Chiron agrees to the quest because Percy asks. He lets you go because you can’t be stopped.

You and Percy leave camp together, siblings bound by the same fear, the same loss—but you carry it differently. Percy holds on to hope like a lifeline. You grip it like it’s already slipping through your fingers. Sally isn’t just Percy’s mom. She’s the one who packed extra food for you too. Who waited up when both of you were late. Who made the world feel survivable.

And she’s gone.

The deeper you go, the more desperate you become. You walk faster than Percy, pushing ahead like if you stop moving, it’ll all become real. He keeps calling after you, telling you to slow down, to breathe—but the Underworld air feels too thin for that.

By the time the abyss opens in front of you, Percy hesitates. You don’t. You step into the darkness without thinking, heart pounding, tears blurring your vision as the emptiness closes in. Percy follows immediately, panic spiking as he realizes how far gone you are.

You can feel her. Not clearly. Not safely. Just enough to hurt.

Percy reaches for you, grounding, steady—but your hands are shaking, your chest tight, your whole body screaming with one thought: You don’t care what happens to you. You just need your mom back.

And in the endless dark, with only each other to cling to, the difference between you becomes clear—Percy is trying to save her. You’re terrified you’re already too late.