AN HOUR LATER, the three of them stood on a hill overlooking the ruins of ancient sparta. they'd already scouted the modern city, where karina had learned more about olive oil than she ever wanted to know, but no giants attacked them. they found no statues of chained gods.

annabeth seemed reluctant to check the ruins on the edge of town, but finally they ran out of other places to look.

there wasn't much to see. according to annabeth, the hill they stood on had once been sparta's acropolis— its highest point and main fortress.

the weathered slope was covered with dead grass, rocks, and stunted olive trees. below, ruins stretched out for maybe a quarter mile: limestone blocs, a few broken walls, and some tiled holes in the ground like wells.

piper wiped the sweat from her forehead. "you'd think if there was a thirty-foot tall giant around, we'd see him."

annabeth scoffed. "i wish it were that easy."

karina stared at the distant shape of the argo II floating above downtown sparta. she fiddled with a small brown cord that was wrapped around her wrist. there was a small light green seashell entwined to it— so piper figured it had been a gift to her from percy.

"you're thinking about percy," piper guessed.

karina nodded.

since annabeth had come back from tartarus, she'd told karina a lot of scary things that had happened down there. at the top of her list: percy controlling a ride of poison and suffocating the goddess akhlys.

"he seems to be adjusting," annabeth said. "he's smiling more often. you know he cares about you more than ever."

karina sat. "i . . . never told anyone this," she began. "but i had a dream the night that percy controlled the poison. i . . . i saw it happen."

annabeth's expression turned confused. "you . . . you dreamt of us?"

she nodded. "i had forgotten it by the next morning, so i didn't think about it. maybe it was gaea trying to scare me, but . . . when i saw you two come out from the doors . . . the memory popped into my brain. i can't quite get it out of my head . . . how percy looked when he was standing at the edge of chaos."

piper thought about what had said last night: part of me wanted to close my eyes and stop fighting.

she had tried her best to reassure him, but still she worried. all demigods have their share of bad spirits inside. fatal flaws. some crises brought them out. some lines shouldn't be crossed.

if that were true for jason, how could it not be true for percy? the guy had literally been through hell and back. even when he wasn't trying, he made the toilets explode. what would percy be like if he wanted to act scary?

"give him time." annabeth sat next to her. "that guy is crazy about you. you were the only thing i could talk about in tartarus to keep him going. i even asked him what you smelled like, and he became more alert."

karina laughed lightly, and annabeth suddenly grew agitated.

"bob the titan, he warned me there would be more sacrifices ahead. i want to believe we can have a normal life someday . . . but i allowed myself to hope for that last summer, after the titan war. then percy disappeared for months. then we fell into that pit . . . " a tear traced its way down her cheek. "piper, nina, if you'd seen the face of the god tartarus, all swirling darkness, devouring monsters and vaporizing them— i've never felt so helpless. i try not to think about it . . . "

despite karina's solemn mood, she took her friends hands. they were trembling badly. she remembered when she first saw annabeth when they'd come to camp jupiter. she radiated leadership, and she looked more driven and determined that anyone she'd ever met.

annabeth chase was the bravest person she knew. if even she needed a shoulder to cry on once in a while . . . well, karina was glad to offer hers. and so was piper.

"hey," piper said gently. "don't try to shut out the feelings. you won't be able to. just let them wash over you and drain out again. you're scared."

"gods, yes, i'm scared."

"you're angry," karina said.

"at percy for frightening me," she said. "at my mom for sending me on that horrible quest in rome. at . . . well, pretty much everybody. gaea. the giants. the gods for being jerks."

"at us?" piper asked, referring to her and karina.

annabeth managed a shaky laugh. "yes, for you both being so annoyingly calm."

"it's all a lie."

"and for being good friends."

"ha!"

annabeth punched their arms, but their was no force to it. "i'm stupid, sitting here talking about my feelings when we have a quest to finish."

karina nudged her shoulder. "i don't see the quest going anywhere."

piper agreed. "the chained god's heartbeat can wait."

despite karina trying for a smile, but her own tears welled you inside her. the giant ephialtes's words kept replaying in her head from a few weeks ago.

in order for gaea to die, you must sacrifice yourself. it is the only way you will be able to win.

she knew what she had to do. she'd always known. but, karina was the type of person to look for a backup plan in situations— always wanting something to fall back on to when things went wrong. but, this time, her own fears were true— and there was no other way out of this.

