A/n: I own nothing you recognize
Rosalie's p.o.v
Edward scooted closer to me, and I suddenly got tense
"I know you eavesdropped on them, so what did they say?" He whispered so only I could hear.
Shit! I was stuck; I couldn't ran for it because he would catch me, and if I told him the truth,... but the truth was I didn't hear that much. But still, whatever I had found out was valuable information.
Before I could say anything, Edward rose, "Rosalie and I need to talk about something!" he announced, and before anyone could react, zoomed out of the room, I sent an apologetic glance to Emmet and followed Edward out.
"They were talking about Harry's girlfriend…and how her birthday is coming up and she's coming here that day so they…wanted to plan a birthday for her!" I blurted after a split second decision, once we were outside
Edward didn't look convinced, he narrowed his Topaz eyes "Don't lie to me Rosalie; I know it was something about Bella, he's the mutt's son, he probably wanted revenge, you can't trust werewolves, I bet Aphrodite and Athena are helping him." He said speaking more to himself then me
I stared at him in disbelief, what was wrong with this Vampire? he was plain obsessed with Bella, he didn't even trust her to make her own decisions. I don't think he even loved her, I think he was just fascinated by the fact that a human that smelled like lush has a mind block and she's fragile, has taken interest in him. While I was lost in thought, I didn't notice Edward talking to me.
"Rosalie, are you even listening? I said I am going to change Bella by the end of this book!" He stated clearly
I glared at him in shock, "Edward, listen to yourself, are you thinking clearly? You were the one against Bella changing because you wanted her to have all the human experiences, then way did you change your mind do quickly?" I demanded
"Rosalie, I didn't want upset Bella by taking her away from Black, but now I know he imprints and moves on, has a family, there is nothing wrong with changing her so soon. The dog won't be affected!" He told me
"Edward, you can't do this, why aren't you taking Bella's choice into account!" I yelled
"But, Bella's the one that wants me to change her!" Edward retorted just as loudly
"Edward, have you noticed she hasn't said anything lately, she barely speaks to you these days!" I reminded him
Edwards look of rage was replaced by a pained expression,
"You have to understand, just ask what Bella wants first, don't forget, how will she say goodbye to her Dad, Renee and her friends? How can she say goodbye to everyone she love? Maybe she realized that and has changed her mind," I told him pleading him to understand
I Left him to think about it and walked back into the throne room at Human pace, and took my seat; Edward came in a while later, looking normal again
Emmet looked at me questioningly, and I mouthed: I'll tell you later. In addition, he just nodded
No one's p.o.v
Everyone else knew better than to question, and so Poseidon just handed the book to Hades.
"I take the worst bath ever," He began
"Woo! Yeah! It was the worst, but it made me into a kickass hero!" Percy cheered for himself, also trying to lighten the mood
"Ergh! Kelp head, you are so arrogant," Thalia complained
"You're just jealous because I'm better than you," Percy said stubbornly
"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Thalia said, rolling her eyes
My sword reappeared in my pocket.
Yeah, great timing. Now I could attack the walls all I wanted.
Everyone burst into laughter
"Honestly Percy, you can make the most fearsome situations into something funny," Apollo said laughing
"I'm awesome that way." Percy said proudly
My cell had no bars, no windows, not even a door. The skeletal guards shoved me straight through a wall, and it became solid behind me. I wasn't sure if the room was airtight. Probably. Hades's dungeon was meant for dead people and they don't breathe. So forget fifty or sixty years. I'd be dead in fifty or sixty minutes.
"There was still air in there, I probably wanted you to live," Hades said
Meanwhile, if Hades wasn't lying, some big trap was going to be sprung in New York by the end of the day, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.
"Percy, if you don't think about yourself, I will do something!" Thalia threatened
"Bring it on," Percy, challenged
"Fine, I'll hang you from a pit of boiling lava and hold a lighter by your clothes and I won't let you go unless you beg for yourself." Thalia said smugly, it was she had it planned out, and knowing Thalia, she probably did.
Almost everyone's mouths dropped open, some people gulped. Thalia was really brutal.
