The Animal Within

Chapter 38 - Traitor

Annabeth let out a relieved sigh as she settled down against the shrine to Hermes. The area surrounding rose sharply – the shrine had evidently made quite a dent in the monstrous cavern upon landing and the dip in the uneven, rocky landscape provided an effective means for hiding from the monsters prowling around the Pit. The shattered ground reminded her faintly of the crater of an ancient, long-dormant volcano. Cracks struck out from the base of the altar, webbing across the crater and threatening to make her ankle even worse should she get her foot stuck.

Sneaking through Tartarus with only one other demigod and no weapons of her own wasn't exactly what Annabeth had expected to happen when starting this quest. Constantly being aware and jumping every time she heard the regular howls and screeches from monsters somewhere out across the Pit wasn't the best way to relax, and Annabeth was swiftly being worn down by the constant vigilance. Tartarus was no place for a demigod, though Luke seemed to be handling himself remarkably well.

Luke was hovering around the altar, scanning the lip of the depression for any approaching monsters. "Monsters shouldn't come in here. Hermes' presence scares them off." He flashed a small smile in her direction. "We'll be safe here for a few hours, so try to get some sleep." The demigod settled on top of the altar, resting his sword on his lap. "I'll keep watch," Luke added. "Don't worry, Annabeth. No monster will get past me."

--

Jason peered over the railings of the Argo II. "Anyone see anything?"

"The mountain?" Leo offered.

"Are we really landing on a mountain?" Frank asked, looking rather concerned at the thought. "What about Mother Earth?"

"We'll hover over it," Leo promised. "No landing."

"Mount Ida," Jason murmured as the Argo II rumbled to a halt. The mountain where Rhea had hidden from Kronos to give birth to Baby Zeus. The mountain which Zeus had interfered to send them towards, and the one which both the Titans and giants seemed to want them to also visit. "We need to all be prepared."

"It's a trap," Nico agreed. At his side, Hazel peered down at the mountain beneath them.

"Well, the Titan Lord did seem eager to get us here," Frank pointed out. "It makes sense for it to be a trap."

"But Zeus also wanted us here," Jason muttered. "But why?"

"Amalthea," Piper supplied.

"Even gods need to make sure their mother goats are safe," Leo added with a grin.

Piper's eyes furrowed down at the mountain. "Is that Hagno?"

Jason raised an eyebrow, staring down at the old nymph standing at the edge of a mountain plateau and seemingly waiting patiently for them. "Yes," he said in surprise.

"She did say she'd meet us again," Piper muttered.

"She knew," Jason realised, his jaw tightening slightly. "She knew what would happen between Percy and him... but she didn't warn us."

"Let's be honest here," Nico said, "if you were a nymph would you want to anger the Titan Lord by revealing his plots?"

Jason crossed his arms. "That's still not-"

"Think about it," Nico cut across. "Immortals aren't like us. K gets angry, everyone knows that, and no immortal would want to risk angering him by betraying him in such a way. Immortals aren't heroes." In a way, while immortals are more powerful than mortals, they were also weaker – they were rarely willing to risk their necks for anything. Hagno would be no different.