Percy talking
Percy thoughts
Adamos talking
Adamos thoughts
Characters are owned by Rick
(Except Adamos he's mine)
Chapter 16
A Five Star Tour of the Underworld
"You know when I heard we were going to have to sneak into the underworld, I never thought that this," I motion in front of me. "was what the entrance would be like."
Annabeth, Grover, and I had just stepped off of Charon's boat and following the spirits a short way, made it to the entrance of the underworld. Normally when entering the Greek equivalent of Hell, you'd expect a black iron gate, a massive door with pictures of the dead or some other hellish entrance you'd see in a horror movie. But no, instead the entrance to the underworld looks like a security checkpoint at Kennedy International Airport. There were three entrances to the underworld underneath a black archway. Each entrance had a pass-through metal detector and security cameras were mounted in different places on the archway. In place of airport security were a bunch of ghouls dressed in black robes similar to Charon. They even acted like airport security by frisking a spirit every now and then. One of the ghosts even got sent to the back of the line for trying to cut.
"Honestly it kinda fits." Grover said. Annabeth and I gave him weird looks and he blushed at the staring. "I mean haven't you ever had to go through a security terminal. They're a nightmare."
I took a moment and thought about it and found that he was kinda right, I mean I've never been in an airport, but I had gone through security before and it was not an enjoyable experience.
We walked closer to the entrance and now had a good view of the three lines. Two of them were marked with an attendant on duty sign while the third one was marked E-Z DEATH. It was a bit strange because it was the E-Z DEATH line that was moving the fastest while the other two were barley moving at all.
"What's with the lines?"
"They're the lines for judgement. The two slow ones are for judgement by the three judges of the underworld. They decide your after life by reviewing your life. The judges are enlisted from famous people in history. If the judges deem you worthy you go to Elysium, if the deem you as a piece of shit like Gabe, you go to the fields of punishment for eternal damnation and torture. And if they deem the human equivalent of a rice cake than you go to the fields of Asphodel." Adamos explained.
I thought about asking Adamos what qualifies you as a 'human rice cake' but thought against it.
"And what exactly are the fields of Asphodel?" I asked instead.
"Eternal boredom is the best way to describe it. Souls sent there are stripped of their personalities and just wander in a field for eternity. Its actually where that E-Z DEATH line leads to."
"Why would they choose that? Why not go to the judges?" I asked.
I felt Adamos shrug. "Most people probably think that they'll be sent there anyways and don't bother, the rest probably are to scared of the fields of punishment to attempt judgement."
The line of ghouls slowly moves along, with the three of use going along with them. As we got closer, we heard the howls of a massive beast echo through the cave. I looked around to find where it was coming from, Grover and Annabeth doing the same, and it wasn't till we were around fifty feet from the security points when the space in front of us began to shimmer.
In front of us the most massive Rottweiler I had ever seen shimmered into existence. It was easily bigger than any elephant on earth, its body seemed to be trying to settle on if it wanted to be solid or transparent, and it had three massive heads, each one trained on one of us.
The dead seemed to not be bothered by it as they walked past it and even in between its legs, their heads not even close to reaching its belly as this beast was so massive.
"Is that…" I started.
"Yeah." Annabeth whispered.
And is it…" I continued.
"Right at us." Grover whimpered.
The massive dog let out large huffs as if it was taking a deep smell. Then it growled. The sound of the growl reverberated throughout the cave, making the loose stones on the floor move.
"I think it smells us." I said.
"That's all right cause we have a plan." Grover said in a small voice.
"Yeah." Annabeth said, though her voice was trembling. "A plan."
"Please tell me you have a plan?" I nervously think.
"I have many things. Enough money to buy England. Secrets that can topple governments. Houses in Shambala and El Dorado. This, I'm still thinking about. I mean Cerberus is still a dog so you can try to distract him with something, I guess?"
"You're just fucking with me, aren't you?"
"A little. But that doesn't change what you need to do."
"So, either of you have anything we can use to distract it?" I asked. "Any bones we can give it, I mean this is the Underworld."
Annabeth's face then shifted from terrified to one of realization. "Why didn't I think of it sooner." She exclaimed. Annabeth then started to dig around in her back pack and pulls out a red ball the size of a melon. On the side of the ball was written WATERLAND, DENVER, CO.
"See the ball Cerberus? Sit!" Annabeth shouted.
"GRRRRRR." Cerberus growled.
"Any idea what he's saying?" I whisper to Grover.
"I don't think that there's a word in any human language for what he just called us." Grover whispered back.
"Cerberus sit!" Annabeth yelled with more force.
"This is getting us nowhere." Adamos said. I then felt a slight tingling sensation in my body, it was slightly uncomfortable and itched as the feeling grew, but I felt Adamos's power flow out of my body. The spirits passing us immediately give us a wide berth and Cerberus's body tenses. Annabeth doesn't seem to notice as her focus is solely on Cerberus, but Grover started to look uncomfortable. Or at least more than he already was.
"You want the ball Cerberus? Sit!" Annabeth shouted. At this I felt Adamos's energy flare up, as if it was giving an authoritative command to comply with her demands.
"What are you doing?" I ask in astonishment as I watch the behemoth of a dog sit on its haunches.
