•as the world caves in•

•i play with a dog•

I was expecting the Underworld to be grand in some aspects.

But instead this place was as busy as an airport in the middle of the afternoon.

Under an archway that read YOU ARE ENTERING, EREBUS, laid three entrances. They all had metal detectors with security cameras.

It was really modern and I was taken aback. Cerberus kept on howling, but I had no clue where it was coming from.

One line was moving quickly and it said EZ DEATH.

Percy turned to us. "What do you figure?"

"The fast line must go straight to the Asphodel Fields," I said. "No contest. They don't want to risk judgement from the court, because it might go against them."

"There's a court for dead people?"

Annabeth nodded. "Three judges. They switch around who sits on the bench. King Minos, Thomas Jefferson, Shakespeare—people like that. Sometimes they look at a life and decide that person needs a special reward—the Fields of Elysium. Sometimes they decide on punishment. But most people, well, they just lived. Nothing special, good or bad. So they go to the Asphodel Fields."

"And do what?"

Grover said, "Imagine standing in a wheat field in Kansas. Forever."

"Harsh."

"Not as harsh as that, look." Grover muttered.

A couple of the security guards had pulled one spirit aside and were shoving him at the security desk.

"He's that preacher who made the news, remember?"

"Oh, yeah."

Me and Annabeth shrugged at one another. Sure, we'd read the paper sometimes, but we mainly did crossword puzzles and read the little comics, and I'd sometimes check sports.

"What're they doing to him?"

Why does Percy have so many questions?

"Special punishment from Hades," Grover guessed. "The really bad people get his personal attention as soon as they arrive. The Fur—the Kindly Ones will set up an eternal torture for him."

I shuddered at the thought of them and their whips.

"But if he's a preacher," Percy said, "and he believes in a different hell..."

Grover shrugged. "Who says he's seeing this place the way we're seeing it? Humans see what they want to see. You're very stubborn—er, persistent that way."

Cerberus howled more and it shook the ground. When I looked up, there was a semi transparent giant dog, looking with at us.

"He's a Rottweiler." Was all Percy managed. "I'm starting to see him better, why is that?"

"I think..." Annabeth started. "I'm afraid it's because we're getting closer to being dead."

Oh.

"It can smell the living,"

"But that's okay," Grover trembled. "Because we have a plan."

"Right," I said, and even I knew my voice sounded small. "A plan."

I looked up at Cerberus as Percy walked towards him.

"Hey, big fella, I bet they don't play with you much." Cerberus growled at him. "Good boy."

Percy waved a stick around, and all of the attention was on Percy.

"Fetch!" Percy threw the stick into the River Styx.

Cerberus was not impressed.

"Um, Percy?" Grover said.

"Yeah?"

"I just thought you'd want to know."

"Yeah?"

"Cerberus? He's saying we've got ten seconds to pray to the god of our choice. After that... well... he's hungry."

So much for a plan.

Wait.

"Wait!" I yelled as I grabbed Annabeth's bag and started to go through it.

"Five seconds, do we run now?"

I grabbed a rubber ball from Waterland. Before anyone could say a word, I walked up to Cerberus.

"See the ball? You want the ball, Cerberus? Sir!" I shouted to him.

Cerberus cocked his head sideways.

"Sit!"

I was expecting to be ate right then and there, but instead he sat down, crushing spirits. Literally.

"Good boy!"

I threw him the ball, and his middle head caught it as the others started snapping for it.

"Drop it!"

He looked at me, whimpered and dropped it completely covered in slobber.

"Good boy," I said as I picked it up. I turned back to my friends. "Go now. EZ DEATH line—it's faster."

"But—" Percy protested.

"Now!"

They inched forwards and Cerberus growled.

"Stay!" I ordered. "If you want the ball, stay!"

"What about you?" Percy asked as he walked by.

"I know what I'm doing, Percy. At least, I'm pretty sure..."

They all got through. "Good dog!"

I held up the ball. If I gave it to him how, there'd be nothing else for me to do.

Yet I still tossed it up. The left mouth snatched it, but the middle started attacking as the right head moaned in protest of not getting it.

As it fought itself, I ran under him towards my friends.

"How did you do that?" Percy asked, amazed.

"When I lived with my dad, we had a dog...."

"Never mind that," Grover said as he tugged at Percy. "Come on!"

Behind us, Cerberus whimpered. He panted expectantly with the ball in shreds at his feet.

Oh gods.

"Good boy," I said uncertainly. "I'll bring you another ball soon, would you like that?" More whimpers. "Good dog, I'll come visit you soon. I—I promise." Who knew leaving a three headed dog would be this hard. I turned around. "Let's go."

The moment we went through the metal detector it went off. "Unauthorized possessions! Magic detected!"

We ran for it, setting off more alarms.

Minutes later we were hiding in a trunk of a black tree as security ran by, requesting backup from the Furies.

"Well, Percy, what have we learned today?" Grover asked.

"That three headed dogs prefer red rubber balls over sticks?"

"No, we've learned that your plans really, really, bite!"

I wasn't sure about that. He had the right idea, but it didn't work how we wanted it to.

As we sat I knew I was crying a little as Cerberus whimpered in the distance.

Percy looked right at me, but he never said anything and I was thankful.