THE GHOSTS FORMED…expedition from the 1980s.
All the Romans shuddered.
"The fact that these heroes fought for Rome when they were alive and are now fighting against it." Reyna shook her head in disgust.
"Its scary but then I suppose it shows just how much they were with Rome in the first place. No hero true to their camp or heritage would choose to fight against it no matter what was offered." Dakota said, his voice unwavering.
Others carried standards…crackling of the glacier
"Why don't you control it? It'd be useful to have the shades without any weapons." Clarisse said, not wanting to call those shades heroes.
"I didn't know the extent of how much power could be used and if it could be so much that it would cause widespread destruction. I did not want to take that risk with my powers again." Hazel answered.
"I suppose that makes sense especially with the amount of imperial gold present." Clarisse sighed.
She wondered if…plutonium in a reactor.
The Hephaestus gang, Annabeth and Athena winced.
"That would be way too much. It might just end everything including you all." Hephaestus said
"Apart from that, the amount of focus that would be needed for that is quite high especially since she would have to focus not just to control the imperial gold but to control it in a manner so that it doesn't inflict mass damage. That would not just be giving the shades time to attack her and the others but also tire her out like nothing else at that time, giving the giant such leverage that the daughter of Pluto was exhausted." Dionysus said with a shake of his head. Everybody looked at Dionysus, most of them not surprised because if there was one god who knew about such things, it was him. Hades nodded at his nephew.
"That's true. To control that much of imperial gold, it would be absolutely exhausting and tiring." He said.
If she failed…herself to breathe
"Death is…beautiful?" Piper asked in shock.
"You'd be surprised at just how many people think that's true especially when they're on their deathbed or dealing with some sickness causing heights of pain." Hades told her. "To them it's a relief from the pain and suffering and the promise of the start of a new life." He said.
"But I thought that it would be painful…to be separated from those you care about." Pollux said. Castor grimaced. Hades and Persephone gave light chuckles.
"No. For those dealing with some sickness that hurts them every day, it would not be painful. Thanatos, in particular, takes their souls in such a way that it does not hurt them. And even if somebody falls in battle, it is their wounds that cause them pain, not the fact that Thanatos is taking their souls from them. And yes, it may be painful for that person to leave their loved ones behind and for the loved ones as well but if they see that you're in pain and if they truly love you, then even they'd wish for your pain to go away." Persephone explained with a small smile.
"That's a lot to process. Its not that easy." Pollux sighed.
"Nobody ever said that it was." Hades told him.
Beautiful was the right…and also chained.
Hades scowled at the thought of his reaper and friend being chained like he was some wild animal or beast. Nico and Persephone didn't look too happy at the image either.
"It's Cupid…Cupid," Percy agreed.
There were a few chuckles at that.
"I doubt that Eros would like that comparison much." Apollo said amusedly.
"Maybe but we're not exaggerating." Percy shrugged.
"You compliment me…you might imagine
"That is true." Aphrodite and Hades nodded.
"Would it be wrong of me to say that I don't understand it?" Piper said.
"No. It wouldn't be wrong of you to not understand it. However, it would be incorrect of you to deny it." Hades said. He was more than happy to explain all this to everybody. It was something that they needed to know and something that would allow them to have less fear of the thought.
"Love, Piper, is something that is beautiful. And like, Hades and Persephone just explained, sometimes even death is something that is beautiful." Aphrodite explained to her daughter. "Sometimes, even, the thought of love scares people just like the thought of death scares a few. The thought of both may hurt but love and death in particular don't actually hurt. When one person in a relationship is lost, the meet again in death." She said with a small smile.
"Wow. Wow. I just never thought of it that way…" Piper said quietly.
"Not many do." Persephone said with a small chuckle.
"But love and death do coexist. Take the king and queen of the Underworld for example-" Aphrodite started. Hades and Persephone raised their eyebrows at Aphrodite but they understood what the goddess of love was getting at. "-There is love as well as death. Well…not reaping death but you understand what I'm saying." She said. Everybody nodded.
"That seriously does give a new perspective to certain things." Beckendorf said with a small smile. Nobody disagreed.
But I am Death…"We're wasting time."
"He's the only one who can tell you how to break the chains. But, it is his duty to tell you what saving him would entail." Hades said, looking at his nephew and then at Frank. Ares looked at his uncle and he kept his hand on Frank's shoulder.
He swung his sword…reached their hands.
"Well, that's not going to work. What now?" Triton demanded.
"Fire?" Leo suggested.
"Where are they going to get fire there?" Triton sighed.
"That won't work…not wish me released."
"She knows what may happen." Nico shook his head.
"Does he not want to be released?" Triton groaned.
"He does. No doubt that he does. But he doesn't want anybody to do that unless they truly mean to and unless they're ready to face what may occur after and what sacrifices they may have to make in the process to release him. Thanatos prefers letting people know about the risks." Persephone told the son of Poseidon.
"Don't you think…break your chains."
"He does need to hurry up." Castor grimaced.
Hades squeezed his daughter's shoulder reassuringly.
Thanatos studied her…face eternal punishment
"That's a costly price to pay for the fake promise of a second life. I can bet that she would not even remember that she had promised a second life to these demigods." Annabeth shook her head in disgust.
"That's one of the reasons that those heroes ended up in Asphodel. While, the judges look at their experiences, they also look at the fact that deep down, they aren't actually as good as a true hero is. They haven't done anything terrible enough till then to end up in punishment but they sure don't deserve Elysium." Nico informed. Hades gave him a small smile.
"That's a really good system of judgement then. I simply think that it was unfair in Hazel's case." Frank said.
"It wasn't unfair, Frank. I would have got Elysium. Marie would have got Punishment which was ideally what she deserved but in order to make sure that she didn't, I had to make a sacrifice. It was one for one." Hazel explained to him with a small smile, not calling Marie, mother, because of the renunciation. While, Hades was glad that Hazel had understood this, he was not too happy about what had happened in the first place but he knew that that was how the system worked.
They are not so…to be freed or not?"
"Honestly, that's what I'm thinking." Triton muttered. Percy gave him an amused look.
"Fair…" Death mused…mother to the Underworld?"
"Dear gods." Triton face palmed.
"Why exactly is he sounding like he doesn't want to be released?" Pollux sighed.
"I suppose he's just trying to explain something but its not phrased in the best way." Nico said.
Frank staggered like…"It isn't a riddle."
"No." Clarisse shook her head. "There's got to be another way." She said. Frank gave her a small sad smile.
"There wasn't." he said. Ares took a deep breath. He didn't like the fact that Frank was correct and that there really wasn't another way. But he knew this before and he was glad that it didn't come as a blow to him.
"Frank, no…his red braided hair.
Hades growled. Persephone kept her hand on his to try and calm him down, no matter that even she was annoyed by the giant.
Hazel had never seen…wanted to destroy him.
"Huh. Revenge is a good motivator." Jason said.
"Sometimes too good of one." Ares said grimly.
"I think this time, it's just the right amount." Hephaestus said.
The giant approached…your new legion."
"He's barely spoken and I already want to gut him." Nico said with a shake of his head.
"You're not alone there." Persephone said.
"I suppose you're going to want to devise a lot more ways you'd like to kill him as we progress." Percy said dryly.
"Fun. We have to listen to more of Alcyoneus's drama." Nico scowled.
"Chapter's done." Chiron informed.
"I'll read next." Hera stated.