LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE . . . hoo

XXV.

MIA SUNK INTO the water, too weak to stop it happening. She swallowed a fair amount of water, and then she blacked out, her dreams taking her somewhere else entirely.

She was in a place that reminded her of what hell looked like in her vision — blood red clouds, a gray atmosphere, and monsters. So many monsters.

She saw Nico staggering in that place, going toward something — a bronze jar.

"Nico?" Mia frowned. "Where are you?"

Suddenly, a hand picked him up and dropped him into the jar, then hoisted it out of view.

"No! Nico! NICO!" Mia screamed, and she heard Gaea's voice in the background, telling her: look at what you've done, Amelia Starfury. Your brother, captured, bound, all because of you.

"No," she whispered, over and over again. "Not again . . ."

His death will be on your shoulders. Suddenly, Mia's surroundings shifted, and she was in a parking garage, a million machines going on at once. Two giants were facing away from her, fidgeting with settings on a control board. In the same jar that Nico had been taken in, he was curled up in, and she could see pomegranate seeds — ones that her mother had given them, in case of emergencies.

Rome's destruction will be on your shoulders. Gaea told her, though she still couldn't see the stupid goddess.

"This is Rome?" Mia asked. "It's pretty underwhelming, to be honest."

We'll see how long your spirit lasts. You could join me, you know. You could rule the world by my side. The destruction, the death of your friends — that wouldn't be pinned on you. You've joined my son. You could join me.

"What do you get about not wanting to join you?" Mia asked. "I will never join any of you — not you, not Alcyoneus, not any other giant."

Then you will die, Mia Starfury, and when you do, it will be sweet and painful.

Mia recoiled at her name. It hurt — it hurt so much. She stared at the scene playing out in front of her, wondering when this all would end.

And then she woke up, coughing out water, her body racking with sobs. And she was cold. So cold.

Her body was wet, from plunging into the water. Her hair, her now bright red hair, was dripping. And Percy was staring at her, confused.

She stopped looking at him. She buried her face in her hands and cried, babbling words.

"Nico, he . . . trapped, jar, he fucking — destruction."

"Hey. We'll save him. He'll be okay." Percy grabbed her shoulder, her hair, and suddenly she was less cold. He'd probably used his powers.

Mia could almost hear Nico in her head. I'll be okay, he told her. You have to be, too.

She stopped crying, wiping the rest of her tears away as she looked around. Frank and Hazel were nowhere to be seen, and neither was Thanatos. The entire camp was destroyed, the only thing left the main gates. The ghosts were gone, all of them. The eagle was on the ground next to Percy.

"Thanks," Mia told him. "For . . . saving me. And for being reassuring."

"Yeah," his voice was ragged. "Can you stand?"

As he helped her up, they saw Frank and Hazel running toward them, relief in their faces. When they finally got there, Percy said, "Hey," like they hadn't nearly died.

"You're both alive!" Frank marveled. "And . . . your hair's red, Amelia?"

Mia scrunched up her nose. "I don't know what happened, but it was probably one of Gaea's tricks. She talked to me in a dream, and . . ." She trailed off. "That doesn't matter. We survived."