CHAPTER SUMMARY

Hecate and Hades deal with the loss of their children.

BEGINNING NOTES

Chapter Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Content Warning: Graphic Depictions of Violence
Word Count: 2994

This is the last one for today.

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

Credits at the end.

_PERCY_

No one knew how to go on without Nico. He was their ringleader, the one who always knew what to do and where to go. How could they navigate the Underworld without him? And, hell, how could they stop the war without him? If Rachel was right and this quest would follow the same pattern as last year's, Nico should've been the one to end the madness. But he couldn't. He was dead.

It wasn't fair. Percy had never felt so hopeless in his life. His brother was dead, his fiancée was thousands of miles away, he was lost in the Underworld with the end of the world looming over his head. He was supposed to be the leader, the pride of Camp Half-Blood, the one who saved Olympus again and again. Will, Blaise, and Hestia kept looking to him for guidance, but he had nothing. And he could barely think straight through his grief.

The four of them walked until they were ready to drop. No one wanted to be anywhere near the palace after Hades' threat to keep them in the Underworld forever.

When none of them could take another step, they made camp, ate what little they had left, and settled down to sleep. Percy pushed down his tears; there was a time to cry, and now wasn't it. He had to be strong for the others, especially Will, who hadn't said a word since "Nico's dead." Percy closed his eyes, focused on the crackling fire, and said a silent prayer to Poseidon:

Dad, if you can hear me, tell me what to do to save my brother.

When he fell asleep, he was back in the Palace of Hades, standing with Macaria outside a closed door. With a shaking hand, the goddess of blessed death turned the knob and entered the room. When the door opened, Percy discovered with she was so afraid. At the far end of the room sat a king-sized bed. In the bed lay Nico. At his side was Hades.

"Father," Macaria called.

"What are you doing here?" Hades didn't bother to look up.

Macaria didn't answer. She made her way to Hades, a sad smile on her face. Her eyes sparkled with tears. "You've kept it the same," she said.

"It's his room. He can keep it as he likes."

She sat beside her father. "He hasn't been in here since Kronos was destroyed."

"I suppose I hoped he would come back. And, after he renounced me, I... well, I couldn't bring myself to look at this place." Hades stroked Nico's hair with a tender hand. "I should have told him he was wanted. Maybe things would've been different."

Macaria took his hand, but even she, his beloved daughter, pull Hades from his grief. Percy took advantage of the silence to explore Nico's room. It was big enough to fit their apartment plus some. Lived in, messy. Macaria was right, Hades hadn't changed a thing, not even cleaned. The room served as a time capsule of eleven-slash-twelve-year-old Nico, the one that spent more time with the dead than the living, who tried so hard to be creepy and intimidating so he wouldn't get attached to anyone else. And it worked. He'd creeped Percy out so much that he'd never thought of befriending him. He'd gotten a glance at the real tween Nico at his fifteenth birthday party, when he invited Nico in for cake. But, looking at this room, he saw the Nico he'd never bothered to know.

There was a kitchenette to Percy's left, complete with a two-person dining table. The counter was full of sugary cereals, potato chips, candy, soda, basically anything unhealthy. Candy wrappers littered the floor. To Percy's right was a plasma T.V. with a Playstation 3, Wii, and XBox 360 plugged in. A Wiimote and nunchuck still sat on the armchair in front of the T.V.. A huge bookshelf housed at least a hundred games. A carpet was pushed to the back corner, allowing a thirty-foot runway where Nico could sock-skate, play, and practice with his sword. There was a half-finished Lego battleship right in the center. His bedroom dresser was piled high with comic books. There was a framed picture of Bianca's Westover Hall picture day photo on the nightstand, a second photo of ten-year-old Nico and four boys playing Mythomagic, and a third of a red-haired boy and Nico grinning on a cliffside.

Under the third photo was a piece of line paper. It was a short letter, written in black pen.

Hey stupid-face.

Seriously? It took you six months to finally write me? I thought we were supposed to be friends. (¬_¬)

Peter told me I shouldn't say that cause of Bianca. I was just trying to make you laugh. I'm really sorry. If you needed six months, it's OK. But you're my best friend. I'm here to help you.

So your long-lost dad showed up and pulled you out of school? Dude, that's straight out of a movie. I'm sorry he's ignoring you, but maybe he's cold cause he feels bad? I mean, he made you think you were an orphan. That's messed up. I'd feel bad if I did that to my kid. Give him a chance. I think once he gets to know what an awesome guy you are he'll lighten up. Hey, at least he's super rich. And I bet homeschool is way better then this place.

Everyone says hi. Mythomagic tournaments aren't the same without you. Plus, my new roommate is way lamer. School's sucky to.

Write back soon, k?

- Matt O'Harris

Percy knew Nico had to grow up much faster than he should've. He always thought that Bianca's death was the nail in the coffin that was Nico's innocence and childhood. But, looking around at this place, reading that letter, he knew that wasn't true. Here, Nico had a second chance to be a kid... just a demigod kid. Then the Second Titan War forced him to grow up again, then his trip to Tartarus, then the Second Giant War, and then the quest to Hogwarts. It was poetic in a terrible way that Nico would die here, surrounded by the last bastion of his childhood. His last true happy place would become his tomb.

