"Nico!" Persephone's cry echoed through the halls of the Underworld, a mix of relief and anguish as she rushed to her son's side. Her heart clenched at the sight of him lying motionless on the bed, a stark reminder of the brutality he had endured. "Oh, my poor boy, look what that beast did to you."
Despite the horror of his injuries, Nico appeared markedly improved from the last time Percy, Ethan, and Alabaster had seen him. His cuts had been tended to, his contusion healed, and a hint of color had returned to his cheeks. Yet he was a canvas of black and blue bruises. Persephone's trembling hands hovered over him, torn between the desire to comfort him and the fear of causing him further pain.
In the background, Makaria's eyes welled with tears, her heart breaking at the sight of her brother's suffering. Meanwhile, Melinoë seethed with barely contained fury, her rage threatening to boil over. Only Zagreus stood between her and a reckless journey to Olympus to confront Ares. Even he wore a somber expression as he regarded his younger brother, a mix of concern and helplessness etched onto his features.
Zagreus's frown deepened as he noticed a faint glow emanating from Nico, a shimmering aura warding off the shadows of the Underworld. It was a revelation that left him awestruck. "Apollo's blessing is at work," he murmured in disbelief, his voice tinged with reverence.
"It is," Harry confirmed, bowing respectfully to the royalty of the Underworld. "Alabaster did his best with my guidance, but he's no healer. Even after Mrs. Dodds gave him ambroisa, it was touch and go." He winced as Persephone's sobs grew louder, his own guilt weighing heavily upon him. "But Apollo's blessing intervened, completing what we couldn't. With time, Nico should recover fully."
As the room fell into an eerie silence, a chill descended upon them, signaling the arrival of Hades, the imposing King of the Underworld. His presence commanded respect, and all in the room instinctively bowed in deference. Persephone remained on her knees beside Nico's bedside, her tear-stained face turning towards her husband with a mixture of grief and fury.
"Look what they did to our son!" Persephone exclaimed, her voice trembling with emotion. "Make them pay!" Her words were laced with venom, voice hoarse by the depths of her anguish and rage.
Hades approached them with measured steps, his usually impassive expression betraying a hint of emotion as he gazed upon his injured son. With a tenderness that belied his fearsome reputation, he reached out to gently stroke Nico's hair, his touch a display of paternal affection. Leaning closer, Hades pressed a kiss to Nico's forehead, his lips brushing against the boy's brow in a gesture of comfort and reassurance. In a voice softened by love and sorrow, he whispered words of solace in Italian, his voice a soothing balm to Nico's troubled spirit.
"Do not worry, my boy," Hades murmured, his voice barely above a whisper as he spoke directly to his son. "I will avenge you." The promise hung in the air, a solemn vow to seek justice for the harm inflicted upon his beloved child.
As Hades straightened, his resolve hardened, his gaze steely as he turned towards the others in the room. His eyes burned with righteous fury, a silent warning to those responsible for Nico's suffering. In that moment, there was no doubt that the King of the Underworld would stop at nothing to ensure that justice was served and that those who had wronged his son would face the consequences of their actions.
As Hades melted into the shadows, an eerie darkness lingered in the air, a tangible reminder of his formidable presence. Nico's ghostly guardians found themselves kneeling in reverence, their spectral forms quivering with a mixture of awe and trepidation. Never before had they felt the raw intensity of their master's emotions so palpably, and it left them shaken to their ethereal cores.
Even Hades' children, accustomed to their father's authoritative demeanor, couldn't help but release a collective breath they hadn't realized they were holding. Hades had always carried himself with an air of unassailable sovereignty, a natural consequence of his status as the ruler of the Underworld. Yet, beneath his regal facade, there had always been a subtle undercurrent of familial warmth. After all, at the end everyone finds their home in the Underworld, one way or the other.
But now, in the aftermath of Nico's harrowing ordeal, Hades' presence seemed to surge with a newfound intensity, as though the very essence of Tartarus itself coursed through his veins. It showed clearly the depth of his love for his son and the fierce protectiveness he felt towards him. In that moment, it became abundantly clear to all who witnessed Hades' departure that he would stop at nothing to ensure justice for Nico.
As Hades' departure left a heavy silence in the air at the Underworld, the minor gods and muses at Olympus began to whisper among themselves, their voices carrying the weight of gossip and speculation.
"I heard Ares attacked Nico," murmured Hypnos, the God of Sleep, his voice tinged with disbelief. "He must be out of his mind to mess with Hades' favorite."
"Can you imagine the wrath of Hades?" chimed in Nemesis, the Goddess of Retribution, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. Her sons were good friends of the Ghost King and she had become fond of the boy. "He'll make Ares regret ever laying a hand on Nico."
"I bet Hades will come up with something truly diabolical," whispered Hecate, the Goddess of Magic, her expression darkening with intrigue. Ares had crossed a line that Nemesis will make sure he pays for. After all, it was Nico the one who saved her children Lou Ellen, Alabaster, and Harry. "A punishment that will haunt Ares for eternity."
On the other side of Olympus' grand gardens, the muses were gathered, as they giggled and gossiped to each other.
"I heard Ares thought he could get away with it," said Calliope, the muse of epic poetry, her tone tinged with amusement. "But Hades won't let this slide. He's got something special planned for that troublemaker."
