Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Annabeth Dog School

We stood in the shadows of Valencia Boulevard, looking up at the golden lettering etched into the black marble: DOA Studios. On the glass beneath the gold lettering was printed a line: NO SALES.No loitering.No living. It was almost midnight now, but the hall was brightly lit and full of people.Behind the guard desk sits a burly guard wearing sunglasses and headphones. I turned to look at Annabeth and Grover and said, "Okay, remember our plan." "The plan." Grover swallowed, "Yeah, I love the plan." Annabeth said, "What if the plan doesn't work out?"

"Don't be so pessimistic." "Yeah," she said, "we're going into the realm of death, and I shouldn't be pessimistic." I took out the three milky white pearls in my pocket that the sea elves had given me in Santa Monica.If anything went wrong, the beads don't look like they're going to work. Annabeth put her hand on my shoulder and said, "Percy, I'm sorry. You're right, we can do it, no problem." "Oh, that's right!" he answered. "We can do it. We'll find the Lightning bolt and get your mother back. No problem!"

I looked at them both and was really grateful.I almost had them get pulled to death on the luxury waterbed a few minutes ago, and now they are trying to brave themselves for me and make it easier for me. I put the pearl back in my pocket and said, "Let's go shoot some rakes from the underworld!" We walked into the lobby of DOA. Hidden speakers were playing music from a music station, and the carpet and walls were iron gray.The potted cactus in the corner looks like a hand bone, the furniture is made of black leather, and every chair is filled.Some were sitting on the couch, some were standing, some were looking out the window, and some were waiting for the elevator.No one was moving, talking, or doing anything.There's nothing special about them as a whole, but if I stare at one in particular, they seem to be...transparent, see through their bodies.

The guard tower has a raised pedestal, so we had to look up at the guard. He was tall and elegant, with chocolate skin and light blond hair shaved short like a soldier.He wears tortoiseshell glasses and an Italian silk top that matches his hair.A black rose was pinned to his collar, and above the black rose was a silver nameplate. I read the words on the name tag and asked him very puzzled: "Your name is Chiron?" He leaned over the guard tower.You can only see my reflection in his glasses, but his smile is perfect and cold, like the moment before the boa constrictor is about to eat you.

"What a lovely young lad." His accent was peculiar, probably British, but also very English-speaking foreigner. "Tell me, boy, do I look like a centaur?" "No...not like." "You should have said 'not like, sir'," he added kindly. "No, sir," I said. He pinched the name tag and pointed to the name. "My brother, do you understand? Here it says 'Charon', read it after me: 'Charon'." "Charon." "Excellent! Now say it again: 'Mr. Charon'." "Monsieur Charon," I said.

"Fine." He sat back in his seat. "I hate people for confusing me with that old horse. Well, what can I do for you little dead people?" His question hit me like a fastball in the stomach.I looked at Annabeth and asked her for help. "We want to go to the underworld," she said. Charon's mouth twitched and said, "Oh, this is new." "What do you mean?" she asked. "You have to be frank and honest, no screaming, no saying: 'Monsieur Charon, there must be a mistake.'" He looked us over. "So, how did you die?" I nudged Grover with my elbow.

"Oh," he said, "well...drown...in the bathtub." "Are you all three?" Charon asked. We nod. "It's a big bathtub." Charon seemed a little convinced. "I don't expect you to have the money to buy a pass. Normally, you know, adults can use Amex, or add the cost of the boat ticket directly to the cable bill. But if it's a child... oops, y'all Not ready to die, I guess it might have to wait centuries for a ship slot." "Oh, but we have money." I put three ancient Greek gold coins on the guard table, a small part of which I found in Kulas's desk.

"Well, in this case..." Charon licked his lips and said, "It's real Greek coins, real ancient Greek gold coins, I haven't seen these for a long time..." His fingers hovered greedily over the gold coins. We are very close. Then Charon looked at me, his cold eyes behind his sunglasses seeming to drill a hole in my chest. "I see," he said. "You can't pronounce my name correctly. Boy, are you dyslexia?" "No." I said, "I am dead." Charon bent forward and sniffed, "You are not dead, I should have known earlier, you are a half-breed."

"We must go to the underworld." I insisted. A low growl came from the back of Charon's throat, a sound deep and utterly frightening.These ghosts began to knock on the elevator door. "And unfortunately," I sigh, "we would have given more." I took out the whole bag of money that Kuras had saved, grabbed a handful of gold coins from it, and let them slip from my fingers. Charon's growl became the lion's purr of joy. "Half-race person, do you think I will be bought? Hmm...just curious, how much money do you have?" "A lot." I said, "You work so hard, I bet Hades doesn't pay you enough."

