Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or Harry Potter.
Consul of the Underworld: Grinding Phase
Chapter Four: The Great Los Angeles Quake
Beta: ShadowofAxios
A few days after their eventful visit to Las Vegas, Alkaid and Pyrrha were both carefully examining the intelligence they had on the various Persian attacks throughout the country with the help of a map of the continental United States laid out on a table in the daughter of Hades' room. The two had put markers onto the site of every encounter they and other Olympian forces had with the encroaching Zoroastrians.
"They aren't just attacking Percy and gang, huh?" Pyrrha mused as she put down a marker to symbolize the attack by the horned dragon Aži Sruvara on a herd of centaurs that happened about the same time the couple had been dealing with his yellow counterpart. News of which they'd only heard a few hours ago from Lord Hermes.
"No," Alkaid bit her thumb nail as she thought deeply over the map. "So they probably aren't sure the exact path that their relic is taking, but…"
"They seem to be reserving the big guns for waterboy."
Alkaid nodded in resignation. "Which means that while they aren't sure, they most definitely strongly think he either has their relic or will lead them to it."
"Man that kid's got shitty luck." Pyrrha noted.
"It comes with being a child of the Big Three." The brunette shrugged. "Though he does seem to have gotten himself an extra serving of bad luck for some reason."
"Yeah. You were never really lucky either but still loads better than he has it."
Any further conversation was interrupted by a knock on Alkaid's door and a voice of a ghoul servant calling for their attention.
"Lady Alkaid. Lord Hades commands your presence in the Throne Room."
Both demigoddesses exchanged confused looks. That was quite unexpected. Outside of insisting on daily family dinners, the Lord of the Underworld had kept out of his daughter's way since the crisis with the Persians had blown up. He both did not want to distract her from her mission and was too distracted himself by his missing Helm, and had thus decided to keep his distance.
"Let's go. Hopefully something good has happened."
"If not?"
"Well, I'm sure it won't be too bad for us. Maybe."
Pyrrha just gave her a dry look as they set off for the throne room together.
The walk down the palace's corridors weren't long but both young women could feel a palpable tension in the air that unnerved them both. The ghouls were acting skittish and the skeletal guards seemed to have doubled in number while looking twice as intimidating as usual at the same time.
"Looks like your dad is pissed."
"He's been like that since the Solstice, what's changed?" Alkaid hedged even as she knew what her lover was trying to say.
Her fingers twitched nervously. Her mind running through what could have possibly soured her Father's already declining mood.
The answer presented itself as they walked into the familiar grandiose throne room to spot Percy and his questmates standing nervously before the Lord of the Dead.
Bloody hell. Alkaid's emerald green eyes widened a fraction. She kept to the shadows, observing the situation and waiting for her chance to intervene. It was volatile enough as is, she couldn't risk setting it off. Especially when she took into account the thick aura of raw power that emanated from the backpack Percy was sporting.
"You are brave to come here, Son of Poseidon," Hades said in an oily voice. "After what you have done to me, very brave indeed. Or perhaps you are simply very foolish."
The son of Poseidon seemed confused by that for a moment, but shook it off and hesitantly began speaking. "Lord and Uncle, I apologize for barging into your realm like this. But with Alkaid missing and our I.M.s not getting through, we didn't really have any other way to contact you."
Hades raised an eyebrow and sat forward in his throne, causing shadowy faces to appear in the folds of his black robes, faces of torment of souls from the Fields of Punishment that were stitched into the fabric, trying to get out.
"I come with two requests." The boy finished, recklessly confident.
Oh gods. He did not just do that!? Alkaid mentally slapped her face.
"Only two requests?" Hades said. "Arrogant child. As if you have not already taken enough. Speak, then. It amuses me not to strike you dead yet."
Perhaps it was her Father's icy tone or maybe the way the shadows lengthened at his obvious anger, but Percy seemed to get a clue and shot a look at Persephone's throne only to gulp nervously as he finally noticed it was empty.
Percy, it's summer. Of course it's empty. Alkaid scolded him in her mind.
Annabeth cleared her throat and she prodded Percy in the back.
"Lord Hades," Percy said. "Look, sir, there can't be a war among the gods. It would be ... bad."
"Really bad," The satyr, Grover Underwood, added lamely.
"Return Zeus's master bolt to me," The waterlogged idiot said. "Please, sir. Let me carry it to Olympus."
Hades's eyes grew dangerously bright. "You dare keep up this pretense, after what you have done?"
Percy glanced back at his friends. They looked as confused as he was.
It was actually amusing to see the look on the daughter of Athena.
Do they really not know? Alkaid's brow furrowed in confusion. Surely they knew what they'd brought into Father's domain?
"Kaidy, is that what I think it is?" Pyrrha whispered in shock from beside her.
The daughter of Hades just shrugged, she couldn't be certain. And with something as important as the Master Bolt she couldn't afford to be anything but. That said, she was pretty close to that point. Few things in creation radiated that kind of raw destructive potential.
"Um ... Uncle," Percy nervously said, pulling Alkaid's attention back to his confrontation with her Father. "You keep saying 'after what you've done.' What exactly have I done?"
The throne room shook with a tremor so strong, they probably felt it upstairs in Los Angeles. Debris fell from the cavern ceiling. Doors burst open all along the walls, and skeletal warriors marched in, hundreds of them, from every time period and nation in Western civilization. They lined the perimeter of the room, blocking the exits.
Hades bellowed, "Do you think I want war, godling?"
"You are the Lord of the Dead," Percy said carefully. "A war would expand your kingdom, right?"
Oh no, he hit the wrong button. Alkaid physically palmed her face at this. It triggered her Father so badly when the bloat of his realm came up.
"A typical thing for my brothers to say! Do you think I need more subjects? Did you not see the sprawl of the Asphodel Fields?"
"Well..."
"Father!" Alkaid called out before the god could start getting into the groove of his rant and anger himself even further in the process. "I have come as you requested."
Hades frowned at her for a moment, seeing through her trick but nevertheless nodded in acknowledgement of her presence.
"Alkaid, thank goodness." Percy all but begged. "You've got to convince your dad to help us."
The aforementioned demigoddess just arched an eyebrow in annoyance. "And why, pray tell, Percy should I do that? It's not like you've presented anything to prove you're innocent."
Percy looked shocked at that and he shot Alkaid a thoroughly betrayed look which upset the demigoddess just a tad. She liked the boy, and she didn't want to be his enemy. At the same time however she couldn't help but be annoyed with him for drawing conclusions before she even finished speaking.
"But," the sorceress continued. "I am willing to listen to what you have to say and convince my Father to do the same."
Father raised an eyebrow at her now.
She returned the look with one of her own, making the guests look between the two in bewilderment.
"He's an idiot." Alkaid said finally.
"Hey!" Percy shouted in indignation, causing Pyrrha to hiss under her breath at how much of an ungrateful brat he was. At least someone was smart enough to see what she was doing.
