I guess I should work on my definition of 'soon' because one month is just a little longer than soon. Thanks for being patient. I'm going to be going back and editing previous content for this fic, which is going to suck. I've already done it for half of my other fics, so at least I'm almost done.
On the bright side, I've got the next few chapters completed already so it should be fairly consistent uploads for the next month or so.
Spiderthatreads: You've got a point. The Greek deities definitely weren't the best of 'people,' according to most myths.
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I do NOT own Percy Jackson or its universe. Those rights belong to Rick Riordan and his publisher.
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Percy gave Reyna a tour of Hades' palace over the next few hours – the parts they were allowed to enter, at least – and showed her where her room was: right beside his, in case she needed any help. Then he led her to the armory so they could find her a weapon that actually worked for her, rather than the somewhat suitable swords and spears available at Camp Half-Blood.
They ended up picking out three. The first was an Imperial Gold gladius that could morph into a pilum at will, just in case she needed a spear's range. The second was a Celestial Bronze xiphos not too dissimilar from Riptide for when she needed to blend in with the Greeks. And the third was an Imperial Gold dagger, similar to one Percy had in Stygian Iron – which was always strapped to his calf beneath his jeans.
When time for dinner came, they made their way to the dining room, where they found Hades waiting for them at his usual place, the head of the table.
Hades' black eyes glanced at Reyna before returning to his champion. "You have returned."
"My lord." Percy bowed to his patron. "This is Reyna, daughter of Bellona."
Reyna bowed, following Percy's lead.
"Welcome to my home," Hades said graciously. His kindness seemed surprise Reyna, making the god's lips twitch towards a smirk before he schooled his expression. "I trust that Percy has explained your boundaries?"
"Yes, my lord."
Hades gestured beside him. "Take a seat."
Once Percy and Reyna were sitting, Hades continued, "Percy has vouched for your fidelity – however, should you inform anyone of what you learn down here, the consequences will follow you beyond death, as I am sure you have realized."
"Yes, my lord," Reyna repeated, her face pale.
Hades nodded and fell silent, having said his piece.
After the meal was over, the Hades ordered a ghoul to escort Reyna back to her room. Percy remained, knowing that was his patron's way of requesting – commanding – a meeting. He didn't do anything until she was gone, and even then waited a moment before speaking.
"Your satyr friend has found them."
Percy knew immediately whom Hades was speaking of – both the satyr involved and the 'them' Grover had found. The school year had just begun, and Hades' children from the 1940s, Nico and Bianca di Angelo, had been relocated from Washington DC to Bar Harbor, Maine to attend Westover Hall – a military school.
If Grover had already found them…
"He will undoubtedly contact Camp Half-Blood soon," Hades continued. "This means that you cannot remain down here. The risk of being discovered through Iris-messages is too great. I have already set up a shelter in South Dakota for you to use for your training. Some of your equipment has been moved already, and there is an accessible lake to continue improving your powers."
Percy bowed his head, still sitting. "Thank you, my lord."
"You must be discreet, Perseus," Hades warned. Percy hid the flinch that came at the use of his full name. Hades only ever used it when he wanted him to pay microscopically close attention to what he was saying. "If you are discovered using abilities you should not possess, it will ruin everything we have been and are working towards."
Percy had heard this speech several times over the last year – Hades gave it every time he journeyed to the surface – but he understood that there was much more on the line than usual now. They had come too far for everything to be discovered before they were ready to make their move.
Zeus would kill Percy without a thought if he caught wind of this, never mind the fact it was his throne they were working to save – even if that was only circumstantial by stopping Kronos.
"In the meantime," Hades went on, "we have expanded our ranks. There are currently eight more demigods scouring the country for others of a similar mind."
"Parentage?" Percy asked.
"Three children of Hecate, a son of Nemesis, two children of Ares, and two sons of Hermes."
"Olympian demigods?" Percy truthfully hadn't expected to be recruiting any of them – their parents were all respected enough as it was. If they weren't siding with their own parents, though, then all the better. Children of Hermes and Ares were almost always skilled with swords, so this would be good for training new recruits. "How did you manage that?"
"They were considering joining my father's forces before your friends got a hold of them," Hades explained. "Ethan Nakamura and Alabaster Torrington, in particular, can be quite persuasive, when it suits them."
