Unexpected: Meeting Half Bloods: Book 1 The Lightning Thief Chapter 14, a percy jackson and the olympians fanfic

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The story continues like a river to the sea…

(Percy's Point of View)

Imagine the largest concert crowd you've ever seen, a football field packed with a million fans.

Now imagine a field a million times that big, packed with people, and imagine the electricity has gone out, and there is no noise, no light, no beach ball bouncing around over the crowd. Something tragic has happened backstage. Whispering masses of people are just milling around in the shadows, waiting for a concert that will never start.

If you can picture that, you have a pretty good idea what the Fields of Asphodel looked like. The black grass had been trampled by eons of dead feet. A warm, moist wind blew like the breath of a swamp. Black trees – Grover told me they were poplars – grew in clumps here and there.

The cavern ceiling was so high above us it might've been a bank of storm clouds, except for the stalactites, which glowed faint grey and looked wickedly pointed. I tried not to imagine they'd fall on us at any moment, but dotted around the fields were several that had fallen and impaled themselves in the black grass. I guess the dead did not have to worry about little hazards like being speared by stalactites the size of booster rockets.

Peter, Annabeth, Grover and I tried to blend into the crowd, keeping an eye out for security ghouls. I could not help looking for familiar faces among the spirits of Asphodel, but the dead are hard to look at. Their faces shimmer. They all look slightly angry or confused. They will come up to you and speak, but their voices sound like chatter, like bats twittering. Once they realize you cannot understand them, they frown and move away.

The dead are not scary. They are just sad.

We crept along, following the line of new arrivals that snaked from the main gates towards a black tented pavilion with a banner that read:

JUDGMENTS FOR ELYSIUM AND ETERNAL DAMNATION

Welcome, Newly Deceased!

Out the back of the tent came two much smaller lines.

To the left, spirits flanked by security ghouls were marched down a rocky path towards the Fields of Punishment, which glowed and smoked in the distance, a vast, cracked wasteland with rivers of lava and minefields and miles of barbed wire separating the different torture areas.

Even from far away, I could see people being chased by hellhounds, burned at the stake, forced to run naked through cactus patches or listen to opera music. I could just make out a tiny hill, with the ant size figure of Sisyphus struggling to move his boulder to the top. And I saw worse tortures, too – things I do not want to describe.

The line coming from the right side of the judgment pavilion was much better. This one led down towards a small valley surrounded by walls, a gated community, which seemed to be the only happy part of the Underworld. Beyond the security gate were neighborhoods of beautiful houses from every time period in history, Roman villas and mediaeval castles and Victorian mansions. Silver and gold flowers bloomed on the lawns. The grass rippled in rainbow colors. I could hear laughter and smell barbecue cooking.

Elysium.

In the middle of that valley was a glittering blue lake, with three small islands like a vacation resort in the Bahamas. The Isles of the Blest, for people who had chosen to be reborn three times, and three times achieved Elysium. Immediately I knew that is where I wanted to go when I died.

"That is what it's all about," Annabeth said, like she was reading my thoughts. "That is the place for heroes."

But I thought of how few people there were in Elysium, how tiny it was compared to Asphodel or even Punishment. So few people did good in their lives. It was depressing.

Peter said "I know what you are think Perse, 'why so few'. People tend not to care what the do when they are alive they do not hurt others, yet they do not help either. They do bad, but also a little good. Very few are quote "Worthy Enough" to go to Elysium. Even fewer still who goes to "The Isles of the Blest"."

We left the judgment pavilion and moved deeper into Asphodel. It got darker. The colors faded from our clothes. The crowds of chattering spirits began to thin.

After a few miles of walking, we began to hear a familiar screech in the distance. Looming on the horizon was a palace of glittering black obsidian. Above the parapets swirled three dark bat like creatures: the Furies. I got the feeling they were waiting for us.

"I suppose it is too late to turn back…" Grover said wistfully.

"We will be okay." I tried to sound confident.

"Maybe we should search some of the other places first," Grover suggested. "Like, Elysium, for instance…"

Peter snorted and said "Good like trying to break in, they have several heroes of old guarding the gate, place a few magical barriers. Trust me, I know. Besides the bolt would be in a place where no one wants to go, or a place where they least expect it."

"Come on, goat boy." Annabeth grabbed his arm.

Grover yelped. His trainer's sprouted wings and his legs shot forward, pulling him away from Annabeth. He landed flat on his back in the grass.

"Grover," Annabeth chided. "Stop messing around."

"But I did not do-" He yelped again. His shoes were flapping like crazy now. They levitated off the ground and started dragging him away from us.

"Maia!" he yelled, but the magic word seemed to have no effect. "Maia, already! 911! Help!"

I got over being stunned and made a grab for Grover's hand, but too late. He was picking up speed, skidding downhill like a bobsled.

We ran after him.

Annabeth shouted, "Untie the shoes!"

It was a smart idea, but I guess it is not so easy when your shoes are pulling you along feet first at full speed. Grover tried to sit up, but he could not get close to the laces.

We kept after him, trying to keep him in sight as he zipped between the legs of spirits who chattered at him in annoyance.

I was sure Grover was going to barrel straight through the gates of Hades's palace, but his shoes veered sharply to the right and dragged him in the opposite direction.

The slope got steeper. Grover picked up speed. Annabeth and I had to sprint to keep up. The cavern walls narrowed on either side, and I realized we'd entered some kind of side tunnel. No black grass or trees now, just rock underfoot, and the dim light of the stalactites above.

"Grover!"I yelled, my voice echoing. "Hold on to something!"

"What?" he yelled back.

He was grabbing at gravel, but there was nothing big enough to slow him down.

The tunnel got darker and colder.

The hairs on my arms bristled. It smelled evil down here. It made me think of things I should not even know about – blood spilled on an ancient stone altar, the foul breath of a murderer.

Then I saw what was ahead of us, and I stopped dead in my tracks.

The tunnel widened into a huge dark cavern, and in the middle was a chasm the size of a city block.

Grover was sliding straight towards the edge.

"Come on, Percy!" Annabeth yelled, tugging at my wrist.

''But that is-" I began.

''I know!'' she shouted. ''The place you described in your dream! But Grover's going to fall if we do not catch him!'' She was right, of course. Grover's predicament got me moving again.

He was yelling, clawing at the ground, but the winged shoes kept dragging him towards the pit, and it did not look like we could possibly get to him in time.

What saved him were his hooves.

The flying sneakers had always been a loose fit on him, and finally Grover hit a big rock and the left shoe came flying off. It sped into the darkness, down into the chasm. The right shoe kept tugging him along, but not as fast. Grover was able to slow himself down by grabbing on to the big rock and using it like an anchor.

He was three meters from the edge of the pit when Peter did something unexpected, VERY unexpected that caught Grover. Peter shot some sort of white, sticky rope from his watch on his wrist that glued itself to Grover's chest. Peter leaned back and began to haul him back up the slope.

Annabeth and I rushed to Grover and began to pull him up the hill, while Peter kept pulling that rope, soon the other winged shoe tugged itself off, circled around us angrily and kicked our heads in protest before flying off into the chasm to join its twin.

Most of us collapsed, exhausted (except for Peter, of course, who began, to look sick) on the obsidian gravel. My limbs felt like lead. Even my backpack seemed heavier, as if somebody had filled it with rocks.

Grover was scratched up pretty bad. His hands were bleeding. His eyes had gone slit pupilled, goat style, the way they did whenever he was terrified.

"I do not know how…'' he panted. ''I did not…''

''Wait,'' I said. ''Listen.''

I heard something – a deep whisper in the darkness.

Another few seconds, and Annabeth said, "Percy, this place –"

''Shhh.'' I stood.

The sound was getting louder, a muttering, evil voice from far, far below us. Coming from the pit.

Grover sat up. ''What – what is that noise?''

Annabeth heard it too, now. I could see it in her eyes. ''Tartarus. The entrance to Tartarus.''

I uncapped Anaklusmos.

The bronze sword expanded, gleaming in the darkness, and the evil voice seemed to falter, just for a moment, before resuming its chant.

I could almost make out words now, ancient, ancient words, older even than Greek. As if…

"Magic," I said.

''We have to get out of here!'' Annabeth said.

Peter said sarcastically "Thank you Captain Obvious!"

Annabeth said "There is no need for sarcasm!"

Peter rolled his eyes and said "And there is no need for you to be so grouchy."

Annabeth said with a growl "We are at the very edge of the Pit! And you are making jokes?!"

Peter shrugged and said "I guess I could work on my timing, but hey, at least we did not fall in…" he muttered something that sounded like "…This time…."

Together, we dragged Grover to his hooves and started back up the tunnel. My legs would not move fast enough. My backpack weighed me down. The voice got louder and angrier behind us, and we broke into a run.

And not a moment too soon.

A cold blast of wind pulled at our backs, as if the entire pit were inhaling. For a terrifying moment, I lost ground, my feet slipping in the gravel. If we had been any closer to the edge, we would have been sucked in.

We kept struggling forward, and finally reached the top of the tunnel, where the cavern widened out into the Fields of Asphodel. The wind died. A wail of outrage echoed from deep in the tunnel.

Someone or something was not happy we had gotten away.

''What was that?'' Grover panted, when we had collapsed in the relative safety of a black poplar grove. "One of Hades's pets?"

Annabeth and I looked at each other. I could tell she was nursing an idea, probably the same one she had got during the taxi ride to L.A., but she was too scared to share it. That was enough to terrify me.

I capped my sword, put the pen back in my pocket. "Let's keep going." I looked at Grover. "Can you walk?"

He swallowed. ''Yeah, sure. I never liked those shoes, anyway.''

He tried to sound brave about it, but he was trembling as badly as Annabeth and I were.

Peter stood there glaring at the entrance of the Pit, I then remembered the rope trick, thing.

I asked "Peter, what did you do back there?"

Peter frowned and said "I thought I used the Mist to cover that up…" He gave a sigh and said "I wanted to work on something that would be nonlethal, and that I could bring anywhere without suspicion. So I and Charlie made a pair of enchanted watches. I modified the watches to shoot a few chemicals compounds that would create a polymer-"

I cut him off and asked "In English!"

Annabeth said "So you are making-"

Peter sighed and said "The rope you see is like five times stronger than steel…"

I saw Annabeth's mind gear begin to spin she began to say "Five times stronger than steel…." Then she turned pale and whispered "spider…. Spider web…."

Peter sighed and said "And that was why I tried to keep it hidden, I knew it might scare you Ann, especially after seeing you at the Tunnel of Love."

I said with a grin "Just like Spider Man?!"

Peter flinched when I said that before saying "Yes, similarly to Spider Man."

All I could say was one word "Awesome!"

