Chapter 19, Act I - The Dog, the God, and the Council.

"He's a Rottweiler," was Percy's only words at seeing Cerberus in person. I smirked, and made a ball out of light. Hey, I never really dedicated thought to it, but he could probably play with something like balls of light, considering arrows of light can actually do damage.

"Hey, Cerberus! You want the ball?" I shouted. That got his attention quickly. All three of the massive dog's heads looked directly at me, and the ball in my hands.

I made two duplicates, so the three heads could each have one. "Sit!" Cerberus looked as stunned as the others probably were. "If you want the ball, you need to sit!" I insisted. Cerberus shifted on his haunches, and sat, crushing dozens of spirits. "Good boy!" I cheered, tossing the three balls to them.

One of them caught two of them, another caught only one. All three of them were unhappy. They wanted more. "Drop it!" I ordered. They dropped the three balls, and I called them back to my hand. "You three. Go now, through the EZ Death line. It'll be faster. I'll keep the big boy busy for a minute." I told them.

They hesitated, but they went, and I kept playing with the oversized dog. Shortly after, I joined them, promising Cerberus that I'd visit at some point. I absolutely knew I would soon. No way was I leaving him alone for that long.

Before they could ask questions, I brought out the flying shoes in their box. "Come on. We need to go see the wonderful Wizard of Oz, you three." I quipped, briskly walking through the Fields of Asphodel.

Unfortunately, on my way to the Fields, the metal detector buzzed. "Unauthorized possessions! Magic detected!" It beeped. We raced through the Fields, and it didn't take us too long before I tripped, the shoes bursting from the shoebox. The shoes started flying towards Hades' palace. But before it got too close, it took a sharp turn, veering off to the cavern I recognized as Tartarus.

We watched from a distance as the shoes plummeted into the pit. Percy hefted the bag he got from Ares uncomfortably. It was getting heavier, probably, which meant the bolt was slowly forming in the bag.

I ignored Persephone's garden as we walked by, just as I did all the rather grotesque murals Hades had painted across his walls. I opened the doors to the throne room, and found Hades sitting there, a disturbed look on his face, as if he was considering something disgusting.

"Lord Hades." I greeted, announcing our presence. "Demigods." He said, rising from his throne. He slid from his throne onto the ground, at mortal size, to face us. "We found the bolt, and I know we're supposed to look for your Helm. I have my suspicions on who has it, and I believe it to be the same person who had the bolt." I told him.

I explained our encounter with Ares, and Percy pulled out the bolt right on cue. I think it still shocked them, despite me outright telling them that the bag was a sheath for the bolt. "That's unlike my nephew. He would never openly oppose the council." The god muttered.

"You know as well as I do what it means, my Lord. Your father is rising. We had been given flying shoes by one we considered an ally, cursed to drag the wearer to Tartarus. They wished to get the bolt to Tartarus, and who else would gain? I admit, my Lord, your father has visited my dreams, among other demigod's dreams. I wish only to assist you, after the Crooked One attempted to drag one of my friends into the Pit." I told him.

The god shook his head. "I believe you, son of Hecate. You tell the truth. But you still must find a way to obtain my Helm." He insisted. That's when an interesting idea was generated. "Percy." I wheeled on him.

"You remember what the Nereid said about the pearls? What belongs to the sea will always return to the sea, right? She also told us its usage changes to suit our needs. Send Annabeth and Grover back to Long Island with the bolt. I can shadow travel to Santa Monica, and you meet me there, alright? The two of us need to fight Ares." I declared.

Percy looked at me, dumbfounded. Annabeth and Grover equally so, though I think the two of them were relieved to be put out of the danger zone. "Percy, I know we can do it. Alright? Trust me." I insisted. The god behind me stayed quiet, amusement likely in his eyes. I knew what I said sounded absolutely preposterous and arrogant. Two demigods against the god of war? No chance. At least, that's what everyone else would think.

Percy hesitated, but handed Grover and Annabeth their pearls. "Focus on the canoe lake. Get to Chiron, and get Argus to take the two of you, and the bolt, to Olympus. Do not be seen by Luke." Percy told them. I smiled. While I still only see a skinny boy from New York, I can feel the leader that he'll grow to be. Even like this, he can inspire action, to some degree.

