(A/N: Hey guys, this would be my first fic about THO series. Just for everybody to know, I'm working on three other stories and this is yet to be an official fic until I read the second book (Son of Neptune) since I am actually planning for this story to come out right after I read the second book. Anyways, this makes it like a preview chapter or something like that. I've always wondered how it was like in the Hades/Pluto Department and then I figured why not make something out? You're free to read and give feedbacks, they will be much appreciated.)

Chapter One: Breaking Through the Ice

"And foes bear arms to the doors of Death"

So cold…

It's all that has ever been. My entire world revolving around cold and silence. The feeling of the icy shards piercing through my skin, through my every cell, through my very soul, while drowning in endless and soundless slumber is everything that had been to me. It makes me feel so lifeless but yet it's the only assurance that I'm alive, locked in this deep sleep knowing almost nothing but endless cold and stillness. Almost…

I can still remember, faintly, but still I can, or part of it though, like some sort of torn out cloth with a barely recognizable design.

My final days were me running through the smoking field. Schneider, Etta and Fritz were right behind me. An explosion, Fritz screamed. There were shouts in foreign language. French, English or Dutch? I didn't know, I didn't seem to care anymore. We'd traveled a third of the world and our journey was filled with nothing but this endless struggle to reach that only safe place.

Schneider spun and sprayed his MP44 towards the voices. Etta and I knelt beside Fritz, foaming blood dripping from his lips and his legs bent in awkward ways. We all knew he wasn't going any further. A sickening sound of bullet hitting flesh, a muffled thud, and Schneider was sprawled beside our other friend, body riddled with bullets, eyes dull. An enemy turned loyal and reliable companion. We owed him so much and now he's gone.

I screamed. A veil of darkness surrounded my vision. Around me, explosions pounded the ground, guns rattled, dive bombers roared by as the Third Reich advanced and overwhelm what little resistance is left of France. All these sounds gradually toned down as my ears started to ring but not before catching a lot of footsteps heading for us. As grave as the situation might be, these men chose to pursue us than defend their doomed camp.

The men finally caught up with us, raised their guns and aimed, but shocked at what they've seen. I raised my hand aimed it at one of the men's throat and squeezed as if choking him. His reaction was immediate, grasping his neck, retching, gasping desperately for air. I squeezed tighter, a sound of a bone breaking, and he fell limp. The other men recovered from their shock quickly, like they were used to seeing someone like me. It's just that I was a little different.

I hit the ground instinctively and heard Etta's screams as bullets rattled her whole body. Coward. Selfish. These words rang loudly in my head as her body dropped on the ground next to me, barely recognizable. I screamed again, punched the ground and from it sprang hundreds of skeletons, long dead, long decayed with the only purpose of serving me. The men open fired but dropped their guns soon. After all, it was next to useless against my undead minions. They drew out their knives, gleaming a dull brownish colour; Celestial bronze. I went for Schneider's sword also made of the same metal which he never had a chance to use, unsheathed it, and prepared for a fight.

The fight lasted for about half an hour. I fought like a demon, which I probably was. The remains of shattered undead and fresh carcasses of men along with those of my friends littered the ground. I'm all alone now, or that's what I thought. A voice rang in my head, making me wince, warning me, to move away as fast as I can before its too late, to find the gate. There I would be safe, safe at last.

A sudden flash of light, my body arched from the thousand volts that shook me in a fraction of a second. I fell down, my nose flared from the burnt smell of my clothes. A boy emerged from the shadows not older than I was, fifteen? Sixteen? A torn aviator's jacket with cracked goggles hung from his shoulders and neck. Very similar from those worn by the dead airmen from a downed bomber we had passed earlier that day. His electric blue eyes fixed me a silent stare from his stoic but battle ridden face. I tried to stand but an earthquake knocked me off my feet. A sudden gush of waves slammed at me from behind, sweeping me away towards the edge of a cliff, I was helpless, I was weak, and I never wanted it to be like this.

Standing near the edge of the cliff, surrounded by the roaring rapids, was a girl also about my age, with tanned skin, jet black hair and sea green eyes, her hands were raised with twin golden daggers on both hands as she willed the currents towards the cliff's edge, towards my death. I closed my eyes, accepting my fate. The next time I opened them, I was free falling, a hundred yards from certain death zooming ever so closer, with every second.

Thirty yards, twenty, ten, my mind drifted away but part of it still wished, still hoped, still prayed that the ground would simply open up and take me in, take me away from this place where I never belonged.

SLAM!

Darkness. Darkness for what seemed like eternity. When I finally regained my vision I was being carried, rough, bony but strong arms lifting my broken body. A man's face was the only thing I saw. His eyes known to bring sheer terror in a simple glance, were filled with sadness and despair. He spoke in a cracking voice as he carried me somewhere. On the way, he told me how sorry he was, for not being able to be there, for not being a father I desperately needed, for bringing me this fate.

The sound of moving water was soon heard. A drop of water fell on my cheek, and another, and another only to realize they were tears, tears from a weeping god. The God of the Dead weeping over his son's death, the irony of it, it makes me want to laugh despite of everything. The sound of the rushing water grew louder, just underneath me. He slowly began to lay me down, whispering his final farewell. Telling me how sorry he was that he couldn't save me like my two other siblings whom he managed to hide, the last of his sons or daughters.

