Hades opened the book and read the chapter title aloud.
"Well, at least we find out some of the plans of the person in the Pit, I assume." Athena said thoughtfully.
(Imagine the largest concert crowd you've ever seen, a football field packed with a million fans. Now imagine a field a million times that big, packed with people, and imagine the electricity has gone out, and there is no noise, no light, no beach ball bouncing around over the crowd. Something tragic has happened backstage. Whispering masses of people are just milling around in the shadows, waiting for a concert that will never start. If you can picture that, you have a pretty good idea what the Fields of Asphodel looked like. )
Hazel shivered as Hades described the Fields of Asphodel.
Nico watched his half-sister concerned.
(The black grass had been trampled by aeons of dead feet. A warm, moist wind blew like the breath of a swamp. Black trees – Grover told me they were poplars – grew in clumps here and there. The cavern ceiling was so high above us it might've been a bank of storm clouds, except for the stalactites, which glowed faint grey and looked wickedly pointed. I tried not to imagine they'd fall on us at any moment, but dotted around the fields were several that had fallen and impaled themselves in the black grass. I guess the dead didn't have to worry about little hazards like being speared by stalactites the size of booster rockets. )
"Those things ever fall down?" Leo asked.
"Only when Dad throws a fit." Nico told him.
(Annabeth, Grover and I tried to blend into the crowd, keeping an eye out for security ghouls. I couldn't help looking for familiar faces among the spirits of Asphodel, but the dead are hard to look at. Their faces shimmer. They all look slightly angry or confused. They will come up to you and speak, but their voices sound like chatter, like bats twittering. Once they realize you can't understand them, they frown and move away. The dead aren't scary. They're just sad. )
"That's what most people don't understand. The dead just want to move on." Hades explained.
A solemn silence filled the room for a little.
(We crept along, following the line of new arrivals that snaked from the main gates towards a black-tented pavilion with a banner that read: JUDGMENTS FOR ELYSIUM AND ETERNAL DAMNATION Welcome, Newly Deceased! )
"Really?" Artemis asked Hades.
"I didn't make it." Hades said scowling.
(Out the back of the tent came two much smaller lines. To the left, spirits flanked by security ghouls were marched down a rocky path towards the Fields of Punishment, which glowed and smoked in the distance, a vast, cracked wasteland with rivers of lava and minefields and miles of barbed wire separating the different torture areas. Even from far away, I could see people being chased by hellhounds, burned at the stake, forced to run naked through cactus patches or listen to opera music. I could just make out a tiny hill, with the ant-size figure of Sisyphus struggling to move his boulder to the top. And I saw worse tortures, too – things I don't want to describe. )
Everyone grimaced, knowing stories of punishments people have had to endure in the Underworld.
(The line coming from the right side of the judgment pavilion was much better. This one led down towards a small valley surrounded by walls – a gated community, which seemed to be the only happy part of the Underworld. Beyond the security gate were neighbourhoods of beautiful houses from every time period in history, Roman villas and mediaeval castles and Victorian mansions. Silver and gold flowers bloomed on the lawns. The grass rippled in rainbow colours. I could hear laughter and smell barbecue cooking. )
The demigod's eyes widened. They all knew what the place that was being described was.
(Elysium. In the middle of that valley was a glittering blue lake, with three small islands like a vacation resort in the Bahamas. The Isles of the Blest, for people who had chosen to be reborn three times, and three times achieved Elysium. Immediately I knew that's where I wanted to go when I died. 'That's what it's all about,' Annabeth said, like she was reading my thoughts. 'That's the place for heroes.' )
The demigods looked at each other, knowing that at some point or another they would all end up there.