"Been there, done that." Percy muttered darkly, remembering the quest in the labyrinth, he said it to himself, but Thalia heard him
"What! When? How come you never told me?" She asked, forgetting about her threat
"I think I forgot to tell you, but I was doing something for Hephausteus by Typhon's Volcano when, I fell in lava so I called water, a bit too much water, to save me, then I caused an explosion and I think that the reason Typhon is awake." Percy explained his voice getting smaller, as he saw half the Olympians glaring at him
Zeus glared at Percy and sub-consciously reached for his bolt to zap Percy with,
"Father, we will talk about this later," Athena said when she saw what Zeus was intending to do.
I sat on the cold stone floor, feeling miserable.
I don't remember dozing off. Then again, it must've been about seven in the morning, mortal time, and I'd been through a lot.
"Wow, you only had a few hours sleep, how did you fight?" Thalia said
"Achilles remember," Percy, reminded
"Oh right I forgot,"
I dreamed I was on the porch of Rachel's beach house in St. Thomas. The sun was rising over the Caribbean. Dozens of wooded islands dotted the sea, and white sails cut across the water. The smell of salt air made me wonder if I would ever see the ocean again.
"Don't be so pessimistic Percy," Rachel said, rolling her eyes
"How'd you get out anyway?" Quil asked
"Nico helped." Percy said simply
Rachel's parents sat at the patio table while a personal chef fixed them omelets. Mr. Dare was dressed in a white linen suit. He was reading The Wall Street Journal. The lady across the table was probably Mrs. Dare, though all I could see of her were hot pink fingernails and the cover of Condé Nast Traveler. Why she'd be reading about vacations while she was on vacation, I wasn't sure.
"Mum hates the beach and just wants to go somewhere else," Rachel explained
Rachel stood at the porch railing and sighed. She wore Bermuda shorts and her van Gogh T-shirt. (Yeah, Rachel was trying to teach me about art, but don't get too impressed.
"At least you listen Percy," Rachel said, smiling
I only remembered the dude's name because he cut his ear off.)
"Seaweed brain," She muttered, miffed that he didn't pay attention properly
I wondered if she was thinking about me,
Aphrodite cooed
Annabeth glared
And how much it sucked that I wasn't with them on vacation. I know that's what I was thinking.
"No I wasn't, I thinking about the dreams, I've been having,"
Then the scene changed. I was in St. Louis, standing downtown under the Arch. I'd been there before. In fact, I'd almost fallen to my death there before.
"I was so glad you fell in water," Poseidon sighed
Over the city, a thunderstorm boiled-a wall of absolute black with lightning streaking across the sky. A few blocks away, swarms of emergency vehicles gathered with their lights flashing. A column of dust rose from a mound of rubble, which I realized was a collapsed skyscraper.
"Whoa, the situation is serious," Alice, said her eyes wide, she sounded worried
A nearby reporter was yelling into her microphone: "Officials are describing this as a structural failure, Dan, though no one seems to know if it is related to the storm conditions."
Wind whipped her hair. The temperature was dropping rapidly, like ten degrees just since I'd been standing there.
Almost everyone shivered
"Thankfully, the building had been abandoned for demolition," she said. "But police have evacuated all nearby buildings for fear the collapse might trigger-"
She faltered as a mighty groan cut through the sky. A blast of lightning hit the center of the darkness. The entire city shook. The air glowed, and every hair on my body stood up.
"Yep, that's my master bolt." Zeus said proudly
The blast was so powerful I knew it could only be one thing: Zeus's master bolt. It should have vaporized its target, but the dark cloud only staggered backward. A smoky fist appeared out of the clouds. It smashed another tower, and the whole thing collapsed like children's blocks.
"I know the war is serious but, can you at least try not to hit the buildings, people live there you know," Bella said with no fear at all
Edward forcefully grabbed her arm, "Are you trying to get yourself killed," He said to her, tightening the grip, his eyes were black and Bella started to get scared
"Father, Bella is correct, some of these are the Mortals homes, and we should be a bit more careful." Athena said and Zeus nodded, but before he could say anything….
"Edward you're hurting me!" Bella suddenly said, with her voice full of fear, Edward came back to reality and let go of her arm, leaving a huge blue bruise the size of his hand.
A visible growl came from the other side of the room, Jacob was shaking dangerously, and a giant russet wolf burst out of his body, he let out a enormous growl and within seconds, had pinned Edward's body to the floor, since Edward's mind reading had been blocked he hadn't seen Jacob coming. Everyone was too stunned to do anything. Edward didn't bother to fight back, knowing if Jacob hurt him then Bella would be upset.