Then my ADHD kicked in as I glanced back at the Pit. Whatever was in that pit was nobody's pet. It was unspeakably old and powerful. Even Echidna had not given me that feeling. I was almost relieved to turn my back on that tunnel and head towards the palace of Hades.

Almost.

The Furies circled the parapets, high in the gloom. The outer walls of the fortress glittered black, and the two storey tall bronze gates stood wide open.

Up close, I saw that the engravings on the gates were scenes of death. Some were from modern times – an atomic bomb exploding over a city, a trench filled with gas mask wearing soldiers, a line of African famine victims waiting with empty bowls – but all of them looked as if they'd been etched into the bronze thousands of years ago.

I wondered if I was looking at prophecies that had come true. Inside the courtyard was the strangest garden I'd ever seen. Multicolored mushrooms, poisonous shrubs and weird luminous plants grew without sunlight. Precious jewels made up for the lack of flowers, piles of rubies as big as my fist, clumps of raw diamonds. Standing here and there like frozen party guests were Medusa's garden statues, petrified children, satyrs and centaurs, all smiling grotesquely.

In the centre of the garden was an orchard of pomegranate trees, their orange blooms neon bright in the dark. "The garden of Persephone," Annabeth said. "Keep walking."

I understood why she wanted to move on. The tart smell of those pomegranates was almost overwhelming. I had a sudden desire to eat them, but then I remembered the story of Persephone. One bite of Underworld food, and we would never be able to leave. I pulled Grover away to keep him from picking a big juicy one.

Peter looked around the place as if trying to see if it had changed. He shook his head with a chuckle. I thought "I think I have an oddball for a brother, a creepy, scary brother."

We walked up the steps of the palace, between black columns, through a black marble portico and into the house of Hades. The entry hall had a polished bronze floor, which seemed to boil in the reflected torchlight. There was no ceiling, just the cavern roof, far above. I guess they never had to worry about rain down here.

Every side doorway was guarded by a skeleton in military gear. Some wore Greek armour, some

British redcoat uniforms, some camouflage with tattered American flags on the shoulders. They carried spears or muskets or M 16s. None of them bothered us, but their hollow eye sockets followed us as we walked down the hall, towards the big set of doors at the opposite end.

Two U.S. Marine skeletons guarded the doors. They grinned down at us, rocket propelled grenade launchers held across their chests.

''You know,'' Grover mumbled, ''I bet Hades does not have trouble with door to door salesmen.''

My backpack weighed a ton now. I could not figure out why. I wanted to open it, check to see if I had some how picked up a stray bowling ball, but this was not the time.

''Well, guys,'' I said. ''I suppose we should… knock?''

A hot wind blew down the corridor, and the doors swung open. The guards stepped aside.

''I guess that means 'entrez,'," Annabeth said.

The room inside looked just like in my dream, except this time the throne of Hades was occupied.

He was the third god I had met, but the first who really struck me as godlike.

He was at least three meters tall, for one thing, and dressed in black silk robes and a crown of braided gold. His skin was albino white, his hair shoulder length and jet black. He was not bulked up like Ares, but he radiated power. He lounged on his throne of fused human bones, looking lithe, graceful and dangerous as a panther.

I immediately felt like he should be giving the orders. He knew more than I did. He should be my master. Then I told myself to snap out of it.

Hades's aura was affecting me, just as Hercules's had. The Lord of the Dead resembled pictures I had seen of Adolph Hitler, or Napoleon, or the terrorist leaders who direct suicide bombers. Hades had the same intense eyes, the same kind of mesmerizing, evil charisma.

"You are brave to come here, Son of Poseidon," he said in an oily voice. "After what you have done to me, very brave indeed. Or perhaps you are simply very foolish."

Numbness crept into my joints, tempting me to lie down and just take a little nap at Hades's feet. Curl up here and sleep forever.

I fought the feeling and stepped forward. I knew what I had to say. ''Lord and Uncle, I come with two requests.''

I literally heard Peter face palm and I wonder 'how does he NOT have a bruise yet?'

Hades raised an eyebrow. When he sat forward in his throne, shadowy faces appeared in the folds of his black robes, faces of torment, as if the garment were stitched of trapped souls from the Fields of Punishment, trying to get out. The ADHD part of me wondered, off task, whether the rest of his clothes were made the same way. What horrible things would you have to do in your life to get woven into Hades's underwear?

''Only two requests?'' Hades said. ''Arrogant child. As if you have not already taken enough. Speak, then. It amuses me not to strike you dead yet.''

I swallowed. This was going about as well as I had feared.

I glanced at the empty, smaller throne next to Hades's. It was shaped like a black flower, gilded with gold. I wished Queen Persephone were here. I recalled something in the myths about how she could calm her husband's moods. But it was summer. Of course, Persephone would be above in the world of light with her mother, the goddess of agriculture Demeter. Her visits, not the tilt of the earth, created the seasons.

Annabeth cleared her throat. Her finger prodded me in the back.

''Lord Hades,'' I said. ''Look, sir, there cannot be a war among the gods. It would be… bad.''

'Really bad,'' Grover added helpfully.

I heard Peter groan probably in embarrassment.

"Return Zeus's master bolt to me," I said. "Please, sir. Let me carry it to Olympus."

Hades's eyes grew dangerously bright. "You dare keep up this pretence, after what you have

done?"

I glanced back at my friends. They looked as confused as I was.

"Um… Uncle," I said. "You keep saying 'after what I have done'. What exactly have I done?"

The throne room shook with a tremor so strong they probably felt it upstairs in Los Angeles. Debris fell from the cavern ceiling. Doors burst open all along the walls, and skeletal warriors marched in, hundreds of them, from every time period and nation in Western civilization. They lined the perimeter of the room, blocking the exits.

Hades bellowed, ''Do you think I want war, godling?''

I wanted to say, Well, these guys do not look like peace activists. But I thought that might be a dangerous answer.

''You are the Lord of the Dead,'' I said carefully. ''A war would expand your kingdom, right?''

''A typical thing for my brothers to say! Do you think I need more subjects? Did you not see the

sprawl of Asphodel?'' Hades practically yelled.

I replied ''Well…''

''Have you any idea how much my kingdom has swollen in this past century alone, how many subdivisions I have had to open?''

I opened my mouth to respond, but Hades was on a roll now.

''More security ghouls,'' he moaned. ''Traffic problems at the judgment pavilion. Double overtime for the staff. I used to be a rich god, Percy Jackson. I control all the precious metals under the earth. But my expenses!''

''Charon wants a pay raise,'' I blurted, just remembering the fact. As soon as I said it, I wished I could sew up my mouth.

''And do not get me started on Charon!' Hades yelled. ''He has been impossible ever since he discovered Italian suits! Problems everywhere, and I have got to handle all of them personally. The commute time alone from the palace to the gates is enough to drive me insane! And the dead just keep arriving. No, godling. I need no help getting subjects! I did not ask for this war!"

''But you took Zeus's master bolt.'' I muttered not feeling very confident right now.

''Lies!'' More rumbling. Hades rose from his throne, towering to the height of a football goalpost. ''Your father may fool Zeus, boy, but I am not so stupid. I see his plan.''

''His plan?'' I asked.

''You were the thief on the winter solstice,'' he said. ''Your father thought to keep you his little secret. He directed you into the throne room on Olympus. You took the master bolt and my helmet. Had I not sent my Fury to discover you at Yancy Academy, Poseidon might have succeeded in hiding his scheme to start a war. But now you have been forced into the open. You will be exposed as Poseidon's thief, and I will have my helmet back!''

''But…'' Annabeth spoke. I could tell her mind was going a million miles an hour. 'Lord Hades, your helmet of darkness is missing, too?''

''Do not play innocent with me, girl. You and the satyr have been helping this hero – coming here to threaten me in Poseidon's name, no doubt – to bring me an ultimatum. Does Poseidon think I can be blackmail into supporting him?''

''No!'' I said. ''Poseidon did not – I did not –''

''I have said nothing of the helmet's disappearance,'' Hades snarled, ''because I had no illusions that anyone on Olympus would offer me the slightest justice, the slightest help. I can ill afford for word to get out that my most powerful weapon of fear is missing. So I searched for you myself, and when it was clear you were coming to me to deliver your threat, I did not try to stop you.''

I asked ''You did not try to stop us? But –''

''Return my helmet now, or I will stop death,'' Hades threatened. ''That is my counter proposal. I will open the earth and have the dead pour back into the world. I will make your lands a nightmare. And you, Percy Jackson – your skeleton will lead my army out of Hades.''

The skeletal soldiers all took one step forward, making their weapons ready.

Peter snarled and barked an order that was overflowed with power "STAND DOWN!" All of the skeletal soldiers stopped moving and lowered their weapons.

At that point, I probably should have been terrified. The strange thing was, I felt offended. Nothing gets me angrier than being accused of something I did not do. I have had a lot of experience with that.

Peter growled and said to Hades "You are being just as bad as Zeus! You think I Percy, who I have become good friends with, stole your helmet? You know how much I swear Hades, I swear on the River Styx that Percy and I had nothing to do with stealing neither your Helmet nor the Bolt of Zeus!" Thunder roared.

Hades's anger stopped immediately as he asked "You did not steal them?"

Peter rolled his eyes and said "I am still standing here after swearing to the River Styx. I think Percy and I ore innocent. Besides, why would I steal from you? You have been like a father to me."

I was in shock, Hades a father? I shook my head trying to figure how that would work. Nope nothing. Asked "Wait, Hades, did you actually adopt Peter?"

Peter said with a warm smile "Actually he did. I would have died without him taking me under his wing. I was train by the best. He allowed me to wander, well, that was until someone or something took my memories…"

"You are a blood son of Poseidon and an adopted son of Hades?! IS there ANY thing else we should know about you?!" Annabeth said while almost hyperventilating.

Peter said with a smirk "There is nothing more you need to know, but there are a lot more things you want to know. Just know for now that I am still who I was when we all first met."

Annabeth opened her mouth, but Peter cut her off "We have to deal with World War Three here people! I need you three to give me your word, that you will not tell anyone about me without my or one of my patron's go ahead."

I agreed right away and Annabeth and Grover followed suit.

Peter said "Perry open up your bag."

I slung it off my shoulder and unzipped it. Inside was a sixty centimeter long metal cylinder, spiked on both ends, humming with energy.

''Percy,'' Annabeth said. ''How –''

''I – I do not know. I do not understand.'' I was speechless. I had no helmet. I had no idea how the master bolt had got into my backpack. I wanted to think Hades was pulling some kind of trick. Hades was the bad guy. But suddenly the world turned sideways. I realized I had been played with. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades had been set at each other's throats by someone else.

