Invisible ― Jason Grace

xix. everybody's an actor

CAMILLA HELD HER BREATH. The current roared in her ears. Bubbles swirled around her. Light still rippled through the room, and Camilla was surprised she could even see it. Was the water getting clearer?

Her lungs felt like they were going to burst. She was in the muskeg again—drowning, suffocating.

Her vision went dark.

She thought the roar in her ears was her own pounding heartbeat. Then she realized the room was shaking. The water swirled faster. Camilla felt herself sinking.

With her last bit of strength, she kicked upward, and the water didn't fight her. Her head broke the surface a second before Piper's, and they both gasped for breath. The water was draining almost as fast as it had filled the room.

Camilla looked down, realizing Percy and Jason were still under the water. She and Piper hoisted them up. Instantly, Percy gulped and started to thrash, but Jason was as lifeless as a rag doll.

Camilla clung to him. She yelled his name, shook him, even slapped his face. She barely noticed when all the water had drained away and left them on the damp floor.

"Jason!" Panic turned her thoughts into mush. What was she supposed to do? Should she turn him on his side? Slap his back?

"Milla," Percy said, "I can help."

He knelt next to her and touched Jason's forehead. Water gushed from Jason's mouth. His eyes flew open, and a clap of thunder threw Camilla, Percy, and Piper backward.

When Camilla's vision cleared, she saw Jason sitting up, still gasping, but the color was coming back to his face.

"Sorry," he coughed. "Didn't mean to—"

Camilla tackled him with a hug. She would have kissed him, but she didn't want to suffocate him.

Percy grinned. "In case you're wondering, that was clean water in your lungs. I could make it come out with no problem."

"Thanks, man." Jason clasped his hand weakly. "But I think Piper's the real hero. She saved us all."

Yes, she did, a voice echoed through the chamber.

The niches glowed. Nine figures appeared, but they were no longer withered creatures. They were young, beautiful nymphs in shimmering blue gowns, their glossy black curls pinned up with silver and gold brooches. Their eyes were gentle shades of blue and green.

As Camilla watched, eight of the nymphs dissolved into vapor and floated upward. Only the nymph in the center remained.

"Hagno?" Piper asked.

The nymph smiled. "Yes, my dear. I didn't think such selflessness existed in mortals... especially in demigods. No offense."

Percy got to his feet. "How could we take offense? You just tried to drown us and suck out our lives."

Hagno winced. "Sorry about that. I was not myself. But you have reminded me of the sun and the rain and the streams in the meadows. Percy, Camilla, and Jason—thanks to you, I remembered the sea and the sky. I am cleansed. But mostly, thanks to Piper. She shared something even better than clear running water." Hagno turned to Piper. "You have a good nature, Piper. And I'm a nature spirit. I know what I'm talking about."

Hagno pointed to the other side of the room. The stairs to the surface reappeared. Directly underneath, the circular opening shimmered into existence, like a sewer pipe, just big enough to crawl through. Camilla suspected that was how the water had drained out.

"You may return to the surface," Hagno said. "Or, if you insist, you may follow the waterway to the giants. But choose quickly, because both doors will fade soon after I am gone. That pipe connects to the old aqueduct line, which feeds both this nymphaeum and the hypogeum that the giants call home."