DISCLAIMER: Percy Jackson and Crew are the intellectual property of Rick Riordan

WARNING: OOC Characters!

(Peeks around the corner) Err, hi? (Gets thrown at with a multitude of pointy things) Okay, okay! I'm late again! I'm sorry! T.T I really, really wanted to post this on the 20th, but, well. Can someone join me in maiming my Boss? Pretty please? .

Anyways. THIS IS THE LONG AWAITED UNDERWORLD CHAPTER! Yay! Haha! Although I'm really iffy about the end part, I think I did our favorite god justice. Do tell me if not, so I can fix it, okay? :D

Guys, just, wow! I LOVE YOU! To all those who favorited, followed, or just plain read and enjoyed the story, THANK YOU! I love you guys so much! :D

harryginny9, PurpleRoseFromYou, Frostfire613, Kida Night, unsanctuaire, roos1414, alexjjije, Anastasia Diana Black, ghg, IWantColoredRain, Guest # 3, Lizzy B, Guest # 4, ptl4ever419, FallenAshe, Padfootette, Guest # 6 - Guys, thank you! I really don't know what I'd do without you guys. Thank you for the compliments and the suggestions! You really are the best readers an author could ever ask for! :D

Outofthisworldgal - Aww. Thank you! I'm actually glad you liked it so much! :D Thanks for telling me your opinion, and here's the next chapter! I hope you like this one too! :D

Jazzy - Haha! Thank you! :D I was actually very worried that the longer the chapter, the more people would be put off reading this story because they get tired of the story itself, but thank goodness it doesn't! :D Haha! You've actually chosen the perfect adjectives for them! :)) I had to do it! Someone has to be the jerk guy, and it wasn't going to be Hades, so I chose Zeus. :P So, here's the next chapter! I hope you like it! :D I'm sorry! Trust me when I say it'll be better if you guys are kept in the dark, because it'll be a good surprise for all of you! So, please, just be a little bit patient with me, okay? :D

alice-victoire - Haha! Thank you! :D Here's the next chapter, by the way! And I've continued on making sure to mark where I change POVs! Hope you like it! :D

ultima-owner - Yes, we won't let him, with all he's done. :)) I'm afraid so. Doctor Apollo might even sedate him a little. Too bad Sally's still tied up with Gabe. (winkhintwink) :))

Guest # 1 - Aww. I'm so glad I've made your week all the more enjoyable with my update! :D Yes, yes he is. Somtimes I wonder if I'm going overboard with him. :))) Yes, yes they will. Well, sort of. You'll see in this one. :D

ro781727 - Oh! Hi there! So glad you've made an account! :D Oh, I plan on that, I promise. After all, what kind of master pranksters would Apollo and Hermes be if they finish a prank halfway through? :)))

Guest # 2 - Well, I should put up warnings, shouldn't I? Hmm. Well, it's only going to be one sided, on Athena's part, because Poseidon still sees her as someone who continuously gets in his way just to annoy him. Yes, he's dense. (winkhintwink) :))) As for that, well. Uhm. ARGH! I can't answer that without revealing too much! Tell you what. Stay tuned for the next couple of chapters, and you'll get your answer, okay? :D

sharonpijl - Thank you! I kinda liked her that way too! :D

DarknessOfApocalypse-BlackSky - ...That's actually going to be in one of the future chapters, so I'm not going to say anything yet. :))))

Meg daughter of wisdom and sea - YAYAYAYAYAYAY! You got it! I'm so happy! XD I did model Alecto on dearest Bella, and I'm glad someone noticed! XD And, I so totally agree with you. At least Hades doesn't reward those loyal to him with torture curses. Though, he's the on in charge of the Fields of Punishment. Hmm. O.o Yes, actually. Metis is originally not a normal mortal, but an Oceanid, a sea nymph, daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. But in this AU, I needed her to have absolutely no defense against Zeus, so I made her a mortal. :D ...Maybe Apollo needs to have an EKG ready. Just in case. O.o :)))

coastiewife465 - Well, here's half of that wish done! :D I just hope I haven't butchered it too much. I hope you enjoy this chapter! :D

Lolxxx - Haha! Yep! :)) Actually, I'm surprised no one has used this before. You see, in mythology, Ixion had mated with Nephele (cloud Hera) and produced Centauros, who was the father of the Centaurs. Well, except Chiron. XD Haha! Really? I sorry if I seem to love leaving you guys in nasty cliffhangers. I can't help it! O.o Yes. Yes, I totally agree, damn it. Real life is UGH. :/

