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THE NYMPH SMILED. "Yes, my dear. I didn't think such selflessness existed in mortals... especially in demigods. No offense."
Percy got to his feet. "How could we take offense? You just tried to drown us and suck out our lives."
Hagno winced. "Sorry about that. I was not myself. But you all have reminded me of the sun and the rain and the streams in the meadows."
Hagno pointed to the other side of the room. The stairs to the surface reappeared. Directly underneath, a circular opening shimmered into existence, like a sewer pipe, just big enough to crawl through. I suspected that was how the water drained out.
"You may return to the surface," Hagno said. "Or, if you insist, you may follow the waterway to the giants. But choose quickly, because both doors will fade soon after I am gone. That pipe connects to the old aqueduct line, which feeds both this nymphaeum and the hypogeum that the giants call home."
"Ugh." I pressed on my temples. "Please, no more complicated words."
"Oh, home is not a complicated word." Hagno sounded completely sincere. "I thought it was, but now you have unbound us from this place. My sisters have gone to seek new homes... a mountain stream, perhaps, or a lake in a meadow. I will follow them. I cannot wait to see the forests and grasslands again, and the clear running water."
"Uh," Percy said nervously, "things have changed up above in the last few thousand years."
"Nonsense," Hagno said. "How bad could it be? Pan would not allow nature to become tainted. I can't wait to see him, in fact."
Percy and Angelique glanced at each other, like they wanted to say something, but stopped themselves.
"Good luck, Hagno," Piper said. "And thank you."
The nymph smiled one last time and vaporized.
Briefly, the nymphaeum glowed with a softer light, like a full moon. I could smelled exotic spices and blooming roses. I heard distant music and happy voices talking and laughing. Old memories in the nymphaeum, freed along with the spirits.
"What is that?" Percy asked.
Angelique slipped her hand into her half-brother's and started to drag him toward the waterway. "The ghosts are dancing. Come on. We'd better go meet the giants."
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Percy took the lead as we crawled down the drainage pipe. After thirty feet, it opened into a wider tunnel. To our left, somewhere in the distance, there was a rumbling and creaking, like a huge machine needed oiling. Of course, that unpleasant sound was what we had to follow.
