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"Uh, Your Ladyship," Ephialtes said nervously "I would reirl to be taken alive You can torment her Drive her insane Whatever you wish, of course But her blood must be spilt on the ancient stones"

Her Ladyship hissed "Others could be used for that purpose"

"Y-yes," Ephialtes said "But this girl is preferred And the boy--the son of Poseidon You can see why those tould be most suited for the task"

Percy wasn’t sure what that meant, but he wanted to crack the floor and send these stupid gold-shirted twins down to oblivion He’d never let Gaea spill his blood for any task--and there was no way he’d let anyone hurt Annabeth

"We will see," Her Ladyship grumbled "Leave me now Tend to your own preparations You will have your spectacle And I…I ork in darkness"

The dream dissolved, and Percy ith a start

Jason was knocking at his open doorway

"We’ve set down in the water," he said, looking utterly exhausted "Your turn"

Percy didn’t want to, but he woke Annabeth He figured even Coach Hedge wouldn’ther inforht save her life

They stood on deck, alone except for Leo, as still uy o to sleep

"I don’t want any more Shrimpzilla surprises," he insisted

They’d all tried to convince Leo that the skolopendra attack hadn’t been entirely his fault, but he wouldn’t listen Percy kne he felt Not forgiving hiest talents

It was about four in thewas so thick, Percy couldn’t see Festus at the end of the prow, and war in the air like a bead curtain As they sailed into twenty-foot swells, the sea heaving underneath the

Despite all that, Percy was grateful to be back on the water He preferred it to flying through stor birds and enchilada-traasi

He stood with Annabeth at the forward rail while he told her about his dream

Percy wasn’t sure how she’d take the news Her reaction was eventhan he anticipated: she didn’t see "Percy, you have to pro Don’t tell the others about this dream"

"Don’t what? Annabeth--"

"What you saas about the Mark of Athena," she said "It won’t help the others to know It’ll only o off on my own"

"Annabeth, you can’t be serious That thing in the dark, the big cha floor--"

"I know" Her face looked unnaturally pale, and Percy suspected it wasn’t just the fog "But I have to do this alone"

Percy sed back his anger He wasn’t sure if he was mad at Annabeth, or his dream, or the entire Greek/Roman world that had endured and shaped huoal in mind: to make Percy Jackson’s life suck as much as possible

"You knohat’s in that cavern," he guessed "Does it have to do with spiders?"

"Yes," she said in a small voice

"Then how can you even…?" He made himself stop

Once Annabeth had ood He reo, when they’d saved Nico and Bianca di Angelo in Maine Annabeth had been captured by the Titan Atlas For a while, Percy wasn’t sure if she was alive or dead He’d traveled across the country to save her from the Titan It had been the hardest few days of his life--not just the , but the worry

How could he intentionally let her go now, knowing she was heading into soerous?

Then it dawned on him: the way he had felt back then, for a few days, was probably how Annabeth had felt for the sixwith auilty, and a little bit selfish, to be standing here arguing with her She had to go on this quest The fate of the world et the world He didn’t want to be without her