This is where things take a very AU approach. The reason for my skipping of the encounters in St. Louis and the beach will be explained in this chapter. And okay, I'll admit, I used more movie details than I realized, and I apologize. I didn't care for the movie, but a few details I liked and decided to include them. I don't plan on using more movie details, but if I do, I might not realize.
Honestly, as long as you guys like the story, then I'm happy.
Also, they were in Las Vegas, and I'm an avid player of Fallout and New Vegas is my all-time favorite, so of course I'm going to include a few bits.
Anyway, enjoy!
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"I swear to Gods, if you don't stop humming Highway to Hell, I'm going to shove my dagger where the Sun doesn't shine," Annabeth growled, shooting me an irritated glare.
I, of course, did the mature thing and stopped… to grin impudently and stick my tongue out at her. Grover snorted but his attention was mostly focused on our rather… unpleasant surroundings.
We'd been following Charon for what seemed like hours now but was really only about half an hour. Then again, I think dad told me time runs differently in the Underworld. A half hour to us may have been two hours topside. Regardless, our motley group came upon a set of massive, midnight-black stone doors.
And in front of those doors? An equally massive, three-headed dog.
This thing could've made a fishing boat look like a bath toy.
It easily stood four stories tall, with three pairs of hungry red eyes and three sets of massive, gleaming white teeth. Funnily enough, it looked more like a giant, three-headed rottweiler. And if this monstrosity of teeth and claws wasn't unsettling enough, the way the three heads ignored everyone else and stared directly at me and sniffed the air curiously certainly was.
My breath caught in my throat and my blood ran cold. This beast was the brother of the Hydra and the Chimera. One of the offspring of Echidna and Typhon. And it could smell me. It could smell the blood of Chaos. "Cerberus…" though it was only a whisper that even Grover couldn't hear, the guardian of the Underworld cocked all three of its heads and regarded me with a curious, yet non-threatening, look.
"S'alright, boy!" Charon called up to the big mutt. "Just taking a couple of demigods and a satyr to see the boss-man." The ground shook when Cerberus' mighty tail thumped up and down, clearly happy when the ferryman patted him on the leg affectionately as we passed the guard dog.
I paused next to the overgrown mutt and stared up at him, my own curiosity overriding the fear I first felt. The middle head leaned down towards me, its nose less than a foot from my face, and sniffed. The force of which nearly sucked me in like a vacuum, and that was not the way I wanted to go. Nothing worse than death by being snorted up a massive dog nose. I raised a shaky hand to the massive nose and patted him softly, prompting the thunderous sound of his tail slapping the brimstone.
"Best not to give away the big surprise, eh Cerby?" I told the massive hound quietly, my voice just above a whisper. Cerberus whined and prodded my chest gently with his nose. "Trust me, boy. It'll be worth it in the end." He panted happily and opened his mouth to drag a huge, rough tongue over my torso and face, absolutely bathing me in dog slobber. I looked down at my shirt, mildly grossed out and glared half-heartedly at the big mutt. "You're lucky I can control water, or else I'd find the biggest newspaper possible and swat your nose… noses with it."
Cerberus just panted and gave me three big doggy grins.
I smiled and pat the middle nose again. "Now, be a good boy and maybe I'll see you again soon." Cerberus whined once more before he sat back in the spot we'd found him, and I jogged to quickly catch up with the tour. I focused for a fraction of a second and willed the doggy drool to slide right off, leaving me dry but with the tell-tale scent of dog breath on my skin.
We found ourselves in a long, torch-lit hallway that seemed to go on for ages. Dimly lit alcoves showed various monster heads, limbs, weapons and so on. The whole hallway seemed like some strange trophy hall. A few minutes of walking and we came upon a set of double doors. They were black like the entrance but half as tall and grander. Made from some onyx stone, it was embedded with hundreds of precious stones and gems, all gleaming and sparkling like stars upon the night sky.
