The Pit of Tartarus lay in the depths of the Underworld, beyond the Palace of Hades, surrounded by a black gorge that seemed to devour the light.
Percy stared into the abyss and let out a sigh. "I swore I would never set foot in this place again."
Annabeth opened her hand. "This time, we won't be alone."
Lucas, on the other hand, felt his stomach turn at the sight of the endless darkness below them.
Nico positioned himself on the edge of the cliff and took a deep breath. "I'll go first. If anyone can take us to the right place, it's me."
And then he jumped.
Percy looked at Annabeth, they exchanged a nod, and jumped together.
Will looked at Lucas. "If we die, I just want to make it clear that it was nice to meet you."
Lucas forced a nervous smile. "You don't even know me that well."
Will laughed. "Exactly."
And then he jumped.
Lucas looked into the darkness and felt a weight on his chest.
If he stayed, he would never find out the truth about his fate.
If he jumped, he might never come back.
But deep down, he already knew his answer.
He closed his eyes.
And threw himself into the void.
The fall lasted an eternity.
The wind cut through his skin and the darkness seemed to swallow him up. His mind screamed that this was a mistake, that he should have stayed at Camp Half-Blood.
But then a voice echoed inside his head.
"My son... he's finally home."
The shock hit him hard.
Before he could react, he stepped through an invisible barrier.
And then Tartarus welcomed him with its dark arms.
Lucas fell.
And when he opened his eyes, he realized that he was not alone.
On the dark horizon of Tartarus, something giant was moving.
Something that shouldn't be alive.
And that's when he found out.
Nyx wasn't the only imprisoned entity.
Someone - or something - was trying to bring the Primordials back.
And he was right in the middle of it.