❝just as the stars shine in the dark
so do you❞
⤷ perry poetry
△△△
Things went wrong immediately.
The giants vanished in twin puffs of smoke. They reappeared halfway across the room, each in a different spot. Percy sprinted toward Ephialtes, but slots in the floor opened under his feet, and metal walls shot up on either side, separating him from his friends.
Piper ran to Nico, and Jason and Kira ran to Otis.
Otis pulled his spear and heaved a great sigh, as if he would much rather dance Swan Lake than kill another demigod.
Kira and Jason shared one look, and they knew what to do.
Kira was the distraction, scampering around and trying to look easy-to-kill while Jason attacked.
Jason blocked Otis' spear, and his tiara fell. Kira sliced it in half, and he gave an evil look at the girl.
Forgetting about Jason, the giant advanced on her, swinging his pear wildly.
The giant insisted on doing a pirouette with every attack, which slowed him down.
Kira used this to her advantage, and stabbed at him every time he pirouetted.
Next to them, sandbags rained down around Piper and Nico. Piper tried to pull Nico to safety, but one of the bags caught her shoulder and knocked her down.
"Piper!" Jason cried. He ran toward her, completely forgetting about Otis, who aimed his spear at Jason's back.
Kira launched herself in front of Jason, using her sword to deflect the spear towards his brother. It flew across the room and skewered Ephialtes through his side just as he was getting to his feet.
"Otis!" Ephialtes stumbled away from his control board, clutching the spear as he began to crumble into monster dust. "Will you please stop killing me!"
"Not my fault!"
Otis had barely finished speaking when Percy's missile-launching contraption spit out one last sphere of Roman candle fire. The fiery pink ball of death (naturally it had to be pink) hit the ceiling above Otis and exploded in a beautiful shower of light. Colorful sparks pirouetted gracefully around the giant. Then a ten-foot section of roof collapsed and crushed him flat.
Jason ran to Piper's side. Kira ran to Percy to make sure he was alright after his fight with Otis' brother.
Sadly, the giants weren't finished. Ephialtes was already re-forming, his head and shoulders rising from the mound of dust. He tugged his arms free and glowered at Percy and Kira.
Across the room, the pile of rubble shifted, and Otis busted out. His head was slightly caved in. All the firecrackers in his hair had popped, and his braids were smoking. His leotard was in tatters.
"Percy!" Jason shouted. "The controls!"
Percy slashed his blade across the top of the control board, decapitating the controls in a shower of bronze sparks.
"No!" Ephialtes wailed. "You've ruined the spectacle!"
Percy turned too slowly. Ephialtes swung his spear like a bat and smacked him across the chest. He fell to his knees.
"No!" Kira cried, running to defend him from any other attacks while he was down.
Jason ran to him, but Otis was lumbering after him.
Kira offered her hand, helping Percy stand.
The giants were healing, getting stronger by the minute. They were not.
Ephialtes smiled apologetically. "Tired, Percy Jackson? As I said, you cannot kill us. So I guess we're at an impasse. Oh, wait...no we're not! Because we can kill you!"
"That," Otis grumbled, picking up his fallen spear, "is the first thing sensible thing you've said all day, brother."
The giants pointed their weapons, ready to turn Percy, Kira, and Jason into a demigod-kabob.
"We won't give up," Jason growled. "We'll cut you into pieces like Jupiter did to Saturn."
"That's right," Percy said. "You're both dead. I don't care if we have a god on our side or not."
"Well, that's a shame," said a new voice.
To Kira's right, another platform lowered from the ceiling. Leaning casually on a pinecone-topped staff was a man in a purple camp shirt, khaki shorts, and sandals with white socks. He raised his broad-brimmed hat, and purple fire flickered in his eyes. "I'd hate to think I made a special trip for nothing."
The two leopards paced over—still licking their lips from Piper's pot roast—and butted their heads affectionately against the god's legs. Mr. D scratched their ears.