"Oh, you don't understand at all. If you were, would you be in front of these dead babysitters all day long? They're always saying, 'Please, I don't want to die!' Or, 'Let me go , I don’t have money.’ I’ve never had a raise in three thousand years. Do you think it’s possible for clothes like this to be cheap?” "You deserve better," I echoed him. "This is your basic gratitude and respect." Without saying a word, I put a small stack of gold coins on the counter. Charon glanced down at his silk Italian jacket, as if imagining himself in something better. "Boy, I gotta say, what you're doing is kind of reasonable, just a little bit."

I put on another stack of gold coins. "When I talk to Hades, I bring up your raise." He sighed and said, "Okay, the boat is almost full, why don't you add the three of you and set off quickly." He stood up, grabbed our money and said, "Come with me." We pushed our way through the waiting revenants, some of them started to tug at our skirts, but it felt like a gust of wind, and they made some whispers that I couldn't understand.Charon pushed them out, complaining: "Eating and drinking for free." He escorted us into the elevator, which was already full of dead souls, everyone holding green boarding passes.Charon grabbed two revenants who were trying to sneak in with me and pushed them into the hall. "Listen well, while I'm away, don't mess around." He announced to the waiting room: "Also, if anyone goes to transfer my music station again, I promise you will stay here for a thousand years .Did you hear clearly?" He closed the door, put the card in the jack on the elevator control panel, and we started our descent. "What happens to the ghosts waiting in the hall?" Annabeth asked. "Nothing," Charon said. "How long will it take?" "Forever, or when I show mercy." "Oh," she said, "that's...fair." Charon raised one eyebrow and said, "Little girl, who said that death is fair? It will be your turn soon, just wait, and you will be where you will be when the time comes." "We'll get out alive," I said. "what!" I suddenly felt dizzy.Instead of descending, we now move forward.Fog had begun to form, and the revenants around them were gradually transfiguring, their modern attire changing to gray hooded robes in the flash.The elevator floor began to shake. I blinked hard.When I opened my eyes, Charon's creamy Italian costume changed to a black robe.His tortoiseshell glasses are gone, and instead of eyes are sunken eye sockets, much like Ares' eyes, but Charon's eye sockets are completely black, full of night, death, and despair. He saw me looking at him and said, "Why?" "It's okay." I said copiously. I thought he was grinning, but he wasn't.The muscles on his face became completely transparent, and his bones could be seen directly. The floor continued to shake. "I feel a bit seasick," Grover said. I blinked again, and when I opened it, the elevator was no longer an elevator, and we were standing on a raft.Charon punted his boat with long poles and crossed the dark river.Bones, dead fish, and weird things like plastic dolls, mutilated carnations, and soggy gold-framed awards rolled in the river. "Styx." Annabeth murmured, "It's really..." "Pollution," said Charon. "For thousands of years, you humans have thrown all kinds of things into the river when you crossed the river, like those unfulfilled hopes, dreams and wishes. If you ask me for an opinion, I will say it is Very irresponsible waste.” The mist lifted over the dirty water.Above us, the stalactites were almost lost in the darkness.Looking ahead, the river bank in the distance is shining with light blue light, like the color of poison. Fear locked my throat.what am i doing hereThese people around me...they're all dead. Annabeth squeezed my hand, which would embarrass me normally, but now I know how she feels.She wanted to make sure that there were still people alive on the ship. I muttered to myself, I was praying, although I didn't know whom to pray to.This whole underground world can only be managed by one god, and he is the one I want to fight head-on. The river bank of the underworld has come into view, the rugged rocks and black volcanic sand stretching inland for about a hundred meters, followed by a towering stone wall in the distance as far as our sight can see.A voice came from the darkness of the blue light, echoing among the stones, it was the roar of a huge animal. "'Three-headed old' is hungry." Charon said, his smile appeared on the faint blue light of his bones. "Half-race people, you are out of luck." Our raft paddled on the dark sand, and the dead came ashore one by one.A woman held the hand of a little girl, a group of old gentlemen and old ladies staggered forward supporting each other, and a boy who was not much older than me walked quietly dragging his robe. Charon said, "Good luck, boy, though nothing could be worse. And don't forget to mention my raise." He counted the gold coins, put them in his pocket, and braced his pole.As he sailed back on the empty raft, he trilled what sounded like Barry Manilow. We follow the dead on this ancient trail. I don't know what I expected to see, the pearly gates, or the giant black liftgates.The answer is revealed, the entrance to the underworld looks more like an