The master bolt had been in the backpack, and I had got the backpack

from…

Peter said quickly before anyone could say or do anything stupid "Percy and company was tricked by Hercules. He gave us this backpack. He wants to start a war."

Hades loosed a ball of gold fire from his palm. It exploded on the steps in front of me, and there was my mother, frozen in a shower of gold, just as she was at the moment when the Minotaur began to squeeze her to death.

I could not speak. I reached out to touch her, but the light was as hot as a bonfire.

''Yes,'' Hades said with satisfaction. ''I took her. I knew, Percy Jackson that you would come to bargain with me eventually. Return my helmet, and perhaps I will let her go. She is not dead, you know. Not yet. But if you displease me, that will change.''

I thought about the pearls in my pocket. Maybe they could get me out of this. If I could just get my mom free…

''Ah, the pearls,'' Hades said, and my blood froze. ''Yes, my brother and his little tricks. Bring them forth, Percy Jackson.''

My hand moved against my will and brought out the pearls.

''Only four,' Hades said. ''What a shame. You do realize each only protects a single person. Try to take your mother, then, little godling. And which of your friends will you leave behind to spend eternity with me? Go on. Choose. Or give me the backpack and accept my terms.''

I looked at Annabeth, Peter and Grover. Their faces were grim.

''We were tricked,'' I told them. ''Set up.''

Once again Peter groaned and said "Stop repeating me! Percy take your mother and the rest I will stay behind. Hades usually keeps his word."

''Yes, but why?'' Annabeth asked. ''And the voice in the pit –''

''I do not know yet,'' I said. ''But I intend to ask.''

''Decide, boy!'' Hades yelled.

''Percy.'' Grover put his hand on my shoulder. ''You cannot give him the bolt.''

I muttered ''I know that!''

''Leave me here,'' he said. ''Use the fourth pearl on your mom.''

Once I heard that I almost shouted ''No!''

''I am a satyr,' Grover said. ''We do not have souls like humans do. He can torture me until I die, but he will not get me forever. I will just be reincarnated as a flower or something. It is the best way.''

''No.'' Annabeth drew her bronze knife. ''You two go on. Grover, you have to protect Percy. You have to get your searcher's license and start your quest for Pan. Get his mom out of here. I'll cover you. I plan to go down fighting.''

Peter chuckled and said "I like your style Annie!" Then his mood changed to a dark one "But Percy needs you to stay and keep him in line."

I pouted at that.

Peter then said "I will stay behind for a while."

''No way,'' Grover said. ''I am staying behind.''

''Think again, goat boy,'' Annabeth said.

''Stop it, all of you!'' I felt like my heart was being ripped in two. They had both been with me through so much. I remembered Grover dive bombing Medusa in the statue garden, and Annabeth saving us from Cerberus; we had survived Hephaestus's Water Land ride, the St Louis Arch, the Lotus Casino. I had spent thousands of miles worried that I had be betrayed by a friend, but these friends would never do that. They had done nothing but save me, over and over, and now they wanted to sacrifice their lives, for my mom who they never knew!

''I know what to do,'' I said. ''Take these.''

I handed them each a pearl.

Annabeth said, ''But, Percy…''

I turned and faced my mother. I desperately wanted to sacrifice myself and use the last pearl on her, but I knew what she would say. She would never allow it. I had to get the bolt back to Olympus and tell Zeus the truth. I had to stop the war. She would never forgive me if I saved her instead. I thought about the prophecy made at Half Blood Hill what seemed like a million years ago. "You will fail to save what matters most in the end."

''I am so sorry,'' I told her. ''I will be back. I will find a way.''

The smug look on Hades's face faded. He said, ''Godling…?''

''I will find your helmet, Uncle,'' I told him. ''And I will return it. Remember about Charon's pay raise.''

Hades began ''Do not defy me –''

''And it would not hurt to play with Cerberus once in a while. He likes red rubber balls.'' I said.

''Percy Jackson, you will not –'' Hades began to shout.

I shouted, ''Now, guys!''

We smashed the pearls at our feet. For a scary moment, nothing happened.

Hades yelled, ''Destroy them!''

The army of skeletons rushed forward, swords out, guns clicking to full automatic. The Furies lunged, their whips bursting into flame.

Just as the skeletons opened fire, the pearl exploded at my feet with a burst of green light and a gust of fresh sea wind. I was encased in a milky white sphere, which was starting to float off the ground.

Annabeth and Grover were right behind me and wait… my mother?! Damn you Peter! Spears and bullets sparked harmlessly off the pearl bubbles as we floated up.

Hades yelled with such rage, the entire fortress shook and I knew it was not going to be a peaceful night in L.A.

"Look up!" Grover yelled. "We are going to crash!''

Sure enough, we were racing right towards the stalactites, which I figured would pop our bubbles (no pun intended) and skewer us.

''How do you control these things?'' Annabeth shouted.

''I do not think you do!'' I shouted back.

We screamed as the bubbles slammed into the ceiling and… Darkness.

Were we dead?

No, I could still feel the racing sensation. We were going up, right through solid rock as easily as an air bubble in water. That was the power of the pearls, I realized – What belongs to the sea will always return to the sea.

For a few moments, I could not see anything outside the smooth walls of my sphere, and then my pearl broke through on the ocean floor. The three other milky spheres, Annabeth and Grover, and my mother had kept pace with me as we soared upward through the water. And ker blam!

We exploded on the surface, in the middle of Los Angeles Bay, knocking a surfer off his board with an indignant, ''Dude!''

I grabbed Grover and hauled him over to a lifebuoy. I caught Annabeth and dragged her over too, my mom swam with me.

A curious shark was circling us, a great white about three meters long.

I said, ''Beat it.''

The shark turned and raced away as if afraid.

The surfer screamed something about bad mushrooms and paddled away from us as fast as he could.

Somehow, I knew what time it was: early morning, June 21, the day of the summer solstice.

In the distance, Los Angeles was on fire, plumes of smoke rising from neighborhoods all over the city. There had been an earthquake, all right, and it was Hades's fault. He was probably sending an army of the dead after me right now.

But at the moment, the Underworld was not my biggest problem.

I had to get to shore. I had to get Zeus's thunderbolt back to Olympus. Most of all, I had to have a very serious conversation with the god who had tricked me.

(Line Break)

(Peter's Point of View)

Picture the largest concert crowd you have ever seen, a football field packed with a million fans.

Now imagine a field a million times that big, packed with people, and imagine the electricity has gone out, and there is no noise, no light, no beach ball bouncing around over the crowd, no music. It was as if something tragic has happened backstage. Whispering masses of people are just milling around in the shadows, waiting for a concert that will never start.

If you can picture that, you have a pretty good idea what the Fields of Asphodel looked like. The black grass had been trampled by eons of dead feet. A warm, moist wind blew like the breath of a swamp. Black trees grew in clumps here and there dotting the landscape.

The cavern ceiling was so high above us it might have been a bank of storm clouds, except for the stalactites, that glowed faint grey and looked wickedly pointed. Fallen stalactites dotted around the fields were several that had fallen and impaled themselves in the black grass so of the stalactites were the size of booster rockets.

Percy, Annabeth, Grover tried to blend into the crowd, keeping an eye out for security ghouls. I looked for familiar faces or people who could have been living among the spirits of Asphodel. I could tell Percy was trying to look at them, but I could tell it as not working. I could because I was blessed by Hades. The ghosts all look slightly angry or confused. They would come up to you and speak, but their voices sound like chatter, like bats twittering. Once they realize you cannot understand them, they frown and move away, I did my best to ignore them, but it was hard at times.

The dead truly are not scary. They are just simply sad.

We crept along, following the line of new arrivals that snaked from the main gates towards a black tented pavilion with a banner that read:

JUDGMENTS FOR ELYSIUM AND ETERNAL DAMNATION

Welcome, Newly Deceased!

Out the back of the tent came two much smaller lines.

Even from far this away, I could see people being chased by hellhounds, burned at the stake, forced to run naked through cactus patches or listen to opera music. I could just make out a tiny hill, with the ant size figure of Sisyphus struggling to move his boulder to the top. And I saw worse tortures, too, being skinned alive, having your muscles pulled off your bone by agonizing fiber by agonizing fiber. I saw people buried up to their necks and ants and spiders began to crawl all over their faces and began to crawl inside… And things much, much worse that I dare not say lest give you nightmare for the rest of eternity.

Elysium.

I looked down and saw it; I had a sense of déjà as if I had been there… My thoughts were interrupted by Annabeth-

"That is what it's all about," Annabeth said, like she was reading my thoughts. "That is the place for heroes."

I to Percy said "I know what you are think Perse, 'why so few'. People tend not to care what they do when they are alive they do not hurt others, yet they do not help either. They do bad, but also a little good. Very few are quote "Worthy Enough" to go to Elysium. Even fewer still has gone to "The Isles of the Blest"."

We left the judgment pavilion and moved deeper into Asphodel. It got darker. The colors faded from our clothes. The crowds of chattering spirits began to thin.

"I suppose it is too late to turn back…" Grover said wistfully.

"We will be okay." Percy tried to sound confident, but I could read through it easily.

"Maybe we should search some of the other places first," Grover suggested. "Like, Elysium, for instance…"

I snorted and said "Good like trying to break in, they have several heroes of old guarding the gate, place a few magical barriers. Trust me, I know. Besides the bolt would be in a place where no one wants to go, or a place where they least expect it." Though I wish I could go, but something tells me it would be a bad idea to go there, as if, if I go I would not come back out again…

"Come on, goat boy." Annabeth grabbed his arm.

Grover yelped. His trainer's sprouted wings and his legs shot forward, pulling him away from Annabeth. He landed flat on his back in the grass.

"Grover," Annabeth chided. "Stop messing around."

"But I did not do-" He yelped again. His shoes were flapping like crazy now. They levitated off the ground and started dragging him away from us.

"Maia!" he yelled, but the magic word seemed to have no effect. "Maia, already! 911! Help!"

Percy got over being stunned and made a grab for Grover's hand, but too late. He was picking up speed, skidding downhill like a bobsled.

I stood there and muttered "Ok that was Unexpected!"

We ran after him.

Annabeth shouted, "Untie the shoes!"

I rolled my eyes and thought sarcastically "Great idea! The problem is, is that you are trying to do a sit up from being upside down, can you do that? I do not think you can." Grover tried but was unable to do so.

We kept after him, trying to keep him in sight as he zipped between the legs of spirits who chattered at him in annoyance.

Grover was going to barrel straight towards the gates of Hades's palace, but when his shoes veered sharply to the right and dragged him in the opposite direction. I knew something bad was going to go down.