"Really, Ephialtes," he chided. "Killing demigods is one thing. But using leopards for your spectacle? That's over the line."
The giant made a squeaking sound. "This—this is impossible. D-D—"
"It's Bacchus, actually, my old friend," said the god. "And of course it's possible. Someone told me there was a party going on."
Ephialtes's spear quivered. "You—you gods are doomed! Be gone, in the name of Gaea!"
"Hmm." Bacchus sounded unimpressed. He strolled through the ruined props, platforms, and special effects.
"Tacky." He waved his hand at a painted wooden gladiator, then turned to a machine that looked like an oversized rolling pin studded with knives. "Cheap. Boring. And this..." He inspected the rocket-launching contraption, which was still smoking. "Tacky, cheap, and boring. Honestly, Ephialtes. You have no sense of style."
"STYLE?" The giant's face flushed. "I have mountains of style. I define style. I—I—"
"My brother oozes style," Otis suggested.
"Thank you!" Ephialtes cried.
Bacchus stepped forward, and the giants stumbled back. "Have you two gotten shorter?" asked the god.
"Oh, that's low," Ephialtes growled. "I'm quite tall enough to destroy you, Bacchus! You gods, always hiding behind your mortal heroes, trusting the fate of Olympus to the likes of these."
Jason hefted his sword. "Lord Bacchus, are we going to kill these giants or what?"
"Well, I certainly hope so," Bacchus said. "Please, carry on."
Percy stared at him. "Didn't you come here to help?"
Bacchus shrugged. "Oh, I appreciated the sacrifice at sea. A whole ship full of Diet Coke. Very nice. Although I would've preferred Diet Pepsi."
"And six million in gold and jewels," Percy muttered.
"Yes," Bacchus said, "although with demigod parties of five or more the gratuity is included, so that wasn't necessary."
"What?"
"Never mind," Bacchus said. "At any rate, you got my attention. I'm here. Now I need to see if you're worthy of my help. Go ahead. Battle. If I'm impressed, I'll jump in for the grand finale."
"We speared one," Percy said. "Dropped the roof on the other. What do you consider impressive?"
"Ah, a good question..." Bacchus tapped his thyrsus. "Perhaps you need inspiration! The stage hasn't been properly set. You call this a spectacle, Ephialtes? Let me show you how it's done."
The god dissolved into purple mist. Piper and Nico disappeared.
"Pipes!" Jason yelled. "Bacchus, where did you—?"
The entire floor rumbled and began to rise. The ceiling opened in a series of panels. Sunlight poured in. The air shimmered like a mirage, and Kira heard the roar of a crowd above her.
This wasn't just any coliseum. It was the Colosseum. The giants' special effects machines had gone into overtime, laying planks across ruined support beams so the arena had a proper floor again. The bleachers repaired themselves until they were gleaming white. A giant red-and-gold canopy extended overhead to provide shade from the afternoon sun. The emperor's box was draped with silk, flanked by banners and golden eagles. The roar of applause came from thousands of shimmering purple ghosts, the Lares of Rome brought back for an encore performance.
Vents opened in the floor and sprayed sand across the arena. Huge props sprang up—garage-size mountains of plaster, stone columns, and (for some reason) life-size plastic barnyard animals. A small lake appeared to one side. Ditches crisscrossed the arena floor in case anyone was in the mood for trench warfare. Percy, Kira, and Jason stood together facing the twin giants.
Kira gulped, twirling her sword nervously.
"This is a proper show!" boomed the voice of Bacchus. He sat in the emperor's box wearing purple robes and golden laurels. At his left sat Nico and Piper, her shoulder being tended by a nymph in a nurse's uniform. At Bacchus's right crouched a satyr, offering up Doritos and grapes. The god raised a can of Diet Pepsi and the crowd went respectfully quiet.
Percy glared up at him. "You're just going to sit there?"
"The demigod is right!" Ephialtes bellowed. "Fight us yourself, coward! Um, without the demigods."
