Chapter 16: The House of the Dead
Now, Gigantes are an old School of Hunters. I couldn't find much about them, to be truthful. Yet what I did find was incredibly revealing. For you see, Gigantes were much more in control of their powers than any other Hunter currently. They focused on the mystery of the Enlightenment, on its abilities that can be drawn and how they change not only the physical realm, but the spiritual realm too. It has often been theorized that the Gigantes discovered the secret to immortality, and the phrase that identifies them seems to suggest so too: Strength even beyond the Fall.
Poseidon's Notes, Page 15 on The Gigantes and their Nature
As the party approached the gates of Underworld, there was a strange silence that seem to fall upon them.
They walked a dirt road, trees on either side, yet no sound was coming from them. No insects, no birds. Nothing that gave Percy the idea that there was anything alive aside from them on that road.
He could see the Gates of Underworld, tall and dark, however what was interesting was that the doors seemed to be on the outside of the gate instead of inside. He noticed other things, like how the walls were slightly curved inwards, there were empty guard towers outside the gates, and the grand gate seemed to be closed.
Just as Percy was going to voice his questions, his eyes went wide when he felt a cold presence near him. He was about to reach for his Enlightenment, yet the blade of a scythe appeared at his neck from what appeared to be his own shadow. In front of him, Annabeth seemed in a similar predicament as her own shadow seemed to hold a knife to her throat.
"Wha—"
"It is not often that we receive visitors in Underworld, much less during such strange times as these." A cold, soft voice said from behind him. "I would suggest you don't move, Hunter, not unless you wish to make your stay here permanent."
"Thanatos." Bianca said in a strong voice, "They come with me."
"Lady Bianca, your father has instructed that no one may enter the great city. I'm sure you've heard about the assault on Tartarus." The man, Thanatos, said.
"I have, which is why we have come." Bianca replied, "We're here to aid father in the defence of Underworld."
There was a moment of tense silence, yet the blade was removed from Percy's throat and from the relieved breath from Annabeth, he figured she had been freed too.
A man dressed in dark robes appeared from behind him. He was carrying a huge scythe, almost as tall as him, yet what Percy was drawn to was the white faceless mask he had instead of a face. Percy felt incredibly uncomfortable as the man stared at him from behind the eyeless mask.
"Who are you, hunter, to have gained the favour of the Daughter of Underworld?" he asked, soft and quiet, yet powerfully.
"My name is Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon of the House of Seas…and…heir to the Seastone Chair." He had practiced with Bianca a bit, as he knew he would eventually meet powerful hunters and that would require his full title, yet that did not make it less uncomfortable to say it out loud.
"Son of the Earthshaker…you're far from your Territory." Thanatos said, he sounded almost curious, "Heir to the Seastone chair…many would take that as a declaration of war against the current Lord… tell me, Seaborn, do you fear death?"
A cold feeling settled in Percy's stomach. It wasn't the warm feeling of his Enlightenment, nor a feeling of a cold day, it was soulshattering cold. He felt his hand beginning to shake, then his legs, and suddenly, Percy's eyes widened in terror as the faceless mask of Thanatos took the shape of Gabe. Then of his other buddies that joined him for poker, rape, and beating of a child. They stared at him, bloody faces as he had left them. The faces shifted quickly between them, each one showing him a victim. There was a homeless man he had beaten to death one time, a prostitute he had strangled, a cop, a clerk manager. He recognized the faces, accusingly staring at him, yet what terrified him was that he could no longer remember why he had killed them.
Was he a monster?
"Do you fear Death…seaborn?" Percy's knees weakened when he saw her face. His mother. Another death he had caused.
"Yes…" Percy said in a weak voice, his mother's glazed eyes staring at him accusingly. The face disappeared, and the faceless mask returned.
"Good." Thanatos said, "You carry with you the power over life itself, but something that you must never forget is that Life ends for everyone, even those who wield it as weapons. The next time you take a life, Seaborn, remember that one day the beauty of Death will come for you too. Death is the truest form of prophecy."
