Gifts Before Hell
"This is strange," Percy said, looking at the establishment right in front of them. He also observed the thread above Grover's head; it was moving abruptly, with strange ripples, which confused him quite a bit. The threads of Grover and Annabeth glowed with an intense golden color as they continued walking down the street in the same direction.
But when they reached the door of the place in front of them, the threads began to move in a way they hadn't seen before. They didn't change color, but they shook as if reacting to something that was right there.
That confused Percy even more. He was sure the correct path continued forward; the threads had never lost their glow, and he had been using them as a sort of GPS. When the glow dimmed or changed color, it meant they were going the wrong way. Following that pattern, they had reached this street, walking through factories, industrial zones, and abandoned shops.
"But if they're moving like that, does it mean that maybe the entrance is also here?" Annabeth asked, just as confused while listening to Percy's explanation.
Obviously, she wasn't going to get too many answers from Percy; he didn't even know he had this ability until a few hours ago. Or rather, he had only just discovered it was an ability, thanks to the elixir his master had given him.
"Well, the only thing left is to ask, right?" Percy said as he approached the entrance of Crusty's Water Bed Palace, a waterbed store with a huge, bright, attention-grabbing sign.
As soon as they opened the door, they realized the store was larger on the inside than it looked. There were dozens of waterbeds of every kind, each with colorful signs showing their names and specifications.
Some beds were huge, others smaller; some looked luxurious, others ridiculously extravagant. But what caught the group's attention the most was the man waiting for them in the center of the place, with a smile that stretched too wide, as if he knew they would come.
He was a man with a predatory appearance; his suit looked like it had come straight from the seventies, his skin had a grayish tone, his eyelids were droopy, and that smile… a smile that made their skin crawl. His gaze was cold, almost reptilian. He took two soft steps toward them, but his movement was so deceptive that, in reality, he advanced so fast that he was already standing in front of the group before they could react.
He wore a partially unbuttoned cashmere shirt, revealing a hairless chest covered with several silver chains that jingled softly.
"Welcome. I'm Krusty, the owner of this place. Did you happen to come to look at waterbeds?" the man asked with the speed and confidence of a professional salesman.
"Uh… ah, no. We were just looking," Percy said, staring at the man's strange face.
"I see; then let me show you," Krusty said quickly, not giving Percy the chance to refuse anything. He placed a hand on his shoulder with surprising strength, almost like a claw, and guided them toward the nearby beds.
There was much more in the back than they had seen upon entering. Beds of all sizes, with carved ornaments, decorated headboards, strange structures, different colors, and even different types of water. Which raised far too many questions… how many types of water could even exist for a bed?
"This is my most popular bed," Krusty said as he showed them a bed surrounded by lava lamps, with a mattress that seemed to vibrate, undulating like gelatin. "You can try it; it's really comfortable," he added with a smile that remained unsettling.
Percy had all his senses on high alert as he felt Krusty's hand digging into his shoulder. But Grover, exhausted from lack of sleep and seeing a bed right in front of him, seemed to be staring at exactly what he needed most at that moment.
"Massage… I have to steal that," he muttered before throwing himself onto the bed, lying down with a huge smile. "Wow, this is really great," he said instantly, feeling his eyelids grow heavy just from lying there for a second. Sleep was defeating him completely.
Krusty touched his chin, observing Grover with narrowed eyes; he murmured something Percy managed to hear.
"Almost… almost…"
"Almost what?" Percy asked, confused.
"What about you, girl? You can try the Safari DeLuxe model; let's see if it fits you," he said, ignoring Percy and looking directly at Annabeth. She, exhausted, didn't even question much before lying gently on a huge bed with carved teak lions and a leopard-print quilt.
"Ergo!" Krusty shouted suddenly.
The beds moved. Ropes shot out from the sides, trapping both Annabeth and Grover. They both opened their eyes wide, losing all drowsiness instantly and realizing they had fallen into a trap.
Percy's eyes snapped open, noticing the same thing. He felt the hand on his shoulder sliding toward the back of his neck.
Unfortunately for Krusty, Percy was always prepared; at this point in his adventure, he'd have to be an idiot not to be.
With a quick movement he pulled out Riptide, turned, and cut off the man's arm before he could touch him.
Percy delivered a perfect kick to Krusty's chest; the impact sent him flying until he crashed against a nearby bed.
Krusty, shocked by the blow, began to get up as his body changed shape; he became more horrid, sharper, more dangerous. But when he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Percy dropping from above, driving Riptide straight into his stomach.
"I'm really not in the mood. I'm very sleepy right now," Percy said with a slightly annoyed expression.