"That is true." Hades agreed, ignoring the boy. "He might actually be stupid enough to be ignorant."
"Exactly. From my observations of him, Percy Jackson is not the Lightning Thief. He is simply not competent enough."
"The daughter of Athena then?"
"Plausible, but unlikely. She has the skill set but not the nerve or creativity."
Annabeth was better composed than the son of Poseidon, but she nevertheless was still offended and shot Alkaid a glare.
"The satyr?" Her Father was grasping at straws now.
"...Father, seriously?"
"Fine! Fine!" Hades tossed a hand in the air, nearly looking petulant at not being able to torture one of the 'guests'. "But then why have they brought the Master Bolt here to threaten me?"
The questers gasped at this but again Hades and his daughter ignored them, Alkaid just gesturing to their reaction.
"Once more, ignorance no doubt."
"Even from the daughter of Athena?"
"Especially. If she had any idea they had the Bolt, why would they even be in the Underworld?"
Hades rubbed his chin in thought. "It does seem unlikely her mother would stoop to something as underhanded as using it to force my compliance."
"Exactly. Perhaps we can all calm down and discuss this more-" Alkaid said, but was cut off.
"Wait! Wait just a minute!" Percy shouted, shattering the calm that the daughter of Hades had just managed to create. "We have the Master Bolt!?"
I'm going to torture him myself at this rate. Alkaid pinched the bridge of her nose, "Yes Percy. You do. In your backpack. Now shush. I'm trying to save you."
"That's impossible! I would have noticed." Annabeth cut in, her pride getting the better of her and making her speak even when she must have known how stupid it was to do so.
"Clearly you didn't, Princess." Pyrrha snorted at her. Though there some glee in her eyes as she lorded it over Annabeth.
"Open your pack, boy." Hades sneered at the still disbelieving Percy.
He slung it off his shoulder and unzipped it. Inside was a two-foot-long metal cylinder, spiked on both ends, humming with energy.
"And that is the Master Bolt. Are we all in agreement on that? Yes? Good."
Percy nodded as his brows furrowed in furious thought. "The backpack, I got it from-"
"The Lightning Thief, who aimed to frame you." Hades mused. "Quite a smart move I might add. Your walking into my domain immediately had me thinking this was a ploy by your father to force me to side with him in the war this theft was undoubtedly designed to spark. Doubly so when it was timed when I too am missing my symbol of power."
Alkaid let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as her Father's logic seemed to calm him.
"Lord Hades, your Helm of Darkness is missing too?" Annabeth asked, her surprise clear.
"Yes, my daughters have been looking for it. The Furies as well, it was why Alecto was at Yancy and discovered this fool." Hades said with a dismissive gesture at Percy.
"She jumped the gun in attacking you, Percy. Apologies." Alkaid added quickly.
"Jumped the gun!? She almost killed me!"
"And you could have been the thief. Besides, you lived. Be thankful she went easy on you."
"I can vouch for that." Pyrrha agreed. "If they were serious either time you fought them, waterboy, you'd be enjoying some time in Asphodel by now."
"Back up," Annabeth cut in. "My lord, when was the Helm stolen?"
"At the Winter Solstice, same as the Bolt." The god of the dead said gesturing at his brother's symbol.
"Why didn't anyone know!?" The daughter of wisdom all but shouted. "That's two symbols of the Big Three missing at the same time. That's a very, very big deal!"
The satyr just nodded along, too unnerved by the proceedings so far to do anything else.
"Unlike my brother, I am not a fool to boast I lost my Symbol of Power, daughter of Athena." Father sneered at her as his bony fingers tightened against the armrests of his throne. "I had no illusions that anyone on Olympus would offer me the slightest justice, the slightest help. I can ill afford for word to get out that my most powerful weapon of fear is missing. So I searched for it myself with my best agents. And now I might have just found the most useful agents of all."
"Father!" Alkaid protested. "You cannot be seriously considering using them as bait!"
"Why not?" Hades countered nonchalantly. "The thief will obviously confront them now that their plan has so obviously fallen apart. It would be the perfect time to recover the Helm."
"That is-" Alkaid began, intending to compliment her Father on his devious little scheme.
"So, uh, you're going to send backup once the thief shows himself?" Percy asked hopefully.
Alkaid was nearing the point of strangling Percy.
The god shrugged. "Perhaps. Loathe as I am to admit it, my Helm is an object of your quest. My hands are tied on how much involvement I can get away with before I break the Ancient Laws."
"Then what? We have to get the Helm on our own?"
"Yes." Hades said with a nod. "I expect it no later then when you deliver the Bolt to my brother."
"But that's impossible!" The boy whined.
"Percy, shut up! Now!" Alkaid told the boy sternly, even as the Pyrrha and his friends all shot him glares to the same effect.
It was too late however and her Father's anger spiked at the boy's disrespect. The shadows twisted into monstrous shapes, the skeletons aimed their weapons. From high above, there was a fluttering of leathery wings, and the three Furies swooped down to perch on the back of their master's throne. Alecto looked very eager for blood as she flicked her whip.
"Is that so, Percy Jackson?" Hades said, his voice dripping with malicious honey. "Then perhaps I can provide you with some motivation to attempt the 'impossible'. I know the real reason why you have come. You came to bargain for her."
Hades loosed a ball of gold fire from his palm. It exploded on the steps in front of Percy, and there was Jackson's mother, frozen in a shower of gold, just as she was at the moment when the Minotaur began to squeeze her to death.
He couldn't speak. He reached out to touch her, but was forced to jerk his hand back when he realized that the light was as hot as a bonfire.
"Yes," Hades said with satisfaction. "I saved her when my brother wanted you dead, Percy Jackson. I believe you owe me a great debt for that. Return my helm, and perhaps in exchange I will let her go. She is not dead, you know. Not yet. But if you displease me, that will change."
Percy began fingering something in his pockets. Alkaid wondered what it was, but before she could even begin to formulate a halfway decent hypothesis, her Father provided the answer.
"Ah, the pearls," Hades said, causing Percy to pale. "Yes, my brother and his little tricks. Bring them forth, Percy Jackson."
The son of Poseidon's hand moved against his will and brought out the pearls.
"Only three," Hades said. "What a shame. You do realize each only protects a single person. Try to take your mother, then, little godling. And which of your friends will you leave behind to spend eternity with me? Go on. Choose. Or accept my terms."
He looked at Annabeth and Grover. Their faces were grim.
"We were tricked," He told them. "Set up."
"Yes, but why?" Annabeth asked. "And the voice in the pit-"
That set alarm bells in Alkaid's mind ringing. Pit? Don't tell me they were at the maw of Tartarus?
Her thoughts were echoed it seemed by her Father if the brief widening of his eyes was anything to go by, but he quashed whatever emotion he felt as soon as it surfaced and refocused on the matter at hand.
