A/N: I don't own the rights to any of the Percy Jackson series or it's characters. That right goes to Rick Riordan. I also don't own the rights to Animorph including it's title.

I am, however, the person who posted 'The Tales of...' series.

This is not a crossover of the Percy Jackson series with the book/tv series Animorph, despite what you might think from the title. I just thought it be a proper name for the ability to turn into animals since that's why the tv/book series 'Animorph' was called that in the first place.

If you haven't read this yet, read:

Animorph Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Animorph Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters
Animorph Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan's Curse
Animorph Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Battle of the Labyrinth
Animorph Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Stolen Chariot
Animorph Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sword of Hades
Animorph Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Bronze Dragon

Hades Can Be a Pain to Everybody

We emerged in Central Park just north of the Pond. Mrs. O'Leary looked pretty tired as she limped over to a cluster of boulders. She started sniffing around, and I was afraid she might mark her territory, but Nico said, "It's okay. She just smells the way home."

I frowned. "Through the rocks?"

"The Underworld has three major entrances-at least the ones that can be located in the U.S.," Nico said. "You know the one in L.A."

"Charon's ferry."

Nico nodded. "Most souls go that way. Then there's Melinoe's cave that she uses."

I remember her from the quest for the Sword of Hades. Melinoe was the minor goddess of ghost and would take form of whoever you know that died that you are still grieving for and uses her powers to turn you into a ghost yourself. If you can overcome her powers supposedly you can use her cave to get back to the world of the living. Bianca and I weren't affected as Nico and Thalia because we moved on from our losses, but we were there to stop Ethan Nakamura and the titan formerly known as Iapetus (now goes by Bob (Long story)) from using it, so I never found out where in the mortal world it opens up to.

"Please tell me this isn't an entrance to her cave?" I asked.

"No. Trust me, I wouldn't use that one unless it's absolutely necessary," Nico reassured me-which I believed him as like I said he was affected by Melinoe. "This one the third entrance is a smaller path that is harder to find. The Doors of Orpheus."

"The dude with the harp."

"Dude with the lyre," Nico corrected. "But yeah, him. He used his music to charm the earth and open a new path into the Underworld. He sang his way right into Hades' palace and almost got away with his wife's soul."

I remembered the story, mostly because I was looking for a way to bring my mom back from the Underworld when I thought she was dead during my first summer at Camp Half-Blood. Orpheus wasn't supposed to look behind him when he was leading his wife back to the world, but of course he did. It was one of those typical "and-so-they-died/the-end" stories that always made us demigods feel warm and fuzzy.

"So this is the Door of Orpheus." I tried to be impressed, but it still looked like a pile of rocks to me. "How does it open?"

"We need music," Nico said. "How is your singing?"

"Um, no. Can't you just, like, tell it to open? You're the son of Hades and all."

"It's not that easy. We need music-any music. Can't you just turn into a animal that sings?"

I never thought of that, but he had a point. There are plenty of animals that can. I just never really tried to use it.

Then I got an idea. "Grover!"

"He's missing," Nico reminded me.

"But he was last seen at Central Park," I said. "If he's still here somewhere, maybe I can link up with him using Empathy Link."

I shut my eyes and concentrated. Grover.

I knew he was somewhere in the park. My empathy link was really tingling now. But why can't I sense his emotions? All I got was a hum in the base of my skull.

Grover, I thought more insistently.

Hmm-hmmmm, something said.

An image came into my head. I saw a giant elm tree deep in the woods, well off the main paths. Gnarled roots laced the ground, making a kind of bed. Lying in it with his arms crossed and his eyes closed was a satyr. At first I couldn't be sure it was Grover. He was covered in twigs and leaves, like he';d been sleeping there a long time. The roots seemed to be shaping themselves around him, slowly pulling him into the earth. My guess is that the dryads were making him comfortable or something.

Grover, I said. Wake up.

Unnnh-zzzz.

Dude, you're covered in dirt. Wake up!

Sleepy, his mind murmured.

FOOD! I suggested. ENCHILADAS!

His eyes shot open. A blur of thoughts filled my head like he was suddenly on fast forward. The image shattered, and I almost fell over.

"What happened?" Nico asked.

"I got through. He's... yeah. He's on his way."

A minute later, the tree next to us shivered. Grover fell out of the branches, right on his head.

"Grover!" I yelled.

"Woof!" Mrs. O'Leary looked up, probably wondering if we were going to play fetch with the satyr.

"Blah-haa-haa!" Grover bleated.

"You okay, man?"

