Hey guys, I am back. I am so so sooo sorry for not updating in a very long time. I haven't been feeling myself lately. Past few weeks have been very trying and I have been feeling low. I tried to write but couldn't think of anything. It's like the world is moving on and you are left behind, disconnected. But anyways I am trying to cope with it. I am really sorry for making you all wait. This is a longest chapter I have written so far. Hopefully it will make up.
Imagine Coldplay: Yay! I am happy you liked it.
YoDoMiFi: Thank you so much. I am sorry for the delay but I promise I will never leave it incomplete.
Also thank you so much guys. Your reviews really put a smile on my face. This chapter is dedicated to you.
P.S.: I recently joined tumblr. My blog name is hell-of-a-mess, which it truly is. Feel free to chat or ask or to maybe help coz I have no idea or experience of social media. This is my first time ever and I don't know what to do. So you can help me out.
"NICO!" Hailey and Leo shouted at the same time.
Leo's head was spinning. He didn't want anyone to know his plan. He hadn't thought that he would meet Hades (which was absolutely stupid of him). He had intended it to be a top secret, stealth operation. So obviously, it went the exact opposite way. It looked like the Fates always twisted his 'yarn of fate', or whatever it is, in the wrong way and seemed to be enjoying it a lot. He was DEFINITELY unique. Leo knew that Nico being Hades' son sometimes visited the Underworld, but he wasn't expecting to meet him like this. He always found Nico a bit scary. But he also couldn't help but feel a bit relieved. Maybe Nico would be able to persuade his father not to make them his three-headed doggie's dinner or breakfast, considering whatever time it was now.
Nico stood up. "What are you two doing here?" he asked. He looked as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing in front of him.
"Oh! The same as you son!" Hades said. "They have come to meet their friend Jason Grace. But with the intention of taking him back to the world of living". His glittering black eyes bore into Leo.
Leo was happy he was already kneeling. He didn't think his legs would have held under Hades' gaze.
Nico's eyes grew even wider. But to Leo's surprise, there was no anger or disbelief, but sadness and pity. He turned to his father, and what he said surprised Leo even more.
"They might be able to if you let them to" he said.
Now it was Hades' turn to get surprised. "Nico! You know that is not possible".
""Not possible" but not impossible. After all father, you control the Underworld and all the souls in it." Nico pressed on.
Hades' whole demeanor changed. His eyes took on a sad look and his voice was impossibly soft when he answered Nico. "Son, I love you! I know Jason was your friend. A very good friend. But you know better than anyone why it is forbidden. It is not a rule or a law that can be broken, changed or undone. It is a continuum through which the cosmos achieves balance. You can't change or undo it. Imagine if no one died. Yes! It has been reversed before. But you also know how it ended ultimately. There is always a consequence, a very high price to be paid. Because you are disturbing the balance of not only the universe but the very foundation of its functioning. Your friend Jason Grace is in a better place now. In fact, he is in the happiest place – The Isle of the Blessed. Don't you think that is the best thing for him? Isn't that what every hero strives for his entire life? Don't you think he is better off here than in the mortal world? Your friend is justly rewarded. Isn't that enough?"
Leo's ears were ringing. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew what Hades said was right. Jason was in a happy place. He was in The Isle of the Blessed for Olympus' sake. He was among the blessed in a safe and peaceful island away from all the chaos. Of course, Jason deserved it. He deserved the best.
But all this logic was overpowered by the pure rage that was boiling within him. All the fear, unease and apprehension evaporated. He sprang up to his feet. He could feel the temperature in the rising. He was practically glowing. Hailey crawled back, away from him. But Leo's gaze was fixed on Hades, his fiery eyes glaring at him.
"Enough?" Leo yelled at Hades. "Isn't that enough for Jason? Has anything ever been enough for you gods? You make us demigods fight for your cause, to save you. You let your own children suffer, fight wars and die to ensure your safety, your power, your immortality. You want us to do your work for you, play your games for you, every time. Even entertain you. We are nothing but mere pawns for you. You call yourselves gods but yet you leave the major burden on us. We went on a death quest, risked our lives, everything to save you from your own schizophrenic selves and your maniac grandmother. Jason sacrificed his life to once again save you and your world from a psychopathic emperor. He could have chosen not to. But he did. You gods have been playing and messing around with his life since even before his birth as if he was a lifeless toy. But he still laid down his life to save your useless ones. He always did the right thing. And you say isn't it enough? You call it a just reward? I will tell you what Jason justly deserved. He deserved to be happy not just in death but in life. He deserved to live his life for himself. He deserved to live – a long and peaceful life. He deserved to have a good time, make cherishing memories and experience all that is best about the mortal world. You think being in the Isle of the Blessed is some sort of compensation? A reward? A blessing? No. He is in there because he earned it. It is rightfully his. And he has earned much more and he deserves to have it all. So guess what? IT IS NOT ENOUGH!"
