~Nico~
I was woken by a slap in the face. I jumped up, grabbing my Stygian iron sword off the ground next to me. Shaking sand out of my hair and quickly getting into perfect fighting stance, I expecting to find a monster of some sort. But instead, I was met with a furious Raven. She smacked the sword out of my grip and punched my arm. Hard. This might be worse than an angry monster.
"Ow!" I yelped, stumbling back as Raven tackled me in a hug, burying her face into my shoulder. I have never been more confused in my life. By this time, Will had woken up, and was looking at the two of us, bewildered.
"Wha… what's going on?" Will asked, his voice muffled by a yawn.
"Ummm, I actually have no idea." I said, watching as Raven unlatched herself from me and walked over to Will. She swiftly punched him in the shoulder, too.
"Raven! What have I ever done to you?" He protested. Raven just shook her head and gave Will a bear hug. A tear ran down her face, but was harshly wiped away. Will looked shocked.
"Raven, seriously. What's the matter?"I asked. Raven began a string of hand gestures.
"She said that she thought the two of us were kidnapped due to the fact that neither of us made it home last night." Will informed me before turning back, blushing slightly. Raven narrowed her eyes like a hunter zeroing in on prey and stared at Mr.D, who is walking down to the beach, accompanied by Chiron, Percy and Annabeth, and a tearful Hazel. Raven points at Mr.D accusingly. I look to Annabeth for explanation. I raise my eyebrows.
"Apparently, Raven was 'disrespecting' Mr.D because he said that you and Will weren't important enough to find. Raven's emotions had been running a bit high anyway, due to the fact that she thought you two had been kidnapped or something. All Mr.D did was put a curse on Raven so she won't be able to speak for at least a few hours." Annabeth explained, sending an irritated, yet pointed look in the direction of Dionysus.
"Yes, yes." The god grumbled. "I suppose I could dissolve the curse in a few hours. But it's been nice not hearing her blabbing constantly."
Raven glared at Mr.D as I ruffled her hair. She swatted my hands away before pouting. Then Raven started making different movements with her hands.
"She says she'll need a translator until the curse wears off." Will blurted out, causing Raven to grin slyly at him.
"I guess you're it." I chuckled. "You're gonna have to stay with her all day until she can speak again."
"Hey, you're staying with us, too." Will corrected me.
"Sorry, but I can't. Hades needs me to take care of something in the Underworld for him. Sorry not sorry."
Raven jumped up and down excitedly, her braid bouncing against the back of her band T-shirt. She turned to Will and signed rapidly. Will sighed and said to her, "You know he's never going to let you do that, right?" He glanced in my direction.
"What?" I demanded.
"Raven wants us to go with you to the Underworld. She said she's never seen it and she wants to explore and help you with whatever your dad wants."
"Ummm, I think not." I replied. "I'm not worried so much about Raven, as I think she's established that she can take care of herself…" Raven smirks at that. "But Will, you could get seriously hurt. So Raven, I guess you can go, but Will, you'll have to stay here for a couple hours." I finish, causing Will to pout.
"C'mon, Sunshine," Will whines. "I wanna go too."
"Absolutely not." I said. "And 'Sunshine'? Is that really what you're going with?"
"Please?" He pleaded, giving me his puppy eyes. He knew I would fall for those. Cheater.
I tried to avoid his eyes, so that I couldn't give in to him. Percy and Annabeth smirked, knowing that my attempts were futile. I couldn't take it anymore.
"Fine!" I said. "Fine. But Will, if you die, I'm going to kill you."
"Uh huh. Sure you are Death Boy." Will replied cheekily. I groaned at the new nickname.
"It seems you all have this visit arranged, so we'll be on our way." Chiron said to the three of us. "Good luck."
"Good luck, guys." Annabeth put in, as she and Percy began the walk to the dining pavilion. Chiron and Mr.D walked toward the Big House, talking of starting a game of pinochle before the rest of the campers woke.
I sigh deeply and turn towards Will and Raven.
Can we go now? Raven signs. I want to see dad! An evil grin spreads across her face.
"We'll have to watch for that." Will tells me. "I know Hades is her dad and all, but I don't think he'd appreciate whatever she's planning." I know what Raven is feeling. After all these years thinking her father had disappeared, then finding out he is a god who could have helped with whatever problems she may have had growing up… it's natural for her to feel angry. I mean, I was, too, but doing something rash is not the best way to keep Hades on your side.
"Yeah." I reply. "Let's go." I grab their hands, about to shadow travel the three of us to the Underworld when Will wrenches his hand out of my grip.
