This is it guys. By the end of this chapter you shall know who Harleys parents are. Some of you are going to be shocked, some of you are going to laugh. Some of you are going to hate me and for all I ask is that you don't hurt me.

Onwards!

Getting back was much easier as Nico shadow travelled us all back. We came out standing in front of a big castle. Nico quickly pulled us inside past zombie ghosts. Soon we entered a big room with two really big chairs with two being just as big. Off to the side was Persephone while the other one, a man sat in the center of the room. Hades I decided.

Nico moved forward and placed the unfinished sword at Hades feet before bowing. I stood in between Thalia and Percy watching.

Hades turned and looked at Persephone.

"You defied my direct orders," he told her with a withering gaze.

"You will speak of this to no one," he said to Nico.

"Yes Lord," Nico replied.

"And if your friends do not hold their tongues," he continue glaring at Percy now, "I will cut them out."

"You're welcome," Percy says in a grumble. I smile while trying not to giggle.

Hades snapped his fingers, which made me jump slightly, and three bird-ladies flew down.

"Return the blade to the forges," he told the three. "Stay with the smiths until it is finished, and then return it to me."

"You are wise, my lord," Persephone said.

"If I were wise," came the responsive growl, "I would lock you in your chambers. If you ever disobey me again..."

The threat hung in the air as the Lord of the dead snapped his fingers and disappeared into shadows.

Persephone took a moment to brush down her dress before turning to us.

"You have done well heroes," she said before looking at me with an odd look "Heroes and mortal, should I say."

With a wave of her hand four roses appeared on the ground in front of us. "Crush these, and they will return you to the world of living. You have my lord's thanks."

Thalia muttered something that I missed.

Making the sword was your idea," Percy said suddenly. "That's why Hades wasn't here when you gave us the mission. Hades didn't know the sword was missing. He didn't even know it existed."

"Nonsense," Persephone said.

"Percy's right," Nico said angrily. "You wanted Hades to make a sword. He told you no. He knew it was too dangerous. The other gods would never trust him. It would undo the balance of power."

"Then it got stolen," Thalia continued. "You shut down the Underworld, not Hades. You couldn't tell him what had happened. And you needed us to get the sword back before Hades found out. You used us."

It did sound bad when put like that.

"The important thing is that Hades has now accepted the sword," Persephone says. "He will have it finished, and my husband will become as powerful as Zeus or Poseidon. Our realm will be protected against Kronos... or any others who try to threaten us."

"And we're responsible," Percy says miserably.

"You've been helpful," she agrees, "Perhaps a reward for your silence?"

"Get lost," Percy says, "before I carry you down to the Lethe and throw you in. Bob will help me. Won't you Bob?"

"Bob will help you!" the giant man says enthusiastically.

There was a shower of daisies and Persephone disappeared.

We didn't hang around for long. Nico led us out onto a balcony and Bob found some bones which he was now playing with.

"So..." Percy said as he leaned on the railing. "Harley is a mortal?"

I nodded as Nico said "One-hundred percent. Clear sighted too."

"How did you meet?"

"He ran into a brick wall," I said helpfully. "I wanted to make sure he was okay."

I watched as Percy stared at me shocked as Nico looked up at the roof. Thalia chuckled silently while inspecting her knifes.

"Oh," Percy said.

"Someone shadow travelled me to England," Nico explained. "Harley and me have been hanging out since then."

"What about her parents?" Thalia asks.

"Dead," I say and the room goes silent and Thalia winces. "I lived with my Aunt, Uncle and Cousin but they weren't very nice people. But that's okay, staying with Nico has been a lot funner. We even rescued Susie from the Zoo!"

"From the zoo?" Percy asks.

"Yeah, Susie is a Children's Python. She wasn't getting enough food because she was smaller. Her mama asked me to take her with me."

"She can speak snake," Nico explains to Percy and Thalia.

"Like how I can speak horse?" Percy asks.

"Sort of," Nico says. "To Harley she just thinks she's speaking English, to others it sounds like hissing."

"Susie calls it the serpent tongue," I say helpfully.

"Are you sure she's mortal?"

"No doubt about it, I asked a satyr during our short time at camp. I had to give permission for her to enter to begin with."

Both Percy and Thalia looked really confused.

"What sort of mortal can speak snake?" Thalia says after a moment.

"Susie says only magic users can have the serpent tongue," I mention.

Even Nico looks at me after this statement.

"Magic users?" Nico asks.

"Susie says that she doesn't really know much more about them. I asked."

Percy looks up at Thalia and says "The cheeseburger is sounding really good right now."

Thalia punched him on the arm and it was decided that we would all go and get a cheeseburger.

Crushing the roses under our feet. The petals crumbled under my boot and a pinky-red energy rose from it creating a bubble around me. The bubble flew straight up. The world went dark for a bit before a green light filtered in. The green light turned into a big bubble around me before splitting from the top. I saw the other three emerging from similar green bubbles. Looking down at it I realise that it's really a big flower. Stepping off the green leaves the whole thing fades into a green mist which floats off somewhere else.

"This isn't going to turn us all into odd flower mutants is it?" Percy asks.

I giggled before walking over and holding Nico's hand.

We walked out of the small clearing and onto the streets. We walked around until we found a place that made cheeseburgers. Nico and Thalia went up to the counter while Percy and I found a booth to sit at.

"So Harley, Tell me about yourself," Percy says trying to break the silence.

I tilt my head to the side before thinking. "My favourite colour is purple," I say after a moment. "What's your favourite colour?"

"Blue," he says, "Favourite animal?"

"Snakes of course," I say. "Your turn."

"Dogs," he says.

"Like the big dog you have?"

"Mrs O'Leary? Yeah I guess she is a really big dog."

I giggle as Nico and Thalia join us holding a tray and drinks.

Percy was funny.

Okay... Who's surprised and who's angry? It was all very anti-climatic in my opinion.

Not many people realised that Harley was a clear-sighted mortal...

But thank-you to all the people who guessed! I got some really good ideas for future chapters! So this chapter was so short but I've tried making it longer to no avail- it's officially the shortest chapter DX

Reviews and Ideas are appreciated and adored!

~Jessica