(But I thought of how few people there were in Elysium, how tiny it was compared to Asphodel or even Punishment. So few people did good in their lives. It was depressing. We left the judgment pavilion and moved deeper into Asphodel. It got darker. The colours faded from our clothes. The crowds of chattering spirits began to thin. After a few miles of walking, we began to hear a familiar screech in the distance. Looming on the horizon was a palace of glittering black obsidian. Above the parapets swirled three dark batlike creatures: the Furies. I got the feeling they were waiting for us. )
"Most likely, it was quite easy for you to get into the Underworld." Hades said to Percy.
('I suppose it's too late to turn back,' Grover said wistfully. 'We'll be okay.' I tried to sound confident. 'Maybe we should search some of the other places first,' Grover suggested. 'Like, Elysium, for instance…' 'Come on, goat boy.' Annabeth grabbed his arm. Grover yelped. His trainers sprouted wings and his legs shot forward, pulling him away from Annabeth. He landed flat on his back in the grass. )
"That most definitely isn't supposed to happen." Hermes said frowning.
('Grover,' Annabeth chided. 'Stop messing around.' 'But I didn't –' He yelped again. His shoes were flapping like crazy now. They levitated off the ground and started dragging him away from us.)
"Where are they taking him? To Hades?" Dakota asked himself.
('Maia!' he yelled, but the magic word seemed to have no effect. 'Maia, already! 911! Help!' I got over being stunned and made a grab for Grover's hand, but too late. He was picking up speed, skidding downhill like a bobsled. We ran after him. Annabeth shouted, 'Untie the shoes!' It was a smart idea, but I guess it's not so easy when your shoes are pulling you along feet-first at full speed. Grover tried to sit up, but he couldn't get close to the laces. )
"This isn't good. This isn't good." Katie muttered biting her fingernails.
(We kept after him, trying to keep him in sight as he zipped between the legs of spirits who chattered at him in annoyance. I was sure Grover was going to barrel straight through the gates of Hades's palace, but his shoes veered sharply to the right and dragged him in the opposite direction. )
Hade's voice trailed off as he finished the sentence. He paled. Hades knew the Shoes were taking them there.
The Gods shared a look wondering where the kids were being brought. They didn't have much understanding of the layout of the Underworld.
(The slope got steeper. Grover picked up speed. Annabeth and I had to sprint to keep up. The cavern walls narrowed on either side, and I realized we'd entered some kind of side tunnel. No black grass or trees now, just rock underfoot, and the dim light of the stalactites above. 'Grover!' I yelled, my voice echoing. 'Hold on to something!' 'What?' he yelled back. He was grabbing at gravel, but there was nothing big enough to slow him down. )
"It was a good try." Demeter said worried about the kids they were learning about.
(The tunnel got darker and colder. The hairs on my arms bristled. It smelled evil down here. It made me think of things I shouldn't even know about – blood spilled on an ancient stone altar, the foul breath of a murderer. Then I saw what was ahead of us, and I stopped dead in my tracks. The tunnel widened into a huge dark cavern, and in the middle was a chasm the size of a city block. Grover was sliding straight towards the edge. 'Come on, Percy!' Annabeth yelled, tugging at my wrist. 'But that's –' 'I know!' she shouted. 'The place you described in your dream! But Grover's going to fall if we don't catch him.' She was right, of course. Grover's predicament got me moving again. He was yelling, clawing at the ground, but the winged shoes kept dragging him towards the pit, and it didn't look like we could possibly get to him in time. What saved him were his hooves.)
"Oh, Thank the Gods." muttered several demigods.
"Wait. Does that mean that if either Percy or Annabeth wore those shoes they would have definitely pulled in." Rachel asked.
"Yes. Yes, they would have." Poseidon said paling.
(The flying sneakers had always been a loose fit on him, and finally Grover hit a big rock and the left shoe came flying off. It sped into the darkness, down into the chasm. The right shoe kept tugging him along, but not as fast. Grover was able to slow himself down by grabbing on to the big rock and using it like an anchor. He was three metres from the edge of the pit when we caught him and hauled him back up the slope. The other winged shoe tugged itself off, circled around us angrily and kicked our heads in protest before flying off into the chasm to join its twin. )
Some of the gods and demigods snorted at the personality of the winged shoe.