"He loved you," Macaria told Hades.

A smile flickered on Hades' lips for an instant, until his grief consumed him once again. "My sweet daughter. I don't deserve you."

"That's not true!" Macaria cried. "The Lethe did this, not you!"

"You're right," Hades said with a broken voice. "The Lethe washes everything away. They had to forget me to protect them from Zeus. I thought that was my punishment for raising them and breaking the ancient laws. They would die one way or the other, by Zeus's hand or by the Lethe's. I thought he was a shell of his former self. There was nothing left of the son I raised in the boy that came to me asking for this room. He was withdrawn, angry, stiff, nearly emotionless." At last, Hades looked up from Nico and looked his daughter in the eye. "He was mourning his sister. He was afraid of me. I didn't realize. I'd just lost Bianca... seeing Nico... I was bitter and angry, and I took it out on him. The son I loved was back, but he was a shell, a reminder of what I'd lost... thought I'd lost. I didn't see what I was doing to him until Hecate twisted his mind. Had I controlled my anger and seen clearly, I would've had my son back. This is my punishment. If I'd only been smarter, he never would've doubted how much I love him."

Macaria, with tears in her eyes, kissed her father on the cheek. It was such a sweet gesture, even Hades had to smile, if only for a moment. "Mother sent me. She-"

"I am not speaking to your mother right now."

"Father... it's him."

Hades' eyes darkened. The purple fire flared in his eyes. "Look after your brother. Don't let anyone in this room."

"Yes, Father."

Percy followed Hades to the throne room. He watched as the King of the Underworld took his throne without a word to his wife. Persephone looked equally angry, but there was unmistakable guilt buried in that anger too. Percy was glad for it. He'd gone from respecting Persephone to hating her as much as Hera. She had thrown Nico into the Mnemosyne, the River of Memory. She'd undone the effects of the Lethe and as good as killed her stepson. Hell, she sent him on this quest to begin with and threw him back in a world that he no longer belonged in. Hades and Percy both knew he'd be alive if not for her. Maybe the Lethe would've claimed him eventually, but it would've been slow enough that they could've saved him.

"Unless I ask for you, you are silent in this meeting," Hades ordered.

Persephone clenched her fists. "Yes, my lord," she forced herself to say.

Hades motioned to some skeleton guards. "Get him."

The guards chattered something intelligible to Percy. Five more guards ushered a human figure into the room, bound and gagged with their face entirely covered. The largest one threw them on the ground. Thick vines grew out of the floor and wrapped around the figure's arms and legs, forcing them to kneel.

"Untie him. I want to see the fear in his eyes."

The skeletons unmasked their prisoner. It was Alabaster; he was out cold and deadly pale. Skin had come clean off parts of his arms and legs, revealing patches of muscle and bone. His shirt and jeans looked like they were stitched together after the explosion. It was a horrible sight.

"Wake him."

A skeleton threw their leg bone at Alabaster. He woke with a start. He started thrashing, fighting against the vines. Desperate tears fell from his eyes, but there was nothing he could do. He saw his reflection in the polished bronze floor. He flinched and started to thrash even harder. Hades and Persephone both watched him with cruel smiles on their faces.

Their smiles faded when Alabaster went completely still. The signature Torrington sly grin crept onto his face. "I can feel pain," he realized. His smile widened. A faint glow surrounded his body, and his skin magically healed. Alabaster laughed. "Will Solace showed me some healing spells before he left for the Underworld. I can still do magic. I'm alive." As soon as he said it, the grin disappeared from his lips. "I'm alive... how am I alive?"

Hades' eyes narrowed. "Simple. You're no use to me dead." Fear returned to Alabaster. Hades stepped down from his throne and circled Alabaster, infinitely more intimidating because he was still ten feet tall. "So, what to do with the son of magic?" he pondered. "What to do with Alabaster C. Torrington, the favorite son of Hecate, the favored demigod of Kronos, leader of his treacherous siblings, traitor to Olympus... What. To. Do..." He stopped pacing. He turned to Persephone. "What should we do, my dove?"

Persephone lounged in her throne, fingers tapping the flat side of her sword. "I don't know, my lord. He has certainly caused his fair share of trouble."

"I would say so." Hades turned to Alabaster. "What would the son of magic recommend?"

Alabaster bristled. "I don't use that title anymore."

"Why?" Hades questioned. "It was the name your beloved master used. And you were proud, weren't you! General of demigods, quite a prestigious position." Alabaster yelled and thrashed as though he wanted to dive at and attack Hades. The god of the Underworld only laughed.

"I will call you whatever I please. You are nothing without your mother and stepfather, you understand. I am the eldest of my brothers by birth, the most powerful with the largest realm. Everything belongs to Hades eventually, every mortal, demigod, and monster. I have gods and heroes at my door every day, begging for mercy or for their loved ones back. I deserve the throne of Olympus! You are NOTHING when you are within my realm!