Danny-Shells - I really, REALLY hope so. He's my favorite god! XD Yep. Imagine of you were on Hera's shoes. Just, ugh. I'd castrate Zeus, make his balls grow back, then castrate him again damn it. O.o Haha! Thank you! Many more to come of those! XD Sorry 'bout that. Haha. Someone told me it was beginning to shape up like a Mary-Sue story, so I cut back a little on her parts. -.- I'll try to make up for it in the next council meeting, okay? :D

bookobsessed246 - Aww! Thank you! :D Hey, now! Don't be like that! There are many more authors out there who're greater than me, you know. I felt the same way, too, but I tried and I tried, and I slowly improved. (Need proof? Look up my earlier stories. ESPECIALLY the first one. It's total crap. -.-) Can I have some ice cream? :)) I know I should scold you because I work at a school, but what the heck. Read to your heart's content! XD

heidi - Thank you! :D Haha. I'm glad you liked the 'gods' chapters. :D Yes, we're almost done, and S.O.M, here we come! XD Haha! Hermes and Apollo are pranksters at heart, and Hades just wants his family again. Hope you like this chapter, too! :D

Afterlife Inc - Oh my gods! THANK YOU SO MUCH for pointing that out to me, or else I would've totally missed that! I haven't read the earlier chapters lately and I totally forgot I've brought that up! O.o I'm so glad you said something! Thank you! :D I've altered the last chapter, by the way. :D About Luke's fate, well. There's an explanation for that, but it' kind of part of a chapter, so I really can't say anything just yet. Sorry! O.o I've made my Triton here to be, erm, a little bit bipolar. Since this is an AU (sort of), I thought about what Percy needed the most in her life and, well, Triton's a big part of that. :D Ah. As for the last part of the prophecy, that's coming up real soon, okay? :D

Anastasia Katerina Black - Oh! Nice penname! :D

The-Mixed-Up-Girl - Oh dear. Erm. I really can't say anything yet. Please be patient! It'll all fall into place soon! :D

Mistake Experience - That's coming up soon, so be patient with me, okay? :D

EVA-Saiyajin - Yes, actually. A friend of mine actually commented on it being the foundation of a Mary-Sue story, but when I explained why I'm doing this, she just smiled and told me to tell her earlier to prevent her from strangling me. -.- There is a reason on why I'm doing this, but I'm afraid it's rather far off, so I'm sorry if it's current;y looking like that. .

EchoAngel42 - Thank you so very much! I'm so glad you've enjoyed the story, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter, too! :D

circumspectPrincess - I'm sorry to say that I have no idea what that is. O.o Err, what is it? O.o

Guest # 5 - Thank you! I'm glad to have found another shipper! :D Yes, actually, I'm doing this for PJATO, but I'm not really sure about HOO. :D

AQUA-TOT - Oh dear! Erm, I'm sorry? O.o :)) But I'm glad you've enjoyed it that much! :D

HeartNimbus - Thank you for the compliments! :D Here's the next chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one too! :D

KILLINGhope14 - Erm, one sided only. Haha. Poseidon's still head over heels over Sally. XD Thank you! I'm really glad you've enjoyed this story! :D

HeartDancer - Thank you! I'm glad you liked it! :D Actually, that's my mistake. 'Mare' is actually the Italian word for 'sea'. 'Thalassa' is the Greek term, but when I used it, it really didn't click. I was studying Italian at the time I wrote the chapter, and it just stuck. So, Percy became 'Mare'. :))

Crimson Dragon Devil - Thank you for all of your reviews, all six of them! :D I'm so glad you've found this story enjoyable to read, and I hope you continue to read it till the very end! :D

Starkidlover100 - Oh my gods! THANK YOU for pointing that out to me, or else I would have never have noticed it! O.o I really haven't read my earlier chapters lately, so I didn't know I already had that fact out there! I'm so sorry for the discrepancy! And THANK YOU SO MUCH for bringing the matter to me! Just, thanks! :D Oh! Thank you for the PM! :D

InsanityUnleashed - Thank you for the PM! Here's the next chapter, by the way! :D

Lukercy555 - Thank you for the PM! :D Yeah. I had to backtrack a couple of times because I'm really not used to writing drama. :/ I'm so glad it turned out alright, though. :D Oh, my! I'm glad I've made your day when you were sick! Sorry if I haven't told you to get well, though, so, get well (even if you are well right about now. :)) )!

DontYouTouchMySeaweedBrain - Thank you for the PM! :D Aww. I'm so glad this story is one of your favorites. :D Haha. I should be the one thanking you, though. :D And that's alright. Just PM me when you do, ok? :D

bookwormultimate - Err, what? MST? I don't really recall you using any terms to mock my story, though. O.o But, ok, if it's alright with you, then it's alright with me. :D

Percabeth Jackson-Chase - Haha. Well, I want to finish the first five books first before moving on to another story, but thanks for a wonderful idea. :D Oohhh. Haha. The New Prince of Tennis was actually cancelled, right? I don't really know, but that's actually the main reason on why I couldn't continue HIAB. I had no eye candy left. T.T

Εδώ είναι το επόμενο κεφάλαιο! (Here's the next chapter!)

Chapter 23: The Truth Sets You Free!

It was funny, in a weird sort of way. There were lots of people milling around us, and yet it was eerily silent. It was like one of those horror films where the heroine was in danger, and instead of helping her, the masses just stared at her, silent, contemplating. They all stared at you, expecting you to be able to escape, or to miraculously be able to defeat whatever it was that was chasing you, simply because you were the heroine.