airport security gate plus a highway toll booth. In front is a large black arch with the words "You are entering the Dark Realm".There are three entrances under the arch. Each intersection is equipped with a metal detection gate with a monitor above it. Behind the detection gate is a toll booth, which is controlled by a black-robed ghoul who looks like Charon. The howling of the hungry animals was very loud now, but I could not see where it was coming from.The three-headed dog, Serberus, who was supposed to be guarding the gate of Hades, was nowhere to be seen. The line of the dead was lined up in three rows, two of which passed through the entrance marked "under review", and the entrance of the other row was marked "exempt from review". The "exemption from censorship" row continues to move forward, while the other two rows move forward slowly. "What do you think?" I asked Annabeth. "The fast-moving row must be leading to the Sun Orchid," she said. "No doubt, they don't want to risk being tried by the court, because it may be more disadvantageous for them." "Is there a court here to judge the dead?" "Yes, there will be three judges who will take turns presiding. People like King Minos, Thomas Jefferson, Shakespeare, they will judge and punish. But most of them, they just live in ordinary , nothing particularly good or bad, so they will go to the Sun Orchid Realm." "What are you doing there?" "Imagine standing in a Kansas wheat field forever," Grover said. "It's miserable," I said. "That person is miserable." Grover said in a low voice, "Look." Two ghouls pushed a revenant aside and searched him at the guard station, the dead man's face looking a little hot. "He's the preacher on the news, remember?" Grover asked. "Oh, yes." I remembered.We've seen him a few times on TV in Yancy's dorm room, an obnoxious-looking televangelist from upstate New York.He raised millions of dollars for orphans, and spent the money decorating his mansion with gold-plated toilets, an indoor golf putting range, and the like.In the end, he drove a high-end sports car to evade police pursuit, so he rushed to the bottom of the cliff and died. I said, "What are they going to do to him?" "Hades is going to give him a special punishment." Grover guessed. "The real villain will get individual attention when he arrives here, and then... the Goddess of Mercy will make a special eternal torture for him." Thinking of the Nemesis makes me shudder, and I'm in their turf now.Mr. Dawes is licking his lips and ready to go. "But if he's a missionary," I said, "then he believes in a different hell." Grover shrugged. "Who said that what he sees now is the same as us? Humans only see what they want to see. You are really stubborn, um, or should I say that you are very persistent...whatever!" We are getting closer and closer to the entrance.Now the howl was so loud that the ground shook under my feet, but I still couldn't see where it was coming from. At this time, about fifteen meters in front of us, there was a group of green mist shimmering, and standing directly above the three teams was a huge and vague monster. It's translucent like the Revenant and blends with the background when it's not moving, so I haven't seen it before.Only the eyes and teeth were solid, and the eyes were staring straight at me. My jaw almost dropped and the only thing I could say was: "It's a Norwegian." I've always pictured Cerberus as a large black mastiff, even though this one is obviously more of a full-blooded Norse, but the difference is that this furry guy is super huge, almost completely transparent, and has three heads. The dead are walking under it in order, without fear. The two rows of "under review" passed on both sides of it, and the ghosts of "exempt from review" entered from the middle of its two front palms, and then passed under its stomach, and could easily pass through without bending its head. "I can see it more clearly." I whispered, "Why is this?" "I think..." Annabeth pursed her lips and said, "I'm afraid it's because we're getting closer to death." The dog's middle head came toward us, sniffed the air, and started howling. "It smells of the living," I said. "It's okay, though." Grover said tremblingly beside me, "Because we have a plan." "That's right," said Annabeth, and I've never heard her speak so quietly. "A plan." We move in the direction of the monster. The middle head barks at us, then starts barking so loudly that my eyeballs start to quiver. "Can you understand what it's saying?" I asked Grover. "Oh, of course," he said, "I understand." "What did it say?" "I don't think all human swearing is enough to fully convey what it means." I took a stick out of my backpack, the foot of the bed I had chopped off from Coolas' Deluxe Hunting Bed Set.I lift the foot of the bed and try to send thoughts of happy puppies to Cerberus, like Aibo dog food commercials, cute puppies, fire hydrants... I try to smile and completely forget that I might be dying . "Hey big guy," I yelled up, "I bet they don't hang out with you that much." "Uh-huh...uh-huh..." "Good boy." I said weakly. I shook the stick, and the dog's head in the middle moved accordingly.The other two dog heads turned their eyes on me, completely ignoring the other dead