This story is now about half-way finished! I am not sure if I am moving forward a little too fast. If it seems that way, just tell me.
The last scene of this chapter was a little hard to write, so I hope that it is convincing enough.
Please leave a review.
Summary: Death gained a whole new appeal the moment I became a daughter of Hades. [SI, Self-Insert/Oc-Insert]
Have fun
Chapter 19
Following The Fates
"An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind."
― Mahatma Gandhi
Had they been normal children, then staying at Camp Half-Blood might have actually been pretty entertaining. As it was, Nora and her siblings were used to traveling around the world and never staying at one place for too long. For all its beauty and wondrous inventions, camp just could not compare to Holland's rainbow-hued fields of tulips or the large pyramids in Egypt. The scenery at their newest abode got dull very quickly and Nora found herself bored withing little more than a week.
Their stay there was only made worse by the fact that they did not even know the reason for their forced imprisonment.
At the end, it was not surprising that one of them chose to go against their father's choices. The only thing Nora found surprising was that it took more than a month for one of them to snap. Even more surprising was that it was her who broke Hades' prohibition.
''I'll take you,'' said Nora, looking squarely into Percy Jackson's eyes.
Nico sputtered. ''You'll take him?''
''Yes.'' The conviction in her voice was unmistakable. Any other time, Nora might have hesitated uttering words that could anger both her father and brother, but she did not have a choice in this case. ''I'll take him to the Underworld.''
She had to do this. There was prophecy to be fulfilled, a war to be fought, and Percy Jackson, as the Chosen One, needed to be strong enough to save the world.
When the Son of Poseidon had come to them with his request, Nora had not know whether she should cry or laugh. Only three weeks had passed since Percy had left camp to go back to school. Only three weeks had passed since their last rather awkward conversation.
Nora could still not fathom why he felt the need to say goodbye to them of all people. Neither could she stop herself from cringing at how awkward that one conversation had been. The girl did not think that she had ever had such an awkward talk with someone before.
Though, Percy Jackson's social incompetence did not matter when they were faced with the impending apocalypse. Bianca and Nico might not have known about what was awaiting them in the future, but Nora did.
The youngest Child of Hades knew that a war was looming on the horizon and if she did not decide to help, then their future might be lost. Invulnerability was a necessity for Percy to win the upcoming conflict. It was also something that could be only granted to him in the depths of the Underworld.
''So, let me get this straight, not only are you planning to disobey our father's instructions but you also want to accompany a Son of Poseidon into the Underworld,. Are you completely out of your mind?'' inquired Bianca, the tone of her voice making very clear what she thought about the whole idea.
''Well, like I already said, yes.'' Nora almost rolled her eyes at her siblings' dramatics. She knew that her actions would have repercussions. That her father would certainly punish her for them, but it wasn't as if she really had a choice.
In the original timeline, Nico had been the one to help Percy Jackson receive his invulnerability by bathing in the river Styx. This time around, her twin certainly wouldn't be risking his neck for the Son of Poseidon which meant that Nora had to do it.
Their side needed to win the war and if achieving that goal meant angering her father, then so be it. She could not risk Percy dying and the prophecy moving to one of her siblings or Kronos wining and choosing the Underworld as his next plane of conquest. Hades might have been a powerful god, however, he certainly wasn't powerful enough to beat a whole army of titans.
If Percy Jackson were to lose this war, then it would be their end.
Sighing, Nico took a hold of her hand and squeezed it lightly. ''Papa won't be happy.''
''You don't have to come with me,'' uttered Nora earnestly. ''I'll go with or without you.''
That actually made her brother reel backwards. For a second he looked as if she had slapped him and then his eyes proceeded to darken. ''You believe that I would actually ever leave you? Abandon you?''
She shook her head vehemently. ''Of course not. This has nothing to do with abandonment. I'm not going anywhere dangerous. You know as well as I do that there is no safer place for us than the Underworld.''
There was a short silence during which Percy averted his eyes. The Son of Poseidon did not seem to be comfortable with their current situation. This was a thought that made Nora almost smile in amusement.
''You don't have to be punished for my actions, Nico,'' confessed the youngest di Angelo, a hesitant smile blooming on her face.
He hummed. ''I doubt Papa's punishment will be too severe. And if it is, then it's all the more a reason for us to stay together.''
