I took a deep breath and pushed through the glass door, entering the Death On Arrival Recording Studios. Annabeth stayed at my side, but Thalia, the ever brave one, traveled closely behind us, whimpering a little, her immortality creating a slight silvery glow.
The deep gray walls cast an ominous light among the crowd of dead who'd most likely been waiting for centuries to get to the Underworld. Charon stood on a raised area, wearing a fancy business suit and sunglasses. His blond hair glistened unnaturally in the pale light.
Someone poked me hard in the shoulder blade. I jumped, startled, and nearly tripped. "What?" I hissed quietly, but my voice still echoed around the room.
Thalia pointed mutely at a sign across the room, which read: NO SOLICITORS. NO LOITERING. NO LIVING.
I gulped, and licked my lips apprehensively.
Annabeth's voice made my eyes stop shifting about nervously, and I paid close attention to what she was saying so I didn't have to watch the dead people. A little gray ghost boy, no older than three, sobbed quietly. I didn't turn around, knowing if I did I wouldn't be able to turn back. That poor, poor child...
"Sir Charon," Annabeth bowed low, Thalia and I followed suit.
"Hmm, and you would be?" His cool voice was arrogant.
"I'm Annabeth Chase. My friends and I will need to visit the Underworld immediately."
"You are not dead. And why have I heard your name before?"
"I'm a half-blood, daughter of Athena. This is my sister, and a close friend. The Ghost King, Nico Di Angelo, is in Tartarus and we are here to rescue him," Annabeth still hadn't come out of her bow. My neck was beginning to ache from that awkward angle.
"Quick, and to the point. Good. But, alas, I cannot help you. And even if I could, what would be in it for me?" Chiron raised his light eyebrows, which stood out oddly against his dark skin.
"I have two hundred drachmas in this pouch," Annabeth untied two leather cords from her sheath and dumped the coins out onto Charon's desk. The coin's tinkling echoed loudly around the room as she emptied the bag.
"My, my, what a handsome sum," Charon reached out a long fingered hand, but Annabeth scooped the money away. "Where did such a young one as yourself retrieve such an amount?"
"I...borrowed it. From a few friends," Annabeth said firmly.
I leaned into her ear and whispered, "You mean Hermes'd it?"
"That's not important," Annabeth said, the shadow of a smile crossing her lips. "What is important, is that it can all be yours for a simple deal; you allow us into the Underworld for one hundred drachmas. You allow us out for the last one hundred. I'll pay you the first sum when we get across the River Styx."
"You drive a hard bargain, Missy." Charon sighed. "I can't do it."
"What?! Wh--" Annabeth clamped a hand over my protesting mouth.
"Oh, I almost forgot, sir. Along with the money, I will be able to convince Hades to give you a pay raise." Annabeth said, her hand still clasped tightly over my mouth.
"Is that so? How will you do that, child?" Charon sneered. He removed his glasses and leaned across his desk, staring deep into Annabeth's gray eyes. I cringed away from the ferryman. His eyes were death themselves. I shuddered violently and looked away. Too far away. My eyes found the whimpering boy and my heart ached for him. So young...
"Off we go," Charon motioned us forward with a bony hand and we marched toward the elevator that would bring us down to the Underworld.
"H-how...?" I whispered in Annabeth's ear.
"He liked my bargain," Annabeth grinned like she was the happiest girl in the world.
I glanced back at the crying boy, but Annabeth gripped my hand firmly and said, "Best not to look." Her expression of joy was gone, replaced with a deep sadness. I wondered how she could pull on a look of such deep grief.
"Are you okay?"
"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. I'm fine," Annabeth managed a small smile and the conversation ended with a jolt. Well, actually, a jolt from the elevator not the silence.
"Right this way," I looked over at Charon and saw he wasn't dressed in his luxurious suit any longer; instead, he was wearing a long, black cloak reminiscent of a cloud of smoke. His face was a skull. I shivered and stayed back a bit further, closer to Thalia than Annabeth.
We were ferried across the River Styx, and stepped out onto the opposite shore. Annabeth already had one hundred of the drachmas counted out and handed them to Charon, though carefully, not allowing her skin to make contact with his.
"I expect you'll know where to find Tartarus," Charon grinned with his skinless face.
We turned in silence and trudged along the stone path to Tartarus. I took a deep breath as we reached the massive cave.
As we entered, the air seemed to drop twenty degrees. I didn't remember it being so cold when Nico and I defeated Krios. I sucked in my breath and we padded lightly forward, every movement echoing loudly on the stone surrounding us.
"How are we going to get down there?" Thalia asked, eyeing the edge of the black pit.
Annabeth pulled a bundled up cord from her backpack and tossed it to me in answer. "We lower ourselves in. The problem is, only two of us can go; one has to stay behind and keep holding onto the rope."
"Is there any other way to do it? So we can all go?" Thalia asked.
"Not that I know of."
While they conversed, I quickly scanned the place. Seeing what I needed, I went over and examined a long stalegmite. I tested its strength by grabbed the tip with two slightly clammy hands and leaned back with all my weight. The stone held. I figured that if that half-inch thick rock could hold me alone, the wide bottom could hold a rope that would withstand our combined weight.\
"I've got it!" I called out. Annabeth and Thalia turned in unison, and jogged over to me. I was just finishing up the knot when they reached me.
"Are you sure that'll hold?" Thalia inspected my handy work skeptically, running a pale hand through her spiked hair, making it stick up more than usual.
"Positive." I said shortly and began tying knots every five feet in the rope.
"How can you be sure?"
"Never test a child of Athena's judgment," Annabeth said firmly.
Thalia shrugged and began to help me. Soon, every knot was in place and I tossed it down into the depths of the deep, ominous pit.
"Ready?" I asked, feeling my heart and stomach lurch as I gazed into the darkness at my feet.
"What're we waiting for?" Thalia took a hesitant step forward. "The sooner we do this, the better." I'd forgotten how afraid she was of heights.
"C'mon," Annabeth said, plopping down and swinging her legs over the edge of the pit. "Let's go." She slid down the rope and her feet landed on the first knot.
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A/N
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The Unicorn Lover
