SORRY GUYS. IM DELETING THIS STORY.

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JK lol

im the only one that found that remotely funny.

ANYWAY:

i kind of haven't updated cuz school and sports got really busy. IM SOOOOOOO SORRY. BUT NOW SCHOOL IS OVER. DO NOT WORRY MY FRIENDS. :)

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THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS. (and also the people who PMed me asking where the heck I was)

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Even now, after like, five or six months of not updating, i don't own Percy Jackson.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

-_-_Zachary Jason Grace_-_-

I TAKE A PERMANENT VACATION TO HELL.

Believe me when I tell you that I have no idea what made me jump.

Sure, Aubrey dove in after her parents like: weeeeeeeeee! I want to go visit Tartarus! LOL.

Right before I jumped, my thought process was kind of like: damn it, Aubrey. Well, see you later Nico.

I'm not really the kind of person to think ahead if you haven't noticed by now.

I consider trying to get back up to the top by controlling the winds, even though that would probably kill me, and think this through a little bit more. Then, maybe jumping into the giant abyss to invade on the Jackson's family vacation would have had more meaning than my compulsive instincts.

I don't know if you've ever tumbled through midair to certain doom, but let me tell ya, it's kind of a downer. Personally, I've never been to hell before, so I'm not sure what to expect.

I squint downwards, but I see nothing but darkness. "Aubrey!" I scream, but immediately I realize that there's no way she would hear me.

I glance upwards, where the sunlight is already disappearing from my view. It finally hits home that this is it. I'm probably going to die down here. Probably when I hit the ground.

It's actually kind of boring and a little bit lonely, falling by myself in the dark. I'm trying to mentally prepare myself to die, but it's kind of hard to keep my mind on track.

I keep thinking about Alice falling down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland. Maybe I'll get lucky and end up there instead.

I mean, the Cheshire Cat is creepy, but I'd take him over Greek monsters any day.

The wind whistles by my ears. I shiver slightly, even though the air is growing hotter and damper. Complete darkness causes paranoia to creep into my veins; I make sure my sword is still strapped to my waist before wrapping my arms around myself.

My lids are drifting shut and I'm unable to stop them.

I'm pretty sure I fall asleep because in the blink of an eye, a stinging pain so powerful that I feel like dying ignites along my skin.

I scream out in pain, but water fills my mouth.

A second later, a delayed feeling of cold reaches my skin and strengthens the sting. Somewhere in my consciousness, as I breathe in both air and water, I comprehend: a river.

I start to sink, crying loudly as the stinging and the cold steal my remaining energy and snatches the air out of my lungs.

To add on, millions of heartbroken voices whisper in my ears: What's the point of struggling? You're dead anyway. You'll never leave this place.

As if I need more encouragement to die! What do you think I'm doing at this very moment? DING-DING-DING! You got it! Dying!

I've almost gone completely under when I hear something.

For a millisecond, everything seems to stop. The powerful waves of the river, the voices, the pain, the cold, and even my breath—it all just stops.

Because if I heard what I think I heard then there's still a reason to live, to hope: a sob.

Water covers my head and I'm snapped back into the present as I'm pulled under for the last time. The voices resume and so does the pain.

Give up. It doesn't matter. You'll never get home, anyway.

Above the voices, the same sob echoes in my ears.

I kick upwards with everything I have. Desperately, treading water to the best of my ability, I look left and right with rapid gasping as I look for a shore.

I paddle to the side against the powerful current, wishing to give up. But the need to know whose sob I heard urges me to keep my head above the lapping waves.

Life is despair. Everything is pointless, and then you die.

"Tell me something I didn't already know!" I yell, my voice cracking. As I stop swimming, starting to give up, I wail at the water, "I already knew that I was going to die! I already knew that life was pointless! Give me something new!" Add in a few cuss words, and that'll be good.

For a moment the voices stop, and I start to sink again.

This time is different, however. My shoes hit something: the shore. My eyes fly open and I partly dive and partly flail towards land. I fall (face-first, naturally) onto the land, unmoving.

Everything hurts. Literally every inch of my skin is on fire. Like when you do a belly-flop at the pool, but times five hundred gazillion trillion billion.

And I realize… that's what I did. I hit the water from so high up… why didn't the impact kill me? Did I like… subconsciously summon the winds to cushion my fall?

If that was the wind's job, I need to have a talk to them about being more cushion-y next time. I groan as I move my head slightly to get even more oxygen in my lungs.

I guess this is a good time to tell you: it's not oxygen. The air burns my lungs when I inhale, but I still need it. It's always the worst pain when you need something that hurts you.

The shore isn't made of sand, but of sharp volcanic black-glass chips. I feel them poking me all over, digging themselves into my chest, my legs and arms, my cheek.