"I don't know yet," The boy said. "But I intend to ask."
"Decide, boy!" Hades yelled.
"Percy." Grover said having finally found his courage again and putting his hand on Percy's shoulder. "Leave me here. Use the third pearl on your mom."
"No!"
"I'm a satyr," Grover said. "We don't have souls like humans do. He can torture me until I die, but he won't get me forever. I'll just be reincarnated as a flower or something. It's the best way."
"No." Annabeth drew her bronze knife. "You two go on. Grover, you have to protect Percy. You have to get your searcher's license and start your quest for Pan. Get his mom out of here. I'll cover you. I plan to go down fighting."
"No way," Grover said. "I'm staying behind."
"Think again, goat boy," Annabeth said.
Alkaid just rolled her eyes. They made it sound like they didn't have a good deal. Seriously, what is with half-bloods these days? So overdramatic.
"Stop it, both of you! I know what to do. Take these." The son of the oceans said as he handed them each a pearl.
Annabeth said, "But, Percy ..."
"I'm sorry," Percy told his mother as he turned to face her. "I'll be back. I'll find a way."
"I'll find your helm, Uncle," The boy said with confidence. It actually annoyed Alkaid a bit since she had been searching for a while now and here came this cocky fool of a boy claiming he would do what she'd failed to accomplish even after so much effort. "I'll return it. Also Charon wants a pay raise."
A vein on Hades' brow ticked in irritation as it always did when the subordinate god's seemingly unending pay raises came up. Alkaid could commiserate. The ferryman was already one of the best paid minor gods in the Underworld and he was never satisfied!
"Wait, again?" Alkaid groaned as she shared in her Father's annoyance. "He just had one a few years ago."
"And it wouldn't hurt to play with Cerberus once in a while. He likes red rubber balls."
Okay now that was just insulting! She played with Cerby every other day!
"Shut up, Jackson!" Pyrrha shouted hotly, drawing her labrys on the fool. "Don't you dare accuse us of neglecting our dog!"
The boy flinched at that but recovered his composure in a blink of an eye.
"Now, guys!"
The questers smashed the pearls at their feet. For a moment, nothing happened and Alkaid was starting to think that her Uncle had made a mistake and given his son defective products.
"Don't forget my Helm!" Hades shouted warningly just as a burst of green light and a gust of fresh sea wind exploded below the questers' feet. They were encased in a milky white sphere, which started to float off the ground.
"Look up.'" Grover yelled. "We're going to crash!"
Alkaid just rolled her eyes. Idiots! The lot of them are a bunch of imbeciles.
"That was a chore."
"It's not over." Hades informed her, sounding pained. "Alkaid, I need you to follow them. Make sure the Helm and whatever Persian relic has been stolen is recovered. Finish the job for the fool if he fails."
"Yes, Father." Alkaid said tersely, still somewhat annoyed that she was accused of neglecting Cerby.
Turning to Pyrrha, she received a ready nod. Returning one of her own, she summoned a shadow portal and stepped through with her lover on her heels.
As they exited the shadow tunnel, the couple didn't appear on the beach where Percy would likely head towards -the pearls would after all be drawn inevitably to the ocean- like they intended. Instead, they appeared in an L.A. suburb where they were immediately met by the massive form of Zahhāk towering over them.
"Oh shi-" Pyrrha shouted in shock, just as their world was consumed by black and white fire.
"Oval Protection!" Alkaid shouted, summoning a spherical barrier that barely saved them from the deadly flames. Almost as soon as the barrier materialized however, it began cracking under the strain of holding off the power unleashed against it by the dragon god.
Summoning her grimoire and one of her cards, Alkaid began to chant. "Power of the starlight forge walls of unyielding might to shield against the fury of my enemies, Multi-Defenser!"
Her invocation complete, she slammed her grimoire closed around her card to complete the casting of her spell. In response, a series of new barriers formed within the badly strained original just as it shattered at last.
The multi-layer shields took up the slack though even as the outer layer began to crack under the strain.
As they cracked one by one, Alkaid swiftly began chanting a new spell.
"Rainbow light from the stars, heed my call! Descend from the heavens and cleanse the world of my accursed foe, Sacred Blazer!" With the spell words spoken, the daughter of Hades slammed a newly drawn card closed within the pages of her grimoire.
At once, a colossal rainbow colored beam of energy shot down from the sky like an orbital bombardment straight out of a scifi movie and incinerated the area around the dragon god.
The use of a powerful bombardment spell just after throwing up an equally draining defensive one was really taking a large bite out of Alkaid's reserves and she collapsed to her knees even as she and Pyrrha were given a breather as Zahhāk stumbled back from the blow.
With the sorceress out of commission for the moment, Pyrrha took the the initiative and Apparited both of them a distance away.
Looking back towards Zahhāk, the daughter of war winced at the scene of devastation before her. The area was practically glassed around the god, but that wasn't what had garnered her reaction. No, that honor went to the fact that the dragon looked barely scuffed up by Alkaid's desperate spell. One which even at a glance, Pyrrha knew had cost hundreds of innocent lives as collateral damage.
Swaying to her feet, Alkaid attempted to collect herself.
"Father will hate the overtime for this." The daughter of Hades mused with some dispassion even as she winced at sensing so many die at a time.
Pyrrha didn't flinch at the callousness, but her eyes did widen at how casual Alkaid was about the loss of life. A fact that the daughter of Hades filed away for discussion later. She knew her lover, as a daughter of Ares, understood better than most the concept of collateral damage and how that sometimes regrettably included innocent lives. However, it seemed she didn't yet understand how to Alkaid, having been raised in the Underworld, the dead were pretty much the same as the living and as such death was something she did not find to be particularly noteworthy.
The right head of Zahhāk turned towards the couple and a chuckle echoed through the air.
"I did promise that I would get you next time." The dragon stated with a grizzled smile along those scaly lips. "And I intend to keep it, little godlings."
All three heads reared back and unleashed a firestorm from their triple maws. The flames scorched the rest of the neighborhood as it spread out like an unending tsunami of black and white death.
Once more Pyrrha Apparated them, and they popped back into the mortal plane two blocks ahead of the wall of the fire.
"Kaidy, all we seem to be doing is running from this guy. We've gotta have something on hand to deal with him."
"We have no choice." Alkaid replied as she finally managed to get her breathing under control and conjured one of her magical platforms under them which she commanded to carry them away from Zahhāk.
"This is your home turf, right? There's gotta be something to at least hurt him."
"Maybe." Alkaid mused even as she swerved her platform to the side to avoid a barrage of fireballs that the dragon god was spitting out like a machine gun. "But we'll need to lead him closer to the Underworld. If we get him to trigger its defenses then we might stand a chance."
"Nice. Now that's the home field advantage." Pyrrha grinned as she held onto the platform tighter as they hurried through the city.