"I'm getting you in." Adamos says in a stern ton that makes me want to stand up straight and at attention. "A simple power that all war gods have. Call it what you will, charisma, authority, intimidation, or all of the above. Aphrodite can charm people into doing what she wants with her words. War gods such as Athena, Ares, and myself can emit an aura that compels people to follow our orders, much like a general commanding their soldiers." Adamos explains. "The only problem of using this is that now Hades most likely has his attention all on us if it wasn't before."
"Well we wanted his attention, anyways right?" I say rhetorically.
"Good boy!" Annabeth shouts as she tosses the ball to Cerberus. The middle head snaps forward and catches the ball before the other heads and begins to chew on the ball. The left head snaps at the middle one and growls as it tries to steal the ball away.
"Drop it." Annabeth ordered.
Cerberus's heads stop fighting and look at her. The ball was wedged in between its teeth as it stares down at Annabeth.
Adamos let out another wave of power and Cerberus drops the ball. Or at least what remains of the ball as it lands in a torn and slobbery pile on the ground. Annabeth picked up the mess in her hand, ignoring the slobber.
"Good boy." She said. She then glanced at us out of the corner of her eye. "Head to the E-Z DEATH line. It's faster."
"But—" Grover was saying before I grabbed him and pulled him away, but not before sending Annabeth a worried glance.
Grover and I quickly ran past Cerberus. The beast let out a growl only for Annabeth to draw its attention back to herself. She then throws the ball away, commanding Cerberus to fetch. Adamos sends one final pulse of power to order Cerberus to fetch. The dog rushes off to fetch the ball and Annabeth takes chance and runs after us and into the E-Z DEATH line.
The three of us pushed through the line of the dead and through the metal detector. The machine immediately went off. Red lights flashed and a mechanical voice began screaming, "Unauthorized possessions! Magic detected!"
We didn't stop and pushed through into the Underworld and took off into a sprint. The ghosts wearing black shrouds started moving about in a frenzy as the alarms blared. As we ran I looked back to see the cloaked phantoms moving in our direction and at this we picked up our pace.
After a few minutes we dove behind an immense black tree trunk that had fallen over. The security ghouls rushed past us as we held our breaths, trying not to make a sound. After we were sure that they were gone we each let out a breath of relief.
But then something occurred to me. "Why did you have a rubber ball with you?" I asked Annabeth.
She shrugged. "Honestly? I kinda forgot. I just picked it up at the water park. Maybe I thought it would be fun to play with as we traveled. I don't know I was starving, and sleep deprived at the time."
We sat there for a bit longer, taking time to rest and catch out breaths from the running we just did. Annabeth looked over the dead black tree and looked around to make sure the coast was clear by using her invisibility cap. Once she was sure we began walking until we stopped at the top of a hill.
If there was anyway to describe it, the fields of Asphodel was like a sea of people all bunched together, waiting to listen to a concert only for it to be delayed for eternity due to the power being cut. There were no lights throughout the cavern and the wandering souls were all whispering, but all at once so it only sounded like incoherent babbling that echoed through out the cavern. The only unique things in the fields were the random trees that sprouted in random places.
The three of us walked into the sea of spirits, Grover was holding onto both of our shoulders as a way to avoid being separated in the crowd. I was grateful because even though the spirits looked like they could pass through you they apparently had just enough form to at least give you a little shove if you make contact.
We eventually got to where the land seemed to split apart as we walked. On the area off to my right I could see what must have been the fields of punishment. The place was covered in fire and smoke. I could see different types of torture being performed down there, and there were some that I wished I hadn't seen.
Off on the other side was a small gated off valley. This place was bright and sunny and looked like a utopian paradise compared to the drab and bleakness of the rest of the Underworld. This must have been Elysium, but what saddened me about the place was that even though we were far away I could tell that the place was pretty empty. Meaning that most people are never able to reach this oasis of peace in the vast desert of torment that is the Underworld.
We passed by these two areas without much issue and as we moved further into the fields of Asphodel the amount of spirits began to dwindle till there were only a sparse few present. The light around us began to dim, or at least for Grover and Annabeth it would seem, as they began walking more cautiously, what I did notice however was that the darkness seemed to suck the color out of our clothes.
"This place just screams bleak and depressing." I think.
"I know what you mean." Adamos says. "I always told Hades to let Persephone do a bit of remodeling to the place, but he always said no."
I remember that Persephone was the goddess of spring and the queen of the underworld. I was starting to imagine what this place would look like if it was filled with flowers when a loud screech interrupted my thoughts.
In the distance I could see a palace made of glittering obsidian. Directly above the castle I could see three humanoid forms with bat wings circling about. My only guess was that these were the Furies and I don't think that they would be too welcoming to us after we killed them.
"You don't think that its to late to turn back?" Grover said with false hope.
"We'll be okay." I said with as much confidence that I could muster, but it sounded weak even to me because I was growing more nervous the closer we got.
"Yeah." Annabeth added. "We can do this."
"Yeah but you never know, "Grover exclaimed. "The lord of the Underworld might be in Elysium right now. Maybe we should check there."
"Come on goat boy." Annabeth then grabbed his arm.
Grover then yelped as his shoes grew wings and began to lift him off the ground.
"Grover this isn't any time to mess around." Annabeth chided.
