Chapter Five

Dawn would soon approach, breaking the navy blue sky. Percy held Nico up as they walked across the darkened grass of the park. Guilt weighed heavier on him than Nico did, he knew he shouldn't have made him shadow travel on his limited sleep but the son of Hades pointed the way, and slumped next to the ordinary-looking rock. Percy held his shoulder, peering into his face worryingly.

"Music, remember," Nico yawned.

"I don't sing."

"Got to make some music." He turned his cheek to the cool rock.

Percy drew his jacket closer around him, thinking of what kind of music he could make that wouldn't be humiliating until he heard a soft voice resonating a melody.

Nico was singing, half in English, half in Italian, turning his brain to mush at the words floating through the air. The song pulsated within him, relaxing him. He was vaguely reminded of the Apollo kids with such a similar ability, but for the duration of his boyfriend's singing, he forgot where he was and what they were supposed to be doing. Then, the rock split open, just large enough for them to descend.

Percy was about to change his mind, thinking that for the third time he would carry Nico back to his apartment. However, Nico opened his eyes.

"Are we going or not," he asked.

"You're too weak."

"You're not going without me," he yawned once more, his eyes closing.

Percy kissed his lips and zipped up his aviator jacket. "Okay," he told him softly lowering him to the ground. He would be safer there in the park than going into the Underworld. It didn't matter that it was his territory; Persephone would see weakness and who knew what kind of plant she would turn her step-son into next.

He inhaled the fall air deeply, and made his way down the slippery steps. It was funny how some memories were as vivid as the day it happened, and there were other smaller details that your brain forgot. It was one of those instances where he forgot how far into the Underworld was. Often he would slip and attempt to gain balance by grabbing the narrowing walls which were as slick as the steps. It became colder and he shivered in his jacket wishing he had brought a heavy coat.

Only once, he looked over his shoulder to be certain that Nico hadn't suddenly woken and was following him, but he couldn't see a light, much less his own hand. He had to feel for the steps before moving forward.

Finally, there was a small pinpoint of light. He continued until he could see the crooked and cracked steps in front of him, and then the black river of Lethe, the flickering torches and the rocky floor.

Percy fully expected to be taken away by one of the Furies, but there was nothing. He kept Riptide out in front of him, his eyes shifting to every dark corner and crevice. He walked along the River of Lethe, breaking off toward Hade's Palace, but first, there was Persephone's garden where beautiful black skeletal trees and flowers grew. It was beautiful in the way a haunted building was beautiful.

A thick fog covered his tennis shoes, causing him to worry what he was stepping on, but his attention was diverted by a woman with luxurious black hair in a pale flowered dress pruning a leafless tree. He took what may have been his last breath, and he approached her.

"Persephone?"

She looked over, her eyes dark and gruesome. "Percy Jackson," she smiled, "you don't look dead."

"Yeah, thanks," he said.

"Well? Go ahead and plead to me."

"Huh?"

"That's why you're here. Oh, don't give me that blank look, we all know that you're not as dumb as you look. And I know about your dalliance with my step-son. Speaking of which, where is that miserable boy?"

"Upstairs." He didn't mention that he was sleeping as it was probably best to let Persephone believe that he had back up. Who would be dumb enough to go into the Underworld alive and without a small army?

"Just as well. He has a temper. So much like his dad."

Just like all the Gods, Percy thought to himself.

"I'm waiting..."

He furrowed his brows. "Why did you want me here?"

"For you to grovel," she said it as if it was obvious.

"That's it?" Percy couldn't believe that it would be so easy. Nothing – and he did mean nothing – was that simple, most especially when it concerned the gods.

"Okay," she sighed, "there is one more thing. Now, I don't care about your relationship with Nico - in fact, I can use this."

His blood thinned to ice. Nico was right. "Use this?"

"For my own benefit," she reassured. "Nico is a nuisance. I want you to keep him away from here for the Fall and Winter months. He can trample down here to his heart's content in Spring and Summer. I don't care."

"You're kicking Nico out?"

"Only for a few months," she said, offended, cutting off a rather large branch. It sunk into the rolling fog and he preferred not to think of what happened to it. "Hades has granted me this wish since I have tried to get along with that kid, but it is impossible. Always mouthing off, thinking he knows everything - " Another poor branch was hacked.