"whatever happens," karina told annabeth. "i'm your friend. piper's your friend. just . . . remember that, okay?"

especially when i'm not around to remind you, karina thought.

annabeth started to say something. suddenly, a roaring sound came from the ruins. one of the stone-lined pits, which karina had mistaken for wells, spewed out a three-story geyser of flames and shut off just as quickly.

"what the hell?" piper asked.

annabeth sighed. "i don't know, but i have a feeling it's something we should check out."

karina scoffed. "of course, because when is it not?"

THREE PITS LAY side by side like finger holes on a recorder. each one was perfectly round, two feet in diameter, tiled around the rim with limestone; each one plunged straight into darkness. every few seconds, seemingly at random, one of the three pits shot a column of fire into the sky. each time, the color and intensity of the flames were different.

"they weren't doing this before." annabeth walked a wide arc around the pits. she still looked shaky and pale, but her mind was now obviously engaged in the problem at hand. "there doesn't seem to be any pattern. the timing, the color, the height of the fire . . . i don't get it."

"did we activate them somehow?" karina wondered. "maybe that surge of fear you felt on the hill . . . uh, i mean, we all felt."

annabeth didn't seem to hear her. "there must be some kind of mechanism . . . a pressure plate, a proximity alarm."

flames shot from the middle pit. annabeth counted silently. the next time, a geyser erupted on the left. she frowned. "that's not right. it's inconsistent. it has to follow some kind of logic."

karina ears started to ring. something about these pits . . .

each time one ignited, a horrible thrill went through her— fear, panic, but also a strong desire to get closer to the flames.

karina and piper exchange curious looks, both of them thinking the same thing.

"it isn't rational," piper said. "it's emotional."

piper held her hand over the pit on the right. instantly, flames leapt up. she barely had time to withdraw her fingers. her nails steamed.

"piper!" both girls ran over. "what were you thinking?"

"i wasn't. i was feeling. what we want is down there. these pits are the way in. i'll have to jump."

"um, what?" karina said in a flat tone.

"are you crazy?" annabeth asked, perplexed. "even if you don't get stuck in the tube, you have no idea how deep it is."

"you're right."

"you'll be burned alive!"

"possibly." piper unbuckled her sword and tossed it into the pit on the right. "i'll let you know if it's safe. wait for my word."

"don't you dare," annabeth warned.

piper jumped.

karina shrugged. "she dared."

both annabeth and karina raced to the entrance of the pit, and waited for flames to shoot up from the pit— incinerating piper— but, they never came, leaving the two girls confused.

"piper?" annabeth's voice echoed down the pit.

"yeah!" piper shouted.

"thank the gods! you okay?"

"yeah. hold on a sec."

piper was silent for a moment.

"annabeth, karina!" she called. "it's a long drop, but it's safe to come down. maybe . . . uh, you have a rope you could fasten so we can get back up?"

"on it!" annabeth called.

a few minutes later, karina and annabeth were climbing down the pit.

when she descended into the cave, she saw three bronze dragons stood in a row, aligned with the holes in the roof. it seemed piper had decapitated the middle one. the two intact dragons were each three feet tall, their snouts pointer upward and their steaming mouths open. they were clearly the source of the flames, but they didn't seem to be automations. they didn't move or try to attack them. karina calmly sliced off the heads of the other two.

her eyes adjusted to the dark. she scanned the chamber. the only light came from piper's glowing blade and the openings above. the ceiling was about thirty feet high. the chamber itself was round, about the size of a helicopter pad. the walls were made of rough-hewn stone blocks chiseled with greek inscriptions— thousands and thousands of them, like graffiti.

at the far end of the room, on a stone dais, stood the human-sized bronze statue of a warrior— the gods mars— or, ares— karina guessed. he had heavy bronze chains wrapped around his body, anchoring him to to the floor.

on either side of the statue looked two dark doorways, each ten feet high, with a gruesome stone face carved over the archway. the faces reminded karina of gorgons, except they had lions' manes instead of snakes for hair.

"piper mclean," karina grumbled, "that was without a doubt the dumbest risk i've ever seen anyone take, and i date a dumb risk-taker."

"thank you." piper nudged the nearest decapitated dragon head with her foot. "i'm guessing these are the dragons of ares. that's one of his sacred animals, right?"

annabeth nodded. "and there's the chained god himself. where do you think these doorways— "

piper held up her hand. "do you hear that?"

the sound was like a drumbeat . . . with a metallic echo.