"You godlings do realize I can hear you, correct?" Zahhāk asked with a snide little sneer. "Do you think I'd fall for something like that?"
Alone? No, but that just means we need to use a little incentive. Alkaid thought even as she mentally chanted the invocation for the spell she needed to carry out her plan.
Beside her and Pyrrha on the platform, her magic crafted the image of a noble looking Middle Eastern man dressed in the armor of a great warrior king.
At the sight of him, Zahhāk's left and right heads recoiled in shock while the center head growled in anger.
"Greetings, Zahhāk." The illusion said with a mocking bow. "It seems I have been summoned to once more defeat you."
The dragon god's only response was to breathe a trio of beams of raw destruction at the girls which they had to resort to desperate evasive maneuvers to evade.
"Fereydun!" The dragon's middle head roared, even as its counterparts continued to carve trails of burning ruins out of the L.A. cityscape with their beams.
Alkaid winced as her death perception forced her to feel hundreds of innocent mortals die from the god's attack. She'd never been exposed to death on this scale before, and she was finding it a lot harder to brush off like she usually did.
Oblivious to her distress, Pyrrha just gave her a look asking: What the hell did you do?!
Alkaid just shrugged and hid her discomfort.
"I will enjoy sending you back to the grave, along with the foul godlings who dare summon you to battle me." The middle head hissed even as it tilted back and began gathering power between its maw. "Die!"
With that it unleashed the attack it had been building, which screamed across the sky like a meteor before detonating in mid-air like a nova which levelled dozens of city blocks. The girls just managing to escape the same fate as the hapless mortals caught up in the blast by Shadow Traveling to the edge of its blast zone at the very last minute.
"Haha! Zahhāk, as sour as always." The illusionary warrior king mocked further. "Have you gotten slower in this age? Your Father must be ashamed. Though considering how ugly your current form is, I suppose he already has more than enough reason to be such."
"Shut up!" Zahhāk's central head bellowed with earth shaking might, while literally foaming at the mouth with anger. While it gave voice to their fury, the left and right heads were manifesting it in action as they began liberally launching more of those new nova blasts of his at them, devastating whole chunks of the city as the dragon continued his destructive pursuit of the girls.
All the while, Alkaid could feel the ever increasing death that was being reaped by the god's rampage. It was getting unbearable. As the death toll skyrocketed, each new death was starting to feel like a stab right through her heart.
Fortunately, an end was in sight as the girls was nearing their destination. Catching a glimpse of the Underworld's entrance in the mortal world -D.O.A. Recording Studios- in the distance, Alkaid managed a relieved smile as she flew straight for it.
"Almost there!" Alkaid said, her voice full of desperate hope. "Just a little further and he'll trigger the defenses."
"The I suggest you move faster, Young Lady." The supposedly illusionary spirit of Fereydun said as he turned to taunt Zahhāk once more.
"What!?" Alkaid jerked back in shock, as she realized that somewhere along the line her illusionary dummy had been replaced by the actual spirit of the mythic king. Entirely without her noticing.
Pyrrha kept her facing forward, "Eyes on the skies please!"
Making a mental note to investigate what had just happened later, Alkaid did just that.
"Zahhāk has your new form made you slow? How is it that such a mighty daeva as yourself is failing to catch a pair of lowly godlings? Did you perhaps put on too much weight?" The deceased king asked mockingly.
"Did you just call me fat!?" All three of the dragon's heads roared, before he started picking up speed. Where he'd been trotting casually towards the trio on the platform before now, the quadridepal dragon now broke out into a canter and was steadily building up towards an all out gallop. Heck, he was even flapping his wings to conjure favorable winds that added to his speed. Of course, this was accompanied by the omnipresent destruction he left in his wake as his winds swept through the already reeling city like a cyclone and he lashed out as he moved with breaths of fire and beams of energy.
"Okay, now you're just pissing him off dude." Pyrrha glowered at the specter.
The ghostly king just smiled at her in amusement. Another building was sent crashing to the ground as the dragon god plowed through it as he continued to chase the odd group of three.
Alkaid's heart bled as she felt the deaths of thousands. The numbers of dead in the D.O.A from the ongoing disaster must have been grower faster than she'd ever seen.
"And we're in!" Alkaid announced as they crossed the Studio's outer defensive line.
"Still too slow, Zahhāk you overgrown lizard!" Fereydun taunted. "Even a snail can move faster than you. Try crawling on your belly!"
The only reply was the dragon god encasing himself in a golden aura and shooting himself forward like a bullet aimed directly at the girls and his nemesis.
Alkaid and Pyrrha's eyes widened in fear as the massive ball of energy was just about to impact them, the sorceress scrambling to call up some defense even as her lover grabbed her ready to use her body to shield her if need be. It proved unnecessary though as Fereydun drew an ox-headed mace and slammed it into the charging dragon. Impossibly, the blow sent the dragon hurtling off course to crash half a block away from the girls but still well within the Underworld's defensive perimeter.
"I leave the rest to you ladies." The legendary king said with a courtly bow to both demigoddesses even as he disappeared. "Please try not to destroy the whole city."
"Not trying." Alkaid wheezed out, exhausted from the chase with its insane speed and all the lifesaving but crazy evasive maneuvers. This was on top of the three powerful spells she'd been forced to use at the very start of the battle.
But all that paled in comparison to the strain of feeling so much death. It was pulling on her psyche. She was used to death, but never on such a scale. Not first hand. Each death was like a pinprick to her senses, but with the sheer volume of death happening around her now it had become akin to someone taking a jackhammer to her brain. For the first time in her life, she honestly wished that she'd never inherited this gift from her Father.
"What Kaidy said," Pyrrha said distractedly as she drew her labrys and eyed Zahhāk as he shakily got to his own feet.
The daughter of Hades grabbed Pyrrha's arm tightly.
"We've got to run, now. The wards will block your apparition and I'm too tired even for that." The sorceress said as she swayed on her feet before pitching forward.
"Why?" Pyrrha asked as she scooped the brunette up into a fireman's carry and started to run.
"So stupid mortals won't decide that they could just pop in and 'rescue' their loved ones from death. That and Father still doesn't trust you enough to add you to the list of exceptions." Alkaid managed in between a series of tired breaths.
Pyrrha grunted at that, but still ran for all her well built body could offer.
The brunette was truly grateful her girlfriend was a daughter of Ares. Truly and wonderfully thankful.
"Where's that coward Fereydun!?" Zahhāk's three heads said with another earthquake inducing bellow as he swept the area and found no trace of his ancient foe.
"Fled like the coward he is, most likely." The middle head concluded after a moment with a sneer even as he zeroed in on the fleeing demigoddesses. "But the godlings are still here."
"Then let's kill them!" The left head suggested.
"Yeah, they deserve it after summoning that jerk!" The right head agreed.
"A fine plan." The middle head said, adding his vote.
With his decision made, the dragon begin walking towards the girls.