There was a dead silence when Leo was done, only broken by his heavy breathing. He was literally smoking. His hands were clenched into fists and flames flickered and danced all over his body barely touching him, as if they were waiting to get free and destroy something or Someone.
Hades was glowering at Leo. His eyes were as dark as… well, darkness itself. The shadows surrounding hi were moving and growing darker and larger.
Both Nico and Hailey had similar expressions of horror on their faces. They kept looking back and forth between Leo and Hades and at each other.
Hades took a step forward and Leo felt the similar tugging sensation deep within him, this time stronger than before. He almost stumbled forwards.
Hades' voice was deep and devoid of any emotions when he talked to Leo. "Leo Valdez! Your own life is hanging on to you by a weak thread. But here you are, fighting for your dead friend's life. I do not know whether to call you brave or extremely foolish. It seems my son has a peculiar taste in choosing his friends. As for Jason Grace, he died for a greater cause – a cause he chose to be greater than his own life. He made his choice. And as you say he earned his place into the Isle rightfully. And that is where he is now. What more do you want me to do? I cannot go around resurrecting dead people. How do you think that will end? Don't you know what happened when the Doors of Death were opened? Weren't you the one closed them? Now you expect me to do the same thing and open the doors of the Underworld and send back the dead? Tell me how THAT is just, demigod?" Hades asked.
Leo gritted his teeth. "Jason is not a monster" he snapped. "And he made a choice because you left him no other choice. And anyways, I am not asking you for any favors. You owe us. You owe Jason. He dedicated his entire life not just to fight your wars for you and protect your godliness; he strived to make it better. He strived to end all the wars and animosity. He hardly ever complained. But the only rewards the gods bestowed upon him were unending difficulties and sorrows. Even after the war ended, he wasn't done. He took it upon himself to build temples and shrines for the minor gods so as to bring peace and prevent anymore civil wars between the gods. The gods owe him. You owe him. So, give him what he truly deserves."
Hades' eyes narrowed. "You dare disrespect a god, boy? If you weren't one of the seven, you would already be dead. Fine! If you think we are indebted to you, know that the Underworld is a place of balance. It evens all the odd ends. It is a place of justice. If you are so adamant on taking back your friend, so be it. You said that we did not give him a choice. This time I will let you choose for yourself. But be warned! This is Underworld and it is not a child's game. As I have told you there is a consequence and price for everything. I will let Jason Grace walk back to the mortal world with you. But he will not be able to return to the Isle of the Blessed again. He will be judged at the end in the usual way and placed accordingly.
"That's not fair!" Leo objected. "Jason has already sacrificed enough. And it's not a choice when there is no alternative. You said you will let me make the choice. Where are the options?"
"Do not interrupt me demigod" Hades growled. "You do have an alternative. But it won't be much use to you. It is impossible."
"Leave that to us to decide" Leo said.
"Very well then" Hades replied. "If you want to take back Jason Grace without any consequences, you will personally have to find him and convince him to travel back to the mortal world with you. But remember! You will only be able to take him back if he is truly willing to leave the Isle of the Blessed and come back with you. And be warned that once you reach the Isle, you will only have five mortal minutes to find your friend and convince him. After which you will be sent back to your world. There. You have your options. Make your choice. Now go!"
Hades waved his hand and Leo felt a strong gust of wind. The shadows surrounded him making him blind. He felt the land give away beneath him and he was falling. It only lasted for a few seconds and then Leo felt his feet touch the ground again. He stumbled and fell.
"I hate Shadowtravelling" Leo grumbled. He heard Hailey curse a few feet away from him. She too was down on the ground and was looking a bit dizzy.
"You okay?" Leo asked her. She looked up at him, her face a mixture of fear, anger, disbelief and amazement. "Wow! You do have a death wish, don't you?" she said, getting up and brushing dust of her.
