"Alder, my waxed cloak.” Annaeus looked with undisguised disgust at the room, glistening with clear slime that coated the walls and dripped from the ceiling. This tunnel, the second they’d tried, had gotten progressively more humid until they’d had to stop here, fearing they’d slip in the goop.

“My lord,” Alder said nervously, “We haven’t got your waxed cloak. Your lordship declined it while we were packing.” And called me names for suggesting he’d need a rain-cover in the underworld, Alder thought woefully.

Indignant spluttering erupted from Annaeus’ mouth, and Percy took the opportunity to divert the conversation before it became one of the baron’s full-fledged meltdowns.

“Perhaps it’s good for your coat, sire,” Percy said mildly. “Look at the lustre it’s lent to mine.”

It was true – Percy’s chest fur, where he’d rubbed a muzzleful of the goop into his hair, was particularly shiny. “It doesn’t sting or anything.”

Annaeus’ eyes boggled. “Harvest it!” Annaeus’ shrill command rang out, and Alder dutifully began to remove a line of glass bottles from the pack harness he wore.

Percy rolled his eyes at Lujayn when Annaeus turned to oversee the bottling. Lujayn flicked her ear, and the slightest of smiles lifted the side of her mouth. Ever the professional.

He stepped forward into the room, mindful of the slippery tile underfoot. A viscous strand of goop lowered itself slowly towards him, and he dodged it with the same ease one might dodge a sloth. “Luja, maybe we should-“ he was cut off by a scream, and he turned to see Annaeus’ purple ears disappearing from view.

“Lord Annaeus!” Lujayn leapt forward, steadying herself against a stone pillar. She peered into the darkness – Annaeus’ scream continued, and only got farther away. There was no sound of him landing anywhere – how long was that tunnel?

“My lord!” Alder skittered forward, gaining speed. He tried to stop, but it was too late; he slid into Lujayn’s side, knocking her off balance on the slippery surface. Both Coursers teetered on the edge, and Lujayn met Percy’s gaze for a brief moment before she began to slide. “Find us, Percy,” she called.

Percy stood in stunned silence for a moment. “What do I do, Lord Timothy?” he asked aloud of his goose, who ruffled its wings in response. Percy hadn’t said much to his companion since the beginning of this mission – he had a feeling Lord Annaeus would not take kindly to being referred to on the same level as waterfowl. He backed slowly away from the mouth of the slide.

He was nearly to safety when the cavern rumbled, and he flinched. He hoped his mentor was alright – he couldn’t care less for the Lord, though it would be a shame to lose the mild-mannered Alder. He had to find another way down.