The Demigod Files(25)

‘There’s got to be a way across,’ I said.

Thalia knelt next to the bank.

‘Careful!’ Nico said. ‘This is the River of Forgetfulness. If one drop of that water gets on you, you’ll start to forget who you are.’

Thalia backed up. ‘I know this place. Luke told me about it once. Souls come here if they choose to be reborn, so they totally forget their former lives.’

Nico nodded. ‘Swim in that water and your mind will be wiped clean. You’ll be like a newborn baby.’

Thalia studied the opposite bank. ‘I could shoot an arrow across, maybe anchor a line to one of those rocks.’

‘You want to trust your weight to a line that isn’t tied off?’ Nico asked.

Thalia frowned. ‘You’re right. Works in the movies, but… no. Could you summon some dead people to help us?’

‘I could, but they would only appear on my side of the river. Running water acts as a barrier against the dead. They can’t cross it.’

I winced. ‘What kind of stupid rule is that?’

‘Hey, I didn’t make it up.’ He studied my face. ‘You look terrible, Percy. You should sit down.’

‘I can’t. You need me for this.’

‘For what?’ Thalia asked. ‘You can barely stand.’

‘It’s water, isn’t it? I’ll have to control it. Maybe I can redirect the flow long enough to get us across.’

‘In your condition?’ Nico said. ‘No way. I’d feel safer with the arrow idea.’

I staggered to the edge of the river.

I didn’t know if I could do this. I was the child of Poseidon, so controlling salt water was no problem. Regular rivers… maybe, if the river spirits were feeling cooperative. Magical Underworld rivers? I had no idea.

‘Stand back,’ I said.

I concentrated on the current – the raging black water rushing past. I imagined it was part of my own body, that I could control the flow, make it respond to my will.

I wasn’t sure, but I thought the water churned and bubbled more violently, as if it could sense my presence. I knew I couldn’t stop the river altogether. The current would back up and flood the whole valley, exploding all over us as soon as I let it go. But there was another solution.

‘Here goes nothing,’ I muttered.

I raised my arms like I was lifting something over my head. My bad shoulder burned like lava, but I tried to ignore it.

The river rose. It surged out of its banks, flowing up and then down again in a great arc – a raging black rainbow of water six metres high. The riverbed in front of us turned to drying mud, a tunnel under the river just wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

Thalia and Nico stared at me in amazement.

‘Go,’ I said. ‘I can’t hold this for long.’

Yellow spots danced in front of my eyes. My wounded shoulder nearly screamed in pain. Thalia and Nico scrambled into the riverbed and made their way across the sticky mud.

Not a single drop. I can’t let a single drop of water touch them.

The River Lethe fought me. It didn’t want to be forced out of its banks. It wanted to crash down on my friends, wipe their minds clean and drown them. But I held the arc.

Thalia climbed the opposite bank and turned to help Nico.

‘Come on, Percy!’ she said. ‘Walk!’

My knees were shaking. My arms trembled. I took a step forward and almost fell. The water arc quivered.

‘I can’t make it,’ I called.

‘Yes you can!’ Thalia said. ‘We need you!’

Somehow, I managed to climb down into the riverbed. One step, then another. The water surged above me. My boots squished in the mud.

Halfway across, I stumbled. I heard Thalia scream, ‘No!’ And my concentration broke.

As the River Lethe crashed down on me, I had time for one last desperate thought: Dry.

I heard the roar and felt the crash of tons of water as the river fell back into its natural course. But…

I opened my eyes. I was surrounded by darkness, but I was completely dry. A layer of air covered me like a second skin, shielding me from the effects of the water. I struggled to my feet. Even this small effort to stay dry – something I’d done many times in normal water – was almost more than I could handle. I slogged forward through the black current, blind and doubled over with pain.

I climbed out of the River Lethe, surprising Thalia and Nico, who jumped back a good two metres. I staggered forward, collapsed in front of my friends, and passed out cold.

The taste of nectar brought me around. My shoulder felt better, but I had an uncomfortable buzz in my ears. My eyes felt hot, like I had a fever.

‘We can’t risk any more nectar,’ Thalia was saying. ‘He’ll burst into flames.’

‘Percy,’ Nico said. ‘Can you hear me?’

‘Flames,’ I murmured. ‘Got it.’

I sat up slowly. My shoulder was newly bandaged. It still hurt, but I was able to stand.

‘We’re close,’ Nico said. ‘Can you walk?’

The mountain loomed above us. A dusty trail snaked up a hundred metres or so to the mouth of a cave. The path was lined with human bones for that extra-cosy feel.

‘Ready,’ I said.

‘I don’t like this,’ Thalia murmured. She cradled the carnation, which was pointing towards the cave. The flower now had two petals left, like very sad bunny ears.