CHAPTER SUMMARY

The wizards discuss Ron's dream. Nico's group set out for Persephone.

BEGINNING NOTES

Chapter Rating: General Audiences
Content Warning: Cursing, Violence (mild), Sexual Themes (mentioned only)
Word Count: 4142

I didn't post yesterday because I was updating my other fic, Shoot An Arrow Through His Heart. You should check it out!

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

Credits at the end.

_PERCY_

Percy liked watching Blaise and Hestia do magic. There was something effortless and cool about it. Thick rope poured out of their wand and wrapped itself around Melinoe's hands and feet, in case she shook off their stunning spell. They would have to carry her to the rendezvous point with Persephone. Hopefully it wasn't far, because she was a full-grown woman and not exactly on the skinny side.

Will threw him a banana from their supply bag. "Eat," he said. "I don't want you passing out."

"Thanks, doc," Percy said as he peeled the fruit.

"Pass one on to Nico? He went in that direction." Will threw another banana at Percy and pointed towards the river.

"What's he doing so close to the Lethe?" Percy asked.

"I don't know. You should check on him," Will said. "We were talking a bit about Nico's past before, and it was pretty heavy. Not sure what to say to him after that, honestly, and I think he feels the same way. I'm not the guy to bring up Bianca."

Percy nodded. "Gotcha. I'll be right back."

He found Nico perched on top of a pile of rocks overlooking the Lethe. He was far enough that he wasn't in danger of getting sprayed by the water, but it was still a little too close for comfort.

"Nico?" Percy called. He inched closer and saw exactly what he was afraid of. He gently put his hand on his brother's, preventing Nico from reopening his shoulder wound any further. "Hey. Let's put that away."

Percy didn't think about the fact that Nico had gauze on hand. He was just thankful that the wound wasn't deep, and stopped bleeding soon after he wrapped it up.

"It's only the second time," Nico said. "I wanted to on Persephone's quest, but I didn't. But everything kinda built on top of each other, you know?" And Nico launched into the story, everything, starting from his trip to Italy and ending with his run-in with Bianca. The things he hadn't wanted to share with anyone else. "What if I do love him, Percy? What if it wasn't just grief like Annabeth said?"

"Stop stressing about it," Percy advised. "Even if you do love him, that doesn't mean you have to forgive him. That doesn't make you guilty of murder." Nico said nothing, so Percy continued. "Look, that son of Zeus, Stalin? He killed millions of people too, and Jason and Thalia still love Jupiter. Does that make them bad people?"

"No," Nico said. "You're right. Thanks." He didn't sound any more sure than before.

"So, Bianca?" Percy asked, gesturing to the gauze on Nico's upper arm.

Nico couldn't meet his eye. He unconsciously played with the ruby on Macaria's necklace. "I made peace with all their deaths last year. But, especially after Alastor's poison dream, I can't stop thinking about her decision. I... get it. We'd been out of the Lotus less than a year, and we were both still thinking like it was the 1930's. It's why she reacted the way she did when I came out. She loved me, she'd never leave me, we both knew that, but she was raised in a different decade. It took me years to really adapt to the twenty-first century; she never had the time to. Back then, all she could ever be was a mother. Twelve, and she already had to raise someone. She felt trapped."

"You're right. That's exactly what she told me," Percy said. "But, Nico, it was selfish of her to do that when she knew you needed her. You're allowed to be upset."

"It wasn't selfish!" Nico protested. "She wanted to escape her genes as much as I do. I lost the ability to complain when I gave up my half-blood status. I can't blame her. She was twelve. No one makes good decisions at twelve."

"Then what is it?" Percy asked.

"It's that she did it in, like, five minutes. She finds out she's a half-blood, she hears about the Hunters, and is like 'sign me up!' without even thinking about it. I know you're impulsive at twelve, but... seriously? No, 'hey let me sleep on it before I make a decision that lasts forever?' "

"She did ask for Zoë's opinion."

"The most unbiased source on the planet," Nico deadpanned. They both got a little chuckle out of that. "I wish she asked me, Percy. I wish she trusted that I'd tell her to go for it if it made her happy. In a way, I'm glad she died too soon to regret it. Maybe she would've been happy as a Hunter... but I wish she realized that we were in a new century, that she could've been anything."

Nico stood and held his hand out to Percy. "I've done enough 'these are my feelings' talks. We need to get to Persephone, and I need my sword back. I won't cut, I promise."

Percy reluctantly handed it over. Nico put his aviator's jacket back on and zipped it all the way up to hide the gauze. They rejoined the group, who was all packed and ready to go. "Where to, boss?" Blaise asked Nico.