The slope got steeper. Grover picked up speed. Annabeth and Percy had to sprint to keep up. The cavern walls narrowed on either side, and I realized we had entered some kind of side tunnel. No black grass or trees now, just rock underfoot, and the dim light of the stalactites above.

"Grover!" Percy yelled, my voice echoing. "Hold on to something!"

"What?" he yelled back.

He was grabbing at gravel, but there was nothing big enough to slow him down.

The tunnel got darker and colder.

The hairs on my arms bristled. It smelled evil down here, true evil. It made me think of things I should not even know about – blood spilled on an ancient stone altar, the foul breath of a murderer.

Then I saw what was ahead of us, and I stopped dead in my tracks.

The tunnel widened into a huge dark cavern, and in the middle was a chasm the size of a city block.

Grover was sliding straight towards the edge.

"Come on, Percy!" Annabeth yelled, tugging at my wrist.

''But that is-" Percy began to say

''I know!'' she shouted. ''The place you described in your dream! But Grover's going to fall if we do not catch him!'' She was right, of course. Grover's predicament got him moving again.

He was yelling, clawing at the ground, but the winged shoes kept dragging him towards the pit, and it did not look like we could possibly get to him in time.

What saved him were both his hooves and my web shooters.

He was about three meters from the edge of the pit when I did something that caught Grover, that I had wished to keep secret. I shot a web line at Grover and the line stuck onto Grover's chest. I leaned back and began to haul him back up the slope. At least I knew my web shooters work!

Annabeth and Percy rushed to Grover and began to pull him up the hill, while I kept pulling that rope, soon the other winged shoe tugged itself off, circled around us angrily and kicked our heads in protest before flying off into the chasm to join its twin. I snapped my fingers in an effort to make them forget I used the webbing.

Most of us collapsed, exhausted except for me, of course, but began, to feel sick, my dangers sense was screaming at me. It WAS crippling I had to crouch down onto the obsidian gravel.

Grover was scratched up pretty bad. His hands were bleeding. His eyes had gone slit pupilled, goat style, the way they did whenever he was terrified.

"I do not know how…'' he panted. ''I did not…''

''Wait,'' Percy said. ''Listen.''

I heard something – a deep whisper in the darkness, I knew it was evil and was nothing but bad news. I stood up and was ready for anything, or at least I hoped we were.

Another few seconds, and Annabeth said, "Percy, this place –"

''Shhh.'' Percy stood with me.

The sound was getting louder, a muttering, evil voice from far, far below us. Coming from the pit.

Grover sat up. ''What – what is that noise?''

Annabeth heard it too, now. I could see it in her eyes. ''Tartarus. The entrance to Tartarus.''

I thought "We have a WISE Girl here! Of course it is! What did you think it was the Grand Canyon?!"

Percy uncapped Anaklusmos. The bronze sword expanded, gleaming in the darkness, and the evil voice seemed to falter, just for a moment, before resuming its chant.

I could almost make out words now, ancient, ancient words, older even than Greek.

Percy muttered. "Magic,"

''We have to get out of here!'' Annabeth said.

I said sarcastically "Thank you Captain Obvious!"

Annabeth said "There is no need for sarcasm!"

I rolled my eyes and said "And there is no need for you to be so grouchy."

Annabeth said with a growl "We are at the very edge of the Pit! And you are making jokes?!"

I shrugged my shoulders and said "I guess I could work on my timing, but hey, at least we did not fall in…" I had a bad feeling about Tartarus and how I think some of us would get in. I muttered under my breath "At least not this time..."

Together, Percy and Annabeth dragged Grover to his hooves and started back up the tunnel. The voice got louder and angrier behind us, and we all broke into a run.

And not a moment too soon.

A cold blast of wind pulled at our backs, as if the entire pit were inhaling. For a terrifying moment, I thought Percy lost ground, as his feet slipping in the gravel. If we had been any closer to the edge, we would have been sucked in.

They kept struggling forward, and finally reached the top of the tunnel, where the cavern widened out into the Fields of Asphodel. The wind died. A wail of outrage echoed from deep in the tunnel. For some reason I felt the wind but it could not pull me back…

Someone or something was not happy we had gotten away.

''What was that?'' Grover panted, when we had collapsed in the relative safety of a black poplar grove. "One of Hades's pets?"

Annabeth and Percy looked at each other. I could tell she was nursing an idea, probably the same one she had got during the taxi ride to L.A., but she was too scared to share it.

Percy capped his sword and then put the pen back in his pocket. "Let's keep going." Percy looked at Grover. "Can you walk?"

He swallowed. ''Yeah, sure. I never liked those shoes, anyway.''

He tried to sound brave about it, but he was trembling as badly as Annabeth and Percy were. I am not sure if I was or not.

I was glaring at the entrance of the Pit in deep thought. I knew I had been down there, but something told me things had changed…

I was pulled out of my thought when Percy asked me "Peter, what did you do back there?"

I frowned and muttered "I thought I used the Mist to cover that up…" I gave a sigh and said "I wanted to work on something that would be nonlethal, and that I could bring anywhere without suspicion. So I and Charlie made a pair of enchanted watches. I modified the watches to shoot a few chemicals compounds that would create a polymer-"

Percy cut me off and said "In English!"

Annabeth said "So you are making-"

I sighed and said "The rope you see is like five times stronger than steel…"

I saw Annabeth's mind gear begin to spin she began to say "Five times stronger than steel…." Then she turned pale and whispered "spider…. Spider web…."

I sighed and said while pinching the bridge of my nose "And that was why I tried to keep it hidden, I knew it might scare you Ann, especially after seeing you at the Tunnel of Love."

Percy said with a grin "Just like Spider Man?!"

I flinched when he said that before saying "Yes, similarly to Spider Man." I got a headache from hearing those words "Spider Man" and I saw a human rhino hybrid, a scorpion human hybrid, a man with for metal tentacle like arms, a humanoid lizard…

All Percy could say was one word "Awesome!" He thought me being Spider Man was awesome, I guess that was ok… Though I sensed I was more closely connected to it than this…

Percy glanced back at the Pit then to turn his back on that tunnel and head towards the palace of Hades…

The Furies circled the parapets, high in the gloom. The outer walls of the fortress glittered black, and the two storey tall bronze gates stood wide open.

Up close, I saw that the engravings on the gates were scenes of death. Some were from modern times – an atomic bomb exploding over a city, a trench filled with gas mask wearing soldiers, a line of African famine victims waiting with empty bowls – but all of them looked as if they had been etched into the bronze thousands of years ago. I had a sense of déjà again, as if I was here when there were new…

I knew some of these were prophecies that had come true and others that have yet to pass...

Inside the courtyard was one the strangest garden I had ever seen. Multicolored mushrooms, poisonous shrubs and weird luminous plants grew without sunlight. Precious jewels made up for the lack of flowers, piles of rubies as big as my fist, clumps of raw diamonds. Standing here and there like frozen party guests were Medusa's garden statues, petrified children, satyrs and centaurs, all smiling grotesquely.

In the centre of the garden was an orchard of pomegranate trees, their orange blooms neon bright in the dark. "The garden of Persephone," Annabeth said. "Keep walking."

I understood why she wanted to move on. The tart smell of those pomegranates was almost overwhelming. I remembered the story of Persephone. One bite of Underworld food, and we would never be able to leave. Percy had to pull Grover away to keep him from picking a big juicy one.

I looked around the place and I saw very few changes in it. I chuckled while shaking my head. Some things never change

Every side doorway was guarded by a skeleton in military gear. Some wore Greek armour, some

Two U.S. Marine skeletons guarded the doors. They grinned down at us, rocket propelled grenade launchers held across their chests.

''You know,'' Grover mumbled, ''I bet Hades does not have trouble with door to door salesmen.''

''Well, guys,'' Percy said. ''I suppose we should… knock?''

A hot wind blew down the corridor, and the doors swung open. The guards stepped aside.

''I guess that means 'entrez,'," Annabeth said.

The throne of Hades was occupied. He was the third deity I had met, but the first who really struck me as godlike.

The Lord of the Dead resembled pictures I had seen of Adolph Hitler, or Napoleon, or the terrorist leaders who direct suicide bombers. Hades had the same intense eyes, the same kind of mesmerizing, evil charisma.

"You are brave to come here, Son of Poseidon," he said in an oily voice. "After what you have done to me, very brave indeed. Or perhaps you are simply very foolish."

Percy stepped forward and said. ''Lord and Uncle, I come with two requests.''

I face palmed at Percy's wording, I knew Percy was not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he was far from the dullest! I hoped Hades was in one of his good moods…

''Only two requests?'' Hades said. ''Arrogant child. As if you have not already taken enough. Speak, then. It amuses me not to strike you dead yet.''

Percy glanced at the empty, smaller throne next to Hades's. It was shaped like a black flower, gilded with gold I know that she could calm her husband's moods. But it was summer. Of course, Persephone would be above in the world of light with her mother, the goddess of agriculture Demeter. Her visits, not the tilt of the earth, created the seasons.

Annabeth cleared her throat. Her finger prodded me in the back.

''Lord Hades,'' Percy said. ''Look, sir, there cannot be a war among the gods. It would be… bad.''

''Really bad,'' Grover added helpfully.

Peter groaned at Percy's words he was going to get himself killed!

"Return Zeus's master bolt to me," Percy said. "Please, sir. Let me carry it to Olympus."

Hades's eyes grew dangerously bright. "You dare keep up this pretence, after what you have

done?"

Percy glanced back at us.

"Um… Uncle," Percy said. "You keep saying 'after what I have done'. What exactly have I done?"

Hades bellowed, ''Do you think I want war, godling?''

I snorted and thought "You know, this does not look like a peace offering! I think you need to rethink what peace looks like!"

''You are the Lord of the Dead,'' Percy said carefully. ''A war would expand your kingdom, right?''

''A typical thing for my brothers to say! Do you think I need more subjects? Did you not see the

sprawl of Asphodel?'' Hades practically yelled.

Percy replied ''Well…''

''Have you any idea how much my kingdom has swollen in this past century alone, how many subdivisions I have had to open?''

Percy opened his mouth to respond, but Hades was on a roll now.

''Charon wants a pay raise,'' Percy blurted. As soon as he said it, I could tell he wished he had sewn his mouth shut.

''But you took Zeus's master bolt.'' Percy muttered the confidence in his voice was at record lows right now.

''Lies!'' More rumbling. Hades rose from his throne, towering to the height of a football goalpost. ''Your father may fool Zeus, boy, but I am not so stupid. I see his plan.''

''His plan?'' Percy asked.

''But…'' Annabeth spoke. I could tell her mind was going a million miles an hour. 'Lord Hades, your helmet of darkness is missing, too?''

''No!'' Percy said. ''Poseidon did not – I did not –''

Percy asked ''You did not try to stop us? But –''

The skeletal soldiers all took one step forward, making their weapons ready.

