"Serenity, what the fuck are we doing here ?", Rapture asked, a deceptively calm smile on his face
"Why ? Scared ?"
"No you fucker. None of us can sing, remember ?"
"I can sing"
"I'm not willing to stake my life on your sub-par singing skills"
"You're gonna have to"
"No, I'm not ! Get a child of Apollo or something !"
"Can't"
"Why the hell not ?"
"Simple. You see that maelstrom out there ?"
"Who doesn't ?"
"That's caused by resentful energy in the air. The resentful energy of a dead man that has been bound in place by my father's magic."
"And ?"
"And... and... Listen, man, we came all this way. We're not going back to get a child of Apollo"
"Are you trying to kill us ?"
"Trust me !"
"No!"

Thalia, who had been listening to this conversation, interrupted at this point, "If that's the case, wouldn't it be easier to use one of the other pathways to the Underworld ?"
Serenity looked genuinely baffled at that, "The Underworld ? Who told you we were going to the Underworld ?"

"Where are we going then ?"

"The river Lethe"

"What"

Seeing his sister's skepticism, Rapture interrupted, "He's right. Thanatos doesn't live in the Underworld. He resides in a palace that lies at the Grove of Fallen Tears, the one place in the Underworld where all the rivers coincide."

"So why the Lethe ?"

"Would you rather travel down the river of liquid fire then ? Or the one made of pure agony ? Or the one made of broken dreams ? Or the -"

"Yes, yes ! I get it ! Fine, we're going down the Lethe. But who's going with you ?"

Serenity interrupted them with a sheepish expression, "I was kinda hoping you'd get the hint after seeing (gestures to the Gate of Orpheus) this, and leave."

Rapture looked at him incredulously, "They're our siblings, Ser. What did you expect ?"

"I know, I know. Pretty stupid of me"

"So then, who goes ? Thalia's staying here"

"What ?!", Thalia shouted indignantly

"I will not risk your life"

"Nor will I risk Nico's. He stays."

Riptide joined the conversation at this point, looking slightly annoyed, "So Percy has to go ?"

"Only if you, and he, wants to"

"If he wishes to go with you, I will not stand in his way"

Thalia looked furious, while Rapture smirked, "You trust him a lot"

Riptide winced, "It's not that. I just know what it feels like, to be ordered around by someone"

Serenity patted him on the back as a gesture of reassurance, and shouted, "HEY PERCE ! YOU WANNA COME ?"

Percy, of course, responded with a resounding "yes"

With that, the decision was made. No matter how much Nico and Thalia protested, their pleas fell on deaf ears, and they were taken back to the Council Chamber and left there.

Chapter Management