[Cassidy POV]

"This is Starless, the gods little gift. A cursed blade bathed where the five River of the Underworld connect." I explained looking at the blade, my reflection staring back at me.

Memories flooded my brain so I put it away. "I don't like using it if it isn't completely necessary. Usually, it uses the essence of the souls on Styx but if it also uses my essence. It's painful, a lot."

"That's barbaric!" Annabeth protested, I chuckled, "Have you ever heard about the gods? Medusa? Prometheus? Atlas? Io? Kallisto? Niobe? I could go on." Her shoulders slumped in defeat.

"From where I'm standing, I got lucky. You attack the gods, and they tend to blast you in pieces, that or turn into an animal or monster. Lucky Hephaestus liked me enough to turn it into a necklace instead of a normal sheet, constantly sucking my life force."

I did a Hephaestus impression as he hammered away, "'You got gusto kid, guts, guts of a fool, but guts regardless'" He had said as he attached them to me. Annabeth looked deep in thought. She looked down for a second, then back up.

"Hades. You're Hades' son. That's why you hated Zeus; it's why you hate him now and tried to defend Hades when Chiron accused him." Annabeth said. I laughed, "Sorry disappointing you blondie, but don't you think if I was Hades' kid everyone would have bowed to me by now." "What happened?" said Percy, getting impatient.

So, I told them my tale of curse, "It was five years ago. I had been going to camp on and off for a few months since I was young, but never long enough to do anything significant, but something had gone down recently that meant I had to stay there."

"First I invaved the camp and stole a shirt, then I used the Mist to disguise myself as Argus. Went to Olympus while Chiron was there and sneaked into the throne room, my disguise faded right when I entered."

"The gods didn't notice me, they just assumed I was a Camper waiting for Chiron. I was hiding my sword in a Mistform card so no one would see it. I used a spell to turn invisible and climbed up the ceiling, I went right above the center, undid the spell, dropped right on top of them and boom!"

"Boom what?" said Grover on the edge of his seat. "Fire spell, an explosive one. Step one was completed then was time for step two, a disarming spell, get rid of Apollo's and Artemis's bows to avoid getting shot while I attack Zeus."

"I had everything in plan. Fire spells to deal with Demeter, containment spells for Poseidon and Hera, placed a little mix on Dionysus coke to make him uncapable of intervening, silence spells so Aphrodite couldn't charmspeak me and illusions for Ares and Athena. I just didn't have plans for Hephaestus and Hermes but the voice in my head told everything would go well so I followed my plan and drew my sword."

"And it worked?" Annabeth said. I shrugged, "Failed miserably, the containments broke like glass, Poseidon used his powers to put out the fire, Ares and Athena destroyed the illusions easily and the silence spell didn't even reach as Aphrodite laughed, Chiron was furious, understandably. Chiron pleaded with them said I'm just a kid, but if Thalia Grace was any indication, the gods don't care about killing kids, they had a vote, then they decided to incinerate me."

"But you came back to life because you can't die!" Said Percy suddenly, "No Percy, I assure you, I can die, I just got really lucky earlier." He blushed and started looking around the room, "No, I thought I was done for despite Chiron trying defend me."

"Zeus had no mercy, called up the bolt and everything. Asked if I had any last words. But then Hestia comes in, calms them all down, asks me why I did it. I say my piece and then they were quiet for a long time."

"What did you tell them?" Grover asked, "The truth and my name. That was all they needed." "But trying to attack the gods, that's a big no-no, even today." Grover said, chewing on a serving napkin. "Why did they forgive you?"

They all looked at me, wanting to know more, to know what I had said, I debated telling them for a long time, and eventually managed it. "They killed my parents." "When I was six, eight years ago, the Kindly Ones attacked my house looking for me."

"But aren't they from the Underworld, they work for Hades." I nodded. "They thought Hades was my father. They made him attack me, thinking he wouldn't kill his own son, and that he'd just admit to breaking his oath. But I'm not his kid...I'm...mortal."