"And then, there's the son of magic and his snake of a mother, slithering behind my back, whispering in the ear of gods and demigods. So, tell me, what should I do with the so-called hero who returned to Olympus's realm after he was banished? Who betrayed the gods who showed him mercy? What should I do with the boy that turned my son against me and trained him in the dark arts? What should I do with the son of magic, who took my dying son from me? WHAT. SHOULD. I. DO?"

Alabaster spat at Hades' feet. Furious, Hades motioned to Persephone. She pointed her sword at Alabaster, and he writhed in pain, his mouth agape in a silent scream. "You may have control over magic," Persephone mused, "but so do I. I can harm your very soul. Don't force my hand."

"Send a message to Hecate and Merlin," Hades said. Alabaster's eyes widened. "Oh yes, son of magic, I know all about Merlin. My spy is hours away from the Stone. My forces are closing in on the Doors of Orpheus and Camp Half-Blood. As for D.O.A. Recording Studios... Athena will help me take them the moment I have the Stone in my hands."

"You can't get Athena involved!" Alabaster pleaded. "Mars will join Mom! They'll destroy everything!"

"Not if I destroy her first." Hades got an evil gleam in his eye. He turned towards the biggest skeleton. "I'll take a page out of Zeus's book. I'm sure the Kindly Ones would agree that this traitor should suffer the same fate as his master. Break every non-essential bone in his body and throw him into a cell. If he doesn't eat, force food down his throat. Keep him alive for less than sixty years, and you will be utterly destroyed."

Persephone's eyes widened in shock. "My lord-"

"Not now, Persephone," Hades growled.

The skeletons dragged Alabaster away as he screamed, "Mom will come for me! You can't stop her-"

His scream turned incoherent at the first crunch of bone.

The scene changed. Now Percy was in a church. Hecate stood at the altar, waiting. A man Percy knew must be Merlin made his way down the aisle. "Hecate-"

"Tell me it's not true!" Hecate shouted. "Hades cannot have Nico di Angelo! He cannot have the Artifacts or so help me-"

Merlin held up a hand. Hecate silenced herself. "He doesn't have the Artifacts. He has di Angelo, yes, but the Artifacts are lost, crushed when Thalia Grace and Lou Ellen severed the Lotus Eater's magic. Their hotel crumbled to ruin. The Artifacts have returned to their master."

"Alabaster's already in the Underworld," Hecate realized. "This is wonderful news! I'll contact him immediately, under their influence, Thanatos will be power-hungry."

"Hecate-"

"Alabaster must convince him to overthrow Hades, then you and I together can charm the new Lord of the Dead to hand them and di Angelo over."

"Hecate-"

"What?! Oh, my beloved, this is- why do you look like that."

Merlin took Hecate's hands. "Hecate... Hades has Alabaster."

"No..." Hecate whispered. Her voice was just as broken as Hades' had been in the presence of Nico. "No, no, no, no!" She burst into tears, hugging her husband's chest. At the sight of his distraught wife, Merlin allowed a few tears to fall himself. It was odd to Percy, seeing a godly step-parent who actually loved their stepchild, but Alabaster had said Merlin raised him along with Hecate. It made sense that he would feel the loss too.

"Is he alive?" Hecate asked in a weak voice.

"Apparently so," Merlin conceded. "But, there's no way to know-"

"Pull our forces from D.O.A. Recording Studios immediately," Hecate ordered. "Send an olive branch to Hades, a temporary truce. Should he return Alabaster, Hermione Granger will give him the Philosopher's Stone once she recovers it. Make an oath on the Styx."

"Hecate?" Merlin questioned. "You want us to surrender? We will lose the respect of the council, Bellona especially. We are so close to getting Mars! The trial is tomorrow. If we do such a thing, we will lose everything."

"Send the message," Hecate insisted. But something was off about her tone of voice. Merlin noticed it too but said nothing. Instead, he waved his hand. A green forcefield engulfed the two of them.

"Speak your mind," Merlin said.

Hecate focused on the stained-glass window over Merlin's shoulders, tears still in her eyes. "You and I will cast layers of magic over Camp Jupiter. Spread chaos and confuse the demigods in New Rome. When Camp Jupiter thinks Dionysus has chosen Hades, they will turn against Camp Half-Blood and cause a civil war among the demigods. While they argue, we will send visions to the Doors of Orpheus, making them think the Furies are attacking the Hunters and their forces. In the eyes of Olympus, I have offered Hades peace, and, instead of taking it, he tries to viciously solidify his power. Let him have the Stone, for all I care. Once I have the backing of Olympus, it is useless to him. When I am made the Mistress of the Dead, I will take the Artifacts myself and force Nico di Angelo to dethrone Zeus. We will have our son back and everything we ever wanted. For Alabaster."

Merlin stared at Hecate, utterly speechless. But, he caught himself. "As- as you wish, my darling. We will tell no one of this, I assume?"

"Of course not. Someone is feeding Hades information he should not have. I will not risk our son's life for anything." With a wave of her hand, the force field faded. "Send the message, Merlin?"

But both Merlin and Percy knew that wasn't a question.

END NOTES

There's no more beta commentary on this fic because this is the point where Oli had finals and had to stop beta reading.

Credits:
Melody Rose - Author (Tumblr melody0rose)

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