"it's coming from inside the statue," karina decided. "the heartbeat of the chained god."

annabeth unsheathed her drakon-bone sword. in the dim light, her face was ghostly pale, her eyes colorless. "i— i don't like this, karina, piper. we need to leave."

the rational part of karina agreed. her skin crawled. her legs ached to run— though, her right leg just ached on its own. but something about this room felt different— felt powerful.

"the shrine is ramping up our emotions," piper said. "it's like being around my mom, except this place radiates fear, not love. that's why you both started feeling overwhelmed on the hill. down here, it's a thousand times stronger."

annabeth scanned the walls. "okay . . . we need a plan to get the statue out. maybe haul it up with the rope, but— "

"wait." piper glanced at the snarling stone faces above the doorways. "a shrine that radiates fear. ares had two sons, didn't he?"

"ph-phobos and deimos." annabeth shivered. "panic and fear. percy met them once in staten island."

karina decided not to ask what the twin gods of panic and fear had been doing in staten island. "i think those are their faces above the doors. this place isn't just a shrine to ares. it's a temple of fear."

deep laughter echoed through the chamber. karina unsheathed her gladius.

on karina's right, a giant appeared. he didn't come through either doorway. he simply emerged from the darkness as if he'd been camouflaged against the wall.

he was small for a giant— perhaps twenty-five feet tall, which would give him enough room to swing the massive sledgehammer in his hands. his armor, his skin, and his dragon-scale legs were all the color of charcoal. copper wires and smashed circuit boards glittered in the braids of his oil-black hair.

"very good, child of ceres," the giant smiled. "though, child of gaea would be more appropriate in your case. this is indeed the temple of fear. and i am here to make you believers."

suddenly, waves of terror crashed over her. her joints turned to jelly. her heart refused to beat.

karina thought she knew fear, but this was different.

her worst memories crowded her mind— her father throwing a glass vase at her head, and the shards slicing her side open. she could almost feel the blood drenching her shirt and running down her skin— and her side throbbed as she began to relive it. she saw herself fighting the giant on that mountain with jason and reyna. she felt the cold metal pierce the back of her neck— and she felt the hot, gushing blood stream out of it and down her back.

she stumbled backward, losing her footing as her sight became blurred. her breathing was growing heavier as more memories flashed through her mind, and her lungs felt like they are being squeezed against each other.

more memories of her father began to resurface in her mind. the time where he caught her looking through her mother's old jewelry box, and he locked her in the stables for the rest of the day, telling her to think over her actions as she cleaned up the mess she'd caused. she'd cried the entire time until night fall hit, and she was still locked inside. he didn't come and get until the next morning when he didn't hear the sound of breakfast being cooked— and he didn't even acknowledge her. he only unlocked the door and then left.

she was ten.

tears began to well into her eyes as she felt the harsh wind of that night in the stables blow over her body, turning her body into the temperature of ice. her body shook, and her scars burned with each memory that surpassed through her. she was being tortured in her own mind— and she couldn't do anything to stop it.

her brain burned as flashes of gaea's sickly and evil face appeared in her mind, screaming evil thoughts at her— and embedding them in her mind. dark whispers echoed through her ears, and darkness was the only thing that filled her mind as gaea stepped closer to her— her fear spreading deeper through her body.

her eyes were wide open when gaea materialized in front of her. she couldn't put aside her nightmares from reality at this point— and she didn't realize that it wasn't real.

"no," she whispered in panic, backing up into the wall behind her with trembling arms and legs. "s-stay away from me! go away!"

gaea's earthly form walked closer to her. her face was the color of dirt— with smudges and holes throughout it, making it look as if she were decomposing. her body was bathed in a flowy green dress— poison ivy, sharp vines, and other poisonous things spewing and curling around it, coming straight for karina.

"oh, my dear," gaea whispered, a sadistic smile gracing her horrifying face. "there is nothing to be afraid of. i am not your enemy anymore. we are together."

the vines shot toward her, and wrapped around her arms, and karina screamed out in fear and pain— hot burns forming on her arms at the impact, and her nightmares became her reality as the pain spread throughout her body.

"stop! stop!" she yelled in agony, her body writhing. "please! it hurts!"

tears streamed down her face as she pleaded to gaea— something she'd never done before— and had always told herself she never would do.

gaea tutted. "what did i tell you, karina ashwood. i warned you that you would be begging for me to stop at some point. and . . . look where we are. you weak little thing . . . begging at my feet."

more vines wrapped around her body, and her screams intensified as her whole body became drenched in a blood-curling, mind bending pain. it was nothing like she'd experienced before— nothing like her dreams, nothing like real life. it was worse.