"Aye-aye, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth said, smiling at him. She turned to me. "You keep him safe, alright, Niko?" She asked me. "I'll do the best I can, Annie." Honestly? I meant to annoy her in case something did go wrong, and I got horribly injured. Who am I kidding? If anything, Percy'll save my ass, not the reverse.

He's the one with plot armor, after all.

The three of them crushed their pearls, and Percy shared a look with me. "I'll meet you up there. I've got to talk a little more with Lord Hades. I'll only be here for a few minutes." I promised him. As Percy flew out of earshot, I turned to him. "Lord, I met your children in the Lotus."

The god immediately tensed, aura flaring. "Don't worry. They're safe. Do you really think I would go this far just to harm you or your family anyways?" I ask. "I suppose that wouldn't make sense. Why are you telling me this?" I took a breath before I confessed to him.

"I know the future, and I don't have a string. I'll present the full story another time. I want to save your daughter from death, and I plan to preserve your son's innocence the best I can. I plan to make a place for them at camp, so they have nothing to fear from their peers, and they'll have space, instead of being stuffed into Hermes' cabin and getting ignored. I've been gathering things I plan on offering the council in return for it." I got out.

Today marked the day I took a god by complete surprise. "You're lying." He accused me. I shook my head. "Ask Charon. He said to me himself that his sisters aren't big fans of me. The Fates do not hold me. Your daughter is forced on a quest by the Hunters, and she gets crushed within a giant automaton, in the Fates' supposedly perfect timeline. I swear on the Styx that I speak the truth, and that I do not wish harm upon the di Angelos." The cavern shakes, presumably signaling the oath being made.

Hades places a firm hand on my shoulder. "I cannot say I have the utmost faith in you, but if you manage this, consider me in your debt, Nikomedes. Now, I can transport you to the surface. Your friend needs you right about now." With that, I got wrapped in shadows, appearing behind Ares.

"I've got to kill you, kid. Nothing personal." Ares said, snapping his fingers. A giant boar made of sand rose up, charging at Percy. A wave swallowed it up, and I grinned at Percy. "One problem with that, big boy. If you wanna get him, you need to get me, too. I swore an oath to protect him. So nothing personal, but I'm about to kick your ass in, war god." I called out to him.

Ares turned on his heel. "To first blood. No killing. Percy and I against you. If we win, we get the Helm, and you don't hurt or curse us. If you win, you get to kill us. On the Styx. Let's see how tough you really are, or are you gonna go run to daddy to fix your problems for you, daddy's boy?" I mocked him. He snarled. "Fine. I swear to your terms. You're getting crushed to a pulp." The god decided, bringing out a claymore.

I got three notifications that I checked quickly before combat started.

Blessings acquired!

The Blessing of Hecate (Temporary): Infinite MP until the blessing fades.

The Blessing of Hades (Permanent): Ability to conjure clouds of darkness at a cost of MP.

The Blessing of Hestia (Permanent): +30 static levels to any pyrokinetic abilities.

I grinned. I knew the blessing from my mother would vanish after this fight, but it would make this much easier. I actually stood a chance at holding him back now, with Hecate and Hades' blessings combined. I willed myself to catch on fire, blue fire wrapping around me, but not obscuring my vision. "Catch this, you fuck!" I called out, blasting him with fire.

Ares stumbled back, scorched, but not harmed past that. He leveled himself again, and I rushed to face him. Whenever he was about to land a hit, I blasted him back with aerokinesis, or conjured a cloud of darkness to shadow travel away. Eventually, the worst happened.

He swung his sword, and it hit its mark. It slashed my stomach, and I went flying back at the force applied to the blow. I groaned, standing up, looking over myself. No damage. The Chimera pelt took the hit for me, and it still looked like it was in perfect condition.

I quickly leapt back at him, to keep him away from Percy, and he parried, stepping back out of my reach. "The Chimera pelt. Curse that thing." He snarled. He lashed out, and I shadow traveled to the water, where Percy was staring at the display in awe. "You need to chip in, too, Perce. Use your abilities carefully. Little waves make a world of difference." I warned, tackling him as we dodged a slash directed at my head.

The three of us were up to our knees. Percy stilled the water. I felt the tension as I held back Ares, but he was slowly pushing me back onto the shore. I screamed, my aerokinesis going insane, blasting him back. He only stumbled back a few feet.

