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Twenty-One

Hades watched his daughter as she stood at the dock with Percy and Annabeth chatting away. Rightfully he shouldn't be in Egypt, the land of the ancient gods but the laws of what was right and wrong weren't working.

Zeus refused to see what was going on but Hades wasn't blind.

Poseidon, Hermes, Ares and Apollo were with Hades in taking action but the rest refused to see what was going on-they stood with Zeus.

Mels suddenly cocked her head when she realised that her father was there watching her from an alleyway. She said something to Percy and walked over. She was wearing a white peasant blouse loosely tied at the front and a pair a colourful shorts with knee high boots. "Hello, father."

"Melody," Hades nodded.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"Checking your progress," he replied. "I trust your tryst through my realm was eventful?"

Mels blushed. "Sorry. But it was the quickest way."

"That's not what I was talking about," he replied. "I'm millions of years old, not an idiot. And you are my daughter." Hades raised an eyebrow when he noticed they were lacking one demigod. "Piper McLean is missing?"

"She's back at camp," Mels answered, "in a coma. Apparently it will happen to all of us-listen dad-something Luke told me-and something that that Hattie said-that this will affect all worlds."

"Hattie?" Hade asked.

"Hatshepsut," Mels corrected herself. "She has such a long name. I get tired just saying it."

He paused. "Demigods," he muttered under his breath.

"Melody?" Edward called out. "We're ready to go."

"Bye dad," Mels smiled.

"One moment," Hades spoke. He put his hand inside his jacket and drew a dagger. "I have a gift for you. It's made from Stygian Iron. Persephone picked it from my armoury for you."

Mels took the dagger and removed the sheath to see the word Princess written in ancient Greek on the curved blade, a blood red ruby nestled in the pommel. The demigod had been jealous when Nico showed her his sword made from Stygian Iron, sure she had her Divine Silver bow and her Celestial Bronze twin swords but she'd always wanted a Stygian Iron blade cause the metal looked wicked. She wasn't too sure about Imperial Gold yet. "Thank you," she smiled.

"Mels!" Percy shouted.

"Coming!" she shouted back. She turned back to say goodbye but Hades was gone. Mels sighed and walked back over to the group, fixing her new dagger to her leg. She gave her old one to Annabeth.

"Who were you talking to?" Bella asked.

"No one," she sighed. Mels pulled her hat on her head and sat down at the back of the boat. "Who's driving?" she asked.

"Percy," Edward told her. "But if Percy needs to fight I can drive."

Misha scurried over and sat on Mels lap. "Can we go for a swim?" she smiled.

"No," Mels told her bluntly. "There are dangerous animals in that water. They'd eat you."

"Well that's boring," Bella sighed. She looked over the edge of the boat as Percy steered it away from the docks. "How long until we get to where we need to go?"

"A few hours give or take," Annabeth confessed. "You get seasick?"

Bella shook her head. "No. I'm okay-thanks Annabeth."

Annabeth looked at Mels who shrugged whilst her sister sat in her lap. The Daughter of Athena went over to sit with Percy as he steered the boat.

"Bella?" Edward frowned, sitting down. "Are you okay?"

"I'm tired and I miss home," she answered. Bella shifted over into Edward's arms and lay her head on his shoulder.

Misha and Mels were playing a game of eye-spy when Edward suddenly jumped to his feet.

The telepath was hearing voices and none of it was coming from the people on the ship.

"Edward?" Annabeth frowned. "Is everything okay?"

"I can hear voices," Edward answered. "They're angry…they're…they're saying that…that something…no someone doesn't belong here." Edward stepped over to the side of the boat and looked down in the water just in time to see a fin go by the boat.

Mels looked over the side. "Oh crap…those are mermaids-they're ain't mermaids in Egypt."

"What's the significance of that?"

"HANG ON!" Percy shouted seconds before the boat slammed into something in the middle of the river.

Edward grabbed Mels as she fell over the side of the boat, the two of them went into the water headfirst and sank like a sack of bricks.

Percy went to jump in but Misha stopped him. "Misha!"

"It's you they want," Misha told him, her eyes glowing. "The Son of Poseidon shouldn't be on their river."

Bella caught Misha as she collapsed. "I don't like this!" she exclaimed. "I really don't like this! EDWARD! MELODY!"

Edward's head popped up out of the water but he was alone. He pulled himself up and ran a hand through his hair. "I lost her-I lost Melody. She was there and then she was gone.

A shadow portal appeared on the boat as well as Mels, a tone of water and a mutant looking mermaid. Mels stabbed the mermaid, turning it to dust and she threw up the water that she'd consumed. Annabeth rushed over and rubbed her back.

"Percy you've gotta get rid of all the water underneath us!" Mels coughed.

"Why?" Percy asked.

"Because there's a shrine to your dad underneath us," she told him. "It's what we crashed into and what the mermaids are guarding. We need to get rid of them."

"Make a dome?" Bella suggested. "Who's going into the shrine?"

"Edward," Annabeth answered. "A Daughter of Hades and a Daughter of Athena will draw attention as will a Roman. And Misha can't go in alone, so it has to be Edward. He's just a vampire. Take pictures of what you can and if you find anything-bring it with you."

"Make a corridor so the girls can get to the shore," Edward instructed Percy. "And I we don't see you-Good luck."

"Likewise," Percy told him.

"Percy!" Annabeth muttered. She walked over to him and the others turned around so that the two demigods could kiss each other.

"Love you, Wise Girl," Percy whispered.

"I love you, too, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth replied.

"Mels," Percy whispered. "Can you take her?"

Mels took Annabeth's arm and pulled her gently away from Percy.

Percy raised his arms and closed his eyes. As easy as blinking, the water started to take the shape of a dome. The boat lowered with the water and once the water was low enough, everyone got off the boat.

"GO!" Percy shouted.

The girls ran towards the shoreline whilst Edward vanished into the temple.

In a single file they had to walk, the mermaids taking swipes at the girls as they struggled to the shore. They were angry, so full of rage and trying so hard to kill them but without the water to house them, they were stuck.

"Go! Go!" Percy yelled. "Something's fighting me! I'm gonna lose control soon!"

Just as Bella stepped foot on dry land and turned, the shrine to Poseidon started to crumble. "EDWARD!" she yelled.

"Bella no!" Mels shouted, grabbed Bella before she took off back into the riverbed. She still had a hold of Annabeth but the important thing was, Bella had Misha.

Edward appeared beside Bella in a blur and hugged her tightly, but he was holding something. "Bella," he muttered into her hair.

"Edward," she whispered, hugging him. "What is that?" she asked, pulling away to see what he was holding.

"Mine," Misha muttered, reaching out to take the book. It was just the cover of a book, a very old book made out of leather but she wouldn't let it go.

"I wouldn't," Mels told the vampire as he went to take the book from her.

"PERCY RUN!" Annabeth yelled.

"He can't," Edward told her as the water dome started collapsing in around him.

Time was running out and Percy was the next victim.