Everyone had seen it happen. The fight between Percy and the Chimera. Thanks to Hephaestus' hidden automaton everyone could watch. The reactions of the gods at this display of prowess were mixed, most almost immediately dismissing it as the actions of another aspiring hero, who would soon find his tragic end. But some saw it as more. A sign of change. The Chimera had been beaten before, but not by a demigod this young. And this way young Perseus Jackson had drawn the attention of even more gods than he had ever wanted to.
Several members of the Olympian council had gathered after what they had witnessed, out of sheer curiosity to see how Zeus would react to this. It was no secret that the King of Olympus harbored a deep resentment for the demigod children of his brothers. Not because of the prophecy, as he liked to claim in front of others, but because of the bitterness he still felt after the sad fate that had befallen his daughter.
"YOU. YOU SENT THAT MONSTER AFTER MY SON!" Poseidon roared, as he appeared in the council room. The anger he felt reflected on the oceans around the world. With his rage the oceans became wild and dangerous. But the god of the sea paid little mind to that.
Zeus looked at his brother, regarding him with a cold stare. "Not after him, not yet. Echidna was to kill Hades ill begotten spawn. I cannot allow that... thing to live. Not after what Hades has done to my own daughter."
"Blood for blood? What about your claimed superiority to our brother, Zeus? You are no better than him by seeking revenge. And you dare to threaten my own son's life with this." Poseidon spat.
"Whether or not it is morally right to kill that child, its importance pales in comparison to what we have seen from your son." Athena said, as she walked over to her throne and sat down.
"Leave my son out of your schemes, Athena. This has nothing to do with you! Begone!"
"Your son is dangerous. You can thank Apollo for vouching for this boy's loyalty or else he would already be dead." Zeus stated. "I'm still not fully convinced that he is not involved in the theft of my..."
"Are you really that daft, brother? Your own children told you that he was as far away from Olympus as physically possible when the thief has been here. But you, you are just looking for excuses to harm my son."
"The day I see any falsity or disloyalty in him, your son will die. He shouldn't exist in the first place. And now this. Too strong, too early."
"Father, he could be an asset to Olympus. If he is properly restrained and conditioned." Athena stated, her gray eyes staring intently at Poseidon as she said this. "If we keep him away from any false influences..."
"You will never go anywhere near my son. If you even dare to touch him I will give you a fight that you will never forget. Athena."
"Going this far for a mere petulant demigod? You have clearly become insane in recent years." The goddess of wisdom replied snidely. "Even you have to admit that he will become too powerful if we allow him to grow up."
"Enough." Zeus demanded angrily.
"This is not over yet, brother. You will not harm my son!" Poseidon regarded Athena and Zeus coldly. Then he disappeared in a giant swirl of water.
Percy stirred the next morning, woken up after someone had kicked his leg. "Go to hell... I wanna sleep."
"Funny, that is just the place where we need to go. Because of you, so get your lazy ass of the ground!" Clarisse told the sleepy boy. She was all too eager to get going. Her quest mates were also on the way to the Underworld and she wanted to catch them before the had the chance to return to camp without her.
"Go away..."
"Is he always like that? Can't even go through one night in the wilds?" Ariadne asked Grover amusedly.
"Uh... I don't know... we never went camping during our time at school." Grover said cautiously, as he watched Percy stir. "Come on, Percy, rise and shine."
"Don't say that." Percy growled lightly. "That's Apollo's favorite line right before he throws me into the next body of water he can find."
Several people around him chuckled when they heard his words. They could easily imagine the sun-god acting like this. Meanwhile Percy pulled himself up, albeit groggily. His body was still sore from the late night dance with the Chimera and his mood wasn't all that good after waking up like this.
"Jackson, get up. We don't have time to waste." Zoe said, as she appeared next to him and pulled him to his feet. She expected him to complain and moan because of his fight. She expected him to gloat with his victory over the feared monster. But he did none of that. He stretched a bit, but kept silent about what had happened while the others had slept.
"Fine, fine. No need to get bossy." Percy said, as he stretched his sore muscles. He brushed some dirt and leaves off his clothes, watching astounded as it all disappeared without leaving any traces. In fact he was surprised that his clothes were still in a very good condition, especially considering his fight with the Chimera. "Huh, guess the card was right. These clothes are more durable than my old ones." He still did not like the style that had been forced upon him by Hermes and Aphrodite, but at least his clothes would not rip.
