Fire boy and water girl

School failed to teach me geography

    The tunnel was horrible. It went at weird angles and was slimy.

    Half the time we were slipping and sliding rather than walking. Finally we got to the bottom of a slope and found ourselves in a large cave with huge columns.

   Through the center of the room ran an underground river, I recognized Tyson sitting by the banks, cradling Grover in his lap.

    Grover's eyes were closed. He wasn't moving.

  "Tyson!" Percy yelled.

  "Percy! Come quick!" And we all broke into a run over to him.

   He wasn't dead, but his whole body trembled like he was freezing to death.

   "What happened?" I asked.

    "So many things," Tyson murmured. "Large snake. Large dogs. Men with swords. But then...we got close to here. Grover was excited. He ran. Then we reached this room, and he fell. Like this."

   "Did he say anything?" Percy asked.

   "He said, 'We're close.' Then he hit his head on rocks." Percy knelt next to him.

  I shined my flashlight around the cavern. The rocks glittered.

    At the far end was the entrance to another cave, flanked by gigantic columns of crystal that looked like diamonds.

   "Grover," I heard Percy say. "Wake up."

   "Uhhhhhhhh." Annabeth knelt next to him and splashed icy cold river water in his face.

   "Splurg!" His eyelids fluttered. "Percy? Annabeth? Where..."

   "It's okay," Percy answered. "You passed out. The presence was too much for you."

  "I—I remember. Pan."

"Yeah," I finally said. "Something powerful is just beyond that doorway."

   Percy introduced the guys to Rachel and said "Anyway, Come on, Grover. Lean on me."

     Annabeth helped pick him up, and together we all waded across the underground river. The current was strong. The water came up to our waists.

   It made me feel stronger but it didn't make me dry like Percy. It felt really cold.

  "I think we're in Carlsbad Caverns," Annabeth said, her teeth chattering. "Maybe an unexplored section."

    How she knew that I didn't know, school failed to teach me geography "How do you know?" I asked.

  "Carlsbad is in New Mexico," she said. "That would explain why he past out last winter." All I did was furrow my eyebrows. Her answer causing more questions than answers.

    As the crystal pillars finally loomed over, I felt power emanating from the next room.

   My skin was tingled with living energy. My tiredness fell away, as if I'd just gotten a good night's sleep. I could feel myself growing stronger than the water. It smelled of trees and flowers and a warm summer day.

    Grover whimpered with excitement but everyone else was was too stunned to speak.

   We finally stepped into the cave, and Rachel said, "Oh, wow."

    The walls glittered with crystals—red, green, and blue. In the strange light, beautiful plants grew—giant orchids, star-shaped flowers, vines bursting with orange and purple berries that crept among the crystals. The cave floor was covered with soft green moss. Overhead, the ceiling was higher than a cathedral, sparkling like a galaxy of stars. In the center of the cave stood a Roman-style bed, gilded wood shaped like a curly U, with velvet cushions. Animals lounged around it