Hades, King of the Underworld, rarely had any guests inside his domain, for he was all too used to those who believed they could take something from their future ruler. Orpheus with the desire to recover his muse Eurydice. Hercules, taking Cerberus to suit the whims of a foolish king. Theseus and Pirithous had sought to take Helen of Troy and later his beloved wife Persephone. And Percy Jackson tried to accuse him of stealing the Master Bolt.

Perhaps it was some sort of universal irony that, among the cohorts he ordered his son to bring from the land of the living, the last person in that list was included. In fact, the wary and slightly disturbed look the son of Poseidon was giving him was amusing, even.

What was almost as entertaining was the look Will Solace was giving him, a mixed look of I should really fear this guy because he's the lord of The Dead and Shit, this is my boyfriend's father. The same could be applied to Frank Zhang, except replace boyfriend with girlfriend. Which, though Hades would not comment on, was something he could empathize with the teenagers, for he felt the same when he first met Demeter after the whole kidnapping debacle (and even then, the blame could largely be pointed at Zeus - Hades was inexperienced to romance and had foolishly followed the king of the gods' recommended tactics).

Of course, they weren't the only demigods present. Nearly all of the Seven Heroes of Prophecy were in his throne room - Jason Grace, the second testament to Zeus' failure to keep it in his pants. Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, Architect to Olympus, and Percy Jackson's girlfriend. Piper McLean, who he was internally mentally debating if she had done anything to merit such a position of honor. And finally, Hazel Levesque, his daughter who tamed Arion and one of Hecate's disciples.

The stern lord wasn't alone by any chance. The furies had taken position as his honor guard, their whips at the ready. They had chosen to take the more monstrous forms they possessed when dealing with sinners, mainly for maintaining the Underworld's reputation. Thanatos was at the foot of his throne, forfeiting his job for a while as they settled this manner. If Persephone, Nyx, and his son Zagreus had been here they could've shown their full strength and the entire gravitas of this occasion.

The lack of Persephone's presence was the only hint that it was still summer, and his queen wouldn't return until the twenty-first of September. This also had the consequence of Hades, ironically enough, being warmer to his son. He was well aware that the queen didn't tolerate his son's presence, and she had every right to do so - Nico was a living testament to his own infidelity, especially since their marriage was the most functional out of their dysfunctional family. Regardless, he still favored his child, so he sent what he hoped was the closest equivalent of a warm smile (not an actual smile, he still had to maintain a reputation after all).

Slowly, everyone started bowing - first Hazel, followed by Will, then McLean, with the rest following suit and Chase being the last. Jackson, in his usual mix of impertinence and wariness, was the only one standing. Hades paid no attention to it, for there were larger matters at stake.

"Lord Hades," Zhang said, the sincere respect and diplomacy in his tone and language mentally earning a few points with the god in front of him. "Your son informed us that you required our presence, and although we are honored to be here, I would like to voice our curiosity as to why."

"Rise. Except you, Jackson, for you evidently are a mind-reader." Only Nico caught the sarcasm in his tone, a small little smile playing out on his lips. The rest were either still fearful or respectful of him.

"The matters that I am about to speak of do not leave this house, for if the sensitive information were to leave these halls, the underworld and my relatives in Olympus will be in an uproar. I can assume you know what that means." The demigods gave their own gestures of acceptance.

"What is this about?" McLean spoke out.

The Lord of the Dead frowned at the demigoddess, her lack of decorum not winning any of his favor. Regardless, he answered. "Mind your tongue, daughter of Aphrodite. You see, most of you are aware of the events during the Feast of Spes are you not?"

"Yes, my lord. Is this about our friend Leo Valdez?" Hazel asked.

"That can't be true. Leo is alive, isn't he?" Grace rebutted, the furies hissing behind his back. None of the three dreaded ones liked their lord's children being accused of lying.

"So it would seem, but Jason, you and Piper stopped searching for him after a week." Chase pointed out, and this temporarily quelled Hades' indignation at being ignored in his own throne room. "You think he's alive, but you never confirmed it."

"And I confirmed, he died, but his death was weird. That isn't a hint that he's alive Jason." Nico said. "Regardless, you could have done more."