All three of them looked stunned. I could feel the motor of Annabeth's brain starting up, "But, mortals don't- why did they-" I nodded, "Yeah, I know, but it will make sense, let me explain."

"When you say mortal, you mean fully mortal, like my mother?" Percy asked bluntly and I chuckled and answered, "Yes Percy, I don't a single drop of godly heritage on my blood."

Despite not wanting to, I knew I couldn't leave them in the dark, like I had warned Annabeth, hiding info like this could get us all killed, and if we were going to the underworld, they needed to know.

"Some mortals can be born with clear sight, the ability to see through the mist, even better then demigods. And other can be naturally connected with magic, I happen to be both."

"I, personally, was born with a natural gift for necromancy. I still remember my parents faces when I summoned George Washington's soul to help do a history homework about him." I smiled remembering the moment. "And of course, I used to panic every time I saw a monster looking for half-bloods without knowing a mortal could see them. People like me aren't very usual, that's why Zeus thought Hades had broken his oath."

"Of course, he didn't care about killing me when the Olympians tasked him to, he knew I wasn't his and thought it would gain him favor if he showed how committed he was to keeping his promise. So, he sent the Furies."

"I don't remember how it went exactly, everything I remember is mom, dad and the Kindly Ones all dead on the ground."

"I didn't knew anything about the gods that time so I was sent to a orphanage where I spent eight years of my life, but some months after the first attack the Kindly ones appeared again, but not after me." I felt my face sadden unconsciously, "They were after some demigods that lived there too, most of them managed to escape, but some died and I started to find out the truth about the world."

"I spent three years learning magic and sword fighting, and then I started my plan. I was so angry, I challenged Zeus to a fight. Told him if I won, he gives me my parents back and if I lose, they could do whatever they wanted with me, I didn't care at that point. Chiron tried to talk me out of it, but it was too late, Zeus accepted."

"Against half-bloods I tend to have the advantage as most of their weapons are celestial bronze and I, a mortal, am not 'relevant enough' to be touched by it." I smiled at the memory of Zeus staring at me in shock, looking like an idiot as the Master Bolt went through my chest like I wasn't even there. "The Master Bolt can't affect me but the explosion of lightning of the impact can."

"At that point some of the saner gods like your mom tried to step in, Ares stopped them, said it was supposed to be a battle and they had no right. Of course after pulling the pieces together they realized I am a mortal."

"But then with all that evidence, the gods must have realized their mistake!" said the ever-optimistic Percy. I shook my head. "You poor innocent child. They couldn't have cared less; I had just attacked the king of the gods."

"Anyway, I wanted to keep fighting, but it was over. So, Zeus tried to save face for his mistake. Said he wouldn't kill me." "I bet Ares and Hades liked that." Annabeth said sarcastically. I nodded.

"Hestia came in again, said 'are you done?' And then she proposed another alternative. They took another vote, decided to 'atone' for my actions. I had to repay them for my stupidity, to work for them."

"If I, a mere mortal, was brave enough to sneak into Olympus, I was brave enough to do that. And if I were skilled enough to sneak past gods, surely, I could be of use. I had to prove to them that I was worth sparing."

"Zeus made Hades keep my parents' souls, once my trials were over, he'd release them back to the mortal world, 'for his mistakes.' And to give me an incentive to do it."

"There was a lot of other intricate details I won't get into right now, but as you could imagine, I took the deal without thinking. But they just wanted me to be their pawn, anything they wanted dead they sent me after, any issue they didn't want to deal with, I did."

"Similar to the twelve labours of Heracles, I call it the 'thirteen punishments of Cassidy', each given by each Olympian and Hades, how fair is that?" I sighed, "And Hades, the devious snake he is, cheated me, Zeus's words were 'Hades shall look after your parents until their demise can be rectified.' But he didn't say where."