"Yes he does" said a voice next to Leo, making him jump. He turned and found himself standing face to face with an angry-looking Nico di Angelo.
"Apparently dying once wasn't enough for you, I guess" Nico was now glaring at Leo. "What were you thinking?"
Leo flinched, but forced a smile. "Aww, I knew you loved me. But don't you worry. Uncle Leo is very much safe and as hot as ever."
He beamed at them. But Nico and Hailey only glared at him some more.
Leo sighed. "Look I am sorry. I might have acted a bit stupid. But you can't say I was wrong. Was i?" he asked them.
"No, what you said was not wrong. But the fact that you said that to a god in his face and in the way you said it, could have made things end up very badly for you" Nico said.
"Yeah. We are lucky Hades didn't make us permanent residents of the Underworld. I only came for a short visit. And what was all that about your life hanging on by a weak thread?" she asked Leo.
Leo's heart began hammering as if in response. He didn't want to scare the demigods by telling them the truth. They already had enough to worry about. He waved aside the question.
"I am fine. Hades must have been talking about my previous death which I survived" he smiled at them reassuringly.
Hailey looked confused but seemed to take his word for it. Nico gave Leo a long look. Leo was scared that Nico being the son of Hades would sniff out his secret. But luckily for him Hailey interrupted them.
"Anyways I would really love to get out of here although this place looks so much better than the Palace, no offence Nico. And speaking of which, where exactly are we?" She looked around her as if looking for a sign board.
Leo was really grateful to Hailey. He wasn't sure how long he might have been able to survive Nico's death glare. He looked around him. They were in some kind of a meadow. It looked like a pleasant picnic spot. There were flowers blooming on the grass. And unlike the rest of the Underworld this place was bathed in brilliant sunlight, though Leo could not see the sun. Behind him there was a huge wall of rock with a cave-like entrance in the middle of it, leading to darkness. In front of him there was a beautiful Island with gardens, fountains, small stone cottages and groves with trees bearing all kinds of fruits. There was a huge mountain of rock right in the middle of the island from the top of which a magnificent waterfall cascaded down to meet the cool blue pond below forming a rainbow. Leo had never seen anything so beautiful and peaceful. It was simply breathtaking. The island was separated from the meadow by a milky white river that surrounded the island like a fort.
"The Isle of the Blessed!" Nico whispered in awe. "Father once told me its beauty was unmatched. He was right."
Leo now realized why every hero dreamed of achieving the Isle of the Blessed. It truly was a blessing, especially for a demigod who had gone through hell in his life. It truly was the paradise of paradise. He looked at his fellow demigods. Both Nico and Hailey had looks of longingness on their faces and Leo was sure he had the same expression too. He couldn't help but think of Calypso. She would absolutely love the place. He wished they could be able to live in that island together peacefully forever.
"That is where Jason is?" Hailey asked, not taking her eyes off the island.
"Yes" Nico answered.
Leo snapped himself out of his reverie. "Then we better keep moving." He took a step forward but Nico grabbed his arm and yanked him back.
"Leo, listen to me. Are you sure you want to take Jason back? Now that you have seen the Isle of the Blessed, don't you think he is happy in there?" he asked.
"I know he is happy Nico" Leo replied. "But I want him to be happier. I want him to be more than just happy. And anyway Hades said that if we ourselves find Jason and take him back he will not lose his place in the Isle. He will be able to come back here. So it's all right. And I bet I can find Jason within five minutes. There don't seem to be many people over there. Once I find him, I am sure Jason will not say no." Leo was sure of that. Jason hardly denied anything to anyone. He would never deny anything to his best friends.
Nico's face fell. "Hades also said it is impossible. And he was right Leo. Only Hades can visit that island. Even I can't visit it. Hades tricked us. We can't go over there. You see that white river surrounding the island? To get to the island, you will have to cross the river. And that is river Lethe. One drop of it and you would forget your own existence."
Leo's hopes came crashing down. He had travelled this long, survived Underworld and Hades himself, all for nothing? He felt the rage boiling within him. He could imagine Hades sitting on his throne and laughing at him right now.
"No. there has to be a way. There's always a way. Maybe I can build something. Or… wait! You can shadowtravel us to the island and back. Can't you? We don't have to worry about the river then." Leo looked expectantly at Nico.