But I can't move. I won't. My skin is on fire, and I know that when I look at my skin it will be covered in red, angry rashes.

I'm not sure quite how long I lay there, not able to sleep because of pain, not able to move because of exhaustion, and not able to die because the Fates are cruel. Then I hear it again, and this time I know it's real.

It's a horrible sound, filled with the worst combination of fear, pain, and utter misery. It's a wail that's filled with despair, a cry that fits right in with the horror of this place.

But the scream is music to my ears because even though it's filled with sadness, I recognize the voice. It's Aubrey.

With that, as if the pain was waiting for its cue, the sting and even the cold subsides completely. Or maybe it just fell into the pit of insignificance. I sit up, wincing slightly with the sharp rocks digging into my palms.

I know gashes have drawn blood from all over my body; there's a cut under my eye.

But it doesn't matter. I remember Aubrey's destroyed hands. I remember that she's probably in a lot more pain then me. I get to my feet, but my legs immediately crumble under me, and I stumble.

I groan as I fall onto the ground again.

Gritting my teeth and panting poisonous air, I try again to stand. I lose my balance and begin to sway dangerously, so I crash back onto the volcanic sand. I sit still, straining for the sobbing sound.

After a moment, I hear it.

I look around me. The river is to my left. The beach stretches inward about fifty yards then drops off a cliff. Fiery light seems to dance from down in there. The sobbing is coming from somewhere in front of me, but I can't see far enough.

Something dawns on me. If she doesn't shut up she's going to attract monsters. I begin to struggle down the beach.

My half-crawl half-drag against the sharp ground results in cutting up my palms and ripping my pants from my knees to my ankles. The sobbing grows louder and I grow weaker, shivering from cold and wincing from pain. The small shred of warmth when I first heard Aubrey's wail has already died.

After what seems like forever, I see a shape sitting against the dim light.

I suck in a breath through my teeth. I have to be strong for her.

I slowly get to my feet, wiping my bloody hands on my pants and standing there for a few seconds to get my balance, resisting the urge to run up to her (even though I technically can't).

I take a cautious step and see stars. I wait for them to clear before taking a few more.

"Who's there?" a panicked voice half-screams.

"Aubrey?" I say, and my voice is hoarse.

There's a moment of utter silence. A tinge of hope enters her voice. "Z-Zach? Is that y-you?"

I pretty much dive in her direction, wanting to know she's okay, hoping it's not an illusion. I fall to my knees next to her, wrapping my arms around her. I would cry, but I have no tears left. My eyes and throat are so dry I'm sure there's no water left in my body at all.

Aubrey's entire body is shaking with sobs and cold and pain, but she hugs me back, bawling into my shoulder. "I'm s-so s-sorry, Zach," she whispers into my ear, her voice raspy and cracking.

I sit back for a moment. "For what?"

She gestures all around us. "It's my fault we're here. I shouldn't've followed Percy and Annabeth."

I study her. She looks dead on her feet, with bloodshot eyes and drooped shoulders. Her hair is dirty and in a messy ponytail with curls falling out from the fall. Her green eyes don't shine at all. Not with ideas, not with joy. They don't have hope.

Her arms and hands are destroyed. Literally. Her hands aren't even hands anymore. The skin is all cut up in strips and bloody tissue shows through. I resist the urge to turn away from the sight.

Her face displays her misery in full force.

I can't give up. I have to stay strong for her because I need her as much as she needs me. That's the reason I jumped into this stupid place anyway.

"You were just trying to protect your family, Aubrey," I say, in the most comforting voice I can muster. I hoped it sounded more endearing then the gravelly croak that came out.

"It doesn't matter anyway," she says, searching my eyes as if hoping that she can get lost in them, and never have to return to this place. "They're g-gone."

With that, she gestures to a backpack at her feet. Next to that lies a sheathed knife. Annabeth.

I reach over and open the bag. Inside is her laptop, her dagger, a canteen of water, ambrosia, another canteen of something, and some food. I look up at Aubrey, and I feel myself breaking.

I can't do this. I'm literally fifteen years old. We're already half-dead. There's no way we can survive without Percy and Annabeth.

I notice she's shivering. On impulse, I take off my sweatshirt and hang it over her shoulders before I wrap my arms around her.

Aubrey begins to sob again. Admittedly, I start to cry too; tearless, silent crying, but crying all the same.

I don't say anything because I don't know what to say. There's no guarantee we'll get out, so I'm not promising her. We're not okay, so I don't say that.

After a while, she stops and she leans against me.

I glance down at her. Her eyes are closed and her breathing is even. Tears still stream down her face. She actually managed to fall asleep.

