𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲.

First time ever hostage

They finally stopped when they reached a room full of waterfalls. The floor was one big pit, ringed by a slippery stone walkway. Around them, on all four walls, water tumbled from huge pipes. The water spilled down into the deep pit, Lilia shined her torch down, but it seemed to fall forever.

Briares slumped against the wall. He scooped up water in a dozen hands and washed his face. "This pit goes straight to Tartarus," he murmured. "I should jump in and save you trouble."

"Don't talk that way," Annabeth told him. "You can come back to camp with us. You can help us prepare. You know more about fighting Titans than anybody."

"I have nothing to offer," Briares said. "I have lost everything."

"What about your brothers?" Tyson asked. "The other two must stand tall as mountains! We can take you to them."

Briares's expression morphed to something even sadder: his grieving face. "They are no more. They faded."

The waterfalls thundered. Tyson stared into the pit and blinked tears out of his eye.

What exactly do you mean, they faded?" Percy asked. "I thought monsters were immortal."

Lilia gently rested her hand on his arm, worried he'd make Briares cry. "Percy, even immortality has limits. Sometimes.....sometimes monsters get forgotten and they lose their will to stay immortal."

Lilia watched as Grover stared off into the distance, she wasn't sure what he was thinking of, maybe Pan, but Percy noticed it too.

"I must go," Briares said.

"Kronos's army will invade camp," Tyson said. "We need help."
Briares hung his head. "I cannot, Cyclops?"

"You are strong."

"Not anymore." Briares rose.

"Hey," Percy grabbed his arm and dragged him over to the waterfall, out of earshot of the others. He had a stern look on his face as he spoke to him, Briares expression turned to shame as he replied. Then he turned, and trudged off down a corridor, until he was lost in shadows.

Tyson lowered his head, soft sobs echoed through the room.

"It's okay." Grover hesitantly patted his shoulder, which must of taken a lot of courage.

Tyson sneezed. "It's not okay goat boy, he was my hero."

No one knew what to say, but after a few seconds Annabeth got up and shouldered her bag. "Come on guys. This pit is making me nervous. Let's find a better place to camp for the night."

➳

They settled in a corridor made of huge marble blocks, it looked as though it could've been part of an Ancient Greek tomb, with bronze torch holders fastened to the wall. It had to be an older part of the maze, which Annabeth deemed a good sign.

"We must be close to Daedalus's workshop," she said. "Get some rest everybody, we'll keep going in the morning."

"How will we know it's morning?" Grover asked.

"Just get some rest." She said.

Grover didn't need to be told twice. He pulled a heap of hay from his backpack, ate some, used the rest as a pillow, and was snoring  with in minutes. Tyson wasn't sat against a wall, repeatedly building something and then dismantling it after.

Annabeth set herself up on watch, Lilia sat beside her.

"How you feeling?" She asked Annabeth who was nervously fiddling with her dad's ring.