Thanatos turned to Bianca, Nico and a terrified looking Annabeth. He didn't even look at the blonde girl, only focusing on Bianca and Nico.
"I will inform your father of your arrival." He said, "Brace yourselves, however, Underworld is no longer safe."
Thanatos disappeared in a burst of shadows, leaving behind only a white mist. Percy fell to his knees, trying his best to keep his tears at seeing the faces of those he had killed.
Bianca rushed to him, holding him as he breathed hard.
"Are you alright?" she asked him, rubbing circles on his back.
"Y-yes…I just…" Percy took a breath, "Why?"
"Thanatos' job is to keep tabs on everyone who enters Underworld. He probes people, making sure he understands them so he can best beat them if it comes to it. If Thanatos chose you, is because he recognized you as a threat and needed to probe your insecurities, it's nothing personal." Bianca hugged him, "You did pretty well all things considered, most people run away in fear at what they see. Thanatos' enlightenment helps him twist people's fears into the fear of death..."
"Could've given me a heads up…" Percy said, still shaking in fear.
Bianca had a pained expression on her face, and instead of answering she merely hugged him.
"Let's go." She said softly. Yet Percy pushed himself upwards roughly, ignoring the guilty look on Bianca's eyes.
Entering Underworld, Percy noticed for the first time that it was an actual city hidden behind the walls. The buildings were square shaped, with sharp angles and blocky shapes, coloured grey due to the concrete that built it. There were also people walking around, actual people. Adults, children, elderly, they filled Underworld. They moved through buildings that appeared to be shops, some children playing in the streets, and what appeared to be a group of youths not much younger than Percy sharing a coffee within one of the grey, blocky buildings. Yet even if life was present around him, there was clearly a tension in the air that seemed to follow everywhere he walked.
"I didn't know Underworld was a city…" Percy said.
"It's not a barren wasteland, you know?" Bianca smiled, "Underworld is one of the two major cities for Enlightened individuals. New Rome is another. The only different is that Underworld is less focused on war and more on peaceful living. Those who wish live in peace, live out their life without problems come here."
"And now a war comes to their home." Percy said sadly.
"And now a war come home…" Bianca agreed. "These people aren't fighters, they're just people who want to leave in peace."
"We'll help as much as we can." Nico said, "I suspect Father has already made preparations to evacuate the city towards New Rome."
"It will take days to evacuate the entire city…" Bianca said as she looked around, "There are not enough rainbows."
"There weren't enough." Annabeth said, "Percy can make more if he can control water."
Percy looked at Annabeth through wide eyes.
"Me?"
"That might actually work." Nico agreed, "Before our main issue was directing the water to create big enough rainbows, but if Percy can do the same he did in Olympus…"
"Plan later, we're here." Bianca said.
They stood at the foot of a huge dark tower. Within the tower, a spire reached up to the strange sky, and from what Percy could see, it was completely dark without windows or any crevasses. The tower that surrounded the spire was short and stocky, dozens of gates covered each window and door, and it appeared almost to be built to keep something in rather than keeping someone out.
At one of the doors, a tall man with long dark hair, dressed in an immaculate suit with a black and crimson cape at his back and carrying a dark cane stood waiting for them. Bianca and Nico moved ahead, standing in front of the man.
Annabeth knelt, and after a bit of staring she grasped Percy's sleeve and forced him down to his knees.
"Son, Daughter." The man said, "Welcome home. Guests, you may rise and state your names. I am Hades, Lord of the House of the Dead and Warden of Underworld."
"Annabeth Chase, of the House of Wisdom, daughter of the current Head Athena Chase." Annabeth said quickly, cutting Percy off.
"Ah, yes. The daughter of the little Owl, I heard you were in line to take over after your mother." Was that disdain in Hades' voice? "Strange to see you so far away from your mother or those she serves."
"I am my own person, My lord…" Annabeth said strained, "My mother, while a role model for me, does not command me."