"But I didn't—" He yelped again as the shoes took off, dragging him away from us.
"MAIA!" He yelped, but the magic word seemed to have no effect on the out of control shoes. "Maia! Help!" He shouted.
I quickly got over my shock and tried to grab Grover's hand, but I just missed him as he began flying downhill.
We immediately ran after him.
Annabeth desperately shouted. "The shoes! Untie them."
Grover desperately tried but he was never able to reach the footwear, either because the shoes sporadically moved about or that he didn't have enough abdominal strength and flexibility to reach them. Once we get him out of this, I'm suggesting he go in a diet or something because the cheese enchiladas were clearly not doing him any favors.
We chased after him, trying to keep him insight as he ripped through the legs of many spirits, who all grumbled something unintelligible at him. I thought he was going straight to Hades palace, until he veered off course and went another direction. The slope then got even steeper and he began to pick up speed.
Up ahead I saw where the shoes were taking him. Grover was speeding along towards a cave and as I laid my eyes upon it, it sent a chill through my spine, like ice water.
"The entrance to Tartarus." Adamos tensely whispered in my mind.
My eyes widened at the name. I remembered it from my classes and Adamos's lessons. If the Underworld was Hell, then Tartarus was Super Hell. With desperation now fueling my body and mind I tried desperately to think of something that would save my friend.
Water powers? No there was no water for me to take from. Magic? No even if I found a spell that could help, I wasn't confident that I could cast it properly. I could ask Adamos for a power boost, but I wasn't sure if I could catch him in time—wait! Adamos's powers!
I reach deep down and try to feel for the earth around me. We were underground so the stuff was in abundance but as I reached out I felt it resist a little. It wasn't a lot but I forcibly pushed past it and took control of the ground. I felt a massive pull in my gut that caused me to stagger for a second, but I pushed on. Then with on mighty tug I forced the earth to rise in front of us. A massive shard or earth erupted in front of Grover suddenly. It was so sudden that the shoes collided with the stone but then redirected itself, trying to make its way to the pit once again, but that moment of stopping was enough as Grover grabbed the stone shard and was hanging on for dear life.
Annabeth and I immediately caught up to him as he held on to the rock, the shoes pulling him and keeping his legs suspended in midair.
"Grab his legs!" Annabeth ordered. I complied, even though I was feeling tired from summoning the stone, and I grabbed Grover's legs.
Annabeth immediately set to work on removing the cursed shoes, which wasn't easy as they bucked every now and then. Finally, Annabeth managed to pry both the shoes off of his hooves and I immediately had to lift his body weight.
As I set Grover down the three of us watched the shoes take off and plummet straight down into the pit. I was about to suggest we get away when I felt a chill go down my spine. Out of the pit a roar echoed in rage, but there was no sound. The silence fell upon us and seemed to be pressing down on my very soul. Whatever was causing this felt ancient, powerful, and evil. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Annabeth and Grover slightly hunched over as well, both were covering their ears as they were affected by the same overbearing silent pressure.
Then it stopped, but I still felt its affects. My body felt cold and weighed down. None of the monsters that I encountered, even the Furies, gave me this feeling. I decided that the farther away we were the better.
"I—I think we should get going." I suggested.
Grover and Annabeth just dumbly nodded in agreement, to scared of recent events to form words at the moment, and I could blame them.
We slowly walked back towards Hades' castle. The Furies still circling from above the castle.
"Adamos—wha—what was that?" I hesitantly ask, not sure if I wanted to know or not.
"It's not something you should concern yourself with at the moment." Adamos said, but i could hear the tenseness in his voice.
"Why not!" I mentally shout. "Grover was nearly dragged into Super Hell and you're telling me not to worry about it!"
"You were never in any danger Percy so I don't think you should worry."
"But Grover was in danger." I reason.
"Oh yes gods forbid anything happens to the goat." Adamos says dryly. "I'd break my heart if he perished."
"Did…Did you know it was going to happen?"
"… No comment."
"You did!" I mentally shout in anger. "You knew he was in danger and didn't even think to warn me."
"Yeah? So, what. The goat's safety is none of my concern. You're the only one who I need to worry about."
"He has a name." I growl out. "It's Grover."
"Whoopty do. I don't give a shit." Adamos huffs. "Listen for some stupid reason you consider him a friend. I personally don't give a damn whether he dies or not. You can save him all you want but don't expect me to help you do it."
"How can you be such a callous asshole?" I ask in disbelief
"How can you be so impossibly naïve? Look now we both have unanswered questions." Adamos retorts sarcastically.
"Can't you try to be nicer to him." I try to take the polite route.
"No." Adamos said with a tone of finality.
I huff in annoyance and turn my attention on making my way to Hades' palace. But this conversation wasn't over, and I was going to bring it up again in the future or at least figure out what his deal with Grover really was.
The three of us walked closer to the palace and the shrieking form the Furies seemed to get louder. Just up a head was what I guessed Hades' front door as there were two massive bronze gates sitting open. Each one was at least two stories tall and upon closer inspection there were scenes etched into the metal. Scenes of warriors slaughtering each other, an atomic bomb exploding over a city, what looked like plague victims dying in the streets, and… you know what, you get the idea. It was horrific and depressing.