"Wait… wait…" Krusty murmured, writhing with the sword stuck through his body. He didn't finish the sentence; his head rolled off a moment later, cut by the black sword Percy pulled from his bag.
Krusty's body turned to dust as the sword absorbed his soul, sending it into the pouch where Percy kept several soul stones prepared by Miraak.
Percy stood up and walked toward his friends, who were still screaming as the ropes yanked them around, shaping them as if trying to fit them perfectly onto the beds.
"Hey, what if we buy one? They look comfortable," Percy said with a smile.
"Percy! Get us out now!" Annabeth shouted.
"Please…" Grover yelled, and it was completely understandable; he was having the worst time of all, because his bed was still vibrating while he was completely tied up.
Percy quickly cut the ropes, freeing Grover first and then Annabeth. Both jumped to their feet as if they weren't sleepy at all anymore.
"Hey… is it just me or did you two grow a little?" Percy said with a smile as he looked at them.
Annabeth shot him a glare. Grover, on the other hand, kept rubbing his arms and legs, uncomfortable.
"We have to see the bright side. Now we discovered that I can also see when we're in danger, right?" Percy added.
"And why is that good? Because now at least you'll know we're going to be in danger right before we enter the dangerous place?" Annabeth said, staring at him.
Percy's smile was exactly the response Annabeth did not want.
"Let's go," she said, unwilling to argue.
"Are you sure? I mean, we could take a little nap bef—"
"Let's go," Annabeth said, with obvious anger. She didn't want to be in that place even a second longer.
…
"Now are you sure?" Annabeth asked as the three of them stood in front of a new building.
DOA Recording Studios.
"That's Aunt Em's address," Percy said calmly, though internally he was checking the threads above Annabeth and Grover's heads intensely. He could see they were in the right place; the golden glow hadn't diminished. But the threads were shaking much harder than in Krusty's store—almost frantic. That meant they were in a truly dangerous place… probably more dangerous than the previous encounter. But that part was better left unsaid.
All three of them already knew it deep down.
Percy looked toward the studio door. A sign read:
"No lawyers. No vagrants. No living."
Yes, it was definitely the right place.
It was almost midnight, but the lobby was lit and full of people waiting.
"Well, you remember the plan, right?" Percy said.
Grover, nervous as always, tried to smile. "The plan, yes… the plan. I love the plan," he replied quickly, though he looked like he was about to collapse from fear.
"And what if the plan doesn't work?" Annabeth asked.
"Don't think negatively," Percy said.
"Sure, we're about to enter the Underworld and I'm not supposed to think negatively," Annabeth said with sarcasm.
Percy wasn't completely sure either. So far they had faced things they barely managed to overcome and others they had luckily avoided, like Echidna. They were about to enter, literally, the place where all the dead went… and from which no one, for obvious reasons, could come back.
There were hundreds of stories about people who had tried. And the few who succeeded had far more experience than Percy.
Annabeth placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Percy. My nerves are getting to me. But you're right; we'll make it. Everything will be fine," she said, noticing the boy's expression. Even though Percy was the strongest of the three, he didn't look much better… maybe because he could see those restless threads above their heads.
Annabeth elbowed Grover so he would say something, and he nodded quickly.
"Yes, we'll be fine. We'll find the master bolt and save your mother," Grover added.
Percy nodded and was about to open the door when something suddenly fell at his feet.
The sound was so abrupt that Percy instantly drew his sword, ready to attack. Grover and Annabeth, with their nerves already on edge, also reacted, getting into defensive positions as best they could.
The three of them froze when they saw what it was.
Just a wooden box.
"Ahem…" Percy cleared his throat, sheathing his sword. "Well… that shows we're really alert," he said, trying to keep his dignity.
"Yeah…" Annabeth said, also quickly dropping her stance, her cheeks red, praying no one had seen them attempt to attack a box.
Grover murmured quietly, "That was so embarrassing…"
The three of them stared at the box suspiciously. Percy noticed a note stuck to the top. He recognized it immediately: it was just like the ones his master, Miraak, had sent him back at camp.
Without hesitation, Percy took the letter, read it, and let out a small smile… which broke instantly into a brief sadness upon reading the final line.
"What is it, Percy?" Grover asked.
"Apparently, my master finished what I asked him for last time," Percy said as he opened the box.
Inside were two objects.
A wooden flute with wolves carved on the sides.
And a golden diadem with three bright blue gemstones.
Both were surrounded by a faint blue aura that made it clear they were not normal objects. They were special.
"Their gifts arrived just in time…" Percy said, smiling at his friends.