Isabella, Tartarus survivor

Doors of Death, here we come

Chapter16

ATitan strode towards us, kicking other monsters out of his way as heapproached. He was the same height as Bob, and had a helmet shapedlike a bear under his arm. His hair was short and white, and hiseyes looked like ice. He had a diamond in the middle of hisbreastplate. He stopped in front of Bob and clapped him on theshoulder. "Iapetus! Don't tell me you don't recognise your ownbrother!"

"No!"Bob said, and he sounded nervous. I crossed my fingers and prayedthat he wouldn't mess this up. "I won't tell you that." Theother Titan threw his head back and laughed.

"Iheard you were thrown into the Lethe. Must have been terrible! Weall knew you would heal eventually. It's Koios! Koios!"

"Ofcourse, Koios, the Titan of..." Bob trailed off, and looked likehe was thinking hard.

"TheNorth!" Koios said.

"Iknow!" Bob shouted. They laughed, and took turns to hit eachother in the arm. I looked towards Percy and Annabeth, wondering ifthey had a plan for what we should do. It didn't look like they did. Bob and Koios kept reminiscing about the 'good old days', but Iwasn't really listening. I was looking at the horizon, at all of thethousands and thousands of monsters that swarmed around the Doors ofDeath. I closed my eyes and started to formulate a plan in my head. With Percy's powers, and Annabeth's knowledge, and whatever the hellit was that I could do with the shadows, maybe we had a chance ofgetting through. I could finally get out of this hell hole. Although there would be no one left there that I knew, not anymore.

Iwas jolted back to reality by Koios chest bumping Bob and saying"Well! I'll see you in the mortal world! Oh, and our two otherbrothers are guarding this side of the Doors, so you'll see themsoon enough!"

"Iwill?" Bob asked.

"Counton it!" Koios said as he lumbered off. He got dangerously closeto Percy and Annabeth, but they scrambled out of his way.

Percymotioned for Bob to lean in.

"Youokay, big guy?" Percy whispered. Bob frowned.

"Ido not know. In all this-" he gestured around us- "what is themeaning of okay?" My heart clenched. I never imagined thatone day I would feel sorry for a Titan, but at this moment, Idid. He wasn't a monster anymore. He didn't deserve to be inTartarus. I made a vow to myself in that moment that I would try myhardest to get him back to the mortal world with us.

"Doyou remember Koios?" Percy asked, gently. "All that stuff hewas talking about?"

"Whenhe told it, I remembered. He handed me my past like... like a spear. But I do not know if I should take it. Is it still mine, if I donot want it?" Bob looked Percy in his eyes.

"No," Bob turned to look at Annabeth. "Bob, you're different now. You're better."

"Andit's not the past that matters," I added, "It's the future. Andyou get to decide what you want your future to look like, Bob."

"Future.."Bob mused. "That is a mortal concept. I am not meant to change,Isabella Friend." He looked around at the hordes of monsters thatsurrounded us. "We are the same... forever."

"Ifyou were the same," Percy interrupted, "Annabeth, Isabella, and Iwould be dead already. Maybe we weren't meant to be friends, but weare. You've been the best friend we could ask for." Bob'seyes looked darker than usual. He held out his hand, and Small Bobjumped onto his palm. Bob rose to his full height.

"Letus go, then, friends. Not much further."

Westomped towards the doors. It was hard, the ground was pulsingbeneath our feet. Percy tripped, and his hands fell upon a redartery. He gasped at the contact, then said "There's water inhere. Actual water." Bob grunted.

"Oneof the five rivers. His blood."

"Hisblood?" Annabeth stepped away from the nearest clump ofveins. "I knew the Underworld rivers emptied into Tartarus, but-"

"Yes,"Bob agreed. "They all flow into his heart." I watched as Percyran his fingers over a web of capillaries.

"Weshould hurry." I said. "If we can't-" I trailed off. Therewere jagged streaks of darkness in the air- like lightning, but pureblack. It gave me a rush of energy, made me feel... stronger. I let out a breath I didn't realise I was holding.

"TheDoors." Bob said. "Must be a large group going through."

"Doall the monsters go through the House of Hades? How big isthat place?" Percy asked.

"Perhapsthey are sent elsewhere when they step through. The House of Hadesis in the earth, yes? That is Gaia's realm. She could send herminions wherever she wishes." The name Gaia sent a chill upmy spine. I'd heard the name in passing recently, when I wasfighting monsters. They kept promising me that Gaia would getme.

"IfGaia has that much power, couldn't she control where we endup?" Annabeth asked. Bob scratched his chin.

"Youare not monsters," he replied, "It may be different for you." But... didn't Bob count as a monster? Because he was a Titan? Didthat mean that he might not end up where we did if he came into theDoors of Death with us? I shook the idea from my head. He'd done somuch for me, despite barely knowing me. He was coming withus. He had to. Bob helped us over the top of another ridge, andsuddenly the Doors were in full view. They were around a quarter ofa mile away, surrounded by a horde of monsters so thick, I could haveused there heads as a footpath to the Doors. There were Titansflanking either side of them. The one on the left had golden armourthat radiated heat. A name popped into my head. Hyperion. Just as I thought of the name, Percy said it aloud.

"Hyperion. That guy just won't stay dead." Percy muttered. The other Titanhad dark blue armour, with ram's horns curling from the sides of hishelmet. Another name popped into my head. Krios. I had noclue how I knew what the Titan's were called, but that didn't matterright now. I could dwell on that later. Right now, I had to focuson getting to the doors.

"Bob'sother brothers." Annabeth said. The Death Mist shimmered aroundher, temporarily turning her face into a grinning skull. "Bob, ifyou have to fight them, can you?" Bob hefted his broom. "Wemust hurry," he said. I noticed that that wasn't really an answer,but I didn't want to push the question. His head had been messed withenough, I just hoped that he'd be on our side when it reallymattered. "Follow me." he said.

Wefollowed.

A/N-Hola mis amigos! Sorry for the long pause, but here's an extra longchapter to make up for it. I hope you enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: All rights go to Rick Riordan. The only original character in thisis Isabella, but everything else is based on Rick Riordan's work.