"Pyrrha, Pyrrha! He's getting closer." Alkaid said with wide eyes as the hulking god came towards them.
"I'm running, Kaidy!" Her lover breathed out as her speed increased even more.
"You cannot hope to outrun me on foot, mortal." The middle head taunted, even as Zahhāk's other two heads reared back to form a pair of their nova bombs.
Pyrrha was pushing herself as hard as she could, but Alkaid knew they wouldn't make it. Resigning herself to her fate, she gripped the back of her lover's shirt tightly and closed her eyes as she waited to return home the hard way.
The demigoddesses were saved when suddenly a trio of massive black marble statues with shields raised shot out of the ground right behind them just as the dragon unleashed his payload.
When instead of enduring the feeling of being atomized, Alkaid felt nothing more than a intensely hot but still bearable wind, she shot her eyes open in shock to witness the blast vaporize the statues. They however had proved sturdy enough to have absorbed the bulk of the blast.
"Yes! And this is why you get great security." Alkaid cheered.
Zahhāk was not so pleased however.
"What is this? More riffraff to destroy? Where are they all coming from?" The dragon ranted as massive statues, at least fifty feet tall, carved out of black Underworld marble and in the likeness of Ancient Greek warriors crawled out of the ground and attacked him with their massive weapons. He was destroying them easily enough, they could barely take a hit from him before crumbling but they kept appearing like an unending tide and he was slowly being overwhelmed by the weight of numbers.
A fact aided by how he seemed to be visibly weakened by being in Olympian territory uninvited. His powerful aura had began to waver and he seemed to be sickening, with his scales losing their luster. He however stubbornly continued to pursue the couple, shooting at them even as he barreled through the growing crowd of statues that were trying to surround him.
Alkaid looked on with grim satisfaction. Truly, it was all she could do at the moment, but damn if it did not feel good. Especially after he had terrorized them in New Jersey and the indiscriminate death he was sowing in her hometown.
They turned around another building just as a fireball whizzed past them. Obliterating a parking lot.
The redhead panted as she ducked through an alleyway to avoid the pressure wave from the explosion. In the distance, they could see their enemy getting agitated.
"Argh! Dammit, I'm getting nowhere!" Zahhāk complained as he was finally surrounded by phalanxes of the Underworld's guardian colossi on all sides. Their pikes and formations preventing him from escaping his encirclement.
Observing the scene even as Pyrrha swerved to the right to avoid another of the desperate long range shots from one of the dragon's heads, Alkaid couldn't help the smile that stretched across her face in satisfaction. "And now for the coup de grâce."
"What are you even saying?" The daughter of Ares asked in between pants. She looked over her shoulder and Alkaid could see her face covered in sweat.
"I'm out of here." The dragon god said, turning and breathing a concentrated gout of flame that cut a path for him through the phalanx of statues between him and freedom. He strode off, one of his heads constantly locked onto the demigods and still launching attacks at them.
"Round Shield!" Alkaid managed despite her exhaustion and barely managing to deflect the beam of death sent their way by the now obviously retreating god.
The statues weren't about to let him go unchallenged though as they moved to box him in once more. Alkaid was on the same page and fumbling with clumsy fingers, she reached into her pocket to pull out a handful of cards. Some slipped from her grasp, but that didn't matter right now.
Weakly flinging a card into the air, the magic sealed within was released and tethering chains leapt from a magical circle conjured under the dragon's feet and latched onto the god's right rear leg. It held firm for all but a moment as Zahhāk snapped them like they were string.
"What was that supposed to do?" Pyrrha asked skeptically as she slowed down to catch her breath now that it seemed their enemy was on the run.
Ignoring her, Alkaid threw another spell card charged with a binding spell.
And just like before, Zahhāk was tethered but easily broke his chains.
This action was repeated again and again and again as the dragon god roared in frustration. Especially as it bought enough time for the statues not only to box him in again, but for a group of them to emerge from the earth to climb up onto his body and use their own bulk to slow him down.
"Get off me, you dolls." The dragon roared as he struggled against the growing number of statues dogpiling him.
"That. That is what it was supposed to do." Alkaid panted as her hair matted her face. Blowing it out of the way, she smiled wickedly.
"...Gods, that's amazing." Pyrrha whispered, looking on in awe. "Never thought I'd ever see a god being dogpiled."
"It's not over yet. Now it's time for the coup de grâce."
Just then, right under the feet of the struggling dragon god and his host of unwanted hanger-ons a massive geyser exploded out of the ground. Its waters were not the beautiful waters of a mineral spring or the raw sewage of a burst pipe. Instead, it was magical water full of things like faded graduation certificates, various trophies and a variety of other junk.
"Is that-"
"It's the Styx, yes." Alkaid agreed.
The dragon god stepped out of the stream of sacred water from the famous Underworld river looking worse for wear. It looked like he'd stepped out of an acid bath. His hide was bubbling with gross pus leaking from a whole host of wounds and he was rumbling in pain as he tried to stagger to safety.
The statues did not let him escape though and begin to drag him back into the geyser.
"If I die here then I'm taking you with me!" Zahhāk roared furiously as his heads whipped about in mindless agony and his body began glowing a brilliantly golden light.
"Shit!" Alkaid cussed, even as she called on the dregs of her stamina and commanded the shadows to consume her and Pyrrha. They reappeared right in front of D.O.A. where she literally threw herself out of her lover's arms to push open the door and dive inside. Sensing her urgency, Pyrrha rushed in after her.
They barely made it before the entire area outside the Studio was engulfed in blinding light, the doors of the Studio automatically snapping closed just before the light could reach its threshold.
The building rumbled as cracks formed along the walls.
"What the bloody Tartarus?!" Charon snapped as he looked up to see the couple. "Little Lady, do you know what you've just done!?"
"I know. I am so grounded." Alkaid joked with a grimace from the floor. She wasn't really in a humorous mood, but she knew it was one of the best ways to deal with the ferryman.
"Grounded? That's the least of your problems." The boundary god demanded, his suit stained and his sunglasses cracked. "Look outside."
Blinking in confusion, the daughter of Hades shakily got to her feet and heeded his advice. Joining a frozen Pyrrha at the windows, Alkaid collapsed to her knees in shock at the scene before her eyes. Being in the D.O.A. had shielded her from the deaths but as she looked out at the devastation, she could see the true extent of what had been done to the City of Angels.
For miles around the Studio there was nothing but a vast plain of glass. Of the bustling city streets that usually occupied the area around the Underworld's entrance, there was no sign. They and everything for as far as the eye could see had been completely vaporized.
Charon walked up to her side and clicked his tongue as he took off his tortoise shell rimmed glasses and cleaned them. His empty sockets looked out at the disaster seeming impressed.
"Yeah I know, pretty impressive. Gods are very sore losers and we tend to best do our best work when annoyed." The boundary god said with an almost proud smirk, even as he thumbed towards a clock hanging on a wall. "Still, you two lasses are on the clock."