"Oh, I'm fine." He rubbed his head. His horns had grown so much that they poked an inch above his curly hair. "I was at the other end of the park. The dryads had this great idea of passing me through the trees to get me here. They don't understand height very well."

He grinned as he got to his feet-well, his hooves, actually. Since last summer, Grover had stopped trying to disguise himself as human. He never wore a cap or fake feet anymore. He didn't even wear jeans, since he had furry goat legs from the waist down. His T-shirt had a picture from Where the Wild Things Are. It was covered with dirt and tree sap. His goatee looked fuller, almost manly (or goatly?), and he was as tall as me now.

"Good to see you, G-man," I said. "You remember Nico."

He nodded at Nico, then he gave me a big hug. He smelled like fresh mown lawns.

"Perrrrcy!" he bleated. "I missed you! I miss camp. They don't serve very good enchiladas in the wilderness."

"I was worried," I said. "Where've you been the last two months?"

"The last two-" Grover's smile faded. "The last two months? What are you talking about?"

"We haven't heard from you," I said. "Juniper's worried. We sent Iris-messages, but-"

"Hold on." He looked up at the stars like he was trying to calculate his position. "What month is this?"

"August."

The color drained from his face. "That's impossible. It's June. I just lay down to take a nap and..." He grabbed my arms. "I remember now! He knocked me out. Percy, we have to stop him!"

"Whoa," I said. "Slow down. Tell me what happened."

He took a deep breath. "I was... I was walking in the woods by Harlem Meer. And I felt this tremble in the ground, like something powerful was near."

"You can sense stuff like that?" Nico asked.

Grover nodded. "Since Pan's death, I can feel when something is wrong in nature. It's like my ears and eyes are sharper when I'm in the Wild. Anyway, I started following the scent. This man in a long black coat was walking through the park, and I noticed he didn't cast a shadow. Middle of a sunny day, and he cast no shadow. He kind of shimmered as he moved."

"Like a mirage?" Nico asked.

"Yes," Grover said. "And whenever he passed humans-"

"The humans would pass out," Nico said. "Curl up and go to sleep."

"That's right! Then after he was gone, they get up and go about their business like nothing happened."

I stared at Nico. "You know this guy in black?"

"Afraid so," Nico said. "Grover, what happened?"

"I followed the guy. He kept looking up at buildings around the park like he was making estimates or something. This lady jogger ran by, and she curled up on the sidewalk and started snoring. The guy in black put his hand on her forehead like he was checking her temperature. Then he kept walking. By this time, I knew he was a monster or something even worse. I followed him into this grove, to the base of a big elm tree. I was about to summon some dryads to help me capture him when he turned and..."

Grover swallowed. "Percy, his face. I couldn't make out his face because it kept shifting. Just looking at him made me sleepy. I said 'What are you doing?' He said, 'Just having a look around. You should always scout a battlefield before the battle.' I said something really smart like, 'This forest is under my protection. You won't start any battles here!' And he laughed. He said, 'You're lucky I'm saving my energy for the main event, little satyr. I'll just grant you a short nap. Pleasant dreams.' And that's the last thing I remember."

Nico exhaled. "Grover, you met Morpheus, the God of Dreams. You're lucky you ever woke up."

"Two months," Grover moaned. "He put me to sleep for two months!"

I tried to wrap my mind around what this meant. Now it made sense why we hadn't been able to contact Grover all this time.

"Why didn't the nymphs try to wake you?" I asked.

Grover shrugged. "Most nymphs aren't good with time. Two months for a tree-that's nothing. They probably didn't think anything was wrong."

"We've got to figure out what Morpheus was doing in the park," I said. "I don't like this 'main event' thing he mentioned."

"He's working for Kronos," Nico said. "We know that already. A lot of the minor gods are, and the fact Morpheus was here scouting the city explains why we haven't seen any of them. They must be preparing for the invasion. Percy, we have to get on with our plan."

"Wait," Grover said. "What plan?"

We told him, and Grover started tugging at his leg fur.

"You're not serious," he said. "Not the Underworld again."

"You don't have to come with us," I reassure him. "We just need you to play some music to open the doors of Orpheus. I know you just woke up, but can you do it?"

Grover took out his reed pipes. "I guess I could try. I know a few Nirvana tunes that can split rocks. But, Percy, are you sure you want to do this? Hades probably knows about the plan."

I didn't think about it, but Grover had a point. I turned to Nico who seemed suddenly interested in his boots, which pretty much confirmed what Grover said.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," I said. "Please, Grover. I would mean a lot to me."

Grover nodded. "Okay, here goes nothing."

