Dear Reader [1]

11-I Finally Make It To The Underworld; Seventy Years Later

'How is it that Grover is the only one that hasn't tried to kill me!'

Corey and Percy emerged from the water, done dry for a few moments before the rain hit their bodies. Annabeth and Grover were waiting impatiently. "What did he say?" Grover asked as Percy walked up to them. Corey took her pearl out of her pocket. "He wasn't there, shocking!" She scoffed, hitting the sand. "Oh" Grover pouted while Annabeth gave them a sad smile. "We also missed the deadline, Zeus and Poseidon are ready for war" Percy added, gripping the pearls in his hand. "What do we do now?" Annabeth asked them.

Percy held out the pearls the Nereid gave them. Corey held out hers too. "We go to the Underworld, we bring back Sally and we get the Bolt from Hades. War or not, this ends with us" Corey's eyes were dark, the waves crashing with every word, hanging on to the way she spoke like a fish to bait. She looked at the kids, hesitant as her mouth opened and closed.

"I haven't said anything but, I've been remembering" Corey told them, her voice shaking as she looked them in the eyes. "Remembering what exactly?" Percy asked her. "What happened to me before I disappeared?" She told him, turning her back and looking at the ocean. The sun was rising slowly on the shore, blinding her slightly.

"We've gotta go, I'll explain in the car" Corey crushed past them, opening the driver's side door. She looked back at them, her usual spark missing. "You can drive?" Annabeth questioned, hand on her hip as she looked at Corey suspiciously. Corey only rolled her eyes at Annabeth, "I was born in the 20's not the stone age" She told her.

Percy had taken shotgun, with Annabeth and Grover in the back seat. "We'll have to drive through the beach until we get to the road" Corey took out the map to the entrance to the Underworld, passing it to Annabeth, "I'll find out where it is we're going" The younger girl smiled. "And you're gonna explain what happened" Percy looked at Corey determined.

She smiled quickly before starting the car and driving slowly. "After Elise died, I returned to camp, allowing my friends to finish our quest. I...I had these dreams of a voice, he was taunting me about her, how I failed my mother...allowing Zeus' daughter to die on a quest that wasn't hers'" Corey gripped the wheel at the mention of Helena, feeling her heart tug on broken strings. "Until one night, I was at the lake, praying to our father to give me a sign...a reason to keep living. A figure was standing on the water, I wanted to follow him but..." Corey felt a lump in her throat as she recalled the voice.

They had sounded so familiar, the serenity she found when they spoke to her it was almost loving. "Someone stopped him, I don't know who, but they told me that I'd be safe...until it was time" Corey stopped the car just before they hit the road. "Someone knew that Hades would steal the bolt over seventy years ago" Grover gasped. Corey smacked her lips, resting her head against the headrest.

"You're right Sea Pup, whoever is behind this, it is so much more than just the bolt its-" Corey was interrupted by flapping. "What is that sound?" She snapped, scaring everyone. She turned her head to see Grover with a sheepish smile, "Sorry, it's Luke's shoes" He told her. Corey looked at him with eyes as big as saucers, "You still have those things! I swear you lost them back at Medusa's" Corey grumbled. She didn't care if Luke was Camp's golden boy, she did not like him at all. He's given her an off vibe since Percy was claimed.

"It seems like the hidden entrance to the underworld is at Crusty's Waterbed Palace" Annabeth's face scrunched up in confusion at the location while Corey let out a pained groan. "Let me guess, you know Crusty" Percy assumed without a beat. Corey hit her forehead at the wheel. "Let's just say that Crusty is...close to both of us" Corey winced at his name. "What?" Percy asked her. "Did your mom ever tell you about Procrustes?" Corey asked him back. Perc thought for a moment, the name sounding familiar. "Yeah, the guy who's stretch people or cut off their limbs if they weren't the perfect size or something?" Percy recalled. Corey smacked her lips, "Yep, did she tell you who he was related to?" Percy shook his head at her question.