"You sound like Percy's horse," Nico groaned, but he was grinning all the same. "My first thought was the Palace, but I'm not in the mood for Hades to throw me into the Lethe."

"You think Macaria was serious?" Hestia asked.

Nico grimaced. "Not crazy to find out. Next best place? The groves of Persephone."

"Makes sense," Will said. "How do we get there?"

Nico pointed to the rock formation he and Percy were just sitting on. "We jump into Elysium. Literally."

If someone asked Percy how to scare him, he'd say, "After Tartarus? Can't think of anything." Well, now he'd say, "Jumping off a rock fifty feet in the air over the River of Forgetfulness hoping that no one in the most densely packed and well-guarded place in the Underworld will notice."

"I never thought going to Elysium on a quest would be a bad thing..." Will muttered.

"Who's going first?" Hestia whimpered.

Everyone turned to Nico. The look in his eyes was one of utter betrayal.

"Hey, it was your idea," Blaise said.

"If you drop me, Zabini, I will haunt you until the day you die," Nico threatened. "Okay... one, two, three!" Nico sprinted to the edge of the rock and jumped off.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Blaise shouted. The spell hit Nico halfway over the edge. His fall slowed, more controlled now, until he landed safely out of the Lethe splash zone.

"Easy!" Nico shouted up to them. "Who's next?"

Let's get this over with.

It was just as terrifying as he imagined it would be.

They followed Nico as he walked downriver. "This is Elysium?" Hestia asked, staring at the barren wasteland. There was nothing but rocks and the gigantic mouth of a cave.

"Go around. Far around," Nico advised.

"Are you sure we're in the right place, Neeks?" Will asked.

"Don't call me Neeks. And yes, Elysium is further down."

"Then what's the cave?"

"Um..." Nico mumbled something that sounded vaguely like, "Cave of Klingons. "

"The Cave of Kronos?!" Will hissed.

"He's not there anymore!" Nico protested. "He's been in Tartarus for millennia! Come on, guys, it's totally safe. I used to come here a lot and-" Nico looked like he was about to kick himself.

"And what?" Will pressed.

"-play Mythomagic," Nico finished with grit teeth. "After Percy gave me that figurine I bought a new deck. Sometimes people from Elysium would see and play with me, ok?!"

"And then what?" Hestia asked, trying to suppress a giggle.

"Then Kronos attacked Olympus, and I got a little busy," Nico snapped.

"I think we found your stupid twelve-year-old decision," Percy said.

"Can we- can we just walk?!"

Finally, they reached the gates of Elysium. "How do we get in?" Percy asked.

"I get us in," Nico said. "Judging by what Macaria said, Hades isn't spreading the word about what happened. Which means I still have special son-of-Hades access."

Right on cue, the gates opened. Nico held out his hand to Will. Will took it nervously. "It'll be fine," Nico assured them, then strolled in like he owned the place. Will gave Percy one, last, pleading glance.

"Come on," Percy forced himself to say. He did not have a good feeling about this.

Even less so when the gates shut behind him.

_RON_

Ron woke Hermione, Sirius, and the Granger adults minutes after he woke up himself. The two of them joined him at the kitchen table without question. He recounted his dream in as much detail as possible, watching as their faces grew darker and darker.

"You should send an owl to Dumbledore," Mr. Granger said. "If he's in contact with the gods, he'll be able to tell us where the death eaters will strike first and we can-"

"What? Stop them?" Ron asked. "Mr. Granger, most of the Order is trapped in the Ministry."

"We have to get in contact with Annabeth," Hermione said. "She's the best chance we have to defeat Angelos."

"With any luck, she'll Iris message you soon," Sirius said.

"But what about Hecate and Merlin?" Ron pressed.

"What about them?" Hermione asked.

Ron couldn't believe it. "What do you mean, 'what about them?' Didn't you listen, Hermione? We're being used!"

"Of course we're being used," Hermione said, matter-of-fact. "Merlin told me he wanted us to protect the Wizarding World from falling into chaos. In your dream, he told Hecate that we agreed to protect the Wizarding World from falling into chaos. I don't see what the problem is."

"Oh, come on, Hermione! He didn't mention the Philosopher's Stone, did he?"

"No, Ron , but from what he said, he clearly didn't think of it until his spy told him Hades wanted it. How could he ask me to do something he didn't know about yet?"

"So you have no problem fetching a weapon for him and hoping he doesn't use it to escalate the war?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "What's he going to do, turn stuff into gold and throw it at Hades? He said he wanted the Stone to rebuild the Wizarding World! It's not a weapon, it's a tool."

" We're the tools, Hermione! Not the damn stone!"

