The Sea's Daughter: The Lightning Thief.
Chapter 13: House of Cards.
Melinda didn't know what she'd been expecting when they arrived in the Underworld, and crossed the River Styx. This wasn't it though.
After getting off Charon's boat the well suited god had tipped his head to them in farewell and had returned to DOA studios.
Hopefully, he'd keep up his side of the bargain and bring the children spirits across. Something told her he would, he seemed to be a man of his word. Around her were hordes of the dead, and as they walked Melinda began to get colder and colder.
The spirits seemed to want to migrate around her, probably because of the hallows, mostly the stone. Eventually she had to grab Percy's hand and flip her hood up and closer her cloak around herself so they couldn't depend on their sight to find her.
It worked fairly well. Though it looked a little weird for Percy to be holding her hand and her being invisible.
Nonetheless they followed the spirits up a well-worn path, and she noticed how uneasy her brother was getting when his hand began to shake slightly. So slightly she was unable to tell he was shivering or shaking by just glancing at him.
She didn't bring it up but she squeezed his hand in a comforting way.
Once they got to the entrance they stopped short. It was definitely not what she'd expected. She wasn't sure what she expected, but Pearly Gates was not what it looked like.
Actually, she imagined it looked more like airport security – she could only assume she'd never gone anywhere by airplane – and Jersey Turnpike.
Or even Diagon Alley right before the school year began, but much worse.
There were three separate entrances under one huge black archway that said, YOU ARE NOW ENTERING EREBUS. Each entrance had a pass-through metal detector with security cameras mounted on top.
Beyond this were tollbooths manned by black-robed ghouls that sort of reminded her of Charon.
The howling of the hungry animal was really loud now, and from experience she was pretty sure this was a Cerberus. Or the Cerberus, she'd bet her account at Gringotts Fluffy had been a descendant, no matter how distant, of Cerberus'.
The dead seemed to move right along at a line marked with EZ DEATH, but that was not true for the other two. They were moving so slowly, she was sure a turtle could have passed them.
"What do you think?" Percy asked, looking at Annabeth after attempting to look up at her.
Being invisible he couldn't exactly see her to look at her. Once they got passed this point she'd take her cloak off, and replace it back in her bag.
"The EZ DEATH line must go straight to the Asphodel Fields," Annabeth said. "They don't want to risk judgment from the court, because it might go against them. It easier to just not do anything for eternity then risk punishment."
Percy blinked.
"There's a court for dead people?"
Melinda smiled.
"Of course," she said, and chuckled when the three jumped at a voice without a body to see speaking.
"They switch around who sits on the bench, sort of like mortal jury duty or whatever. They look at a life and sometimes they decide that person needs a special reward—the Fields of Elysium. Sometimes they decide on punishment. But most times a person doesn't do anything extraordinary in life, they just lived life and so they go to the Asphodel fields," Melinda explained.
"And do what?"
Melinda frowned, and shrugged.
"Nothing, you just linger," she said. "Like purgatory or limbo to those who don't see the Underworld like us."
Grover nodded.
"Lin's right, just imagine standing in a wheat field in Kansas, Percy. Forever."
"Harsh," Percy said, eyes sort of wide.
"Not as harsh as some things here," Melinda said, pointing to a area of the Underworld.
A couple of black-robed ghouls had pulled aside one spirit and were frisking him at the security desk.
"He's that preacher who made the news, remember?"
"Oh, yeah. He stole money from money he'd raised for orphanages and ended up getting caught," Percy said, thinking. "Didn't he drive his Lamborghini for the Lord off a cliff?"
Melinda snorted.
"Yeah, someone should have told him cliffs don't have soft landings at the bottom," she muttered, shaking her head.
"What are they doing to him?"
"Special punishment from Hades, I guess," Grover said, guessing. "The really bad people get his personal attention as soon as they arrive. The Fur—the Kindly Ones will set up an eternal torture for him."
"But if he's a preacher," Percy said, "and he believes in a different hell..."
"He's not seeing what we are, Percy," Annabeth said. "Mortals see what they want to see."
Melinda nodded.
"Few see it how it is, mostly demigods, clear-sighted and those from the world Hecate created. My kind."
"Witches and Wizards, right?" Annabeth asked, sounding exited at the idea of hearing more about them.