"We needed a break. Besides, the legion's not helping out." At this, Grace gave a disgruntled look towards Frank.

"Look, even though we cleared up the manner with the legion that Leo didn't bomb New Rome out of his free will, the legion can't send out search parties without the senate's approval." Hazel returned the same look Grace gave her boyfriend. "As you should know, considering you were a Praetor once."

"Ugh, can you both shut up?" Jackson rubbed his temples. "Look, neither of us is in the right at the moment."

It was funny seeing them bicker, the dread lord thought. For them being the supposed heroes of prophecy, they certainly didn't get along. Maybe such cracks had always been present. Or maybe they had slowly forged themselves when the son of Hephaestus died. Either way, it was clear that they lacked any unity now that the Second Great Prophecy was over.

"Mind your own business, Percy. It's not like you helped out anyways." Grace rolled his eyes.

"I searched the sea around Camp Half-Blood. The ichthyocentaurs are doing their best. I've done my best, and there is only so far I can reach. And gods dammit, I have a right to live my life."

"So let us live ours!" The son of Zeus protested.

"Well look at it this way, Jason. Frank and I have our own positions in New Rome, responsibilities that we need to maintain. Percy, you have a family that you haven't seen for months, a life in the mortal world that you need to get back to. And Annabeth, you've been trying to help find your cousin in Boston."

'My lord -" Thanatos stood up, trying to disrupt the Daughter of Pluto's line of argument.

Hades shook his head, a look of amusement in his eyes. "I want to see where this is going."

Hazel received several nods of approval. "In the meantime, well, Piper has her own dad to see. That I can get. But Jason… what have you done?"

"I made a promise to Kymopoleia. I promised to honor all minor gods, make them their own temples in New Rome."

"Then where is mine, Son of Jupiter?" The god of death hissed out, like sharks exposed to fresh blood.

Grace leaped back, as if registering his presence. "It's a work in progress."

"Dude…" Frank sighed. "We haven't even received a basic blueprint for the first temple. No scheduled sacrifices for the minor gods. You have that whole monopoly diagram you showed earlier, but there is nothing concrete. Honestly, I just think you're just trying to get everybody to do the work for you."

Grace backed away as if he had taken a punch to the face. McLean, in the meantime, rose to his defense, about to speak her mind.

"Silence." Hades hissed out the words, and immediately everyone fell silent.

"While I do not speak for my lord, I can confirm one thing. Leo Valdez is not alive. Nor is he dead." Thanatos' melodious voice broke the brewing conflict, and for a second disappointment descended on their faces before breaking out in confusion.

"What do you mean he's not alive or dead?" Chase asked.

"Exactly that. I, as chief enforcer of the laws between life and death, have explicit knowledge of any being's status, where they are in the world, and when they will die." Thanatos brought out the screen of his tablet, showing several faces with either red, green, and orange dots which were slowly turning red next to them. "Red means dead, green means they're still living, and orange means they're on the way to getting dead."

"However," Thanatos typed into a search bar: Leonardo Valdez.

The tablet showed the face of a boy with curly black hair, coppery skin, and the smirkish smile of a troublemaker. However, rather than display any of the colors that the god of death mentioned, the dot was gray. "I can't keep track of him - his soul is neither in the land of the living or the dead. At first, I thought one of you had discovered he was still living and had created some form of magic to prevent me from detecting his presence. But your lack of knowledge now indicates otherwise."

"Wait, how can a soul not be in earth or the underworld?" Chase asked.

"Usually such conditions have multiple variations, Ms. Chase. In some cases, the Olympians decide to ascend a mortal into godhood or some form of extended immortality, such as Hercules or the Hunters of Artemis." Hades felt his face shift into a frown. "Of course, my cousins up in Olympus are more apt to brag about such events, and thus you would know if Leo Valdez was alive.

"However, this usually happens when a mortal breaks an oath sworn on the River Styx."

The furies laughed, Megaera's the most audible of all. "Of course! And I, the punisher of oath breakers, took his case seriously."

"Leo was a hero! He would get into Elysium." Hazel argued.