"Perhaps he'll banish Ares to the darkest depths of Tartarus," suggested Terpsichore, the muse of dance, her eyes dancing with mischief. "That would certainly put him in his place."
"Or maybe he'll strip Ares of his powers and force him to live among mortals," added Polyhymnia, the muse of sacred poetry, her expression thoughtful. "It would serve him right for his arrogance."
As the whispers of the minor gods and muses filled the air, the tension in Olympus grew palpable, each one of them eagerly awaiting Hades' next move. For in that moment, the fate of Ares hung in the balance, and all eyes were fixed on the King of the Underworld as they waited to see how he would meet out justice for his beloved Ghost King.
Meanwhile, in the heart of Alaska's vast boreal forest, Artemis stood in her tent, her usually serene expression marred by a furrowed brow and a look of disbelief. Her brother, Apollo, stood in front of her, his usually radiant demeanor clouded with concern as he recounted the events that had recently unfolded.
"Ares did what?!" Artemis exclaimed, her voice tinged with incredulity. "Is he mad? Niccolo would never have gotten involved in the quest, as it was mandated by the Fates! All Ares managed was to ruin his plans, of which I will have a talk with him about, and pissed off our uncle in the process!"
Apollo nodded solemnly, his lips pressed into a thin line. "Indeed," he agreed, his gaze reflecting the gravity of the situation. "My blessing was all that kept Nico from suffering lingering effects. I am grateful that Hera urged me to bestow my blessing upon them."
Artemis sighed heavily, her frustration palpable in the air. "It's madness, Apollo," she muttered, her voice laced with exasperation. "Ares's actions have endangered not only Nico but the delicate balance between our uncles. Uncle Hades will want retribution, everyone with half a brain knows that he is our uncle's favorite child!" As the siblings exchanged worried glances, the gravity of the situation weighed heavily upon them. "Tartarus! I don't want to start with how furious our sister most certainly is! Ares will face the consequences of his reckless behavior, mark my words."
Apollo shook his head in disbelief, his eyes narrowing as he considered the gravity of Ares's actions. "You know, Artemis," he began, his voice tinged with frustration, "I always knew Ares had a loose screw, but this... this goes beyond anything I could have expected from him."
Artemis sighed in agreement, her brow furrowing as she contemplated the ramifications of Ares's recklessness. "Indeed, brother," she replied, her tone somber. "It's one thing for Ares to act impulsively, but to defy the fundamental rules of our pantheon? That's a whole new level of madness."
Apollo nodded in grim acknowledgment. "It's a rule every child of Zeus knows," he continued, his voice tinged with disappointment. "To not interfere in Underworld affairs or with Hades's family. Zeus always held his brother in the highest regard, and he made sure all his children followed suit."
Artemis nodded solemnly, her expression reflecting the weight of their conversation. "And none of us ever had any issue with that," she added, her tone tinged with regret. There very few males she held in high regard, her brother Apollo, her uncle Hades, Orion, and Nico were one of the few to make the list. "After all, we all adore our Uncle Hades. To see Ares disregard such a fundamental principle... it's unfathomable."
Artemis snapped her head towards her side, just in time for Reyna and Bianca to barge into the tent, their eyes wide with horror and fear. Normally, she would have scolded her huntresses for such blatant disrespect, but in this moment, she understood the urgency of their concern. They must have overheard the conversation and were now consumed with worry for Nico. After all, Bianca was Nico's older sister, and Reyna had become a sisterly figure to him over the years.
Sighing heavily, Artemis waved her hand in a graceful arc, casting a shimmering silver light that enveloped Reyna and Bianca. In an instant, they vanished from the tent, whisked away to the Underworld to ensure Nico's well-being. "Was that smart?" Apollo questioned, his brow furrowed with concern. "You usually encourage your huntresses to sever all ties with their mortal lives."
Artemis shrugged nonchalantly, her gaze fixed on the spot where Reyna and Bianca had stood moments before. "None of them have ties to the Underworld," she replied, her tone tinged with conviction. "And I know better than to come between Uncle Hades and his children. Unlike Ares, I'm not an idiot."
Apollo chuckled in agreement, his expression reflecting a mixture of amusement and apprehension. "True enough," he conceded, his voice tinged with resignation. "Let's just hope they can make it back in one piece. The Underworld is no place for mortal beings."
"Our sister will keep them safe and sound until her son recovers," Artemis replied. "Persephone has always been kind."
Apollo shook his head, golden eyes glowing in apprehension. "Though, I do not know how much kindness is left in her. First our father kills her mortal lover and now Ares tried to do the same with her mortal son… the Underworld has never been antagonized like this before."
"I know, I do not like it either," Artemis sighed. "But it's not like we can do anything about it."
"And we will all be dragged into this mess soon enough," Apollo agreed with an unamused scoff. "Soon enough, Percy and his friends will reach Olympus and bring father's bolt with them. When that happens a meeting with all the Olympians will be called in session."
"Uncle Poseidon will gloat and hype his son up, making sure to rub it on father's face that Perseus was no thief and he ended up saving father's precious bolt," Artemis continued, knowing very well how chaotic and dramatic their family could be.
"Then, Athena will make sure father keeps up his side of the bargain and give the demigods their recommendation letter for New Rome University," Apollo picked up for his sister.
The mood turned dark as the twins exchanged looks, speaking up as one. "Then Uncle Hades will make his displeasure know and Ares will pay."