Taking a steadying breath, Alkaid staggered to her feet. She could break down later, right now Charon was right. They had a job to do.
"We need to move quickly." The sorceress told Pyrrha as she grabbed hold of her arm to keep her balance. "Zahhāk had to have been here, in L.A., for a good reason."
"The relic!"
"Exactly. And who do you think it'd be with?"
Pyrrha just shoots her a confused look.
"The thief set Percy up and now he's spoiled their plan. If you were in that situation what would you do?"
"Pick a fight with the idiot mortal." Charon chimed in, as he tilted his head in the direction of a wall mounted plasma T.V. "Which is exactly what Ares did."
The couple turned to look at the repeating video on Hephaestus T.V.'s breaking news segment showing the fight between Percy and Ares at Santa Monica Beach.
"He's the thief!?" Pyrrha screamed incredulously. She looked both ashamed and furious at the same time.
"Charon, I'm borrowing your car. It can go off road, right?"
"Oh, don't you dare." The Styx's ferryman said as he backed away from Alkaid. "You're not messing up my car with your shenanigans."
"Then how are we going to make it to Santa Monica?"
Growling in frustration, the god snapped his fingers and summoned a shadow portal. "There. Use that."
"Thank you." Alkaid offered him a tired grin. Considering what she'd just gone through she couldn't offer anything more.
Taking the lead she and Pyrrha travelled through the shadow tunnel to hopefully finally finish this disaster of a mission.
They emerged right next to Percy and company, startling them as they stood puzzling over a strange pair of daggers stabbed into the ground in front of them. They were a pair of reverse grip weapons fashioned in the shape of a mix between a beast's fangs and claws which reeked of dark power.
"Holy Olympus! What in the Pit is that!?" Pyrrha gasped at the sight of the blades and stepped back as if repulsed.
"Evil. Evil in physical form. Do not touch them." Alkaid panted as she looked sternly at the children. "None of you touched them, correct? I don't have it in me to help you if you did."
"Let me guess, you two are the reason L.A. has basically been written off the map?" Percy asked, his tone scathing as he panted heavily.
Pyrrha let a growl rumble through her throat, "Unlike you, Jackson, we didn't have an opponent that went easy on us."
"Easy?!" Percy snapped at her, looking like he wanted to take a stab at her.
"As expected of a daughter of Ares," Annabeth sneered. "Of course, you'd be sticking up for your father."
"Don't make me sew your mouth shut, child." Alkaid told the blonde in a clipped tone and with a dark look in her eye. "If Ares was actually serious, all three of you would be nothing but a smear in the sand. No mortal can stand up to a god's true power. Your hubris is showing, child of Athena."
"Uh guys," The satyr cut in. "Not to be the party pooper or anything. But aren't we in a rush? World War Three remember?"
"I remember just fine." Percy said, his voice a low growl. "It's just that someone's dad just bought a modern day apocalypse on L.A. because he's an impatient ass, making it kinda impossible for us to grab a flight and finish our quest."
"Wasn't him, moron. Why do you think we look ragged? Because what caused that wanted a piece of you too. So show some appreciation, you whiny shit." Pyrrha snapped in anger.
"Yeah, like I'm going to believe anything from the daughter of the Lightning Thief!"
Alkaid barely held back from snarling at the boy. He hadn't had to feel all the loss of life! And yet here he was tossing around blame for what happened!? The nerve!
She knew however that giving into her anger would just complicate the situation even further, so limiting herself to a mild glare she tried to reason with the son of Poseidon, "Percy, please. It doesn't matter if you don't believe us or even if you blame our fathers or us for what happened to L.A. What matters now is that you give us those daggers and my Father's Helm-"
"Actually, the Furies already took that." Grover Underwood helpfully explained.
"Thank you for informing us, Grover." Alkaid actually flashed him a tired smile.
Good, Father's mood should improve at least. He'll need it with the new rush of dead.
"Uh. No problem. They didn't want to take these daggers though, just said to wait for you two to show up to handle it."
"Yes. It's my job to do that. Just like the Helm and Bolt, these were stolen as well." Alkaid explained while omitting some details.
"They, um, also asked us to hand you this." The satyr said pulling out a flask of nectar that had a post-it with a scowling drawing of Alecto's face on it and a written note that asked Alkaid to take better care of herself.
"Thanks Nanny Alecto, you're the best." Alkaid praised the Fury.
Neither Annabeth or Percy seemed pleased that Grover was playing nice with them. In fact, both of them shot him betrayed looks.
Gulping down the drink of the gods, strength rushed into Alkaid and her shaking limbs finally calmed down.
"You said the daggers were stolen? From whom? They don't look Greek." Annabeth demanded.
"Top secret." Alkaid answered even as she passed the still half full flask to Pyrrha.
"Then you're not leaving here with them." Percy said drawing Riptide. "They're obviously bad news and I'm not about to let Hades get his hands on something that powerful."
"Yet you have to leave to stop World War Three. So Percy it is either you satisfy your curiosity or save the world. Your choice." Irritation filtered into the daughter of Hades' tone.
Percy looked ready to attack them, but Annabeth restrained him with a hand on his shoulder. Turning to glare at Alkaid, the daughter of wisdom spoke on their party's behalf.
"We'll tell the Olympians about these daggers. Whatever your Father plans to do with them, they'll stop you."
"Good. Lord Zeus gave me this job. So go and tattle." Alkaid dismissively waved at the blonde.
Annabeth's eyes widened for a moment, before narrowing in determination. "Let's see you sound so confident when the Council comes down on the Underworld."
"I await that with bated breath. Seriously, are we going to play the Last Word game or are you going?" She asked the children as she snapped her fingers. A portal of shadow appeared before them. "That will lead you straight to the Empire State building. Hurry along now. And be sure to tell your parents I say 'hello'. It's been a while since Lady Athena and I had a chat."
Both Percy and Annabeth startled at the burn, but had enough brains to not push the matter any further. Walking around the two misshapen daggers, the two younger demigods stepped through the portal.
"Sorry about them, they had a long day. And, uh, thank you." Grover waved as he followed his friends into the shadowy gateway. Pyrrha and Alkaid just nodded in return as the portal closed behind him.
"Ugh! I was this close to smacking those two idiots." Pyrrha confessed with a groan.
"I know." The brunette said as she placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "Our Fathers didn't exactly present themselves in the best light during these events though, so it is to be expected."
"At least Underwood was nice."
"Yes, I must say I'm growing fond of that satyr."
"So what now?"
"Now you two return those daggers and I get to head home. At last." A cultured sounding but oddly raspy voice said from behind the girls.
Spinning around they were greeted with the sight of a handsome Middle Eastern man dressed in an expensive looking Italian suit with a pair of snakes draped over his shoulders.
"Who?" Pyrrha asked as she drew her labrys.