"Any time I step out of line or don't do what they ask he threatens to keep them in the Fields of Punishment." I grit my teeth, my blood boiling at the thought. Annabeth understood. "He tricked you, if he hadn't agreed, they would been left in Elysium."

I nodded, "Why are you here then?" Percy asked, "Couldn't Hades-" I nodded, "Yeah, but after you told me about your mom, I couldn't sit back and watch him do it again. I'd never be able to live with myself."

Percy went to thank me, but Annabeth spoke over him, "Then why defend him?" "I hate injustice, I hate Hades but I have my reasons, most people don't. If people are going to hate him, are for the things he did and not because of a stupid title." She frowned at that, fair, she also had her reasons. "And how many punishments have you done?"

"Ten, currently doing my eleventh, this one given by Zeus, recovering the Master Bolt." Annabeth nodded. "And the other two?"

"Ares and Hades. Hades wants to see if I can complete the twelve before giving me one and Ares is probably preparing the worst he has."

"Only a select few people do know. Some of the older camp councillors, some Apollo kids and satyrs, the Olympians and Chiron obviously, and now you guys." I smiled, they turned to Grover. He bleated nervously, "I didn't know the whole story, I just heard stuff."

"Well, it's good to know my deepest darkest secret is only a mild rumour." I sighed, "No, I just heard that you had a problem with Hades and the Kindly ones, not anything else I promise." I shrugged, "Who cares, it's about to be over anyway. I just want my parents back and I'll be a regular camper."

I thought this finished the conversation with that, but over the next few hours I was bombarded with questions, mostly just to kill time. Most of which I was happy to answer. I didn't tell them everything, some cards I was still trying to keep close to my chest for now, but enough that they got the picture.

"Can you raise the dead?" Annabeth asked, I nodded, "Yeah, I don't do it often though, it takes a lot out of me, depending on the quality and quality of the dead." I explained, "Plus you can't exactly find bodies or spirits lying around."

"Ooh, I've got one. What do souls look like?" Grover asked, I expected that one, "Smoke." I shrugged; they wanted more elaboration. So, I gave it, "Everyone thinks life is a spark, a flame, and maybe it is, for them. But for me, it's something similar but never the same, for me someone's life or the life that they have left. Is smoke."

"Not literally it's just the way I see them, if I keep my eyes close long enough, I can see it. It's like smoke trapped in a glass, the glass in this case being the person's body." I closed my eyes as I continued.

"The thicker and denser the smoke swirls, the longer they have left, the thinner it is, the closer they are to their end. Now it's not fool proof, I learnt that on the day I figured out I could see it." I frowned, thinking back to my Mom.

"I can see the smoke, but it represents someone's lifespan naturally, if they were to be shot by an arrow and die, they had until the smoke left them to live. Otherwise, it dwindles away until they die naturally."

"Something else I've learned is that if someone is destined to die, the smoke reflects that. Unless they change their path." "Yeah, we didn't want to know your life story, just what colours we are." Percy teased, I chortled.

"Colour is important, a god's soul is golden, a demigod's is bronze. Satyrs and Nymphs are vibrant colours like green or yellow, the deeper the colour the older they are."

Grover opened his mouth, I said, "Green, strong green." and his expression was of pure joy. "Average mortals vary from white to grey or black depending on their quality," "Mortals like me tend to be a mix of colours like purple, green or blue, depends on their type of magic."

"Monsters don't have souls, as I see them as pitch black. Remnants of Tartarus in their blood."

I wonder what my soul looks like. Had everything I had done up until this point affected the quality of my soul? Was I closer to a monster then I was to human at this point? I pondered the question all the way to Denver.

Bet you didn't see that one coming right? I know you didn't, don't be ashamed.

I kinda want to update as fast as I can so I don't have to worry about school... okay that's a lie, it's to play God of War Ragnarok (TWO WEEKS BABY!)

I'm liking where the story is going, still have some misteries around and a lot planned. So, yeah, if you can please review and see ya next time.