Inside the courtyard however was one of the strangest gardens I had ever seen. It wasn't necessarily bad, in fact it was beautiful in its own way. Multicolored mushrooms and glowing neon flowers grew from the ground, providing an iridescent glow to the area. Large clumps of gemstones sprouted in different places. Rubies, diamonds and others all refracted the light given from the plants and provided a faint multicolored light.
What creeped me out were the statues standing around the garden as if they were all invited to a summer cookout. Statues of adults, children running, centaurs, satyrs, and even a few animals all smiled creepily.
In the center of the garden though was a massive tree bearing fruits. It had to be the prettiest sight out of the entire garden. The trunk looked like multiple trees had sprouted and coiled themselves around themselves before branching of. The wood was a deep reddish-purple color that reminded me of a fine wine. The leaves that sprouted from the branches shifted colors from green to blue to purple and so forth. The pomegranates themselves looked to be constantly in bloom and radiated soft light.
"Come on." Annabeth urged. "We need to keep going."
I understood why she wanted to leave. This was the garden of Persephone and those pomegranates were giving of an almost unbearably alluring scent, but I knew that if I ate one, I would be trapped here for eternity.
I grabbed Grover by the collar of his shirt and pulled him away as he started to wander into the garden.
We walked up the steps and into the main palace. The floor itself seemed to be made of polished bronze and warped our reflection as I looked at it.
There was no ceiling to the massive structure and skeleton warriors were guarding side doorways that we passed every now and then. They were dressed as warriors from different eras and wars. They made no motion to stop us but that didn't keep their hollow eye sockets from following our every movement as we made our way to a massive set of bronze doors at the end of the hall.
A platoon of skeleton soldiers all carrying halberds lined both ends of the doors like a ceremonial guard.
"So, do we knock?" Grover muttered.
A howling wind then echoed through the hall and the doors swung open. The skeleton guard raised their halberds like an archway over our heads, making a tunnel into the throne room.
"I guess that means we go in." Annabeth said.
I however was eying the skeletons as I swore I saw them grinning at us, and my mind went to thinking how those halberds seemed much like a guillotine, ready to drop down and kill us if we messed up.
As we stepped inside i had to admit, the throne room was quite immaculate. The entire room was made from black marble and gems seemed to be engraved into the stone, making the walls shimmer. The room was mostly empty except for the two thrones that sat towards the end of the room, however the larger of the two thrones was occupied.
Out of all of the gods I had met he seemed to be the most godlike, no offense to Adamos but he won by a bit more.
Just sitting he was at least ten feet tall and was dressed in long black robes and had a crown of braided gold resting on his head. His skin was albino white, his hair pitch black and reached to his shoulders. Compared to Ares this guy wasn't really bulked up but just being in his mere presence I could tell he was stronger no doubt. He absolutely radiated power. His gaze was calculating and seemed to make it as if a pressure was resting upon my shoulders. I felt like he should be the one giving orders and held far more wisdom and knowledge than I could ever possess. Adamos said that he stood as an equal with this god as well as our dad and Zeus, so it made me wonder just how much he was holding back.
"You are brave to come here son of Poseidon," He said in a voice that was as smooth as oil. "After what you have done to me, very brave indeed. Or perhaps you are simply very foolish."
At the sound of his voice I felt the air grow a bit colder and a numbness seep into my bones. I felt tired, like I could just collapse and sleep forever. That is until I felt a spark of warmth flood my system.
"I think it would be best if I took over. We need Hades on our side." Adamos said. After a moment I accepted it and let go of my control. I honestly didn't know what I would say to the lord of the dead. I mean I had been trying to find the right words to say since we left the casino but now, standing in his presence felt the words die in my throat. Especially when I got a good look at his robes. Every shift in his movement caused a plethora of faces to appear, faces of torment probably from the fields of punishment, silently screaming in agony.
"Lord Hades," Adamos started. "Exalted uncle. We came along way and faced many trials to appear before you."
Hades brow rose slightly at the shift in tone and actions. Annabeth and Grover how ever had more visual expressions on their faces.
"I merely ask you if you would be willing to help return the Master bolt to Olympus." Adamos said.
"Are you insinuating that I should help you after what you have done." Hades said as his eyes grew dangerously bright. Skeletal soldiers marched into the room from out of the shadows. Grover and Annabeth huddled together, looking ready to fight the bone warriors. Adamos however never even gave them a glance, keeping his gaze solely on Hades.
"Of course not Lord Hades. But with the deadline coming soon I believe that it is the utmost importance to keep war from descending on Olympus. Surely you would know what that would mean?"
Hades brought his hands to his face and began to message his temple. "A war, another gods damn war. It seems that once more my kingdom will be flooded with souls. How many more subdivisions will I have to open!" By this point Hades was out of his throne and pacing back and forth and ranting. The three of us were watching him as he moved about, his height at around fifteen feet now that he wasn't sitting. "I will have to hire more security ghouls, double overtime for the staff. My expenses will go through the roof. After I just managed to balance my finances."
"All the more reason to keep the war from starting Uncle."
"Yeah," Annabeth started talking, but I nearly forgot she even existed she had been so quiet. "So if you would just give us the bolt."
"W—we'll be on our way and out of your hair milord." Grover added on.
