STACEY POV

I froze. What was she doing here? No, maybe I was just imagining it. I was going crazy. But then, that voice came again.

Am I not right, Chiron?
I quickly got up, my sword in hand. My chair fell down, but I didn't bother. Everyone looked around to see where the voice was coming from. "What are you doing here?" I shouted at the sound of her voice.

Well, how nice of you to ask me. I just came to see how you are doing. She answers. "Wait, how did you enter camp? The Golden Fleece has barriers around" Percy asks. The Golden Fleece protects the camp from monsters, Perseus Jackson, not demigods, Titania says, a mocking edge to her voice. "How do you know my name?" Percy calls out, looking here and there. I know everything, as a fact, Percy. I could feel my temper rising. Not a good sign.

"Why are you here, Titania?" Chiron calls out, "Were you not banished from here long ago?".

Ah, Chiron. You see, I was banished. But 700 years in an amphora do wear out a curse. And of course, 10 years ago I was freed by my friend...

" Shut up, SHUT UP" I pointed my sword at the direction of the voice, trembling with rage. My anger was at its highest. If she even mentioned about what I did, I would be ready bury myself in the ground. "Open your mouth, and you'll be silenced forever, Titania" I growled. Oh, fine. But your little secret will come out one day or the other, she whispered in my ear and was gone. My hands were shaking. I had to get out of here quickly, and now. I sheathed my sword and walked out of the rec-room. "Where are you going?" I heard Percy call out. A hand reached out to hold me, but I shook it of and went away, not looking behind me. I heard Percy ask Chiron, "Where is she going?". " Give her some space, Percy. She has gone through a lot" Chiron answered. I went away.

---

I stood stroking Peleus, just trying to forget everything else. Titania's visit had brought back all my memories of Tartarus which I was trying so hard to forget. From the past 10 minutes, I was trying to distract myself, but Tartarus' voice kept coming back to me. I could feel myself slipping in those horrific memories. I shook my head. Suddenly, Peleus breathed a burst of fire and slipped into them.

..."A little more, Stacey. Then we will only have to break through the Vrykolakas guarding the doors, overcome Erebus and pass the hallways of horrors and your passage into the heart of Tartarus is done" Bob encouraged her. She trudged behind him, muttering and cursing. Their encounter with the Minotaur happened long ago, but she still smelt like thousand pounds of rotten beef. And to top it all, she had to go through the House of Nyx alone, defeat who knows what and finally reach the heart of Tartarus. Hurrah! And she had not even got a cloak of invisibility to pass through the horror house. Life couldn't be better. She looked up at Bob and her heart warmed. Despite having almost died helping Percy and Annabeth, here he was, guiding her through Tartarus. All because she looked and reminded him if Percy.

"Stacey" he said, breaking her out of her thoughts. She looked up and saw him looking at her, concerned. "Yes?" she said. He looked at her and she again thought of his he looked like a kindly grandfather, with those silver hair and eyes and kind of hunched back. He had told her that when Percy and Annabeth were trying to escape, Tartarus had broken his spear, causing his back to remained hunched, even when his spear had been fixed by a kindly Elder Cyclopes in the forges of Tartarus. It was by luck that he had survived. His friend, Damasen the giant had not been so lucky. His very essence had been sucked by Tartarus in order to kill him. She shivered just at the thought.

"Stacey" Bob said again, breaking her out of her reverie. "Sorry, got distracted. What were you saying?" she said.

"I want you to do something for me" he said.

"Sure"

"When you go back to camp, I want you to tell Percy and Annabeth and Nico that ' Bob says hello and misses you' "

Stacey choked back a sob. Bob had been her only friend and companion in Tartarus, if you counted out Titania who had hung around till Bob arrived. He was dead sure that she would survive and go back. He had not even thought about himself. Then, they reached the House of Night. Just looking at it gave her the worst shivers. She turned back and saw that Bob was no where. He had warned her that he could not pass this place. She took a deep breath and walked in. She was going to die.

---

"You survived!" Bob cheered and wrapped her in a chocking hug. She did not even notice it. What she had seen in there was so bad, that she was even afraid to open her eyes outside it. Being chased by Nyx and her minion's been the least of her worries in there. Even opening her eyes was a challenge. "You can open your eyes now" Bob said in a gentle voice. She slowly opened them and almost blacked out. Stretched in front of her was the worst landscape she could ever imagine. Under her feet, the ground glistened a nauseating purple and red and she could clearly see the monsters forming beneath the surface, stirring at the smell of fresh and powerful demigod blood. Many tried to break free of their prisons and Stacey could clearly see their half formed forms. She turned to the other side and puked out whatever was in her stomach, which wasn't much. After emptying her gullet, she turned around and saw the worst thing till now, which was saying a lot.

