Hey there! So yea... so, so sorry... read after the chapter for more apologies...

Thank you for all the Followers, Favoriters and Reviewers for last chapter. WiseGirl9859, LiaRegie, Doink, weallfindlove, dogbiscuit1967, prince of the seas, and slytherin Buttercat; I really do appreciate you all. =)

Alexander's POV

We walked slowly up to the gate of the black palace. My breath caught a little in my throat as I saw the engravings on the gate. They were ancient looking and bits of the etchings had worn off, but most of the scenes depicted were of modern day tragedies. There was a small picture of the atomic bomb detonating over Hiroshima, another with a line of starving children that looked remarkably like a picture I had seen in National Geographics when they reported on one of the famines in Africa, and there was one that had a line of gas mask clad soldiers that were wearing British World War 1 uniforms.

I didn't want to think of the possibility that these were prophecies come true, but the idea did quietly voice itself in my head.

As we entered the courtyard, the strong scent of pomegranates filled my nose. The sweet tart smell was so tempting, I caught myself lifting a hand to reach for one. But I knew better. The colorful plants and jewels that covered Persephone's garden were supposed to tempt people. The only way to trap the living in the Realm of the Dead was to have them eat food of the underworld, and that was something that none of us needed to deal with.

I saw Penelope glance over the piles of rubies and clumps of raw diamonds, but it seemed like she was most interested in the strange luminous fruit.

They did look ripe…

"The garden of Persephone," I said as I gently pushed PJ forward, "We need to keep walking."

Penelope's head snapped up. She met my eyes and nodded, "Okay."

She pulled Grover away from a particularly juicy looking pomegranate as Will lead the way up the front steps without a single step of hesitation. He had been the smart one and had covered his nose and mouth right before we walked into the garden... I should have thought of that myself.

Hades's palace was constructed completely out of black marble except for the gleaming bronze floors. The columns along the front of the building were over twenty yards high and had Corinthian order capitals at the very top where the pillars should have met the roof. I was actually disappointed by the fact that the roof wasn't there. The pillars were positioned to look like they were holding up the cavern roof instead. The scroll work was amazingly detailed, even in the dark material, and I had to mentally scold myself for stopping to stare.

But as we walked through the entrance hall I continued to notice the extreme detail of the building around me. I knew that I should have been scared, but I guess analysing every facet of the architecture around me was helping the fear stay at bay.

I did step back a little when I saw all the skeletons lining the long hallway though. They all wore some version of a military uniform, but each pair seemed to be from different time periods or battles. There were some in old Greek armor, dusty British redcoats, older styled American camouflage and even some modern day marine uniforms. They all held some kind of weapon in their white boned hands.

"I guess we should knock?" Penelope looked really concerned as she looked up at the Marine skeletons that guarded the tall black doors. She looked really uncomfortable and adjusted the straps of her backpack.

Just as she lifted her hand up to the bronze knocker, a hot wind swept down the corridor and flung open the doors.

The undead guards stepped aside to let us through.

"I guess that means, eiságo," but the Greek word didn't sound very inviting in my shaky voice.

The throne room was huge, to say the least.

Between the many doors along the walls, hung large paintings with different depictions of death and destruction. Torches flickered all around the room and the bronze floor threw dark and menacing shadows over everything. At the far end of the room was a raised platform covered in what appeared to be blood red velvet. The throne itself was large and looked to be made of fused bones, just like Penelope had described.

And there, sitting on the eery white seat, was Hades himself.

He radiated power.

He was draped in a rich black robe with his braided crown of gold on his head. Hades wasn't at his full stature, like I had seen him on Mount Olympus, but his ten foot hight still made my gut tighten. The Lord of the Underworld sat back casually on his throne, his long willowy stature still somehow looked graceful and commanding. And I watched with clinched teeth as his intense eyes followed our every step as we approached.

I could feel the aura that the God of the Dead was projecting toward us all. I felt intimidated even though he hadn't spoken yet. I had to remind myself that the mesmerizing but evil charisma, though I needed to acknowledge and respect it, was not something that I needed to take to heart.

I took a deep breath and steadied my racing heart.

"You are brave to come here, Daughter of Poseidon," his voice was slick and his eyes flickered as he glared at Penelope, "After everything that you've done to me… yes, you must be very brave indeed. Or of course, you might simply be the most foolish demigod yet."

I felt PJ's whole body stiffen beside me.

I glanced over and saw that Penelope was paper white and her jaw was locked as her eyes met the God of the Dead's.

Will and Grover stood on the other side of her; looking equally worried as they saw how pale and rigid she was. But something was fighting to reach the surface in the girl beside me.