"Zahhāk!?" Alkaid asked incredulously.
"I'm not a dragon all the time, you know." The man sniffed in annoyance.
"Yeah," The snake on the left hissed.
"We like being human sometimes too, ya know." The snake on the right added.
"You're snakes, not human. Fools."
"Close enough for us." The two snakes said in unison.
The man just groaned in longsuffering frustration.
"Lord Zahhāk, the daggers are yours. Please give your Father our deepest apologies for their theft."
"Good. Good." The god said as he walked towards the daggers.
"Though could you satisfy my curiosity and hear out my outlandish hypothesis on what actually transpired?"
Pyrrha looked at Alkaid with worry, obviously not enthused with the prospect of having to spend more time with the dragon god then necessary. But the daughter of Hades gave her a quelling look. This was important.
The man looked at her in annoyance as he stopped where he stood.
"And what is that, godling? I do have things to do. So be quick."
"Thank you, Lord Zahhāk." Alkaid smiled as she crossed her arms. "Well, my theory as ludicrous as it sounds is that your Lord Father, the mighty Angra Mainyu-"
As she spoke his name, the world seemed to dull and the whole world seemed monstrous for a moment. Alkaid felt a chill go down her spine at that, but soldiered on.
"-'gave' the daggers to my accursed grandfather, Kronos-"
At the mention of her Grandfather's name, the cold from the ocean washed over the area but this sensation was ignored by Alkaid and Zahhāk. Pyrrha actually held herself to warm up at the odd chill in the air. It was however a decidedly milder effect than the invocation of the god of all evils' name had created.
"-so he could intervene and get a chance at revenge against myself."
As she finished, Zahhāk's left snake gasped even as the right snake asked, "How did you know!?"
The handsome man palmed his face while groaning in frustration, "Dammit, both of you."
"I didn't." Alkaid said with a sly smirk. "You just told me. Thank you~!"
"Well, the cat's out of the bag. So I guess I'll just tell you. Yes, it's all true." The man said while glowering at both snake heads, who kept their mouths shut and looked away sheepishly, even as he picked up the daggers and twirled them around skillfully. "Those daggers are Tawrich: The Left Fang Grinder and Zarich: The Right Fang Grinder. They are my Father's personal weapons, akin to your gods' symbols of power. They are his fangs and claws. Any who wield them can access any power that a deava might possess, including invisibility. Even from the eyes of gods. Others too, of course. Like say, the ability to rend a soul to pieces at a single touch."
"How intriguing." Alkaid mused as she eyed the daggers as the god levelled them in her direction intimidatingly. Pyrrha tensed at the threatening display and stepped slightly in front of her lover.
"Yes, a grand lesson indeed, dear Nephew." Ahura Mazda, Zoroastrian god of creation said as he appeared without any fanfare to stand next to the girls.
The daggers fell to Zahhāk's sides in an instant. His eyes widening in shock as his twin snakes slithered down his shirt.
"Since you are in such a sharing mood, perhaps you might enlighten me as to whether your Father used the daggers as a medium to poison Ares' mind as well?"
The dark dragon god looked to Alkaid, who shot him a look that just screamed: Ha ha, you're in trouble.
Obviously fighting back a growl, the three headed god just nodded to his superior's question.
The being of light gave a disappointed sigh at that and stepped forward to grasp his nephew's shoulder.
"Let us depart, Nephew Zahhāk."
"Y-Yes Lord Uncle."
The god turned to Alkaid and smiled kindly, "Lady Alkaid, I promise you that Mainyu will be punished accordingly for this stunt. Please send my regards to Lord Zeus and your father, Lord Hades."
With a flash of warm white light, the two Persian gods and the daggers were gone.
With the threats gone, Alkaid released a breath she didn't know she was holding in.
"I need a vacation."
"I'm with you there." Pyrrha agreed.
"-And the latest reports from FEMA puts the death toll from the Great Los Angeles Quake at over eight thousand, including several notable Hollywood stars such as Matt Damon, Tom Hanks, Kevin Spacey, Oprah Winfrey and Meryl Streep. The death toll is expected to continue to rise as tens of thousands remain missing."
"Damn, it got Oprah too." Pyrrha said with a groan as she collapsed into a chair in Alkaid's room in the Underworld.
After their harrowing mission, the two Olympian Ambassadors-at-Large were recovering in the Underworld and watching the news to see just what the mortals had to say about the devastation that Zahhāk had left in his wake.
"Yes, it's shame. Hm, I wonder if I should start a few charities. Gods know how bad things have gotten for L.A." Alkaid hummed, feigning disinterest, as she looked at the property damage being shown on her T.V. screen.
Whole swathes of the city were nothing more than rubble or burned out ruins. It was an improvement from the plains of glass they had been in the initial aftermath of the dragon god's self-detonation thanks to the hard work of the Mist and the gods who managed it but were still scenes of utter devastation. A smaller window on the screen showed the Dow was sinking faster than the Titanic. Not unexpected considering the billions in property damage the disaster had caused.
"Well, at least this has pushed my dad 'kidnapping' Jackson and his gang out of the news." The daughter of Ares said with a relieved sigh.
"It's really chump change compared to this." Alkaid noted as she wrote a few things on a scratch pad.
What would the rebuilding effort need? Hmm… Construction equipment of course, but what else? The daughter of Hades thought with a frown as she tried to draw up a list of things she could help procure for the city.
"True," Pyrrha said while biting her lip nervously. "You don't think it gave the Fates ideas, right? I mean they won't arrange natural disasters just to cover up stuff, would they?"
Pausing her work, the brunette turned to her lover.
"It's possible." The daughter of Hades admitted hesitantly. "If this mission was any indication, then we may have to work on arranging diplomatic meetings in more rural areas. Or far off the beaten path. I don't think anyone would like casualties on this level again."
"Shit, Kaidy! That's all you've gotta say?" Pyrrha growled. "This was our first mission and thousands of people are dead!"
"Tens of thousands, actually." Alkaid said solemnly, looking at her girlfriend with haunted eyes. "Maybe hundreds of thousands. I stopped counting by then. A good chunk of the city died and I felt them pass. I could sense them you know. Each and every one. I felt their lives get s-snuffed out."
The normally unflappable daughter of Hades stifled a sob as she ruthlessly suppressed the memory.
"Wha- But you didn't say anything!" The redhead said as she shot up in concern.
"We were fighting for our lives and trying to save even more lives." Alkaid said, looking away. "I-I couldn't afford to lose focus."
Alkaid felt Pyrrha pull her into a hug. "Oh, Kaidy! You self-sacrificing idiot."
The daughter of Hades felt tears well in her eyes.
"Pyrrha. I-I can't let this happen again. I don't think I could handle it." She sniffled as her arms tightened around the redhead.
"Shh. I'm here, I'm here." The daughter of Ares silenced her as she tried to calm her normally composed girlfriend.
