The Ghosts of Millennia

by ninjagirlmai

All Nico wanted was a mortal life. But when a shaky peace between Hades and Demeter snaps, tensions rise until they threaten to turn into all-out war among the gods. Ron, Hermione, and Cho are thrown into the world of the gods as they set out to save their home before it collapses. There's nowhere to run... not when all of Western Civilization is on the line. COMPLETED

19. Hades Finds Out He's a (Demoted) Planet

CHAPTER SUMMARY

Ron and Sirius have a late-night chat. Cho hatches an escape plan. Hazel leaves to find the Philosopher's Stone.

BEGINNING NOTES

Chapter Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Content Warning: Cursing, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Self Harm
Word Count: 3233

And all the characters are owned by JK Rowling, or Rick Riordan.

Credits at the end.

_RON_

It was hard to sleep knowing that the following morning, the Order would be planning their invasion of the Ministry of Magic. And, in twenty-four short hours, they would be at Fudge's doorstep, wands in hand, ready to commit treason in the name of Merlin and Hecate.

Ron climbed off the couch he was supposed to be sleeping on in favor of wandering around the halls, waiting for his exhaustion to catch up with him. When that didn't work, he stepped outside, where the sounds of London could distract his brain from the visions of everything that could go wrong in the next day. He remembered how terrified he felt when Hermione almost got trampled in the mob. He didn't want her to die, or anyone in his family to die, or any of the Order to die. He didn't want anyone to die on his account.

"Can't sleep either?" Sirius's voice came from the doorway of number twelve Grimmauld Place. Ron nodded. Sirius glanced behind him. "Promise not to tell anyone?" he asked. Again, Ron nodded. Sirius stepped out of the doorway and into the fresh night air.

"I keep thinking about everything that could go wrong tomorrow night," Ron told Sirius. "One day until we're all outlaws. I don't know if I can do this."

Sirius sighed. "Take it from an outlaw, it's hard. It's exhausting just to exist. But you kids are right. The public has to know what's happening. I remember every word Harry told me the night we spoke. I think that you, me, Hermione, and Dumbledore are the only people who really know what it would mean for Hecate and Hades go to war. And without Merlin's guidance, I don't know how we're going to survive."

"Thanks." Ron gave a pitiful laugh. "I feel much better now."

Sirius nudged him in the arm. "Hey. You can do this. You've had so much put on your shoulders in such a short time. I remember you in the Shrieking Shack, the way you put yourself in danger to protect your friends without a second thought. Annabeth picked you to lead the wizards last December for a reason, and Merlin picked you and Hermione to lead us now for a reason. You've got it in you. I promise."

Ron blushed. "Thanks."

"I mean it." Sirius sighed. "I just wish Harry was with us. I should've known he would fall to Riddle. I should've been there."

Ron furrowed his eyebrows. "Fall to Riddle? What do you mean?"

"Don't play games with me, Ron. I know Harry didn't die from the Whomping Willow."

"I..." Ron's voice faded when Sirius met his eye. There was such grief in them, dark and empty. He realized how much Sirius had been suffering this past year. He lost his best friend sixteen years ago, and last year he lost the last member of his family-Harry. Lupin had moved on, married Tonks, now she was pregnant with their first child. But Sirius was stuck in his childhood home, still on the lam after all these years, with nothing to distract him from his grief. Sure, the Order was trying to fight the Ministry's power grabs, but that was nothing compared to when they had to fight Riddle. He got less to do the minute he needed more.

"Sirius..." Ron mustered all the strength he had. It was so hard for him to talk about Harry. "Harry was a hero. He gave himself up to save us. He was a horcrux. He had to die. He could've run away, but he didn't, he went to Nico di Angelo and sacrificed himself."

Sirius's jaw clenched. His eyes darkened. "For the greater good..." he whispered to himself. "He should've been a boy... a boy, not a hero..."

Ron put a comforting hand on Sirius's arm, but it was as though he wasn't even there.

_NICO_

Nico was ready to quit on today. Between the Hitler thing that morning, Rachel's sickness that afternoon, the longest prophecy in the history of prophecies that evening, and now having to discuss it all that night, he was done. Just... just done.

He had exactly one hour until ten o'clock, when he was expected at the campfire for the all-camp meeting to discuss what people had dubbed the next Great Prophecy. And, you know what? Fine. Fine, fine, fine. The next Great Prophecy and it was about him. The next apocalypse and he was expected to lead the fight against it.

Alastor was right. He could never escape the sins of his father.

So, he was giving in. He knew he shouldn't, but he needed to feel the blade on his arm, or any part of his body, really. Just for a second, just to take off a bit of the pressure. If he was still standing when the new year came, he and Dr. Solberg would wean himself off of it a second time. At midnight, January 1st would be in eight days. He could resist his darker urges and the spiral into depression for eight days. He'd been cutting since he escaped Tartarus. Eight days was a drop in the bucket.