I snarled and barked an order with all of my fear, for my friend's safety, I roared in anger and rage "STAND DOWN!" All of the skeletal soldiers stopped moving and lowered their weapons.

I growled and said to Hades "You are being just as bad as Zeus! You think Percy, who I have become good friends with, stole your helmet? You know how much I swear Hades, I swear on the River Styx that Percy and I had nothing to do with stealing neither your Helmet nor the Bolt of Zeus!" Thunder roared.

Hades's anger stopped immediately as he asked "You did not steal them?"

I rolled his eyes and said "I am still standing here after swearing to the River Styx. I think Percy and I are innocent. Besides, why would I steal from you? You have been like a father to me."

Percy asked "Wait, Hades, did you actually adopt Peter?"

I said with a warm smile "Actually he did. I would have died without him taking me under his wing. I was train by the best. He allowed me to wander, well, that was until someone or something took my memories…"

"You are a blood son of Poseidon and an adopted son of Hades?! IS there ANY thing else we should know about you?!" Annabeth said while almost hyperventilating.

I said with a smirk "There is nothing more you need to know, but there are a lot more things you want to know. Just know for now that I am still who I was when we all first met."

Percy agreed right away and Annabeth and Grover followed suit.

I said Percy "Percy open up your bag."

He slung it off his shoulder and unzipped it. Inside was a sixty centimeter long metal cylinder, spiked on both ends, humming with energy.

''Percy,'' Annabeth said. ''How –''

''I – I do not know. I do not understand.'' Percy was speechless, and that was quite a feat!

I said quickly before anyone else could say or do anything stupid "Percy and company was tricked by Hercules. He gave us this backpack. He wants to start a war."

Hades loosed a ball of gold fire from his palm. It exploded on the steps in front of us, and there was Percy's mother, frozen in a shower of gold, just as she was at the moment when the Minotaur began to squeeze her to death.

''Ah, the pearls,'' Hades said, ''Yes, my brother and his little tricks. Bring them forth, Percy Jackson.''

Percy's hand moved against his will and brought out the pearls.

''Only four,'' Hades said. ''What a shame. You do realize each only protects a single person. Try to take your mother, then, little godling. And which of your friends will you leave behind to spend eternity with me? Go on. Choose. Or give me the backpack and accept my terms.''

Percy looked at us, Annabeth, Grover, and me. I looked at Annabeth's face it was grim, I looked at Grover's and face it had a bleak expression on it. Me? I am pretty sure I was stoic…

''We were tricked,'' Percy told us. ''Set up.''

Once again I groaned and had to say something "Stop repeating me! Percy take your mother and the rest I will stay behind. Hades usually keeps his word."

''Yes, but why?'' Annabeth asked. ''And the voice in the pit –''

''I do not know yet,'' Percy said. ''But I intend to ask.''

''Decide, boy!'' Hades yelled.

''Percy.'' Grover put his hand on his shoulder. ''You cannot give him the bolt.''

Percy muttered ''I know that!''

''Leave me here,'' he said. ''Use the fourth pearl on your mom.''

Once Percy heard that he almost shouted ''No!''

I chuckled and said "I like your style Annie!" Then my mood changed to a dark one matching the situation we were in "But Percy needs you to stay and keep him in line."

Percy pouted at that.

I then said "I will stay behind for a while."

''No way,'' Grover said. ''I am staying behind.''

''Think again, goat boy,'' Annabeth said.

''Stop it, all of you!'' Percy shouted tears were almost on the surface, ''I know what to do,'' Percy said. ''Take these.''

He handed us each a pearl.

Annabeth said, ''But, Percy…''

Percy turned and faced my mother. I could see and feel the longing from Percy. I knew my fatal flaws to know similarly to know how Percy may be feeling. The line of the prophecy echoed in my mind "You will fail to save what matters most in the end." I knew to Percy, his mother was worth more than the world, more than even the universe. This had to be killing him from the inside out.

''I am so sorry,'' Percy told his mother. ''I will be back. I will find a way.''

The smug look on Hades's face faded. He said, ''Godling…?''

''I will find your helmet, Uncle,'' Percy told him. ''And I will return it. Remember about Charon's pay raise.''

Hades began ''Do not defy me –''

''And it would not hurt to play with Cerberus once in a while. He likes red rubber balls.'' Percy said.

''Percy Jackson, you will not –'' Hades began to shout.

Percy shouted, ''Now, guys!''

They smashed the pearls at their feet. For a scary moment, absolutely nothing happened.

Hades yelled, ''Destroy them!''

The army of skeletons rushed forward, swords out, guns clicking to full automatic. The Furies lunged, their whips bursting into flame.

Just as the skeletons opened fire, the pearl exploded at Percy 's feet with a burst of green light and a gust of fresh sea wind. Percy and gang were encased in a milky white sphere, which was starting to float off the ground.

Annabeth and Grover were right behind Percy. Did I mention I threw my pearl at Sally's feet? Yup I am going to be underground for a while.

Hades yelled with such rage, the entire fortress shook and I knew it was not going to be a peaceful night in L.A.

"Look up!" Grover yelled. "We are going to crash!''

Sure enough, they were racing right towards the stalactites, I knew they would be safe, but they did not seem to know that.

''How do you control these things?'' Annabeth shouted.

''I do not think you do!'' Percy shouted back.

They screamed as the bubbles slammed into the ceiling and… they were gone…

I turned to Hades with a grin and said "You think that fooled them?"

Hades had a small smirk and said "Oh I think that fooled them."

Commanding all the dead was really exhausting, so I sat down on the ground with my legs crossed. I was slowly regaining my energy back.

I turned by to Hades and asked "Can you give me back some of my memories, if I remember rightly I gave you, Artemis, Hestia, and maybe Poseidon my memories…"

Hades said nothing, instead he just shot me with a beam of darkness and shadows. Once the beam hit me in the head, I regained a lot of memories, mostly of the time in the underworld and in the Pit.

It took a few minute for the headache to ease and for the memories to find its place, but once it did it was worth it. I remember a lot of things now, but I still had a few things missing. I just hope I can gain back all of my memories soon. Soon I am beginning to realize that I have lost a lot more memories than I thought. After several minutes I spoke up saying "Hades, how good are you at acting, I know your baby brother is one of the best…"

He smirked a evil smirk and said "Want to find out…?"

I said "I am going to be going to Olympus. I am going to need you to be at stand by. I am thinking about pretty much blowing up the system…"

Hades chuckled and said "Oh I will be there! Thunder Beard is always entertaining when he is angry…"

I gave him a nod, I knew I could talk to him for hours, but I did not have the time. I asked him "Can you please bring me to the edge of the Styx?"

He gave me a nod before shadow traveling us there. Once there I shut my eyes and took a deep breath before I began to walk towards the river's edge. I walked right up to it before I began to wade into it. The water itself burned, it was up to date the most painful experience I have felt in this life.

I shut my eyes and began to hum a slow soft tune. I felt a warm sensation flowing from my heart and out. I focused on all of the hope I had. I used the blessing of Hestia to give hope back to the river. I began to sing a soft song, that I myself did not know, but it felt pure and clean.

The black waters began to grow clear, the pollutions began to disappear. I could feel the hopelessness fading and being replaced with hope. I could feel hundreds of years of hate slowly dissolving.

Soon a beautiful lady appeared before me. I bowed and said "Lady Styx,"

Styx looked at me and said after a few seconds of silence "Thank you for cleaning my river," After waiting five seconds "…Again"

I chuckled and said "I gave you my word, I do everything I can to keep my word."

Styx shook her head and said "You gave your word to my on your honor, not to 'me'. I trust you not to break your word; you have always kept it even over the most mundane things."

Peter looked away and said "Not always, I fail to protect those who matters most to me. They end up died, even though I vowed to protect them…"

Styx gave me a hug and said "It is ok, you are not omnipotent, and you cannot control everything. You are not omniscience, he do not know what will happen and where it will happen…"

I shut my eyes and accepted the comfort and love from Styx which is ironic because the River Styx is known as; the river of hate.

After about a minute or so we releashed each other.

I felt some comfort and anyone could tell that much, but me.

Styx said softly "You are always welcomed to my river Peter."

I gave her a nod of thanks and said "Thank you. I think I fulfilled my oath of staying behind for a while." I finished with a smirk.

Styx rolled her eyes and said "You have always made double and triple meaning to your words as well as putting in clauses. Yes you may go."

I gave her a smile and said "I will try to visit more often now that I have more of my memory back."

Styx smiled and said "Very well." Styx faded back into her river.

I looked at Hades and he was smile while shaking his head. I shot him an eyebrow as I walked out of the water.

Hades looked at me and said with a chuckle "Peter, my friend, you are the only one that can get love out of the river of hate."

I rolled my eyes and said "And I can make the Brooding One laugh."

Hades chuckled and said "You are right."

I asked Hades "Can I leave now?"

Hades rolled his eyes and said "The moment they touched the roof and you counted to three, you could have gone the way you worded the vow. Yes you may go."

I gave him a nod of gratitude and said "I did try to protect you, though I did blame Ares, I thought for sure he would be the one to betray the gods for a start of a war…"

Hades gave me a nod before snapping his fingers. I was wrapped up in shadows, the next thing I knew I was standing on the beach a few yards behind Percy, Grover, Annabeth and Sally.

(Line Break)

(Percy's Point of View)

A Coast Guard boat picked us up, but they were too busy to keep us for long, or to wonder how three kids in street clothes had got out into the middle of the bay. There was a disaster to mop up. Their radios were jammed with distress calls.

They dropped us off at the Santa Monica pier with towels around our shoulders and water bottles that said "I'M A JUNIOR COAST GUARD!" and sped off to save more people.

Our clothes were sopping wet, even mine. When the Coast Guard boat had appeared, I had silently prayed they would not pick me out of the water and find me perfectly dry, which might have raised some eyebrows. So I had willed myself to get soaked. Sure enough, my usual waterproof magic had abandoned me. I was also barefoot, because I had given my shoes to Grover. Better the Coast Guard wonder why one of us was barefoot than wonder why one of us had hooves.

After reaching dry land, we stumbled down the beach, watching the city burn against a beautiful sunrise. I felt as if I had just come back from the dead – which I had. My backpack was heavy with Zeus's master bolt.

My heart was even heavier from leaving Peter behind, he chose to stay behind, instead of letting me leave my mother behind. Wait, does that mean the prophecy changed?

"I do not believe it," Annabeth said. "We went all that way –''

''It was a trick,'' I said. ''A strategy worthy of Athena.''

'Hey,' she warned.

''You get it, do not you?'' I said.

