Juliette never realized how much she loves to talk.
Talking is fun. Talking. Singing. Humming. Even screaming would be nice right about now.
She settles for whistling.
"You know, I thought getting your voice stolen would make you quieter." Nico hisses.
Julie grins at him and takes in a breath to continue. She is rudely interrupted when he yanks her into an alcove. Nico glares at her and peeks around the corner. Three skeletal guards come marching past through the hallway of the palace. They disappear into the throne room, and Nico's shoulders slump in relief.
"We need to get to the gardens," He whispers. "I can't convince him to help if he's leveraging my mom against me. I think it's time I summon her and get answers for myself."
His face is grim and gaunt in the pale green light of the Greek fire torches. Juliette shudders at his resemblance to Hades in this moment. She nods at him, and he grabs the sleeve of Percy's jacket to pull her down the hallway in the opposite direction of the guards.
They pass a random buffet table and Nico swipes a goblet of wine and plate of cheese without breaking pace. Julie crooks an eyebrow at him.
"For the summons." He explains.
Juliette shrugs and continues following him into the warm humidity of the gardens. She tries to get her war face on. Whatever they're about to learn needs to be a game changer. They can't win this war without Hades, and the two of them are Olympus' only chance at getting his help. They cannot screw this up.
"For gods sakes, would you stop whistling?!"
There's a moment of complete stillness as the face of the Oracle dissipates into mist.
Juliette tries to find her thoughts. Her eyes flit to Nico.
He's paler than she's ever seen. His shoulders tremble as he falls to his knees on the damp grass.
"And just what," A cold voice barks. Juliette jumps and looks up to find Hades before them, a murderous glint in his eye. "Do you think you are doing?"
Shadows erupt throughout the garden. Juliette throws herself down over Nico to shield him as pockets of earth explode around them. Gems combust and shower them with shards of ruby and sapphire. Nico feels cold in her arms. He hasn't stopped trembling.
When Hades' tantrum is finished and stillness returns to the garden, Juliette looks up to meet those pitch black eyes. There is pure fury within them.
"I forbade you from summoning Maria," He snarls. Nico looks at him hollowly. "You have spat on my will. You have expressly disobeyed me." Hades approaches swiftly, his robes billowing out behind him. Nico just stares. "I should be rid of you right now. Give me one good reason not to blast you into oblivion!"
Juliette could give him twenty, but she's still unable to speak. She looks to Nico desperately.
He's studying his father like it's the first time he's ever seen him. His fingers trace shallow divots in the soil between his knees as he takes in the god's face.
"She was beautiful." Nico breathes.
Hades reels back as if he'd been struck.
The two of them are silent for a very long time, just staring at one another like their entire universes have been flipped around. Like nothing at all and everything makes sense all at once. Like they're meeting for the very first time.
Juliette feels like an intruder on an important moment. For the first time, she's glad to be without her voice.
When Nico finally speaks, his voice carries through the garden as if he's shouting. "You loved her?" He whispers.
Hades' face contorts. A guttural, soul crushing grief manifests in his eyes. He lets out a shuddering breath.
"Desperately." He chokes.
A smile warms on Nico's face - the first Juliette has seen since that terrible day two years ago. To her surprise, moments later, it's mirrored on his father's.
"I'm sorry that I disobeyed you," Nico says softly. Hades' demeaner grows weaker with every word his son breathes. "I just had to know."
The god nods and drops his eyes to the pit between them. If Juliette didn't know better, she'd almost say he looked...shy. "Maria was curious by nature." He glances at Nico. "You're a lot like her. More than your sister was."
Nico nods and chuckles. "Bianca always said I asked too many questions."
A very ungodly snort escapes Hades. He leans back nostalgically. "You certainly did. But, your mother would always answer them." Hades sighs in consideration. "Perhaps, I could learn a thing or two from her memory."
Juliette fails to catch herself before nodding. Nico elbows her sharply.
Not fair. She can't even complain.
"Father," Nico's tone changes, and Julie remembers why they're here. "We need your help to win this war."
The moment is over. Hades shakes his head dismissively and starts to turn around. "No, Nico. We aren't having this conversation again."