The cabin door creaked open. "Hazel?" Nico called. No answer. He was alone.

He didn't bother to shadow-shield glue the door closed. He needed the pain, and he needed it now; Hazel was with Frank, and his friends usually didn't come into the cabin without letting him know. Nico liked his privacy, and they all respected that.

He grabbed the darkest towel he had and ran to that old corner of the bathroom. But, as he pulled his sword out, he hesitated. He couldn't take ambrosia or nectar anymore. The cut wouldn't go away on command.

That's when he remembered the river, and how good it felt to fall down. Ianthe healed his leg after the cockatrice attack, but his shoulder was still raw from when the monster dug its talons in. Reopening the wound a little wouldn't be hard, and it wouldn't leave any suspicious scar. It would only take a minute...

Any final reservations came off with Nico's shirt. He locked the bathroom door and turned his back to the mirror, craning his neck to get a good look at the wound. It was bruised around the puncture wound, still raw to the touch. Nico grunted as he dug the tip of his sword in. He gasped for breath as he twisted it. He'd forgotten how good it felt. The euphoria was addicting. He wanted more, he craved more. The rush, the release, it felt as good as Will had when he held him last night.

His hand shook. He wanted to plunge the sword in deeper. A little voice in his head said no, that's enough, you shouldn't be doing this, but it was easy to ignore when Nico was so swept up in the pain. Knots he didn't know he had relaxed, worries that had hummed so consistently in his mind that he'd forgotten them faded away, in fact, the world faded away, there was nothing, nothing but the sword in his shoulder...

Far away, the door to the Hades cabin creaked open. As much as he wanted to continue, that was his cue to put it to an end. He held in a gasp as he pulled the sword out. He pressed his towel to the wound to keep blood from falling on the floor. Hazel knew about his cutting. It didn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together if she saw Nico walk out of the bathroom with his sword in its holster and a line of blood trailing behind him.

He walked out of the bathroom just in time to see Hazel carrying a packed suitcase to the door. "Where are you going?" he asked.

Hazel didn't answer. Nico stepped closer to his sister. Her back was to him. "Don't tell me you're leaving for Camp Jupiter. I already know you guys are staying for our meeting. And Argus is guarding the Fleece; he isn't loading your bags into the van yet."

"I have something I need to do," Hazel said softly. "Arion is waiting for me, Nico. I have to go."

"You don't have to go anywhere!" Nico yelled. He shouldn't scream at her, but this hit a nerve. Two days ago, he had to watch Bianca run away over and over again in his poisoned dream. He wouldn't let Hazel disappear without a trace.

"I have to go," she repeated.

"Then take me with you."

"It's for Pluto."

That was it. Nico grabbed Hazel's arm and turned her around. "The next Great Prophecy just came. Pluto can wait!"

Hazel threw Nico's hands off of her. "I have to go!"

Nico rolled his eyes. He swallowed hard and pushed down the tears that threatened to well in his eyes. "And your father sends another pawn out to do his dirty work."

Hazel finally put down her suitcase. "You used to call him Dad."

"I used to call him a lot of things, Hazel."

As always, his sister saw right through him. She grabbed his hand and wrapped him up in a hug. "You're right," she said as she held him. "It's just an errand. You aren't going to lose me for long."

"What does Pluto want?"

She pulled away. Part of him wished she hadn't. She was the only person who could comfort Nico like that. When he was angry, he shrank from everyone else's touch, even Will's and the Jackson's. But never Hazel.

"Hecate created a secret weapon against Dad, called the Philosopher's Stone. It can make mortals immortal. He wants it. No one god should have that power."

"I'm sure that's all he wants it for. Principle."

"What could he do with it, Nico? His warriors are already immortal. They're dead."

"You shouldn't take sides."

"He's my dad. Do you think Hecate's forces would care whether children of the Underworld were actually helping him? They'll kill us no matter what we do."

Nico knew there was no stopping her. He knew what it was like to want to please Hades. So, he took her bag. "I'll see you off, then."

Hazel squeezed his free hand. "Thank you."

They didn't talk on their way to Arion. They weren't immune to the tense silence that had fallen over the entire camp. There was so much Nico wanted to say to her, but nothing he could put into words.

He stood a few feet away as Hazel saddled Arion and fastened her bag to his side. She put one foot on the stirrup, then turned back to her brother with one last smile. "I'm excited to see the Wizarding World," she said.

Nico's eyes widened. "You're not going," he whispered.

Hazel's annoyance faded when she saw her brother's face.

Nico said, "You know what? Fine." His words came out broken. "Fine," he said again, through clenched teeth, with fury to rival any god or goddess at their worst. "You win."

Hazel removed her foot from the stirrup. "Nico...?" she asked.