"gaea . . . p— please!" she cried out, her arms struggling to rip free of the vines— the skin on her arms beginning to peel off from the burning of the vines. "please make it stop!"

"you're weak," gaea spit out, leaning down closer to her face. "i chose you because i knew you had power within you . . . begging to be released. now, all i see is a helpless, weak demigod."

karina let out another cry of pain, trying to move her head away gaea's disgusting dirt-ridden one. "get away from me!" she screamed, crying out as gaea chuckled and wrapped the vines tighter around her.

"you will never escape me!" gaea exclaimed, her voice growing deeper. "i have chosen you! you will be my awakening, and the ultimate sacrifice! you will be the destroyer of mankind and the world as we know it— and the reason that rises into a new, better world."

"i'll never help you!" karina screamed, her eyes growing wilder from the pain. "even if you torture me for the rest of my life! i'll never turn my back on my friends, my family. you will never win!"

gaea chuckled and the vines grew tighter around her, and gaea disappeared into thin air— leaving behind her pain that she caused.

piper whipped her head around, snapping herself out of her own fears at the sound of karina's scream.
and, the sight in front of her was worse than any nightmare piper had ever seen before.

karina had backed herself up against the furthest wall, her body trembling as deep sobs racked through her body— yelling at emptiness to stop. her screams echoed throughout the chamber, and her body shook and writhed in pain— her arms turning a dark shade of red. piper had never seen her look this terrified before— her eyes wide and tears streaming down her face profusely as she curled herself into the corner.

piper raced over, sliding down next to her as she realized karina wasn't breathing. her heart was racing— and her screams still ripped from her throat, but her chest wasn't moving. her breathing had gotten so labored that they'd stopped all together. her eyes were dilated so much that piper could barely see the green and gold beneath it. it scared her— seeing karina in this bad of shape. she didn't even look like the friend she knew.

the karina she knew was strong, and a self-willed fighter. someone who always put her family before her— and always made sure everyone was okay before she checked for herself. she was the one person that you could go to and feel comforted just by her presence. she was the light in the never ending pit of darkness that had seemed to wash over the crew on this quest. she kept them going, and she kept them alive.

but now, she looked almost on the verge of death, and piper realized that she wasn't going to be there of them this time.

piper had to be there for her.

her eyes seemed to be focused on something in front of her, wide and crazed as she continued to sob at the visible figure in front of her. but when piper turned to look, she saw nothing except for the giant laughing sadistically.

"oh, you poor demigod," the giant bellowed. "trapped under the influence of gaea. no wonder she made you so powerful— anyone else with that type of demonic entity inside them would've dissolved by now in this chamber. her fear are amplified even more down here— drawing her to the point of hallucination and unable to tell dream from reality."

he laughed as if this were a special treat for him.

karina cried out again. "leave me alone, please! make it stop! make it stop!"

"karina?" piper asked hardly, placing her hands on either sides of her face. "i need you to focus on me, okay? snap out of it!"

karina's mouth trembled, and her chest shook as she struggled to get out stable breathes. her tear stained cheeks brought pain to piper's heart, and her broken expression only made her more scared for her friend. "make her go away," she whispered through a sob. "please, make her leave."

piper shook her head, her own tears threatening to fall down her face at the fact that she couldn't do anything to help karina. "it's not real, karina. it's not real. look away from her. focus on me."

karina tried to maintain eye contact with her, but with the constant flow of tears coming down her face, it made it hard to focus. her eyes almost looked manic— so panicked and wild, piper was getting nervous for her. she realized that if they stayed in her for too long— this chamber was going to drive karina into insanity.

"help me," she whispered frightfully, gripping piper's wrists tightly, her grip as hard as steel. "help me escape her."

piper swallowed and nodded, her hands shaking slightly. "okay, okay, nina. we're going to get you out of here."

she began to lift karina up from the ground, careful to place her on her good leg as she fell apart in piper's arms, deep sobs still racking her body as piper began to drag her away from the wall, and over to annabeth. karina's body clung desperately onto piper's, her arms wrapped tight around her— as if she thought piper might disappear from under her.

"annabeth!" piper called out desperately, keeping a tight hold on the hysterical form of karina.

annabeth moved sluggishly, her eyes wide and unfocused, but she wasn't nearly as bad as karina.