That made sense. Ethan was a son of Nemesis, the goddess of balance, so it wasn't truly that surprising that he'd be good with proving a point. And Alabaster was a son of Hecate, the goddess of crossroads, so there was a great chance he had some talent with laying out choices and their results in a convincing manner, especially with Ethan's help.
"Is there anything else I should know?" Percy asked. He was feeling fairly tired and wanted to rest before he started Reyna's training tomorrow. He had wanted to have her spend some time with Lupa, but that would have to wait.
"No monsters have found my children yet, but I do not expect it to take long with the Titan's army searching for recruit. You should expect to be contacted by the solstice to retrieve them, and should Nico and Bianca end up at Camp Half-Blood, you know what to do."
"Yes, my lord."
"Dismissed."
Percy rose from his seat and swept from the dining hall. He headed towards Reyna's room while his mind raced with thoughts centered around the di Angelo siblings and Grover. He had been looking forward to meeting them for a few months now – ever since Hades had told him about them following his friendly first encounter with Hazel Levesque in the Asphodel Fields – but Percy hadn't actually expected to meet them until next summer, after they had had two years to adjust to the differences in society after over half a century.
Arriving at Reyna's room, Percy knocked on the door and waited.
It was barely ten seconds later that the door opened up to reveal Reyna, who smiled upon seeing him. "Come in."
The bedroom was extravagantly decorated, with a king-sized four-poster bed draped with black curtains, a walk-in closet, a bathroom, a wardrobe, a desk, and an entire wall covered by a bookshelf filled with tomes. Percy walked across the stone floor to the bed and took a seat, gesturing to Reyna to do the same.
Once she was seated, he said, "We won't be staying here long."
Reyna looked confused, so Percy elaborated, giving her just enough information for her to know why they couldn't stay in the Underworld, but not so much that she knew what they were planning. While Percy trusted Reyna more than any other demigod – a fact that surprised him more than it should have – he didn't trust her enough quite yet to know everything.
"So we'll be at this cabin for an unknown amount of time?" Reyna asked when he finished telling her what he wished to.
"Yup, make sure to pack warm." Percy motioned towards the walk-in closet, which already had clothing in her size using magic similar to that of the Lotus Hotel. "It should be good training, though, learning how to fight in cold weather and snow."
Reyna nodded. As a Roman, especially a daughter of war, it was ingrained into her very being to be prepared for battle in any weather or circumstance. Even if she lacked proper training, it was a core instinct that every Roman demigod had – or so Lupa had said.
"Get some rest," Percy told Reyna, standing up. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day."
"Good night, Percy. And thank you."
Percy smiled at her, shutting the door behind him.
The next morning found the two of them being shadow travelled by a Fury to the middle of a forest in Wyoming. There were only trees for as far as they could see, if one ignored the rundown log cabin in front of them. However, once Percy and Reyna got close to the structure they seemed to pass through a veil of magic. The cabin shimmered and became whole, completely repaired.
"Thank you, Hecate," Percy grinned.
The main room of the cabin was large and spacey. Directly inside the front door was a tiled kitchen containing a refrigerator with any meals they might want or need during their time here. Past the kitchen was a carpeted area with two couches and a couple of chairs surrounding a fireplace. Above them hung a carved chandelier with flickering candles to provide light.
A hallway to their left between the kitchen and lounge led to two bedrooms, each had their own bathroom. Percy and Reyna picked their rooms and started the unpacking process.
Once they were finished, they met up in the lounging area.
"So what's first?" Reyna asked.
"I was thinking we could spar for a few hours. After lunch I need to work on controlling my powers, though."
Reyna nodded her agreement and grabbed her sword from where it rested against the chair.
They made their way outside to a clearing in front of the cabin. At least one benefit to this change in environment was learning to fight on terrain that wasn't even at all times like the combat arena in Hades' palace was. They wouldn't always be able to dictate the terms of battle, which made it necessary to know how to hold their ground wherever they were.
The battle began when Percy lunged at Reyna. He usually waited for her to attack first but now he wanted to throw her off.
It worked.
Reyna stumbled, allowing Percy to press the offensive. To her credit, though, she managed to keep up and regain her balance with surprising speed. She twirled her blade to deflect his before launching a strike of her own.
Percy knew that Reyna was very capable of being an attacker, but they needed to work on her defense, so he turned the spar back around on her by spinning and pushing her forward, tripping her as he did. While Reyna stumbled forward, Percy struck again.