She dropped her eyes, her anger fading. ''Yeah. I get it.''

''Well, I do not!'' Grover complained. ''Would somebody –''

''Percy…'' Annabeth said. ''I am sorry about your Peter.….''

My mom wrapped her arms and me and said "It was his choice to sacrifice himself for me. He must have cared for you, all of you a lot."

I pretended not to hear her. Someone who a barely knew, someone who did not even know my mom, had to sacrifice themselves for us. He also vowed on the Styx to stay behind…

''The prophecy was right,'' I said. "'You shall go west and face the god who has turned.' But it was not Hades. Hades did not want war between the Big Three. Someone else pulled off the theft. Someone stole Zeus's master bolt, and Hades's helmet, and framed me because I am Poseidon's kid. Poseidon will get blamed by both sides. By sundown today, there will be a three way war. And I will have caused it!"

My mom said "You did nothing wrong Percy, you are not to blame, if it was anyone to blame it would the Lord of the Sky for jumping to conclusions so quickly."

Thunder boomed over head.

Grover shook his head, mystified. ''But who would be that sneaky? Who would want war that bad?''

I stopped in my tracks, looking down the beach. ''Gee, let me think…''

There he was, waiting for us, in his black leather duster and his sunglasses, an aluminum baseball bat propped on his shoulder. His motorcycle rumbled beside him, its headlight turning the sand red.

''Hey, kid,'' Hercules said, seeming genuinely pleased to see me. ''You were supposed to die.''

''You tricked me,'' I said. ''You stole the helmet and the master bolt!''

Hercules grinned. ''Well, now, I did not steal them personally. Gods taking each other's symbols of power – that is a big no-no. But you are not the only hero in the world who can run errands."

''Who did you use? Clarisse? She was there at the winter solstice.'' I asked.

The idea seemed to amuse him. ''Does not matter. The point is, kid, you're impeding the war effort. See, you have got to die in the Underworld. Then Old Seaweed will be mad at Hades for killing you. Corpse Breath will have Zeus's master bolt, so Zeus will be mad at him. And Hades is still looking for this…''

From his pocket he took out a ski cap – the kind bank robbers wear – and placed it between the handlebars of his bike. Immediately, the cap transformed into an elaborate bronze war helmet.

''The helmet of darkness,'' Grover gasped.

''Exactly,' Hercules said. ''Now where was I? Oh yeah, Hades will be mad at both Zeus and Poseidon, because he does not know who took this. Pretty soon, we got a nice little three way slugfest going.''

''But they are your family!' Annabeth protested.

Hercules shrugged and said "I deserve to be ruler, I am the best that ever lived! I deserve to be King!"

"You gave me the backpack in Denver," I said. "The master bolt was in there the whole time."

''Yes and no,'' Hercules said. " It is probably too complicated for your little mortal brain to follow, but the backpack is the master bolt's sheath, just morphed a bit. The bolt is connected to it, sort of like that sword you got, kid. It always returns to your pocket, right?"

I was not sure how Hercules knew about that….

"Anyway," Hercules continued, "I tinkered with the magic a bit, so the bolt would only return to the sheath once you reached the Underworld. You get close to Hades… Bingo, you got mail. If you died along the way – no loss. I still had the weapon."

''But why not just keep the master bolt for yourself?'' I said. ''Why send it to Hades?''

Hercules got a twitch in his jaw. For a moment, it was almost as if he were listening to another voice, deep inside his head. ''Why did not I… yeah… with that kind of fire power… I could have over thrown my father easily…'

He held the trance for one second… two seconds…

I exchanged nervous looks with Annabeth.

Hercules's face cleared. ''I did not want the trouble. Better to have you caught red handed, holding the thing.''

''You are lying,' I said. ''Sending the bolt to the Underworld was not your idea, was it?''

''Of course it was!'' he said with a growl I smelled ozone coming off him.

''You did not order the theft,'' I guessed. ''Someone else sent a hero to steal the two items. Then, when Zeus sent you to hunt him down, you caught the thief. But you did not turn him over to Zeus. Something convinced you to let him go. You kept the items until another hero could come along and complete the delivery. That thing in the pit is ordering you around.''

"I take orders from no one! I do not have dreams!''

I hesitated. ''Who said anything about dreams?''

Hercules looked agitated, but he tried to cover it with a smirk. "Let us get back to the problem at hand, kid. You are alive. I cannot have you taking that bolt to Olympus. You just might get those hardheaded idiots to listen to you. So I have got to kill you. Nothing personal."

He snapped his fingers. The sand exploded at his feet and out charged a wild boar, even larger and uglier than the one whose head hung above the door of cabin seven at Camp Half Blood.

The beast pawed the sand, glaring at me with beady eyes as it lowered its razor sharp tusks and waited for the command to kill.

As I stepped into the surf I heard a voice behind me that said "Can't you fight for yourself? Or are you too afraid to take on two puny mortals?"

I turned around so fast, I was lucky not to get whip lash, there in the sea stood Peter in ankle deep water, with a mischievous smirk on his face and a crazy look in his eye.

He laughed, but I heard a little edge to his laughter… uneasiness. "You have only got one talent, kid, running away. You ran from the Chimera. You ran from the Underworld. You do not have what it takes."

Peter snorted and said "I slew BOTH monster and saved the mortals! What are you? Scared?''

''In your adolescent dreams.'' But Hercules was beginning to sweat, he then said ''No direct involvement. Sorry, kid. You are not at my level.''

Annabeth said, ''Percy, run!''

The giant boar charged.

But I was done running from monsters. Or Hades, or Hercules, or anybody else for that matter.

As the boar rushed me, I uncapped my pen and sidestepped. Riptide appeared in my hands. I slashed upward. The boar's severed right tusk fell at my feet, while the disoriented animal charged into the sea.

Peter made a fist out of the sea water and smashed the boar, the ocean was stained red with blood. The sea's current washed away the blood just as quickly as it appeared. Peter said "You a coward Hercules? Are you going to fight us?"

I turned back to Hercules. 'Are you going to fight me now?' I asked. 'Or are you going to hide behind another pet pig?'"

Hercules 's face was purple with rage. ''Watch it, kid. I could turn you into –''

'A cockroach,' I said. 'Or a tapeworm. Yeah, I am sure. That would save you from getting your godly hide whipped, would it not?''

Electricity danced along the top of his glasses. ''Oh, man, you are really asking to be smashed into a grease spot.''

''If I lose, turn me into anything you want. Take the bolt. If I win, the helmet and the bolt are mine and you have to go away.''

Peter chuckled and said "I have a better offer, if we lose, you can turn us into anything you like, and I will serve you for a while as a personal servant and you keep everything you have, but should you lose, you give us the Master Bolt, the Helmet of Darkness, and your jacket, it is the shield of Ares. Should you lose you will have to abide by all of these without cursing us and leaving in peace."

Hercules sneered

He swung the baseball bat off his shoulder. 'How would you like to get smashed: classic or modern?'

I showed him my sword, I looked behind me to see what Peter had, he had a silver sword that had icy blue sapphires on it, and it was a straight blade that did not look Greek at all. He was wearing a black trench coat, black cargo pants, and he was wearing black leather gloves with sliver studs on the knuckles.

"That is cool, dead boy,'' he said. ''Classic it is.'' The baseball bat changed into a huge, Club. The end of the handle was a large silver skull with a black stone in its mouth.

Peter said to Hercules "Swear on the Styx!"

Hercules said "I swear to abide by your terms Peter"

The thunder boomed as the oath was sealed.

''Percy,'' Annabeth said. ''Do not do this. He is a god.''

I heard Peter snort in the back ground.

''He is a coward,'' I told her.

I heard Peter muter in agreement.

She swallowed. "Wear this, at least. For luck."

She took off her necklace, with her five years' worth of camp beads and the ring from her father, and tied it around my neck.

''Reconciliation,'' she said. ''Athena and Poseidon together.''

My face felt a little warm, but I managed a smile. ''Thanks.''

''And take this,'' Grover said. He handed me a flattened tin can that he'd probably been saving in his pocket for a thousand miles. ''The satyrs stand behind you.''

''Grover… I do not know what to say.'' I said in shock.

Peter said from the background "Than say nothing."

He patted me on the shoulder. I stuffed the tin can in my back pocket.

''You all done saying goodbye?'' Hercules came towards me, his club rested on his shoulder like a Major League Baseball player waiting to bat. ''I have been fighting for thousands of years, kid. My strength is unlimited and I cannot die. What have you got?''

A smaller ego, I thought, but I said nothing. I kept my feet in the surf, backing into the water up to my ankles so I was side by side with Peter. I thought back to what Annabeth had said at the Denver diner, so long ago: Hercules has strength. That is all he has. Even strength has to how to wisdom sometimes.

He went to smite downward at my head, but I was not there.

My body thought for me. The water seemed to push me into the air and I catapulted over him, slashing as I came down. But Hercules was just as quick. He twisted, and the strike that should have caught him directly in the spine was deflected off the end of his bronze club.

He grinned. ''Not bad, not too bad.''

Peter shouted to me "Percy do not, repeat do NOT block the club strike!"

I thought "Yeah! Like I am going to block a god's full strike with a puny sword!"

He swung again and I was forced to jump onto dry land. I tried to sidestep, to get back to the water, but Hercules seemed to know what I wanted. He outmaneuvered me, pressing so hard I had to put all my concentration on not getting sliced into pieces. I kept backing away from the surf.

I could not find any openings to attack.

His giant club had a reach a meter longer than Anaklusmos.

"Get in close," Luke had told me once, back in our sword class. "When you have got the shorter blade, get in close."

I stepped inside with a thrust, but Hercules was waiting for that. He knocked my blade out of my hands and kicked me in the chest. I went airborne – fifteen, maybe twenty meters. I would have broken my back if I had not crashed into the soft sand of a dune.

''Percy!'' Annabeth yelled. ''Cops!''

I was seeing double. My chest felt like it had just been hit with a battering ram, but I managed to get to my feet.

I could not look away from Hercules for fear he would slice me in half, but out of the corner of my eye I saw red lights flashing on the shoreline boulevard. Car doors were slamming.

''There, officer!'' somebody yelled. ''See?''

A gruff cop voice: ''Looks like that kid on TV… what the heck…''

''That guy's armed,'' another cop said. ''Call for backup.''

I froze when I saw the club coming down; there was no why I could get out of the way fast enough. Just before the club hit, something hit me from the side, I felt my back crack, but it did not break. I landed in the water just as I head a roar of pain.

I surfaced and I saw Peter's left arm completely flattened, it looked like someone ran over it with a stream roller. Hercules Sparta kicked Peter, but surprisingly towards the ocean.