"i'm here," piper promised to her, filling her voice with reassurance. "we will get out of this."

karina's cries began to louden. "she's still there, piper," she sobbed, curling herself into her as if she were a child. she couldn't help it— she hadn't felt this terrified in her whole life. the flashbacks and memories that flooded through her mind were driving her mad— and she couldn't stop herself from crying out in fear at the remembrancer them. "she won't leave me alone!"

piper felt her own tears fall down her face at the broken and fragile form of karina in her arms. she'd never seen her become this vulnerable in front of anyone. ever. she was always so strong, so independent, that piper never had to worry about her panicking in situations like these. she was almost like a safety device— but now, she wasn't. and she was the one who needed a safety device instead of everyone else. and piper didn't know what to do.

"it's going to be okay," is all she promised, because she genuinely had no other things to say, trying to put as much reassurance in her tone as she can.

the giant laughed. "a child of aphrodite leading a child of athena and ceres? now i've seen everything. how would you defeat me, girl? with makeup and fashion tips?"

"annabeth, trust me," piper said.

"a— a plan," she stammered. "i got left. you and karina go right. if we— "

"no!" karina yelled, more tears falling down her face, falling deeper into piper's embrace. "s—she's over there! d—don't go right!"

piper readjusted karina in her arms, and her hands gripping piper's shirt so tight her knuckles had turned white. "we're not going right, karina. i promise. it's okay."

she turned to annabeth, who was looking at karina was a look of horror at how broken and hysterical she's become. "help me, please." piper whispered to her, and annabeth blinked, shaking her head.

"what happened . . . "

"i don't know," piper said fearfully. "this chamber is messing with her worse than us. it's making her hallucinate. and . . . i— i'm afraid that if we're here for too long . . . she's going to go insane."

annabeth swallowed looking at the daughter of ceres with a scared expression and took karina, who kept looking behind her shoulder fearfully, as if someone was following her, out of piper's arms, and into her own. karina gripped onto her body like a child clinging on to their mother— scared and helpless. "we need a plan."

"annabeth, no plans."

"w-what?"

"no plans. just follow me!"

the giant swung his hammer, but they dodged it easily. piper leaped forward and slashed her sword across the back of the giant's knee. as the giant bellowed in outrage, piper pulled annabeth and karina into the nearest tunnel. immediately they were engulfed in total darkness.

"fools!" the giant roared somewhere behind them. "that is the wrong way!"

"no!" karina cried, trying to go back to the previous chamber, but annabeth held her back. "she's down here! she— she's waiting for me! she's g-going to kill me!"

"karina, nobody's waiting for you," piper said soothingly, though it was hard when she could barely see the outlining of karina's face. her voice was shaky as well, making it difficult to sound positive. "no one is going to kill you. i promise."

karina's breathing seemed to calm down a little bit at her words. "are— are you sure?" her voice was so small and timid, piper could barely believe it was karina speaking. she sounded so . . . weak. so un-karina-like, that it started to make piper doubt if they could actually make it out of here without karina's help.

"yes," piper said strongly, finding her voice again. "i am one hundred percent sure. nobody is going to hurt you."

karina sniffled and took a deep, shuddered breath. "o-okay," she mumbled, taking annabeth's hand. the daughter of athena gripped it tightly, trying to stop karina's hands from shaking. "it's fine. i— i'm fine. come on."

she couldn't see anything. even the glow of her gladius was snuffed out. piper barreled ahead anyway, trusting her emotions. from the echo of their footfalls, the space around them must have been a vast cavern, but she couldn't be sure. she simply went the direction that made her fear the sharpest.

"piper, karina, it's like the house of night," annabeth said. "we should close our eyes."

"no," karina whispered, but, she seemed to be slowly coming back to normal, because her breathing had finally gone back to a regular pace, and she wasn't muttering reassurance to herself. but, her hands still shook violently, and an occasional tear streamed down her face. "i— i see her whenever i close my eyes."

"yeah," piper said. "keep them open. we can't try to hide."

the giant's voice came from somewhere in front of them. "lost forever. swallowed by the darkness."

karina stumbled back in fear, a small sound of fright escaping her as her whole body trembled. annabeth froze, forcing piper to stop too.

"why did we just plunge in?" annabeth demanded. "we're lost. we did what he wanted us to. we should have bided our time, talked to the enemy, figured out a plan. that always works!"