The sight of such a grand door made me flash back to something dad had told me, about the first time he had visited me when I was born; 'One day you will be strong enough to shift mountains, split continents...possibly even pull the stars themselves from the skies.' Admittedly, I had to restrain myself from walking up to those onyx barriers and pluck out one of those precious stones.
"Here we are, kiddies. End of the line." Charon's dry voice woke me from my reverie and I turned to watch him grab one of the large, black door knockers and bang it against the surface.
There was absolute silence for a long, tense minute before a powerful voice boomed. "Enter!"
The doors swung open with an ominous groan - classic movie cliché - to reveal a throne room half the size of a football field. Torch grates lined the walls, burning green with Greek fire and casting the room in an eerie light. On a raised portion of the floor at the back of the room sat two thrones. Both were tall enough to accommodate someone easily fifteen feet tall. The one on the left was pitch black and covered in precious stones, all set to depict rather macabre pictures that seemed to swirl around the onyx throne, and an aura of coldness radiated from it. The one on the right was a rather stark contrast to everything we had seen so far; it was marble white and covered in carvings of wheat and fruit trees and the marble radiated a warmth and comfort that seemed to settle our nerves.
Upon these thrones were a man and a woman. The man was sallow looking and pale but radiated an aura that screamed pain and death and power. He was bald, with pure black eyes and a black goatee. The man wore a black Greek chiton, clasped at the shoulders with silver badges and patterned with pictures of people suffering eternally.
The woman, on the other hand, was tanned and beautiful, with long, honey-blonde hair in a braid draped over her shoulder, and warm, brown eyes. She was clad in a white and gold chiton dress, clasped at her left shoulder with a gold badge.
As one, the three of us kneeled and bowed our heads. I broke the silence with the calmest, steadiest voice I could muster. "It is an honor to be in your presence Lord Hades, Lady Persephone."
If I didn't have my head down, I would have caught the look of surprise and the curious glance the two deities shared. Hades' deep timber rang out after a brief, tense pause. "Rise, demigod, and state your business."
I stood slowly, shifting my backpack off my back to set it on the floor. "My Lord, my friends and I were sent on a quest by the Oracle several days ago. We were tasked to travel West to retrieve Zeus' Master Bolt-"
"Zeus' Bolt?" Hades asked, cutting me off. "Why, in the name of Chaos, would that airhead's master weapon be here?"
Hmm, so he doesn't know… clearly Hades was not the one to send his nephew after the Bolt. Else I would be a pile of ashes right now… I think I could play this to my advantage.
You could have cut the air with a knife it was so thick with tension. I remained kneeling, counting the seconds until I'd be blasted into the afterlife.
"What is your name, demigod?" The deep timber of Hades was startlingly calm and curious.
Time to nut up or shut up. "Perseus Jackson, my Lord."
"YOU!" The God of the Underworld boomed, rising from his throne with a look of pure rage. "So you finally show yourself? After having stolen my Helm, you've also stolen my brother's Master weapon?!"
Despite the ice in my veins and the fear that crawled up my spine, I remained kneeling with my head bowed. I could sense Grover and Annabeth backing away a couple feet, but I held my ground and didn't give an inch.
"I understand your ire, Lord Hades, but I would swear on my life, I had nothing to do with the theft of two Master weapons."
"Lies!" Hades roared, I felt the smooth, stone floor tremble slightly as the god started towards me. "To dare lie to me in my own home?" There was a ringing sound and I felt the cool, sharp point of a sword under my chin and my head was raised so the angry god could see my face. His voice was deadly calm and sharp as the blade in his hand. "Give me one reason, boy, why I shouldn't just toss you in the Pit, and let the beasts of Tartarus have their fun."
I looked him straight in the eye, steeling my resolve, and answered. "I would swear upon the Styx."
You could have heard a pin drop.
Hades eyes widened minutely before narrowing. The sword remained at my throat for a long, terrifying moment. I had to hold back a wince when I felt a bit of blood trail down my neck.
"Oh for the love of Chaos," a soft, feminine voice said sharply, breaking the silence. "Husband let him up this instant! Clearly the boy has not stolen your Helm, else he would not compose himself so well and offer to swear on the Styx to prove so." I chanced a glance at the speaker to see Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, approaching with a scowl on her face directed at her husband.