"Nico. We need to eat something first. I'm sure Raven missed breakfast and is hungry, too. Punching people is sure to work up an appetite." Will says, playfully glaring at Raven.
"Aw, c'mon Will! I'm not even hungry." I complain, scowling.
"Doctor's orders." Will says, a grin on his handsome face.
That may work on Nico, but I'm not your patient, Will, Raven signs smugly. I'm fine, I'm never hungry in the mornings.
"Too bad for you!" Will crows. "You are now my newest patient. So go eat something. Doctor's orders." A look of disbelief flickers across Raven's features before she forces her face into a neutral expression. I don't want to, she signs stubbornly. You can't make me.
"Alright. Okay, fine." Will says, taking on a look of fake resignation. Raven turns and pushes me in the direction of the dining pavilion. Will runs up from behind, picking Raven up and throwing her over his shoulder. Raven begins to squirm, kicking Will in the stomach, but it doesn't affect him. I know she can't speak, but she doesn't always need words to express how you feel. At least, Raven doesn't. She smacks Will in the back of the head, messing up his hair and causing him to grin even more than he was. We walk back to the dining pavilion, where everybody with the exception of a few were sitting. Leo glances up from the Hephaestus table and spews coffee all over the person across from him. Like that boy really needs the caffeine.
Leo's outburst caused others to look over, and laughter erupted throughout the pavilion. Raven silenced them with a glare but a few who had never met Raven, or just couldn't hold back their giggles remained chuckling. Grover was over at the Poseidon table with Percy, and he was laughing so hard he began to gasp, clutching at a stitch in his side. Percy watched him with happy eyes, glad to see his best friend acting so joyfully.
Will deposited Raven at her own table and watched with amusement as she glared at him reproachfully. A bowl of cereal appears in front of her.
"Once you finish that, we can go. You too, Nico." Will said as my own bowl materialized on my plate. I picked up my spoon sighing. I was never going to win this fight. Raven seemed to realize this too, as she shoveled a few spoonfuls of her cornflakes into her mouth. But when Will turned away, I saw her dump half of it into the metal brazier for the food sacrifices for the gods.
"What did you just do?" Will asks suspiciously. He had turned around for a minute and now half Raven's food was gone.
Nothing, Raven signed.
"Whatever, Raven." Will sighed, defeated, as Raven smiled victoriously.
"Can we please go now?" I asked, scooping up my last bite of cereal. I held out my hands for them to take. I felt the shadows wrap around me in a familiar way. It was incredibly exhilarating, yet scary at the same time, similar to the feeling you get while on the climax of a roller coaster.
When the three of us arrived in the Underworld, Will looked around in… awe? That was usually not the emotion people felt when gazing upon my father's realm. Raven had stumbled slightly, then turned to Will and I, her eyes wide as the moon.
That was awesome! She signed, excitement evident in her body language. Can we go again?
"Maybe later," Will chuckled. "Your brother's got some business to take care of, first."
Okay… Raven signed.
~Raven~
I was pissed about not being able to talk, and all because of Dionysus, the wine dude who doesn't care about us. 'Us' being every demigod that had ever lived.
But the Underworld was awesome. Huh. That's a sentence I never thought I would say. I mean, think. We were on the banks of a filthy black river. It's waters churned with debris from spirit's past lives. Ripped diplomas, rings, battered corsages, dolls… these were people's memories. Despite the pollution, I found it strangely beautiful.
I zoned in just in time to hear Nico say, "… and this is the River Styx. Raven? Are you listening? You need to know which places to stay away from so you won't get hurt."
Hey, this is my place too, Doom and Gloom. I'll be okay. I signed as Will translated for me. Nico just rolled his eyes and continued. "Over there is Elysium and the Isles of the Blessed." Elysium looked like a regular neighborhood, with huge, expensive looking houses. The kind my family could never afford. I smelled barbecue and heard children laughing. A family sat down at picnic tables in their backyard. It was… perfect. The Isles of the Blessed were too far away to see, but I knew they would be much better than Elysium, and that was saying something.
"And those… those are the Fields of Punishment."
They were horrible. I saw every kind of punishment and torture imaginable. Wails and howls and screams of pain project over to where the three of us stand. I don't exactly feel like describing what I saw there.
"That's…" Will couldn't seem to find the words. Neither could I. Get it? Because I was cursed… yeah.
Nico cleared his throat. "Well, uh, we should get going to Hades's palace, and you guys can see the Fields of Asphodel afterwards."
Nico led the way to a huge menacing castle made of dark obsidian rock. I nodded appreciatively as Will looked on with amazement. The big silver gates were woven with intricate designs, depicting death and sorrow. Cheerful. The giant silver double doors at the entrance were guarded by two skeleton soldiers dressed in military uniforms, who crossed their weapons when we approached.