I felt Riptide appear in my pocket I ran towards Peter with my sword in hand, but Hercules seemed to know exactly what I was going to do the moment before I did it.

''Admit it, kid,'' Hercules said. ''You got no hope. I am just toying with you.''

My senses were working overtime. I now understood what Annabeth had said about ADHD keeping you alive in battle. I was wide awake, noticing every little detail.

I could see where Hercules was tensing. I could tell which way he would strike. At the same time, I was aware of Annabeth and Grover, ten meters to my left and I sensed Peter recovering a few feet behind Hercules.

I saw a second cop car pulling up, siren wailing. Spectators, people who had been wandering the streets because of the earthquake, were starting to gather. Among the crowd, I thought I saw a few who were walking with the strange, trotting gait of disguised satyrs. There were shimmering forms of spirits, too, as if the dead had risen from Hades to watch the battle. I heard the flap of leathery wings circling somewhere above.

More sirens.

I stepped further into the water, but Hercules was fast he grabbed my throat.

A police voice on a megaphone said, ''Drop the guns! Set them on the ground. Now!''

Guns?

I looked at Hercules 's weapon, and it seemed to be flickering; sometimes it looked like a shotgun, sometimes a giant club sword. I did not know what the humans were seeing in my hands, but I was pretty sure it would not make them like me.

Hercules turned to glare at our spectators, which gave me a moment to breathe. There were five police cars now, and a line of officers crouching behind them, pistols trained on us.

''This is a private matter!'' Hercules bellowed. ''Be gone!''

He swept his hand, and a wall lightning started to go across the patrol cars. The police barely had time to dive for cover before their vehicles exploded. The crowd behind them scattered, screaming.

Hercules roared with laughter. ''Now, little hero. Let's add you to the barbecue.''

He went to smash me but I was able deflected his club strike. I got close enough to strike, tried to fake him out with a feint, but my blow was knocked aside, and my sword was almost ripped out of my hands. The waves were hitting me in the back now. Hercules was up to his thighs, and wading in after me.

I felt the rhythm of the sea, the waves growing larger as the tide rolled in, and suddenly I had an idea. "Little waves," I thought. And the water behind me seemed to recede.

I was holding back the tide by force of will, but tension was building, like carbonation behind a cork.

Hercules came towards me, grinning confidently. I lowered my blade, as if I were too exhausted to go on. "Wait for it, I told the sea. The pressure now was almost lifting me off my feet.

Hercules raised his club. I released the tide and jumped, rocketing straight over Hercules on a wave.

A two meter wall of water smashed him full in the face, leaving him cursing and sputtering with a mouth full of seaweed. I landed behind him with a splash and feinted towards his head, as I had done before. He turned in time to raise his sword, but this time he was disoriented, he did not anticipate the trick.

I changed direction, lunged to the side and stabbed Riptide straight down into the water, sending the point through the god's heel.

The roar that followed made Hades's earthquake look like a minor event. The very sea was blasted back from Hercules , leaving a wet circle of sand fifteen meters wide.

Ichor, the golden blood of the gods, flowed from a gash in the war god's boot.

The expression on his face was beyond hatred. It was pain, shock, complete disbelief that he'd been wounded.

He limped towards me, muttering ancient Greek curses.

Something stopped him.

It was as if a cloud covered the sun, but worse. Light faded. Sound and colour drained away. A cold, heavy presence passed over the beach, slowing time, dropping the temperature to freezing and making me feel like life was hopeless, fighting was useless.

The darkness lifted.

Hercules looked stunned.

Police cars were burning behind us. The crowd of spectators had fled. Annabeth and Grover stood on the beach, in shock, watching the water flood back around Hercules 's feet, his glowing golden Ichor dissipating in the tide.

Hercules lowered his sword.

''You have made an enemy, godling,'' he told me.

Peter appeared next to me who was extremely exhausted; he had an ice cast on his broken arm. Peter said coldly "You lost."

''You have sealed your fate. Every time you go to battle, every time you hope for success, you will feel my curse. Beware, Perseus Jackson. Beware Peter Perseus.''

His body began to glow.

''Percy!'' Annabeth shouted. ''Do not look!''

I turned away as the god Hercules revealed his true immortal form. I somehow knew that if I looked, I would disintegrate into ashes.

The light died.

I looked back. Hercules was gone. The tide rolled out to reveal Hades's bronze helmet of darkness and a bronze shield. I picked them up and walked towards my friends.

Peter muttered "I think I will heal up a bit more before I travel…"

But before I got there, I heard the flapping of leathery wings. Three evil looking grandmothers with lace hats and fiery whips drifted down from the sky and landed in front of me.

The middle Fury, the one who had been Mrs. Dodd, stepped forward. Her fangs were bared, but for once she did not look threatening, well as threatening. She looked more disappointed, as if she had been planning to have me for supper, but had decided I might give her indigestion.

''We saw the whole thing,'' she hissed. ''So… it truly was not you?''

I tossed her the helmet, which she caught in surprise.

''Return that to Lord Hades',' I said. ''Tell him the truth. Tell him to call off the war.''

She hesitated, and then ran a forked tongue over her green, leathery lips. ''Live well, Percy Jackson. Become a true hero. Because if you do not, if you ever come into my clutches again…''

She cackled, savoring the idea. Then she and her sisters rose on their bat's wings, fluttered into the smoke filled sky and disappeared.

I joined Grover and Annabeth, who were staring at me in amazement.

''Percy…'' Grover said. ''That was so incredibly…''

''Terrifying,'' said Annabeth.

''Cool!'' Grover corrected.

I heard Peter shout "Exhausting and painful!"

I did not feel terrified. I certainly did not feel cool. I was tired and sore and completely drained of energy.

''Did you guys feel that… whatever it was?'' I asked.

They both nodded uneasily.

''Must have been the Furies overhead,'' Grover said.

But I was not so sure. Something had stopped Hercules from killing me, and whatever could do that was a lot stronger than the Furies. I glanced at Peter who was floating on his back with his broken arm in the water.

I looked at Annabeth, and an understanding passed between us. I knew now what was in that pit, what had spoken from the entrance of Tartarus.

I reclaimed my backpack from Grover and looked inside. The master bolt was still there. Such a small thing to almost cause World War III.

''We have to get back to New York,'' I said. ''By tonight.''

''That is impossible,'' Annabeth said, ''unless we –''

''Fly,'' I agreed.

She stared at me. ''Fly, like, in an airplane, which you were warned never to do lest Zeus strike you out of the sky, and carrying a weapon that has more destructive power than a nuclear bomb?''

''Yeah,'' I said. ''Pretty much exactly like that. Come on.''

I heard Peter groan and said "I am coming with…" He limped out of the water. He still had the ice cast on.

Sally said "Thank you, Peter…"

Peter said "I would do it again in a heart beat, but please try not to do it."

Everyone chuckled.

Peter said "I think we may need a plan, because I cannot risk all of your lives…"

I heard a voice say from behind "I think I could help with that..."

We turned around and was shocked to see…

(Line Break)

(Percy's Point of View)

There was an angry boar that pawed the sand, glaring at Percy with beady eyes as it lowered its razor sharp tusks and waited for the command to kill.

As Percy stepped into the surf I said to Hercules "Can't you fight for yourself? Or are you too afraid to take on two puny mortals?"

Percy turned around so fast, I thought he was lucky not to get whip lash. I gave him a mischievous smirk.

Hercules laughed, but could see uneasiness in it, he was afraid. "You have only got one talent, kid, running away. You ran from the Chimera. You ran from the Underworld. You do not have what it takes."

I snorted and said "I slew BOTH monster and saved the mortals! What are you? Scared?''

''In your adolescent dreams.'' But Hercules was beginning to sweat, he then said ''No direct involvement. Sorry, kid. You are not at my level.''

Annabeth said, ''Percy, run!''

The giant boar charged.

As the boar rushed at Percy, he uncapped his pen and sidestepped. Riptide appeared in his hands. He slashed upward. The boar's severed right tusk fell at his feet, while the disoriented animal charged into the sea.

That was where I did my part I made a fist out of the sea water and smashed the boar. The ocean was stained red with blood. I willed sea's current washed away the blood and to drag it to the depths of the sea. I spoke to Hercules saying "You a coward Hercules? Are you going to fight us?"

Percy turned back to Hercules. ''Are you going to fight me now?'' Percy asked. ''Or are you going to hide behind another pet pig?'"

Hercules 's face was purple with rage. ''Watch it, kid. I could turn you into –''

'A cockroach,' Percy said. 'Or a tapeworm. Yeah, I am sure. That would save you from getting your godly hide whipped, would it not?''

Electricity danced along the top of his glasses. ''Oh, man, you are really asking to be smashed into a grease spot.''

''If I lose, turn me into anything you want. Take the bolt. If I win, the helmet and the bolt are mine and you have to go away.'' Percy said

I chuckled and said "I have a better offer, if we lose, you can turn us into anything you like, and I will serve you for a while as a personal servant and you keep everything you have, but should you lose, you give us the Master Bolt, the Helmet of Darkness, and your jacket, it is the shield of Ares. Should you lose you will have to abide by all of these without cursing us and leaving in peace." I knew mine was far more risky, but also much reward. I knew he had Ares's shield because I saw the leather duster, with my memories coming I could faintly recall a few things.

Hercules sneered

He swung the baseball bat off his shoulder. ''How would you like to get smashed: classic or modern?''

Percy showed him his sword, then Percy looked behind him to see what I had, I was black trench coat, black cargo pants, and I had wearing black leather gloves with sliver studs on the knuckles. My sword was a silvery blade with sapphires on it. It was "Blizzard" a sword that I brought here. To say that Percy was shocked would be an understatement.

"That is cool, dead boy,'' Hercules said. ''Classic it is.'' The baseball bat changed into a huge, Club. The end of the handle was a large silver skull with a black stone in its mouth.

Peter said to Hercules "Swear on the Styx!"

Hercules sneered and said "I swear to abide by your terms Peter"

The thunder boomed as the oath was sealed.

''Percy,'' Annabeth said. ''Do not do this. He is a god.''

I heard this and snorted and thought "More like a big baby!"

''He is a coward,'' I told her.

I heard this and I muter "Coward works too."

She swallowed. "Wear this, at least. For luck."

I could not see exactly what was happening from my angle, but it looked like Annabeth was taking off her necklace. I knew she had a soft spot towards him!

''Reconciliation,'' she said. ''Athena and Poseidon together.''

I heard Percy say ''Thanks.''

''And take this,'' Grover said. ''The satyrs stand behind you.''

Once again I had no clue what they were doing, I could only hear them.

''Grover… I do not know what to say.'' Percy said in shock.

I snorted and said from way back where I was "Than say nothing."