"Wife…" Hades growled.
"Do not 'wife' me!" Persephone admonished sharply. "Let him up, Hades. I will not say it again."
After another tense moment, the blade was removed with a growl and I was allowed to stand. I bowed to Persephone gratefully. "Thank you, my Lady."
Persephone regarded me with a curious look, then smiled warmly. She crossed the room and laid a calming hand on the arm of a still glaring Hades. "Forgive my husband. It would seem the three brothers all share a temper."
"All is forgiven, my Lady," I said simply with a shrug. "Lord Hades was right in his anger. With the monsters I have fought proclaiming me this 'Lightning Thief', it was reasonable to assume I may have stolen his Helm." Turning to Hades again, I bowed my head. "Apologies, again, Lord Hades, for the confusion."
Surprised at my words and actions, the Dead King simply nodded his acceptance of my apology.
"That being said…" I began, smiling at the two gods' curious looks. "While I did not steal your Helm, Lord Hades… I do know who did."
"Who?" Was his cold reply.
I reached into my pack and slowly retrieved a gleaming bronze war helmet. It was polished to a high shine and was engraved with depictions of death. Kneeling, I offered the helmet to the shocked god. "Your nephew, my cousin, the War god… Ares." I vaguely heard my friends gasp quietly behind me.
Like a switch had been thrown, the shadows in the room grew and a feeling of intense cold and hopelessness pervaded the air. The anger and rage in Hades face was almost palpable and it sent a niggle of fear through me.
With slow and coldly calculated movements, Hades lifted the helmet from my hands and sat it upon his head. Immediately the bronze blackened and seemed to melt, shifting its shape to solidify into a wreath of bones that crackled with black fire.
"By all my power I will personally rend that little prick from this Earth. He will experience the deepest, coldest pits of Tartarus!" A black aura exploded from the Helm of Darkness at Hades outburst, filling me and my friends with an unnatural sense of fear and terror.
"Peace, husband," Persephone said softly, somehow ignoring the aura of fear and placing a calming hand on Hades' arm. "We will bring this before the council and let their decision dictate his punishment."
The irate god calmed considerably, and the room grew lighter, the shadows retreating as well as our feeling of intense fear. Hades sighed deeply, and I was slightly startled to see him give Persephone a small, but warm smile. "Of course, my love. Thank you."
"I am not the one you should be thanking, husband," the goddess said pointedly, gesturing to me. I almost snickered at the abashed look on Hades' face.
"Err, yes, of course," Hades said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. He turned to me with cold eyes, but there was a glimmer of gratitude in their inky depths. "You have my thanks, Perseus Jackson. If there is anything I can do for you, within reason, I shall grant it."
I'll admit, it took me a moment to truly grasp Hades' words, his promise of aide shocking me to my core. The God of the Underworld, without a doubt one of the grumpiest and angriest of the Big Three, was offering me a favor. I shook myself and pondered what I should ask for. Obviously we'd need a guide, to find wherever, or whoever, we needed to find down here, if not to find who stole the Bolt. I already know who was to blame for that. There was also another thing that would probably benefit mine and dad's mission and retrieving the Helm for Hades had been a key part.
During our little cross-country trip, there were several places I had sensed some rather ancient and powerful monsters. I had scented out a Chimera as we passed St. Louis, and something that smelled like old mattresses and death about a block from DOA Studios, so I sure as hell made sure we stayed away from those places. It was when we passed through Colorado and rented a motel room for the night that I got a mental message from dad. Apparently the brainless war god was riding some kind of beefed up motorcycle across state lines and would be driving through Colorado on his way to the West Coast. Presumably to find me before I made it to the Underworld.
So, naturally, I left when my friends had fallen asleep and took a cab to where my dad said Ares would be taking a pitstop.