However, this seemed to be the wrong thing to say as both gods snapped to their gaze to them and I felt major irritation come from Adamos as he was probably expecting the two to shut up and not bother the lord of the dead.
"You dare to lie!" Hades' voice rose. "You dare accuse me of stealing the bolt while my Helm of Darkness is missing!"
"Your helm…is missing?" Annabeth said as she now had a confused look along with Grover. Adamos kept a straight face.
"Do not feign innocence to me girl. You and that satyr have been gallivanting along with this hero," He spat the word like it was an insult. "coming here to threaten me in Poseidon's name no doubt. Zeus may be a fool but does your father truly believe he can blackmail me into joining his war on Olympus?"
Adamos said nothing as Hades gave us a death glare.
"This is my counter proposal sea spawn, return my helm and turn the Master bolt over to me, or I will stop death." Hades threatened. "The gates to the Underworld will be closed and I will let the dead pour back into the world of the living, and I will have your corpse to lead them against Olympus for these unjust accusations." At this the skeleton guard took one step closer with their weapons drawn.
Inside I was feeling absolutely livid. Hades was accusing and threatening me for stealing something that I had never even seen before. I wanted to yell and shout at him but Adamos held a firm grip on the controls, though I did manage to get enough control to make my eye twitch in annoyance.
"You know," Adamos said as he rose from the kneeling position that he maintained the entire time. "I was hoping this could be done peacefully, without the ultimatums and with us actually working together. You know, once I return the bolt, I could help you find your helm. I mean that is what I was hoping since you let us enter your domain so easily."
"That was easily?" I thought.
Adamos pulled the magic backpack off of my shoulders and reached in. After a second, he pulled his arm out and along with a two-foot-long cylinder of metal that coursed with electricity and hummed with power.
"Is that…" Grover stared in shock.
"You are the thief." Annabeth said, her voice laced with feelings of betrayal, but then her face contorted in anger. "You tricked us, I can't believe you would…" She started shouting.
Adamos snapped his fingers and a pulse of green was sent out from the snap. Grover and Annabeth both collapsed to the floor in unconscious heaps.
"That's enough out of you two. You've been a pain in the ass as it is, I don't need you screwing this up even more." Adamos said as he barely gave them a glance.
Hades's eyes narrowed at the display. "Rendering your companions useless was not a wise choice."
"Actually, it was the best course of action. They would have only been a nuisance at this point." Adamos said and activated the Masterbolt with a flick of his wrist. A small wave of electricity flowed outwards and immediately destroyed the skeleton guards, sending them flying and reduced to nothing more than piles of broken and slightly charred bones. "Now that that's out of the way we can get down to actual business Uncle."
"And what business would that be?" Hades said though his voice was not amused.
"Joining me of course." Adamos said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You stand at a strategic point of value, being able to monitor the realm of monsters, all the while having a kingdom and army that can rival Olympus and /or Atlantis. Plus, you being outside of Zeus's authority but having some sort of sway over the council during the winter solstice. You, Uncle, are an important figure that anyone would be a fool to ignore."
Hades let out a loud laugh that echoed through the hall, but the laugh was humorless and sent my nerves even more on edge than before.
"Demigods. You're all the same." Hades says. "Your arrogance and pride make you foolish. You think that you can come into my domain, throw a few sweet words at me and demand what you please."
"No, I don't. I need you to just hear me out and let me explain everythi—"
"ENOUGH!" Hades shouts. "I tire of hearing you. Even if you don't have my helm, I can still have that bolt. It will make an excellent bargaining tool."
"I told you before that I can't do that Uncle."
"Oh, but what if I offer you this." Hades said. He snaps his fingers and a ball of golden fire erupts in front of us.
My breath hitched. In the center of the flames was my mother, her face frozen in the same horrified face as when the Minotaur was crushing her.
"Adamos." I whisper worriedly.
Adamos narrows his eyes. "The prophecy Percy. We need to leave your mother behind."
"What?! No, we can't! We—You have to save her. Please!" I begged internally. If I was in control, I felt that I would barely be holding in tears. I was so close to rescuing my mother, but I was unable. I had no control of the situation and could only watch as it unfolded.
"Just trust me!" Adamos mentally shouted. "She will be fine. I'll make Hades see reason. I promise." His voice turning soft and caring.
I was worried but something told me he was right. The line of the prophecy 'You will fail to save what matters most in the end'. I wouldn't save her but maybe Adamos can make sure she's safe.
"I can't accept that deal Uncle. If you would just listen, I can explain everything."
"No. I think that we are done here." Hades says and with the wave of his hand my mother disappears and with her it felt like a piece of me went with her. "If you won't give me the bolt then I suppose I must take it by force, and use of such a weapon as the Masterbolt in my domain can be taken as a challenge."
Hades raised his hand and the shadows seemed to gather in his palm before he shot out a black orb of energy.
Adamos's eyes widened and he raised his hands, one of them still clutching the Masterbolt, and a large shield flared to life as I felt him channeling large amounts of his own power. It was comprised of seven layers, each one round like a massive magenta colored barrier, however the shield closest to us was shaped like a seven petaled flower. I had never seen this spell before, but a faint whisper entered my mind. "Rho Aias.'
The black orb collided with the seven-layer shield and exploded with massive force. The blast destroyed most of Adamos's shield leaving only two layers with the second to last layer cracked and barely hanging together.