Floating mid-air was a mountain, Mount Othrys. Its true form was in Tartarus, slowly gathering its power in the evil place. Wind spirits were circling it, and flying creatures flying high above it. Even from this far, she could feel it's evil tugging her towards it. It took all her will power not to walk and give herself to the palace on its peak. "We have to go in there?" she asked in a small voice. Bob nodded, looking grim. "The palace is tied to Mount Tam in the real world. If you go in there, you will be transported automatically to its mortal mountain. From there, you continue your journey" he said. "Your coming, right?"

"I cannot. I will have to fight of the forces of Tartarus in the palace" he answered. She looked at him, her mouth hanging open. She was not expecting this kind of response. "You've got to be joking. Your in here for ages. If there is a chance for you to come to the mortal world, it is now" she argued. He sighed. She siezed his arm and made him look directly at her in the eyes. "You have to come with me. Your punishment is over. I will take you with me, if that's the last thing I do" and with that, Stacey started walking towards the mountain. Half way across, the ground began to shake and and an explosion knocked Stacey and Bob of their feet. A voice almost deafened Stacey.

YOUNG DEMIGOD! YOU HAVE COME A LITTLE TOO FAR. All around her, monsters rose out of the ground, pounding their chests and roaring. Bob moved in front of her to protect her from the hordes of monsters. And suddenly, a shape rose from the ground.

The air around it solidified and darkened. It formed a vaguely humanoid shape till a body was made. She looked at its face and immediately wished for the hundredth time since she came to Tartarus that she were blind than look at all this. A helmet covered it, made of jagged rocks and metal with no definite shape. But she could still see through it, being the sorceress she was. It would have looked like a massive whirlpool of darkness to those who were not able to see through mist. Its eyes gave of pure waves of terror and malevolence. They were burning red. Its face was grotesque and...well, if she looked more at it, her brain would get ripped to shreds. She forced herself to look at his body and the sight was no better. Its armor was made of thousands of bones twisted and interlocked, with the faces of monsters it had consumed, appearing and disappearing. Its arms were thick mass of purple muscles.

YOU HAVE COME TOO FAR FOR MY LIKING. NOBODY ESCAPES TARTARUS.

She found her voice and called out. "But...Percy and Annabeth did....right under your nose"

IMPUDENCE!! YOUR SOUL WILL JOIN THE OTHERS IN MY ARMOR, WEAKLING! A single thought rose in Stacey's mind, What did I do to deserve eternity as Tartarus' clothes? Bob came in front of her and whispered" Stacey, run to the palace. I'll cover for you"

YOU WILL STILL HELP DEMIGODS, EVEN AFTER THE PREVIOUS ONES LEFT YOU ALONE?? YOU ARE A FOOL, IAPETUS! Tartarus mused. That was the limits. Stacey could not let anybody disgrace Bob. "You will go to the palace and get out of here. You deserve it. I will cover you. If I die, I die fighting" and with that, she charged towards Tartarus. He seemed to find it amusing. He gave of a wave of breath and she fell down. She could feel her life force getting pulled towards the god of the pit. A shadow passed over her. She struggled to look up sand saw Tartarus looking down at her. If she were to guess, he was smiling at his victory. YOU MADE A MISTAKE, DEMIGOD. YOU HAVE THE PRIDE OF THE OLYMPIANS, WHICH WILL LEAD TO YOUR DOWNFALL. And with that, he raised his spear and brought it down on her...

---

"Stacey, Stacey, Stacey!! " Sam's voice broke through. I blinked and suddenly collapsed. A strong pair of hands balanced me and made me sit down. I blinked and looked around. Two pairs of eyes were looking down at me, concerned. I shook my head and saw Sam and Nico looking down at me. "Stacey, your fine? You were just staring into space, muttering Bob and Tartarus" Sam said. "I...nothing." I muttered. "You still need to rest. Your not fine. C'mon, Chiron was calling you" Nico said. "I'm fine" I muttered and to prove my point, I stood up and immediately staggered. If it would have not been for Nico, I would have fallen on my face. "See, your not. You can't even get up. We'll help you walk" Nico said and they each took an arm of mine and put it on their shoulders and helped me walk to the Big House.

Notes

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