It was driving me nuts!

I shivered slightly as I surveyed the Fields of Asphodel. Grover was right, damn it. It was like a concert, a HUGE one, except, there was no band, and a tragedy of the century happened, rendering each and every one of them silent. The black grass had been flattened, trampled on by eons' worth of dead feet traversing upon them. Black trees, poplars, Grover said, dotted the expanse of the field, but they were largely dwarfed upon the whites, the transparency of the souls residing there. The cavern ceiling above, even though it was fairly high, I could still see, was littered with dangerously sharp stalactites that I imagine only a slight shake would dislodge them. I fact, there were some of them present down where we were standing, which really didn't make me comfortable with the situation we were in the slightest bit. I mean, the dead couldn't, and don't care, with them being, well, dead and all, but I'm pretty sure that if one of those things fell and we just happened to be directly below it, well. Dad better be prepared for another war.

We tried our very best to blend in with the crowd, keeping a close eye out for security ghouls, though, we stuck out like a sore thumb because, well, we had actual color to us. And, maybe, that was the reason why we got held up by a fair number of ghosts that were making chattering noises and gesturing wildly. Though, once they realized we didn't understand a single thing they wanted us to understand, they just shook their heads and floated away.

"I just realized something." Grover whispered to us as another disappointed ghost floated away.

"What?" I grunted, feeling oddly weighed down. That's funny. I know I didn't have anything on me except my purse….

"The dead aren't that scary at all. They're just sad. And lonely."

"Surprisingly, this isn't what I imagined Asphodel to look like. Sure, I knew that it would be something like this, but the sheer number is just staggering." Luke grimaced as he surveyed the tightly packed open field.

"Makes you wonder whether Hades wants a war or not." Ethan muttered as he grimaced at yet another approaching ghost.

We just nodded thoughtfully at Ethan's statement as we followed the newly dead towards a black-tented pavilion, with a cheery banner hanging from its entrance: JUDGMENT FOR ELYSIUM AND ETERNAL DAMNATION; WELCOME, NEWLY DECEASED!

"What a, uh, nice reception." I grimaced at Grover's attempt at cheering us up. If anything, it made me a LOT more gloomier.

"Thank you for stating the obvious, Grover. I feel so much better now." Ethan's tone was colored in sarcasm.

"Hey, at least I tried." Grover smiled sheepishly.

"Guys, look." Luke nudged us, gesturing at the back of the black tent, where the line we were following split into two, going opposite directions.

On the left, the spirits were being escorted by security ghouls towards the Fields of Punishment; a vast, craggy wasteland filled with flowing lava, what looked like minefields, and miles and miles of barbed wire that separated the different torture areas. Even from far away, I could hear the different agonizing screams of people futilely asking for help. I saw some were being chased relentlessly by giant hellhounds while some were being burned at the stake, or just being plain burned alive. Some were screaming about their skin being torn off their backs by means of whipping, and some of them were even being forced to run around cactus patches while naked. Heck, I could see some were wailing about the fact that they were being forced to listen to opera music without the luxury of falling asleep! I saw a tiny hill, and a huge boulder slowly making up the top; no doubt Sisyphus was the one to endure that hardship. I saw a lake with a nearby fruit tree, where a solitary man was looking helplessly into the water, like it was the only thing precious to him. I shivered at the cruel fate Tantalus was delivered. There were many other punishments, punishments I can't describe for fear of losing my breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The line heading towards the right side of the pavilion was much better. It led to a small valley with walls; a gated community that seemed to be the only happy place in the Underworld. Beyond the gates, I could see beautiful houses from seemingly every era that had passed; from the beautifully carved Roman villas to the grand Victorian mansions and the imposing medieval castles. Silver and gold flowers bloomed everywhere as the grass sparkled a rainbow of colors. The trees bore fruit that shined as brilliantly as diamonds, and everywhere you look, you would see glory and splendor abound. I could hear the multitude of laughter and smell wonderful things cooking.

Heaven. Nirvana. Elysium.

And yet, in the middle of the glorious valley was a glittering blue lake, with three small islands smack in the middle, kinda like a vacation resort somewhere in Hawaii. The Isles of the Blest, for people who choose to be reborn three times, and achieve Elysium in those lifetimes.

"The Isles of the Blest." Ethan sighed wistfully.

"The place for heroes." Luke nodded as he gazed at the islands with longing.

"Still. It's depressing." That snapped the two out of their daydreaming, and looked at me with surprise. Even Grover, who was shaking his head in exasperation until I spoke up, was surprised.

"Why do you say that, Mare?"

"The size of the Fields of Asphodel. The sheer number of the souls sent from the Judgment Pavilion to the Fields of Punishment. The small area of Elysium, especially the Isles of the Blest. So few people do good in their lives." I sighed. The other three looked at each other and grimaced.