"You know Uncle if you want to kill me than you're going to have to do better than those half assed pot shots."
Hades let out a huff. "It seems as if I must." He then gathered even more power and launched another blast of power, however this one was double the size of the last one.
As the blast barreled through the last two layers of the barrier Adamos reached to my wrist and pulled on the metal band there. Immediately it morphs into Adamos's weapon of power. Without hesitation he thrusts the spear at the incoming blast. The spear ignites in streams of celestial fire, as if the weapon can tell that Adamos was the one wielding it instead of me.
The two attacks collide and push against each other. Wisps of energy leak from them and the air crackles with power. Adamos gives a grunt and a powerful push, the spear piercing through the blast causing it to detonate and scatter.
For a moment Hades had a dumbfound look on his face as he stares at Adamos as he plants the butt of his spear onto the floor and tightens his grip on the Masterbolt in his other hand.
The moment passes and Hades eyes seem to burn with untold amounts of power. His face, once cold and calculating was now contorted in to a visage of rage and determination.
"Where did you get that spear boy!" He roared. And on my skin, it felt like the air itself was burning me ever so slightly, as Hades's took a step closer.
"This spear has been mine since it was first crafted." Adamos said coolly.
"Do not lie to me boy!" Hades spat. "That weapon has been lost for millennia and I will be damned if I let it be tainted by your or anyone else's hands!" Out of the shadows near Hades's feet a pure black staff erupts from the ground and he grabs it. "If you don't hand over that spear you will not leave here alive." Hades growled, and all around the room seemed to darken and the torches on the wall dimmed considerably.
"Uncle Hades, if you would just listen. This spear has always been mine. It was forged alongside your helm, my father's trident and the bolt. I AM Adamos, lord of the earth and celestial bodies."
"Do not lie to me boy!" Hades growls and brings his staff down in an overhead swing. Adamos brings up both the Spear of Ruin and the Masterbolt into an x formation and caught the staff. However, the force seemed to be to much, even with Adamos reinforcing my body with godly power. The impact forces Adamos to a knee and presses the two symbols of power back to him. "I do not know where you learned that name sea spawn, but I will pull the answers out of you in the fields of Punishment."
"Uncle! Look at me!" Adamos shouts as he stares Hades dead in the eyes. I felt a shift in my body, and I look into Hades's eyes. In the reflection I saw my normal sea green eyes shift and change into Adamos's multicolored ones. "I swear on my name, Adamos, that I am not dead. I swear on the love for my wife, Athena, when I married her that I am who I say I am!" Adamos shouts, and with a heavy grunt pushes Hades off of him. I half expected him to charge the god, but instead he lowers his weapons.
Hades though looked as if he had lost all the will to fight. I could see him scanning Adamos with apprehension, trying to find any lie in his form. "How do you know of that union?" Hades asked, his voice no longer angry and his face an emotionless mask.
"I've been telling you Uncle." Adamos said with slightly labored breathing. "Its really me. There were only five people at that ceremony. You, Hestia, Athena, Hera, and myself. We had you and Hestia give us away in secret because our fathers would never have agreed to the marriage. The rings were made from silver and Athena's had a diamond in hers that you helped me pick out." Adamos said wistfully as he stared into the floor, as if it was playing the long-ago memory just for him. Hades' mouth was gaping like a fish as he seemed to be trying to find words, but they escaped him. Adamos however didn't stop talking. "If that isn't enough, I have a voucher with me for proof."
Adamos then placed both the Masterbolt and the Spear of Ruin on the floor, leaving himself completely defenseless, and started to rummage through the back pack once more. He then pulled out a small jar that had a burning flame inside and held it out. Almost immediately the room felt warmer and cozy.
Hades looked between Adamos and the jar, hesitating for a brief moment before shrinking down to normal person height and grasping the jar. He brought the jar closer and began to inspect it for a few moments, and then his eyes widened slightly.
"Hearth fire." He whispered, but it echoed in the empty room. He then looked at Adamos. "Hestia doesn't give this out to just anyone, even to her siblings."
"Now do you believe me unc—" Adamos spoke but was cut off as the lord of the dead stepped forward and embraced him in a hug.
To say that I was shocked would be an understatement. Here he was trying to kill us not a moment ago and now he's hugging Adamos.
"If my sister has so much faith that you are who you say you are, than I will believe you as well. It truly warms this heart of mine to know that you have returned to us after so many centuries." He then stops the embrace and hold Adamos arm's length away. "But if you tell anyone of what happened here just now I will deny it all." He says with a serious face, but in his eyes I can see sparks of joy.
"Of course, Uncle. You do have a reputation to uphold." Adamos said with a smile.
Hades nods and hands the hearth fire back before he grows back to large size and sits upon his throne. He then snaps his fingers and a smaller black marble throne grows from the floor which Adamos gives a grateful nod, picks up both symbols of power and sits.
"Now," Hades says as he clasps his hands together. "Tell me what you are doing here?" Hades asks, his voice not demanding but rather patient and understanding.
"Hold on," Adamos says and taps the tip of his spear onto the floor of Hades's palace. A complex magic circle spreads on the floor and begins to glow. Hades raises a brow yet does nothing to stop it. Then I feel a pull, I initially ignore it until it grows stronger and stronger till I could feel it pull me out.