"Do you hear me?!" Nico screamed. Tears streamed down his face. "You win! Is this it?! Is this what you wanted?!"

Hazel reached out to touch him, but Nico shoved her arm away. Despite Arion's protests, he walked right up to that stupid horse and undid the leather cords wrapped around Hazel's bag. "Did he tell you the Wizarding World's fallen into anarchy?" Nico snarled. "Did he tell you how Hermione Granger was almost trampled to death? How many followers died in the mobs?"

Hazel didn't answer him. Nico ripped the suitcase from its fastenings and threw it at her feet. "DID HE?!"

"No," Hazel managed.

"No," Nico mimicked. "No, no, no, of course not, of course he didn't. Because you don't care! You don't care how many mortals you kill, do you?! A few million are just a drop in the bucket as long as you get what you want!"

"Nico, stop it!" Hazel screamed, her cheeks wet with terrified tears.

"SO, YOU WIN! Congratulations, Father!" Nico thrust his arms out, presenting himself to the air like a trophy for the taking. "You've won your pawn back, safe and sound! You got a Great Prophecy ready to kill my sister and throw me in Tartarus?! Sign me up! You want the Philosopher's Stone? Sword of Persephone? Artifacts of Thanatos? Tom Riddle's head on a silver platter? No problem! I'M YOURS FOR THE TAKING! DO YOU HEAR ME, FATHER?! COME CLAIM YOUR PRIZE!"

He ripped his aviator's jacket off, showing off the old scars on his arm. "THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED, ISN'T IT?! A FATHER'S LOVE LEAVES SCARS-COME ON, ALASTOR, WE ALL KNOW HE DOESN'T GIVE A SHIT! SO, KILL ME! STRING ME UP LIKE A TURKEY! MAKE ME IMMORTAL SO I CAN BE YOUR ERRAND BOY FOR ALL ETERNITY! I'M HERE! I'M YOURS!"

He pointed to Hazel. "BUT DON'T YOU DARE SQUEEZE HAZEL DRY TOO!"

His hard, hyperventilating breaths turned into malicious laughter. "I'LL SEE YOU IN FUCKING HELL, DAD!"

"Percy!" Hazel screamed. Percy and Jason, once on their way to the pegasi, came running.

"C'mon, we're going to see Chiron," Percy told him. Jason grabbed both of Nico's arms and pinned them behind his back. Nico struggled, still laughing maniacally.

"I'LL SEE YOU IN FUCKING HELL!"

"This is for your own good," Percy said, and punched him in the temple. Nico fell limp into Jason's arms and blacked out.

_CHO_

After Hades left to speak to Hazel-whoever that was-Alexander the Great came into the throne room, and Persephone had to resume her tenure as queen and review the war council's latest plans. That meant that finally, for the first time in Cho's thirty-six hours as a dead person, she got some time alone.

While she didn't have to sleep anymore, hours upon hours of discussing Harry, You-Know-Who and what she remembered from History of Magic wore her out considerably. She couldn't hear what Persephone and Alexander the Great were saying, so she didn't try to eavesdrop. She needed time to hatch a plan.

She may be dead, but Hades and Persephone could bring her back to life. She had to win their favor somehow, and, with time to think, she could come up with a game plan. She was a follower of Hecate. They were at war with Hecate. And every war needed spies. If she could convince them that she wasn't much use anymore down here, they would send her up there with the condition that if she tried to run they would drag her back. But, Cho had no intention of running.

Hecate kept You-Know-Who alive despite all the casualties of doing so. Twice, she let him rise to power. England was the center of the Wizarding World-now she knew why: it was because the gods gave Hecate the wizarding parts of England as her chosen land. There was no way that the goddess of magic or her formerly-a-wizard husband didn't know what was going on in the seat of their power.

There had to be peace between Hades and Hecate, or the world would be doomed. Fudge had to go away, or the Wizarding World would be doomed. As a spy on the inside, she'd be able to take care of the Ministry. She could get in contact with Annabeth, Percy, and Nico and make sure they took care of the rest of the world. Sure, that was a harder job, but they were half gods. They could do it.

Hades returned, looking like his usual self. He joined Persephone with Alexander the Great for a little while. Soon, their little meeting ended, and their attention was once again on Cho.

This is it, Cho. Make Ravenclaw house proud.

"Excuse me?" Cho asked. "Lord of the Dead, sir?"

Hades raised his eyebrows at his wife. "Lord of the Dead?" he asked, amused.

"Oh..." Cho gave an embarrassed smile. "I heard Charon and Thanatos call you that. I just thought..."

Hades chuckled. "I am the Lord of the Dead. But Lord Hades works just as well."

"Thank you, Lord Hades. Is it all right if I speak?"

"You're speaking already," he pointed out.

"Yes, I know, but you're the lord, so I thought I'd ask permission to continue."