(We all collapsed, exhausted, on the obsidian gravel. My limbs felt like lead. Even my backpack seemed heavier, as if somebody had filled it with rocks. Grover was scratched up pretty bad. His hands were bleeding. His eyes had gone slit-pupilled, goat style, the way they did whenever he was terrified. 'I don't know how…' he panted. 'I didn't…' )
"How could you have known?" Clarisse pointed out to Grover.
Grover shrugged, looking to his lap.
('Wait,' I said. 'Listen.' I heard something – a deep whisper in the darkness. Another few seconds, and Annabeth said, 'Percy, this place –' 'Shh.' I stood. The sound was getting louder, a muttering, evil voice from far, far below us. Coming from the pit. )
Now every god and demigod was pale.
(Grover sat up. 'Wh – what's that noise?' Annabeth heard it too, now. I could see it in her eyes. 'Tartarus. The entrance to Tartarus.' I uncapped Anaklusmos. The bronze sword expanded, gleaming in the darkness, and the evil voice seemed to falter, just for a moment, before resuming its chant. I could almost make out words now, ancient, ancient words, older even than Greek. As if… 'Magic,' I said. 'We have to get out of here,' Annabeth said. )
"Yes, please. Get away from there." Athena and Poseidon muttered.
(Together, we dragged Grover to his hooves and started back up the tunnel. My legs wouldn't move fast enough. My backpack weighed me down. The voice got louder and angrier behind us, and we broke into a run. Not a moment too soon. A cold blast of wind pulled at our backs, as if the entire pit were inhaling. For a terrifying moment, I lost ground, my feet slipping in the gravel. If we'd been any closer to the edge, we would've been sucked in. We kept struggling forward, and finally reached the top of the tunnel, where the cavern widened out into the Fields of Asphodel. The wind died. A wail of outrage echoed from deep in the tunnel. Something was not happy we'd got away. )
The Gods really hoped it wasn't who they thought it was.
('What was that?' Grover panted, when we'd collapsed in the relative safety of a black poplar grove. 'One of Hades's pets?' Annabeth and I looked at each other. I could tell she was nursing an idea, probably the same one she'd got during the taxi ride to L.A., but she was too scared to share it. That was enough to terrify me. )
"As it should." Annabeth said, nodding her head.
(I capped my sword, put the pen back in my pocket. 'Let's keep going.' I looked at Grover. 'Can you walk?' He swallowed. 'Yeah, sure. I never liked those shoes, anyway.' He tried to sound brave about it, but he was trembling as badly as Annabeth and I were. Whatever was in that pit was nobody's pet. It was unspeakably old and powerful. Even Echidna hadn't given me that feeling. I was almost relieved to turn my back on that tunnel and head towards the palace of Hades. Almost. )
"I don't blame you." Gwen said to Percy.
(The Furies circled the parapets, high in the gloom. The outer walls of the fortress glittered black, and the two-storey-tall bronze gates stood wide open. Up close, I saw that the engravings on the gates were scenes of death. Some were from modern times – an atomic bomb exploding over a city, a trench filled with gas mask-wearing soldiers, a line of African famine victims waiting with empty bowls – but all of them looked as if they'd been etched into the bronze thousands of years ago. I wondered if I was looking at prophecies that had come true. )
"Prophecies, tragedies, and Natural Disasters." Hades told them.