The god stalks back towards where Persephone and Demeter are lounging at a picnic table at the far end of the gardens. Nico and Juliette chase after him.
"You have to!" Nico insists.
Hades rolls his eyes. "I don't have to do anything. I'm a god."
Persephone and Demeter look up, take in the situation, sigh in annoyance, and go back to boredly fidgeting and transforming things into flowers. Fair enough.
"Father!" Nico pleads. "If Olympus falls, your own palace's safety won't matter. You'll fade too."
"I am not an Olympian." Hades spits. "My family has made that quite clear."
"You are!" Nico yells. He looks desperate, fearful. It strikes Julie now that he is pleading with his father to save his own life. "Whether you like it or not."
Hades turns and surveys his son's desperation. That softness seeps back into his gaze. His next words come out gentler. "You saw what they did to your mother," He whispers painfully. Nico visibly bites back tears. "Zeus killed her. And you would have me help them? They deserve what they get."
Persephone groans irritably from the table, absently turning the silverware into roses. "Can we please not discuss that woman?"
"You know what would help this boy?" Demeter muses. "Farming."
"Mother-"
"Six months behind a plow. Excellent character building-"
Juliette scrunches her face in bewilderment. Gods are insane.
"My mother understood family!" Nico argues. He places himself in Hades' path. "That's why she didn't want to leave us. You can't just abandon your family because they did something bad. You've done horrible things to them too!"
"Maria died!"
"You can't just cut yourself off from the other gods!"
"Really? I've done very well at it for thousands of years."
"And has that made you feel any better?" Nico snaps.
Hades goes silent. His palms fill with black fire, and Julie's heart leaps into her throat. Nico doesn't move, though. He just glares at his father defiantly.
"Go ahead," Nico challenges. "Blast me. That's just what the other gods would expect from you. Prove them right."
Hades' eyes blaze.
"Yes, please," Demeter tuts. "Shut him up."
Persephone sighs and pokes at the leaves of a nearby fern. "Oh, I dunno. I would rather fight in the war than eat another bowl of cereal. This is boring."
Hades howls an enraged roar and slings his fireballs at a silver tree beside Nico. Juliette releases a silent scream and covers her mouth as it melts into a metallic puddle at her friend's feet.
Shaking, Julie steps forward until she's standing beside the god of the Underworld. She taps his arm hesitantly, and he whirls on her. She has to plant her feet to keep from fleeing in fright.
Steeling her nerves, Juliette raises a hand to tap against her throat, meeting his eyes pleadingly. Hades looks annoyed at first, but the earnestness in her face must intrigue him because he sighs and snaps his fingers a moment later.
Emotions bombard Juliette's senses. The intensity of them sends her stumbling backwards in shock. Her head spins, and she has to blink away the bursts of color that explode in her vision before she is able to find her voice to speak.
"Lord Hades," The words come out scratchy from disuse. He raises his eyebrows at her.
Gods, how does she phrase this? How does she get across just how much she understands his years of resentment? How does she convince him that this is worth doing regardless?
"I hate my mother." She blurts.
Hades blinks at her. Juliette panics.
"That came out strange. Ugh, I swear I had this planned out in my head." Julie mumbles. The god stares at her blankly. "Okay, let me start over." Juliette clears her throat and glances at Nico. He looks like he's five seconds from tackling her before she ruins all his hard work.
"What I mean to say is, I've spent my whole life being hated for what I am. I've always been an outsider. Since literally before I was even born." Julie explains. "Even in my own cabin with people who are supposed to love me unconditionally, I was the odd man out. I've never had a family," Her eyes find Nico again. "Not by blood anyway."
Hades seems to understand where she's going with this now. He sighs and rakes a hand down his face.
"I have one now." She states. He starts to shake his head at her, beginning to walk away again. Nico blocks his path. "And, everything that they care about is at risk. So, yeah, I freaking hate my mother. I hate Zeus. I even hate Poseidon sometimes. I really, truly do not give a shit if the Olympians live or die. But, I do care about Nico."
Hades stops and closes his eyes against her words.
"I care about Percy. And my new parents. And my siblings, even if they don't care about me. I know you love Persephone-"
Demeter scoffs.