Well, after my statement, we exited the Judgment Pavilion and moved deeper into the Asphodel Fields. As we went on, it got progressively darker that we all huddled together, reassuring ourselves that we weren't alone. The colors slowly bled from our clothes. The spirits became sparse. After a few miles of walking, there suddenly loomed ahead of us an imposing palace of black obsidian, glittering dangerously. Above the parapets, two creatures were swirling about.

"That's funny. Why only two?" Ethan muttered as he clenched and unclenched his hands. "Damn it to Tartarus! I feel defenseless without my swords!"

"That makes the two of us. And my sword was just smithed by Beckendorf." Luke grimaced as his right arm twitched, as if longing for his sword.

"I don't suppose we could turn back now?" Grover asked hopefully, nervously looking at the sides, as if expecting the missing Fury to suddenly pop up somewhere close to us.

"Let's just get this over with." I sighed as I popped open my purse and took out Riptide. Only, as I snapped the clutch closed, something suddenly tugged at me. "Whoa!"

The others looked at me with furrowed eyebrows.

"Mare? Is something wrong?" Grover asked as he chewed his lower lip nervously.

"I don't know. Did one of you pull-?" I didn't get to finish my sentence before I was harshly pulled off to the side by an invisible force. "Ack! Help!"

The three guys were rooted to the spot a second more before exploding into action. "PERCY!" Luke tried to grab my outstretched hand, but the invisible force tugged harder, making my skidding turn into a full-blown slide. "Arg!"

"Percy! Grab onto something!" Ethan shouted as the trio desperately scrambled to get a hold of me, Grover in the lead.

"What, exactly, do I grab on to!?" I yelled back, desperately clawing at thin air.

"Take off the anchor, Percy! Take off the thing that's pulling you in!" Luke shouted, panic clear in his voice.

"That's the problem! There IS NO anchor, damn it! Help!"

" Percy, hold on!" Grover hollered as they scrambled to keep me in their line of sight, even with me being dragged through disgruntled spirits, who turned into mist for a split second before reforming, their anger obvious. I didn't see where the invisible rope was pulling me to, but I was sharply pulled to my left, making me gape silently as I saw Hades' palace get smaller and smaller in the distance, meaning that I was going opposite of where the supposed enemy was.

And joy of joys, I noticed that the floor was getting steadily steeper, and I was consequently picking up more speed. I saw the other three starting to sprint in order not to lose sight of me. The cavern walls were closing in on us fast and the black grass suddenly disappeared, meaning we were in some sort of tunnel or something. Leading to where, I have no idea, but I had the sinking feeling that it would be BAD if I ended up there. I tried to kick down, to find leverage with my legs, but the rope pulled harder, making my legs fly uselessly.

The tunnel got colder and darker all of a sudden, and the hair on the back of my neck and my arms bristled. The air smelt heavy, not like the Underworld where you only smelled death. This air, it was evil, and it was giving me flashbacks of the horror movie I saw when I was six and Gabe left the TV on at 2 AM.

"NO! Percy!" Grover's frantic shout reverberated throughout the tunnel as the trio sprinted all the more vigorously to reach me.

"Dammit! Percy, grab onto the walls! Don't let whatever it is drag you to the edge!" Ethan hollered out, gray eyes wide with horror.

"What?" I yelled as I craned my neck to look at the general direction of where I was heading. My blood froze. The tunnel had widened into a huge dark cavern, and in the middle was a chasm as huge as a city block. Oh dear gods. It was the same cavern I saw in my dream! The voice! The voice is doing all of this!

"Damn it!" I kicked and flailed, desperately trying to find something to stick on to and hold on for dear life because I do not want to meet whoever is the owner of that damn voice!

"Percy! Grab onto that boulder!" Luke shouted.

I grunted, my breath falling short as I compacted with said boulder. Heavily. I gasped as the rope tugged again, hoping to get me moving again, but the tug cleared my head and I regained feeling in my limbs again. I grabbed onto the rock desperately, straining against the force that was tugging even more insistently now. That gave the others time to catch up to me.

Grover was the first one to arrive, and he immediately latched onto one of my arms, and started pulling me away from the chasm. "Percy, hold on!" He grunted as the other two arrived at the same time and copied him; grabbing one of my arms and pulling.

"Percy, don't let go!" Ethan grunted as little by little, the three of them had inched me away from the chasm.

"Like I have a choice!" I grunted, gritting my teeth. Damn it! The damn invisible force wasn't giving up! My body feels like it's being torn in two!

"Why. Won't. They. Just. Give. Up!" Luke growled as he punctuated every word with a sharp tug on my right arm. Just then, though, the invisible rope seemed to have reached its breaking point, because one moment, I was being stretched eerily like the service I would have gotten had Crusty had his way, and then, the next moment, all of us were tumbling back from the chasm from the sudden inertia of the force suddenly disappearing.

We all sprawled on the obsidian gravel, panting hard. I was facing the ground, too tired to move. My arms were on fire, and my entire lower body was numb. "Damn it, I feel like I've been stretched on one of Crusty's beds." I groaned, feeling oddly weighed down.

