The nymphaeum, Rome, Italy
The basin filled with alarming speed. Percy, Piper, and Jason pounded on the walls, looking for an exit, but they found nothing. They climbed into the alcoves to gain some height, but with water pouring out of each niche, it was like trying to balance at the edge of a waterfall. Even as Percy stood in a niche, the water was soon close to his knees. From the floor, it was probably eight feet deep and rising fast.
"I could try lightning," Jason said. "Maybe blast a hole in the roof?"
"That could bring down the whole room and crush us," Piper said.
"Or electrocute us," Percy added.
"Not many choices," Jason said.
"Let me search the bottom," Percy said. "If this place was built as a fountain, there has to be a way to drain the thing. You guys, check the niches for secret exits. Maybe the seashells are knobs, or something." It was a desperate idea, but Percy couldn't think of anything else.
Percy jumped in the water. It was hard to see in the dark water, even with Percy's abilities. By habit, he held his breath as he swam, searching for the bottom. It was deeper than he'd expected. The water felt strange around him—cold, poisonous, evil. When he couldn't hold his breath any longer, he opened his mouth and water rushed in.
And Percy choked.
The feeling of water filling his lungs was like nothing Percy had ever felt before, a million times worse than the muskeg. It was his worst fear come true—Percy was drowning in the water. And just like in Alaska, the Curse of Achilles did nothing to help him.
What would Annabeth think when she learned Percy died by drowning? Would she even make it back from her quest?
His thoughts were spiraling. He'd never been this afraid in his life. This was water—this was his strength, his bread-and-butter, his no-brainer. He should have been unstoppable. Percy should have been able to swim to the bottom easily, find the drain, and save the day. Instead, he was drowning.
Percy kicked upward and couldn't seem to break the surface fast enough. When he finally did, he gasped and flailed desperately, coughing up water and frantically trying to stay afloat. In one of the niches, Piper offered him her hand, and he almost pulled her in before she could help him up.
"Couldn't breathe," he choked. "The water . . . not normal. Hardly made it back." Percy was too freaked out to try to appear calm in front of Piper and Jason.
The water continued to rise around them, and Percy felt worse and worse. He was completely drenched and shivering, still coughing up water. He moved slowly. He felt weak.
Piper was trembling, and her hands turned wrinkled and dry, despite being in the middle of a fountain. Jason moved sluggishly. His face was pale and he seemed to be having trouble holding his sword.
"They're taking our power," Piper said. "Draining us."
Did that mean they'd be able to take the Curse of Achilles? For a moment, Percy wanted them to. And then he thought that whatever they'd do with that power wouldn't be good. He would have to bear this curse a little longer—assuming they could get out of this.
"Jason," Percy coughed, "do the lightning."
Jason raised his sword. The room rumbled, but no lightning appeared. The roof didn't break. Instead, a miniature rainstorm formed at the top of the chamber. Rain poured down, filling the fountain even faster, but it wasn't normal rain. The stuff was just as dark as the water in the pool. Every drop stung Percy's skin.
"Not what I wanted," Jason said.
The water was up to their necks now. Percy could feel his strength fading. He couldn't control the water, just like in Phorcys' aquarium. He wasn't sure he wanted to, anyway. This water was malicious, dangerous, and just plain wrong. It scared him.
Percy started pushing the water away with the back of his hand. "Can't—can't control it!"
"We can't fight this," Piper said. "If we hold back, that just makes us weaker."
"What do you mean?" Jason shouted over the rain.
The water was up to their chins. Another few inches, and they'd have to swim. But the water wasn't halfway to the ceiling yet. Percy hoped that meant that they still had time for whatever Piper was planning.
"The horn of plenty," she said. "We have to overwhelm the nymphs with fresh water, give them more than they can use. If we can dilute this poisonous stuff—"
"Can your horn do that?" Percy asked, struggling to keep his head above water, which was a very new experience for him. He was afraid that if he let himself go under, he'd be back in that bog, suffocating, and this time Hazel and Frank wouldn't be there to save him.
"Only with your help." Piper said. "I need you both to channel everything you've got into the cornucopia. Percy, think about the sea."
Percy had no idea what she was talking about, but he went along with it. "Salt water?"
"Doesn't matter! As long as it's clean. Jason, think about rainstorms—much more rain. Both of you hold the cornucopia."
They huddled together as the water lifted them off their ledges. Piper put one arm around Percy and one arm around Jason to try to keep them afloat while they held the cornucopia between them.
Percy did as Piper said. He concentrated all his thoughts on the sea. He shoved his fear to the back of his mind and locked it down tight.
Long Island Sound. Poseidon's palace. The Atlantic, the Pacific, the Mediterranean. Hippocampi, whales, sharks, shrimp, squid. The sea. The ocean. The water. My home.
Nothing happened. The rain came down in sheets, still dark and acidic.
"No good!" Jason yelled, spitting water.
"We're getting nowhere," Percy agreed.
Please, Dad. Whatever is going on, please help me. I'm your son. This can't be how I die. He pleaded. I have to get back to Annabeth.
"You have to work together," Piper cried. "Both of you think of clean water—a storm of water. Don't hold anything back. Picture all your power, all your strength leaving you."
"That's not hard!" Percy said, his limbs feeling like weights.
"But force it out!" she said. "Offer up everything, like—like you're already dead, and your only goal is to help the nymphs. It's got to be a gift . . . a sacrifice."