(Inside the courtyard was the strangest garden I'd ever seen. Multicoloured mushrooms, poisonous shrubs and weird luminous plants grew without sunlight. Precious jewels made up for the lack of flowers, piles of rubies as big as my fist, clumps of raw diamonds. Standing here and there like frozen party guests were Medusa's garden statues, petrified children, satyrs and centaurs, all smiling grotesquely. In the centre of the garden was an orchard of pomegranate trees, their orange blooms neon bright in the dark. 'The garden of Persephone,' Annabeth said. 'Keep walking.' I understood why she wanted to move on. The tart smell of those pomegranates was almost overwhelming. I had a sudden desire to eat them, but then I remembered the story of Persephone. One bite of Underworld food, and we would never be able to leave. I pulled Grover away to keep him from picking a big juicy one. )
"Seriously, Grover?" Will asked Grover.
Grover smiled sheepishly.
(We walked up the steps of the palace, between black columns, through a black marble portico and into the house of Hades. The entry hall had a polished bronze floor, which seemed to boil in the reflected torchlight. There was no ceiling, just the cavern roof, far above. I guess they never had to worry about rain down here. Every side doorway was guarded by a skeleton in military gear. Some wore Greek armour, some British redcoat uniforms, some camouflage with tattered American flags on the shoulders. They carried spears or muskets or M-16s. None of them bothered us, but their hollow eye sockets followed us as we walked down the hall, towards the big set of doors at the opposite end. Two U.S. Marine skeletons guarded the doors. They grinned down at us, rocket-propelled grenade launchers held across their chests. 'You know,' Grover mumbled, 'I bet Hades doesn't have trouble with door to-door salesmen.' )
"As I said earlier, we get plenty of solicitors." Hades reminded them.
(My backpack weighed a ton now. I couldn't figure out why. I wanted to open it, check to see if I had some-how picked up a stray bowling ball, but this wasn't the time. )
"What happened?" Frank asked
"Magic of some kind, probably." Apollo said.
('Well, guys,' I said. 'I suppose we should… knock?' A hot wind blew down the corridor, and the doors swung open. The guards stepped aside. 'I guess that means "entrez,",' Annabeth said. The room inside looked just like in my dream, except this time the throne of Hades was occupied. He was the third god I'd met, but the first who really struck me as godlike. )
Hades grinned smugly as he read.
(He was at least three metres tall, for one thing, and dressed in black silk robes and a crown of braided gold. His skin was albino white, his hair shoulder-length and jet black. He wasn't bulked up like Ares, but he radiated power. He lounged on his throne of fused human bones, looking lithe, graceful and dangerous as a panther. I immediately felt like he should be giving the orders. He knew more than I did. He should be my master. Then I told myself to snap out of it. )
"Impressive. That you are able to snap out of our Auras semi easily." Hestia told Percy.
"Thank you." Percy said to her, grinning.
(Hades's aura was affecting me, just as Ares's had. The Lord of the Dead resembled pictures I'd seen of Adolph Hitler, or Napoleon, or the terrorist leaders who direct suicide bombers. Hades had the same intense eyes, the same kind of mesmerizing, evil charisma. 'You are brave to come here, Son of Poseidon,' he said in an oily voice. 'After what you have done to me, very brave indeed. Or perhaps you are simply very foolish.' Numbness crept into my joints, tempting me to lie down and just take a little nap at Hades's feet. Curl up here and sleep forever. I fought the feeling and stepped forward. I knew what I had to say. 'Lord and Uncle, I come with two requests.' )
"Wow. You were actually being respectful for once." Thalia said shocked.
"I can be respectful." Percy told her.
The demigods who knew Percy snorted.
(Hades raised an eyebrow. When he sat forward in his throne, shadowy faces appeared in the folds of his black robes, faces of torment, as if the garment were stitched of trapped souls from the Fields of Punishment, trying to get out. The ADHD part of me wondered, off-task, whether the rest of his clothes were made the same way. What horrible things would you have to do in your life to get woven into Hades's underwear? )
"What's wrong with your son's brain?" Hades asked his brother, Poseidon.
Poseidon couldn't answer as he was laughing with everyone else.