PJ's stare didn't fall and her voice didn't waver as she quickly took a step toward the throne, "Lord… Uncle, I come to you with two requests."

Hades leaned forward on his seat as his eyebrow cocked with interest. His robe shifted slightly and I saw shadowy faces appear in the folds of the black fabric. The souls screamed out silently. My eyes fell to the bronze floor as I began to imagine what kind of horrible crimes people had to commit to be stitched into the very clothes of Hades.

The god's lips curled into an ugly smirk, "Only two requests? Arrogant girl… Have you not taken enough from me already?" He shook his head in disapproval but waved a harsh hand at PJ, "Come and speak then. I would take no pleasure in striking you dead yet."

Penelope gulped loudly as she nodded her head.

She looked over at Persephone's throne. It was beautiful in comparison to her husband's; it appeared to be more black marble, expertly carved into a blooming rose with gilded gold edges along the petals. When I glanced back at PJ, she was still staring at the empty seat beside Hades.

I cleared my throat and softly grasped Penelope's elbow.

PJ stood up a little straighter and faced the God of the Dead again, "Lord Hades… Sir…" She shook her head as she searched for the right words, "Look, sir, there cannot be a war between the gods. It would be… it would be a really bad idea."

"Really bad," Grover echoed.

"If you return Zeus's master bolt to me, I will carry it back to Olympus," Penelope stated calmly, "Please sir, I can fix this."

Hades's eyes narrowed and even more darkness shadowed his face, "You… you dare keep up this pathetic charade… after everything you have done?!"

Penelope took a small step back and glanced at Grover and Will before looking to me. Her eyes were wide with confusion. "But Uncle…" PJ slowly looked up at the angry God in front of us, "You keep saying 'after what you've done.' What… what is it that I've done?"

The entire throne room trembled.

The tremor was so strong that I was positive that it was felt by all of Los Angeles. Pieces of debris fell from the cavern ceiling as every single door burst open along the walls. Skeletal warriors from every time period flooded into the throne room and lined the perimeter of the room.

They blocked every possible exit.

"You think I want war, godling?" Hades's commanding voice filled the air.

"You are the Lord of the Dead, sir," Penelope said each word with careful precision, but I could tell that she was beginning to doubt them as she spoke, "A war would expand your kingdom, wouldn't it?"

"Such a predictable statement... from my brothers, I'm sure," he raised both his arms up and gestured to the guards that surrounded us, "Do you really think I need more subjects?" Hades angrily pointed toward the doors we had entered through, "Did you not notice the sprawl of the Asphodel Fields as you trespassed into my realm? Have you any idea how much my kingdom has swollen in the past millennia… the past century alone has forced me to open countless new subdivisions."

Penelope tried to say something, but Hades cut her off before she was even able to begin.

"More security ghouls than I've ever needed before, unmoving traffic at the judging pavilion… Double overtime for all the staff. I used to be a rich god, Penelope Jackson. I control every ounce of precious metal under this earth… but my expenses!"

"And Chiron wants a pay raise," PJ clamped her hands around her mouth too slowly. She looked mortified as the Lord of the Dead slammed his fist against the arm of his throne.

"Don't even get me started on Charon. He's been completely unreasonable since he discovered Italian suites. He is absolutely no help at all… So many problems, and I have to address them all myself. The commute time from the palace to the front gates alone drives me crazy!" Hades slumped back against his chair, "And the dead… they just keep arriving. A never ending stream of souls that need to be kept… So no, child. I need no assistance in growing my kingdom. I did not ask for this war."

Penelope shook her head slowly, "But… but you took Zeus's master bolt."

"Lies!" Hades screamed as another tremor rumbled the palace. He stood up and leared over us all as he spit his words at PJ, "Your father might fool Zeus, girl, but I am not so stupid. I see his plan."

"His plan?"

A sinister smile began to slowly cross the God of the Underworld's lips, "You were the thief on the winter solstice. Your father was so careful in keeping you his little secret, using you to impose his will. He directed you on how to reach Olympus… the path into the throne room. And there you stole the master bolt and my helm. Had I not sent one of my Furies to Yancy Academy, Poseidon might have been successful in hiding you away and concealing the true origin of this impending war. But I forced you into the open; I will expose you as Poseidon's thief, and I will get my helm back!"

"But," my mind was racing at a mile a minute as I tried to process what Hades has said, "Sir, your helm of darkness is missing, too?"

The Lord of the Dead suddenly turned on me, "You dare to play innocent with me? I know that you, the son of Apollo and this satyr have been helping this hero… I'm certain that you came into my realm to threaten me in Poseidon's name… to bring me an ultimatum. Does Poseidon believe I can be blackmailed into supporting him?"