Bacchus smiled lazily. "Juno says she's assembled a worthy crew of demigods. Show me. Entertain me, heroes of Olympus. Give me a reason to do more. Being a god has its privileges."
He popped his soda can top, and the crowd cheered.
Fighting giants was one thing. Bacchus making it into a game was something else.
The twin giants attacked. Licking her lips, Kira got into a defensive position, ready to defend her friends.
Together, the giants picked up a fake mountain and hurled it at the demigods.
They dove together into the nearest trench and the mountain shattered above them, spraying them with plaster shrapnel. It wasn't deadly, but it stung like crazy.
The crowd jeered and shouted for blood. "Fight! Fight!"
"Me and Kira take Otis again?" Jason called over the noise. "Or do you want him this time?"
"We attack together," Percy said. "Otis first, because he's weaker. Take him out quickly and move to Ephialtes. Bronze and gold together—maybe that'll keep them from re-forming a little longer."
Jason smiled dryly, like he'd just found out he would die in an embarrassing way.
"Why not?" he agreed. "But Ephialtes isn't going to stand there and wait while we kill his brother. Unless—"
"Good wind today," Percy offered. "And there're some water pipes running under the arena."
"On three?" Jason said.
"Why wait?"
They charged out of the trench.
Kira was ready for a fight.
The twins had lifted another plaster mountain and were waiting for a clear shot. The giants raised it above their heads, preparing to throw, and Percy caused a water pipe to burst at their feet, shaking the floor. Jason sent a blast of wind against Ephialtes's chest. The purple-haired giant toppled backward and Otis lost his grip on the mountain, which promptly collapsed on top of his brother. Only Ephialtes's snake feet stuck out, darting their heads around.
The crowd roared.
"Hey, Otis!" Percy shouted. "The Nutcracker bites!"
"Ahhhhh!" Otis snatched up his spear and threw, but he was too angry to aim straight. Kira easily deflected it over Percy's head and into the lake.
The demigods backed toward the water, shouting insults about ballet.
Otis barreled toward them empty-handed, before apparently realizing that a) he was empty-handed, and b) charging toward a large body of water to fight a son of Poseidon was maybe not a good idea.
Too late, he tried to stop. The demigods rolled to either side, and Jason summoned the wind, using the giant's own momentum to shove him into the water. As Otis struggled to rise, they all attacked as one. They launched themselves at the giant and brought their blades down on Otis's head.
The poor guy didn't even have a chance to pirouette. He exploded into powder on the lake's surface like a huge packet of drink mix.
Percy churned the lake into a whirlpool. Otis's essence tried to re-form, but as his head appeared from the water, Jason called lightning and blasted him to dust again.
Kira took it as the boys had him under control. She took off towards Ephialtes.
The plaster mountain exploded behind them. Ephialtes rose, bellowing with anger.
The boys waited behind her, warning her to not get hurt.
His eyes danced with murderous light. The afternoon sun glinted in his coin-braided hair. Even his snake feet looked angry, baring their fangs and hissing.
Jason called down another lightning strike, but Ephialtes caught it on his spear and deflected the blast, melting a life-size plastic cow. He slammed a stone column out of his way like a stack of building blocks.
Kira took off towards the giant. With him blocking every stab shot tried, the boys joined her fight.
"I will not yield!" Ephialtes roared. "You may have ruined my spectacle, but Gaea will still destroy your world!"
Kira sliced his spear in half as he blocked one of Percy's stabs.
Ephialtes wasn't even fazed. The giant swept low with the blunt end and knocked Percy off his feet. Percy landed hard on his sword arm, and Riptide clattered out of his grip.
Jason tried to take advantage. He stepped inside the giant's guard and stabbed at his chest, but somehow Ephialtes parried the strike. He sliced the tip of his spear down Jason's chest, ripping his purple shirt into a vest. Jason stumbled, looking at the thin line of blood down his sternum. Ephialtes kicked him backward.