"While that would normally be the case my daughter," Hades explained, his expression solemn as he explained the situation. "Lady Styx would not allow for an exception, even for a demigod who saved the world. The Ancient Laws, and Lady Styx as another gatekeeper of this realm, would not allow him to join Elysium."

At this, everyone's expressions fell into a series of melancholy. Tears slowly fell down Hazel's eyes while Frank and Jackson did their best to comfort her. Grace and McLean shared looks of dismay. However, Chase, Nico, and Will were the only ones aware of the reality of the situation.

"So why not assume that happened there? You must believe that there must be some alternative." Chase voiced her idea.

The statement from Chase earned a respectful nod from the god. "Of course." He turned to Megaera. "Will you state your report of what happened regarding the demigod?"

"Of course. Just as it was ordered, the demigod was given free passage through Charon's boat, and his passage through Cerberus was expedited as well." The Fury's face turned sour, as if the memory had quelled her sadistic glee. "It was clear he was aware of his fate. The boy was quiet during the entire trial."

"Although the judges debated whether his achievements were enough to achieve Elysium or at least spare him to Asphodel, the Lady Styx intervened, saying that as one who broke an oath sworn upon a River on the Underworld, he must face the corresponding punishment. After that, the judges agreed that although Leo Valdez was good and great enough to reach Elysium, he must face the consequence of an oath sworn with folly."

If her expression hinted at dread, the grimace that appeared on the fury's face gave away her disgust at the situation. "Although I often take pleasure from punishing those who break their oaths, particularly the pathetic who had no intention of keeping them, those who did so due to circumstances out of their control are the most tragic."

"But here is what led my lord to believe that the ghastly Cure brought him back to life. When I tried to drown his soul in the currents of the river, rather than be erased, it turned into a shower of gold dust." The fury turned towards the heroes who were vividly listening to her recounting, which was rather out of character since some of the demigods were diagnosed with ADHD. "Though I thought it was the Physician's Cure, verification from Than - er, Lord Thanatos, Lord Hermes, and your own shock prove that wasn't the case."

"So… Leo somehow vanished off the face of the earth. Great. Great." A hiss leaked out of McLean's tone. "A month's work, gone."

"Piper," Annabeth sent a glare towards the girl. "I know it's frustrating, but be glad's there's the chance he's alive."

"But the question is where could he be?" Grace asked.

"Gold dust… Father, is it possible that the Throne - "

Nico was cut off by his Lord Father, who banged his fist on the arm's rest with the authority of a king. "Do not mention that blasted false legend. If the Throne actually existed, Elysium's halls would be empty."

"Wait, what is the Throne?" Jackson asked in his impertinence.

"The Throne of Heroes is… well, a legend of legends." Thanatos looked towards the sky, as if there was some sort of higher power even above him. "A rumor spread across us deities that govern the realms of life and death, one I have found no evidence regarding its existence."

"If somebody was recognized by the world sufficiently enough as a hero, their soul and very existence would be empowered and converted into a Heroic Spirit. Apparently, the Throne is some sort of entity that exists outside of time and space, unreachable even by the gods themselves." Thanatos shook his head, as if the idea was ridiculous.

"According to the rumor - and it is still just a rumor as far as it is known, for we have found no evidence of such a thing - it is possible to summon these Heroic Spirits from the Throne into weaker physical bodies known as Servants."

The Lord of the Underworld nodded at his subordinate's explanation. "Yes, but even if such a thing existed, the idea of summoning one is absurd. We, both gods and demigods, have been able to resolve most of our problems without any outside intervention, and thus have no need of Heroic Spirits."

That was another distinguishable truth. This was a world where heroes existed and arguably thrived, where gods and monsters actively fought. Although he himself shared a form of disgust from both himself and his own relatives' philandering, there was no denying that their progeny very much lived up to the task. Why would they need Servants when they already had heroes.

"So, what you're telling us is that you have no clue where Leo or if he's even alive." Jackson said.

"Do be quiet, boy," Hades stood from his throne, fixing a glare that, despite the Hero of Olympus having a record of sassing at the gods, reminded him that he was speaking to one he did not want to cross. "For We were willing to share this information with you, rather than leave you searching for someone that may not exist in this plane of reality. Crueler beings would have watched your frantic search with popcorn in hand and laugh at your plight."