I glance around, holding her tighter to me. Should I let her sleep? I'm about ready to fall asleep too.

In the distance, now that it's quiet, I hear screeching and howling. There's no hiding it: I'm afraid. I look up, but instead of sky there's just hovering clouds the color of blood.

I look back at Aubrey. Her sleep isn't peaceful. Her face is not relaxed.

I grit my teeth; they have to take even sleep away from her? Sleep is the only time we might be able to escape this place.

Her bloody arms clutch tightly around Annabeth's bag. I feel my eyes get blurry again, but rub them with the backs of my palms to clear them.

Please, please don't let them be dead. We need them.

~~~Aubrey Sally Jackson~~~

DEMIGODS SUCK. TARTARUS SUCKS. LIFE SUCKS.

I stand in the middle of a large pavilion, filled with people. They all look happy, as if there's no longer a care in the world.

Because of this, I immediately spot the five people that stand out. I feel like my heart is being squished. Lucas. Nico. Leo. Ella. Hunter.

What I wouldn't give to see them now. My eyes wonder to Lucas. Does he know where I am?

I see how different he looks from the last time I saw him. He looks much more worn. Older. I just want to walk over and hug him and cry.

"I'm so afraid, Lucas," I whisper, my legs frozen in one spot. "I need your help."

Don't worry, daughter of Heroes, a sleepy, taunting voice says. You can go and greet him soon in this place. But even in death, you will be cursed.

"No!" I scream as the dream changes. I don't want to go. I just wanted to see him smile once, and things might be a little more okay.

I stand in a Tartarus version of the Grand Canyon. A lava river juts across the sharp black stone. I feel the blistering heat but it's not burning me. Instead it stops my shivering. I spot two people, climbing down the side of one of the cliffs.

Annabeth and Percy.

Like in my previous dream, I am stationary. I just watch them climb, wanting to hug them and to feel safe.

Will I ever feel safe again?

I watch in horror as they reach the bottom and stumble towards the river of lava. My heart jumps and my eyes widen as Annabeth reaches down, scoops up a handful of lava, and drinks it.

I squeeze my eyes tight. I have nothing left if they are gone. They're my family.

It doesn't even occur to me that if they die, I won't exist. I gasp and start awake.

A groan from behind me makes me tilt my aching head upwards to look at Zach, who I'm lying on. Upon this realization I quickly sit up, ignoring the stars in my vision and scoot slightly away.

He looks pretty bad, I gotta say. Red rashes cover his skin and he looks ready to fall over. Sweat glistens over his boiling skin, even though I can tell he feels cold.

"Aubrey, I–" he starts, but his voice doesn't work. He clears his throat. "We've got to keep moving," he says. His voice is painfully hoarse, but it doesn't shake, and suddenly the only thought consuming my mind is that he's right.

I climb to my feet immediately. Now that was a mistake.

I fall back onto my knees, the sharp chips cutting into my legs through my jeans. I don't remember what it's like to not be in pain.

"Hold on, Aubrey, wait a sec," he says, his voice is calming.

I pause and look over at him. I see he has Annabeth's laptop. The other canteen (the one that doesn't have water) also lays beside him, but I barely register that. The backpack is at his feet.

"Look at this," he turns it to me. My eyes widen. I almost feel… hope.

It was a map. Rivers were labeled neatly, with other places on it kindly telling you of other dangers. A key sat in the bottom right corner, including everything from demigod to giant.

I scramble back over to Zach the best I can and happily throw my arms around him. "Zach! You're a genius!"

He hugs me back for a second, before I sit down next to him. "How long did I sleep?"

I feel slightly less tired, but not much stronger.

"A while," he sighs. "I think we should head for there."

He points to an area, clearly marked: DOORS OF DEATH.

Journeying through Tartarus to get to the Doors of Death is just how I wanted to spend my summer. Maybe we should get a picture with each monster or landscape we find—we'd be the most legendary tourists Camp Half-Blood will have ever seen.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asks, unsure.

I roll my eyes. "That's a stupid question. Of course I'm not okay," I snap. I see the flash of sadness in his eyes. I quickly add gratefully, "But at least I'm not alone."

He doesn't smile. I feel a pang of fear (besides the usual Tartarus terror). What if he's regretting jumping after me?

"We should get going," Zach says. "Try and find a way across the chasm." He gestures to said chasm, then gathers up our supplies, putting them all in Annabeth's pack, and swinging it over his shoulder.

I notice he can stand easily now. He probably ate some ambrosia. Despite my thankfulness he's better (even if he doesn't look it on the outside), I frown in disapproval. We may need it later.

I still wince at the thought of standing. He squints down at me, gaging the situation. After a few seconds, he bends down and helps me up. I feel bad, to say the least. Nearly all of my weight is on him, and I can see he's trying hard not to cry out.

