Chapter 4: Another Trip to the Underworld

"This is a bad idea," said Lydia.

"Nonsense," I replied. "It'll be fine."

"No it's not. We can't just march into Hecate's realm. It doesn't work like that."

"She's the Goddess of Crossroads. She can march into any of the Big Three's realms, so she really shouldn't be upset if we enter into her own realm. That would just be hypocritical."

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Try to bring that point up to her before she transforms you into a frog. Besides, you're missing some of the finer points of your plan. Where does Hecate live? How are we going to get there? How are we going to get out of camp?"

"Calm down. My dad once mentioned that Hecate lives in the Underworld. She's a friend of Persephone, I think."

Lydia nodded. "She helped Demeter track Persephone down after she was kidnapped by Hades. It makes sense that she would stay in the Underworld. That leaves us with two more problems."

"Not to worry. I have an associate who can get us into the Underworld."

"Nico?"

I frowned. "He's my associate. It sounds cooler. Not to mention more professional."

"So it is Nico." I scowled. Lydia wasn't done talking. "Now we need to get out of camp. I don't think they'll just let us wander off."

"Why? It's a free country. But anyways, I have another associate."

"Stop saying that." We reached the border of camp. A figure met us at the pine tree. With all his eyes and muscular biceps folded together, Argus was an intimidating person.

Argus looked at me, with all his eyes. I began to talk. "Alright, Argus. We're just going to go out for a nice stroll outside of these borders." Argus didn't budge. He obviously wasn't being a helpful associate.

I tried again. "Come on, Argus. We really aren't going to do anything stupid." Argus raised an eyebrow. He knew me too well.

"Look, we'll be back in a day or two, tops," I said. Argus looked uneasy about it. "Nico is coming along too. We'll be fine." We waited for a moment. Finally, Argus relented.

I grinned at Lydia. "Problems solved."

We took a cab all the way to Central Park. Lydia looked around the park with interest. The second Titan War had partly been fought here. In fact, Hyperion was probably still encased in a maple tree somewhere.

"I wasn't here when the Hyperion thing happened," said a voice. We turned and saw the shadow converge. Out popped Nico di Angelo. He seldom stayed at camp, but a lot of people admired him for being so mysterious. Not that I cared, but he always gave the impression of someone who was both powerful and experienced. That was reassuring.

We walked to a pile of rocks. Nico glanced at Lydia. "You're a daughter of Apollo. Can you sing?"

She shook her head. "I'm more of the drawing type." Nico nodded. He poled out a device from his pocket.

"I brought an iPod," he explained. "Just in case." He played it, and turned the speakers up. Instantly the sound of someone rapping filled the air.

Lydia looked at Nico, who turned red. "What? It was on the iPod do I played it."

The rocks didn't budge. "I don't think it considers rap as music," said Lydia. "I know I don't."

"That's harsh," I muttered. Nico grumbled. He switched to Mozart. Instantly the rocks opened to form a crevice.

"How do you transition from rapping to Mozart?" I asked Nico.

"Shut up. It's not mine." I decided not ask how he got the iPod. We entered the path. I should have been feeling more hesitant, but I had been through the Underworld twice, alive and not alive.

Lydia looked more nervous. Nico turned to us, and I saw lines of anxiety on his face. "Let me warn you, I've never been to Hecate's realm before. My father told me to stay out of it."

We exited into the Underworld. "And I'm also not sure about where the realm is."

Lydia groaned. "You should have told us about that before."

Nico frowned. "I think I did. Didn't you tell her, Glen?" Lydia glared at me. She refused to talk to me for the next twenty minutes.

What could I do? If I had mentioned the fact there was no way she would have agreed to come.

Now Nico looked really nervous. "We're going to have to stop by my father's court. Don't be rude, or he'll kill you guys."

"And you're exempt from this rule?"

"I'm his son." The son card. Well played.

We reached the Underworld entrance. Cerberus barked menacingly. Nico concentrated, and then a skeleton in armor emerged from the ground. Instantly the left head of Cerberus snatched up the skeleton. The other two heads barked excitedly as the left head gnawed on the bone warrior.

"That was terrifying," I said. Nico shrugged.

"He likes Romans the best." We walked through various parts of the Underworld. Nico didn't feel like being a tour guide, so we passed in silence. Finally we got to the palace.

Nico did his VIP Underworld thing and the skeleton guards opened the doors. Sitting on his black throne was Hades. Nico kneeled. Lydia and I followed. I could feel Lydia's anxiety pulsing from her body. Hades' power radiated across the room.

"Heroes, why do you enter my re- wait." He frowned, looking at me. "Has it been two years already?"

"No." Nico gave an abbreviated explanation. Hades scowled. "I hate this. Every demigod thinks its okay now to venture in my realm. It's that blasted Jackson kid. He keeps on visiting this place. And getting out alive."

"Actually it's more about the Doors of Death," muttered Nico, but the god didn't seem to listen.

Hades summoned Persephone. The goddess appeared from thin air. I frowned. Her face was cold, and you could tell that she hated the Underworld. She looked at Nico distastefully.

The goddess held out her hand and a flower appeared. "Follow the flower," she said, bored. She thought for another moment. "In the event that Hecate doesn't kill you, tell her I said hi."

I looked at her. "Shouldn't we say it before?" The goddess looked at me blankly. "You know, to stop her from killing us."

Persephone shook her head. "I'm not going to force her to do anything. What type of person would that make me?" Did she just subtly glare at Hades?

"Now be gone!" said Hades. He waved his hand and we were off in the Fields of Asphodel.

I stood there, shivering. A dark trace of a memory from the time I was dead. I saw a glimpse of my father. Someone crying. I tried to concentrate, but then the memory disappeared.

Nico and Lydia were next to me. Nico took in a deep breath. "Well," he said, "that went well."

Lydia shook her head. "That went way too quickly and smoothly."

It bothered me as well. Hades seemed a little too lenient on letting us go. Sure, he complained, but he didn't actually do anything to stop us. I just couldn't shake off the ominous feeling of meeting Hecate.

If Hades was so relaxed about us in the Underworld it could only mean that he didn't believe we would survive in the realm of Hecate.

Great.