"What do you think the upper world is going to look like if the Olympians fall?" She questions. Hades frowns down at her. "Between Kronos and Oceanus? You think there's gonna be open land for nature to grow? You think there's gonna be people left to build farms?"
Demeter and Persephone look over in concern.
"Kronos will wipe out everything the people you love care about. I understand that you don't want to help your brothers. I wouldn't either." Julie's voice drops to a pleading whisper. "But, if you sacrifice the world because of the bad things they did, you'll lose the good along with it. Don't let Olympus take anything else from you."
Finished, Juliette drops her arms and takes a step back. Nico stops blocking his father's way, coming to stand beside her in silent support. Hades looks them over. His eyes linger painfully long on his son's wide brown eyes.
A sigh tears through him.
"Alecto!" He shouts. Nico and Julie tense, glancing at each other warily. Hades ignores them as the Fury enters the gardens. "Gather the troops." He orders.
Nico and Juliette deflate with relief.
"Juliette, dear," Persephone calls. Nico and Julie turn from where they're following quickly after Hades towards the army he's gathered. They're both decked out in plate armor, Nico in stygian iron, and Julie celestial bronze, Nico's sword drawn, and Julie's quiver packed full. Persephone glides up to them with a sly smile and peers down at the female demigod. "I need a word before you go."
Juliette glances at Nico, who shrugs. "Um, okay."
Persephone waves Nico off, and he hesitantly continues after his father. Once they're alone, the goddess smirks, and Julie tenses.
"I want to take a peek at that tether of yours." Persephone chirps, extending a palm out towards Juliette. "After all, if you die today, this'll be my only chance."
Before Julie can respond, Persephone's hand glows a bright white and her vision goes blank.
Juliette's eyes flutter open, and she's standing in a golden palace.
The hall is buzzing with nervous conversation. Voices echo from the domed ceiling as soldiers mill about. At least a hundred demigods stand before her, all in armor and clutching various weapons made of gold. Familiar tattoos boldly mark the few forearms she sees exposed. They all carry symbols of the gods above differing numbers of hash marks.
"You're here," A voice says behind her. Juliette turns quickly. Soldier Boy takes her in with pained relief. His eyes remind her of clear summer skies. "I wasn't sure I'd get to see you again before..." He trails off and gestures with his sword.
Julie swallows thickly. "Yeah. Me neither."
He lets out a puff of air from his nose. Neither of them seem capable of pulling their eyes from the other's.
"Are you about to go into battle?" She asks hoarsely.
He nods. "Yeah. You?"
She nods back.
He smiles a little bitterly, but his voice comes out teasing. "You think we're gonna die today?" He asks.
Julie forces a smile. "Maybe." She chuckles. "Meet you by the gates of Elysium, if we do?"
"It's a date." He grins.
His eyes turn more anxious, and he steps closer to her. His right hand is gripping his sword, so he reaches out with his left and brushes his fingertips through the shimmering surface of her cheek. Juliette closes her eyes.
"I want to see you." She whispers. When she looks back at him, his frown is a bit confused. "For real, I mean."
He nods in understanding. "When this is over," He vows, dropping his hand back by his side. "I'm going to find you."
Tears spring to Julie's eyes. "Okay." She breathes.
Tingles start in her extremities, and she knows the vision is about to end. She leans forward urgently. Julie knows he won't be able to hear her, but she blurts it out anyway.
"My name is Juliette Aster," She tells him urgently. His eyes widen, and her heart stutters. Did that work? "I live at East 104th and 1st Manhattan, New York, and if I live through today, I'll be going to Goode High School."
Her voice comes out frantic, at a pace she can barely understand herself, but he hangs on every word.
"Find me." She begs. Through her tears, she sees him nod resolutely.
"I'll find you." He steps forward so their noses almost phase through each other. "I swear on the Styx that I will find you."
Juliette laughs through a sob. Soldier Boy gives her one final smile. "Stay alive, Juliette." He whispers.
Her name has never sounded so beautiful.
When Juliette comes back to herself, Persephone has her hands clutched to her chest.
"That was the most adorable thing I have ever witnessed." She coos.