Again, Hades chuckled. Even Persephone smiled. Cho suppressed a smile of her own-her plan was working.

"Speak, child," Persephone said.

"Well... I was wondering... before, when you said you were going to talk to Hazel, you looked different. But now you look the same again. Why?"

"That was my Roman form," Hades explained.

"Why does Hazel want your Roman form?"

"She is a daughter of Pluto, not of Hades. Ancient laws dictate that we speak to our children in the right form."

"Oh." Cho cocked her head to the side and smiled. Her choppy bob (courtesy of the explosions during the fight that killed her) fell to her cheekbones. "That's funny." She giggled. "Pluto's my favorite planet."

Hades laughed again. "So they named a planet after me?"

"Yes!" Cho exclaimed, excited. "I took Astrology at Hogwarts. They actually... well, they demoted Pluto, so it's not a planet anymore, but it used to be, so it's still important in class. I think it should still be a planet, though."

Hades jokingly huffed to Persephone. "They demoted me."

Persephone shook her head at him. "Why is Pluto your favorite?"

"It has a giant crater in the shape of a heart on its side."

Persephone laughed along with Hades. "I suppose that's your tribute to me," she teased.

"Always, my dove," he said. Then, he turned to Cho. The usual purple fire in his eyes was calm now. They were pinpricks, nothing but a violet twinkle in his eye. "I think this was a reasonably good interrogation, Cho Chang."

Cho nodded eagerly. "Yes, my lord. What did you want to discuss next?"

"Hmm. Do you know where the Philosopher's Stone is?"

"No, Lord Pluto."

Hades chuckled. "Where did this cheekiness come from?"

"You've taught me a lot about the war," Cho said. "I had some time to think. I'm on your side. Hecate kept You-Know-Who alive after he killed people, and overstepped her bounds with the Stone and making Merlin immortal. I don't care that she's my patron. She left the Wizarding World to rot, and, because of that, killed me."

"How old are you?" Persephone asked.

"Seventeen."

Persephone shook her head. "Too young. You say Hecate's lands are in chaos?"

"Yes, my lady."

"Queen," Persephone corrected her.

"Yes, my queen. Our government turned against the public. The mob that killed me won't be the last one we have. Didn't you notice how many witches and wizards are dying?"

Persephone shook her head. "Charon's likely keeping them on the other side of the Styx."

"Well, it's not good there. I wish I could tell you more, but I don't know what's happened since I died."

Hades was deep in thought. "How much information do you have left to give us, Cho?"

Cho lowered her eyes in pretend shame. "Not much. I'm sorry, but I don't know anything about the gods, and I've told you almost everything I know about You-Know-Who and the Wizarding World, Merlin, and Hecate. What happens to me now? Will I be judged?"

"You've given me much to think about," Hades said, half to himself. "Excuse me."

Cho and Persephone watched Hades exit the throne room. Persephone gestured upwards, and a huge, thick vine rose from the floor, forming a stump. She blew on the stump, and a crackling fire sprung to life. It burned hot a bright for a few moments, then sputtered out. The fire had carved a bowl in the middle of the vine, a bowl now filled with a pale, lilac liquid. Persephone whispered something in Ancient Greek, and the liquid turned clear. She scooped it up into a crystal goblet she had on hand.

"Potion-making is nothing more than advanced nature magic," she informed Cho. "I may not be the goddess of potions, but I am the goddess of nature magic."

A cool spring breeze flew it over the walls of the cage and into Cho's hands. "What's this?" she asked nervously.

Persephone waved her hand, and the vine disappeared. "What you would call the Draught of the Living Dead. Though, its abilities are far beyond the silly sleeping draught your people have turned it into. Now, drink up." She kneeled next to Cho from the other side of the crystal wall, looking her in the eye for the first time. "I need to speak to my step-son."

END NOTES

Persephone, that's going to be a little hard...

It's almost midnight and I had a long day at work and I'm exhausted, so I'll do comments tomorrow. Sorry :/

STORY: Thank you, Lord Hades. Is it all right if I speak?
OLI: is there much of a difference between "all right" and "alright"? I was always taught "alright" but I've been seeing "all right" more often. Is it a location difference?
LISSY: Alright isn't a word. At least that's what I was taught "Alright is never all right!"
OLI:...let me just rearrange my entire world view

STORY: "Promise not to tell anyone?"... Sirius stepped out of the doorway and into the fresh night air.
OLI: RIGHT HOUSE ARREST! man i though sirius was gonna light a cigarette or smthng
LISSY: *takes out a crack pipe* you want a hit, Ronny boy?

Credits:
Melody Rose - Author (Tumblr melody0rose)
Oli - Beta Reader (Tumblr paradoxicalpsychic)
Suhalia - Beta Reader (Archive Of Our Own users/milkandtahoney/)

Please comment so I know what you think! See you tomorrow!