Percy thought that it didn't help that Nico was a reminder of Hades cheating on Persephone. "That's all teenagers."

"Yes, but not my children. He has been impossible since the day he got here. He was better off in the Lotus Hotel. I mean, he was happy. What was the harm in letting him stay there? He comes here, telling us what to do, how to run things, bossing his father around. There used to be more respect for gods. Everyone has an opinion these days."

Percy let her rant, unsure of what to say. "So, um, so that's it? Nico just has to camp elsewhere?"

"You keep asking that. Is this too difficult of a task? Should I ask that he stay away for good?"

Wide-eyed, he quickly amended, "no! No, I just mean, you'll stop having your... Friends attack me?"

"Oh, certainly. I didn't mean any harm. They can go a bit crazy for demigods. Honestly, no harm."

"Of course not," Percy agreed heartily, inwardly rolling his eyes.

"I am afraid that I must ask that you promise this on the River Styx. You understand, heroes can be so fickle. You've heard of Theseus." Persephone stepped toward him, her sheers too close to his face. "Promise on the River Styx that while Nico is alive he will not return to the Underworld in the Fall and Winter months."

Percy's mind stuttered. A promise on the River Styx was not to be taken lightly, the Fates were serious with their scissors and life-strings. When he was eleven he the three hags with them and it was nearly as horrible as seeing the person die themselves. When the string was cut, there was the knowledge that they couldn't be saved.

On the other hand, maybe scissors was not as big of a worry as those sheers were. They were getting dangerously close to his neck.

"Percy... Do you promise on the River Styx?"

"I promise on the River Styx."

Persephone smiled. "That's a good boy. Off you go. And Percy?" She grinned sweetly. "Good luck getting out of here alive."

Sardonically, he smiled back. "Thank you, Persephone." He then ran out of her saturnine garden, no longer worrying about what he was running on.

He didn't make it far, only the next sharp corner of the cavern when a red-haired harpy swooped, narrowly missing his head. Percy dived and rolled, pushing his foot against the ground and spinning toward the sound of the cackles. The shedding bird turned around, heading right at him.

Inside he flinched. His brother, Tyson, was dating a harpy and it was her that he saw in the creatures. He put her out of his mind and swiped the flat edge of the blade against her skull, flying her into the wall, the sickening cracks of bones echoing. It looked like a home run to Percy, but didn't wait to see if she got back up.

A shrill cry echoed and coming at him was her sister, flapping her wings, blue-tinged feathers floating erratically around her like a halo. Percy dropped and slid under the belly of her as she flew over, cutting through her stomach as the rough gravel cut into his skin, tearing at his gray "Grand Station" t-shirt.

The bird-woman exploded into dust above his head. He wiped it out of his eyes as he stood, running before he was fully on his feet.

Five other harpies flapped their wings in mid-air in front of him, all with blood-thirsty grins. He didn't remember so many of them. Apparently, Persephone had taken to breeding them, but it couldn't have been her that sent them. After all, she needed Percy alive to keep Nico away.

What a stupid reason for him to be alive. What a dumb reason to drag him to the Underworld in the first place! Percy couldn't believe his luck. It was one thing, fighting to save the world, but to fight because a goddess was throwing a hissy fit over her step-son? Yeah, he had the worst luck.

"Welcome to Hades, Percy Jackson," the harpies sang in unison. "Please, enjoy your stay."

There wasn't anyway that he could defend off five harpies at once by himself. Normally, there was always a way, but he couldn't employ what he did last time; spraying the half-birds with the River of Lethe was too risky, they were too quick and too close, and he'd rather die than risk losing his memory again.

Percy gripped his sword. "Thanks, but I've got a date."

They glided down, and Percy swung, one popping into dust, but the others dug their talons into the flesh of his arms, pulling him roughly to the ground. They tore, and he screamed with the hot-white pain, his sword dropping, retracting to an ordinary pen, a pen covered in blood.

There was so much blood, hot and red and bright. So bright it was glowing, glinting off the flames. The world didn't look the same, it was out of focus. The birds swirled together, creating one terrible multicolored blur.