I wondered why Sally said nothing, I guess it was because if they tried Percy would be unable to fight.

''You all done saying goodbye?'' Hercules came towards us (Percy and me), his club rested on his shoulder like a Major League Baseball player waiting to bat. ''I have been fighting for thousands of years, kid. My strength is unlimited and I cannot die. What have you got?''

I thought "More things than you will ever know, I have friends, I have a family that is willing to die for me. You have nothing!"

Percy walked into the surf, backing into the water up to he was up to his ankles so he was side by side with me. I thought back to what Annabeth had said at the Denver diner, so long ago: Hercules has strength. That is all he has. Even strength has to how to wisdom sometimes.

Hercules went to smite downward at my Percy and me, but Percy was not there.

I willed the water to push him into the air and out of the way, while I turned to vapor as the club passed right through me. I appeared a few feet out of range of him. Percy catapulted over Hercules, slashing as he came down. But Hercules was just as quick. He twisted, and the strike that should have caught him directly in the spine was deflected off the end of his bronze club.

I wanted to rush in, but with my memories coming back, I realized I should not interfere too much, otherwise something bad, very bad is bound to happen.

He grinned. ''Not bad, not too bad.''

I shouted to Percy "Percy do not, repeat do NOT block the club strike!" I knew he knew better, but I still wanted to help.

He swung again and Percy was forced to jump onto dry land. Percy tried to sidestep, to get back to the water, but Hercules seemed to know what he wanted. He outmaneuvered him. Percy kept backing away from the surf.

His giant club had a reach a meter longer than Anaklusmos.

Percy stepped inside with a thrust, but Hercules was waiting for that. He knocked my blade out of his hands and kicked him in the chest. Percy went airborne – fifteen, maybe twenty meters. he would have broke his back if he had not crashed into the soft sand of a dune.

''Percy!'' Annabeth yelled. ''Cops!''

''There, officer!'' somebody yelled. ''See?''

A gruff cop voice: ''Looks like that kid on TV… what the heck…''

''That guy's armed,'' another cop said. ''Call for backup.''

Percy froze when he saw the club coming down. I knew there was no why he could get out of the way fast enough. Just before the club hit him, I shoved Percy out of the way, I felt his back crack, but it did not break. I had just enough time to raise my left arm to go parallel with the club so Hercules could not break my arm off, the down side would be… the down side would be with all the force Hercules swung with, it would have smashed my arm.

The club swung down, I raised my left arm. I felt it strike like Thor's hammer. I felt the bone in my arm liquefy. My arm lost all support. My skin became like a bag full of pudding. I did not feel any pain for a few second, and then the pain kicked in. I let out a roar of pain. The water all around me rippled and Hercules took a step back. He quickly recovered and he Sparta kicked me, but surprisingly into the ocean.

I felt the water trying to numb my pain and heal the injury, but I knew it would take much more than a little sea water to do the trick this time, but at least it was keeping the pain down to a tolerant level, well… tolerant to me.

I saw the moon in the distance and I whispered "Artemis, could you give me a hand? I know you cannot interfere directly, but the moon controls the tide. Could you help turn the tides to our favor?"

The moon seemed to brighten for a moment and I knew she would do what she could do.

Percy ran towards me with his sword in his hand, but Hercules seemed to know exactly what he was going to do the moment before I he did it.

''Admit it, kid,'' Hercules said. ''You got no hope. I am just toying with you.''

I was recover a bit a couple of feet behind Hercules, I made myself an ice cast, kept sea water in water form right up against my skin to both help heal and to help with the pain.

I saw a second cop car pulling up, siren wailing. Spectators, people who had been wandering the streets because of the earthquake, were starting to gather.

Among the crowd, I saw a few satyrs or were they fawns? Anyways they were disguised as mortals. There were shimmering forms of spirits, too, as if the dead had risen from Hades to watch the battle. I heard the flap of leathery wings circling somewhere above; The Three Furies.

More sirens.

Percy stepped further into the water, but Hercules was fast he grabbed Percy's throat.

A police voice on a megaphone said, ''Drop the guns! Set them on the ground. Now!''

Guns? I felt my trench coat and I still had the shotgun, right now it was worthless against immortals, well it would hurt them, like a punch, but it would not kill them,

I looked at Hercules's weapon, and it seemed to be flickering; sometimes it looked like a shotgun, sometimes a giant club.

I lost my sword, but I was too hurt to use it anyways…

Hercules turned to glare at our spectators, which gave me a moment to breathe. There were five police cars now, and a line of officers crouching behind them, pistols trained on us.

''This is a private matter!'' Hercules bellowed. ''Be gone!''

He swept his hand, and a wall lightning started to go across the patrol cars. The police barely had time to dive for cover before their vehicles exploded. The crowd behind them scattered, screaming.

Hercules roared with laughter. ''Now, little heroes. Let's add you to the barbecue.''

He went to smash Percy but he was able deflected his club strike. Percy got close enough to strike, tried to fake him out with a feint, but my blow was knocked aside, and his sword was almost ripped out of his hands. The waves were hitting Percy in the back now. Hercules was up to his thighs, and wading in after him.

I thought "Come on Perse, help me with the tide!"

Percy must have felt the rhythm of the sea, the waves growing larger as the tide began to rolled in.

Percy thought and I heard "Little waves,"

The water behind Percy and I seemed to recede.

Percy and I was holding back the tide by force of will and a little help from the Moon, but tension was building, like a sling shot, being pulled further and further back. I will water from further out to come towards us so there would be more power.

Hercules came towards Percy, grinning confidently. Percy lowered my blade, as if he were too exhausted to go on.

"Wait for it, Percy told the sea at the same time I told the Moon "Almost there…"

Hercules raised his club. Percy, Artemis and I released the tide and Percy jumped, rocketing straight over Hercules on a wave.

A two meter wall of water smashed him full in the face, leaving him cursing and sputtering with a mouth full of seaweed.

Percy landed behind him with a splash and feinted towards his head.

I controlled the Ichor in Hercules's body that confused him so when Percy did the trick by changing direction, lunged to the side and then he stabbed Riptide straight down into the water, sending the point through the god's heel.

The roar that followed made Hades's earthquake look like a minor event. The very sea was blasted back from Hercules , leaving a wet circle of sand fifteen meters wide.

Ichor, the golden blood of the gods, flowed from a gash in the war god's boot.

The expression on his face was beyond hatred. It was pain, shock, complete disbelief that he had been wounded.

I let go of his blood as the curse of blood control kicked in, I felt too tired to stand, but the sea was doing its part by trying to help, I felt Artemis trying to help me with the moon light but there was not much it was doing for me right now.

He limped towards Percy, muttering ancient Greek curses.

I stopped him.

I releashed my full dark aura, Hades, Thanatos, Tartarus, Phobos, Deimos, Nyx, Akhlys, Erebus, Khione, Boreas, and other dark, and cold blessings I have received. I darkened everything, I made the sun grow dim (sorry Apollo (not really)). All of the light began to fade. The sound and color began to drain. The temperature began to drop and I releashed misery and I took away all hope. It felt to me as if time slowed down.

After that little play of power, I was thinking about going in a coma for a few decades.

The darkness lifted.

Hercules looked stunned.

Hercules lowered his sword.

''You have made an enemy, godling,'' he told us.

I appeared next to Percy and I was extremely exhausted; I still had an ice cast on my broken arm. I said coldly to Hercules "You lost."

''You have sealed your fate. Every time you go to battle, every time you hope for success, you will feel my curse. Beware, Perseus Jackson. Beware Peter Perseus.'' Hercules said.

His body began to glow.

''Percy!'' Annabeth shouted. ''Do not look!''

Percy turned away as the god Hercules revealed his true immortal form. I shut my eyes just as he began to flash, and opened him when the lights began to die.

Percy looked back. Hercules was gone. The tide rolled out to reveal Hades's bronze helmet of darkness and a bronze shield. Percy picked them up and walked towards his friends.

I muttered "I think I will heal up a bit more before I travel…" I flopped into the water without a splash.

But before Percy got near there, I heard the flapping of leathery wings. Three evil looking monster that reminded me of the Oracle with lace hats and fiery whips drifted down from the sky and landed in front of us.

The middle Fury, the one who had been Mrs. Dodd, stepped forward. Her fangs were bared. She looked more disappointed.

''We saw the whole thing,'' she hissed. ''So… it truly was not you?''

Percy tossed her the helmet, which she caught in surprise.

''Return that to Lord Hades,'' Percy told her ''Tell him the truth. Tell him to call off the war.''

She hesitated, and then ran a forked tongue over her green, leathery lips. ''Live well, Percy Jackson. Become a true hero. Because if you do not, if you ever come into my clutches again…''

She cackled, savoring the idea. Then she and her sisters rose on their bat's wings, fluttered into the smoke filled sky and disappeared.

Percy joined Grover and Annabeth, who were staring at him in amazement.

''Percy…'' Grover said. ''That was so incredibly…''

''Terrifying,'' said Annabeth.

''Cool!'' Grover corrected.

I shouted in correction "Exhausting and painful!"

''Did you guys feel that… whatever it was?'' Percy asked.

They both nodded uneasily.

''Must have been the Furies overhead,'' Grover said.

Percy glanced at me when I was floating on my back with my broken arm in the water. I heard that and shook my head thinking "if they only knew…"

Percy reclaimed his backpack from Grover and looked inside. The master bolt was still there.

''We have to get back to New York,'' Percy said. ''By tonight.''

''That is impossible,'' Annabeth said, ''unless we –''

''Fly,'' Percy agreed.

She stared at him. ''Fly, like, in an airplane, which you were warned never to do lest Zeus strike you out of the sky, and carrying a weapon that has more destructive power than a nuclear bomb?''

''Yeah,'' Percy said. ''Pretty much exactly like that. Come on.''

I groan and said "I am coming with…" O limped out of the water with the ice cast still on my arm.

Sally said to me "Thank you, Peter…"

I said "I would do it again in a heart beat, but please try not to do it."

Everyone chuckled.

I said "I think we may need a plan, because I cannot risk all of your lives…"

I heard a voice say from behind us "I think I could help with that..."

We turned around and was shocked to see….

Well here was another chapter.

Yes, I made Peter's memories purposely messed up, and yes he is gaining back his memory. In fact I think he has most if not all of it back now. Though je still needs to sort it out and organize it.

Can anyone guess who the voice was?

I think in another two maybe four chapter and this story should be done.
What do you think should be done with Peter?

Should he stay with Percy and move in with them?

Should Peter stay at Camp Half Blood all year?

Should Peter go ahead and joint up with the Hunt? (again)

Should be become 'The Wanderer' and just wander and go to and fro?

Or any combination of these?

Please drop a review and or PM me and let me know

Death Fury out!