Turning Tides | P. Jackson Books 1-5

This Isn't Good

"Is it over?"

"Just get in here, we have to find the entrance," Ayden muttered as she teleported toward the back room. She saw a closet and opened it. "Just a closet." Then she moved into another room finding a closet inside of a closet.

"You think this is it?" Percy asked.

"A closet in a closet isn't normal usually," Annabeth offered. Grover came in and they stood together. Ayden moved forward opening the door seeing a fog. She nodded and stepped back looking at the others.

"Either that's the underworld, or something is rotting," Grover pinched his nose. Annabeth grabbed a red ball from a cart next to them handing it to him.

"Better?" He nodded squeezing it over and over.

"You'll never make it out alive!" Cruty yelled from the main room.

"Dude!"

"Do I need to come back in there and cut your head off!" Ayden screamed. Grover's eyes widened as he held the ball closer to his chest.

"Before we go down," Percy pulled the five pearls out of his pocket. "Each of you take one of these. The pearls will get us back from the underworld." He set one in each of their hands.

"Alright," Annabeth moved first. The three followed after her. They walked through the mist seeing people in cloaks.

"That's Charon, we have to hurry, he's taking people across the River Styx."

***

"Excuse me."

"Pardon me."

"Sorry."

"Coming through."

The four of them moved through the dead people waiting to get through the gates. Ayden thought it looked like lines at an amusement park. Everyone just huddled together waiting their turns. When the group got to the front they were stopped by Charon.

"You aren't dead."

"Uh," Grover looked at Percy.

"Aren't we all slowly dying inside," Percy shrugged a little. Ayden face plamed and shook her head.

"We have money." Annabeth offered.

"Yeah, take, take all of these. I'll even get you a new whistle."

"That's not what that's for," Ayden started shoving them as she heard the barking. "Go! Go!"

"Zig zag!" Grover screamed as he ran sideways. The dog got closer and closer until Ayden saw it bite down on Grover.

"No," She hesitated. "Grover!" The dogs didn't stutter as the other two heads snapped at Percy and Ayden. "Where's Annabeth?" The dogs stopped. They whined and then slowly sat down. When their heads turned it exposed Annabeth on the side of the hound's neck scratching just behind their ears.

"You're a genius," Ayden laughed at her. The dogs lay down resting their heads on top of one another.

"Guys, I can't hold this for long!" Annabeth yelled. The hound's lips moved exposing Grover as he pushed himself free. Ayden grimaced seeing that he was covered in dog slobber.

"We have to get up there," Percy pointed at the top of the cliff. "Can you fly us up one at a time?" 

"You got this," Ayden told him. She teleported to the top of the cliff watching him slowly fly Percy to the top, but before he could go back down for Annabeth the hound tried to bite at Grover near the edge of the cliff. Ayden looked over the edge seeing Annabeth holding on for dear life. "I got you." She pulled her up.