"annabeth, i never ignore your advice." piper kept her voice soothing. "but this time i have to. we can't defeat this place with reason. you can't think your way out of your emotions."

the giant's laughter echoed like a detonating depth charge. "despair, annabeth chase! i am mimas, born to slay hephaestus. i am the breaker of plans, the destroyer of well-oiled machines. nothing goes right in my presence. maps are misread. devices break. data is lost. the finest minds turn to mush!"

piper couldn't help but glance at karina, who was shaking in fright at the sound of the giant's voice. her fists were clenched tight at her sides, and her jaw was clenched— as if she were trying to keep herself grounded. piper realized that she was holding her breath again, as if the air in the chamber were infecting her with these hallucinations.

"i— i've faced worse than you!" annabeth cried.

"oh, i see!" the giant sounded much closer now. "are you not afraid?"

"never!"

"of course we're afraid," piper corrected. "terrified!"

the air moved. just in time, karina and piper jumped, pushing annabeth to one side.

CRASH!

suddenly they were back in the circular room, the dim light almost blinding now. the giant stood close by, trying to yank his hammer out of the floor where he'd embedded it. piper lunged and drove her blade into the giant's thigh.

"AROOO!" mimas let go of the hammer and arched his back.

the three girls scrambled behind the chained statue of ares, which still pulsed with a metallic heartbeat: thump, thump, thump.

the giant mimas turned toward them. the wound on his leg was already closing.

"you cannot defeat me," he growled. "especially when your dear friend's mind is so scrambled. she would be your only chance. in the last war, it took two gods to bring me down. i was born to kill hephaestus, and would have done so if ares hadn't ganged up on me as well! you should have stayed paralyzed in your fear. your death would've been quicker."

"this temple," piper said. "the spartans didn't chain ares because they wanted his spirit to stay in their city."

"you think not?" the giant's eyes glittered with amusement. he wrapped his hands around his sledgehammer and pulled it from the floor.

"this is the temple of my brothers, deimos and phobos." piper's voice shook. "the spartans came here to prepare for battle, to face their fears. ares was chained to remind them that war has consequences. his power— the spirits of battle, the makhai— should never be unleashed unless you understand how terrible they are, unless you've felt fear."

mimas laughed. "a child of the love goddess lectures me about war. what do you know of the makhai?"

"we'll see." piper ran straight at the giant, unbalancing his stance. at the sight of her jagged blade coming at him, his eyes widened and he stumbled backward, cracking his head against the wall. a jagged fissure snaked upward in the stones. dust rained from the ceiling.

the atmosphere was giving karina sudden waves of deja vu from rome— the situation was almost identical to the one they had in arachne's den. the collapsing walls, and dust, and cracks forming in the structure. she was getting an overwhelming wave that washed over her, and her breathing began to quicken again. she couldn't remind herself of what happened in that cavern— she just couldn't. she'd tried to block it from her mind ever since percy and annabeth had gotten back— but now that they'd entered this chamber, the memories seemed to be rushing back to her ten times faster than they'd even happened.

annabeth seemed to notice karina's sudden panic, and quickly reached out to grab her hand. "piper, this place is unstable!" she warned. "if we don't leave— "

"don't think about escape!" piper ran toward their rope, which dangled from the ceiling. she leaped as high as she could and cut it.

"piper, have you lost your mind?"

karina's hands began to tremble. she shook her head profusely, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "no . . . no," she whispered, choking back a sob. "it— it's just like before. it's just like rome. i— i can't be in here. i— i can't go through that again. i can't lose you a—again. i can't—"

annabeth brought karina closer to her, gripping her hand tighter. "karina, we're not in rome. nothing's going to happen to me, or to piper. you won't lose me again. i promise."

karina's lips were trembling as she spoke. "you don't know that," she cried out, jumping in fear as another crack formed in the wall. "i— i can't this anymore. w-we need to go!"

"that hurt!" mimas rubbed his head. "you realize you cannot kill me without the help of a god, and ares is not here! the next time i face that blustering idiot, i will smash him into bits. i wouldn't have had to fight him in the first place if that cowardly fool damasen had done his job— "

annabeth let loose a guttural cry. "do not insult damasen!"

she took karina out of her arms, and ran at mimas, who barely managed to party her dragon-blade with the handle of his hammer. he tried to grab annabeth and piper lunged, slashing her blade across the side of the giant's face.

karina watched in horror as she trembled on the floor, her mind too wrapped in fear and caught in a mix between dream and reality, that she could hardly hold herself up on her feet. she couldn't control herself in this room— she had to get out. her body felt like lead, and her hands were shaking so bad that she couldn't even hold her gladius without it clattering to the ground. every time she blinked, another memory resurfaced. every time she breathed, another wave of pain washed over her. she needed to leave. this place was going to kill her from the inside if she didn't.

a severed pile of dreadlocks fell to the floor along with something else— a large fleshy thing lying in a pool of golden ichor.