"Jacob, you know better than this, get off Edward now!" Aphrodite yelled
Jacob glared at Edward once more and climbed off his body, he phased back, and sat in his seat, muttering under his breath, Reyna rubbed his arm comfortingly and Harry said words of tranquility.
"If that happens again, I will hurt him, or even kill him!" He told Reyna, Harry, and the Wolves, making sure everything heard, and weirdly Bella wasn't angry with Jacob for jumping on Edward instead, she was happy he cared about her.
"Bella, come with me, I can heal that bruise in a second," Apollo said, shooting Edward a dirty look before leading a dazed Bella out of the room.
"Edward, what the fuck was that!" Rosalie demanded, the rest of the Cullen's looked as though they wanted to ask the same
"I don't know, I felt a sudden urge to drink her blood even though I have gotten used to it, I felt like I had to take control of her, mark her so no one could steal her," Edward told them in a whisper
Some of the Cullen's looked a little weirded out, the way Edward was speaking was freaky
"Edward! Get a head of yourself, if you keep this up, all you will do is scare her away," Alice warned him,
Just as Bella with her newly healed arm and Apollo walked in to the room, instead of sitting next to Edward she sat next to Rosalie, and Edward felt slightly ashamed of himself
The reporter screamed. People ran through the streets. Emergency lights flashed. I saw a streak of silver in the sky-a chariot pulled by reindeer, but it wasn't Santa Claus driving. It was Artemis, riding the storm, shooting shafts of moonlight into the darkness. A fiery golden comet crossed her path . . . maybe her brother Apollo.
"Woo! Go me! Go Apollo!" Apollo cheered
One thing was clear: Typhon had made it to the Mississippi River. He was halfway across the U.S., leaving destruction in his wake, and the gods were barely slowing him down.
"We did try," Athena, said glaring at Percy
"Don't mind him Mum; he always looks on the bad side of things, it's a trait of Poseidon," Annabeth said
Poseidon had nothing to say against that, because it was true
The mountain of darkness loomed above me. A foot the size of Yankee Stadium was about to smash me when a voice hissed, "Percy!"
I lunged out blindly. Before I was fully awake, I had Nico pinned to the floor of the cell with the edge of my sword at his throat.
Hades glared at Percy
"Well I did deserve it," Nico muttered
"Want . . . to . . . rescue," he choked.
Anger woke me up fast. "Oh, yeah? And why should I trust you?"
"No . . . choice?" he gagged.
I wished he hadn't said something logical like that. I let him go.
"So you did want to kill me?" Nico said inching away from Percy
"I did, but don't worry about it now Dude!" Percy said, tapping Nico on the shoulder
Nico curled into a ball and made retching sounds while his throat recovered. Finally, he got to his feet, eyeing my sword warily. His own blade was sheathed. I suppose if he'd wanted to kill me, he could've done it while I slept. Still, I didn't trust him.
"I told you I didn't know what my Dad was planning," Nico said
"I know, I was just too stubborn!" Percy involuntarily admitted
"We have to get out of here," he said.
"Why?" I said. "Does your dad want to talk to me again?"
He winced. "Percy, I swear on the River Styx, I didn't know what he was planning."
"You know what your dad is like!"
"He tricked me. He promised-" Nico held up his hands. "Look . . . right now, we need to leave. I put the guards to sleep, but it won't last."
"Hades, aren't you angry that your Son is disobeying you?" Athena asked
"Which Hades the one in the book, or the real life one?" Leo asked confused
"The one is the book but, I'm asked the real one," Athena explained
"I don't know what I'll do in the Future but right now, I'm really glad Nico has friends and is no longer an outcast,"
"Wow, I like this Hades better than the Future one!" Percy said
I wanted to strangle him again. Unfortunately, he was right. We didn't have time to argue, and I couldn't escape on my own. He pointed at the wall. A whole section vanished, revealing a corridor.
"Cool, can you do that everywhere?" Leo asked
"No, just in the underworld,"
"Come on." Nico led the way.
I wished I had Annabeth's invisibility hat, but as it turned out, I didn't need it. Every time we came to a skeleton guard, Nico just pointed at it, and its glowing eyes dimmed. Unfortunately, the more Nico did it, the more tired he seemed. We walked through a maze of corridors filled with guards. By the time we reached a kitchen staffed by skeletal cooks and servants, I was practically carrying Nico. He managed to put all the dead to sleep but nearly passed out himself. I dragged him out of the servants' entrance and into the Fields of Asphodel.