"We shall see." Hades then turned to Percy. "And you?"
"Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, true heir to the house of seas." Hades' eyes widened.
"Poseidon…" Hades said. "True heir you say? Dangerous words, boy, very dangerous words, especially in times such as this."
Hades looked over everyone once more, before he sighed.
"Very well. Come, the hospitality of Underworld is yours."
They followed Hades into the great fortress, and Percy immediately noticed the change. While Underworld itself was sort of cold and grey, the fortress was warm, colourful with crimsons and purples, well-lit and welcoming.
He saw servants carrying cleaning supplies, plates, and food around, a few women gave him winks as he passed by, and in a circular room to one of the sides, five women talked amicably around a long table.
"The River sisters." Nico said as he noticed Percy staring at the girls. "Wouldn't get close to them to be honest, they may give blessings, but they take something in return. Styx is especially picky when it comes to vows."
"Noted." Percy said. He noticed one of them, one with fiery red hair, looking curiously at him as he walked by, however Percy was forced to remove his sight when Hades led them into what appeared to be the main hall of the Underworld.
The hall was huge, incredibly huge. It was empty for the most part, however they were clearly preparing for something as several tables were placed to the side, maps and papers were scattered, and in the centre of the room, four men talked amongst themselves.
One of them was the masked man Percy had already seen. Next to him, a tall, blonde, well-built man carrying a spear seemed to be the most conflicted of the four. A shorter man with a goatee and a long moustache was currently fiddling with what appeared to be a Kalimba, making odd sounds and whatnot, and finally, a boy with very similar features to Percy himself, tall, dark haired, and sharp features, was speaking intently to the other three.
Upon hearing Hades' cane, the four turned to them and gave a quick bow.
"Lord Hades." Not-Percy said.
"Zagreus, what is new?" Hades asked.
"The army has considerably grown in size, my lord, however it will be time before they can enter Underworld. A week, I suspect, if we do not do anything. I suggest we begin to make preparations in the Tunnel, perhaps a few traps to slow them down."
"No one knows that tunnel better than you, Orpheus, what do you say?" Hades asked the man fiddling with the Kalimba.
"I can collapse it. When I built it, I made it so that a few well-placed soundwaves tuned to a particular frequency could bring the whole thing down, however that would leave us stranded in here. Trapping the tunnel, while a good thought, would only achieve the same outcome."
"Achilles, is your group ready?"
"Yes, my lord, tonight I can take thirty good men and we can cause chaos in the Monster's camp." The well built man said.
"Do as you may." Hades then turned to Percy and the rest. "Thanatos, Achilles, Orpheus, Zagreus, these are Annabeth Chase of the House of Wisdom, and Perseus Jackson of the House of Seas, son of Poseidon."
"Son of the Earthshaker…" Achilles muttered. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Perseus, and you too, Annabeth Chase of the House of Wisdom."
"Welcome to Underworld." Zagreus said, "And to the House of the Dead. We apologize in advance for the mess, but we are currently preparing for a war."
"That is why we're here." Nico said. "Zag, good to see you."
"You too, little Lordling, you as well, my lady." The man bowed, "We could use all the help we can get."
"Percy, Annabeth, these four are the Four Horsemen of the Underworld. They are in charge of security, and are amongst the most powerful hunters alive."
"You flatter us, lady Bianca." Achilles said. "And Perseus, I would like to request a few moments of your time when you feel rested, I would really like to know what the Son of Poseidon has to offer in the battle department."
"Alright enough." Hades said, "Achilles, you march at dusk. Orpheus, Zagreus, I want you two on guard duty tonight, the Firstborn know that with the betrayal of the Furies we are spread thin. Thanatos, show the Lady Annabeth to her rooms and afterwards patrol the city. Kids, your mother should be happy to see you, she is in the Library. Perseus, a word."
The Horsemen bowed, and immediately left to do as told.
"Come along now, Annabeth Chase." Thanatos said in his quiet voice, and Annabeth reluctantly followed, not before giving Percy a look of horror.