Kira was left.
Her face turned dark. Clearing her head, she watched the giant glare at her with amusement.
"You think you can defeat me?" He growled. "Puny daughter of Ares, against a giant?"
She smirked, not answering. Not being taken seriously only made her more motivated to kick his ass. She blocked a stab, rolling out of the way.
She ran towards him stabbing his side and stumbling back before he swung his spear. She glanced nervously back at Percy and Jason, they were trying to stand with no luck. She flew to the side as he tried to whack her again, and she grabbed hold of his spear.
She yanked at it, slicing his fingers with her sword. She threw the spear at Otis, who was stumbling out of the lake.
"You cannot defeat me," Ephialtes boomed. "You are only avoiding your death for a few more seconds,"
Her glare became murderous, charging the giant once more.
She sidestepped any punches of swings he took at her, stabbing him the the chest. He whacked her as her sword impaled him. She skidded against the grass and her ribs exploded with pain, but the sword was inside him. He began to crumple.
Kira looked overhead to see Agro II. It was trying to land.
"Out of the way!" A voice called from the ship. Kira was dazed, but she dove out of the way as a bomb flew from the ship and into Ephialtes.
Percy ran over to her and helped her stand.
The ghostly crowd gave them a standing ovation as the Argo II extended its landing gear and settled on the arena floor. Leo stood at the helm, Hazel and Frank grinning at his side. Coach Hedge danced around the firing platform, pumping his fist in the air and yelling, "That's what I'm talking about!"
Percy turned to the emperor's box. "Well?" he yelled at Bacchus. "Was that entertaining enough for you, you wine-breathed little—"
"No need for that." Suddenly the god was standing right next to him in the arena. He brushed Dorito dust off his purple robes. "I have decided you are worthy partners for this combat."
"Partners?" Jason growled. "You did nothing!"
Bacchus walked to the edge of the lake. The water instantly drained, leaving an Otis-headed pile of mush. Bacchus picked his way to the bottom and looked up at the crowd. He raised his thyrsus.
Bacchus chose the more entertaining option. He smacked Otis's head with his pinecone staff, and the giant pile of Otismeal disintegrated completely.
The crowd went wild. Bacchus climbed out of the lake and strutted over to Ephialtes, who was still lying spread-eagled, overcooked and smoking.
Again, Bacchus raised his thyrsus.
"DO IT!" the crowd roared.
"DON'T DO IT!" Ephialtes wailed.
Bacchus tapped the giant on the nose, and Ephialtes crumbled to ashes.
The ghosts cheered and threw spectral confetti as Bacchus strode around the stadium with his arms raised triumphantly, exulting in the worship. He grinned at the demigods. "That, my friends, is a show! And of course I did something. I killed two giants!"
As her friends disembarked from the ship, the crowd of ghosts shimmered and disappeared. Piper and Nico struggled down from the emperor's box as the Colosseum's magical renovations began to turn into mist. The arena floor remained solid, but otherwise the stadium looked as if it hadn't hosted a good giant killing for eons.
"Well," Bacchus said. "That was fun. You have my permission to continue your voyage."
"Your permission?" Percy snarled.
"Yes." Bacchus raised an eyebrow. "Although your voyage may be a little harder than you expect, son of Neptune."
"Poseidon," Percy corrected him automatically. "What do you mean about my voyage?"
"You might try the parking lot behind the Emmanuel Building," Bacchus said. "Best place to break through. Now, good-bye, my friends. And, ah, good luck with that other little matter."
The god vaporized in a cloud of mist that smelled faintly of grape juice. Jason ran to meet Piper and Nico.
Leo appeared in the ring, running towards Kira. With gleaming smiles, they embraced tightly.
Coach Hedge trotted up to Percy, with Hazel, Frank, and Leo close behind. "Was that Dionysus?" Hedge asked. "I love that guy!"
"You're alive!" Percy said to the others. "The giants said you were captured. What happened?"