"Wow, your powers really tire you out don't they," Alice said with sympathy
"Yeah, but I'm used to it," Nico said his cheeks coloring
I almost felt relieved until I heard the sound of bronze gongs high in the castle.
"Alarms," Nico murmured sleepily.
"What do we do?"
He yawned then frowned like he was trying to remember. "How about . . . run?"
"That would be the obvious thing to do,"
Running with a drowsy child of Hades was more like doing a three-legged race with a life-size rag doll. I lugged him along, holding my sword in front of me. The spirits of the dead made way like the Celestial bronze was a blazing fire.
"That's a good comparison," Annabeth said
The sound of gongs rolled across the fields. Ahead loomed the walls of Erebos, but the longer we walked, the farther away they seemed. I was about to collapse from exhaustion when I heard a familiar "WOOOOOF!"
"Yay, Mrs O'Leary, is here to save the day,"
Mrs. O'Leary bounded out of nowhere and ran circles around us, ready to play.
"Thank Goodness, Now she could carry you,"
"Good girl.'" I said. "Can you give us a ride to the Styx?"
The word Styx got her excited. She probably thought I meant sticks. She jumped a few times, chased her tail just to teach it who was boss, and then calmed down enough for me to push Nico onto her back. I climb aboard, and she raced toward the gates. She leaped straight over the EZ-DEATH line, sending guards sprawling and causing more alarms to blare. Cerberus barked, but he sounded more excited than angry, like: Can I play too?
"Ergh, curse you, you've softened my dog," Hades grumbled
Percy, Annabeth, and Nico just laughed
Fortunately, he didn't follow us, and Mrs. O'Leary kept running. She didn't stop until we were far upriver and the fires of Erebos had disappeared in the murk.
Nico slid off Mrs. O'Leary's back and crumpled in a heap on the black sand.
"That wasn't a good landing," Leo chuckled
I took out a square of ambrosia-part of the emergency god-food I always kept with me. It was a little bashed up, but Nico chewed it.
"Uh," he mumbled. "Better."
"Your powers drain you too much," I noted.
He nodded sleepily. "With great power . . . comes great need to take a nap. Wake me up later."
Everyone laughed,
"With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility," Annabeth and Athena corrected
"Whoa, zombie dude." I caught him before he could pass out again. "We're at the river. You need to tell me what to do."
I fed him the last of my ambrosia, which was a little dangerous. The stuff can heal demigods, but it can also burn us to ashes if we eat too much. Fortunately, it seemed to do the trick. Nico shook his head a few times and struggled to his feet.
"Let's say someone human eats it, what happens?" Jacob asked
"They burn up and melt to ashes," Ares said bluntly
Bella and Rachel shivered
"Forget I asked," Jacob said
"My father will be coming soon," he said. "We should hurry."
The River Styx's current swirled with strange objects-broken toys, ripped-up college diplomas, wilted homecoming corsages-all the dreams people had thrown away as they'd passed from life into death.
"Wow, so every failed dream is going to end up there," Embry, said
Looking at the black water, I could think of about three million places I'd rather swim.
"So . . . I just jump in?"
"No!" Poseidon and Annabeth yelled
"You have to prepare yourself first," Nico said, "or the river will destroy you. It will burn away your body and soul."
"Sounds fun," I muttered.
"This is no joke," Nico warned. "There is only one way to stay anchored to your mortal life. You have to . . ."
"I've just realized something, I am such a Vlacas for not remembering before," Athena palm-faced
"What wrong Mum, What did you remember?" Annabeth asked
"Percy's Achilles spot, we'll know where it is," Annabeth
The Whole room except for the Demigods gasped, it hadn't occurred to them before
"Don't Worry, I don't mind you reading about my ex-Achilles spot," Percy said
"Huh, what do you mean by ex-Achilles spot, you haven't lost it have you, because how are you alive," Athena said
"I bathed in the river Tiber," Percy said simply
Athena palm-faced again "Of course, if you enter Roman territory then you no longer have it, Goodness I'm losing my touch, I'm the Goddess of Wisdom for Chaos's sake," Athena said to herself
Everyone now understood
He glanced behind me and his eyes widened. I turned and found myself face-to-face with a Greek warrior.
