When You're Gone

Chapter 21

When Annabeth told Hazel that Percy promised her in Tartarus that they'd have dinner in Paris before, Hazel was really baffled by the fact that Gaia, even in Percy's body with his personality, had that idea.

The only reason Annabeth was telling them this by the lava walls is because that they needed information when they were threading down in Tartarus. Piper asked Annabeth on why didn't she come with them, though it was pushing it, Annabeth answered truthfully.

"I'm not going back there," Annabeth deadpanned. "Please. Not again."

Celeste had mysteriously disappeared once again after her chat with Hazel. No one knows where that demigod ever goes. Could she shadow-travel like the children of the dead? From what Annabeth had told her, Nyx was the goddess of death and sleep.

"We're not asking you to go," Piper coaxed. "We just need some information."

Annabeth sighed. "I told you everything. Please, I don't want to recall it again."

Her voice was firm, but fear lingered in her stormy gray eyes.

Reyna spent three hours briefing the Romans on what happened, though majority of them didn't believe it. So when they saw Percy's burial a few nights back they finally did.

"I'll go with Hazel," Piper volunteered. "The entrance of Tartarus - it's the only way to reach Percy, right? Where is he down there?"

Annabeth pursed her lip. "I don't know. Maybe where we met Akhlys? The goddess of the Death Mist and poisons. Percy - um, Gaia scared her off pretty well."

"And the dead demigod?"

Hazel shrugged. "No idea. Celeste said he would wait by the entrance - I think it's in Rome where Arachne was at. We could open it again but it's a very hard fall. We'll die if we jump straight down."

"Rivers?" Piper asked.

"No," Annabeth said. "They're either misery or forgetfulness or torture."

The three stared at each other incredulously. Days passed, and for the first time, they didn't have a deadline. The only problem is that how were they going to land after falling nine days.

"I heard you need some flight!" Leo harrumphed, sashaying towards them from the cabins. "I will be glad to help you! Welcome to the Festus airline!"

Calypso smacked the back of his head.

"Ow! Babe, we talked about the hitting," Leo complaiened.

"I believe I won in that statement." Calypso turned to Hazel and her friends. "We're coming with you. I hate to miss my sophomore year, but this is Percy. We have to help him rest in peace."

Leo winked at Hazel. "That's my girlfriend! Calypso Valdez!"

Annabeth spluttered as Calypso sent Leo into a flock of pegasi that was munching on fresh grass with Butch. The pegasi whinnied in alarm and kicked hay in his face, which he set on fire.

"Are you sure?" Hazel asked. "It's Tartarus, the land of damnation."

"My Father is Atlas," Calypso said. "I can handle it. I'm not sure about you lot."

Piper and Hazel's grim expressions gave away their uncertainty. If they entered, they might not make it out. And if they make it out, they would never be the same. Annabeth barely survived and she had the help of Percy, a Titan, a Giant, and somehow, a cat.

What could they do? Fire wouldn't work well in Tartarus. Wind servants didn't seem to be excellent in chopping monsters into dust. Rubies and gems don't exist in hell. A pretty voice wouldn't work wonders on monsters.

"Atlas was destroyed by Tartarus himself," Annabeth said listlessly. "Because he insulted him. Oh, Gods... we put Percy through so much trouble."

Calypso's expression tightened. Would she be mad about her father's death or rejoice that the titan is defeated? Or both?

She remained expressionless. "It's fine. We just have to find Percy and get back up."

"How do we get back up?" Hazel quizzed.

"Festus!" Leo spoke up. "He could fly us back the way we came from!"

"That might work," Celeste said, appearing next to Piper from nowhere. "If your machine does not get destroyed first."

"Fly center," Annabeth noted. "There are monsters who lurk in the red clouds."

"You'll suffocate as well. Instantly fatal to anything that's not immortal or with ancient blood," Celeste agreed. "I'm coming with."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "How did you know? So far I know, only three demigods have ever been into Tartarus and one of them is dead and the other is my dead ex who is going destroy Olympus through hell."

"You just summed up our entire situation right there," Calypso groused.

Celeste shrugged and said nothing more.

So that was the end of their debate.

* * *

Annabeth returned home to her mortal father and stepmother while Hazel and her friends started an argument on who jumps first.

People would think that they were taking the jumping into hell think too lightly. But after all they've been through, they were just numb.

After Frank's death, Hazel felt an important part in her soul had turned to stone. She found herself laughing at some monster's gruesome deaths and find amusement in the camper's groans when they were dying.

It was like her personality was a coin and it flipped. She went from caring, meek to a straight sadist.

Hazel wanted to feel bad about herself for changing, but she couldn't. Some part of her just simply shut off.

She was fairly certain that her friends felt the same. They'd been through the same adventures with her and lost someone important in their lives. The only thing that was different was that their way of dealing with it.

They were up to the point where life just doesn't matter. They all knew they would all end up in the Underworld just like everyone else. There was nothing to fear.

"I'd think three packs of ambrosia is suffice." Hazel frowned. "Is it?"

Leo stared at the three bulging ziplock bags filled with godly food.

"Dude," Leo said, "that is... impressive and paranoid."

Piper sashayed towards them, carrying an entire plastic bag filled with ziplock bags of ambrosia, a few packs falling out in the process.

Hazel turned to Leo. "You were saying?"

After managing to enchant their backpacks to store as much stuff as they wanted, Calypso brought tons of snacks and fruit as Leo stared at her in horror.

"You're hogging all the snacks!" he complained.

"You'll get an apple!" Piper coaxed him. "And an orange!"

Leo sulked as he deactivated Festus into a briefcase and dumped it into one of the Delphi Strawberry Service van's storage unit.

Again, Celeste had vanished. At this point it was going to be annoying.

"Come on!" Leo shouted, getting into the van. "We'll stop by and get some more Fonzies!"

Hazel started walking into the van. "Oh, hell no."