The shirts Apollo had given him usually got destroyed during a fight, much to Percy's annoyance. When he talked to Apollo about it he found out that it was all planned by the sun-god. Apollo justified it with his firm believe that all girls would swoon after being rescued by a well trained hero who runs around without a shirt... somehow Percy found that hard to believe. But the girls he knew the most were the Hunters of Artemis. Though he went to a mortal school he never really paid any attention to the mortal girls around him... except for those who annoyed him, like Nancy Bobofit. And he was sure that the Hunters would not appreciate it to see him run around half-naked.
"I guess I should thank Lady Aphrodite next time I see her." He muttered. A moment latter he shuddered when he heard a sickly sweet voice breath an almost inaudible 'You're welcome' into his ear. The thought that the love goddess of all Olympians was watching his struggles was not his idea of fun. Her idea of fun mostly ended with trouble for all people involved. "Why me?" He whined, as he looked annoyed towards the sun.
"You said something, Percy?" Grover looked at his friend with a questioning expression, before he started munching on something he had salvaged from Percy's bag.
Percy looked around, searching for any sign of gods or goddesses around. He was relieved that there was none. For the moment he was sure that he wasn't used as some sick form of amusement for the gods. Oh how little he knew about Olympus favorite show on Hephaestus TV.
"I'm alright, Grover. Just a little worried about meeting my uncle. Going to the Underworld doesn't really help with that."
"Is my dad... Hades, really that bad?" Bianca asked with a worried look. If there was one person more nervous about meeting the lord of the Underworld than Percy, it was Bianca. It was still hard for her to accept the fact that her father is a god... a particular infamous god to boot.
"Don't know. But not too long ago he sent a whole army of monsters after me, before he tasked me with finding you and your brother." Bianca looked a bit down when he mentioned Nico. So far they did not even know if he really was the young demigod that Clarisse's partners had taken with them. Percy knew that with his luck it could be a completely different child, after all the Casino was seemingly full of demigods.
"Come on, you wannabe hero. Time to get moving." Phoebe said, as she bumped into him on purpose, before she walked ahead again, to scout their path most likely. "The next big monster is mine by the way." All others except Zoe looked confused at Percy, not knowing what the Hunter meant, but none of those who knew the truth were willing to elaborate.
A few hours later the rag-tag group of demigods had reached the outskirts of Los Angeles. For Bianca the sight of the big city was an awe-inspiring experience. She only knew about her life inside the confines of the Casino and only knew those few parts of Las Vegas she could see from the windows of the building. And even after they had left the Casino they hurried out of that city before she could see much more of it. But now, being able to walk through the streets of LA, seeing everything with her own eyes was quite the experience.
The two Hunters and Ariadne though looked slightly uncomfortable inside the city. After all they were only used to living in the wilds and hunting monsters. And even in those odd occurrences when they visited a city it was mostly during times when only few people were on the streets. Artemis made sure that her girls would not have to face any males on their travels.
"So, where to? They must have told you about how you can get to the Underworld." Ariadne asked, after they had aimlessly walked through LA for nearly two hours. Though she had started to enjoy the sightseeing nearly as much as Bianca, she still wanted to get the entire situation over with.
Percy rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, as he looked at her. "Not exactly."
"What? You mean we have to search for the entrance?" Phoebe grumbled. "I'll show you the quickest way to the Underworld!" She was about to grab Percy, but before she could reach him she stumbled and fell. The thing she had stumbled over was the foot of the smirking daughter of Ares.
"Oh my, did you fall down. You Hunters really need to train better, can't even walk straight without landing on your nose." Clarisse said, as she looked down on Phoebe.
"You damn..."
"Phoebe, not now." Zoe said sternly.
"But she..."
"Not. Now." Zoe repeated, before she turned to Percy. "Hades' servants must have told you something. A quest does not simply end this way."
Percy never got the chance to answer the question, as three old women appeared. Grover paled and took several steps back as he recognized his most hated teacher, Mrs Dodds, among them. While the majority of the group did not know who those three women were, Percy, Grover and the two older Hunters could easily see them for what they really were. The Furies.
"Perseus Jackson. So you have come as ordered. For once you do as you are told." Alecto said, as she approached Percy. But she did not stop and walked past him, finally stopping in front of Bianca.
"Ah, Alecto... or is it Mrs Dodds right now?" Percy asked, as he turned towards the Fury. Alecto ignored him, instead she scrutinized Bianca.
"So you have found the girl, but where is the boy?" Alecto asked without taking her eyes of Bianca. Said girl looked more and more uncomfortable with every passing moment.
"Well... there has been some minor... inconvenience..." Percy said carefully.
