. Not with that echo.

She swallowed hard against the lingering panic. "Sorry," she gasped. "I—sorry."

Percy studied her face, clearly worried. "You don't have to apologize. Just breathe."

Naomi forced herself to take a deep breath, tasting the moss in the air.

When Percy seemed to deem her okay, he let go of her face, but he put a hand on her arm. He drew his sword with the other, the faint glow of the blade just enough to illuminate Annabeth's frightened face and the mossy stone walls on either side of them.

Their breathing echoed against stone.

"Wh—where are we?" Annabeth said.

"Safe from scorpions, anyway," Percy said.

It didn't make sense—there shouldn't be a cave here. It was like the ground had opened up and swallowed them, like the fissure in the dining room pavilion. Was that what had happened to them?

Percy lifted his sword higher for more light.

"It's a long room," he muttered.

"It's not a room," Annabeth said. "It's a corridor."

She was right. The darkness felt empty. There was a warm breeze, like in subway tunnels, only it felt older, more dangerous somehow.

But still not as terrifying as the darkness in Naomi's nightmare. She was glad for that.

Percy started forward, but Annabeth stopped him. "Don't take another step," she warned. "We need to find the exit."

She sounded really scared now.

"It's okay," Percy promised. "It's right—"

He faltered.

Naomi looked up the way they'd come, but she couldn't see where they'd fallen in from. The ceiling was solid stone. The corridor seemed to stretch endlessly in both directions.

Percy's hand slipped from Naomi's arm and grabbed her hand.

"Two steps back," Annabeth advised on Percy's other side.

They stepped backwards together like they were in a minefield.

"Okay," she said. "Help me examine the walls."

"What for?" Percy asked.

"The mark of Daedalus."

"Uh, okay. What kind of—"

"Got it!" Annabeth said with relief. She set her hand on the wall and pressed against a tiny fissure, which began to glow blue. A Greek symbol appeared: Δ, the ancient Greek Delta.

The roof slid open and they saw the night sky, stars blazing. It was a lot darker than it should've been. Metal ladder rungs appeared on the side of the wall, leading up, and Naomi could hear people yelling their names.