"my ear!" mimas wailed. before he could recover his wits, piper grabbed annabeth and she helped karina up, and together they plunged through the second doorway.

"i will bring down this chamber!" the giants thundered. "the earth mother shall deliver me, but you shall be crushed!"

the floor shook. the sound of breaking stone echoed all around them.

karina's breathing came out in short breaths at the feeling of the chamber shaking— her heart pounding deep in her chest at the memories that flashed through her mind. the feeling of her arm tearing open as she dangled in the abyss of tartarus. the look in percy's eyes as he let go of her hand— the sight of him and annabeth plunging into darkness right in front of her. the feeling of deep rooted pain that came over her in that moment— it all came flooding back into her.

piper and annabeth would never admit to the other, but seeing karina in this state truly frightened them. they both always felt reassured in karina's presence, knowing that she is the strongest out of all of them— physically and mentally— and that she could protect them if they couldn't protect themselves. they knew how self-willed she was, and how protective she was of her friends, so having her by their side relaxed them.

but now, she was as helpless as ever. the hallucinations of the chamber were messing with her head— driving her to insanity— and there was nothing they could do about it. they had lost their most valuable teammate, and now it was them who had to protect her. and that scared the both of them.

"piper, stop," annabeth begged. "how— how are you dealing with this? the fear, the anger— "

"don't try to control it. that's what the temple is about. you have to accept the fear, adapt to it, ride it like the rapids on a river."

"how do you know that?"

"i don't know it. i just feel it."

somewhere nearby, a wall grumbled with a sound like an artillery blast.

karina jumped into piper's hold, her body trembling with raw fear. tears streamed down her face as more memories of that day in rome plagued her mind.

"you cut the rope," karina cried. "we're going to die down here!"

piper cupped her friend's face. she pulled karina forward until their foreheads touched. through her fingertips, she could feel karina's skin burning, and rapid pulse. "fear can't be reasoned with. neither can hate. they're like love. they're almost identical emotions. that's why ares and aphrodite like each other. their twin sons— fear and panic— were spawned from both war and love."

"but i don't . . . this doesn't make sense."

"no," piper agreed. "stop thinking about it. just feel."

"i— i don't want to feel my fear. i— "

"i know. you have to, though. you can't plan for feelings. like with percy, and your future— you can't control every contingency. you have to accept that. let it scare you. trust that it'll be okay anyway."

karina shook her head, more tears rolling down her face. "i don't know if i can."

"then for right now, concentrate on revenge to gaea for making you this way. revenge for you."

a moment of silence, before she shook her head. "i can't think of anything else but gaea! she's tricking me, a-and scaring me— "

"try harder. think harder. you can do it."

another moment of silence passed, and karina's breathing seemed to normalize a little. "i— i'm good for right now. i'll be fine."

"great, because i need your help. both of you. we're going to run out there together."

"then what?" annabeth asked.

"i have no idea."

"gods, i hate it when you lead."

piper laughed, which surprised karina. fear and love were related. "come on!"

they ran in no particular direction and found themselves back in the shrine room, right behind the giant mimas. piper and annabeth each slashed one of his legs while karina drove her sword into his lower back.

the giant howled. more chunks of stone tumbled from the ceiling.

"weak mortals!" mimas struggled to stand. "no plan of yours can defeat me.

"that's good," piper said. "because i don't have a plan."

she ran toward the statue of ares. "annabeth, karina, keep our friend occupied!"

"oh, he's occupied!"

"GAHHHHH!"

karina drove her fear into anger, and pushed down all of the traumatizing memories that flashed through her mind. she had to stay strong. she had to stay alive— for her friends and her family.

her and annabeth took turns swiping and stabbing at the giant, keeping him on his feet and stumbling around as they danced around him. they worked in sync— when one would strike, the other would pary, and mimas would stumble over himself, not knowing who to swipe at first.

suddenly, mimas yelled, "no!"

karina whipped her head around to see piper swing her blade and take off the bronze statue of ares's head.

flames roared up from the statue's severed neck. they swirled around piper, filling the room with a firestorm of emotions: hatred, bloodlust, and fear, but also love— because no one could face battle without caring for something: comrades, family, home.

piper held out her arms and the makhai made her the center of their whirlwind.

the flames vanished along with the cornucopia she'd placed as a sacrifice, and the chained statue of ares crumbled into dust.