"So you have lost the boy, but instead you come with one of the children and an entourage. Lord Hades will not like this." Alecto said, before she whirled around and walked away. "Come, we will bring you to the entrance."
"What? Only the entrance? And here I thought you would bring us all the way..." Percy said in mock disappointment. This meeting with the Furies was far more relaxed than the last time. Not being surrounded by countless Hellhounds and, for once, outnumbering Hades' servants, did wonders for his confidence.
"Make no mistake, you will pay for any insolence as soon as your quest is over. Lord Hades has only sworn to not kill you because of your heritage. Insolence will still be punished." She looked at him coldly, daring him to make a wrong step, to say the wrong thing, so she could punish him for it. But Percy, for once, wisely kept his mouth shut.
"Percy?" Bianca asked the boy almost fearfully. "Should we...?"
"Let's just follow her for now. We have to meet your father."
Begrudgingly the others complied and followed Percy, as he walked ahead with Mrs Dodds. The other two Furies followed behind the group, keeping a close eye on all of them, just in case they would try something. Though they were only interested in Percy and Bianca at the moment, they still would not allow the others to leave. At least not until their master's daughter was safely in his domain.
A long walk through the streets later they had reached their final destination, the DOA Recording Studios. Percy looked a bit skeptical at the building, since it was clearly not how he expected the entrance to the underworld to look like.
"This is as far as we will take you. Charon will bring you to Lord Hades' palace." Alecto said, as she stopped in front of the door.
"But why not bring us all the way to your..." Before Percy could finish his sentence the Fury was already gone, just like her sisters. "Thanks for nothing..." He muttered in annoyance. "Damn gods and monsters disappearing without answering a single question..."
"So, shall we go in?" Ariadne asked, albeit the look on her face showed her hesitance. It was obvious that she was not thrilled to enter the Underworld itself any sooner than necessary. Hell even Zoe and Phoebe looked unsure, though they were better at hiding it.
"You can wait here if you want. Only Bianca and I have to enter. The rest of you can wait or explore the city until we return." Percy offered. The Hunters looked downright offended by his words. To them it was an insinuation that they were cowards and they wouldn't let him get away with that.
"Don't even think that I will let you out of my sight for one short moment. You won't escape us." Zoe told him threateningly. "We said we would hunt you to the end of the earth if necessary and if it is the Underworld where you try to hide, then we will hunt you there."
"I'm not exactly running away from you right now..." Percy deadpanned.
Ariadne allowed herself to smile benignly, but Phoebe openly took offense. "Damn boy, you wouldn't even be alive if we had not acted last night, don't make me finish what that monster started."
Percy held his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright. Geez. You act as if I am Hercules. I did not mean to insult you, I just wanted to help."
"Do not say his name." Phoebe growled, as she watched Zoe. The face of Artemis's lieutenant was an emotionless mask now. It was absolutely impossible to see how she felt about Percy mentioning the name of Zeus most famous demigod son.
"I... better get going..." Percy said, before he pushed the door of the Studio open and quickly disappeared inside. Bianca, Clarisse and Grover followed him immediately, while Ariadne stayed with the two Hunters.
"Zoe... are you alright?" Ariadne asked.
"Just don't mention HIS name." Phoebe said, while Zoe was still silent. "Come, Zoe, we can't lat that boy escape. We are doing this for Lady Artemis, remember." She said, as she gently pushed Zoe towards the door.
Percy looked around the room, seeing the cold metallic walls and floor and the black leather furniture. His eyes finally rested on a raised podium in the center of the room, where a man in black robes stood. He had to look twice to see everything through the mist, until he realized that the person's head was only a skull.
"Hello" Percy said, as he approached the man. He was sure that this man must be Charon, Ferryman of the Underworld.
"No living are allowed here, demigod." Charon said with an emotionless voice. "Leave now."
"Dude, believe me, I wouldn't be here if I had a choice."
"Then go and come back when you are dead."
"Look, I am here because Lord Hades has ordered me to come, so can you please bring us to him?"
"No."
"No? Come on. I. AM. WORKING. FOR. YOUR. BOSS." Percy said.
Charon looked at him, seemingly evaluating him. "Is he paying you more than me?" The Ferryman asked.
"Is that it? Is this about money?" Percy searched something in his backpack, before he pulled out a small bag. The clinging sounds of coins could be heard as Percy took it and showed it to Charon. "See this? If you let us pass and allow us to see Lord Hades then I will give you some of this." He took out a hand full of golden Drachma from the bag and stacked them in front of Charon. "10 Drachma and you will let us pass."