Bianca gave Percy a peck and closed her hand on his.
"I'll be back later. Try not to shit yourself." She chuckled.
"Good luck." Nico patted Percy on the back as he left with his sister.
A few moments of silence passed between Hades and Percy, and the Lord of the House broke it with a tap of his cane.
"Was that a kiss that my daughter gave you?" Hades asked, his face serious.
"Um…yes Hade—LORD Hades…Lord Hades…" Percy said nervously. "We, uh…we are a couple."
"And whose permission did you ask to take my daughter?" Hades' voice was cold, and his Enlightment flared. Cracks appeared on the ground, his fingers grew grey, and his eyes became crimson.
He looked down at Percy, and Percy tried his best to hold his stare. He flared his own enlightenment, not because he wanted to challenge the lord, but because it was that or shitting himself.
Hades looked down on him in curiosity, and after a second, he exploded in laughter.
"HAHAHA!" Hades bellowed at the top of his lungs. "F-forgive me, I have always wanted to do that." Hades kept chuckling, and Percy gave an audible sigh of relief. "Bianca doesn't like that I am overprotective, but she is my heir after all. Neat little trick with your Enlightenment, not nearly as strong as Poseidon's but it is a good start. Now come, we must talk."
"A-about what?" Percy asked as he followed the Lord through a side door and into the rest of the fortress.
"Everything. What you are doing here, how you got to Olympus and…and your father. Now come, I fear this conversation is long overdue."
Another week, another two chapters down.
These two chapters were not very heavy, and there's three more left in Part II before the second set of interludes. Chapter 15 I wanted to introduce the idea of Iris travelling, which is a new method that i've been toying with in-world. Its not meant to be fully understood yet, but I liked how its explained enough so it works. It also gives us the first looks into Underworld, which I've been excited about for a while. When I was first writing this story, this was one of the scenes that I really wanted to write.
Underworld, New Rome, and Atlantis are meant to be mystical. They are not in the mortal world, but are not outside of it either. That is why they're only accessible through Iris travel. Also, Underworld will be very important in part III, as it is where the majority of the book will take place. It has several secrets that I'm excited to share with you, and I hope you're just as excited as I am about it.
Chapter 16 is mainly an introduction to Hades, and the Four Horsemen of the Underworld. As you can tell, they are OCs and substantially different from their counterparts in PJO. Thanatos is much more mysterious, Orpheus and Achilles are also present, and Zagreus is an OC inspired heavily, of course, by the videogame Hades. You will see lots of inspiration and references to that videogame in Underworld, so if you've not played it...what are you waiting for?
The Four Horsemen will be important, that I can say now, and I'm also really excited to show you how they work in groups. I have a thing for superpowerful character teams. Justice League, Avengers, Heralds in Stormlight Archive, Hokages, I don't know, just the idea of a power tier with characters who are supposed to be at the top of the ladder...I love it, and you'll see it a lot in my story. We already have the Pantheon, and the power tiers of Demigod and Hunters, and Thanatos and the Horsemen are definitely up there.
As for what's coming? Well, it appears that Hades has a long chat that he needs to have with Perseus, and I can say now that there will be a chapter from Annabeth's perspective too next week. I know a lot of people have been debating on the pairing, Percabeth vs Perianca, and I hope with next weeks chapter and the few hints I've left in this weeks chapters that you can start to have a better picture on the two love interests. I will say, Annabeth and Bianca are not the people you think they are, and it will be a long time before their entire characters are fleshed out.
Oh, also, before we begin with the heavy part of the story. NOBODY is truly evil, not exactly. Everyone is one or another shade of gray, doing things because they believe they are justified, or even things that may appear horrible but if you were in the same position you would also think of doing. Keep that in mind.
Thank you for following another week. Leave your review, a like and follow! I'm trying to get this story posted on AO3 too, so I hope that happens soon. Anyway, take care of each other, and as always, Happy Reading.
~CLM