"foolish girl!" mimas charged her, annabeth and karina at his heels. "the makhai have abandoned you!"

"or maybe they've abandoned you," piper said.

mimas raised his hammer, but he'd forgotten about annabeth and karina. they jabbed him in each thigh and the giant staggered forward, off balance. piper stepped in calmly and stabbed him in the gut.

mimas crashed face-first into the nearest doorway. he turned over just as the stone face of panic cracked off the wall above him and toppled down for a one-ton kiss.

the giant's cry was cut short. his body went still. then he disintegrated into a twenty-foot piled of ash.

karina and annabeth stared at piper. "what just happened?"

"i'm not sure."

"piper, you were amazing, but those fiery spirits you released— "

"the makhai."

"how does that help us find the cure we're looking for?"

"i don't know. they said i could summon them when the time comes. maybe artemis and apollo can explain— "

a section of the wall calved like a glacier.

annabeth stumbled and almost slipped on the giant's severed ear, but karina caught her. "we need to get out of here."

"i'm working on it," piper said.

"and, uh, i think this ear is your spoil of war."

"gross."

"would make a lovely shield."

"shut up, chase." piper stared at the second doorway, which still had the face of fear above it. "thank you, brothers, for helping to kill the giants. i need one more favor— an escape. and believe me, i am properly terrified. i offer you this, uh, lovely ear as a sacrifice."

the stone face made no answer. another section of the wall peeled away. a starburst of cracks appeared in the ceiling.

piper grabbed her friends' hands. "we're going through that doorway. if this works, we might find ourselves back on the surface."

"and if it doesn't?" annabeth asked.

piper looked up at the face of fear. "let's find out."

the room collapsed around them as they plunged into the dark.

KARINA'S BODY was still shaking when they came back on to the ship. her hands trembled, and she couldn't slow down her beating heart. her arms burned with fresh hot pain from gaea, and they were singed red— vine like patterns streaking across the skin like stripes. the pain was the least of problems right now, though. all she could think about was her mental state in the chamber.

she didn't say a single word when she got aboard the ship, piper and annabeth both holding on to her tightly as they came into contact with the rest of the crew, who had all been waiting for them impatiently.

percy immediately walked up to her, relief shown in his eyes. "karina, thank gods you're okay— "

karina, with tears in her eyes, instantly slid right by him, her shoulder brushing against his, and immediately went downstairs into her room— not leaving room for anybody to say anything to her before she was gone.

percy stared at the staircase that she had just went down in confusion and worry, not knowing whether she did that because she was still angry at him for what had happened earlier, or for something that happened in the chamber.

he turned to piper and annebeth with a set jaw, his eyes hardened. "what happened to her?"

piper and annabeth both held looks so distraught on their faces as they turned to him, as if they both might start crying.

piper shook her head, her eyes glassy. "you don't want to know."

percy's eyes narrowed, and piper almost felt as if the waves beneath them had gotten rockier. "i'm her boyfriend, piper. i need to know what happened to her."

"some things aren't meant to be brought up again," annabeth said, looking him directly in the eyes. "she will tell you if she wants to, but . . . " she shook her head. "i— i don't want to talk about it."

percy let out a huff of breath. "did she get hurt? did she get possessed by gaea? i— i need to know how to help her."

annabeth bit her lip. "i . . . i can't put it into words, percy. that chamber that we found . . . it messed with her. bad."

percy felt his heart drop. "messed with her . . . "

"messed with her head," piper said. "made her see things— bad memories. she . . . she was in pain, so much pain. and she was begging for me to help her and— " she cut herself off as she choked back a tear, shaking her head. "i couldn't— "

annabeth rubbed her hand over her shoulder comfortingly as piper held back her tears.

percy swallowed, rubbing his hands over his face. "i need to go help her. who knows what's going through her mind right now."

"wait, percy," annabeth stopped him. " . . . not yet. she needs some time to herself. some of things she saw . . . " her eyes dropped to the floor. "i think she needs time to process dream from reality."

percy was starting to become agitated. "i— i can't just stand here while she's down there crying about what she saw down there! i need to be there for her!"

"and you will," annabeth said. "but, let her come to you. she just went through a lot . . . so just give her time."

percy looked out to the horizon, his jaw still tight as he held himself back from running straight to karina and into her arms. "fine," he whispered. "i'll wait."

7473 words

annabeth and piper and karina are girlfriends confirmed