For a second I thought he was Ares, because this guy looked exactly like the god of war-tall and buff, with a cruel scarred face and closely shaved black hair. He wore a white tunic and bronze armor. He held a plumed war helm under his arm. But his eyes were human-pale green like a shallow sea-and a bloody arrow stuck out of his left calf, just above the ankle.
"Wow, you met Achilles," Annabeth said
I stunk at Greek names, but even I knew the greatest warrior of all time, who had died from a wounded heel.
"Achilles," I said.
The ghost nodded. "I warned the other one not to follow my path. Now I will warn you."
"Luke? You spoke with Luke?"
"Do not do this," he said. "It will make you powerful. But it will also make you weak. Your prowess in combat will be beyond any mortal's, but your weaknesses, your failings will increase as well."
"Yeah, that makes sense, you are powerful in combat but really weak at the same time," Jacob said sarcastically
"You mean I'll have a bad heel?" I said. "Couldn't I just, like, wear something besides sandals? No offense."
He stared down at his bloody foot. "The heel is only my physical weakness, demigod. My mother, Thetis, held me there when she dipped me in the Styx. What really killed me was my own arrogance. Beware! Turn back!"
"So the message there is don't be arrogant, and Percy is the least arrogant person I know," Reyna said
"Thanks Reyna,"
He meant it. I could hear the regret and bitterness in his voice. He was honestly trying to save me from a terrible fate.
Then again, Luke had been here, and he hadn't turned back.
That's why Luke had been able to host the spirit of Kronos without his body disintegrating. This is how he'd prepared himself, and why he seemed impossible to kill. He had bathed in the River Styx and taken on the powers of the greatest mortal hero, Achilles. He was invincible.
"But he being invincible wasn't the reason he lost," Percy said
Everyone looked curious and confused
"I have to," I said. "Otherwise I don't stand a chance."
Achilles lowered his head. "Let the gods witness I tried. Hero, if you must do this, concentrate on your mortal point. Imagine one spot of your body that will remain vulnerable. This is the point where your soul will anchor your body to the world. It will be your greatest weakness, but also your only hope. No man may be completely invulnerable. Lose sight of what keeps you mortal, and the River Styx will burn you to ashes. You will cease to exist."
"I am so glad you didn't mess up," Annabeth said hugging Percy
"I don't suppose you could tell me Luke's mortal point?"
"Ergh, Percy that was not the question to ask,"
He scowled. "Prepare yourself, foolish boy. Whether you survive this or not, you have sealed your doom!"
With that happy thought, he vanished.
"That is not happy," Leo said
"Leo, that was sarcasm,"
"I knew that,"
"Percy," Nico said, "maybe he's right."
"This was your idea."
"I know, but now that we're here-"
"Just wait on the shore. If anything happens to me . . . Well, maybe Hades will get his wish, and you'll be the child of the prophecy after all."
"Percy don't say that,"
"In a way, Nico will be the child of a prophecy when he turns 16," Thalia said
"And so will Hazel,"
"I think the war that is coming now, in our time, could be Jason's prophecy, he does turn 16 soon," Piper said
"I think you're right Piper," Annabeth said thinking about it
He didn't look pleased about that, but I didn't care.
Before I could change my mind, I concentrated on the small of my back-a tiny point just opposite my navel. It was well defended when I wore my armor. It would be hard to hit by accident, and few enemies would aim for it on purpose. No place was perfect, but this seemed right to me, and a lot more dignified than, like, my armpit or something.
"How weird is that, which Luke would have been hard to kill if he hadn't done it himself, and it was the place you mentioned," Annabeth said in undertone to Percy
"I know, Fate works in weird ways!" he whispered back
I pictured a string, a bungee cord connecting me to the world from the small of my back. And I stepped into the river.
Imagine jumping into a pit of boiling acid. Now multiply that pain times fifty. You still won't be close to understanding what it felt like to swim in the Styx.
"Wow, that is probably the Worse thing you have done," Reyna, said
"I know, it was worse then holding the sky," Percy said
"What! You held up the Sky!" Poseidon shrieked
"Well yeah, When Bianca, Zoe, Grover, Thalia and I went on a quest to save Annabeth and Artemis from Luke and Atlas, he had forced Artemis to hold it and I took it from her," Percy explained in quick
Artemis paled when Atlas was mentioned and saddened when Zoe and Bianca were, she hated that Zoe was going to die soon and she hadn't met her newest hunter, finally she was shocked, a boy went to say her? A boy? He took the sky from her willing? Wow! Percy Jackson was something else.