Juliette lowers to her knees, tears streaming down her face. Her legs are shaking from adrenaline, and she's half certain she's going to drop dead from the pain stinging in her chest. She lets out a breathless sob.
Persephone tuts above her. "Oh, calm down, child. I always forget how dramatic mortals are." The goddess rolls her eyes and reaches out to Julie. She taps a finger on the girl's head and strength rushes through her. Juliette's tears dry, and her body stops shaking. "Now, I'm satisfied, so I suppose we should go rejoin my husband. We have a war to fight!"
The goddess sweeps down the hallway. Juliette sits stunned for a moment longer before rising to her feet and following after her. She meets Nico's eyes as she reaches the war party, and he frowns in concern. She waves him off, pushing down painful thoughts of blue eyes and gentle hands, and frowns up at Hades.
"We're not about to get teleported into the middle of a super weather monster, are we?" She asks worriedly.
He scoffs. "And help my brothers? Pfft! Those idiots can fend for themselves. We'll go straight to Olympus." Hades smirks.
Juliette sighs in relief and readies her bow. It's a bit cracked from her fight with Alecto, the frame spattered with charred black dots where her blood spilled on it during the flight to the palace. Hades laughs loudly at the sight of it.
"What in Olympus is that?" He snorts.
"Father!"
Juliette glares at him. "Well, Your Majesty, it's called a bow. You see, it's got a little string here that you pull, and-"
"-For the love of Rhea, stop speaking." Hades interrupts. He waves his hand, and Juliette's rough camp-issued bow is replaced by a shimmering silvery blue work of art. It's cold to the touch, the frame carved with images of lamenting souls and scenes of death. It sparkles delicately when the light of the torches hits it, its recurves narrowing into deadly looking points. Juliette's hands fit perfectly around its middle, and she thinks it's the most beautiful weapon she's ever seen.
"I-you-thank-"
"Stygian ice. Light, but enchanted for extra durability. Put it to good use." Hades orders flatly, turning away to take the reins of his chariot. He doesn't glance at her again, but Juliette thinks she can pick up the vaguest undertone of gratitude in his terse words.
Nico grins at her, looking so close to that little boy who gifted her her first Mythomagic set, and holds out his hand to help her onto Mrs. O'Leary. "You ready?" He asks.
She climbs up and smirks at him. "Lets kick some names."
Juliette thinks their entrance is pretty cool.
Percy and Annabeth are staring Kronos down, weapons drawn, panting and looking very much like they're about to epically lose their fight, when Mrs. O'Leary lets out a mighty howl and all eyes turn to watch her and Nico approach. The two of them leap off the hellhound's back and stride forward. Together, their auras are enough to part the enemy forces like the Red Sea.
It's all very cinematic.
"Nico? Jules?" Percy gasps in awe.
Nico smirks from under his skull shaped helmet. "Got your message. Is it too late to join the party?"
Luke-no. Kronos roars in frustration and spits at their feet. "Son of Hades. Daughter of Anguish. Do you love death so much you both wish to experience it?"
"Your death," Nico replies. "Would be great for me."
Juliette snorts.
"I'm immortal, you fool!" Lu-Kronos laughs. "I have escaped Tartarus! You have no business here, and no chance to live."
Julie hums at him like he's a small child. "Really?" She draws an arrow with a grin. "Good thing our army's already dead, I guess."
At that signal, the pavement quakes violently. Cracks and fissures open up on buildings and rubble starts to rain down on the enemy forces. Thousands of skeletal hands crack through the concrete of Manhattan, pulling the ground apart in their wake like it's wet tissue paper.
A ripple of unease passes through the monsters, and Kronos snaps around. "HOLD YOUR GROUND!" He demands. He turns back to look Nico in the eye. "The dead are no match for us." He hisses.
Right on cue, Hades' war horn blares down the road. The undead soldiers around them part to form a passageway as an enormous obsidian chariot comes barreling down the street. Hades, Persephone, and Demeter all stand at its head, decked out in full Greek-style armor. Hades' helm of darkness sends pulses of terror as he arrives that make the front lines of Kronos' army shift backwards nervously. Juliette basks in it, feeling the fear heighten her senses like a steroid.
"Hello, father," Hades greets Kronos casually. He looks the Titan up and down. "You're looking...young."