Percy stilled at the word. Jason got quiet, and then he said, "Let's try it again. Together."
Fine, Percy thought. If they want my life, my water—I'll give it to them. I'll give them everything if it'll get me out of here so I can get back to Annabeth.
Even the Curse of Achilles—they could have it. Maybe regaining his vulnerability would help Percy kick this phobia. Maybe once everything could kill him again, he wouldn't be so afraid of something that shouldn't worry him at all. If that was what it took to escape and save Nico, stop the giants, and find Annabeth, Percy wouldn't hesitate. Percy gave it up willingly and imagined all of his power flooding out of him.
Clear water blasted from the horn with such force, it pushed them against the wall. The rain changed to a white torrent, clean and cold, and Piper gasped.
"It's working!" Jason cried.
Percy saw the problem immediately. "Too well. We're filling the room even faster!"
The water rose so quickly, the roof was now only a few feet away. Percy could've reached up and touched the miniature rain clouds.
"Don't stop!" Piper said. "We have to dilute the poison until the nymphs are cleansed."
"What if they can't be cleansed?" Jason asked, voicing what Percy was thinking. "They've been down here turning evil for thousands of years."
"Just don't hold back," Piper said. "Give everything. Even if we go under—"
Their heads hit the ceiling. The rainclouds dissipated and melted into the water. The horn of plenty kept blasting out a clean torrent.
Piper pulled Jason closer and kissed him. "I love you," she said.
Percy almost wished Annabeth were here so he could kiss her and tell her he loved her too, but she was safer on her quest. Or was she? Probably not. Percy didn't know. For all he knew, she could already be—
No. She's not, he told himself. We'll see each other again. We'll be together again.
And then they were underwater, and Percy had to fight off the feeling of the muskeg as he held his breath. The current roared in his ears. Bubbles swirled around him. Light still rippled through the room, and Percy was surprised he could see it. Was the water getting clearer?
Percy's lungs were about to burst, but he poured his last energy into the cornucopia. He wasn't ready to give up. Not yet. Even underwater, he felt Jason beside him, also pouring everything he had into the cornucopia, and that motivated Percy to keep going.
Water continued to stream out of the cornucopia, though there was no room for more. Would the walls crack under the pressure?
The last of Percy's strength drained from his body, and his vision went dark.
The next thing Percy knew, Piper had hoisted his face above the rapidly draining water. Only seconds had passed. Percy gulped and thrashed, but beside him, Jason was as lifeless as a rag doll.
Piper clung to Jason. She yelled his name, shook him, and slapped his face. She didn't seem to notice as the fountain that had drained as quickly as it had filled finally emptied as they settled on the damp floor.
"Jason!" Piper sounded frantic.
"Piper," Percy said, feeling steadier. "I can help."
Percy knelt next to her and touched Jason's forehead, reaching out with his mind. He nearly sighed with relief when it was as easy as it always had been. Water gushed from Jason's mouth. His eyes flew open, and a clap of thunder threw Percy and Piper backward.
When Percy's vision cleared, he saw Jason sitting up, still gasping, but the color was coming back to his face.
"Sorry," he coughed. "Didn't mean to—"
Piper tackled him with a hug.
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 Percy 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, a little miffed. "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 and Jason, thanks to you, I remember 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, a circular opening shimmered into existence, like a sewer pipe, just big enough to crawl through. Percy suspected this 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."
"Ugh." Percy pressed on his temples. "Please, no more complicated words."
"Oh, home is not a complicated word." Hagno sounded completely sincere. "I thought it was, but now you have unbound us from this place. My sisters have gone to seek new homes . . . a mountain stream, perhaps, or a lake in a meadow. I will follow them. I cannot wait to see the forests and grasslands again, and the clear running water."
"Uh," Percy said nervously, "things have changed up above in the last few thousand years."
"Nonsense," Hagno said. "How bad could it be? Pan would not allow nature to become tainted. I can't wait to see him, in fact."
Percy winced, remembering vividly Pan's death and Grover's use of his Panic at the Battle of the Labyrinth. He didn't think now was the best time to bring it up, however, so he didn't say anything.
"Good luck, Hagno," Piper said. "And thank you."
The nymph smiled one last time and vaporized.
Briefly, the nymphaeum glowed with a softer light, like a full moon. Percy smelled exotic spices and blooming roses. He heard distant music and happy voices talking and laughing. He guessed he was hearing hundreds of years of parties and celebrations that had been held at this shrine in ancient times, as if the memories had been freed along with the spirits.
"What is that?" Jason asked nervously.
Piper slipped her hand into Jason's. "The ghosts are dancing. Come on. We'd better go meet the giants."
Percy's strength had returned, which he was extremely grateful for. The tickling in his throat that had come with almost drowning had vanished. He felt fine, if a little tired. The nymphaeum experience had taken a toll on him he hadn't expected. The progress he'd made in conquering his fear of drowning back in Charleston had been wiped out. And when he realized he still had the Curse of Achilles, he was simultaneously relieved and disappointed.
What did that mean? Yeah, having iron skin was awesome most of the time, but he knew just how vulnerable he still was. The muskeg, the drowning, the exhaustion—the fear. It wouldn't go away.
Achilles and Chrysaor were right—this was a curse. Percy didn't want it anymore.