"Yes, and so were Nico, Percy, and Annabeth when Hades sent them to kill Riddle! They're gods, humans are their tools, what matters is what they want you to do, and I have no problem being used to save the world! Do you want everyone we love to die?!"

"No, I want to stop the war before everyone we love dies! I get that he enchanted you in your ski lodge, but we know now he isn't such a nice bloke after all, so why should we play into his hands?"

"Stop it!" Sirius shouted. "You're both right. Hermione, Merlin is loyal to his wife first and us second. Ron's right to be wary of his motives. They clearly care about us and hate what's happening to the Wizarding World, but look at what Hecate promised him if they win. Recruiting powerful allies like Bellona doesn't strike me as the act of a man who wants to de-escalate the situation.

"And, Ron, Hermione's right too. You have to do what Merlin says. They want to keep us safe and, frankly, they're our only chance at this point. Giving them the Philosopher's Stone won't do anything except help us rebuild and heal. If he could use it as a weapon, he would've said that to Hecate. He had no reason to lie to her and didn't know you were listening in. Hopefully, by the time you've found it, our demigod allies will have stopped the war themselves. Hermione's right to trust him. Just don't trust him blindly."

"Why should we pick a side?" Ron asked.

"Because Hecate's our patron," Sirius said, "which means we've picked a side already. Even if we openly declare our neutrality, Hades and his forces will always treat us as Hecate's followers. Besides, this is the god who decided to commit genocide on our people-innocent people-because of Hecate's actions. His own son disowned him and joined Hecate's side by the end of his quest. If that doesn't tell you something, I don't know what will."

Ron bit his lip. "All right, but this war is a bad idea."

"I think we all agree there," Mrs. Granger replied. "The first priority is to make sure that Hecate and Hades don't destroy the world. From what I understand, those demigods are our best bet." She pursed her lips. "And Annabeth wants the Philosopher's Stone. And, as- as much as it pains me to say, she's not going to find it without the two of you."

"It'll be dangerous, Mum," Hermione warned her.

Mrs. Granger took her daughter's hand and smiled. "You've faced danger before. I'm proud to say I raised a hero."

Ron glanced around the table. Hermione, her parents, her aunt and uncle, Sirius. Could they really save the Wizarding World when it was so bad already?

I have to try.

"Let's get a bag together," Ron told Hermione. "I have the feeling Annabeth's going to I.M. us soon. We'll have to be ready to start a quest of our own."

_NICO_

It was somewhat surprising that they got all the way to the south end of Elysium without anything interesting happening.

"Go wander," Nico told his friends. "I'll catch up with you guys later."

"You're going in alone?" Will asked.

"I'm not bringing her Melinoe until Persephone answers my questions," Nico explained. "And I don't trust her with a son of Poseidon or followers of Hecate with the war going on. Go, pretend you're dead. Meet Shakespeare. Or Einstein. If I have my bearings right, Silena and Beckendorf's house is two blocks east from here. Have fun. I'll find you."

"If you're not back in an hour, we're breaking in," Percy told him.

"I wouldn't expect any less," Nico said.

They left. Alone, Nico walked to the south gate of Elysium. This was one of the only places left in the Underworld that he'd never been to.

"Nico di Angelo?" He turned to see a nymph in a toll booth, tapping on the glass. "I'm Herkyna, one of Persephone's attendants. She's expecting you."

Nico tried to keep himself from laughing. "Persephone needs someone to guard her forest? Who's going to steal her sacred trees?"

"You'd be surprised," Herkyna said with a sly smile. "We had a run-in with Lewis and Clark a few centuries ago. Step inside."

He passed through poplar trees and mint plants. All he could hear was the gurgling of the River Mnemosyne. The water called out to him, beckoning him closer. He looked around. He didn't see Persephone. He dropped to his knees and reached out to touch it.

The water was warm, tropical, even. It seemed to laugh each time Nico's fingers made a ripple. He laughed himself. Juvenile playfulness overtook him. He slid into the river, soaking his clothes in the warm water. He splashed the other bank, pretending that the shadows of the poplar trees were monsters to be slain. Bam! The water hit them. Bam! Another was gone.

He cupped water in his hands and splashed his face with it; it felt as good on his face as it did on his body. He did it a second time, savoring the feel of the warm water dripping down his cheeks. He caught a drop on the tip of his tongue and giggled.

"Having fun?"

Nico whipped his head around. There was Persephone, eyebrows raised. To her right sat Cerus, anxious to say hello.

"Uhhhh..." He grabbed a handful of water and threw it at the goddess. "Gotcha!"