"30 Drachma." Charon replied monotonously.
"What? No way. I'm not paying you that much. 15 and not a single coin more."
"Such a big group costs extra. My boat is not a cruise ship. If you don't like it you can wait in line like all the other souls. In a few centuries you get your turn."
"Percy just pay him so we can get this over with." Ariadne said with an annoyed look. All of them were surprised to see Charon haggle with Percy, but they really did not want to stay here any longer than absolutely necessary.
"But that is more than half of my allowance for the month. Apollo doesn't give me that much for doing his bidding and saving Hunters." Percy whined. And again his choice of word provoked a violent reaction from Phoebe.
"Just wait you damn boy. We never needed your help!" She yelled at him. "Now you will get the short cut to the Underworld."
"Killing him would not be faster. He would have to wait in the line. Estimated waiting time 134 years 8 months 17 days 5 hours and 44 minutes." Charon stated dryly.
"Percy, pay the man." Ariadne repeated her earlier demand. Percy complied this time, albeit he made it clear that he was not happy about this.
Charon showed the first real emotion now. He watched gleefully as Percy stacked the Drachma in front of him. "Very well. Follow me." He said after he had carefully counted Percy's money. He lead the group towards an elevator in the back. "The elevator will take you to the boat. The boat will take you across the Styx."
"Thanks..." Percy grumbled, before he entered the elevator.
Not much later they were inside the boat, crossing the river that separated the land of the living from the land of the dead. The entire group was deadly silent, as they traveled across this sacred river. All of them watched the things floating in the water. The river itself was polluted, many different things floating through the water.
'This all that remains of the dreams once you are dead. All people who pass over the river leave their dreams, their hopes and things they loved the most behind. They give up on them.' An all to familiar voice spoke in Percy's mind. The voice from his dreams sounded somber... no, sad. And truly, this place was very depressing. 'Look closely and you will see that which has been lost.'
Percy saw many things, from stuffed animals to ripped diplomas. He could eve see a lot of photos floating in the water, snapshots of better times, left behind by the dead. Then his eyes spotted one particular photo, floating near the boat. A photo that he remembered. A memory of a person he had lost years ago. A photo of him and his mother at the beach in Montauk. One of his greatest regrets was that he had not even a single picture of his mother, nothing but his own memories of her. Memories that became blurred as he grew older. But the picture was close to the boat, so he leaned out to grab it with his hand.
'Try to reclaim what is lost, but you will find that it is impossible. To grow you will have to let go of the past.' The voice spoke again. But Percy was determined to get the photo. 'Is a faded memory worth the risk?' To Percy the answer was clearly yes. He would either get it or loose his mother forever. 'Careful, my chosen. You risk your fate and that of all others for this memory.'
Percy did not listen. He leaned further out of the boat. A small wave rocked the boat, causing him to loose his balance. He would have fallen into the river, had it not been for Zoe grabbing his collar and pulling him back.
"Be careful, you idiot. Falling into the river could kill you." She said with a frown. Her dark eyes showed slight worry, even though Zoe's words and normal behavior hid it expertly most of the time. It was the first time that Percy had seen it in Zoe's eyes while she was looking at him. But he reasoned that it was because Lady Artemis wants him alive.
'The daughter of Atlas is right. She saved your life today. You are not ready to try for Achilles' curse... yet. Be careful.' The voice faded away again, leaving Percy alone. But he did not really notice it. He stared after the photo again. In a way he felt like he had just lost his mother again... only this time he would loose everything, even his memories of her. He spent the rest of the way towards Hades' palace in silence, something that worried those who knew him.
By the time they had reached the palace, Percy had managed to get over his bout of sadness. He smiled again, though it was obviously fake. But he had other things to worry about now. Meeting his uncle after he had only partially completed his Quest for the lord of the Underworld.
With a self-assured gait he walked through the halls of Hades' dark palace, until he reached something that looked like a giant throne room. On the other side of the room sat Hades on a black throne, looking bored. Percy allowed himself a close look at his uncle as he walked towards him. The God of the Underworld looked extremely pale, with pitch black eyes that shone with a dark madness. One of his hands smoothed out a part of his black, silken robes, while the other stroked his black beard in a thoughtful looking gesture.
Percy stopped a short distance away from the throne, before he bowed deeply. If there was one thing Apollo had taught him about the gods, than it was the fact that the Big Three were extremely prideful and demanded respect, no matter if they had earned it or not. And he really did not want to get back on his uncle's bad side again. It was an extremely unhealthy place to be.