Nora's expression softened. Although there wasn't anything in the world she would not do for her siblings, it was still astounding to see the depth of their loyalty for her. As Nadia the girl never thought that such a loyalty even existed, let alone that she would be gifted with such an extraordinary present. And yet, here she was, willing to sacrafice the world for the safety of her brother and sister.
''As your older sister I haven't got much of a choice here, do I?'' Bianca fiddled nervously with one of her hairpins. ''Someone's gotta protect you two.''
A relived laugh escaped Nora's lips. ''Someone should probably talk to Papa. Considering that is my idea, I might as well volunteer, huh?''
''Yeah, unfortunately for you, that's how far my loyalty goes. You can explain this mad idea of yours by yourself and also keep him away long enough for us to get Percy in and out,'' said Nico, a smirk gracing his lips.
''Lovely.''
Entering the Underworld, Nico immediately felt at home. It had been too long since he had last basked in the safety of his father's domain. Though this time it wasn't as pleasant as it used to be in the past. This time the Son of Hades could feel his father's dissatisfaction coursing through the air.
It wasn't a nice feeling.
Nora had already shadow-traveled to a different location than them, so it was just Bianca, Percy and him. From where they were standing, Nico could see both the Fields of Asphodel and river bank of the Styx.
The Underworld, despite what the rumors said about it, wasn't a truly bad place. It was dark, yes, and certainly dangerous for those not welcome there, but despite that it was still Nico's home. Together with his sisters, the Son of Hades has spent his childhood running through the Fields of Asphodel and walking alongside the shores of the different rivers. He had lived life among the dead and there was something instinctively comforting about their presence.
Percy Jackson very obviously did not share his opinion. This was something Nico noted with a bitter and rather vicious satisfaction.
The other boy had no idea what kind of punishment they would have to face due to his request and although Nico did not really know either, he was smart enough to guess that it would be nothing pleasant.
Their father would never truly harm them which was something the young demigod took comfort from.
And yet, he wasn't foolish enough to believe that they would get away with just a light slap to their wrists. Of all the things Hades was, forgiving wasn't among them.
''We have to climb down the cliff as I doubt that Papa will let us shadow travel again,'' Bianca said as she pointed towards the Styx and Nico winced at the reminder of their father's anger. If the god chose to, he could hinder them from using their powers.
Quite honestly, Nico wasn't all that willing to test their current limitations.
Sighing, he decided to try finishing their task as fast as possible. Dallying would not change their predicament. ''Come on, if we wait too long someone might try to stop us.''
She stepped out of the shadows before the entrance to Hades' throne room, her palms sweaty and fingers wriggling nervously. The hesitance in each of her steps was very visible and she did nothing to hide it.
Having her non-existent confidence mistaken as arrogance would do her no good. Neither would antagonizing her father with platitudes. Nora knew that she had to be honest in her approach. Hades could easily distinguish the truth from her lies and he would not react well if she tried to tell him some utter bullshit.
The only problem the girl had was that she could not exactly tell her father the whole truth.
Although Nora wasn't arrogant enough to believe that Hades did not know that there was something different about her - He was the God of the Dead and she had once been a very dead soul that came back to life. If nothing else, her father should at least feel that her soul seemed to be older than her body. - she still wasn't too keen on telling him the whole truth about her existence.
(...how could she tell him that Nico was supposed to be his only living child...
...
...that Bianca should have died a few years ago...
...
...
...that she herself was never supposed to exist in this world...)
As such she had to come up with an explanation that would justify something Hades might consider to be a betrayal of his trust.
Still, that wasn't even her hardest task. Nora almost laughed hysterically as she thought about the fact that she also had to convince her father to assists the demigod forces in the upcoming war.
''Don't just stand there, girl,'' murmured a very familiar voice, startling Nora out of her thoughts and making her whirl around to face the sudden intruder. The look on her face must have been very telling because Persephone rolled her eyes in annoyance and pushed past her.
Before the demigod could ask her stepmother for a few more minutes, the goddess opened the door into the large throne room and entered it with her head held high.
Sighing loudly, Nora resigned herself to a rather unpleasant conversation. There was no way around it, especially now that the god had set his sight upon her.
The look he sent her way was deadly.
With something akin to a sneer on his face, Hades said: ''Nora.''