"Hades," Kronos growls. "I hope you and the ladies have come to swear your allegiance."
"I'm afraid not," Hades sighs. "My son here and his little girlfriend-"
"I'm not his-"
"She's not my-"
"Have convinced me that perhaps I should prioritize my list of enemies." Hades pauses to send an unnecessary glance of disgust at Percy. "As much as I dislike certain upstart demigods, it would not do for Olympus to fall. I would miss bickering with my siblings," Hades' eyes flick to Juliette, who grins at him proudly. "And, if there is one thing we agree on - it's that you were a terrible father."
"True," Demeter mutters, menacingly sharpening her pitchfork. "No appreciation for agriculture."
"Mother!" Persephone sighs in exasperation.
Hades draws his sword, phasing through the front of the chariot to stand towering over Kronos. "Now, fight me! For today, the House of Hades shall be called the Saviors of Olympus!"
The undead army shrieks out garbled cheers that make Juliette laugh in terrified anticipation.
Kronos shakes his head. "I don't have time for this."
Before anyone can react, he slams his scythe into the pavement. The strike cleaves the street in two and a wall of angry purple energy erupts from it, encircling the Empire State Building and blocking both armies from Olympus' gates.
"NO!" Juliette shrieks, running up to bang her fists on the wall. Percy looks at her from the other side, saying something to Clarisse that the garbles of the dead prevent her from hearing.
"ATTACK!"
The sounds of battle ring out as the two armies collide behind her. Percy meets her eyes long enough to point frantically to her right. She turns to follow his indication and complete terror grips her.
The mortals Juliette had previously assumed to be dead or unconscious are waking up, looking around dazedly at images their brains can't comprehend. The monsters set their sights on them, and Hades wails out a roar as more undead rise to defend the Misted humans. But, that's not what Percy is pointing to.
Paul and Sally are climbing out of a dented blue Prius 100 yards away. And there's a sea of monsters between them.
"GO!" Julie hears Percy scream through the wall.
She takes off like a shot, firing arrows with more speed than she knew she was capable of. Her new weapon draws like it's made of air, firing with such force that her bronze-tipped missiles pass clean through monsters and imbed themselves into more enemies behind them. She can see Nico slashing through enemies beside her, dust already coating his black hair into a sandy brown. Together, they fight their way to Sally and Paul's aid.
Julie watches in amazement as Paul, even Misted, plucks a bronze sword off a fallen demigod and slices through a dracaena.
He is getting the best Father's Day gift next year.
Then, her heart stops as she watches a Laistrygonian giant take notice of Sally's form where she's rummaging through a police car. Horror shoots through every cell of her body. The giant charges the woman, plowing through anything in its way. Juliette slings her bow over her shoulder and launches herself into a transformation.
Even bigger, flapping her wings out to part the enemy forces in front of her, she's not going to make it in time.
Julie sees Percy yell a warning from the other side of the barrier, looking on helplessly. But, they clearly underestimated the sheer force of nature that is Sally Jackson. The woman whips around with a shotgun in her hands and fires, knocking the Laistrygonian right into Juliette's waiting jaws. She clamps her fangs down on the monster and rears back, shaking it like roadkill until nothing is left but a mouthful of golden dust.
Percy laughs through the barrier. "When did you learn to fire a shotgun?!"
"About two seconds ago," Sally blows the hair out of her face and stares up at Julie's monstrous form, not a hint of fear in her eyes. "Juliette? That you, honey?"
Julie nuzzles her enormous head against her stepmother, making her stumble back with a surprised laugh, and returns to smashing and chomping any monsters that get close.
Nico fights by her side, occasionally sending enemies flying at her to catch and finish off with a bite or slash of her talons. They work well together, and the exhilaration of battle, the fear and pain that belongs to her enemies rather than friends for once, makes Juliette feel lighter than she has in years. She soaks in their suffering. It heals her wounds as fast as they're formed. It recharges her reserves so quickly that every movement and strike feels supercharged. For once, Juliette allows herself to relish in it - this power that's helping her protect her family. And, she can feel the son of Hades do the same.
Side by side, back to back, she and Nico embrace their darkness.