Nico shook his head. "No. I can't. None of our powers work beyond this meadow. It is to protect the Isle from any kind of threats. Only Hades can access it. You can't build anything either. I am sorry Leo. There is no other way." Nico looked at him sadly.
Leo felt dizzy. He sat down. He couldn't believe he had come this far only to go back empty handed. He thought back to his visions of Jason. How Jason had spent months looking for him. And then begging Tempest to find him. How Jason absolutely refused to believe that Leo was dead. How he never gave up on him. Now it was Leo's turn. He couldn't give up on Jason. Not when he was so close to him.
He put his hand into the toolbelt and started taking out metal pieces, wires and other things and began working on them. Nico and Hailey exchanged a confused look.
"Leo, what are you doing?" Hailey asked.
"Can you Charmspeak?" Leo asked Hailey.
Hailey looked taken aback. "I… well… a little bit, I guess. It's not as powerful as Piper though. But why, though? What use is charmspeak here?"
Leo didn't answer. He kept working.
"Leo what are you thinking?" Nico asked.
Leo finished his project and held it out to them. There was an earpiece and two square boxes that looked like small speaker boxes. He put the earpiece into his ear.
"The earpiece is for me. These are portable speakers. You can speak to me through it." He handed one to Hailey and pointed to a button on the side. "Just switch it on. I will carry one with me."
"Hold on. Where do you think you are going?" Nico asked.
Leo took a deep breath. "I am going to the island" he announced.
Nico and Hailey jumped on him together.
"Are you mad?"
"What? No. You heard what Nico said"
"You will lose your memory"
"Leo, you can't do this"
Leo held up his hands. "Guys, please listen to me. I didn't come this far for nothing. I can't just go back without Jason. And I certainly can't let Hades win his sly little game. I am going to the island no matter what. It's up to you, whether you want to help me or not." Nico opened his mouth to object, but Leo stopped him. "I don't want to hear anything. There's nothing you can do to change my mind. Just tell me this. Will you help me or not?"
Nico and Hailey looked at each other. Their expressions were pained. Hailey had tears in her eyes.
"Leo, please think about it once again. Do you think Jason would want it? And what about Calypso?" Nico asked.
"Jason would do it for me" Leo answered. He smiled at Nico. "And I don't need my memory to love Calypso. I would love her anyway. Memory or no memory."
Leo believed what he said. He was thinking of Calypso while he was working. And he was sure that all he had to do was look at her to know that she was the one.
"You would forget all about your past life Leo. You wouldn't even remember your name." Nico warned again.
"The only memories worth remembering were made after I met Jason and Piper" Leo said. And they know enough about me to help me. Just do me one favor and send a word to Calypso and Piper when we get back, please."
Nico looked sadly at Leo "Of course. I will do that."
Leo turned to Hailey who was openly crying now. "You are a very brave girl, Hailey. You remind me so much of Piper. Please help me. When I step into the river charmspeak me to move on and find Jason. When I find him tell him what happened. I will switch on my speaker. And remember we have only five minutes. Once I step into the river everything will be on you. Do you understand?"
Hailey burst into tears and hugged him. "Oh Leo!"
Leo patted her back. He remembered the time when Hazel and Frank had hugged him when he had told them his plan. He never thought that history would repeat itself so fast.
Hailey pulled herself back "Yes I understand. I will do it" she said.
"Thanks Hailey" Leo turned to Nico. "Thank you"
And surprise of all surprises, Nico stepped forward and hugged Leo. Though he quickly pulled back.
"You are stupidest demigod I have ever met" he said.
Leo grinned. "I love you too Neeks"
"Shut up, Valdez!"
"So, are you guys ready?" Leo asked.
"No" both replied at the same time.
"Good"
Leo walked towards the river. He tried not to think of anything as he switched on his speaker and fastened it to his toolbelt. He looked at the river. It wasn't that wide, maybe some hundred yards or so. He ran the last few paces to the river and dived in.
Whew! That was a really long chapter. Hope you liked it. The next chapters will be from Nico's and Hailey's POV. Feel free to send in your reviews or suggestions or chat with me on Tumblr. I'd love to hear from y'all. Wishing you all a good time and good health. Stay safe. Love you all 3
Yours in demigodishness, and all that. Peace out!