Melinda smiled and nodded, taking her cloak off as they got to the gates, and the seconds later a shadow dropped over them. Looking up Melinda almost smiled at the resemblance to fluffy Cerberus had.
He stood exactly where the path split into three lanes.
"How..." Percy began.
Melinda blinked and realized with a sigh what had happened. They must not have been able to see it before because it was half transparent, sort of like the dead.
Until it moved, it blended in with whatever it stood with. Like a chameleon, but now it was nearly as solid as them.
She had seen it before, but it was getting even more solid to her then before. She could tell from her friends faces the same could be said for them.
"He's a Rottweiler," Percy said.
"What did you expect?" Melinda asked, looking into her bag but cursed herself when she couldn't find anything that could make music. "Damn."
Ten minutes later Melinda was ready to throttle her brother and hug Annabeth for her quick thinking. She had taken ball from Annabeth to keep Cerberus distracted after her brother and Grover had gotten through and given Annabeth her opportunity.
Now she stood with the large dog who was sniffing her as if unsure if he was supposed to rip her to threads or not. She wasn't sure but she thought her being the Mistress of Death was something Cerberus could smell because he was around Hades and Thanatos themselves and in the Underworld nearly all the time.
Or he could simply want the rubber ball she still held.
WHOOF!
Cerberus' bark was loud enough to make her ears pop and when he sat the ground shook lightly. Being the daughter of the Earthshaker this didn't phase Melinda.
"Mel!" Percy called from past the bounds of the EZ Death gate.
"Run, Percy!" she cried when she heard the alarms go off when Grover walked further past the detectors. "I'll catch up...again."
"No!" Percy yelled back, and she glared.
"Annabeth, drag him away," she said, and ducked when a skeleton soldier came at her, sending it flying as it tripped over her back.
"Cerberus, how about we play with the soldier," Melinda said, and nodded at the skeleton soldiers. "They're made of bones, after all."
Cerberus looked at her with wide eyes, all three heads that is, and she allowed Tachýs to form into her trident and batted a soldier away, but of course they couldn't die.
Cerberus barked again as another came at her but before she could do anything he had it in his jaws and was shaking it. She smiled and sat the rubber ball on the ground where he could find it, and took off through the EZ DEATH gate.
She looked back momentarily after stabbing a skeleton soldier in through the middle and jerking her trident up and over her head, sending the skeleton flying into Cerberus' waiting mouth.
She laughed, and waved, blowing Cerberus a kiss as an after thought.
It broke her heart to here him whine, and she silently promised to return to visit him.
xXx
Melinda did loose the soldiers at one point, and she wondered around. Thankfully while the dead seemed to take more notice of her, they didn't get handsy like the ones from before she'd entered the EZ DEATH line.
It was as she walked along she realized that the dead wasn't scary at all, they were just sad. Part of her had already known this but seeing it, she'd never thought she'd actually journey to the Underworld.
It was amazing and for some reason it didn't frighten or trouble her at all.
It was simply a place, and yeah, it was dark and dreary but it wasn't that bad. She'd lived in a cupboard for part of her life and dealt with the Dursley's half her life, the Underworld was something she could take with a calm head and not bat an eyelash.
Soon she came upon area with a large sign on a rather large tent.
JUDGMENTS FOR ELYSIUM AND ETERNAL DAMNATION
Welcome, Newly Deceased!
Out the back of the tent came two much smaller lines, the damned and the ones for Elysium. It wasn't hard to tell which was which, and she couldn't help but wonder as she looked in the direction of the Fields of Punishment if anyone she knew was there.
The Death Eaters she'd killed during the war. Her uncle and cousin, maybe? Voldemort? She couldn't help but wonder where she'd go if she died right at that moment.
Would her defeat of Voldemort and her helping Percy on this quest give her a chance at Elysium or would the deaths caused at her hand go against her too greatly?
Shaking her head, Melinda speed up. She didn't have the time to linger, she had to catch up with her brother and the others.
Melinda didn't have to go far before she heard the yelling, and began running. Then she saw them, and her eyebrows knitted together. It looked like Grover had lost control of his shoes and was being dragged along.
At first she thought he'd head into the gates to Hades' palace but he steered off in the opposite direction.
