CHAPTER 27: Curses

I will say it again! Amphitrite must never get close to the Seastone Chair, for she will sire someone with the gifts of a Titan, but also with the power of an Atlantean. If I was considered to be one of the most powerful Hunters alive, just think how devastating someone with not only my power, but the power of a Titan can be. Yet this is not all. For you see, the reason why the Atlanteans died off was during the Great War was because they were targeted by the Titans.

- Poseidon's Notes, Page 32, On the creation of Atlantis.

"They're late!" Bianca said, glaring at the rainbow that was open in front of her.

"They will come." Percy said, straining slightly under the weight of maintaining the water for so long. He sent Bianca a smile, one of those smiles, and Bianca blushed and felt heat rising within the chest, and lower stomach.

"Don't look at me like that…" she muttered, "We're supposed to be busy."

"Well, it doesn't seem like they're here." Percy winked, "No one would blame us if we have to…entertain each other for a few minutes?"

"The fact that I'm even considering it…" Bianca sighed, approaching Percy and placing a kiss on his cheek. "No sex until we know they're okay."

"What about a—"

"I will cut you off completely, Jackson."

"How dare you?!" Percy's expression was pained "You're a traitor, Bianca, we must—Oh look, here they come!"

Bianca chuckled as she noticed the shadows approaching the darkened rainbow.

"That's…more people than I expected…" Bianca tensed, reaching out to the knife behind her back. Percy nodded, and he reached out for his own sword. "Don't collapse the rainbow yet, it could be that my brother picked up a few stragglers…"

"Is that how you welcome us, dear Bianca?"

Nico came into existence from the shadows of the room, followed by a pale looking Annabeth who shuffled immediately towards one of the walls of the room.

"the sensory depravation…" Bianca would be lying if she said that Annabeth's unease gave her a tinge of satisfaction.

The shadows kept boiling, however, and three more figures appeared.

Bianca, of course, recognized all of them.

"Hermes! Persephone!" she smiled as she recognized the two, but paled immediately upon noticing the third person. "L-Lord Ares…"

Ares, however, didn't look at her. His dark red eyes, glowing with heat, were focused on the pale form of Percy Jackson.

He moved carefully, too carefully for a man his size and of his reputation, and stood in front of her boyfriend.

"Seaspawn." Ares said.

"Lord Ares." Bianca had never been prouder of Percy as he stood face to face with the man that, by all intents and purposes, would like to kill him.

"I heard what you did to my daughter, and let me tell you now. I have been prohibited by the council to take action against you, that is the only reason why you are not a shrimp skewer. You humiliated my house, and while I would often approve a fair fight, it wasn't fair." Ares placed a meaty finger on Percy's chest, but Percy didn't flinch. "You lost control, like an animal. You humiliated my house, not with your own skill, but with your lack of skill. Learn to use that power, channel it, dominate it, and Don't. Loose. Control! I promise you this, if I ever hear that something similar happened, something where someone could get hurt because of your inexperience and your imbecility, I will personally hunt you and put you down like the animal you are." Ares glared at him, and Bianca was impressed by how well he held back his anger. No doubt Hermes and Persephone had a conversation with the man, for he was acting decidedly…odd.

"If I ever put my friends in danger again because of my mistakes…" Percy said, "I will hand you the sword myself."

Ares' eyes glowed.

"That is a dangerous promise, boy, a very dangerous promise. Will you be strong enough to hold it, however?" Ares receded, walking past him and out of the room. "I can't let you go without punishment for what you did to my daughter, but I also can't kill you for it. So I will leave you with this." He snapped his fingers, and Percy grimaced as a sizzling sound was heard and a meaty smoky smell filled the room. Bianca's eyes widened in shock as a brand in the shape of a chain wrapped itself around Percy's sword arm.

"In the name of the Goddess of War, I, Ares of the House of War, invoke the Mark of Mars on Perseus Jackson. May his sword arm grant him strength in the wars to come, but may it fail him when it matters most. This is the curse I bestow upon you, until the debt of honour between our houses has been paid. May the firstborn seal this promise."

The sizzling stopped, and Ares left, leaving behind a shocked group.

"That was…" Persephone said, shocked.

"Surprisingly tame." Hermes muttered, and the hunters moved to Percy, who held his arm as it shook in pain.

