The Prince of the Underworld

by kurenohikari

Being on the run from monsters was not something Nico had been expecting to do in his life. For all his love for Mythomagik, Nico had never believed the cards to be based on real life events. Who would ever expect myths to be real? It was madness! What made everything worse was the fact that Nico was following four ghosts. Nico was sure he was losing his mind.

43. ACT IV – PART VIII

Back on the quest, things had settled into a tenuous peace, though that might've been more due to Annabeth's ongoing silent treatment of Thalia than anything else. It wasn't like Annabeth to hold a grudge, but after what happened with the Gorgons, she couldn't just let it go. And honestly? The silence seemed to be doing wonders for keeping Thalia in check. Without Annabeth to spar with, Thalia had no choice but to keep her focus on the mission and, more importantly, to stop picking fights with Zoe.

The group had managed to make steady progress, trekking through treacherous terrain and fending off the occasional monster attack with a level of teamwork that might've been impressive under different circumstances. They were finally nearing their destination—the mountain that bore the weight of the sky. The air was getting thinner, the temperature colder, and the atmosphere tenser with every step they took.

Zoe, ever the strategist, had decided that going through the caves beneath the mountain was their best bet. "It'll allow us to bypass Ladon's lair," she explained, her tone leaving no room for argument. "We can avoid an unnecessary battle and save our strength for what's to come."

Thalia, to everyone's surprise, didn't argue. She just nodded, her face set in a determined expression that showed she was fully focused on the mission. Annabeth noticed, though she still wasn't speaking to Thalia. She wasn't about to praise her for doing what she should have been doing all along.

They continued up a narrow mountain path, the rocks beneath their feet loose and treacherous. Every step felt like it could be their last if they weren't careful. The wind howled around them, carrying with it the faintest scent of sulfur, a reminder of the volcanic activity deep beneath the earth. The path led them to the entrance of the caves, dark and foreboding, with the faintest glimmer of light coming from within.

"This is it," Zoe said, peering into the darkness. "Stay close. We don't know what might be waiting for us inside."

They descended into the cave, the air growing colder and damper the deeper they went. The walls were lined with strange, glowing crystals that cast an eerie light over everything, making their shadows dance in unsettling ways. The deeper they went, the more oppressive the atmosphere became, as if the weight of the sky above them was pressing down on their shoulders.

Annabeth, Bianca, and Reyna stayed close together, their eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of danger. Zoe led the way, her hand on the hilt of her sword, ready for anything. Thalia was just behind her, her spear at the ready, her expression as hard as the stone around them.

They'd been walking for what felt like hours when the ground suddenly shifted beneath them. There was a low rumble, like distant thunder, and the ground cracked open beneath their feet. Annabeth barely had time to shout a warning before the floor gave way entirely, and they were all falling.

"Look out!" Thalia shouted, but it was too late. The ground split into two distinct sections, swallowing the group into separate chasms.

Zoe and Thalia plunged through one gaping hole, while Annabeth, Bianca, and Reyna fell through another. The world spun around Annabeth as she tumbled through the darkness, the wind rushing past her ears, her heart hammering in her chest. She reached out, trying to grab hold of something—anything—to stop her fall, but her fingers met only empty air.

With a bone-jarring thud, Annabeth hit the ground, knocking the wind out of her. She lay there for a moment, dazed and gasping for breath, before rolling onto her side to take in her surroundings. It was pitch black, the only light coming from the faint glow of the crystals embedded in the walls. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and the faint, metallic tang of minerals.

"Annabeth?" Bianca's voice cut through the darkness, her tone laced with worry. "Are you okay?"

Annabeth coughed, forcing herself to sit up. "I'm okay," she managed, her voice shaky. "Reyna? Are you there?"

"Here," Reyna replied, her voice steady but tense. "We're all in one piece, but where's Thalia and Zoe?"

Annabeth's heart sank. The group had been divided, and now Thalia and Zoe were on their own. And if there was one thing Annabeth had learned from their journey so far, it was that those two being alone together was not a good idea.

"We need to find them," Annabeth said, struggling to her feet. Her muscles ached from the fall, but there was no time to rest. "They could be in danger."

Bianca nodded, already rising to her feet and dusting off her clothes. "Let's go. The sooner we're back together, the better."

As they moved forward, Annabeth noticed something strange about the walls of the cave. The stone was shifting, almost as if it were alive. Before she could fully process what she was seeing, the walls themselves began to move, reshaping and forming into figures—massive, hulking stone golems, their eyes glowing with an unnatural light.

"Of course," Annabeth muttered, her heart sinking as the golems began to advance on them. "Why would anything be easy?"

The stone golems moved with surprising speed, their massive forms creating tremors with every step. They lifted their arms, and with a rumbling groan, the ground beneath Annabeth, Bianca, and Reyna began to split open again, threatening to swallow them whole.

"Scatter!" Reyna shouted, shoving Bianca out of the way as the ground opened up beneath them. Annabeth leaped to the side just in time, narrowly avoiding being swallowed by the earth.

They needed to find a way out of here, but with the golems manipulating the ground itself, it was nearly impossible to stay on solid footing. The walls seemed to be closing in, and every time they tried to move forward, the golems would shift the ground, sending them tumbling back.

"Annabeth, what do we do?" Bianca's voice was tight with fear, but she was holding it together.