('Only two requests?' Hades said. 'Arrogant child. As if you have not already taken enough. Speak, then. It amuses me not to strike you dead yet.' I swallowed. This was going about as well as I'd feared. I glanced at the empty, smaller throne next to Hades's. It was shaped like a black flower, gilded with gold. I wished Queen Persephone were here. I recalled something in the myths about how she could calm her husband's moods. But it was summer. Of course, Persephone would be above in the world of light with her mother, the goddess of agriculture Demeter. Her visits, not the tilt of the earth, created the seasons. Annabeth cleared her throat. Her finger prodded me in the back. 'Lord Hades,' I said. 'Look, sir, there can't be a war among the gods. It would be… bad.' 'Really bad,' Grover added helpfully. )
"You don't say." Hades said sarcastically.
('Return Zeus's master bolt to me,' I said. 'Please, sir. Let me carry it to Olympus.' Hades's eyes grew dangerously bright. 'You dare keep up this pretence, after what you have done?' I glanced back at my friends. They looked as confused as I was. 'Um… Uncle,' I said. 'You keep saying "after what I've done". What exactly have I done?' The throne room shook with a tremor so strong they probably felt it upstairs in Los Angeles. Debris fell from the cavern ceiling. Doors burst open all along the walls, and skeletal warriors marched in, hundreds of them, from every time period and nation in Western civilization. They lined the perimeter of the room, blocking the exits. Hades bellowed, 'Do you think I want war, godling?' I wanted to say, Well, these guys don't look like peace activists. But I thought that might be a dangerous answer. )
"When Percy thinks something dangerous. It's a death sentence for regular demigods." Chris told the Gods and Romans.
"And how often does he think that?" Reyna asked.
"Not often." Chris informed her.
('You are the Lord of the Dead,' I said carefully. 'A war would expand your kingdom, right?' 'A typical thing for my brothers to say! Do you think I need more subjects? Did you not see the sprawl of Asphodel?' 'Well…' 'Have you any idea how much my kingdom has swollen in this past century alone, how many subdivisions I've had to open?' I opened my mouth to respond, but Hades was on a roll now. )
"Yeah, dad likes to rant quite a bit when he's able to." Nico informs the other demigods.
('More security ghouls,' he moaned. 'Traffic problems at the judgment pavilion. Double overtime for the staff. I used to be a rich god, Percy Jackson. I control all the precious metals under the earth. But my expenses!' 'Charon wants a pay raise,' I blurted, just remembering the fact. As soon as I said it, I wished I could sew up my mouth. )
"Half the time so do we." Clarisse said with a snort.
"True." Annabeth and Grover agreed.
Percy looked offended.
('Don't get me started on Charon!' Hades yelled. 'He's been impossible ever since he discovered Italian suits! Problems everywhere, and I've got to handle all of them personally. The commute time alone from the palace to the gates is enough to drive me insane! And the dead just keep arriving. No, godling. I need no help getting subjects! I did not ask for this war.' 'But you took Zeus's master bolt.' 'Lies!' More rumbling. Hades rose from his throne, towering to the height of a football goalpost. 'Your father may fool Zeus, boy, but I am not so stupid. I see his plan.' )
"I think you might have gotten a little paranoid brother, dear." Hestia tells Hades.
"A little! I'm acting like Zeus!" Hades cried.
('His plan?' 'You were the thief on the winter solstice,' he said. 'Your father thought to keep you his little secret. He directed you into the throne room on Olympus. You took the master bolt and my helmet. Had I not sent my Fury to discover you at Yancy Academy, Poseidon might have succeeded in hiding his scheme to start a war. But now you have been forced into the open. You will be exposed as Poseidon's thief, and I will have my helmet back!' )
"You know I would never do that right?" Poseidon asked Hades.
"Of course, I do. I don't know why I'm acting like this other then my helm being gone." Hades said confused.