As the cold, dark murky water swallowed me, my vision blurred and soon began to fade. My body went numb and the last I saw was him screaming out loud, so loud I heard it clearly from this depth. I let myself be swallowed and carried away by the water. For me, it was eternal rest. Rest at last.

And now, all of it was nothing more than just figments of memory, of how I used to be, and to be honest, I prefer being like this. Finding peace in a state where nobody would prefer to be in, away from the world where I was unwanted-

BOOM!

A loud explosion shook everything…

BOOOOM!

It was louder now, so loud I could hear the ice beginning to crack.

BOOOOOOMMM!CRASH! FSSSSS!

Another explosion and this time, I actually felt the ground beneath me give way with a hissing sound. A sudden flash struck my eyes. A flash? It was light, very faint but it seems to pierce my eyes as if I was staring at the sun. It is something I thought I'll never see again.

"C'mon, we have to move!" A voice said. It was a voice I'm sure of it. It's not coming from my mind. Not anymore.

"Percy, wait up!" A girl's voice called out. "What is this place?"

"It's the mouth of the river Styx, judging from all these ice." Another voice said, it was different than the first one, a little lonely and dark but only a little. There's also something familiar about him, like some long distant relative. "My father said to stay away from this place. It's like a tomb for someone or something, he won't tell."

"Nico, time to go! Those guys are dangerous, I can feel it but they seem familiar. Are you sure you don't know them?" The first voice said. It seems like he's their leader. This Percy, and who is this Nico? He said 'my father'. Can it be? What is going on? I need to get out of here!

"I told you I haven't seen them before but they are familiar. It's like me and they are-"

"Nico, watch out!" The girl cried in alarm. It was followed by the clanging of metal and then the sound of rushing water, like the one I've heard way back then when I was on the cliff.

My mind was slowly awakening along with my body as I gradually regain my consciousness. I began to breathe slow and painful breaths as my windpipe cleared. It clearly was something I haven't been doing for how long? I didn't know but I guess for a long time. The stiffness on my limbs was loosening and slowly, I began to move them. Fingers first then my arms and so on. My legs still seem to be trapped in the ice along with half of my body waist-down. The shouts and the clanging continued for another minute before a second wave was heard, after that, silence.

"What in Pluto…is that son of Neptune made of?" A new voice spoke after a few minutes, obviously out of breath.

"He's had the curse of Achilles. He's gotta be something." Another voice said, this time was from a girl's. "Ashton, what should we do now?"

"We split up." Another voice said, he sounded older and his tone had a hint of authority. "Michael and Patrick, try to go around them, there's a high chance that they'll try for the door of Orpheus, once you see them, shadow travel back to the rendezvous point where Rowena would be waiting to signal everyone. Cera and Ryan, you're with me, we stay on their trail. The rest of you, take up positions on the parameter around Erebus. Do not let them near that gate! Let's move!"

I could sense them. A second later, nine of them suddenly vanished. There were twelve of them, all emitting some kind of aura. The same as the one called Nico had. It's hard to explain. I began to claw my way through the opening in the ice. My bare hands felt numb from the cold but it doesn't seem to damage it in any way. With a great deal of effort, I pulled my lower body free. I then crawled towards the light, wincing, I tried to shout but my throat seemed to be shut tight so I resumed crawling closer and closer towards the light. I reached the tiny hole barely bigger than my fist. I took a peek but my vision was still all blurry, all I could make out was blurry black human figures on a greyish green background.

"Alright Cera, be our eyes." The guy named Ashton told probably that girl. "We are-"

"Wait a minute," The girl interrupted. "There's someone here, someone else."

"What do you mean?" Ashton replied cautiously. His blurry image seemed to lift a large two-handed sword. "Stay back, both of you."

"No, wait. " Cera interrupted, moving in front of him. "He's not one of them."

She was standing still, her neck craning from side to side, scanning the area she stopped on my direction.

"Break down that pack of ice there." Cera pointed right where I was.

"We're wasting time. Just tell me what it is."

"Just do it." Cera walked over. Ashton lay down his sword and followed her. The third was standing guard. They drew out their daggers and began chipping off the ice. After five minutes or so, they managed to pull me out. Cera gently laid me on the ground, the River Styx flowing overhead. My body still felt very much numb and I still can't move my lower body. My vision occasionally spun and I felt like vomiting right then and there.

"This guy is something. He survived despite being trapped in Stygian Ice!" Cera said in wonder.

"Half-blood?" Ashton asked.

"Definitely. No doubt about it." Cera placed her two fingers on my neck, checking my pulse. "Heart rate is low, temperature twenty-five degrees Celsius. He's apparently been trapped in here for quite a while. It's amazing, nobody even a half-blood can last for ten seconds if they touched pure Stygian Ice unless they're…" Cera paused, hit with realization.

Ashton grabbed a chipped piece of Stygian Ice and held for about a few moments before letting go. "He's a son of Pluto…"

Cera nodded and grasp my hand which has already lost much of its numbness. Her hand was slightly warm or is it just because mine's colder? She leaned down and whispered to my ear. Her breath was soothingly warm but her words sent a colder chill down my spine.

"Welcome back, brother."

(A/N: Well, that's all for the preview. I have to remind you all that the story, including this part, may change depending on how the second book will turn out. That's all for now, don't forget to leave a comment on how you guys think about this story. See ya! Iron Raven out…)