A brief moment later I rub my eyes and I'm greeted with a figure that looks like me, except sitting in the throne that Hades made.
"Huh." I said. I blink as my voice echoes, which doesn't happen when Adamos takes control.
"Percy." The other me states simply, bringing my attention back to him.
"Uh hey…me." I say and wave, but I stop as I get a good look at my hand. It was as white as Hades and partially see through like the spirits in the field of Asphodel. "Gaah!" I shout and begin to freak out.
"Percy!" The other me shouts and I look at him. "Its all right. You're not in any danger," He says in a calm voice. "Its me Adamos." He had the nerve to give me a smirk.
"It's fine. It's FINE!" I shout. "What did you do to me!?"
"I dragged you out of your body."
"Why!?"
"Because it makes things much easier to explain without having to switch back and forth."
I give Adamos an incredulous look and then turn to Hades. "Can you believe this guy?"
Hade's looks at me with a smirk, as if my near panic attack was a show for his amusement. "It's good to see that you haven't changed in all these years." He says to Adamos in which he just shrugs.
"How am I even here?" I asked.
"The underworld is the only place where a soul can be summoned without the need for a sacrifice. If we were in the mortal world the spell would need a sacrifice to be made. All right," Adamos claps his hands together. "I believe the best place to start would be the beginning." Adamos says and starts recounting how we met and just about everything up until now, with me adding a few things in but Hades didn't really seem to care about that or just told me to stop complaining. "And that is everything up until now. Any questions?" Adamos asked.
Hades had a contemplative look. "This soul possession," He motions between us. "Where did you learn such a thing?"
"Egypt." Adamos simply stated as if that explained anything but to Hades it seemed as if it made perfect sense.
"And now that you are here Nephew, what do you plan to do?" He says with a raised brow. I look at Adamos as well as I didn't know the full scope of his plans either.
"I plan on winning this war Uncle. I have watched our pantheon for a long time and have found evidence of the Crooked one rising." Adamos said grimly, and somehow Hades became even more pale.
"Are you sure?" Hades asked, his brows creased in focus. Adamos gives a shallow nod and Hades seems to sink into his throne.
"This is not good." Hades mutters.
"And this is why I need your help Uncle. You're the only one I can count on to do anything about it."
"And what would you suggest I do about it Nephew?" Hades asks as he rubs the bridge of his nose. "I am barely in any position to help anyone."
"Build up your army, post more patrols around the pit and the entrances and exits of the Underworld. You know, that kind of stuff." Adamos says.
"Its not that simple nephew. I can't just increase my army; my brothers might take it as a declaration of war. And I'm my forces are already spread thin as it is. I simply can't spare any expense for these preparations, not without shutting down large parts of the Underworld."
I watched the two gods as they conversed with each other. This level of conversation was far beyond what I was capable of helping with. These were war preparations and I was just twelve years old.
"How much?" Adamos asked.
Hades raised one of his brows. "How much what?" He asked, though i felt like he already knew what Adamos was talking about.
"How much would it cost for you to bolster your army and your servants?" Adamos said with a serious face.
Hades was silent for a moment before responding. "Ten."
I grew confused as Hades said the number. If they were talking prices, ten didn't seem like a large number, but apparently to Adamos it was as he had a disgusted scowl on his face. "All right Uncle. I'll even add in an extra five as a buffer in case of over expenditure."
Hades nodded at the added amount. "Should I be worried about you coming after me for interest once this is all over?"
Adamos shakes his head no. "This isn't a loan Uncle, this is an investment and the price of your allegiance. I know you always honor your deals so that's what this is. A deal."
Hades smirked. "Smart boy."
Adamos returned the smirk. "Well I had a very dark and grumpy teacher, but he was a good teacher none the less."
"Then it is agreed. For the price of my allegiance to your endeavors, fifteen billion drachmas." Hades said as he shrunk down and help out his hand.
I would have choked on my spit if I could in my new ghost body as I heard the word billion. Adamos however just took Hades' hand and gave it a firm shake. He then tapped the butt of his spear onto the floor.
"All right Uncle. If you check your accounts, then you'll see its all payed." Adamos said with a grimace.
Hades rolled his eyes. "Don't be like that. I know for a fact that you never were one to spend a lot of money on anything, and I highly doubt that's changed now."
"The number still hurts." Adamos huffs.
"Um… excuse me?" I said drawing the attention of both gods as they seemed to have forgotten me. "Now that this is all done," I motion between them. "Can you release my mom?" I asked.
Hades eyes lost what little warmth they held as the switched from Adamos to me. "Not yet." He said.
"Why not?" I almost shouted.
"If I were to release your mother now there runs a chance of Zeus either killing her or abducting her to make a point to Poseidon." He stated as if were as true as saying the sky is blue. "I will keep her safely here until after the bolt has been returned, you have my word."
I let out a small sigh. "That's…better I guess."
"Now Nephew," Hades turns back to Adamos. "I can assume you don't have my helm," Adamos shakes his head at the statement. "Can I at least assume that you know who took it?"