"Percy, Annabeth!" she cried, letting them know she was behind them.
They were headed down a slope now and the slope seemed to get steeper the farther they went. Grover picked up speed and Melinda frowned and pulled out her wand, and tried firing stunning spells at the Satyr, hopping it would effect the shoes too.
Unfortunately the shoes seemed have a mind of their own and her spells were missing by inches. Soon she cursed and gave, and as she jumped over a rather large gem in the ground she transformed into her animagus form and let out a cry to make them aware of her.
"That's cool," Melinda thought she heard Percy mutter.
Melinda flew along, picking up speed as well until she flew beside Grover. The cavern walls narrowed on either side, and she realized they had entered some kind of side tunnel.
"Grover!" Percy yelled, but his voice echoed so it sounded like more then one Percy. "Hold on to something!"
"What?" he yelled back.
Melinda gave a cry and landed on his legs and tried untying the shoes with her beak – would it be called a beak? She wasn't exactly sure the right term and didn't care at this time.
She got one untied but realized this was useless and hoped off as the tunnel got darker and colder.
She landed on the ground and returned to human form, and stood from a kneeling position. The hairs on her arms stood up on end, the evil coming from down there making her freeze for a second.
She then took back off after Grover as Annabeth and Percy caught up with her.
Grover was grabbing at anything and everything before Melinda pulled her wand again and cast a rope from the tip of the Elder wand, and grabbed the very end.
Grover reached out and grabbed the other end of the rope and soon it was tug-a-war between her and a pair of winged shoes.
Seeing what was ahead of them she nearly let go of the rope in shock but held tight, and saw Percy stop dead in his tracks a few steps in front of her. The tunnel widened into a huge dark cavern, and in the middle was a black chasm the size of a city block.
Grover was being tugged between salvation and straight towards the edge by his shoes.
"Come on, Percy!" Annabeth yelled, "You have to help me!"
"But that's-"
"I know!" Melinda shouted, knowing Annabeth wouldn't understand completely. As far as she knew Percy hadn't told anyone but her about his dreams. "The place in our dreams! But Grover's going to fall if we don't help him."
"Get the shoes," Annabeth said, and Percy nodded.
Before they could get to him he was saved by his hooves.
The flying sneakers had always been a loose fit on him, and finally in the game of tug-a-war with Melinda, the left shoe came flying off. It sped into the darkness, down into the chasm. The right shoe kept tugging him along, but soon slipped off and flew off into the pit to be with it's twin.
Melinda sighed in relief and fell onto her butt on the ground, letting the rope she'd conjured fall limp.
::What in the name of the Nile!:: Sesha finally found her voice to hiss.
Melinda looked down to see Sesha poke her head out from the hoodie she'd slipped on after they'd returned from the meeting with Triton and Nerissa the Nereid.
::Where have you been?:: Melinda hissed in question.
Sesha lifted her head and gave a snake version of a huff.
::I was taking a snake-nap,:: she said. ::My mistake for thinking you were able to stay out of trouble for a hour or two, Mistress.::
Melinda shook her head, chortling and looked over to where her brother and friends were.
"Everyone alright?" she asked.
"Yeah, thanks Melinda," Grover gasped out. "For the rope and help."
"So, how did...that happen?" Percy asked, out of breath.
"I don't know how …" Grover panted. "I didn't…"
"Wait," Percy said, suddenly. "Listen."
Melinda looked over to where Percy seemed to be looking and gulped, straining her ears. She was sure she heard something – a deep whisper in the darkness.
Another few seconds, and Annabeth said, "Percy, this place-"
"Shh." Melinda said, and stood.
The other three followed their lead and as Melinda got closer to the pit it seemed to yawn and there was a voice.
'Hahaha, daughter of Poseidon,' it said darkly, amused, yet pleased. 'Come to help your brother? Give me the bolt children, and I shall reward you.'
Annabeth gasped sharply and Grover made a sound which he always made when terrified. Melinda let out a sharp breath as if she'd been hit in the gut and turned.
She didn't have to move far to grab Percy's hand in hers.
"Wa-was that..." Grover began and Melinda nodded.
"No time, go!" she exclaimed pulling Percy with her as she followed Annabeth and Grover who didn't need to be told twice.
