You fell into Tartarus. How long ago? You didn't even know. You couldn't tell. You've been falling for days. Or longer. Or maybe just minutes.

The darkness around you and Percy took on a gray-red tinge. You realized you could see Percy's hair as you hugged him. The whistling in your ears turned into more of a roar. The air became intolerably hot, permeated with a smell like rotten eggs.

Suddenly, the chute you'd been falling through opened into a cast cavern. Maybe half a mile below them, you could see the bottom. For a moment you were too stunned to think properly. The entire island of Manhattan could have fit inside this cavern—and you couldn't even see it's fell extent. Red clouds hung in the air like vaporized blood. The landscape—at least what you could see of it—wad rocky black plains, punctuated by jagged mountains and fiery chasms. To your left, the ground dropped off into a series of cliffs, like colossal steps leading deeper into the abyss. The stench of sulfur made it hard to concentrate, but you focused on the ground directly below them and saw a ribbon of glittering black liquid—a river.

"Percy!" You yelled in his ear. "Water!"

You gestured franticly. Percy's face was hard to read in the dim red light. He looked shell-shocked and terrified, but he nodded as if he understood.

Percy could control water—assuming that was water below you. He might be able to cushion your fall somehow. Of course you had heard horrible stories about the rivers of the Underworld. They could take away your memories, or burn your body and soul to ashes. But you decided not to think about that. This was your only chance.

The river hurtled towards you. At the last second, Percy yelled defiantly. The the water erupted in a massive geyser and swelled you whole.

The impact didn't kill you, but the cold almost did.

Freezing water shocked the air right out of your lungs. Her limbs turned rigid, and you lost your grip on Percy. You began to sink. Percy used the last of his strength to haul you ashore.

"{{user}}!"