He put his pipes to his lips and played a shrill, lively tune. The boulders trembled. A few stanzas, and they cracked open, revealing a triangular crevice.

I peered inside. Steps led down into the darkness. The air smelled of mildew and death. I brought back bad memories of my trip through the Labyrinth last year, but this tunnel felt even more dangerous. It led straight to the land of Hades, and that was almost always a one-way trip.

I turned to Grover. "Thanks... I think."

Perrrrcy, is Kronos really going to invade?"

I wish I could tell you better, but yeah. He will."

I thought Grover might chew up his reed pipes in anxiety, but he straightened up and brushed off his T-shirt. I couldn't help thinking how different he looked from fat old Leneus. "I've got to rally the nature spirits, then. Maybe we can help. I'll see if we can find this Morpheus."

"Keep an eye out for other Minor gods too. Morpheus might not be the only one scouting the city," I warned him. "Better tell Juniper you're okay, too."

His eyes widened. "Juniper! Oh, she's going to kill me!"

He started to run off, then scrambled back and gave me another hug. "Be careful down there! Come back alive!"

Once he was gone, Nico and I roused Mrs. O'Leary from her nap.

When she smelled the tunnel, she got excited and led the way down the steps. It was a pretty tight fit. I hoped she wouldn't get stuck. I couldn't imagine how much Drano we'd need to unstick a hellhound wedged halfway down a tunnel to the Underworld.

"Percy, about what Grover said about my dad..." Nico said.

"It's fine," I told him. "I'm sure Hades have his ways to find out whether you told him or not."

"Well, that's just it," Nico said. "He's my new lead on my mortal family."

Okay, I wasn't expecting that. I thought Hades threatened him or something to get info. The God of the Dead is good at being scary. But the way Nico said how Hades being his new lead, Hades struck a deal with Nico to agree to let me enter his domain.

Normally I don't like being used, but I tried to remind myself that Nico just wants answers about his family, and if getting Hades to agree not to hurt me and to find answers, Nico must be desperate.

"Don't worry, I got dad to promise not to harm you," Nico admitted. "Let's go."

I glanced up at the stars, wondering if I would ever see them again. Then we plunged into darkness.

The stairs went on forever-narrow, steep, and slippery. It was completely dark except for the light of my sword. I tried to go slow, but Mrs. O'Leary had other ideas. She bounded ahead, barking happily. The sound echoed through the tunnel like cannon shots, and I figured we would not be catching anybody by surprise once we reached the bottom.

We kept following Mrs. O'Leary into the depths. After another hour, I started to hear the roar of a river.

We emerged at the base of a cliff, on a plain of black volcanic sand. To our right, the River Styx gushed from the rocks and roared off in a cascade of rapids. To our left, far away in the gloom, fires burned on the ramparts of Erebus, the great black walls of Hades.

I shuddered. I only been down here twice before, and both times I had friends supporting me. Now it's just Nico and Mrs. O'Leary. Nico looked pale and worried. Only Mrs. O'Leary acted happy. She ran along the beach, picked up a random human leg bone, and romped back toward me. She dropped the bone at my feet and waited for me to throw it.

"Um, maybe later, girl," I stared at the dark waters, trying to get up my nerve. "So, Nico... how do we do this?"

"We have to go inside the gates first," he said,."I have to get something."

I raised an eyebrow. I wonder if this had to do with what Nico was trying to tell me about his father. Since I didn't know what else to do, I followed him down the beach toward the big black gates.

Lines of the dead stood outside waiting to get in. Typhon must be having fun slaying mortals during his rampage because even the EZ-DEATH line was backed up. On the bright side, I see a turn pipe being constructed which I don't remember being there last winter. I'm guessing Daedalus must be working overtime building it for Hades.

"Woof!" Mrs. O'Leary said. Before I could stop her bounded toward the security checkpoint. Cerberus, the guard dog of Hades, appeared out of the gloom-a three-headed rottweiler so big he made Mrs. O'Leary a toy poodle. Cerberus was half transparent, so he's really hard to see until he's close enough to kill you, but he acted like he didn't care about us. He was too busy saying hello to Mrs. O'Leary.

"Mrs. O'Leary, no!" I shouted at her. "Don't sniff... Oh, man."

Nico smiled. Then he looked at me. "Come on. They won't give us any trouble in the line. You're with me."

I didn't like it, but we slipped through the security ghouls and into the Fields of Asphodel. I had to whistle for Mrs. O'Leary three times before she left Cerberus alone and ran after us.