Everyone else looked impressed
I planned to walk in slow and courageous like a real hero. As soon as the water touched my legs, my muscles turned to jelly and I fell face-first into the current.
I submerged completely. For the first time in my life, I couldn't breathe underwater. I finally understood the panic of drowning. Every nerve in my body burned. I was dissolving in the water. I saw faces-Rachel, Grover, Tyson, my mother-but they faded as soon as they appeared.
Annabeth saddened, he hadn't seen her face
"Percy," my mom said. "I give you my blessing."
"Be safe, brother!" Tyson pleaded.
"Enchiladas!" Grover said. I wasn't sure where that came from, but it didn't seem to help much.
I was losing the fight. The pain was too much. My hands and feet were melting into the water; my soul was being ripped from my body. I couldn't remember who I was. The pain of Kronos's scythe had been nothing compared to this.
Everyone one tensed and quickly were normal again as they realized he was still in the room and alive
The cord, a familiar voice said. Remember your lifeline, dummy!
Suddenly there was a tug in my lower back. The current pulled at me, but it wasn't carrying me away anymore. I imagined the string in my back keeping me tied to the shore.
"Hold on, Seaweed Brain." It was Annabeth's voice, much clearer now. "You're not getting away from me that easily."
Annabeth brightened up instantly; she had been the one to save him
"Wow, Annabeth you saved him, he really must love you," Alice said
"I know he does," he said
Percy put his arm around Annabeth's waist and she dropped her head on his shoulder
Athena was no longer upset about this relationship but still a little uneasy
The cord strengthened.
I could see Annabeth now standing barefoot above me on the canoe lake pier. I'd fallen out of my canoe. That was it. She was reaching out her hand to haul me up, and she was trying not to laugh. She wore her orange camp T-shirt and jeans. Her hair was tucked up in her Yankees cap, which was strange because that should have made her invisible.
"You are such an idiot sometimes." She smiled. "Come on. Take my hand."
"I wonder what Luke saw when he was bathing in the river," Thalia said in undertone to Percy, Annabeth, Nico, and Rachel
"Don't worry, I'll ask his ghost," Nico said
Memories came flooding back to me-sharper and more colorful. I stopped dissolving. My name was Percy Jackson. I reached up and took Annabeth's hand.
Suddenly I burst out of the river. I collapsed on the sand, and Nico scrambled back in surprise.
"Are you okay?" he stammered. "Your skin. Oh, gods. You're hurt!"
"Well obviously he was hurt!"
My arms were bright red. I felt like every inch of my body had been broiled over a slow flame.
I looked around for Annabeth, though I knew she wasn't here. It had seemed so real.
"I'm fine . . . I think." The color of my skin turned back to normal. The pain subsided. Mrs. O'Leary came up and sniffed me with concern. Apparently, I smelled really interesting.
"Or she was just worried about you,"
"Do you feel stronger?" Nico asked.
Before I could decide what I felt, a voice boomed, "THERE!"
An army of the dead marched toward us. A hundred skeletal Roman legionnaires led the way with shields and spears. Behind them came an equal number of British redcoats with bayonets fixed. In the middle of the host, Hades himself rode a black-and-gold chariot pulled by nightmare horses, their eyes and manes smoldering with fire.
"Wow, and I thought Zeus was the Dramatic one," Poseidon said
Hades and Zeus glared at him
"You will not escape me this time, Percy Jackson!" Hades bellowed. "Destroy him!"
"Father, no!" Nico shouted, but it was too late. The front line of Roman zombies lowered their spears and advanced.
Mrs. O'Leary growled and got ready to pounce. Maybe that's what set me off. I didn't want them hurting my dog. Plus, I was tired of Hades being a big bully. If I was going to die, I might as well go down fighting.
"So this was the fight with Hades you were talking about," Poseidon said, not worried (for once) about Percy
"Yeah," Percy answered
I yelled, and the River Styx exploded. A black tidal wave smashed into the legionnaires. Spears and shields flew everywhere. Roman zombies began to dissolve, smoke coming off their bronze helmets.
The redcoats lowered their bayonets, but I didn't wait for them. I charged.