"What was that?" he said, as Bianca took the arm into her hands. The chains were burnt into his skin, a starting on his wrist and going all the way down to his elbow, and it seemed to glow with a reddish glow. The skin was blackened, but also already healed, leaving behind a very ugly scar in the shape of a chain.

"That" Bianca said, barely containing her anger, "Is a declaration of war."

"Now, now, let's not be hasty…" Hermes said, taking the arm from her hands and pulling out a bottle of nectar from his back pocket. "Perseus Jackson, I presume? My name is Hermes, Lord of the House of Thieves, Seventh seat of the Olympians, and self-proclaimed best friend of your father." He sent him a wink.

"B-best friend of my father?"

"Well, Apollo would claim it was him, but we all knew old Barnacle liked me more than him. Although I admit Hephaestus has us both beat. The three of us were your old man's safe haven when he got tired of old deathbreath and thunderpants, which happened more often than you might imagine." He sent a wink to Bianca, and another to Nico. "Anyway, what Ares did…was unexpected. All Houses have a particular…curse that they can bestow upon the enemies of their house. Something that might seem a blessing at first value, but will always come back to bite you. It is considered…impolite to ask about them, and even more so to actually apply one. Last time a curse was bestowed was with the debacle between Zeus and Dionysus, but even then it was bestowed by the Lady Hera. Poor man can only enjoy actions that will not inhibit his own skills. He can drink as much as he wants but never get drunk, which is miserable for Dionysus'…condition." Persephone elbowed Hermes, and Hermes nodded. "But enough of that. I will be having words with Ares, this was not part of the plan. He was supposed to give you a stern talking to, not…do this. I'm sorry, Percy."

"W…will it stop hurting?"

"You will always feel it." Lady Persephone said, her eyes looking down sadly, "It will always be there to remind you. You will be stronger, and you will have that pain to thanks, but when the moment comes…"

"…but may it fail him when it matters most…" Percy muttered, and his eyes immediately went to Bianca.

She felt a chill run down her spine, but she didn't know if it was because of the implication behind Percy's eyes, or because of the sheer panic within them.

"It's going to be okay." Bianca said, kissing him, "You're strong. We will move past this."

"I…I thought…I knew I should've expected something…"

"Ares has been known to play dirty." Annabeth cut in, pity in her eyes as she stared at the brand. "I'm sorry. I should've seen he was planning something. He was too…calm."

"Not your fault, little owl, not more yours than mine, and Persephone here." Hermes sighed, "Well, there's nothing to be done anymore. Take that as a lesson, Percy. Always move forward, because the moment you stop to look back, your enemy has won. That's what makes a good thief." He winked.

"Let us go greet Deathbreath, I have a few things I must discuss with him."

"Will you be fighting, Lord Hermes?" Percy asked, still holding his arm but a bit more color returning to his face.

"Why, my dear boy, I've come for a party and will absolutely get one!"

—

Bianca's father leaned heavily on his cane as the group entered. He was looking over a large map of the city, a frustrated look on his face. Ares leaned against the wall, his arms folded and glaring at Percy, and Achilles, his eternal shadow, seemed to be purposefully putting himself between Hades and the Lord of War.

The other attendants of the room were Sisiphus, a large man of ashen grey hair with massive arms, Theseus, a cocky older man, and Radamanthus, a man not taller than five foot, with short arms, short legs, but a brilliant mind.

"Reinforce the west entrance." Hades said to Sisiphus, "begin pulling the troops towards the west, slowly. With luck, they will follow. Once they're at the gate, release the boulders. We will crush them at the retreat."

"It shall be done." Sisiphus said.

"Rhadamanthus, has everything been removed?"

"All items that have been deemed sensitive have either been destroyed, hidden, or moved to a different location. The library is clean, and so are the research rooms. Only Tartarus remains."

"With Charon dead we don't have access to Tartarus' filing room…" Hades let out a curse, "Try breaking in anyways. There are things in those files that will be incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands, information about some of the darkests of monsters that cannotmake it out. I worst comes to worst…"

"I understand, sire."

"Theseus…"

"I know, my lord. They will not know what hit them, after all, none of them can claim that they beat the great Achilles in a duel!"

"I had my arm tied and one of my eyes covered…" Achilles muttered.

"Can't hear you from the winner's side, old friend." Theseus grinned, bowed to Hades, and left the room with Rhadamanthus and Sisiphus. The three nodded to Hermes and Persephone, no doubt already aware of their presence thanks to Ares.