He struggles to help me stand. I gasp with pain and effort, trying to ignore the fact that my legs simply aren't functioning.

After a few moments, I'm upright, sort of, and Zach's face says it all: all of my weight is on him, and he's not strong enough to hold me.

"I'm s-sorry," I stutter.

"Don't worry about it," he grunts, shifting his leg slightly, trying to hold me up more.

"You could a-always leave m-me here," I sniff, trying to un-numb my legs, to make them less weak, without success.

"No. I couldn't," he growls. He slips his arm around my waist instead of supporting my shoulders. "Put your arm around my shoulders."

Sucking in air sharply through my teeth every time my sensitive hands touch his shirt, I put my arm around his shoulders. I try and move to make Zach more comfortable, but my leg nearly collapses.

As he tries again to gain control of my weight, he snaps, panting, "Do me a favor and don't do that again."

He scrambles to get me on my feet again, and I can't repress the feelings of gratitude or the feelings of sorrow.

Zach is here doing nearly all of the hard work, and he only jumped in because of me.

"You alright?" his voice is thick, and his words come in between labored breaths.

"Yeah," I squeak.

"Try taking a step?" he suggests, but there's no hiding the reluctance in his voice. His shoulders are undoubtedly screaming under my weight.

I wince slightly as I manage to move my legs forward, and Zach shuffles with me, never allowing too much weight on my feet.

To think I ever hated him is beyond me. But if we ever get out of this place, he'll probably hate me. After all, no matter how much he denies it, this is my fault.

It takes us what feels like forever just to get to the edge of the chasm.

When we get there, we collapse near the edge.

Gasping, he shuffles and positions himself between me and the edge. Normally, I'd be ticked off, but I can't help but be further touched.

"I'm sorry," he gasps.

"What for?" I say.

"The nectar," he looks guilty. "I drank it, I'm sorry."

I dig out the other canteen and open it. It's empty.

I know it's not fair to disapprove of this, so I don't show it. Besides, he's doing his best to help me.

"It's… okay…" I say. "But honestly, Zach, I don't think that we can walk through Tartarus this way. I'm barely doing anything. All the weight is on you."

"We don't have a choice." He looks over the chasm. His jaw is clenched. "We can't just sit here until we're better. There are monsters everywhere, according to Annabeth's magical laptop. They'll find us if we don't keep moving."

"Shouldn't we find Percy and Annabeth?" I suggest. "Won't they be near? They fell from the same place."

Zach's expression doesn't change. He's not looking at me. "I didn't see them on the map. I could look again, if you want."

I don't know why I feel so annoyed at him. Why the Hades would he say, "if you want"? Why is he being so nice? Why is he so calm all of a sudden?

Is he going insane?

I think I am.

After a few moments of silence, I can't take it. "Zach, how're we going to get across?"

Zach glances at me. "We have to climb. Or fly."

I bite my tongue. Neither is a good option. Option one will kill me. Option two will kill him. Or both will kill both of us.

"I think I can get us across," Zach suggests. He seems so different all of a sudden, as if the fact we're in hell has finally hit him. I hope he'll be okay.

"Zach…" I start to disagree. "No, we can't... you can't…"

He raises an eyebrow at me. "So we're supposed to climb? Take a look at your hands, Aubrey. And you can't even walk."

"Zach…" I repeat, but I sound uncertain, even to myself. It's impossible. I can't do anything on my own right now.

He shakes his head. "We don't have to cross over yet. I'd suggest following the river for a bit."

He sounds exhausted. There's no hiding it.

"Maybe you should rest first," I suggest, but my voice sounds like I'm commanding him.

"Aubrey," he says. "If someone attacks then–"

"Shut up," I say halfheartedly with a sigh. "You're making me feel even more helpless than I already am. I'm pretty sure I'm capable of yelling to wake you up if anyone comes near."

Zach doesn't waver. Or move. He just watches me. "No. Aubrey, you need to rest before we can go anywhere."

"Not a chance."

Zach shakes his head. "I can't go to sleep. Not in this place. No amount of exhaustion could make me."

"Zach. You're the only one who can help us—you have to be rested up. Sometimes you need to help yourself in order to help others."

I could see Zach wavering—his eyes drooped a bit and he swayed to the side—but we were interrupted by the sound of an inhumane shriek. It was far off, but it echoed in our ears like it was three feet away.

It sounded like the monster was dying.

plez tell me what you think! and any predictions, or ideas you want to share! We will see more of Lucas and crew, and Percabeth next chapter :)

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I love you all soooo much.

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(and also if you like Harry Potter, check out my other fanfic if you haven't already)