"Where are we?" Ethan panted as he leaned on his elbows to look at the place better.

"This is the place I told you about. The one in my dream." I gritted out as I attempted to get up, only for my shaking arms to give up on me, once more depositing me face first onto the ground. "Owww."

"Come on, Mare. One, two, three!" Grover heaved as he pulled me to my feet. I groaned as my muscles protested upon the exertion of more force, but I willingly tried to move my limbs, even if I felt I was being weighed down by a ton of bricks. Grover must've noticed, because he was looking at me concernedly. "Are you ok, Percy?"

"Not particularly." I sighed as I swayed a little on the spot. I looked at them and smiled, thankful that they had come to my rescue. Grover smiled back at me, but Ethan and Luke had their heads swiveling about, their faces pinched.

"Guys?"

"Didn't you guys hear that?" Luke murmured as he inched closer to Grover and me, stance guarded.

"Hear what?"

"That." Ethan whispered urgently, his eyes flitting from side to side, fists balled angrily.

"What are-?" Then I heard something – a deep whisper in the darkness, an evil laugh.

"Percy, this place is-!"

"I know, Grover. I know. Tartarus." I muttered as I uncapped Anaklusmos. Thankfully I didn't lose my grip on it when I was being dragged here. The bronze sword elongated, its blade shimmering in the darkness. The murmurings stopped, even just for a moment, before resuming, like hundreds of wasps lingering just outside of your line of sight.

"What's the voice saying?" I asked the others. Grover and Luke shook their heads, mystified, but Ethan's face was slowly turning ashen.

"Magic! We have to get out of here!" He immediately took hold of my arm and started to drag me up the steep slope. Luke and Grover blinked at him before hurrying towards us, with Luke supporting me on my other side, seeing as I really couldn't move properly. The voice got suddenly louder, and angrier behind us, and Luke and Ethan urged me to run, but I really couldn't move!

My inability to move almost cost us everything.

A sudden cold blast of air pulled at our backs, as if something gigantic was inhaling deeply. Grover was urging us forward, but I could feel my feet slipping, slowly being sucked down the chasm.

"Percy, don't give up! Move!" Ethan shouted as he tried to haul me up the cavern, but it was as if something was weighing me down, making my limbs uncooperative.

"I can't! Arrrgh!" The air suddenly felt as if it condensed into one thick cordon and suddenly attached itself to me as it reeled me, and only me, once again, down towards the chasm.

"PERCY!" Luke had tried to reach out to me, but something blocked him all of a sudden. "Gah! What the Hades!?"

"It's some kind of barrier, damn it! Percy!" Ethan's shout was hysterical as he pounded on the invisible shield separating them from me. Grover was repeatedly ramming said barrier, but all he managed to do was to make enough ripples so that the barrier was visible for a few seconds, much like condensed air, before it straightens out and disappears once more.

I watched them, terrified. Was this it? Was I to go down to Tartarus? Die there? Not even getting a chance to go to Elysium? I looked at the others' desperate faces, feeling my heart constrict at their blatant concern for me. Remember, a voice that sounded eerily like Gabe's sounded in my head, one of their friends would betray you. Would it be that disappointing not to face that? Not to face the strife that's sure to come? This would solve everything. No more pain. No more suffering. Just peace and quiet.

That's right. The prophecy said someone's going to betray me, a friend of a friend. Could I handle going back to Camp after this, knowing someone there is more than willing to stab me in the back, and then laugh merrily after? I could, but would I? All I want is to live peacefully. Even though my new life has its ups, it has so many downs that I wonder what my life would have been if my father was a normal human. Would he still leave Mom, prompting her to seek someone like Gabe? Would we have suffered the same fate? Maybe, maybe the voice was right. Peace and quiet sounds heavenly.

That's it. The Gabe-like voice purred. Come. Come to me. Don't resist.

I nodded, almost hypnotically. He's right. I should go. Leave this all behind.

Persis, stop that this instant!

I blinked, startled at the command, the firm assertive voice that went with the sudden presence that resounded inside my head.

You are not alone. You have friends, FAMILY, waiting for you. Be strong and resist.

Flashes of our quest quickly blinked in my mind's eye. The good times, the bad. I smiled. Yeah. I do have them supporting me in everything I do. I'm lucky. And I'm never going to abandon them like this. They deserve more. I won't give up!

Suddenly, the pressure pulling me to the chasm disappeared, making me silently gape.

I shall aid you, child. It should give you mere minutes to escape. Use it well.

The presence left, clearing my head in the process. I blinked again for a few more seconds before I exploded into action, bounding for the gaping trio, who were still in the process of banging on the invisible barrier, which I would bet Riptide on that it wasn't there anymore. "What are you waiting for!? Let's go!"

Luke was the first one out of his trance as he gripped Grover and Ethan's arms and ran for the opposite direction as I reached them, with him keeping an eye on me in the mean time. Ethan was quickly jostled out of his, though, and quickly helped Luke in hauling a still shocked Grover out of the cavern.