"This information must not leave this House, for if rumors of the Throne reached the ears of your demigod cohorts, they would leap into Thanatos' arms out of sheer folly and arrogance." Hades looked at every demigod in the room, watching them process this sudden revelation.

Demigods were often searching for a way to live in peace, especially due to the monsters that plagued them ever since their youth. But now that Kronos and Gaia were defeated, they were spreading their influence, amassing their numbers. They wouldn't have to live with the cruel years of fighting monsters and fighting for their lives, and thus would seek glory, seeing the wars as days where they would have become heroes. If it was possible, they could get so famous they could reach an afterlife beyond the fields of Elysium, beyond the Isles of Blest, well, there was no denying the temptation there.

And it seemed most of the heroes for Hades' audience realized it, for several turned as pale as sheets of paper. Only McLean didn't seem to focus on it, for it seemed she had different priorities. "Then… What do we do about Leo now? How can we find someone who, as far as we know, is impossible to reach?"

At this, Hades shrugged. "You have two options, as far as I know. You can either wait for him until he returns, or you can search for him until he is found. Both actions may take an eternity, but they may provide the miracle that you are looking for."

"But…" Hades couldn't help but sigh.

The Lord of the Dead was a cynic. It came with the territory, for mortals always had a fear of death, and those who didn't were trained by life to not do so or were in the realm of insanity. This fear had led to him being demonized, portrayed as the closest equivalent to the villain of the universe when he was the arbiter that ensured they received the afterlife they deserved.

"Do not presume that such actions will actually ensure that you may reach your goals. If the Throne does not exist, your labor will be for naught." Hades fixed them with a stare that seemed to reach into the very fabric of their being. "And if the mythical Throne actually exists, there is no confirmation that Leo Valdez may want to descend and grant you peace of mind."

"You don't know that." McLean tried to return a similar stare to the Lord of the Dead, but it felt weaker, for it was evident that the seeds of doubt were planted into her mind. "Leo's our friend."

"Maybe I don't, but it seems your arrogance will betray you, daughter of Aphrodite." Hades' tone was not mocking. Far from it, for he spoke of facts that everyone in the room knew to be true. "You have no evidence to show for it, nor a way to grasp it."

"Now go, demigods. Do with this knowledge as you wish." He ordered. "But… if you do find him, let him know to not return until he fulfills his oath. I do not want to condemn a hero to such a cruel fate."

The gesture clearly surprised the demigods, for they froze for a few seconds. It was an audacious statement - Hades, Thanatos, they were the enforcers of the laws that governed life and death. If Lady Styx heard such a statement, then the resulting chaos would resonate throughout all the Underworld.

Then he received various gestures of approval, the furies escorting them out of the gates of Hades' palace. For a second, the remaining tension hung over the throne room, a sword of Damocles hanging over a rope. Then the god of death broke it. "You didn't tell them everything."

"Hmph. Of course I did not." The God of the Underworld returned to his throne. "If we mentioned that he wasn't found in any afterlife belonging to any other pantheon, then it would be a cause for alarm. That blasted Egyptian fool has already caused enough conflict between the pantheons."

"If everyone became aware that a demigod was not present in any afterlife, the other pantheons would be in arms." Hades gestured towards the ceiling. "Do you imagine the panic that the Valkyries would have if there was some higher being above them, and that the heroes they chose were not worthy to get there? If the Egyptian mages realized there was some form of afterlife beyond my peer Osiris, and thus they would try to defy his authority?"

"Of course, my lord. But what about the Initiative?" Thanatos asked. "Shouldn't we have mentioned that to them?"

"The experiment between us and our allies in Olympus is one that mortals are not fit to hear, much less demigods so intrinsically connected to it." Hades waved the question aside.

"Such an experiment might have brought them hope." The god of death argued. "And while I know our grim work is often tiring, that does not give us the right to deny it."

"I believe we can both agree that what we did was not for bringing hope to anybody." Hades gestured to one of the many windows that decorated his House, depicting a scene from the Fields of Punishment. "What we did was not to bring hope, but to bring punishment. It was not created with the dreams of humanity in mind, but of their despair."

