it was the moon who told me lies,
beautiful lies intertwined
with the false sense of hope.
it was the moon who told me lies,
delicate lies that danced and swayed in the wind
to the music of love.
it was the moon who told me lies,
gentle lies that lu...
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" congratulations annie, i think you might win the award for the most insane plan ever! "
—CELENA WILSON DID NOT LIKE NYX. At all. And Celena wasn't saying that just because Nyx terrified her. No, it was also because she had the weird desire to be the best at being the worst. That terrified Celena. People or monsters — especially monsters — that wanted to be the worst thing to ever exist was an immediate no-no.
Nyx lashed her whip again. The darkness congealed around her. On either side, an army of shadows appeared - more dark-winged arai, which Celena was not thrilled to see; a withered man and a younger woman in a black toga, her eyes gleaming and her smile like a serial killer's. More kept appearing: dozens of demons and minor gods, each one the spawn of Night.
Celena tried not to freak out as more appeared out of thin air. Her breath turned shallow as she faced the arai again. She remembered how their last fight went down, and how utterly defenseless she was against them. She couldn't do that again. She couldn't.
"Yeah, not bad," Annabeth started, her voice wavering for a moment. "I guess we could get on picture for the scrapbook. But I don't know. You guys are so...dark. Even if I used a flash, I'm not sure it would come out."
"Uh y-yeah," Celena stuttered. "You aren't the best example of photogenic."
"You miserable tourists!" Nyx hissed. Celena winced. "How dare you not tremble before me! How dare you not whimper and beg for my autograph and a picture for your scrapbook! You want newsworthy? My son Hypnos once put Zeus to sleep! When Zeus pursued him across the earth, bent on vengeance, Hypnos hid in my palace for safety, and Zeus did not follow. Even the king of Olympus fears me!"
"Yeah," Annabeth turned to Celena, who was still staring at the arai in horror. "Well, it's getting late. We should probably get lunch at one of those restaurants the tour guide recommended. Then we can find the Doors of Death."
"Aha!" Nyx cried in triumph. Her brood of shadows stirred and echoed: "Aha! Aha!" Celena could feel her hands shaking, and she clenched them into fists.
"You wish to see the Doors of Death?" Nyx asked. "They lie at the very heart of Tartarus. Mortals such as you could never reach them, except through the halls of my palace — the Mansion of Night! She gestured behind her. Floating in the abyss, maybe three hundred feet below, was a doorway of black marble, leading into some sort of large room.
Celena gulped, trying to stabilize her breathing. There was no way to get Night to lead them to the Doors of Death through her mansion. If they were going to run past, there was no way they would pass the goddess of Night and her most fearsome children who stood in her way. It was a lose-lose situation.