After a ten-minute drive, the cab dropped me off at some gas station off a little back road near the mountains. I found the meathead across the street in an empty lot, digging through one of the massive saddlebags on his bike. On first glance, the god didn't seem like much. He was big, with broad shoulders and a barrel chest, decked out in a black leather vest and riding boots. Stonewashed, blue jeans and a white shirt, a skull bandana wrapped around his head and a pair of black aviators completed his ensemble. Honestly, he looked more like a Hells Angel than a divine being.
Until he looked up, that is.
Through the pitch black of his shades, there was an eerie, bright red glow where his eyes would be. And he was staring right at me. Ares seemed to sniff the air and fixed me with an ugly grin. "Thought I smelled a demigod. And my uncle's kid to boot." He shifted the kickstand of the bike and threw his leg over the side to stand next to it, crossing his arms and leaning against the frame. "So, what's a little punk like you doin' in a place like this?"
"Oh, not much really," I replied casually, my hands in my pockets and Void Breaker's charm in my right palm. "I heard from a little bird that some dumbass was looking for me." I cocked an eyebrow and regarded him with a smirk. "That wouldn't happen to be you, would it?"
Ares chuckled darkly and started to slowly reach into his saddlebag. "You've got some brass, punk. It's a shame I'll have to teach you a lesson for insulting a god." He extracted his arm from the bag and with it he pulled out a massive, double-edged bastard sword. The blade alone was easily four-feet of razor-sharp celestial bronze, with a two-handed hilt. A red aura clung to the blade and radiated a feeling of aggression.
I let out a slow whistle and feigned surprise. "Nice sword. A little big though. Compensating for something?" Ares growled and shifted into a fight stance. I pulled Void Breaker's charm from my pocket and grinned. "My turn." I flipped the charm like a coin and after a brief glow, it shifted into the form of my trusty sword.
"Cute sword, punk," Ares commented with a condescending chuckle. The bandana on his head burst into black flames and emitted an aura of fear. "You honestly think you can take me with that puny thing?"
The Helm! So that's where it is. Perfect.
Without warning, I advanced and brought my blade down towards his head. I could see his surprise at my speed, but he brought his sword up just in time to block my attack. Void Breaker collided with his blade and, to his utter shock, bit into the metal of his sword. "It's not the size that matters, Ares," I admonished with a grin. "It's how you use it!"
Ares pushed me off and swung his sword in response. And so the fight began. For several minutes we traded blows, swords ringing and curses flying, mostly from the war god. The god was good, very good, considering his domain, but I was better. For every single strike on me, I gained three on him. It wasn't long before cuts opened up on Ares face, chest, and arms, spilling golden ichor on the concrete. I had my fair share of nicks and cuts as well, but I was grinning the whole time.
My fight with Annabeth during capture the flag was intense and was hands down the best first fight I've had so far. My fight with Ares, however? It made Annabeth seem like the noob - please don't tell her I said that. The war god's strength and ruthlessness was staggering, and he would have easily cleaved me in two if I wasn't as experienced as I was.
Anyway, back to the fight.
The war god made to feint, which was exactly what I was waiting for. While he was much stronger than me, my skill with a blade and my speed was enough to outmatch him. I parried the feint and stepped inside, swinging my foot around to catch the back of his knee, forcing him to kneel, grunting in pain. I twisted my sword hand, catching his hilt with mine and dislodging the blade from his grip. The massive sword clattered to the ground and I smacked Ares upside the head with the flat of my blade. He fell onto his back groaning, and I took the opportunity to level my blade at his throat.
Ares glared up at me with equal parts anger and respect. "You got some skill, punk." He spit some ichor out on the ground. "So what now? Kill me and send me to Tartarus?"
"Nope," I replied after a long pause. I raised my blade and willed it back into its charm. "I've got other plans. What would you say to a change in management?"
"The hell are you talking about?"
"War." Ares perked up at that. "That's why you stole the Helm and the Bolt, right? For a war between the two big players in Olympus?" His silence was all the answer I needed. I crouched down and offered him a square of ambrosia. "What would you say if I promised you a real war? Not just between the airhead and barnacle beard, but between half the council, at least. One where the victors take the glory, but the world is the better for it. A different council, comprised of old and new gods, where everyone gets their own little piece to do with as they please… within reason, of course."