"And what if our coworker figures out what we did? The Initiative is a fate worse than torment in Tartarus."

"What choice does he have? It was a unanimous decision among the council, one which he had no power or influence over. He is aware of the crimes, the blood that was spilled, for the experiment." Hades rubbed his temples. "Maybe if things were better in Olympus, he would have more ground for his argument. But if he were to protest against this now, Zeus would take such arguments as treason."

"True enough." Thanatos nodded. "Look at Apollo. At best, he was an unwitting accessory to the crimes his bastard legacy committed - and even then, he did not order Octavian to burn down Camp Half-Blood. Worst case scenario, he just gave in to flattery once. Now if rumors are to be believed, Zeus is going to make him a mortal again as punishment for the crime."

"Of course. Anyway, at best the subject received a fitting punishment. Regardless, things are too late. If the experiment was successful and the Throne does exist, then he is up there for eternity, and will answer the call when needed. If the Throne does not, then his soul is currently shredded by the eternal turmoil of chaos." Hades shrugged. "Either way, we benefit."

"Go, Thanatos. While I am glad you were able to participate in this audience, you can't hold your job for very long." A crooked smirk passed across Hades' face. "Otherwise, you would have to go into overtime, and you certainly wouldn't want to keep Zagreus waiting, don't you?"

The resulting silence was met with a small chuckle from Hades, for he knew that Thanatos was gone. Then his own mirth disappeared, looking towards the window towards the fields of punishment. He would admit, punishment was the worst aspect of his job. Not because of the prospect of causing pain (there were those that were deserving) but that there were those who now deserved to be let go. Mortals who were condemned to punishment in the past would at least have enjoyed the peaceful oblivion of the Fields of Asphodel, and some would have even been able to make it to Elysium.

However, the experiment… Well, to say that was another form of punishment would be an understatement. It was delicious yet cruel in its irony was an understatement. Compared to the other souls in the Fields of Punishment, or those chained in Tartarus, they would someday be granted mercy and their souls washed in the water of the Lethe. This punishment would never grant such mercy - the subject of the experiment would be fighting on behalf of Olympus and humanity until the end of time.

Yes, it would be best for the demigods to never know of the experiment, and much less about the Counter Guardian Initiative.

(Break)

Noble Phantasm unlocked!

Pseudo-Mechanical Divine Beast FESTUS - A (Anti-Army) : The dragon that followed Leo throughout most of his quest, whether it be in his full form as a dragon or as the figurehead of the Argo II. With celestial bronze blessed by Hephaestus himself, he was built by his demigod children during the Civil War, and as thus his nature is more consistent of a divine beast despite his mechanical origins and dragon-inspired schematics.

However, these mechanical origins allow Festus to be rebuilt. In essence, if he is inflicted with an injury, Leo could easily fix him when usually such an event would permanently cripple a Rider Servant's mount and take them out of combat. Even if his body is destroyed, so long as his head is spared, he can be rebuilt and resummoned. Furthermore, Leo can 'upgrade' him with enough time, while his makers designed him with the abilities of a dragon (not to be confused with dragonkin or wyverns). Thus he has the corresponding magical core (itself a practical mana generator) and is also able to have the Independent Action at a rank of A.

A final factor to consider is that Festus, compared to most phantasmal or divine beasts, has a more conscious form of intelligence. Compared to most machines whose 'intelligence' is limited to what their creators programmed them to perform, or beasts who are driven by survival instinct, Festus can actively develop strategies and is able to make decisions of his own free will. This is a result of Piper McLean using her charmspeak to give him life, an ability that can be observed with the Berserker-class Servant Galatea. He is only limited in which way he can use his communication, but he is always loyal to Leo, and as thus can never be manipulated.

Of further note, Festus due to his unique nature, is immune to skills or Noble Phantasms that have conceptual advantages against dragons (Balmung, Gram, Arondight) but is weak to those that have advantages over divinity (Enkidu, Vasavi Shakti, Mystery Slayer at sufficient rankings). He himself does have a similar conceptual advantage over divinity due to his participation in the slaying of Gaea.