Contents
XV
Overview
Outnumbered by Kelli and empousai, Percy and Annabeth stall with bluffs about Greeks, Romans, and Hecate. The ploy sparks dissent, and Kelli kills Serephone to reassert control. A vicious fight follows; Annabeth is wounded and Percy is bitten and disarmed. As Kelli closes in, an unnamed Titan arrives, shifting the battle’s stakes.
Summary
Facing Kelli and four empousai in Tartarus, Percy and Annabeth assess their bleak odds. With no escape or help, Percy abandons calling Mrs. O’Leary, and they switch to delay and deception. Annabeth challenges Kelli’s record with Luke and the Titans, and Percy and Annabeth invoke united Greeks and Romans to rattle the vampires.
Annabeth pivots to Hecate, reminding the empousai of their mistress and claiming Hecate now favors Olympus. Serephone balks at crossing the goddess and urges the group to follow her. Kelli instantly executes Serephone, asserts Hecate’s neutrality at crossroads, and declares for Gaea, reasserting control through fear.
Kelli vents her long, painful re-formation and fixates on killing Annabeth in Tartarus to test what happens to a demigod here. Percy attacks, dusting one empousa, but Kelli dodges for Annabeth while two vampires grapple Percy, pinning his sword arm and climbing his back.
Annabeth improvises with rocks and gravel, momentarily staggering Kelli, but Kelli slashes Annabeth’s arm. Percy, mauled and restrained, is bitten in the neck and on his arm; agony forces him to drop Riptide. With Percy disarmed and Annabeth hurt, Kelli looms for the kill as the surviving empousai close in.
At the last moment, a shadow and a thunderous war cry echo across Tartarus. An unidentified Titan drops onto the battlefield, abruptly interrupting the slaughter and redirecting the confrontation’s momentum.
Who Appears
- Annabeth ChaseStrategizes under pressure; bluffs about Romans and Hecate; provokes dissent; fights Kelli with improvised weapons; wounded.
- Percy JacksonStands with Annabeth, bluffs about Rome, kills one empousa, is overpowered, bitten, and disarmed as danger peaks.
- KelliEmpousa leader; rejects Hecate’s favor, kills Serephone, vows loyalty to Gaea, targets Annabeth for a Tartarus kill.
- SerephoneEmpousa who refuses to cross Hecate; challenges Kelli and is immediately slain to silence dissent.
- Unidentified TitanArrives with a war cry and drops onto the field, interrupting Kelli’s imminent victory.
- Empousai (two unnamed)Assist Kelli; restrain Percy, bite him, and help disarm him during the fight.