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CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT xlviii. the world is a cruel and terrible place _______
"Perseus, help me!"
Sebastian shoved his entire body against the left door, pressing it toward the center. Percy did the same on the right. There were no handles, or anything else to hold on to. As the elevator car ascended, the Doors shook and tried to open, threatening to spill them into whatever was between life and death.
Sebastian's shoulders ached. The elevator's easy-listening music didn't help. If all monsters had to hear that song about liking piña coladas and getting caught in the rain, no wonder they were in the mood for carnage when they reached the mortal world.
"We left Bob and Damasen," Percy croaked. "They'll die for us, and we just-"
"I know," Sebastian murmured. "Gods of Olympus, Perseus, I know."
Sebastian was almost glad for the job of keeping the Doors closed. The terror racing through his heart at least kept him from dissolving into misery. Abandoning Damasen and Bob had been a terrible act but necessary. Not to mention the settling realisation that Sebastian was quite literally forged from Tartarus himself.
He hated everything about it, but there was no time for self-pity. He blinked away his tears.
"Perseus, the Doors," he warned.
The panels had started to slide apart, letting in a whiff of... ozone? Sulfur?
Percy pushed on his side furiously and the crack closed. His eyes blazed with anger. Sebastian hoped it wasn't all directed at him, but if it was, he couldn't blame the son of Poseidon.
If it keeps him going, Sebastian thought, then let him be angry.
"I will kill Gaea," Percy muttered. "I will tear her apart with my bare hands."
Sebastian nodded, but he was thinking about something specific. Tartarus could not be killed. Neither could Gaea. Against such power, each Titans and giants were hopelessly outmatched. Demigods stood no chance. Sebastian had only survived fighting so long because... well, that was Tartarus' fault really.
He also remembered Bob's warning: this may not be the last sacrifice you must make to stop Gaea.
He felt that truth deep in her bones.
"Twelve minutes," he murmured. "Just twelve minutes."
He prayed that Bob could hold the UP button that long. He didn't want to know what would happen if he couldn't. He wondered what they would find once they reached the top of this elevator ride.
If their friends weren't there, controlling the other side...