Leo shrugged. "Oh, just another brilliant plan by Leo Valdez. You'd be amazed what you can do with an Archimedes sphere, a girl who can sense stuff underground, and a weasel."
"I was the weasel," Frank said glumly.
"Basically," Leo explained, "I activated a hydraulic screw with the Archimedes device—which is going to be awesome once I install it in the ship, by the way. Hazel sensed the easiest path to drill to the surface. We made a tunnel big enough for a weasel, and Frank climbed up with a simple transmitter that I slapped together. After that, it was just a matter of hacking into Coach Hedge's favorite satellite channels and telling him to bring the ship around to rescue us. After he got us, finding you was easy, thanks to that godly light show at the Colosseum."
"Where's Annabeth?" Percy asked. Kira looked to Leo, worried.
Leo winced. "Yeah, about that...she's still in trouble, we think. Hurt, broken leg, maybe—at least according to this vision Gaea shown us. Rescuing her is our next stop."
"Tell me about the vision," Percy said. "Tell me everything."
The floor shook. The wooden planks began to disappear, spilling sand into the pits of the hypogeum below.
"Let's talk on board," Hazel suggested. "We'd better take off while we still can."
They sailed out of the Colosseum and veered south over the rooftops of Rome.
All around the Piazza del Colosseo, traffic had come to a standstill. A crowd of mortals had gathered, probably wondering about the strange lights and sounds that had come from the ruins.
The demigods gathered around the helm. Jason bandaged Piper's sprained shoulder while Hazel sat at the stern, feeding Nico ambrosia. The son of Hades could barely lift his head. His voice was so quiet, Hazel had to lean in whenever he spoke.
Frank and Leo recounted what had happened in the room with the Archimedes spheres, and the visions Gaea had shown them in the bronze mirror. They quickly decided that their best lead for finding Annabeth was the cryptic advice Bacchus had provided: the Emmanuel Building, whatever that was. Frank started typing at the helm's computer while Leo tapped furiously at his controls, muttering, "Emmanuel Building. Emmanuel Building." Coach Hedge tried to help by wrestling with an upside-down street map of Rome.
Kira stuck by Leo's side.
"There it is!" Leo cried, pointing to his monitor. "Frank, you're amazing! I'm setting course."
Frank hunched his shoulders. "I just read the name off the screen. Some Chinese tourist marked it on Google Maps."
Leo grinned at the others. "He reads Chinese."
"Just a tiny bit," Frank said.
"How cool is that?"
"Guys," Hazel broke in. "I hate to interrupt your admiration session, but you should hear this."
She helped Nico to his feet.
"Thank you," Nico rasped. His eyes darted nervously around the group. "I'd given up hope."
"You knew about the two camps all along," Percy said. "You could have told me who I was the first day I arrived at Camp Jupiter, but you didn't."
Nico slumped against the helm. "Percy, I'm sorry. I discovered Camp Jupiter last year. My dad led me there, though I wasn't sure why. He told me the gods had kept the camps separate for centuries and that I couldn't tell anyone. The time wasn't right. But he said it would be important for me to know..." He doubled over in a fit of coughing.
Hazel held his shoulders until he could stand again.
"I—I thought Dad meant because of Hazel," Nico continued. "I'd need a safe place to take her. But now...I think he wanted me to know about both camps so I'd understand how important your quest was, and so I'd search for the Doors of Death."
The air turned electric—literally, as Jason started throwing off sparks.
"Did you find the doors?" Percy asked.
Nico nodded. "I was a fool. I thought I could go anywhere in the Underworld, but I walked right into Gaea's trap. I might as well have tried running from a black hole."
"Um..." Frank chewed his lip. "What kind of black hole are you talking about?"
Nico started to speak, but whatever he needed to say must have been too terrifying. He turned to Hazel.