"Gentlemen."Nico said in greeting. "We must speak with my father." The undead soldiers uncrossed the rifles and nodded respectfully. The doors swung open silently. We walked inside, our footsteps echoing on the gleaming black rock. The main hallway is cold, and I see Will shiver, despite his weird higher-than-normal body temperature due to the fact that he's Apollo's kid. The cold doesn't bother Nico and I in the slightest. I walked behind Nico and Will.
I was third wheeling hardcore.
We entered the main room, where a gigantic throne made of white bones was seated. Sitting on the throne was the man I saw after I died a few months ago. Hades. He had jet black hair, like mine, that reached just under his ears. His eyes were black as pitch-again, matching mine-and he looked slightly bored. He was extremely pale, almost to the point of unhealthy. I could see the family resemblance. His dark robes seemed to move, as if spirits were trapped inside them. My bottled up anger immediately bubbled to the front of my mind. I pushed through Nico and Will. Marching up to Hades, I fixed him with my coldest, deadliest glare possible.
Nico rushed up behind me and pulled me back a step.
"Sorry, Dad. I guess she's still a little angry about, you know… everything."
I roll my eyes. That just about sums it up, I sign. Hades furrows his brow. "What's wrong with her? Last time we spoke she couldn't stop talking and interrupting me."
I decide to sign some choice words.
"Whoa, Raven. I am not telling Hades that." Will protests. "He'll kill me!"
Hades looked at Will and blinked, surprised, like he had just noticed the literal ray of sunshine standing in his throne room.
"And you are?" He asked confused.
"Oh! I'm Will. Will Solace. Nico and Raven's friend." He glances at Nico somewhat longingly, but Nico doesn't notice. Hades and I do, though. Will sticks out a tan hand.
Hades raises his eyebrows and ignores his hand. Will lowers it awkwardly and shoves it into the pocket of his jeans. Nico sighs exasperatedly our dad. It still feels weird calling Hades that.
"Apollo's child." Hades says distastefully. "I wouldn't approve, as Apollo seems to enjoy annoying me to the point of me wishing he would join the souls in the Fields of Punishment…" Nico grimaces as Hades continued. "Are you sure you two are just friends?"
Nico turned bright red and stuttered when he spoke. "D-Dad! Cut it out!"
"Oh, Nico, you know I'm fooling with you. But in all seriousness… You two are seem good for each other. Maybe it would turn out to be better than last ti-"
Nico looked mortified and my father was cut short due to the fact that shadows began whipping around my body and I punched the god of death on the arm. Hades's pale hand reached up slowly and touched the spot on his arm where I hit him. He turned towards me, a mix of anger and shock on his face. He eyed the tendrils of darkness that were spiraling out of me.
"What exactly could have possibly possessed you to do that?" Hades asked me. He was trying to be calm, but black fire burned in his eyes and his words were tense. Will and Nico looked on, with terrified faces. I smirk a little.
"I'm waiting." Hades says impatiently, his eyes boring into mine.
"Dad, she can't talk." Nico quickly explains. "Dionysus cursed her because she was sassing him."
"What? That insufferable little-" Hades fumed before calming slightly. "No matter. I shall deal with him later. But Raven, I wouldn't make it a habit of angering the gods." He waves his hand and I go into yet another coughing fit.
"Is the 'hacking up a lung' part really necessary to these things?" I wheeze, my eyes watery.
"No." Hades said. I raised my eyebrows, waiting for him to elaborate. "I just wanted to get you back for smacking me." Hades said proudly.
"You're incredibly childish for one of the Big Three." I tell him. He just rolls his eyes. Nico lets out a breath, then runs his fingers through his dark hair at the exact moment I do. Hades chuckles.
"Now that we've got that out of the way… what did you need me to do, Dad?"
"Oh! Right. Well, there is a… a something lurking among the spirits in the Fields of Asphodel. Something powerful, ancient, and evil. It is able to conceal itself from me. I believe it can sense my presence every time I approach. But maybe, just maybe… you'll be able to sneak up on it. Now. I want to make myself clear. Under no circumstances will you be allowed to make contact with it. I forbid you. You will not win that battle. I can tell this much. If you find it, report immediately back here. I shall find a way to destroy it." Hades finished. "Do you understand?"
"Yes, father." Nico and I said, while Will chimed in with a quick, "Yes, sir!" Will and I joined hands with Nico, and as he shadow traveled us away, I called back to my dad. "Bye, Dad! Sorry-not-sorry for punching you!"