Death's Touch | Jason Grace

Twenty-eight

The basin filled with alarming speed. Cary, Piper, Jason, and Percy pounded on the walls, looking for an exit, but they found nothing. They climbed into the alcoves to gain some height, but with water pouring out of each niche, it was like trying to balance at the edge of a waterfall. Even as Cary stood in a niche, the water was soon up to her knees. From the floor, it was probably eight feet deep and rising fast.

"I could try lightning," Jason said. "Maybe blast a hole in the roof?"

"That could bring down the whole room and crush us," Piper said.

"Or electrocute us," Percy added.

"Not many choices," Cary spluttered.

"Let me search the bottom," Percy said. "If this place was built as a fountain, there has to be a way to drain the thing. You guys, check the niches for secret exits. Maybe the seashells are knobs, or something." It was a desperate idea, but Cary was glad for something to do.

Percy jumped in the water. Cary and Jason and Piper climbed from niche to niche, kicking and pounding, wiggling seashells embedded in the stone; but they had no luck.

Sooner than Cary expected, Percy broke the surface, gasping and flailing. Piper offered her hand, and he almost pulled her in before she could help him up.

"Couldn't breathe," he choked. "The water... not normal. Hardly made it back."

The life force of the nymphs, Cary thought. It was so poisoned and malicious, even a son of the sea god couldn't control it.

As the water rose around her, Cary felt it affecting her too. Her leg muscles trembled like she'd been running for miles. Her hands turned wrinkled and dry, despite being in the middle of a fountain. Piper was having a similar problem. Cary felt her life draining away. No, she thought. The gates of Erebus will not force her inside yet.

The boys moved sluggishly. Jason's face was pale. He seemed to be having trouble holding his sword. Percy was drenched and shivering. His hair didn't look quite so dark, as if the color was leaching out.

"They're taking our power," Piper said. "Draining us."

"Jason," Percy coughed, "do the lightning."

Jason raised his sword. The room rumbled, but no lightning appeared. The roof didn't break. Instead, a miniature rainstorm formed at the top of the chamber. Rain poured down, filling the fountain even faster, but it wasn't normal rain. The stuff was just as dark as the water in the pool. Every drop stung Cary's skin.

"Not what I wanted," Jason said.

The water was up to their necks now. Cary could feel her strength fading.

"We'll survive," Piper murmured to herself, but she couldn't charmspeak her way out of this. Soon the poisonous water would be over their heads. They'd have to swim, and this stuff was already paralyzing them.
They would drown, just like in the visions she'd seen.

Percy started pushing the water away with the back of his hand, like he was shooing a bad dog. "Can't—can't control it!"

Piper clutched her cornucopia.

"We can't fight this," she said. "If we hold back, that just makes us weaker."

"What do you mean?" Jason shouted over the rain.

The water was up to their chins. Another few inches, and they'd have to swim.

But the water wasn't halfway to the ceiling yet. Cary hoped that meant that they still had time.

"The horn of plenty," she said. "We have to overwhelm the nymphs with fresh water, give them more than they can use. If we can dilute this poisonous stuff—"