"Yeah I didn't know it at first but I'm positive that Ares has your helm." Adamos said and the area around Hades began to darken and the shadows writhed around. "He was also the one who gave us the Masterbolt. However, we are fairly certain that the on who initially stole the two items was Luke Castellan, a son of Hermes at Camp Half-Blood."
Hades snarled. "When I get my hands on those two, I shall over see their trips to the Fields of Punishment myself."
"Easy Uncle." Adamos places a hand on Hades shoulder but it does little to calm the king of the Underworld. "With the Crooked one rising we will need Ares, as moronic as he is, in the upcoming battle. As for Castellan it's a 99% match to the thief. We just need Ares to confirm. After that if you catch him go nuts." Adamos speaks and slowly the light begins to return to the room.
"Fine." Hades grumbles. "We've set up our allegiance, the boy's mother will be in my care, is there anything else that we need to do?" Hades questions.
Adamos rubbed his chin and then snapped his fingers. "I need one of the most beautiful flowers from Persephone's garden, a pomegranate as well, annnddd two diamonds that are four inches in diameter each." Adamos listed of and with a wave of his hand Hades conjured each of the listed items.
"Might I ask what you plan to do with these?" Hades asked with a raised brow.
"The best way to sway a god is to a) play to their egos or b) bribe them with meaningless gifts." Adamos says as he picks up the two diamonds and reaches into the backpack and pulls out two crowns, measures the sizes and places the two gems in the empty slots. He them puts them and the other items back into the bag as well as the Masterbolt.
"What are we supposed to do about them?" I ask, pointing my ghostly hand at Annabeth and Grover, who were still unconscious on the ground.
"If I punched the satyr and gave him a black eye, would you tell him he got it fighting a skeleton?"
"No." I say in a flat tone.
Adamos pouts. "Then I guess we'll just have to rewrite their memories." Adamos then waves his hand over them and the air distorts around my two friends before settling.
"Ok how are you able to do all of that?" I ask.
"All of what?"
"The magic, the barriers and mind wiping and stuff. How can you do that without chanting?"
"Well some of it is just manipulating the mist and doesn't need a chant and the others are because I'm just so good that I don't need any chants or other things. I'm not the god of sorcery for nothing you know. Also speaking of magic… Hey Uncle." Adamos turns back to Hades. "How's my sister doing?"
"She has been well. She and Persephone see each other quite often to chat. But I must say that after your banishment she has been quite reclusive. She often avoids the other gods on Olympus unless it is necessary to meet." Hades says.
Adamos lets out a small sigh. "Oh Cate." Adamos shakes his head for a moment. He then taps his spear on the magic circle that I'm standing on and I feel my ghost body being pulled back into my regular body.
"Well then Nephew." Hades says. "I wish you luck."
"Thank you, Uncle." Adamos says and turns the spear back into a bracelet and then relinquishes control to me.
I shake my body around, getting a feel once again. "Jackson." Hades said in an emotionless tone, drawing my attention. "You had better be prepared for what's to come."
"What do you mean Uncle?" I ask. Hades's eyes narrow at my use of Uncle. "I mean Lord Hades."
Hades looks up towards the cavern ceiling. "Ares will most likely not be too pleased with you and your companions leaving my realm with the bolt as well as your lives."
"So, he's up their waiting for us?" I say as more of a statement than a question.
"I do not wish to see you in my domain so soon Perseus Jackson, not with out my Helm of Darkness at least." Hades warns. "Now go." Hades then turns and walks off, shadows warping around his form before disappearing, him along with them.
"So, do you have a plan for dealing with our favorite war god?" I say sarcastically.
"I have a few ideas in mind." Adamos said. "But first we need to get out of here. I suggest the pearls."
I walked over to Grover and Annabeth and reached into their pockets and pulled out their pearls. "What did she say about these? To step on them? How are they supposed to step on them if they are unconscious?" I asked.
"I think just throwing them hard enough to break the pearls near their bodies will be enough." Adamos said.
I shrugged because I didn't have any better idea's and after putting some space between them, because I had no idea what was going to happen, I threw the pearls near their bodies.
The pearls shattered but nothing happened. "Are you sure these actually do—" I say before a milky white orb forms around Grover and Annabeth. The spheres then propel upwards at high speeds.
"Are you sure they'll be safe?" I ask Adamos.
"You're about to do the exact same thing as them, and I wouldn't put you in mortal danger."
"I guess not." I said not entirely sure.
"Wow way to have faith." Adamos said dryly.
"Lets just get this over with." I mumble and drop a pearl at my feet and crush it. Soon a milky white bubble forms around me, and I rocket upward after my friends.
A/N: What's up yall. Momentei here. This chapter came out sooner than normal because with winter break her I've had more free time. I totally thought that the meeting with Hades was a good way to show Adamos's relationship with his other family members. Any ways I was wondering if I should give Percy a secondary weapon and would like some suggestions. For any of you who are thinking that the Spear of Ruin is a secondary weapon I just want to say that it's not. It will always be Adamos's weapon and in the story its as iconic and memberable to the gods as any of the Big Three's symbols of power, so any god that see's it's true form will recognize it. I need something else to give Percy and I want your suggestions. Leave a suggestion in the reviews or just PM me. All right I think that that's all for now. Please leave a review and some constructive criticism so I can make this story better.
See you later all you Sexy Beasts,
Momentei