('But…' Annabeth spoke. I could tell her mind was going a million miles an hour. 'Lord Hades, your helmet of darkness is missing, too?' 'Do not play innocent with me, girl. You and the satyr have been helping this hero – coming here to threaten me in Poseidon's name, no doubt – to bring me an ultimatum. Does Poseidon think I can be blackmailed into supporting him?' 'No!' I said. 'Poseidon didn't – I didn't –' 'I have said nothing of the helmet's disappearance,' Hades snarled, 'because I had no illusions that anyone on Olympus would offer me the slightest justice, the slightest help. I can ill afford for word to get out that my most powerful weapon of fear is missing. So I searched for you myself, and when it was clear you were coming to me to deliver your threat, I did not try to stop you.' )
"No wonder it was easy for you all to get in." Hazel said.
('You didn't try to stop us? But –' 'Return my helmet now, or I will stop death,' Hades threatened. 'That is my counter-proposal. I will open the earth and have the dead pour back into the world. I will make your lands a nightmare. And you, Percy Jackson – your skeleton will lead my army out of Hades.' )
"Would you really do that?" Athena asked Hades.
"Me now, no. Me from the future certainly seems like he's willing to do that." He told her.
(The skeletal soldiers all took one step forward, making their weapons ready. At that point, I probably should have been terrified. The strange thing was, I felt offended. Nothing gets me angrier than being accused of something I didn't do. I've had a lot of experience with that. )
"Here we go." Clarisse said almost cackling.
"There's something wrong with you." Travis and Conner told her.
Chris smacked them both upside the head.
('You're as bad as Zeus,' I said. 'You think I stole from you? That's why you sent the Furies after me?' 'Of course,' Hades said. 'And the other monsters?' Hades curled his lip. 'I had nothing to do with them. I wanted no quick death for you – I wanted you brought before me alive so you might face every torture in the Fields of Punishment. Why do you think I let you enter my kingdom so easily?' )
"It's true." Hades and Nico said.
"There are a lot of security measures that you missed." Nico told the trio.
('Easily?' 'Return my property!' 'But I don't have your helmet. I came for the master bolt.' 'Which you already possess!' Hades shouted. 'You came here with it. little fool, thinking you could you threaten me!' 'But I didn't!' 'Open your pack, then.' A horrible feeling struck me. The weight in my backpack, like a bowling ball. It couldn't be… I slung it off my shoulder and unzipped it. Inside was a sixty-centimetre-long metal cylinder, spiked on both ends, humming with energy. )
"How?" Several demigods asked out loud.
Athena looked like she had figured out what had happened.
('Percy,' Annabeth said. 'How –' 'I – I don't know. I don't understand.' 'You heroes are always the same,' Hades said. 'Your pride makes you foolish, thinking you could bring such a weapon before me. I did not ask for Zeus's master bolt, but since it is here, you will yield it to me. I am sure it will make an excellent bargaining tool. And now… my helmet. Where is it?' I was speechless. I had no helmet. I had no idea how the master bolt had got into my backpack. I wanted to think Hades was pulling some kind of trick. Hades was the bad guy. But suddenly the world turned sideways. I realized I'd been played with. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades had been set at each other's throats by someone else. The master bolt had been in the backpack, and I'd got the backpack from… )
"Ares, what did you do?" Aphrodite asked.
Zeus was now glaring at his son, who was looking like he might teleport from the room.
('Lord Hades, wait,' I said. 'This is all a mistake.' 'A mistake?' Hades roared. The skeletons aimed their weapons. From high above, there was a fluttering of leathery wings, and the three Furies swooped down to perch on the back of their master's throne. The one with Mrs Dodds's face grinned at me eagerly and flicked her whip. )
"You weren't kidding when you guys said she couldn't wait to kill you, Percy." Leo said to him.
"Yeah, I love messing with her though." Percy said grinning.
"You ever think maybe that's why she wants to kill you so badly?" Nico asked him.