Penelope took a few hurried steps forward, "No! Poseidon didn't… I didn't… I would never."

"I have not bothered to inform anyone outside my kingdom of the helm's disappearance," Hades stood to his full height now, making all of us move back, "I have no illusions of the Gods of Olympus. No one there would ever offer me justice or the slightest amount of assistance. And I cannot afford for my enemies to discover that I am without my most powerful weapon of fear… So I searched for you myself. And when it became clear that you were coming to me to deliver your threat, I did nothing to impede your travels."

A flash of the Kindly Ones, the mother of monsters and the Lotus hotel flipped through my mind, "... you didn't try to stop us?"

But Hades paid me no attention, "Return my helm now, godling, or I will stop death itself. I will open the earth and allow the dead to pour back into your world. I will make the living world a nightmare. And you, Penelope Jackson… your skeleton will lead my army out of the Underworld."

We all took a collective stride backwards as the skeletal soldiers readied their weapons, except for PJ.

Penelope took another step forward; eyebrows furrowed, jaw set, anger flashing behind her eyes…

… anger?

I stumbled forward as I tried to pull PJ back before her temper voiced itself, but I was too late.

"You're as bad as Zeus!" Penelope screamed. You would think a person would be terrified after being threatened by the God of the Dead, but PJ was just fuming with anger, "You think I stole your helm of darkness? I didn't even know I was a demigod until a few weeks ago, how would I have stolen anything from Olympus when I didn't even know it existed?! Wait… that's why you sent the Kindly Ones after us? And the other monsters?"

Hades smiled broadly now, "I scheduled the visit with the Furies yes, but I had nothing to do with the others. You attracted them all on your own. I wanted no quick death for you, godling. I wanted you to stand before me, alive, so you might face the tortures in the Field of Punishment. Why else would I allow you to enter my realm so easily?"

"Easily?!" Penelope's fists clenched tightly and I could feel angry heat radiating off of her.

"Return what is mine!"

"I don't have your stupid helm. I only came here to get the master bolt," PJ was turning slightly red as her anger grew.

"Which you already possess!" Hades shouted, "I know you brought it with out to threaten me!

"But I didn't!"

Hades growled in frustration, "Open your pack then, little girl."

Penelope stopped.

She placed a hand on one of the straps of her bag and quickly pulled it off of her shoulders. PJ yanked at the zippers and opened the backpack.

She gasped.

As the fabric fell away, I could see a thick metal cylinder, about two feet long. It had intricate scrolled spikes at each end and it hummed as energy pulsed through it.

"PJ…" I was completely lost, "But how…"

She stared blankly at me, "I… I don't… I have no idea. I don't understand."

"Such fools… it is always the same with you heros. So careless because of your pride," Hades held his hand out to Penelope, "Now you will surrender the bolt. I did not ask for it, but I am sure it will make a useful bargaining tool. And also… my helm. Where have you hidden it?"

PJ looked torn between helplessness and anger.

I was about to question her reaction when I realized the reason on my own.

We had been played.

The Big Three had been set at each other's throats by someone else; but I was almost certain that it wasn't Zeus, Poseidon or Hades. And the backpack wasn't even Penelope's. It had been given to us by…

"Lord Hades, wait," I took a few steps until I was directly beside PJ, "There has been a misunderstanding."

"No. There is no misunderstanding, godlings," Hades roared.

All the dead warriors aimed their weapons. The Furies swooped down and perched themselves on the back of Hades's throne of bones.

"I know the true reason you came here, Penelope Jackson. I know the real reason that you brought me the master bolt," The God of the Underworld's voice was low and dangerous now.

I saw Will slip his magical bow into his fingers and position it so that it stayed hidden, tucked between his forearm and torso. Grover was shaking uncontrollably, but his hands were balled tightly. I let my hand hover over the handle of my dagger. I'm not sure what we were expecting, but we weren't expecting that…

"I know you came here for her."

Insanely sorry for the huge gap in updating. I got the flu and... it was not fun... again... SORRY! =(

I will be trying to return to regular update intervals asap, so keep a look out. Missed you all terribly and hope you can forgive me!

Really glad you all enjoyed last chapter and I hope this one was good too. Let me know! I am planning on posting the next one asap, so keep an eye out. Sorry that the chapters got a bit mixed up. Looks like I accidentally uploaded the wrong chapter when I was updating something. Sorry!

*** Reviews are the absolute best...

Always,

Misha

Ps. Check out my other stories: 'The Bookworm and The Prankster,' 'Thrown Back' and 'Begin Again.'