Ares reached out for the ambrosia square but hesitated when I finished my little speech. I could practically hear the rusty gears in his head turning, processing everything I said, and tallying up the pros and cons. He met my eyes and nodded once, accepting the food of the gods. "I'm in."
If Ares was easy to convince, maybe I could persuade the eldest of the Big Three onto my side. Worth a shot, anyway.
"If you would be so kind as to grant me a private audience, Lord Hades, I would be grateful."
Hades regarded me with a suspicious look but nodded his agreement. "Very well." He turned to Persephone and gestured to my friends. "Wife, perhaps you could entertain Mr. Jackson's friends until we are finished?"
The Queen of the Underworld smiled and nodded.
"Come, Jackson." Hades turned, motioning to follow, and we crossed the throne room to a door off to the side. It was a rather quaint room, remarkably similar to the sitting room in dad's domain. Two black, leather, high-back chairs were arranged before a large onyx fireplace. A greenish fire burned in the grate, filling the cold room with a comfortable warmth. "Please, sit."
I complied, waiting until Hades was seated first before I took the chair opposite him.
"Now," Hades began, steepling his hands and looking at me curiously. "What is this about?"
"When I encountered your nephew in Colorado, we had a little spat. After I put him on his ass, we had a pleasant chat," Hades smirked a little and motioned for me to continue. I leaned against the arm of the chair and propped my chin on a fist. "I made him an offer; hand over your Helm and join me, and I won't send his essence to the Pit. It took a little convincing, and some pandering to his love of War, but eventually he agreed. It is my hope, that I may sway you to my side."
"And what side is that?"
"The side of Chaos," I responded bluntly.
Hades' brows rose high on his head. "Chaos? The Creator?" I nodded. "No one has seen or heard the Creator in eons. Supposedly, after the creation of Gaea and Ouranos, he disappeared. The rumors say he abandoned this planet."
"No," I said sharply. "Not abandoned. He left it alone. Left Earth in the hands of his children, in hopes that they might find their way and, hopefully, create a world worthy of them. To say he was disappointed is an understatement."
Hades cringed but remained silent.
"With the birth of the Titans and the Gigantes, Chaos lost all hope in the world he had created. The gods ignore their children, leaving them defenseless, unaware of the world that is hidden by the Mist," I was getting angry now. I hadn't had a chance to vent about all of this before, and now the floodgates had been opened. "They leave them alone to fend for themselves! Most don't even make it to the camps! They're either hunted down and slaughtered by monsters or abandoned on the streets!
"Well, he's had enough," I stated firmly. "We agreed it was time for a change in management. A new council comprised of the old and new."
Hades regarded me with a serious expression for a moment. "And how do I know you've actually spoken with the Creator? How do I know you're not just feeding me a bunch of crap?"
'Time to put on a show, dad.'
I felt dad sigh. 'Fine… Just… don't be a show-off.'
'No promises.' I responded, smirking internally. I blinked once and, judging by Hades' startled expression, my irises and sclera turned pitch black, the pupils shining like two white-hot stars. My aura flared pitch-black, emitting a sense of true chaos and chasing the warmth from the room. I drew Void Breaker and summoned my armor.
During my dream-training, Aunt Order forged a set of armor, special for me. The base of the set was stiff, black leather; drakon-hide boots, gloves, and chest plate, all reinforced with a combination of drakon scales and Chaos metal. The whole set was molded to fit the contours of my body, to ensure a snug fit, while also allowing a full range of movement. All in all, it was a truly terrifying, truly badass, set of jet-black armor, strong enough to take a hit from all forms of divine metal.
"I am Perseus Jackson, the sole pupil of Order, and the last son of Chaos."
TCKTCKTCK
What did you think of the bit with Cerberus? And the interaction with Ares? Kinda sneaky, eh?
And… what's this? Percy is recruiting? Oh my… I sense a coup.
Hehehehe…
Thank you, my beautiful readers!