As we reached the top of the tunnel, we surveyed the Fields of Asphodel and simultaneously, we all slumped on the ground, feeling weak from the adrenaline rush. A wail of outrage echoed all through the tunnel, making the voice sound heaps more frightening, but it didn't distort the word that it uttered with so much loathing.

"HADES!"

We all looked at each other and shivered, with Luke looking grim at the implications of what was happening right now.

"What-what was that?" Grover shivered as he surveyed the tunnel entrance with slit-pupiled eyes, indicating he was beyond terrified at what we had just gone through.

"I'm not sure, Grover, but I think we're on the wrong track here." Luke murmured as he stood back up, and held out a helping hand to me. "There's something wrong with everything in this quest, and I know Hades has some, if not all answers."

I nodded as I reached out and took his hand, hauling myself up with some difficulty. Now that we weren't on mortal danger anymore, my body feels like it wants to shut down on itself. I felt like I've suddenly gained a few hundred pounds on me! It was that hard to move, damn it! But I gritted my teeth and bore with it, soldiering on. Ethan murmured an assent as he helped himself and Grover on their feet, and together, we turned our backs on the entrance of the tunnel to go back to the main objective of our quest. But, I had a feeling we would be getting a few more surprises before this quest is over.

…..oo00oo…..

The Furies, still missing one, were circling above the parapets, high above the gloom. The outer walls of the castle were gleaming black and the two story high bronze gates stood wide open, as if inviting us in. Up close, I could see that the two doors were intricately carved with scenes that portrayed death; an atomic bomb dropped upon an unsuspecting city, a trench filled with gas-masked wearing soldiers as they aimed their rifles at something unseen, a long line of African famine victims waiting for the food that scarcely makes their way there, everything that's happening currently in our world. But the scary thing was, the depictions looked as if they were carved on the door when it was newly made, meaning it was thousands of years old. Were the pictures prophecies on how our world was going to end?

Inside the courtyard was one of the strangest gardens I have ever had the chance of seeing. Multicolored mushrooms, shrubs that looked poisonous and luminous plants littered the place, making me wonder on how they were able to grow here without actual sunlight. There were no flowers in sight, but precious stones by the bucketful more than made up for the lack of color. Rubies, emeralds, diamonds, you name it. The smallest ones were the size of my fist while the bigger ones made small boulders. The dreary thing was littered here and there were some of Medusa's gruesome statues, all as if they were looking straight at us. At the center of the garden was an orchard filled with fragrant pomegranate trees, their orange blooms striking in the dim light.

"The Garden of Persephone. Keep walking, Goat-Boy." Luke muttered as he firmly held Grover by his arm, preventing him from escaping and accidentally eating one of the luscious looking fruits. Ethan and I nodded, clasping at each other's arms to prevent one another from picking one. Persephone had been trapped here in the Underworld because of a pomegranate. We won't make the same mistake.

We walked up the steps of the palace, between big-black columns, through a black marble portico, and into the house of Hades. The entry hall had a polished bronze floor, which was almost hard to look at with the glare of the reflected torchlights. There was no ceiling, just the cavern roof, still filled with pointy, dangerous stalactites. Every side doorway was guarded by undead soldiers, each on either side of a door. Some wore Greek tunics, some were British redcoat uniforms, and some even wore the standard American camouflage, complete with little tattered American flags on their shoulders. All of them carried weapons of all sorts, whether it was rifles, M-16s, swords or muskets. None of them bothered us, but it was eerie, that even though they only had eye sockets, you could have sworn they were following you with their gazes. We resolutely walked down the hall, up to the big set of doors at the opposite end. Two U.S. Marine soldiers were guarding that door, grinning at us with their skeleton faces, making me hide a shiver. Their rocket-propelled grenade launchers didn't elevate the unease I was feeling. Heck, it even made it worse.

"You guys ready?"

Luke and Ethan nodded, eyes resolute. Grover was faintly trembling, but he nodded his head nevertheless. "Should we knock first?" He asked as he eyed the door like it was going to swallow us whole.

Before any of us could answer, though, a hot wind blew harshly along the corridor, making the door open on itself. The guards, with a final eerie skeleton grin at us, moved to the side.

"I guess that means no?" Ethan grimaced as he braced his shoulders and marched on. Luke and Grover looked at each other and nodded as they ushered me in, keeping me covered from sight.

The room looked exactly as it was in my dream, only this time, the throne was occupied.

Hades was the third god I met (well, in person), but he's the first one who I think would fit the name of 'god'.

He was at least ten feet tall, wore midnight black silk robes and wore a crown of braided gold, glinting softly in the torchlight. He had albino white skin, like alabaster, and had shoulder length jet black hair. He wasn't ripped out like some gym buff hyped up on steroids like Ares was, but rather lithe and graceful, yet he still radiated power, power that even trumped the War God's. He was reclining on his throne made from fused human bones, an almost amused expression on his coolly handsome face.

