Hello everyone who is reading this! Here is the next chapter!
"Whoa, I did not see that one coming!" For one of the few times in my life, I was leaving the sarcasm in the back of my mind and being completely serious. I really wasn't expecting this turn of events.
"I convinced my mom to claim you so that you could get to camp with the Hunters. Artemis knew, and that's probably the only reason that she allowed Zack to stay at her camp. We decided it would be safest for you both to get to camp as soon as possible." Persephone explained.
Honestly, I knew that normally Lady Artemis would never let a boy come into our camp, but I never thought of why should let Zack stay. I guess it just always seemed like he was there because his sister was there, and he never tried to flirt with any of us, so he was allowed to live.
"You mean that these two demigods are REALLY your children?" Hades was so mad, that even I stepped back a little. Only Persephone didn't flinch, I guess that when you have an immortal lifetime in the underworld, you get used to the Lord of the Dead.
"Yes. They were born on the first day of spring thirteen years ago." Persephone kept a cool demeanor the entire time she was talking to her husband.
"You had an affair with a MORTAL?" Okay, that was really pushing it. I mean, didn't Lord Hades have plenty of affairs with mortals while Persephone was just sitting in the underworld for years on end?
"Yes, he always celebrated my return to the Earth every year, and his house is just adorable! The entire place has so many flowers -"
"That you can't even leave the doormat. Trust me, I've been there and tried! And I'm sorry, but haven't you been having affairs with mortals for centuries; Millennia, most likely. What's the difference this time except that your roles are reversed? It's just like with Lord Zeus and Lady Hera, Lord Zeus has plenty of demigod children yet Lady Hera has none!" I know it probably isn't smart to interrupt a goddess or rant like that in front of the Lord of the Dead; but I was on Persephone's side here, so I don't think she can be nearly as furious as Lord Hades is.
"How dare you, you insolent little demigod! Who is your parent? I believe I need to have a word with them!" Okay, yeah, Lord Hades is extremely pissed off at me right now; but did he really have to bring in the parents thing?
"I would like to know the answer to that question too, and believe me when I say that you can't want to 'talk' to them anymore than I do." There, the blunt and honest truth. I have grown to detest my godly parent recently, just because all this time I thought they were dead and now they don't even claim me!
"Oh, in that case, uh, GET OUT OF MY PALACE!" Ha, I got him on the unknown parent! I guess I would rather have to leave Lord Hades's palace when he's mad at me than have him go beat up a god or goddess that may or may not be my mom and/or dad.
"Willingly, just one more question. How do I leave?" Everyone was looking at me like I had a death wish, and you know what, I probably do. Why else would I antagonize the Lord of the DEAD like that?
"If you get me any madder than I already am and you will be leaving this palace but staying here in my realm. Do you understand me?" Okay, best to leave now before he kills me with extreme ease. That would be an awful way to die!
"I got it! Adios!" I turned around and walked slowly and purposefully towards the other end of the room, where there was a huge door. I pushed it open and stared open-mouthed at what waited for me once I stepped foot outside.
"Oh gods! I didn't know it would be this bad!" Wait, he knew this would happen and DIDN'T TELL US! Oh, he is so dead; fitting that we're in the Underworld.
"What do you mean 'this bad' exactly Zack?" Apparently Lauren was thinking the same thing I was. I could tell just by her tone of voice that she was furious.
"Well, the oracle said there would be a fight, but I thought it meant a metaphorical fight! Not a fight with swords and knives!" He was being sincere, but it still didn't make me not want to kill him. The little twerp didn't even mention that there was the possibility of a fight.
"Did you know that the only two ways for us to die are if we get kicked out of the Hunt or if we fall in battle?" My voice was so low and quiet; I think it was even more threatening than if I had started shouting at him.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I guess I was scarier than I thought I was! He seemed practically petrified to have two hunters mad at him.
"What exactly did the prophecy say?" Lauren was still unhappy and I don't think that Zack dared not answer her. Unfortunately for all of us, he never got the chance to answer her because at that moment, around twenty undead skeletons came running up to meet us with swords flying. Really, this is how Lord Hades deals with annoyances, he kills them? Oh well, if it's a fight that they want, then they are most likely going to get one, just because I feel like it.
After an hour of non-stop battling with the skeletons that always reformed after you 'killed' them, all of us were starting to tire. I must not have been as quick as I was before, because I didn't even notice the skeleton that crept up behind me and stabbed me in the back, literally.
"Ah!" It was more of a scream of shock than a scream of pain, but it was a scream nonetheless.
"AH!" That was most definitely a scream of pain. Apparently it wasn't bad enough to stab me; you have to twist the knife too! That is so nice, thank you.
"Ohmigods! Nicole, are you okay?" Wow, Lauren, you're really asking that? I thought we were done with the annoying questions.
After asking that question, she stared above my head. There was an image of a flute just floating there. Does that mean I'm claimed now? Is Euterpe, the muse that contributed the flute to the world, my mom? Why is she claiming me now, after days of me becoming a hunter?
Wait, does she think I'm going to die? Is that why she's finally claiming me? Oh gods, this counts as battle doesn't it? That means I'm not immortal now. Oh Styx! I am going to die! Well, at least now I know why I never knew my mom, my dad is SO not off the hook that easily though!
"Lauren . . . pocket . . . please." My voice was almost gone and you could barely hear me. It was amazing that Lauren could understand me at all.
"Nicole, the only thing in here is . . . wow Nicole; really, really, your iPod? At a time like this I would have expected something a lot more dramatic." Lauren replied once she saw what I had wanted from the pocket of my hunter's jacket.
"Yeah . . . anticlimactic . . . isn't it?" Now the whole talking thing was just getting pathetic. I guess it's really hard to speak coherently when you're on your deathbed, or death rock in my case because I don't see a bed anywhere.
"Yeah, Nicole, it really is; but I wouldn't expect anything less from you." Aw, Lauren knows me so well! I don't think anyone could have expected something else to be in my pocket.
"Ha, good luck Lauren. Sayonara!" Very uncreative for my last words, but I didn't exactly get to practice this before, did I? It was kind of a spur of the moment thing, and I won't get a second chance on my last words.
"Bye, Nicole; we'll miss you." That was the last thing I heard before the whole world went black.
Yes, Nicole is new to the whole "combat" thing, so she got stabbed and then claimed. I will explain everything if you thought she was a daughter of Apollo later! Please review! Oh, and this is NOT the end of Nicole's story!
~monkeypicklez