We hiked over black fields of grass dotted with black poplar trees. If I really died in a few days like the prophecy said, I might end up here forever, but I tried not to think about it.

Nico trudged ahead, bringing us closer and closer to the palace of Hades.

Then Mrs. O'Leary started growling. A shadow appeared overhead-something dark, cold and stinking of death. It swooped down and landed in the top of a poplar tree.

Unfortunately, I recognized her. SHe had a shriveled face, a horrible blue knit hat, and a crumpled velvet dress. Leathery bat wings sprang from her back. Her feet had sharp talons and in her brass clawed hands she held a flaming whip and a paisley handbag.

"Mrs. Dodds," I said.

She bared her fangs. "Welcome back, honey."

Her two sisters-the other Furies-swooped down and settled next to her in the branches of the poplar.

Nico already knew my history with Mrs. Dodds-or whom he called Alecto as she and her sisters gave us a ride back to the palace after successfully getting the sword of Hades.

"I take it since Mrs. Dodds is here, we're going to see Hades?" I asked.

Nico nodded and took a deep breath. "I've done what my father asked. Take us to the palace."

Two of the furies swooped down and pluck me up by the arms. My sword fell out of my hand, and before I knew it, I was dangling sixty feet in the air.

Mrs. O'Leary barked angrily and jumped, trying to reach me,, but we were too high."

"Down girl!" I hollered. "Go play with Cerberus!"

I tried my best to point toward Cerberus. Mrs. O'Leary whimpered but headed toward Cerberus."

When we got to our destination, Alecto dropped me like a sack of turnips in the middle of the palace garden.

It was beautiful in a creepy way. Skeletal white trees grew from marble basins. Flower beds overflowed with golden plants and gemstones, A pair of thrones, one bone and one silver, sat on the balcony with a view to of the Fields of Asphodel. It would've been a nice place to spend Saturday morning except for the sulfurous smell and cries of tortured souls in the distance.

Skeletal warriors guarded the only exit. They wore tattered U.S. Army desert combat fatigues and carried M16s.

The third Fury deposit Nico next to me. Then all three of them settled on the top of the skeletal throne.

I stared at the empty thrones, waiting for something to happen. Then the air shimmered. Three figures appeared-Hades and Persephone on their thrones, and an older woman standing between them. They seemed to be in a middle of an argument that seem like a strange combination of sibling rivalry and disapproved in-law kind.

"-told you he was a bum!" the older woman said.

"Mother!" Persephone replied.

"We have visitors!" Hades barked. "Please."

Hades, one of my least favorite gods, smoothed his black robes, which were filled with the terrified faces of the d-. He had pale skin and the intense eyes of a madman.

"Percy Jackson," he said with satisfaction. "At last."

Queen Persephone studied me curiously. I'd seen her last winter, but she looked totally different now. She had lustrous black hair and warm brown eyes. Her dress shimmered with colors. Flower patterns in the fabric changed and bloomed-roses, tulips, honeysuckle. Maybe this is what she look like during the spring and summer.

The woman standing between them was obviously Persephone's mother. She had the same hair and eyes, but looked older and sterner. Her dress was golden, the color of a wheat field. Her hair was woven with dried grasses so it reminded me of a wicker basket. I figured of she was mortal and somebody lit a match next to her, she'd be in serious trouble.

"Hmmph," the older woman said. "Demigods. Just what we need."

Next to me, Nico knelt. "Father," Nico said. "I have done as you asked."

"Took you long enough," Hades grumbled. "Your sister wou;dve done a better job."

Ouch. That was harsh for Hades to say to his son. Nico lowered his head.

"Father," Nico said, "I brought him as you request. So please, tell me about my past-about my mother."

Queen Persephone sighed dramatically. "Can we please not talk about that woman in my presence?"

"I'm sorry, my dove," Hades said. "I had to promise the boy something to convince him to make a slight detour in helping his friend."

The older lady harrumphed. "I warned you, daughter. This scoundrel Hades is no good. You could've married the god of doctors or god of lawyers, but noooo. You had to eat the pomegranate."

"Mother-"

"And get stuck in the Underworld!"

"Mother, please-"

"And here it is August, and do you come home like you're supposed to? Do you ever think about your poor lonely mother?"{

"DEMETER!" Hades shouted. "That is enough. You are a guest in my house."

"Oh, a house is it?" she said. "You call this dump a house? Make my daughter live in this dark, damp-"

"I told you," Hades said, grinding his teeth, "there's a war in the world above. You and Persephone are better off here with me."

"Excuse me," I broke in. "But if you're not going to kill me, can you at least keep your promise to Nico?"