I huffed in frustration. "That could've sent Olympus flying!" I complained. But the few feet I blasted him back was enough.

He was too focused on me, so he didn't notice the, no pun intended, small fry. A large wave roared to life, consuming myself and Ares. Percy launched himself into the fray, slashing like his life depended on it, which it did. It landed true. Ares started bleeding ichor from his ankle.

The god screamed, blowing us back, as well as all the water in a clean circle around him. I picked up the Helm from his bike. Time slowed, and I knew Kronos saw this. I'm no longer safe. Time went back to normal, and Ares snarled, opening his mouth. "You'd best only be admitting defeat. You swore not to curse us." He faltered, and he started glowing. He, alongside his motorbike, vanished, when I had reopened my eyes.

I turned my attention to our surroundings. There were burning police cars, there were nymphs whispering about what happened, and Percy was shivering. I heard the flapping of wings, and I held out the Helm to Alecto. "Give Hades my thanks. We couldn't have got by if not for his assistance." I told her. She nodded. "Maybe you're not so bad, honey." She smiled creepily. I shuddered as she flew away.

Percy walked up to me. "Please tell me that wasn't Dodds approving of you." He begged. "I know. It's terrifying. But fair warning, Perce, try not to vomit." I said, grabbing his arm. I was desperately hoping Hecate's blessing lasted long enough for us to shadow travel accurately to outside the Empire State Building.

Fortunately, my mother seemed to approve of me, especially so today, as we arrived just fine.

After threatening the guard with my powers, and my gauntlet to his face, he let us up. Unfortunately, Apollo hasn't learned much in terms of music past Frank Sinatra and the Bee Gees yet, as Fly Me to the Moon and Stayin' Alive played as we went up.

As we arrived at the six hundredth floor, my breath was taken away. "This is gorgeous." I muttered, taking in every detail. The two of us walked the path, straight to the throne room, ignoring the whisperings of minor gods and nature spirits on our way. Lightning struck the center of the throne room, and I knew we needed to rush, especially if I wanted to manage what I wanted.

We slid through the doors of the throne room as the gods flashed in, Annabeth and Grover standing at the center of the gigantic room. "Lord Zeus. Apologies for our tardiness." I said, kneeling once I arrived at the center of the throne room. I looked up at the twelve gods and shivered. They exuded so much raw power that my body was rebelling. I wanted to run.

I glanced at the hearth, where Hestia sat. She winked at me. You see, over our two years of knowing each other, I told her more and more of the future. I told her my plan regarding the di Angelos, and she was willing to try and pull a string or two to help.

"Lord Zeus, we have news." Annabeth squeaked out. "Continue, granddaughter." He thundered. Annabeth stammered for a moment, then I cut in, before she could embarrass herself. "We have your bolt. Lord Poseidon and his son were not responsible. Instead, we find Luke Castellan and Ares guilty, under the rising influence of the Crooked One." I recounted our tale, and Apollo grinned.

"It's about time he got put in his place." He commented, only to be shot a warning glance by Hera. "It explains the missing god." Demeter pointed out, her grin showing she agreed with Apollo. Zeus and Poseidon argued in rapid Greek, which I unfortunately didn't catch.

"The matter is closed. We will not discuss this further, now, if that is not all..." Zeus trailed off. "Lord Zeus, are these heroes not worthy of a reward? They delivered to you your bolt, and did a great service to Olympus by catching a traitor. Heroes have been rewarded greatly for less." Hestia reasoned.

Zeus grumbled, but put it up to the council. There was a resounding agreement amongst the majority of the gods. "Very well. Nikomedes and Perseus shall get one wish, and the remaining heroes shall get a reward of their patron's choice, for their valiant acts in returning my bolt to me, and discovering a traitor within their camp." With that, the gods turned to face all of us. "Nikomedes Arcus-Lupin, please stand before us." Zeus called.

I stood, and stepped forth. "What is your one wish for the council?" I took in a breath. "I want you all to swear on the Styx that you'll do what I ask for here. I swear on the Styx, in return, that my request is reasonable, and well within your powers." I requested. Reluctantly, Zeus swore on behalf of the council, to provide consideration to one reasonable wish.

"I want you to give cabins to minor gods at the camp."