but the longer we walked, the farther away they seemed. I was about to collapse

from exhaustion when I heard a familiar "WOOOOOF! "

 

Mrs. O'Leary bounded out of nowhere and ran circles around us, ready to play.

 

"Good girl.'" I said. "Can you give us a ride to the Styx?"

 

The word Styx got her excited. She probably thought I meant sticks. She jumped a

few times, chased her tail just to teach it who was boss, and then calmed down

enough for me to push Nico onto her back. I climb aboard, and she raced toward

the gates. She leaped straight over the EZ-DEATF1 line, sending guards sprawling

and causing more alarms to blare. Cerberus barked, but he sounded more excited

than angry, like: Can I play too?

 

Fortunately, he didn't follow us, and Mrs. O'Leary kept running. She didn't stop

until we were far upriver and the fires of Erebos had disappeared in the murk.

 

Nico slid off Mrs. O'Leary's back and crumpled in a heap on the black sand.

 

I took out a square of ambrosia — part of the emergency god-food I always kept

with me. It was a little bashed up, but Nico chewed it.

 

"Uh," he mumbled. "Better."

 

"Your powers drain you too much," I noted.