('There is no mistake,' Hades said. 'I know why you have come – I know the real reason you brought the bolt. You came to bargain for her.' Hades loosed a ball of gold fire from his palm. It exploded on the steps in front of me, and there was my mother, frozen in a shower of gold, just as she was at the moment when the Minotaur began to squeeze her to death. I couldn't speak. I reached out to touch her, but the light was as hot as a bonfire. )
"You used his mother against him?!" Hera screamed at Hades.
"Oh, like you haven't done worst in the past." Hades scoffed at Hera.
('Yes,' Hades said with satisfaction. 'I took her. I knew, Percy Jackson, that you would come to bargain with me eventually. Return my helmet, and perhaps I will let her go. She is not dead, you know. Not yet. But if you displease me, that will change.' I thought about the pearls in my pocket. Maybe they could get me out of this. If I could just get my mom free… 'Ah, the pearls,' Hades said, and my blood froze. 'Yes, my brother and his little tricks. Bring them forth, Percy Jackson.' My hand moved against my will and brought out the pearls. 'Only three,' Hades said. 'What a shame. You do realize each only protects a single person. Try to take your mother, then, little godling. And which of your friends will you leave behind to spend eternity with me? Go on. Choose. Or give me the backpack and accept my terms.' )
Poseidon frowned wondering why his future self didn't give him the right amount of pearls to get them all out.
(I looked at Annabeth and Grover. Their faces were grim. 'We were tricked,' I told them. 'Set up.' 'Yes, but why?' Annabeth asked. 'And the voice in the pit –' 'I don't know yet,' I said. 'But I intend to ask.' 'Decide, boy!' Hades yelled. )
"Give him a minute." Artemis and Apollo said at the same time.
('Percy.' Grover put his hand on my shoulder. 'You can't give him the bolt.' 'I know that.' 'Leave me here,' he said. 'Use the third pearl on your mom.' 'No!' 'I'm a satyr,' Grover said. 'We don't have souls like humans do. He can torture me until I die, but he won't get me forever. I'll just be reincarnated as a flower or something. It's the best way.' )
"You are brave satyr." Dionysus praised Grover.
"Th-Thank you, Lord Dionysus." Grover stuttered.
('No.' Annabeth drew her bronze knife. 'You two go on. Grover, you have to protect Percy. You have to get your searcher's licence and start your quest for Pan. Get his mom out of here. I'll cover you. I plan to go down fighting.' )
"I think we all plan on doing that." Jason said, looking around the room.
('No way,' Grover said. 'I'm staying behind.' 'Think again, goat boy,' Annabeth said. 'Stop it, both of you!' I felt like my heart was being ripped in two. They had both been with me through so much. I remembered Grover dive-bombing Medusa in the statue garden, and Annabeth saving us from Cerberus; we'd survived Hephaestus's Waterland ride, the St Louis Arch, the Lotus Casino. I had spent thousands of miles worried that I'd be betrayed by a friend, but these friends would never do that. They had done nothing but save me, over and over, and now they wanted to sacrifice their lives for my mom. )
"We all would. That woman deserves the best after the stress we put her through this past couple of years." Thalia said looking around the Greeks.
The demigods nodded in agreement even the ones who didn't know Sally.
('I know what to do,' I said. 'Take these.' I handed them each a pearl. Annabeth said, 'But, Percy…' I turned and faced my mother. I desperately wanted to sacrifice myself and use the last pearl on her, but I knew what she would say. She would never allow it. I had to get the bolt back to Olympus and tell Zeus the truth. I had to stop the war. She would never forgive me if I saved her instead. I thought about the prophecy made at Half-Blood Hill what seemed like a million years ago. You will fail to save what matters most in the end. )
"It might not mean that." Apollo pointed out.
"Yeah, but at the time it was the only thing that made sense." Percy told him.