She put her hand on her brother's arm. "Nico told me that the Doors of Death have two sides—one in the mortal world, one in the Underworld. The mortal side of the portal is in Greece. It's heavily guarded by Gaea's forces. That's where they brought Nico back into the upper world. Then they transported him to Rome."
Piper must've been nervous, because her cornucopia spit out a cheeseburger. "Where exactly in Greece is this doorway?"
Nico took a rattling breath. "The House of Hades. It's an underground temple in Epirus. I can mark it on a map, but—but the mortal side of the portal isn't the problem. In the Underworld, the Doors of Death are in...in..."
"Tartarus," Percy guessed. "The deepest part of the Underworld."
Kira shivered, and Leo put his arm around her, trying to warm her. But she wasn't cold, she was scared.
Nico nodded. "They pulled me into the pit, Percy. The things I saw down there..." His voice broke.
Hazel pursed her lips. "No mortal has ever been to Tartarus," she explained. "At least, no one has ever gone in and returned alive. It's the maximum-security prison of Hades, where the old Titans and the other enemies of the gods are bound. It's where all monsters go when they die on the earth. It's...well, no one knows exactly what it's like."
Her eyes drifted to her brother. The rest of her thought didn't need to be spoken: No one except Nico.
Hazel handed him his black sword.
Nico leaned on it like it was an old man's cane. "Now I understand why Hades hasn't been able to close the doors," he said. "Even the gods don't go into Tartarus. Even the god of death, Thanatos himself, wouldn't go near that place."
Leo glanced over from the wheel. "So let me guess. We'll have to go there."
Nico shook his head. "It's impossible. I'm the son of Hades, and even I barely survived. Gaea's forces overwhelmed me instantly. They're so powerful down there...no demigod would stand a chance. I almost went insane."
Nico's eyes looked like shattered glass. Kira felt horrible for the poor boy, for whatever he had seen.
"Then we'll sail for Epirus," Percy said. "We'll just close the gates on this side."
"I wish it were that easy," Nico said. "The doors would have to be controlled on both sides to be closed. It's like a double seal. Maybe, just maybe, all seven of you working together could defeat Gaea's forces on the mortal side, at the House of Hades. But unless you had a team fighting simultaneously on the Tartarus side, a team powerful enough to defeat a legion of monsters in their home territory—"
"There has to be a way," Jason said.
Nobody volunteered any brilliant ideas.
"We'll figure out the Tartarus problem later," he said. "Is that the Emmanuel Building?"
Leo nodded. "Bacchus said something about the parking lot in back? Well, there it is. What now?"
"We have to get her out," Percy said.
"Well, yeah, but, uh..." Leo stuttered. "There's a parking lot in the way."
Percy looked at Coach Hedge. "Bacchus said something about breaking through. Coach, you still have ammo for those ballistae?"
The satyr grinned like a wild goat. "I thought you'd never ask."
Kira looked over to Leo. She was terrified for something she didn't understand.
She tore away from Leo's side, feeling an obligation to talk to Nico.
He was leaning against Hazel as she walked over, but he tried to steady himself when he saw her.
"Hey, Nico," Kira said sweetly. Nico looked confused and nervous that she was trying to speak with him. Hazel looked confused as well. "I, uh, just wanted to say that I'm glad you're safe."
Nico's guarded expression faded, just for a second. Kira saw a ghost of a smile, but it was gone before she could blink. "Thank you."
"And, I just, wanted to say that you were welcome here," Kira paused, looking to Hazel. Was she saying this right? Hazel just nodded, as if she understood. "You can always come to me if you need something."
Nico looked even more confused that Kira was now welcoming him to the quest. Maybe it didn't happen for him a lot? That broke Kira's heart, he deserved to be happy as much as anyone else on board, maybe even more.
"Thank you," He croaked again. Kira shot him a warm grin.
"Nice to meet you, Nico," She said kindly. "I'm Kira. If you ever need someone to beat someone up for you, I got you."
Nico's scowl faded again, and Kira swore she saw another smile fall through. "Good to know."
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