The House of Hades - Doors of Death Timing

“Careful what you wish for, man.” Leo summoned a ball of fire to his hand, and for once Frank was glad to see the flames. “Personally, I’m hoping nobody’s home. We walk in, find Percy and Annabeth, destroy the Doors of Death, and walk out. Maybe stop at the gift shop.”

“Yeah,” Frank said. “That’ll happen.”

The tunnel shook. Rubble rained down from the ceiling.

Hazel grabbed Frank’s hand. “That was close,” she muttered. “These passageways won’t take much more.”

“The Doors of Death just opened again,” Nico said.

“It’s happening like every fifteen minutes,” Piper noted.

“Every twelve,” Nico corrected, though he didn’t explain how he knew. “We’d better hurry. Percy and Annabeth are close. They’re in danger. I can sense it.”

As they traveled deeper, the corridors widened. The ceilings rose to six meters high, decorated with elaborate paintings of owls in the branches of white poplars. The extra space should have made Frank feel better, but all he could think about was the tactical situation. The tunnels were big enough to accommodate large monsters, even giants. There were blind corners everywhere, perfect for ambushes. Their group could be flanked or surrounded easily. They would have no good options for retreat.


- The House of Hades, Chapter 66