I shivered as I felt his power caressed me, giving me the impression that he should be the one in charge, that he would be the best pick at giving orders, that he knew a helluva lot more than I did at leading. I shook my head to get rid of the feeling, and together we all stood at his feet, trying not to look as intimidated as we all felt.

I looked at him, and couldn't help but notice the similarities between him and the pictures on history books on Adolf Hitler. Heck, I'd even wager my meager belongings to say that he even resembled Napoleon. They all had the same intense eyes, the charisma that had people bowing to them in total submission, not even having to lift a single weapon to intimidate with the people already kneeling down on their knees.

"You lot are either recklessly brave, or undisputedly foolish, to have come here as you did, Daughter of Poseidon, Son of Hermes, Son of Nemesis, Protector of the Wild." Hades said with a small dark smirk as he watched his words sink into us and we all looked at Ethan in shock. Ethan himself looked like someone had brained him with a raw fish.

"M-my mom?" He whispered, his grey eyes widely hopeful.

"I am neither moronic, brain-dead, an imbecile, or any combination of the three, demigod. I have seen your mother, and you are a splitting image of her. My felicitations." The Lord of the Dead's tone was as dry as the Sahara, as his midnight black eyes sparkled with unspoken humor.

"But-but…?"

"Why am I telling you this, Daughter of Poseidon? Nemesis is one of the few who I do not have any vexation against. Why would I dither in helping one of her sons? Above all, one who has acquired her blessing?" An eyebrow raised in a questioning lilt, adopting an air of insulted incredulity, Hades looked every inch of a regal deity. "Though, it seems, my venture has paid off with you."

His words elicited question marks on the other three, with Ethan still a little out of it with the revelation of who his mother was, but I was silently gaping at Hades' admission.

"You were the one who helped us awhile ago?"

Here, Hades' smirk turned into a small smile as his intense eyes locked with my own. "Correct."

"But, why? Wasn't it you who stole the Master Bolt?"

The small smile disappeared, and the air around us turned stifling while the ground rumbled warningly on a blink of an eye as Hades' expression went from mildly accepting to frigid rage. "Me, Persis? Have you beheld the Fields of Asphodel? Surely, you've deduced on your own that I have been wrongly accused, or have I overestimated your intellectual capacity to be at least on par with your father?"

"But, who…?" Luke clamped a hand upon my arm, his fingers tightening. I looked at him, and to my utter shock, found him as pale as Grover was when we first encountered the three Furies at the start of this quest. "Luke?"

"Don't. Don't continue. Not with us so close." His voice was trembling slightly, as if he was trying to contain his terror, but failing miserably.

Hades' dark eyes surveyed him a moment, recognition sparkling in their depths, before nodding. "Yes. Do not be as asinine as to speak his name here. My estimation of your modicum of intelligence has risen, young Luke. Do not attempt to do something that would irrevocably ruin it to an atrocious level."

Luke bowed momentarily. "Thank you, Lord Hades."

Hades nodded and returned his intense gaze on me. "Another reason to validate my innocence is the fact that my own weapon, my Helm, is irrefutably missing."

That jerked us into attention.

"Pardon me, my Lord, but the Helm of Darkness is missing?" Ethan had apparently snapped out of his mild shock with the heavy news.

"Unfortunately. And yet, I ask you a question, Persis Jackson." Hades' eyes caught my gaze and were boring into mine, daring me to drop mine.

I didn't. "Yes, my Lord and Uncle?"

Something I couldn't identify glimmered in the black depths before he raised a perfect eyebrow. "Why have you seen fit to travel here to my domain, when the thing you seek is within your range ever since you've seen it fit to walk inside the entrance to the Underworld?"

What?

"Excuse me, Lord Hades. I know my vocabulary isn't as deep as theirs, but did I hear you right? We've had the Bolt when we entered the Studio?" Grover hesitantly voiced out, making me look at him with a smile. I knew he was really terrified of the Lord of the Underworld, and yet, here he was, in this quest with me, and asking said Lord of the Underworld a question.

Hades looked at the satyr dead in the eye, making him eep and tremble. "You assumed correct, satyr. Though, by your astounded expressions, you had no clue. My foolish little brother has been duped by his own coveted son. How utterly ironic." With a dark smirk, Hades snapped his fingers lazily, making the others take a few steps backward from me as I, or rather, something I had on my back, glowed. When the glow had died down, we all gaped because sitting there innocently was the blue backpack we had thought we left at Crusty's.

"But we left that back at Crusty's!" Grover exclaimed as he pointed accusingly at the bag. But the other two, though, had expressions that were slowly morphing into horror.

"No….!"

"That two-faced, good-for-nothing, waste-of-air bastard! I'll kill him!"

"But that means-!" I hurriedly tore the backpack from my back and opened it, my horror mounting at what I saw. There, lying innocently inside the blasted pack Ares gave us, was a two foot long cylinder, spiked on both ends, humming with energy.

I looked at Hades, who only looked back at me impassively, though his eyes held a tiny glimmer of hurt. I mentally screamed at myself. Here's a god, with all of his subjects, being subjugated to a prejudice that's thousands of years old, just because the one governing on everything was a bastard! That's it, damn it!