"Honored uncle, I present you your daughter, Bianca." Percy said, as he gestured towards the dark haired girl next to him. Her usually olive colored skin had paled drastically, making her look almost as ghostly white as her father. He was surprised she wasn't shaking in Hades' presence.
"Only one?" Hades asked calmly.
"Forgive me, uncle. Other demigods had found your son before us and decided to take him to Camp Half-blood."
"Perseus Jackson, did you just tell me that you failed the small task I have set for you?" Hades asked in a low, deadly voice. "That you only bring me one of my children, while you have picked up the rabble along the way." He gestured towards the rest of the group as he said the last part. But none of the others dared to openly protest. Even Phoebe remained silent in front of a god, at least in front of this god. He knew that she had little to no respect for Apollo and openly showed her disdain for him every time he showed up. Apollo found that highly amusing.
"Uncle we really tried..."
"Then how can it be that you stand here, with my daughter, while my son travels with the thieves of my helmet and Zeus' Master Bolt?" Hades did not shout, but the sharp edge to his voice caused all other persons in his presence to flinch. Clarisse even looked like she had been hit by the Minotaur.
"WHAT?" She shouted in shock. "Those bastards are the thieves? That must be why they abandoned me in the Casino." She started grumbling about the things she would do to Luke and Annabeth, the girl that was with him at the moment.
"At least you succeeded in one thing. You brought me back my eldest child." Hades finally said, completely ignoring Clarisse's outburst. No, he looked intently at his daughter now. "Come here, my child." He beckoned Bianca to come closer. She was reluctant to approach Hades and only started walking after a slight nudge from Percy. "You need not fear me, Bianca. I won't hurt my own children unless they give me a reason for it. You have to respect me, not fear me. Never fear me."
Bianca slowly walked towards her father's throne, each step more hesitant than the former. But eventually she stood directly before her father, a look of trepidation on her face, as the god of the Underworld scrutinized her. Hades even stood up and walked around her once, looking her over closely.
"So much like you mother." His gaze softened as he said that. He did not look just as frightening as before. Percy would even go as far as to say that one could see real affection, that Hades actually cared about his daughter. "You are like a younger twin of your mother, my beloved Maria."
"My mother?" Bianca asked confused. "I... I don't even remember her..."
"Yes, yes. I had to erase your memories of your life before Alecto brought you to that dreaded Casino. It had to be done for your own good." Hades said somewhat remorseful. He was still convinced that it was the right decision, but that his children would never remember their mother was something that he regretted. "You will learn about her as you stay here." He placed a hand on her shoulder, before he looked back at the other people present in the room. As soon as his eyes fell on them his gaze turned cold and steely once more.
"Perseus Jackson. Go and stop those thieves before they can escape. Bring me back what was stolen from me and I shall welcome you as part of my family. You brought me back my dear daughter, so your failure with Nico shall be forgiven if you fulfill this task." Hades did not ask him to do this, he downright ordered him. But this was a chance for him to earn the gratitude of his uncle, something that would be quite useful in the future. He just hoped that this would be the last necessary task for Hades. He knew that Zoe and Phoebe would not let him get away for ever and would eventually just drag him to Artemis, no matter if he had finished his work for Hades or not.
"I shall find them, uncle." Percy replied confidently.
"They found trouble that even they can't escape." Hades said somewhat maliciously. "They are fighting Ares on the beach of Los Angeles. I will sent you there, don't screw up." With a wave of his hand the entire group disappeared in the shadows. Only Bianca remained with him.
"Father..."
"Bianca, you will stay here. I may not be allowed to raise you myself, but I have servants who can." Hades said calmly. He had heard about Apollo's actions with Percy Jackson and he intended to use the same loophole that allowed Apollo to raise the boy. "Thanatos!" He called loudly.
A winged man with skin of the color of teakwood appeared in the room, looking almost impassively at Hades and his daughter at first. His eyes rested longer on the girl, a look of annoyance and resentment visible in his golden orbs.
"Bianca, this is Thanatos, the god of death. He shall train you until I deem you strong enough to return to the world of the living." Hades told his daughter. "And you, Thanatos, will treat my child with the respect she deserves, or else you won't like the consequences."
"She will live. She is not on my list... yet." Was the sole reply of the winged god.
"Go with him, Bianca. I will check on your progress soon." He pushed her gently towards Thanatos. Before she could protest or say anything Thanatos had already grabbed her shoulder and flashed them both away. "Training will not be easy, but one day you will thank me for it, my child." Hades muttered, before he returned to his throne. Now he would watch whether Percy Jackson would succeed in his newest task.