('I'm sorry,' I told her. 'I'll be back. I'll find a way.' The smug look on Hades's face faded. He said, 'Godling…?' 'I'll find your helmet, Uncle,' I told him. 'I'll return it. Remember about Charon's pay raise.' )
Everyone started laughing again at the audacity of the demigod.
('Do not defy me –' 'And it wouldn't hurt to play with Cerberus once in a while. He likes red rubber balls.' 'Percy Jackson, you will not –' )
"It's like you wanted me to kill you right there." Hades said shaking his head.
(I shouted, 'Now, guys!' We smashed the pearls at our feet. For a scary moment, nothing happened. Hades yelled, 'Destroy them!' The army of skeletons rushed forward, swords out, guns clicking to full automatic. The Furies lunged, their whips bursting into flame. )
"That would have been terrifying if we hadn't seen worse." Katie muttered.
The Gods wondered what these demigods had seen in their short lives.
(Just as the skeletons opened fire, the pearl exploded at my feet with a burst of green light and a gust of fresh sea wind. I was encased in a milky white sphere, which was starting to float off the ground. Annabeth and Grover were right behind me. Spears and bullets sparked harmlessly off the pearl bubbles as we floated up. Hades yelled with such rage, the entire fortress shook and I knew it was not going to be a peaceful night in L.A. )
"No, It wasn't." Jason said grimacing.
"We prayed and sacrificed the whole night. Hoping we hadn't done anything to anger the Gods." Dakota said. "Only to now find out it was because you escaped Lord Hade's clutches."
('Look up!' Grover yelled. 'We're going to crash!' Sure enough, we were racing right towards the stalactites, which I figured would pop our bubbles and skewer us. 'How do you control these things?' Annabeth shouted. )
"You don't." Poseidon told her.
"I know that now." Annabeth tells him.
('I don't think you do!' I shouted back. We screamed as the bubbles slammed into the ceiling and… Darkness. Were we dead? No, I could still feel the racing sensation. We were going up, right through solid rock as easily as an air bubble in water. That was the power of the pearls, I realized – What belongs to the sea will always return to the sea. For a few moments, I couldn't see anything outside the smooth walls of my sphere, then my pearl broke through on the ocean floor. The two other milky spheres, Annabeth and Grover, kept pace with me as we soared upward through the water. And ker-blam!) We exploded on the surface, in the middle of Los Angeles Bay, knocking a surfer off his board with an indignant, 'Dude!' )
Several people snorted at the surfer dude.
(I grabbed Grover and hauled him over to a lifebuoy. I caught Annabeth and dragged her over too. A curious shark was circling us, a great white about three metres long. I said, 'Beat it.' The shark turned and raced away. )
"I could have been nicer about that." Percy said grimacing. "Though I was just super irritated from this whole quest."
(The surfer screamed something about bad mushrooms and paddled away from us as fast as he could. Somehow, I knew what time it was: early morning, June 21, the day of the summer solstice.)
"How did you complete this quest?" Piper asked horrified.
"By Percy being stupid." Grover told her.
( In the distance, Los Angeles was on fire, plumes of smoke rising from neighbourhoods all over the city. There had been an earthquake, all right, and it was Hades's fault. He was probably sending an army of the dead after me right now. But at the moment, the Underworld wasn't my biggest problem. )
"That's actually true. I am not your biggest concern now." Hades said in agreement.
(I had to get to shore. I had to get Zeus's thunderbolt back to Olympus. Most of all, I had to have a serious conversation with the god who'd tricked me. )
"What did you do?" Poseidon asked his son, who just smiled back at him nervously.
"So, now we know for sure that Hades is missing his helm, Zeus is missing his bolt. Ares has something to do with it as the bolt appeared in the bag he gave the children. " Athena worked out. "But now, we need to know where the helm is."
"I'm going to assume Ares has it as Percy said he was going to talk to him and there wasn't much time left to find the objects." Apollo told them.
"Ares, you will read next as I'm sure this chapter will be about you." Hades tells Ares as he throws the book at him.