Changing the Future

Chapter 86

Eighteen days.

I had eighteen days in mortal world time to traverse the nightmare known as Tartarus and get my butt through the Doors of Death to Epirus. This time, I'd properly shut the Doors and flip off Tartarus and any of my Titan uncles who tried to get in my way.

But this time, I couldn't count on Salina bailing me out. If things got rough, I might have to call Bob.

Gods of Olympus, I hope that's not the case. I don't want him to spend another unnecessary minute here.

I spent my nine days of free fall listening in on the charm chats. Since I was their creator, I had access to all the channels, private or not. Obviously, I didn't stay in a chat if it was something personal, but a girl had to keep sane somehow when falling into Hell.

Why did she do that? Percy asked, currently in a chat with Annabeth. She could've saved herself. But she smiled at us and threw herself back into Tartarus.

Call me crazy, but I have this horrible sensation that she took our place. We were supposed to close the Doors, Annabeth said. She wanted to protect us.

I've been having those thoughts too. The Oracle must've shown her something. That must be why she teleported us to the Argo II.

Their chat was promptly interrupted by Nico commandeering all the connections and saying, Everyone better be sacrificing a portion of their food to Andy from here on out. She's a goddess; sacrifices make her stronger. She'll need all the help she can get if we want to see her again in our lifetimes.

Wow, Nico, ye of little faith.

Did he have a point? Yes.

Did he manage to bruise my ego? Also, yes.

I'd put off Hera's advice of receiving offerings for the greater part of six months and had paid the price for it. I'd gladly swallow my pride if it meant not having to become Tartarus's favorite throw pillow again.

As with the first time I arrived via the Falling Express™, the air grew hotter and damper, as if I was plummeting into the throat of a massive dragon. The darkness took on a gray-red tinge. The whistling wind transformed into a roar. The air became intolerably hot, permeated with the delectable scent of rotten eggs.

The chute I'd been falling through opened into a vast cavern. Red clouds hung in the air like vaporized blood. The landscape was rocky black plains, punctuated by jagged mountains and fiery chasms. To my left, the ground dropped off in a series of cliffs, like colossal steps leading deeper into the abyss. The stench of sulfur made it hard to concentrate, but if I pushed past the acrid stench and poisonous air, I could make out a ribbon of glittering black liquid directly below me.

After pinching my nose and mentally shouting "Cowabunga!", I plunged into the Cocytus. The drastic temperature change punched the air out of my lungs. My limbs turned to lead in the frigid waters. The weeping, whispering voices of the river were far worse than the cold. For a fleeting moment, I feared that Cocytus' river nymph would appear with Luke's soul in tow despite having set his soul free.

If his soul could be stolen once, who was to say it wouldn't happen again?

Stop fighting the current, the voices wailed. Everything you've done has been pointless. You repeat a futile cycle in the hopes of changing the outcome. You're as useless as the rest of us.

Jesus Christ, someone get these souls to therapy ASAP. I'm sure there's someone in the Underworld who would jump at the chance to talk to those confined to the literal River of Lamentation.