The tone of his voice was enough to alert her of the trouble she had gotten herself into. It was only highlighted by the way her surroundings seemed to tremble due to his anger and the fact that he had actually used her name. When they were alone, Hades always addressed his children with different pet names. Most of the time it was just 'Daughter' or something akin to it.
Him using her name signified how angry he was with her.
Trembling hands reached out to push a lock of her hair behind her ear and Nora lowered her gaze. ''I believe that I owe you an apology, papa.''
''An apology?'' His eyes narrowed. ''What do you hope to accomplish with an apology?''
Nora's shoulders hunched and her fingers fiddled with the sleeves of her shirt. ''I hope to receive your forgiveness for the disrespectful way I have addressed you with after you saved my life.'' She paused. ''That's not the only thing that needs to be forgiven. Though, before I ask you to show me forgiveness for another one of my betrayals, I would like to ask you to listen to my reasoning, papa.''
Any other time this proclamation might have sounded unnecessarily dramatic, but this very moment, Nora was walking on a very thin line. Should Hades choose to go against what the Fates actually had in store for them, then they would be forced to face catastrophic consequences. ''I know that you don't exactly get along with your family.'' The understatement of the century. ''So I won't ask you to help them. What I want to ask of you is to think about us. When Olympus falls, what fill be the Titans next place of conquest?''
Lowering her gaze onto the dark marble floor, Nora continued speaking before she could talk herself out of it. ''You're very powerful, papa, but you're not powerful enough to beat the whole titan army by yourself.''
''It's quite bold of you to ask me to fight for my brothers,'' said the god after a few seconds of silence. ''Watching them fall would be way more pleasant. Afterwards, I could keep the gates to the Underworld closed. If the titans can't enter my domain, they can't conquer it.''
That wasn't exactly wrong, Nora was forced to acknowledge. For a while, at least, her father could certainly keep his enemies from entering their home.
But for how long would that while last?
Cautiously, Nora licked her dry lips and tried to keep her voice from sounding too hysterical. ''You would spent the rest of eternity trapped here? What about Bianca, Nico and me? Would you force us to live out the rest of our lives in the Underworld only so that you could get your revenge on your family?''
''You grew up here, Nora. You consider this place your home,'' he uttered as his gaze met hers. ''Would it truly be so bad to spent your life here?''
Instead of answering immediately, the youngest child of Hades decided to contemplate her next words very carefully.
Millennia ago her father had been forced into the Underworld. Despite being the oldest of the Big Three, Hades had been shown an immense disrespect by the other gods. He had spent an unimaginable amount of time in this dark domain, more than Nora would ever have to.
As such, answering her father's question with a definitive 'yes' would not be right. It would make it seem as if she believed that the Underworld was just a place full of nightmares, not somewhere she considered to be her only save haven.
''Your domain is the only place in which I feel truly safe, papa,'' begun Nora uncertainly. ''If push comes to shove, I would prefer to live out the rest of my life here rather than among the living. However, is that something you want for yourself as well? Unlike me, you have an eternity before you.''
Almost morbidly, the girl watched her father's lips tilt up in wry amusement. ''No one lives forever, my child. Even we gods will fall some day.''
''And yet, without the titan army storming our home, we could exist for much longer,'' interjected a female voice. Persephone, who had previously settled down next to her father, was now raising herself from her own throne. The goddess' head was tilted to the side as her unusually green eyes regarded Hades. ''You should stop playing with the girl. We both know that we do not have much of a choice when it comes to fighting in the following war.''
Nora was certain that her eyes must have been as wide as dinner plates, yet she did nothing to change that. In all of her life, Persephone had never done something to help her which made her current actions seem almost surreal.
''I see.'' Hades regarded his wife carefully. ''You've already made your choice.''
Persephone raised her chin defiantly. ''Just as you have, so why don't you stop trying to punish Nora through such roundabout ways.'' The demigod had never heard someone say her name with such distaste. ''If you truly want her to suffer because of her actions, I can just turn her into a dandelion for a few days.''
Hades eyes flashed in annoyance and slight anger as he watched his daughter flinch and move a step backwards. ''You will not interfere, my dear wife.''
''And you will fight for our future,'' she countered.
Nora's shoulders sagged in relief when she saw her father nod his head almost imperceptibly.