Persephone did not look pleased. A warm breeze came, and the water on her dress dried instantly. "Come out of there, now. You, of all people, should know that the rivers of Erebos are not to be trifled with!"

"Oh come on, it's harmless!" Nico complained.

Persephone groaned. "Get. Out. Or I will turn you into a mint plant, too."

He didn't feel like being a plant for the third time, so he forced himself out of the riverbank. Embarrassment hit him like an avalanche. "Shit. Fuck. Um... crap."

"Anything else?" Persephone snapped.

"There's dammit, bullshit, dick, douchebag, I could go all day." Nico smacked himself on the forehead. "What is happening to me?"

"The river." Persephone gestured to his sopping wet clothes. Nothing but his hair was dry. "Don't worry, it will wear off. The River of Memory. It, ah, reminds you of your past in a powerful way."

"So...?"

" So , it seems you were quite the annoying ten-year-old. Perhaps that explains your mother's incompetence. Why else would my husband constantly have to intervene?"

"What does... wait, hey!"

Persephone shooed Cerus away. He happily charged at a nearby tree and splashed across the riverbank to the opposite end of the grove. "Walk with me, Nico."

As much as he wanted to defend his mother, he needed to stay on Persephone's good side if he had any hope of finding the Artifacts. So, he swallowed his pride and joined the goddess of spring on a walk in the woods.

"Where is Melinoe?" Persephone inquired.

"With the others in Elysium," Nico replied.

"I suppose you want something in exchange for my traitorous daughter?"

Nico shot a crooked smile. "Maybe." Persephone rolled her eyes. "What did Hades do to make his own daughter-"

"She isn't."

That caught Nico by surprise. He'd never heard of Persephone having a child with anyone but Hades. "Then whose is she?"

"Zeus disguised himself, as usual. This time, as Hades. I found out about his trick when it was too late."

Nico recoiled. "Your dad dressed up like his own brother to have sex with his daughter? Ew, that's- ugh, gross!"

"Imagine how I feel."

Nico decided to change the subject to something less disgusting. He had a reason for coming, after all. "Why do you keep helping me?"

"In times of crisis, you must fall back on what you know. Hades' passion aside, we need trustworthy allies."

"Passion," Nico mumbled. "Hatred, you mean. And I'm not your ally. I don't want war."

Persephone sighed. "Contrary to what you half-bloods may think, most gods don't want to end the world either. I want victory, yes, but as painless as possible."

"And you don't have children of your own to do your dirty work," Nico muttered. Persephone said nothing. "Wait... you do?"

"I love my husband, as he loves me. But, when you're immortal, 'as long as we both shall live' takes on a whole new meaning. So, yes, when my anger subsides I can forgive Hades when he has a child once every century. I am not Hera. I may do the same."

"But... I've never heard of one."

"My mother claims them as hers. Our powers are similar enough. I'm sure Hades knows, but it's not as though he'd kill every child of Demeter on the off-chance it's actually mine."

"Why won't you claim them?"

Persephone stopped walking. They'd reached a small oasis filled with sparkling river water. She sat on a fallen poplar tree a few feet from the edge of the water lapping at the mossy ground. "Most gods can kill their stepchild. Hades can do far worse."

That was enough to distract Nico from the Mnemosyne's sparkling shore. "You think he'd throw your children in the Fields of Punishment?"

"No," Persephone said, "but all it would take is one fit of passion. And we both know Hades is prone to passion." She looked up at Nico, her eyes far softer than he'd expected. "And that is why I can't give you what you seek, Nico. The Artifacts must stay hidden. In the wrong hands, they could destroy the world."

"I'm not the wrong hands," Nico pressed. "I united them before. I can do it again."

Persephone shook her head. "And that's why you should know better. They change people. You felt the effect of their power. They whisper dark thoughts in your ear; eventually, you become addicted. And the more powerful you are, the easier it is to slip away. Under their influence, Thanatos was so power-hungry that he tried to depose Hades himself."

"You make them sound like the ring from the Lord of the Rings. "

Persephone smiled mischievously. "Tolkien was always one of Thanatos's favorite sons."

Nico thought about his conversation with Annabeth five days ago. He'd said the same thing-the Artifacts turned him into Lord Voldemort. He'd had them such a short time, too.

"But, how else can we keep Athena and Mars from taking sides?" Nico asked. "Once they're involved, the world's done for."

"I know. I remember the last time Athena and Ares fought. You know it as the Great War. I remember when Hades took a side. I saw the extent of his wrath, and it drove me away. I will never let my lord do that again."

"That's why there were so many children of Hades by World War Two. You left him."