"Out of all people they send me you…" Hades sighed as he noticed Hermes and Persephone, however there was a tenseness to his voice.

Bianca was honestly not sure if that statement was sent towards Hermes or Persephone. She had heard…rumours about what had happened between Persephone and Hades, how they were supposed to be married, but things got complicated and Hades ended up getting their mother pregnant. They were never officially married, which irked the more traditionalists in the council, Demeter included. The marriage was called off, but the friendship between Hades and Persephone remained.

It was only recent, when talks about marriage began to resurface due to Persephone's…proclivities, that tension had begun between the two.

Bianca honestly missed Persephone, someone whom she viewed as the mother she never had, as Maria diAngelo had lost her life during childbirth. Nico was less close to her, seeing her as a replacement, his guilt for their mothers fate running deep in her brother.

As a response, Persephone merely sighed, while Hermes returned a wink.

"What do you know?" her father asked.

"As much as you, I think. These monsters are not human, yet they're humanoid. They have enlightenment, but only a pinch, not more than a child. They can't control it, rather it controls them, and they're increasing in size exponentially. Where they come from? No clue, but they are a problem." Hermes said as he began to pull out a small booklet, "Here's everything Athena and I managed to gleam after a day of scouting. We wanted to observe longer, but your little party interrupted us. We thought it best to throw our lot this way."

"Has the Council been informed?"

"Athena is on her way with a copy of that book." Hermes hesitated, "She seems to be under the impression that this crisis is…fabricated."

"Of course she is. It's her job to see the shadows that Zeus' bad eye can't see. She will take your words and call them treason if it will benefit her and Zeus." Hades sighed, "How are things in Olympus?"

"Tense." Hermes admitted, "You might not believe it, but our mutual acquaintance has suddenly come back in the form of a son that has sent waves through the city." Hermes eyed Percy, "It's bad Hades. The city is split between those who see Poseidon's return as a challenge to Zeus' rule and those who want to see him hanged."

Bianca tried to ignore how Percy seemed to shrink as they spoke about his father.

"That's…"

"Yeah, I know. I've tried to ask around, but no one know where it began." Hermes walked to the map of the city, eyeing it for a moment. "We're in confidence here, yes?"

"The people in this room are trustworthy." Hades said after eyeing everyone for a moment, "They all have their part to play."

"Athena believes this is not a coincidence. Masterbolt being stolen, Poseidon's ghost returning, Tartarus being broken in by someone skilled enough to get passed your security, and now…this?" Hermes stared at Hades, "You must see it too. Things are…strange."

"Has the masterbolt situation not gotten resolved?"

"My son has been working the case for a while, and even he admits to be finding a resistance to it. The trail led him here, to Underworld, which is exactly what Zeus wants to hear. The riots in New Rome are another challenge to his authority, and his only logical explanation is that you've allied with Poseidon, freed the prisoners of Tartarus, and started building an army that has turned on you. The worst of it? It makes sense. Every move, every action, it led almost every skeptical, including us, to exactly that conclusion. That's why we came, to see it with our own eyes, yet the moment we did we found traps built exactly to counter my speed, the earth was all burnt away so Demeter had to forcefully grow back some life, and a large number of monsters awaited us. Its almost as if…"

"As if they know our moves..." Hades said, slowly, and his eyes widened.

"What is it?" Hermes said, suddenly panicking. Bianca's own heart rate began to increase as a chill ran down her body. Percy reached out to her, grasping her hand, and she could feel Nico shuffling behind her.

"Who is in olympus? No, who was sent away from Olympus?"

"Uh, Artemis. She was sent on a mission by Zeus. Demeter stayed with Zeus, as did Hera."

"Let me guess, Apollo was locked in his room, Hephaestus in his workshop?" Hermes nodded, "Artemis is gone, so is Aphrodite I assume. Demeter is on a short leash, and so is Apollo and Hephaestus. Athena was sent with you, no doubt to keep an eye on you. Ares here came with…"

Her fathers' eyes widened, and they immediately locked on her and Percy's interlocked hands. Bianca then realized that it was the hand that was branded, and the look of absolute fury on her father's eyes sent a shiver of panic down her spine.

Hades turned, the temperature of the room dropping to freezing almost immediately. Frost began to cover the floor, starting from where Hades was standing, dark smoky tendrils began to grow from between her father's robes. His cane turned into a massive black blade, and he aimed it as Ares as chains of metal erupted from red cracks in the floor, screams and howls following them.