If Alkaid wasn't having a break down, she'd have been surprised at how well Pyrrha was handling the situation.
As it stood however, all she could do was appreciate her comforting presence.
The couple spent almost a month after the disaster in L.A. enjoying a much deserved break in the Underworld. They spent time together and Alkaid had plenty of long therapeutic talks with some of the best counselors and other mind healers that Hades could find among the ranks of the dead. Between that and what the sorceress suspected was a fair bit of divine magic, she had largely overcome the trauma of the fight with Zahhāk.
Though I reserve the right to freak out if I ever see another three headed dragon. Alkaid thought to herself half jokingly as she and Pyrrha prepared to return to Camp Half-Blood.
"Any other things you think you'll need?" Pyrrha asked as she finished sealing the trunk of potion ingredients Alkaid was bringing along.
Apparently Percy had been poisoned by a Pit Scorpion and Alkaid's young friend Gracie Gray had I.M.'d Alkaid begging for her help. The girl knew she was an Alchemist and combined that with the fact that she was a daughter of Hades which she guessed, correctly, meant she had at least a passing familiarity with the venom of the deadly arachnid, into a belief that she could help the son of Poseidon.
Honestly, Alkaid was unsure if there was any need. Chiron was more than capable of handling the situation on his own.
Still, seeing the pleading look of the young child of Hecate was something she just couldn't ignore. Alkaid could be a bit of a sucker for a teary eyed look.
"No. That's all I'll need to brew an antidote." Alkaid reassured her lover.
"Right, then let's get going." Pyrrha urged. "Before Jackson kicks the bucket."
The daughter of Hades rolled her eyes. For whatever reason, her girlfriend had lost all faith in Chiron and his abilities. She seemed convinced despite the centaur's reputation as a healer that without Alkaid, the trainer of heroes would be unable to save the son of Poseidon.
With an amused smirk, Alkaid conjured a shadow portal as Pyrrha hefted the trunk. As it stabilized, the couple walked through and arrived near the Big House.
As they stepped out of the shadows, Alkaid was immediately struck by how quiet the place was compared to the last time she was there. Intellectually she'd been expecting it since most of the campers were gone or already leaving, but the reality was still a surprise to her.
"Can't believe we missed the fireworks." Pyrrha grumbled as they headed for the infirmary.
"Is it that big of a deal?" Alkaid asked as she opened the door for her girlfriend.
"No, but we'll have to pick up our beads later."
Ah, yes. Those silly 'I survived another year' beads. Alkaid found it to be a juvenile novelty. A year was nothing to brag about.
"I totally agree with you, Alkaid." Mr. D said by way of greeting from where he was leaning against a pillar and sipping on a Diet Coke. "But the brats seem to find it important for some reason that I can't seem to fathom."
"Greetings, Lord Dionysus. It is wonderful to return to your care." Alkaid politely stated and curtseyed as she was taught.
The god waved the greeting away. "No need to lie to me, young lady, you hate this place as much as I do."
Alkaid blinked in confusion. The Lord of Madness was being surprisingly blunt and civil. I wonder why?
"Still, Lady Persephone would chide me if I did not act proper. Though I will keep that in mind." Alkaid said as she stepped through the house.
Ignoring her deflection, the god instead chose to answer the sorceress' unspoken question. "Your rank as our ambassador is worthy of respect, that's why. Plus, you've earned it with how you handled the Persians' meddling."
Alkaid flinched at the reminder of that disaster and Pyrrha growled angrily but the daughter of Hades put a restraining hand on her lover's shoulder.
"Considering what that led up to, I don't feel I deserve any respect."
"Pish posh." Mr. D scoffed. "It's not like you killed all those mortals. Besides, it was their time anyways. Things wouldn't have played out that way if it wasn't part of the Fates' tapestry."
The brunette still didn't agree. Despite all the therapy she'd undergone she still felt incredibly guilty over what happened but she knew that arguing with the god any further was unwise.
"Please excuse me, Lord Dionysus, but I believe Percy needs me."
The god of wine sniffed in disdain. "That Macey Black girl called you in didn't she?"
"Yes."
"She tricked you, you know that right? The girl's disappeared. Just like all the other children of Hecate."
"He's in the infirmary?" Pyrrha asked as she went on ahead.
"Where else daft girl?" Mr. D said with a snort.
"Fish tank?"
The god actually laughed at the daughter of war's suggestion.
"If only."
"My lord, you were saying something about Gracie?"
"Yes, she and her siblings have all disappeared."
"I see. It is the end of summer. Mayhaps she just returned home for the year."
"Oh please. As if you believe that? If what Poseidon's boy told my Father is true, you and I both know what's on the rise. In fact you can feel it I bet with how long you've been in the Underworld."
The daughter of Hades could only respond with a grim look and the god nodded.
"Good. At least you're not stupid. Now if only you were the child, then we wouldn't have much to worry about. With barnacle boy, we might as well finish our bucket lists."
"I will keep the suggestion in mind, my Lord. If I may be excused? I need to see the patient."
The god of wine waved his hand, dismissing her as he wandered off.
Entering the infirmary, Alkaid came upon the sight of a sickly pale Percy and a strained looking centaur.
"Hello, Chiron." She cooly greeted.
The ancient centaur looked up at her, his fatigue vanishing for a brief moment as he returned her greeting. "Hello, Miss Potter. Welcome back."
Thumbing towards the trunk Pyrrha had carried in while Alkaid had been talking to Mr. D, she asked, "Does Percy need more antidote? I come bearing gifts."
Done and done! Thanks to the team of Nameless and Axios as always.
Phew, now that was a tough chapter! The destruction, the devastation, Oprah! Truly the darkest of days are upon us. So we kinda glassed L.A. Sorry for those who live in L.A. it just short of happened. Blame Zahhāk and Nameless.
Nameless: Yeah, I'm a mean monster that killed the City of Angels. Blame it all on me! I did it to give Alkaid some stress. Terrible aren't I?
Our heroine feels guilty for all the deaths as they rang in her ear. She needed a lot of therapy to work through it, but hey, thanks to some great minds in the Underworld, she's on the path of recovery from the grief. Edit: So we had a guest reviewer going by Ryani accuse us of being inconsistent with Alkaid's characterization in this chapter in regards to her feelings about death. I'd like to point out that we explicitly spelled out in the chapter *why* Alkaid underwent this change. Namely that the scale of death she found herself being a first hand witness to proved too much for her and her nonchalance to death was blown away as she was forced to empathize. And now Alkaid has returned to Camp because she's a semi-good person.
Nameless: Yeah. Alkaid is just helping him along, is all. At the behest of Gracie Gray's call for help just before she flees Camp to join the Titans' army.
So no Omake this chapter. We didn't think it would be appropriate considering what we've covered here.
E4E: Kind of tough with the subject matter in it.
You know what to do! Smash that review button and tell us what you love! No flames and peace off my peeps!