Back and forth they went, trading who was attacking and who was defending with the seamlessness of dancers. And, really, the more Percy thought about it, the more it felt like he was just dancing with Reyna. They fell into a rhythm that had no true beat, but they both followed it as if listening to a song only they were capable of hearing. Their blades clashed like cymbals; Percy's heartbeat pounded in his ears like drums; their footsteps thundered on the dirt beneath their feet.
Percy wasn't sure how long they sent exchanged strikes and parries, but the song of their battle ended when Reyna was too tired to go on.
They were both soaked in sweat, their chests heaving and sucking in breaths, and their swords fell from their grasps. Reyna collapsed to the ground on her back, staring up to the heavens with glazed eyes.
Percy took a seat next to her silently and waited for her to recover.
It took a few minutes before Reyna could speak. "How are you not exhausted after that?"
Percy shrugged. "I've been doing this almost every day for a year." He pursed his lips. "Well, not this, exactly. That was… something else."
Reyna only nodded tiredly.
Percy checked his watch and his eyes widened. That spar had lasted for well over an hour – their longest session to date. No wonder Reyna was so tired.
Percy was proud of her for lasting as long as she had, though. She was improving at a rapid rate and it wouldn't be too much longer before they were fighting on an even playing field.
He looked forward to that day.
Over the next month, Percy and Reyna fell into a comfortable routine. Each morning was spent training with swords – or occasionally a spear, in Reyna's case – and every afternoon was devoted to strengthening their powers. Percy focused mainly on summoning storms, knowing how useful the destructive power could be, and Reyna discovered she could empower him, lending Percy her strength and courage. The only downside they could find was that the ability temporarily allowed her to feel his emotions while using it.
Percy was eventually capable of summoning rainstorms without too much effort – if he neglected to include lightning – and then use the rainwater to strengthen himself by a fractional amount. It was nothing compared to being in the ocean or even a freshwater body, but it was just enough that he had an advantage in any fight.
They also tested out Reyna's powers from Hades' blessing. As a daughter of war, it was natural that the ability that came most easily to her was summoning and controlling skeleton soldiers, but she struggled with powers over the earth and actual ghosts.
Percy had a theory that the ghost issue was more to do with her personal experience than her capability, but he said nothing to Reyna.
From then on they used the skeleton soldiers she summoned for training – both Greek and Roman, ranging from hoplites to secutors and even retiarii. It started off slow, with Reyna only being able to summon roughly three or four at once before she needed time to rest, but her power and endurance grew the more she did it until she could summon at least six or seven then continue to fight them. Percy occasionally took a spear from one of the warriors to keep up his training using any weapon available, since he only carried swords and a dagger on his person.
He was grateful to have a break from archery practice, though. He was still far from being as competent with a bow as would be preferable, even if he hit his target more often than not.
The Iris-message Percy had been waiting for finally arrived in mid-December. He and Reyna had been taking a sprint through the forest when Grover's frantic-looking face appeared right in front of them, forcing the two demigods to stop much sooner than they normally would have.
"What's wrong, Grover?" Percy asked, breathing heavily as he leaned against a tree.
"I need your help," Grover said hurriedly, looking over his shoulder. "I found two demigods up in Bar Harbor, Maine, but there's a monster nearby – and he's a powerful one, too. I mean, the demigods are really powerful, so it makes sense, but this monster smells almost as powerful as the Kindly One from Yancy."
Percy felt the blood drain from his face. A monster almost as powerful as a Fury was near the children of Hades, which meant they would have to hurry and get them out of there.
"How long has he been there?"
"About two months," Grover admitted sheepishly.
"And you're just calling us now?"
"I haven't had a chance to get away for the call! The monster – Dr. Thorn – is the vice-principal and he follows me or the demigods everywhere. The only reason I'm able to call you now is because he's distracted with a faculty meeting before classes start."
Percy glanced at the eastern horizon, where the sun would be rising within the hour.
"I've already contacted camp," Grover continued, and Percy returned his focus to the satyr, fighting to keep his face expressionless. "They're going to send Thalia and Annabeth on Friday, but I think we'll need some extra help, which is why I'm calling you. Please, Percy." Grover's eyes were wide and pleading, filled with desperation. "Thalia's powerful, but I don't think she's strong enough yet for whatever Dr. Thorn is."
Grover probably hadn't meant to do it, but Percy was hurt – hurt that his best friend hadn't called him first, like he used to; hurt that he had gone to Thalia first; hurt that he was only calling right now because he needed reinforcements.
