Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson
Chapter 16: The Underworld Reveals Its' Secrets
After handing the taxi driver one of their Lotus Cash cards, tucking the rest of them away in Christina's backpack, and telling the driver to keep the change on that card, they were off, shooting over one hundred miles per hour into the desert towards California.
"So," Bianca said, closing the divider in between them and the driver and turning to the three demigods and one satyr. "What's going on?"
Christina sighed. "Like you, Annabeth, Percy, and I are all demigods. Recently, Percy and I's uncle, Zeus, had his Master Bolt stolen. And he thinks Percy is the one who stole it. Which is quite stupid because Percy didn't even know he was a demigod at the time." Above them, the sky rumbled but Christina blew it off. "So the four of us are on a quest to retrieve the Master Bolt from the actual thief, the Lord of the Dead. Well, Annabeth, Percy, and Grover were on a quest, I sorta just crashed it."
"She followed us out of camp and ran into us in the woods." Annabeth deadpanned. "But the rest is correct."
Bianca blinked. "So you're on a dangerous mission to go to the Underworld to retrieve an incredibly sought after weapon and you brought my brother and I along?"
"It seemed better then leaving you in the Lotus Casino." Christina shrugged. "But you don't have to come to the Underworld with us. You can wait outside the entrance and we can retrieve you after and then bring you back to camp with us."
Nico's eyes widened. "Is this camp full of people like us?"
"You'll like it." Grover promised. "The camp keeps everyone safe, and you'll get to meet other demigods."
Bianca leaned back in her seat. "We'll go to the Underworld with you. No one is after my brother and I, so we should be safe. And maybe we'll be able to find out who our parents are on the way."
"Don't worry, you'll be safe with us." Christina told her. "Grover, Annabeth, and I have been training our whole lives, and Percy is a natural at fighting and has got a lot of experience on this quest."
Nico's eyes lit up. "So, who's your parents? And do I get to learn to sword fight too?"
"We'll teach you when we get back to camp." Annabeth promised him. "And we'll find a weapon that fits you. As for our parents, my mother is Athena, goddess of battle strategy, Grover is a satyr, and Christina and Percy are the children of Poseidon, god of the sea."
Nico's eyes were wide. "I hope my godly parent is a good as yours."
"So, where do we go from here?" Grover asked after the taxi driver dropped them off in the middle of Los Angeles.
Bianca frowned, turning in an opposite direction. "Don't ask me how I know this, because I don't, but I feel like the Underworld is that way."
"We don't have anything else to lose." Percy said, shrugging. "Let's go."
Bianca led the group through downtown Los Angeles, occasionally turning in a completely opposite direction then they had been heading, or ducking into side allies. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the group stopped in front of a large, unassuming building called DOA Records.
"Is this it?" Christina asked Bianca, who just nodded.
Annabeth turned to the others. "Before we go in, here's our plan."
"What do you think will happen?" Nico asked, as they walked into the lobby of DOA Records.
Christina shrugged. "Hopefully, we'll be able to get through. If not, well our entire plan depends on this, so I'm not sure."
"Stay close to me." Bianca whispered to her younger brother as the six of them walked up to the desk, instinctively clutching at his hand.
Annabeth reached up, ringing the bell on the desk. "Excuse me, we need to get to the Underworld."
The man at the desk looked down at them. He was tall, with dark skin and bleached, blond hair in a military style. He wore tortoiseshell shades and an expensive Italian suit with a black rose. He had a name plate that read Charon. "How did you die?"
"We drowned, sir." Grover said, nodding.
Charon raised an eyebrow. "You all drowned at the same time?"
"Our boat capsized." Nico piped up. "We can't swim."
Charon stared down at him and Bianca in shock, his eyebrows shooting up. "Come this way and follow me."
The six of them glanced at each other, shrugging before following Charon into an elevator, the ferryman shoving a few souls back into the lobby.
"What will happen to them?" Christina asked as the doors slid closed.
Charon shrugged. "They'll wait a few centuries until I let them down. Now, when we get into the boat, make sure not to touch the water. But I think you'll understand that, given that you can't swim."
"The water? What's wrong with the water?" Percy asked, but Christina and Annabeth simultaneously elbowed him to shut him up.
Charon frowned. "Surely you understand what the River Styx does, young godling. It's even made its way into the mortals stories."
"Right. I just… forgot." Percy said, looking down.
Bianca leaned over to Christina. "Is it just me, or did Charon choose to take us when he saw Nico and I?"
"No, I noticed that too." Christina said, frowning. "Hopefully, that will get answered when we get to Hades' palace."
