Act II: Prophecy
Prologue
A hum left the goddess as she studied the pomegranate in her hand. The fruit normally grew in abundance here, but this one looked shriveled; like it lacked the support to keep itself nourished. The humming faded into a sigh, and she placed the pomegranate down.
"Persephone," a quiet voice greeted. The queen of the Underworld stood from the table in the middle of her garden. She turned to look at the cloaked figure in front of her. A faded Italian suit rested underneath it. He had not changed his suit in decades.
"Charon," Persephone said softly. "What do I owe the pleasure?"
"Our lord requests our presence," Charon replied. Persephone bowed her head once and followed Charon through the tangle of plants. Each one seemed to be drooping, and it only got worse as she left them behind. The flowers were dying. As were the gods.
The garden was left behind, and a large door led them into a hallway with a direct route to the throne room. There wasn't much in the throne room. Two skeletons guards, one bearing the arms and armor of ancient times stood on the right of the door. The one on the left was more modern with an assault rifle.
The lord of the dead sat on his throne, staring ahead at a fading image. Persephone focused her gaze on the projection as it flickered in and out. One could mistake it for the Iris messages they used before the goddess disappeared. Instead, Hades was projecting an image that he was pulling from the eyes of some animal, or human, that was dying.
"My lord," Charon began. Hades lifted one finger to point at the image. A crooked finger focused on a blonde girl. She stood next to a fire and spoke to the ancient teacher Chiron. Hades spoke in a soft voice, "Annabeth Chase: Daughter of Athena."
"Will Solace: Son of Apollo," Hades continued as he pointed to a blonde boy that was nervously stringing a bow. He sat next to the fire. The girl next to him was built like an ox, and Persephone didn't need her husband's introduction to know who she was a child of. "Clarisse La Rue: Daughter of Ares."
"Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano," Hades continued as he pointed at the girl sitting opposite Clarisse. Her gaze focused on the fire as she twirled a golden coin around in her fingers. That finger pointed to another girl, who was at the back of the crowd like she could hide herself. "Drew Tanaka: Daughter of Aphrodite."
"Luke Castellan," Hades continued. He fell silent, and his mouth pressed into a thin line. Persephone gently placed a hand to her husband's shoulder. "Son of Hermes."
As the throne room fell silent, Persephone exchanged a glance with Charon. It took a moment for Charon to clear his throat, "My lord, as you can tell, it seems as if they have returned the bust to the remains of Camp Half-Blood and have begun making plans to restore it completely. We can-"
"Perseus Jackson," Hades interrupted as his finger rested on the last demigod. The boy was running a hand through his black hair. His gaze turned toward the creature that was watching them. A small frown touched his face, and his sea green eyes seemed to narrow slightly. Then, he turned his gaze toward the others. "Son of Poseidon."
"They are preparing for another quest," Persephone supplied in a gentle voice. "We are keeping a close eye on them. As close as we can. It cannot last."
Persephone didn't agree with her husband's plan. She didn't agree with much that had been done since the other Olympians went dark. Persephone wanted to spend her six months out of the Underworld searching for her mother, but that time had gradually dwindled until she was kept almost as a captive down here, with no clue where her mother was.
"It must," Hades stated. He closed his eyes and waved a hand. The image disappeared. "We have worked too long for this all to fall apart now."
"We have," Persephone agreed. Her gaze moved back to where the image had been. She could still visualize the son of Poseidon. The child of the prophecy. Her eyes closed.
"Keep an eye on the demigods," Hades ordered, and it sounded as if he was speaking to one of his Furies. "I don't want another stunt like at the museum. Simply observe this time."
"And if the perfect opportunity arises?" Alecto questioned.
"The perfect opportunity," Hades repeated. He let out a deep breath. "You take it."
I'm very excited for this act. There are big things coming. I'll see you on Wednesday.