"Uncle, this may be presumptuous of me because you have every right to kill me right now," Choked sounds came from the others but I resolutely ignored them, keeping my own gaze firmly at Hades'. "But I beg you to hear me out. I have no excuses for our actions. Others had immediately deemed you the enemy without so much as getting your side of the story first. If it pleases you, you can have the Master Bolt as a token of our deepest apologies, and I shall go directly to Olympus to apprehend the traitor." I offered the blue backpack, with the Bolt inside to the Lord of the Underworld, hoping my eyes conveyed my feelings about this whole shitstorm.

"Percy, are you serious!?"

"You're insane, Mare!"

"Percy, please reconsider!"

Hades didn't spare the others a glance, looking straight at me, his eyes conveying the emotions that never appeared on his face. Respect, sorrow, hurt, joy and a rising hope. None of us said anything, but he smiled softly, making the frigid planes of his face mellow out. "No need, young Persis. Only, in return for letting you all go free unscathed, I must bargain the return of my weapon. Do we have an accord?"

I knew I was smiling, but I didn't care. "Of course, Uncle."

"Then we have an accord." Hades nodded as I signaled to the shocked others to get out their pearls. As we simultaneously smashed our pearls at our feet, I looked at the Lord of the Underworld in the eyes. "I'll come back again to visit, Uncle Hades."

A soft smile appeared on the Lord of the Underworld's face, making him look even more striking. "I look forward to that day."

The pearl fragments at our feet exploded into green light and a gust of fresh sea wind encased us in its embrace. I was slowly but surely encased in a milky white transparent sphere, which started to float up. I looked around and found that the others had found themselves in similar spheres, with them coming immediately after me. We rose and rose up, until the ceiling was just ten feet away. At the height we were, I have absolutely no idea how I heard anything Hades said, but I heard him loud and clear.

"Good luck, my niece. Make us proud."

I hurriedly looked down, and just for a moment, I think I saw someone standing besides the Lord of the Underworld, waving small dainty hands at me as she smiled a mile wide, her eyes merrily crackling flames.

"Err, Mare. Is this bubble pointy-thing safe?" Grover asked nervously as he eyed the sharp stalactites, breaking me from my shock of seeing her of all people here in the Underworld.

I looked at the ceiling, then looked at my best friend. "Erm, I don't know?"

"Oh my gods! Incoming!" Ethan yelled as we all ducked and covered in a futile attempt to protect us, and the bubbles slammed into the ceiling.

...oo00oo...

Darkness.

Were we dead?

Impossible. I could still feel. We were still going up, going through the rock bed as one would go through water. This. This was the power of the Pearls. Triton was right. They were returning to the sea. What comes from the sea always returns to the sea.

For a few more minutes, all I could see through the milky white sheen of my bubble was complete darkness, but then, the bubble broke through the ocean bed, with it continuously rising up. Three more spheres kept up with mine as we soared up. Within moments, our four spheres broke through the surface of the water, with an explosive BOOM, accidentally knocking a surfer from his surfboard.

I hauled over a flailing Grover then shouted for the others to come closer and grab my clothes. Once I was sure Ethan and Luke had sufficient hold, I swam us to a nearby buoy. A curious shark was circling us, asking me if I wanted any help. Mindful of the surfer I just smiled and shook my head, making the shark nod and swim rapidly away, getting a playful snap at the surfer, who was rapidly paddling away from the great white, screaming about not wanting to be shark food.

I just laughed a little as I deposited the others, though as the date automatically registered to me, my humor died down as I realized that we were out of time. It was early morning of July 21, the day of the Summer Solstice.

"We have to get to Olympus and find the idiot who started all of this." Ethan said as he ruffled his wet hair.

"Can I maim him?" Luke grunted as he wrung his clothes to get off the excess water weighing him down.

"Get in line. His ass is mine." I growled. Oh yes. Ares is going to pay.

Me done! Yay! :D

Thud. Ow. Thud. Ow. Thud. Ow.

Ignore me. I'm currently banging my head against the wall for all of the vocabulary I had to use with Hades. I didn't use a bloody thesaurus because I wanted to test myself, and I've managed to get myself a freaking nosebleed! O.o Ugh. The things I do to torture myself. .

And so, a little apology to all of you. Thanks to both Afterlife Inc and Starkidlover100, I noticed that I already had the fact that Hestia already knows about the missing Helm out there at and earlier chapter, so I managed to fix that large discrepancy! Sorry guys! I haven't read any of the earlier chapters and I'm really, really sorry. I promise to be more careful next time, alright? :D

NEXT CHAPTER! You guessed it! Another chapter dedicated to the gods! Watch at their differing reactions to the ongoing quests, and get some answers while we're at it! What would Zeus do? What would Hestia and Hades do? And, more importantly, would Apollo need to invest in an EKG for poor Poseidon? :))

Read and Review, everyone! :D