The boat bumped onto the rocky shore on the other side of the river and the passengers began to stream out. The six demigods were among the last to leave, following Charon out of the boat. As he led them towards the gates of the Underworld, Christina stared around in shock. Directly across from the river was a pavilion. Long lines of souls stretched away from it and into the distance, as they all waited to get judged. One line, the Asphodel Fields, was going much faster than the others. Past the pavilion the shadow of a three headed dog, Cerberus was just visible.
"What's that?" Percy whispered.
Christina leaned over. "That's the Judgement Pavilion. It's where souls go to be judged."
"Where are we going?" Grover asked hesitantly as Charon led them around the gates and bypassed Cerberus easily, although the dog seemed to whine and paw as Nico and Bianca passed him.
Charon turned back to look at the satyr. "Hades wants to meet with you six personally. Now wait here and don't move. I'll be back." He told them, before setting off towards a large, obsidian castle in the distance.
The palace reminded Christina much of Olympus, but it was black inside of white and gold, with black turrets and spirals that reached up into the dark and gloomy sky. It struck her as kinda sad, as if Hades wanted to be included on Olympus, but he wasn't, so he built his own Olympus down here.
"Um, guys." Grover yelled. "I think the shoes are trying to drag me somewhere."
Christina turned around to see Grover being dragged backwards, the wings on his shoes beating widely, as he struggled to gain purchase on the rocky ground. Suddenly, they sped up, and Grover shot like a rocket through the Underworld.
"Come on, we have to stop him." Annabeth yelled as the five of them took off running after Grover, dodging souls and other residents.
They chased Grover through the Underworld, past the Field of Punishment, where the screams of tortured souls could be heard, and past the Asphodel Fields, where other nameless souls wandered back and forth. One girl, with dark, curly brown hair, leaned up against a tree, and seemed to watch them as they past. As they ran, the ground began to slope, and everything began to get darker and darker.
Christina's eyes widened. "He's heading for Tartarus. We have to stop him!"
And sure enough, as the cavern opened up, they could see a large hole in the ground, the darkness below it going on for miles and miles. Suddenly, Bianca stopped running, concentrating on the ground.
"Bianca! What are you doing?" Annabeth yelled. "We need to stop him."
Bianca winced. "I think I can do it. Just give me a minute."
Just then, stones from the ground shot up, ensnaring Grover on their spikes. One of the shoes struggled to come off and was sent hurtling down into the pit as the other shoe followed it. Gritting her teeth, the spike ensnaring Grover shot closer to them, seemingly following Bianca's will, before the satyr was next to them. Nico, Annabeth, Percy, and Christina watched her, their jaws on the floor.
"How did you do that?" Percy asked, shocked.
Bianca shrugged. "I don't know. I just felt like I could do it. Now come on, we don't want to leave Charon waiting."
They got back to the spot Charon had left them, only a few seconds before he returned.
"Come with." He gestured. "Hades wants to meet you."
They followed him up the hill towards the palace, stopping outside where two skeleton guards stood, old Civil War muskets on their shoulders.
"This is where I leave you." Charon told them, before turning back and going the way he came, his black cloak swishing behind him.
Christina glanced at the others. "Well, it's now or never."
Bianca pushed open the doors to the palace and the group filled in, proceeding down the dark hallways with caution. Skeletons dressed in all kinds of military gear lined the walls, but they simply glanced at the group and turned back to their guard. Arriving outside two large, ornate, obsidian doors, Annabeth pulled on the door knocker.
After a few seconds, the door opened. The ceiling was tall, tall enough for a god at his full height to stand, with large, obsidian pillars holding the ceiling up. At the front of the room were two large thrones. The slightly smaller one was decorated with small gems and flowers, Persephone's throne. The throne next to it, however, was larger, covered with skulls, and surrounded by skeletal soldiers and hellhounds. And Hades, in his full godly height, sat upon it.
"My lord," Christina said, kneeling in front of Hades, the others following suit. "We are here to request the release of Ms. Sally Jackson and request that you return Zeus' Master Bolt to us."
But Hades wasn't looking at Christina, Percy, Annabeth, or Grover. He was glancing behind them at Nico and Bianca, who glanced at each other confused when they saw where the god was looking.
"You have much courage, young demigod." Hades said, looking down at Christina. "To accuse me of taking something I never took. Something you've had yourself. But I'm more curious as to why you have my children with you."
The others stared at him in shock. "What do you mean your children?" Annabeth asked, confused.
"I think you know exactly what I mean, daughter of Athena." Hades answered. "Bianca and Nico di Angelo, my two youngest children who were supposed to be safe in the Lotus Casino. What are they doing here?"
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