It was the stupidest thing I've ever done. A hundred muskets fired at me, point blank. All of them missed. I crashed into their line and started hacking with Riptide. Bayonets jabbed. Swords slashed. Guns reloaded and fired. Nothing touched me.
"Percy, I was there, it all touched you, but it kept on bouncing off," Nico said,
Everyone was surprised, The Achilles curse was powerful
I whirled through the ranks, slashing redcoats to dust, one after the other. My mind went on autopilot: stab, dodge, cut, deflect, roll. Riptide was no longer a sword. It was an arc of pure destruction.
"Wow, first it's a pen, then it's a sword and now it's an arc of pure destruction,"
I broke through the enemy line and leaped into the black chariot. Hades raised his staff. A bolt of dark energy shot toward me, but I deflected it off my blade and slammed into him. The god and I both tumbled out of the chariot.
The next thing I knew, my knee was planted on Hades's chest. I was holding the collar of his royal robes in one fist, and the tip of my sword was poised right over his face.
"In your face Hades, my son beat you," Poseidon cheered
"No, that was because I was easy on him," Hades said
"With a whole army, yeah right easy," Poseidon pointed out
"I was err…Trying to test him, to see if his Achilles Curse had worked," Hades said
"Just admit it Hades, My son beat you,"
"Dad, it's ok, Can you just read uncle?"
Silence. The army did nothing to defend their master. I glanced back and realized why. There was nothing left of them but weapons in the sand and piles of smoking, empty uniforms. I had destroyed them all.
Hades swallowed. "Now, Jackson, listen here. . . ."
He was immortal. There was no way I could kill him, but gods can be wounded. I knew that firsthand, and I figured a sword in the face wouldn't feel too good.
"Just because I'm a nice person," I snarled, "I'll let you go. But first, tell me about that trap!"
"Yeah Hades, we needed to know, Olympus was at risk," Athena said
Hades ignored her
Hades melted into nothing, leaving me holding empty black robes.
I cursed and got to my feet, breathing heavily. Now that the danger was over, I realized how tired I was. Every muscle in my body ached. I looked down at my clothes. They were slashed to pieces and full of bullet holes, but I was fine. Not a mark on me.
"Cool, it's like you have a Stone hard body like us," Emmet said
Nico's mouth hung open. "You just . . . with a sword . . . you just-"
"I think the river thing worked," I said.
"Well duh"
"Oh gee," he said sarcastically. "You think?"
Mrs. O'Leary barked happily and wagged her tail. She bounded around, sniffing empty uniforms and hunting for bones. I lifted Hades's robe. I could still see the tormented faces shimmering in the fabric.
I walked to the edge of the river. "Be free."
I dropped the robe in the water and watched as it swirled away, dissolving in the current.
"Wow, I didn't think a Person like you existed, but I was wrong, you care about the dead too," Bella said to Percy
"And you care about the undead," Percy said to her
Moreover, they both laughed and soon everyone joined in
"Go back to your father," I told Nico. "Tell him he owes me for letting him go. Find out what's going to happen to Mount Olympus and convince him to help."
Nico stared at me. "I . . . I can't. He'll hate me now. I mean . . . even more."
"I am not myself in the future," Hades said shaking his head
"You have to," I said. "You owe me too."
His ears turned red. "Percy, I told you I was sorry. Please . . . let me come with you. I want to fight."
"You'll be more help down here."
"You mean you don't trust me anymore," he said miserably.
I didn't answer. I didn't know what I meant. I was too stunned by what I'd just done in battle to think clearly.
"You could have told me that," Nico whined
"Just go back to your father," I said, trying not to sound too harsh. "Work on him. You're the only person who might be able to get him to listen."
"That's a depressing thought." Nico sighed. "All right. I'll do my best. Besides, he's still hiding something from me about my mom. Maybe I can find out what."
Zeus looked guilty for a moment,
"Good luck. Now Mrs. O'Leary and I have to go."
"Where?" Nico said.
I looked at the cave entrance and thought about the long climb back to the world of the living. "To get this war started. It's time I found Luke."
"Finished," Hades, said
Hi there, Hope you like the chapter, thank you for reviewing, and tell me if you have any problems with my story I will correct it best I can and finally don't worry if there isn't much Jacob/Bella action well wait about 4 to 5 chapter and there will be ;)
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