"He has a blind spot for those he cares about. His children worship him like all demigods worship their parent. His love is blind, and that blindness leads to terrible mistakes. When I saw the things Hades pretended not to, I begged him to kill those responsible and be done with it. He refused. And I am not as unquestionably loyal as his children are."

Nico got the feeling he knew precisely which child of Hades Persephone was talking about. There was no way for her to understand how-important-that topic had become to him, how her concern echoed his own fears, but even if she didn't intend to play on his emotions, it was, unfortunately, a good argument. If he could ignore something so horrible when it was convenient, what would he do with a superweapon? What wouldn't he do? If even Persephone was unsure...

Maybe Hecate has a point after all.

"He won't get to them. I won't let him," Nico vowed.

"No one can make that promise. No one knows but the Fates." Persephone's eyes were on her wedding ring, glistening like the Mnemosyne in the fake Underworld sunlight. "He regrets what he did, I know that. I couldn't hold it against him any longer. Perhaps that makes me weak, but I love him. And I don't want to be proven wrong."

"Do you want Melinoe or not?" Nico pushed. "Tell me something."

"You will treat me with respect. I am Queen of the Underworld, Nico di Angelo, never forget that," Persephone threatened. Her eyes were dark and stormy, even more so than when she attacked Annabeth and Thalia in the Hades cabin. "And I won't let you put my husband in jeopardy."

The vines of a poplar tree grabbed Nico from behind and pulled him towards the oasis. "Persephone!" Nico shouted. "Stop it! Why are you doing this?"

"I know the prophecy, Nico," Persephone said. "I hoped you wouldn't be the one destined to find them this time, but it's clear to me now. Don't worry, Herkyna will care for you until the war is over. You'll return to your family on January 1st, safe and sound. Thank you for being my champion."

Herkyna ran over the hill. "The gates of Elysium are closed, my queen. No one can get in or out."

"Take good care of him. Protect him with your life, if necessary," Persephone ordered. "He is a hero for the ages and has done me a great service."

Herkyna bowed. "Yes, my queen."

"Persephone, please!" Nico begged. His feet were dangerously close to the shoreline.

"Thank you for bringing my daughter to me, Nico. Cerus!" she called into the empty woods. "We're going to Elysium!"

Cerus bounced out of the woods. He gave Nico one last lick, then ran north to the gates of Elysium.

"I'll see you soon, Nico," Persephone said. The warmth behind her eyes was gone. It was the same casual indifference she'd had since the day he met her. "Forgive me."

His foot slipped, and the poplar tree dragged him into the Mnemosyne. His head submerged, and the sound of Bianca's squeals and Mamma's singing drowned out any final words Persephone may have had for him.

Fa la ninna, fa la nanna [Go to sleep, go to sleepy]
Nella braccia della mamma [In the arms of your mother]
Fa la ninna bel bambin, [Go to sleep, lovely child,]
Fa la nanna bambin bel, [Go to sleepy, child so lovely]
Fa la ninna, fa la nanna [Go to sleep, go to sleepy]
Nella braccia della mamma. [In the arms of your mother]

END NOTES

SOURCES:
Theoi /NymphHerkyna

This week's beta commentary:
STORY: The vines of a poplar tree grabbed Nico from behind and pulled him towards the oasis. "Persephone!" Nico shouted. "Stop it! Why are you doing this?"
LISSY: Oh, come on Nico, you know why. How many damn times have you been kidnapped? Thorn, Minos, that Labyrinth farm, Persephone (#swordofhades), that time Hades sent you to your room, the bronze jar, Triptolemus, Alabaster, Hecate, Alastor, Ceres, do I need to go on? At this point, I think Princess Peach, Lois Lane, and Jordi LaForge are saving you a spot at the annual damsel in distress reunion.

STORY: [Title]
LISSY: I need title ideas. The one I have isn't funny at all.
OLI: the first thing that popped into my head is that old song "buhbuhbuhbuhbuhbuuuuuuuh honey honey"
LISSY: Hahaha

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!

COMMENTS

ShadeFireDragon

"The bull laid down", not "the bull lied down". At least I think so.

And no, I totally didn't skip some chapters. No, not at all. Nope! _ Okay, yes I did.
Thanks for the rapid fire updates!

Oh well, I do run these through a grammar checker but as long as it reads ok I don't mind a mistake here or there. And it's fine, I get skipping chapters, I knew that would happen, but I just need to get this story posted for the reasons I explained a few days ago.

Oh my gods, Mussolini XD Oh my flipping tables gods. Well then. That just happened

Yes, yes it did ;)

Bianca was gonna be a vet? Nuu, poor Bianca

I know :((((