All three gods looked at me.

"Well, this one has an attitude," Demeter observed.

"Indeed," Hades agreed. "I'd love to kill him."

"Father! You promised Percy would not be harmed if I bring him to you," Nico said.

"Husband, we talked about this," Persephone chided. "You can't go around incinerating every hero. Besides, he's brave. I like that."

Hades rolled his eyes. "You liked that Orpheus fellow too. Look how well that turned out.l Let me kill him, just a little bit."

"Father, you promised!" Nico said. "You said you only wanted to talk to him. You said if I brought him, you'd explain."

Hades glowered, smoothing the folds of his robes. "And so I shall." He glanced uncomfortably at Persephone. "Forgive me, my dear." Then he turned back to Nico. "Your mother-what can I tell you? She was a wonderful woman, I mean for a mortal. Her name was Maria di Angelo. She was from Venice, but her father was a diplomat in Washington, D.C. That's where I met her. When you and your sister were young, it was a bad time to be children of Hades. World War II was brewing. A few of my, ah, other children were leading the losing side. I thought it best to put you two out of harm's way."

"That's why you hid us in the Lotus Casino?"

Hades shrugged. "You didn't age. You didn't realized time was passing."

"And since they didn't remember who you were, they couldn't draw any attention from Zeus or Poseidon," I realized.

"Exactly. As far as your father and Zeus knew, I had no more children," Hades said.

"But what happened to our mother?" Nico asked.

"Not important," Hades snapped.

"What? Of course it's important. And you had other children-why were we the only ones who were hidden away? And who was the lawyer who got us out?"

Hades grit his teeth. "You would do well to listen more and talk less, boy. As for the lawyer..."

Hades snapped his fingers. On top of his throne, the Fury Alecto began to change until she was a middle-aged man in a pinstriped suit with a briefcase. She-he-looked strange crouching at Hades' shoulders.

"You," Nico said.

The Fury cackled. "I do lawyers and teachers very well!"

Nico was trembling. "But why did you free us from the casino?"

"You know why," Hades said. "This idiot son of Poseidon cannot be allowed to be the child of the prophecy."

I plucked a rubby off the nearest plant and threw it at Hades. It sank harmlessly into his robe. "You should be helping Olympus!" I said. "All the other gods are fighting Typhon, and you're just sitting here-"

"Waiting things out," Hades finished. "Yes, that's correct. When the last time Olympus ever helped me, half-blood? When's the last time a child of mine was ever welcomed as a hero? Bah! Why should I rush out and help them? I'll stay here with my forces intact."

"And when Kronos comes after you?"

"Let him try. He'll be weakened. And my son here, Nico-" Hades looked at him with distaste. "Well, he's not much now, I'll grant you. It wou;dve been better if Bianca took up the position, but she refused to break her oath with Artemis. But give Nico, here, four more years of training. We can hold out that long, surely. Nico will turn sixtee, as the prophecy says, and then he will make the decision that will save the world. And I will be king of the gods."

"You're crazy," I said. "Kronos will crush you, right after he finishes pulverizing Olympus."

Hades spread his hands. "Well, you'll get a chance to find out, half-blood. Because you'll be waiting out this war in my dungeons."

"No!" Nico said. "Father, that wasn't our agreement. And you haven't told me everything!"

"I told you all you need to know," Hades said. "As for our agreement, I spoke with Jackson. I did not harm him. You got your information. If you wanted a better deal, you should've made me swear on the Styx. No go to your room~" He waved his hand and Nico vanished.

"That boy needs to eat more," Demeter grumbled. "He's too skinny. He needs more cereal.

Persephone rolled her eyes. "MOther, enough with the cereal. My lord Hades, are you sure we can't let this little hero go? He's awfully brave."

"No, my dear. I've spared his life. That's enough."

I was syre she was going to stand yup for me. The brave, beautiful Persephone was going to get me out of this.

She shrugged indifferent. "Fine. What's for breakfast? I'm starving."

"Cereal," Demeter said.

"Mother!" the two women disappeared in a swirl of flowers and wheat.

"Don't feel too bad, Percy Jackson," Hades said. "My ghost keep me well informed of Kronos' plans. I can assure you that you had no chance to stop him in time. By tonight, it will be too late for your precious Mount Olympus. The trap will be sprung."

"What trap?" I demanded. "If you know about it, do something! At least let me tell the other gods."

Hades smiled. "You are spirited. I'll give you credit for that. Have fun in my dungeon. We'll check on you again in-oh, fifty or sixty years."