souls.I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not, as I grab Cerberus' undivided attention. "Go and pick it up!" I threw the stick into the darkness, it was really good and powerful.Then I heard the stick drop into the river Styx with a thud. Cerberus stared at me unwaveringly.There was evil and cruelty in its eyes. This plan is really complete. Cerberus now uttered a new howl, a low growl that came from deeper in its three throats. "Hmm," Grover said, "Percy?" "how?" "I thought you'd like to know." "what?" "Zerberus says we have ten seconds to pray to the god of our choice. And, uh...he's hungry." "Wait a minute!" Annabeth said, and she began to rummage through her backpack. Oh oh, this is great.I thought. "Five seconds," Grover said, "Run?" Annabeth pulls out a red rubber ball, the size of a grapefruit, with a "Waterworld Corporation, Denver" sticker on it.Before I could stop her, she raised the red ball and walked straight to Cerberus. She yelled, "See the ball? Cerberus, do you want this ball? Sit down!" Cerberus seemed as dumb as we were. It tilted three heads, and its six nostrils were all wide open. "Sit down!" Annabeth called again. I think she could turn into the biggest milkbone dog biscuit in the whole world at any moment. But this is not the case. Seberos licked three sets of lips, sat down, and immediately crushed a dozen "censorship-free" dead souls passing below. When the dead souls dissipated, they made a low hissing sound, like Flat tire. Annabeth said: "Good baby!" She threw the ball to Cerberus. Cerberus held the ball in its middle mouth, which was just the right size for it to hold on to, while the other two heads began to bite the middle head, trying to grab the new toy. "Put it down!" Annabeth ordered. Cerberus's head stopped fighting and looked at her.The ball got stuck between two teeth, much like a small piece of chewing gum.He whined loudly and timidly, and then spat out the ball.Now the drool-soaked, almost half-bitten ball lay at Annabeth's feet. "Good boy." She picked up the ball, ignoring the monster's drool on it. She turned to us and said, "Hurry up and take advantage of the time, it's quicker to go through the row that is exempt from censorship." I said, "But..." "Go!" she ordered, in the tone of a dog she had just trained. Grover and I walked forward cautiously. Cerberus began howling. "Don't move!" Annabeth ordered the monster: "If you want to play with the ball, don't move!" Cerberus whined, but stayed where he was. "What about you?" I asked Annabeth as we passed her. "Percy, I know what I'm doing." She whispered, "At least, I'm pretty sure…" Grover and I walked between the monster's feet. Annabeth, please, I'm praying.Don't make him sit down again. We passed, and it was no less terrifying to see from behind Cerberus. Annabeth said, "Good dog!" When she picked up the battered red ball, I thought she was thinking the same thing as I was.If she throws the ball to Cerberus as a reward, we'll have nothing to coax it. But she threw the ball anyway, and the monster's left mouth snapped, this time the left was attacked by the head in the middle, while the right hair whined in protest. While the monster was distracted, Annabeth quickly ran from under his stomach to join us at the metal detector. "How did you do that?" I asked her in surprise. "Dog training school," she said out of breath.I was surprised at this moment because I saw tears in her eyes. "When I was very young, there was a Doberman at my dad's house..." "Forget it," Grover said, tugging on my shirt, "Let's go!" As we were about to burst through the censorship-free entrance, Cerberus let out a pathetic whine, and Annabeth stopped. She turned to look at the big dog, who turned its head 180 degrees to look at us. Cerberus let out an expectant gasp, and the shattered red ball was in a small puddle at its feet. "Good baby," Annabeth said, her voice sounding sad and uncertain. The monster's head tilted to one side, as if worried about her. "I'll bring you another ball soon," Annabeth promised it in a weak voice. "Do you like that?" The monster whined.I can clearly feel that Cerberus is still waiting for the ball. "Good dog, I'll see you soon, I...I promise." Annabeth turned to us and said, "Let's go." Grover and I proceeded through the metal detector, which immediately screeched and flashed red lights. "Unlicensed property! Magic detected!" Cerberus began to bark. We burst through the censorship-free entrance, more alarm bells blared, and we teleported through the Underworld at high speed. After a few minutes, we held our breath and ducked into a huge, decaying black tree trunk.The ghoul guards rushed over and called for Furies to help. Grover began to murmur, "Hey, Percy, what did we learn today?" "Does the three-headed dog prefer red balls to sticks?" "No," Grover said to me, "we learned that your plan is really exciting!" I'm not quite sure that's the case.I thought maybe Annabeth and I were right.Even though this is the underworld, everyone, even every monster, sometimes just needs a little care. That's what I thought while we waited for the ghouls to be gone.In the distance came the mournful cry of Cerberos missing his new friend, and I pretended not to see Annabeth wipe the tears from her face.