Melinda could almost make out words now, ancient, ancient words, older even than Greek. As if …
"Magic, he's using magic," she shouted as they move back the way they'd come. "Keep running, don't look back!"
Melinda noticed as she ran with Percy's hand in hers that he seemed slower than usual. Like he was being weighed down as they moved. The voice grew louder and angrier behind them as they broke into a run. They breached the area no sooner than a cold blast of wind swept through the area they'd been.
Everything was being sucked back into the pit after it's cold air was exhaled. If they had been any closer to the edge, they would've been sucked in.
"That was too close," Percy said, letting go of her hand.
"That..that wasn't good at all," Annabeth said. "If he's been behind this..."
Melinda sighed.
"Then everything just got more dangerous," Melinda said.
They were silent as they seemed to contemplate this all and they kept struggling forward, and finally reaching the top of the tunnel, where the cavern widened out into the Fields of Asphodel.
The wind died. A wail of outrage echoed from deep in the tunnel. Kronos was far from happy, Melinda thought, now more sure then ever who was in the pit, trying to manipulate her and Percy.
"Let's keep going." Percy said, as he shifted his backpack on his back as if it were full of heavy books.
"Can you walk?" Melinda asked Grover.
He swallowed.
"Yeah, sure. I never liked those shoes, anyway."
He tried to sound brave about it, but he was trembling as badly as Annabeth, Percy and even Melinda were. Melinda was probably the most relieve to turn her back on the tunnel and head towards the palace of Hades.
The Furies circled the parapets, high in the gloom. The outer walls of the fortress glittered black, and the two-story-tall bronze gates stood wide open.
"You think this is a coincidence?" Percy asked as they stopped in front of it.
Melinda looked at him and shook her head.
"Not even a little," she said, glancing up at the circling furies. "He's expecting us."
They entered the morbid gate, which had depicted scenes of death and battles which ended in death or gore.
Inside the courtyard was the strangest garden she'd ever seen, and that included Luna's. Multicolored mushrooms, poisonous shrubs, and weird luminous plants grew without sunlight.
Precious jewels made up for the lack of flowers, piles of rubies as big as Gawps fist, and clumps of raw diamonds nearly as big.
There were also grotesque statues, all with horrified looks on their faces. Satyrs, Centaurs...it was rather strange even by Melinda's standards.
In the center of the garden was an orchard of pomegranate trees, their orange blooms neon bright in the dark.
"The garden of Persephone," Annabeth said, looking around momentarily in awe before looking straight ahead of herself "Keep walking."
Melinda knew why she wanted them to move on and Melinda had to take Percy's hand back into hers at the temptation that overcame her.
The smell of the pomegranates were almost too much for her, she had an strong desire to eat them, but she knew the story of Persephone.
One bite she'd be stuck here, Mistress of Death or not.
As it was Percy had to pulled Grover away to keep him from picking a big juicy one, while still keeping a hold on her hand. It was like he knew this must be hard for her, he just didn't realize the true temptation it was.
Soon they were past the garden and she let her brothers hand go as they went up the steps of the palace, between black columns, through a black marble portico, and into the house of Hades.
The entry hall had a polished bronze floor. There was no ceiling, just the cavern roof, far above.
It was actually pretty nice, sort of reminding her of a very dark version of Hogwarts but also very, very different.
Not to her surprise, every side doorway was guarded by a skeleton in military gear. Some wore Greek armor, some British redcoat uniforms, some camouflage with tattered American flags on the shoulders. They carried spears or muskets or M-16s.
None of them bothered moved to stop or bother them, but their hollow eye sockets followed their every move toward the big set of doors at the opposite end.
Two U.S. Marine skeletons guarded the doors.
"You think they're peaceful?" Annabeth asked, and Melinda scoffed.
"I don't think it matters," she said, and looked at the Marine skeletons. "We're here to see Hades. May we pass?"
"You know," Grover mumbled, as the skeletons eyed them (which was strange seeing as they had no eyes) "I bet Hades doesn't have trouble with door-to-door salesmen."
Then, the doors to the house of Hades blew open and the three demigods and single Satyr were left with no options but to continue forward, not that they hadn't planed to in the first place.
But now there was no choice, it was like they were trapped in a house of cards, and no matter how they tried to leave now, it would surely collapse with them.
