Contents
XXXVII
Overview
Annabeth, exhausted and desperate, follows Bob through Tartarus’s foul depths while Percy worsens from gorgon’s blood poison. They reach a swamp with signs of a drakon and a bone-and-hide hut that Bob says is a good sign—Damasen’s dwelling. As they approach, a drakon charges, escalating the peril.
Summary
Annabeth regains her sight but must watch Percy deteriorate from gorgon’s blood poison as Bob carries him through Tartarus. Small Bob, the skeletal kitten, rides Percy’s back, purring while Annabeth struggles to keep up, blistered and exhausted without the River Phlegethon’s firewater.
The path drops into a treacherous descent that feels like the bowels of Tartarus. Annabeth forces herself onward, recalling Aphrodite’s promise of an “interesting” love life and clinging to the hope of a future with Percy in New Rome if they survive.
Bob leads them into a sulfurous black swamp where sickly plants grow, tar pits bubble, and enormous drakon footprints mark the muck. He insists this is a good sign, implying their destination is near, even as Percy mutters deliriously and Annabeth’s anxiety mounts.
They reach a muddy clearing with a domed hut built of bones and reptile hide, torches blazing at the entrance, and an oak tree gagged by a drakon skull—evidence of a deadly guardian. Bob confirms they are close, suggesting Damasen’s home lies ahead.
Before Annabeth can process the danger, Small Bob hisses. A familiar, terrifying roar erupts, and a drakon charges from the swamp, forcing an imminent confrontation as they seek help for Percy.
Who Appears
- Annabeth ChaseNarrative focus; exhausted yet determined, she follows Bob to save poisoned Percy through Tartarus’s swamp.
- Bob (Iapetus)Guides the group, carrying Percy and leading them to a swamp hut he believes is Damasen’s.
- Percy JacksonGrievously weakened by gorgon’s blood poison, delirious and dependent on Bob and Annabeth.
- Small BobSkeletal kitten rides Percy’s back, hissing a warning before the drakon attack.
- DrakonMassive serpent-like monster whose roar and charge threaten the group at the swamp.