He lied there, helplessly, seeing through talons and beaks the River of Lethe in front of him. He was so close. Close to home and close to Nico.

The harpies danced a circle around him, like a celebratory rave before eating their meal, but he focused on his pen lying outside of the circle. He reached, but he was a hair-width's away. He grunted, and tried to shimmy closer. A claw clasped over his arm, its talons digging into his fresh wounds. He screamed and it was all he could hear, the searing pain all he could feel.

He was going to die at the hand of feathered cheerleaders. Yeah, that had to be the worst way to die. He hoped no one put it on his headstone. Then again, who would know what became of him?

Nico. He would know and he was going to be angry with him. Perhaps that was the worse part about dating a son of Hades, even in death there was no escaping them. Oh, he hoped that he never found out how he died. It would just be humiliating.

There was rumbling, the stones of Hades' floor bouncing like rubber balls. The harpies jumped and squealed excitedly. A blur of dark fur jumped through or over them, Percy couldn't tell which. He thought he was losing consciousness as he watched his over-sized dog (a hellhound, really) Mrs. O'Leary rip the bird-women to pieces, their shrill squawks blending in with his own cries, but whether they were aloud or in his head, he didn't know.

Percy must've closed his eyes. Mrs. O'Leary was giving long licks to his whole face and he gasped awake, grabbing onto her thick fur. He had never been more happy to have a pet dog from the Underworld. He smiled at her and the red-gold feathers sticking out from her wet mouth.

"Good girl."

Mrs. O'Leary knelt, and whined for him. Percy got to all fours, fighting to stay conscious. Blood dripped from him, his arms and legs torn, his chest sporting deep gashes. He wasn't fully standing when he fell, there was a giant nudging to his side, pushing him over her back as he matted her black fur. He held on as she ran, following the curves of the steps to home. Behind them were angry cries of undoubtedly more harpies. Percy guessed that there was a line they couldn't cross and he was infinitely grateful to whoever made that rule.

He must've blacked out again. Or he was dead. There was a tugging to his torn shirt, causing him to fall on the ground and into whoever's arms. With great difficulty he cracked open his eyes, giving a smile when he saw Nico's angry face. Yes, he was dead.

"Angel," he muttered.

Nico held up his head, pushing something sweet into his mouth, it tasting like blue birthday cake.

"Chew," Nico ordered, uncapping a water bottle, pouring it over his injuries, ceasing the bleeding.

Percy swallowed, a lump of ambrosia making its way down his dry throat. The wounds closed and his breath was no longer ragged (he hadn't even noticed). He could feel Nico's fingers running through his sweat-drenched hair.

"Gods, Percy, don't ever do that to me again."

He found his hand on his cheek, and he took his wrist, noticing the amount of his own blood Nico was covered in, and he kissed his palm. "Never again, angel."

"Don't tell me that's going to become a nickname," Nico hissed.

"I'll never say it again, angel."

Nico sucked in air through his teeth, and kissed him hard. While he hardly looked anymore awake than earlier, he was obviously more than borderline manic. Percy was only then grasping how much Nico actually cared. It shouldn't have surprised him with the way that Annabeth spoke of that dream, but it did. He didn't know what he did to deserve him.

"You left me," Nico snarled.

"You would've been fodder down there."

"I live there."

Percy wanted to tell him that he didn't anymore, but the words wouldn't come out. He put down his life that Nico would never go home in the cold months, and Nico was right there at the entrance. Percy tugged him closer, keeping a tight hold on his hip.

"You could've died. She could've turned you into a plant. A million things could've happened, Percy. You said I could go with you."

"Not this time. C'mon, we've got to go. I'll carry you."

"I don't think so, you're in no state." He grabbed on to Percy's arms and waist, lifting him over his shoulders. Percy was sure that Nico couldn't carry him, but he was proven wrong. Although measured, he was doing fine.

They passed Mrs. O'Leary who had plopped down to take her nap. Like Nico, she tired out fast when she shadow-traveled. Percy hadn't realized that she had done so, and figured that Nico must have called for her from a distance.

"Almost home, angel?"

"Almost home, soldato."

Percy was too tired to ask what that meant. He fell back asleep.