If it were any other demigods in trouble, Percy would consider saying no – there were others from camp who could help Grover – but these were the children of his patron. It was his duty to keep them safe, no matter what.
"We'll be there," Percy promised.
Grover sagged with relief. "Thank you, Percy, I really appreciate it." He looked over his shoulder again when a voice barked out a command. "I've gotta go."
The Iris-message disappeared.
"Well this should be fun," Reyna commented dryly.
Percy gave a short, strained laugh. "Yeah. Fun."
They shadow travelled back to the cabin and made their way inside. Reyna was gasping for breath, not having adjusted to her powers over darkness as easily as Percy had, although she was adapting rather quickly, nonetheless.
Percy immediately headed for his bedroom.
"Percy?" Reyna's worried voice called after him. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," Percy called back. "I just need to get something."
He found what he was looking for on top of the pile in the drawer of his nightstand – a small jewelry box.
Percy found Reyna waiting for him on a couch in the main room. He walked over and sat down beside her with the box in his hand.
"I was going to give this to you for Christmas," he said, "but I think you'll have more use for it now, when we're going to be meeting up with other demigods."
Reyna's eyes were locked on the box. "Percy…?"
He opened the box and Reyna's jaw dropped. Inside was a necklace with the symbol of Bellona on a charm – a crossed spear and torch.
"It's made entirely of Imperial gold," Percy explained, taking it out and letting the charm dangle through his fingers, glinting in the light. "It's been enchanted to keep your Underworld scent concealed from even a god's senses by Hecate herself. I have one like it," he used his free hand to pull out his trident-charm necklace, "and I thought you would find it useful, too."
Reyna gently took the necklace.
"It's beautiful," she said reverently. She looked at Percy. "Could you put it on?"
Percy took the necklace back while Reyna pulled her hair out of the way. He carefully maneuvered the magical jewelry around her neck and hooked it. Reyna let her hair fall and lifted the charm to look at it more closely.
"You can set a key word to set it so monsters won't be able to find you," Percy told her. "I have the same function on mine. It helps when I'm on missions for Lord Hades to completely hide my scent, but it would raise suspicion around people from Camp Half-Blood – especially Chiron – so Hecate changed the magic so it could do one or the other."
Reyna gave him a shrewd look. "Do you mean to tell me that all those fights with monsters we've dealt with over the last four months could have been avoided with this necklace?"
Percy grinned. "You wouldn't have gotten such good training that way, though."
She rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips. Then her demeanor changed, becoming more serious, and Percy knew what she was about to ask.
"So the children of Hades are to go to Camp Half-Blood, then?"
Percy sighed. "We had really hoped to get them to the Underworld at the end of this school year, once they had adjusted to life in the current decade – century, actually – but then Grover found them, and here we are." He gestured helplessly. "We could have pulled them out sooner, but that would bring more attention their way. It's easier to just send them to camp and let Chiron and the gods and the campers believe Bianca and Nico are unclaimed children of minor gods than let on who their true father is.
"I'm sure that King Airhead already has an idea, given that he killed their mother."
Percy glowered at his clenched fists. Reyna softly laid a hand atop his and squeezed. She knew better than anyone, aside from Hestia, just how much the death of Sally Jackson had affected him, how much hatred he felt for Zeus, the pain he felt because of Poseidon's continued ignoring him, for the most part. Percy didn't count that stupid letter – 'Brace yourself.'
"We'll keep them safe," Reyna promised quietly. "You will keep them safe."
"I hope so," Percy whispered. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if anything happened to one of those kids. Even though Bianca was twelve and Nico was ten, only a two year and four year difference from himself, he thought of them as children; they hadn't been through the same things. They still had their innocence – especially with their memories locked away from the Lethe. Percy wanted to keep things that way.
"We have three days," he said. "It's time to kick things up a notch."
"Whatever it takes," Reyna vowed solemnly. "No matter what."
"No matter what," Percy repeated.
He refused to let harm come to those kids, not when he was powerful enough now to prevent it, unlike with his mother. Not when he could do something, no matter how small, to keep them protected – to keep them alive.
Percy would not fail himself.
Not again.
AN: Short chapter, I know. On the bright side, next chapter has some action.
I'm really looking forward to everything that happens from here on out, now that we're at the pivotal plot-points in the Titan War.
THANKS FOR READING!