"You!" Hades said, walking to Ares, who seemed shocked. "YOU! You were sent here to kill me, weren't you?"

"Hades, I—" Hermes was stopped from moving as a spearhead stopped right on his neck. Achilles' face betrayed no emotion, but his eyes did. They shared her father's fury.

"WEREN'T YOU!"

"Yes." Ares admitted, and the temperature dropped even lower. Persephone gasped, and even Hermes paled at the revelation. Bianca felt Nico's fury as well, as she could see the shadows from the corners of her eye darken a shade or two.

Her own emotions were barely in check, admittedly, and the only reason why she wasn't loosing her cool was the years she spent not giving into her anger, and the shame of her power.

"My mission," Ares began, "Was to cripple the son of Poseidon, find out where Masterbolt was, and if possible take you and barnacle out."

"I should kill you, Ares, I should rip your house root and stem, you and your vassals. Tell me why I shouldn't curse your family and your allies, why should I allow your house to remain now that you've put yourself in my hands?"

"Because Zeus is wrong." Ares said, and that seemed to shock her father, for the grip on his sword slackened just as second, but enough for its tip to dip down. "I believed everything he said, that you were building an army, that you betrayed us. I fought those things, Hades, not even you're so twisted to create such evil. I've felt their lust for battle, their thirst, and its absolutely disgusting. Even if…those things exist, you're not stupid enough to use it. No…every moment I've spent in this cursed land has only furthered my resolve. This is bigger than yours or Zeus' squabble. This is a real war, and there's only two sides to it. Theirs, or ours. I fight for ours."

"So that's it? I let you go and you don't put a blade in my back? Perseus has been one of our greatest fighters, and you just crippled him! He will always go to battle with the knowledge that, when it matters most, he will die!"

"Heh, so you know the words…figures."

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Hades turned back to Hermes. "Don't you see what's happening? We've been played, Hermes! All of us! Zeus has locked away or kept close all those who supported Poseidon, and those he couldn't he sent on a suicide mission. I'm guessing you were to take out Hermes and Persephone to?"

"If they became a problem." Ares admitted, not an ounce of shame on his expression.

"He really is just an attack dog…" Bianca thought.

"The enemy knew you would be here. You specifically. Apollo is too smart and can smell a trap, Hephaestus may be quiet but even Ares would struggle with the unleashed anger of the Lord of Fire, and Demeter, while mostly impartial, is not someone you cross lightly. What a coincidence that with the flared chance that Poseidon has returned his closest friends have been kept busy. But he couldn't chain you, Hermes, of course not. You're too perceptive, and never did well in captivity, so…" Hades glared at no one, "Remove Apollo, Hephaestus, and Demeter, send you and Persephone here under the careful gaze of Ares and Athena, and all that's left are people who dance on Zeus' palm or those who hate Poseidon as much as Zeus!"

"Aphrodite—"

"Aphrodite has never forgiven Poseidon for not fucking her the night of graduation! He sent her running through the halls naked after she tried to hide in his room for gods sake! You think she's rational when it comes to him? He's the only man who ever told her no! Whatever she's been saying its an outright lie, no doubt to infiltrate whatever conspiracy was being built around the man!"

Hermes paled.

"I see you're starting to catch on. Zeus only has a handful of people he can really trust, and all of them will be busy securing his assets or working in his interest. Those who remain are those he doesn't trust!"

"But what does it all mean? What does—"

The shadows rose, and Thanatos appeared.

"My lord, we have a—"

"You need to close the walls. Call everyone back! We've been had!"

"My lord, there is a —"

BOOM!

The land shook, more than it ever had, and a horrible cracking sound reached her ears.

"Gods protect us…" she heard her father muttered before he ran towards the balcony. Soon, everyone else except Ares, who was still chained to the wall, followed.

The horizon was chaos. Thousands of monsters flood the fields from a giant gash into the wall of the cave that surrounded Underworld. The monsters already inside seemed to be invigorated, fighting back with a ferocity that was actually sickening.

"Oh gods…" she heard Annabeth mutter, the only one who was not shocked silent.

"Who are they?" Persephone asked, pointing towards a trio of figures walking behind all the monsters. They were tall, very tall, and a wave of fear washed over Bianca as she recognized the strange armour they wore.

"Those," Hades said, his eyes glowing red with power, "are titans."