Annabeth's mind raced, searching for a solution. The golems were clearly guarding something, probably an exit, but getting past them was going to be a nightmare. They couldn't fight them head-on—these things were made of solid stone, and every hit they took seemed to do nothing but make them angrier.

But maybe... maybe they didn't need to fight them. Maybe they just needed to outsmart them.

"Keep moving!" Annabeth ordered, her eyes scanning the cave for any potential weaknesses. "We need to make them work for it. Spread out but stay within sight of each other. We'll lure them into one place and then make a run for it."

Reyna and Bianca didn't hesitate, immediately following her lead. They spread out, moving in a zigzag pattern to keep the golems guessing. The ground shifted beneath them, but they adapted quickly, using the golems' own movements against them.

The golems lumbered after them, clearly confused by the sudden change in tactics. As they struggled to keep up with the demigods' erratic movements, the ground stopped shifting as much, giving Annabeth the opening she needed.

"There!" Annabeth shouted, pointing to a narrow passageway on the other side of the cave. "That might be our way out!"

The three of them bolted toward the passageway, the golems hot on their heels. The ground rumbled beneath them, but they didn't stop. They reached the passageway just as the golems closed in, the walls of the cave shaking with their approach.

Annabeth dove through the passageway, followed closely by Bianca and Reyna. They barely made it through before the golems slammed into the walls, sealing the passage behind them with a deafening crash.

Panting and out of breath, the three of them leaned against the wall, trying to catch their breath. The passageway was narrow, the air cold and damp, but at least they were safe for the moment.

"Remind me to never doubt your instincts," Reyna said, her voice a mix of relief and admiration.

Annabeth managed a shaky smile. "Let's just hope Thalia and Zoe made it through their own mess."

Bianca nodded, though her eyes were still wide with concern. "We need to find them, fast. We don't know what else is waiting for us in here."

Annabeth couldn't agree more. They might have escaped the golems, but this was just one part of the mountain. There were still plenty of dangers lurking in the shadows, and they needed to find Thalia and Zoe before anything else went wrong.

Meanwhile, Zoe and Thalia landed with a heavy thud in a deeper part of the cave. The only light in the vast, shadowy cavern came from the sporadic sparks of lightning dancing across Thalia's fingertips, casting eerie, flickering shadows on the jagged walls around them. It was silent for a moment—just the two of them, surrounded by the suffocating darkness.

But silence wasn't something that could last between Thalia and Zoe. Not with everything that had been simmering between them.

"This is all your fault," Thalia snapped, pushing herself up from the ground, her voice sharp and biting. "If you hadn't insisted on taking this stupid cave route, we wouldn't have been split up! We should have just gone through Ladon's lair like I suggested!"

Zoe, still brushing off the dirt from her fall, shot her a glare. "You think facing Ladon would've been any easier? Do you really believe charging headfirst into danger is always the best plan, Thalia? For once, can you stop acting like a stubborn child and think?"

"Stubborn?" Thalia echoed, her voice rising in pitch as she turned on Zoe, eyes flashing with a mix of anger and hurt. "You're the one who can't let go of the past! You're the one who's always acting like you're better than everyone else, just because you've been around longer! We could've handled Ladon, but no, you had to be all high and mighty, thinking your way is the only way that works!"

Zoe narrowed her eyes, her jaw tightening as she faced off with Thalia. "I'm trying to keep us alive, Thalia! But you—"

"Don't you dare lecture me about staying alive!" Thalia cut her off, her voice cracking slightly, betraying the turmoil that had been building inside her. "Do you think I don't know how to survive? I've been doing it since I was a kid, just like you! But I'm not going to sit here and listen to you talk down to me, like you've got all the answers!"

"Maybe if you'd listened to me earlier—" Zoe started, but Thalia wasn't done.

"That's the problem, Zoe!" Thalia shouted, her frustration boiling over. "You're always right, aren't you? You were right about Luke, right about the Hunt, right about everything! And you just love reminding me of how wrong I've been, don't you?"

Zoe's retort died on her lips as she took in the raw emotion in Thalia's voice. She opened her mouth to speak, but Thalia wasn't finished. Years of pent-up guilt and regret came pouring out of her in a rush.

"You were right, Zoe," Thalia said, her voice trembling. "Luke betrayed us. He betrayed me. And I should've seen it coming. I should've listened to you when you warned us, when you told us not to trust him. But I didn't. And now... I can't go back. I can't fix it. And every time you look at me, I feel like you're judging me, like you're thinking, 'I told you so.'"

Thalia's hands were shaking, lightning flickering dangerously in the air around them. She was breathing hard, as if the words had taken everything out of her. Her blue eyes were blazing, but behind the anger, Zoe could see the pain—the deep, festering wound that Thalia had been carrying ever since Luke's betrayal.

For a moment, the cave was silent again, the only sound the faint crackle of Thalia's electricity. Zoe stood there, staring at Thalia, and something shifted in her expression. The hardness in her eyes softened, and the tension in her shoulders eased. When she finally spoke, her voice was quieter, more subdued.

"Thalia," Zoe began, her tone gentler than it had been in a long time, "I never meant to make you feel that way. I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't realize—" She stopped, hesitating before continuing. "I understand more than you think."

Thalia blinked, her anger flickering, replaced by confusion. "What do you mean?"

Zoe took a deep breath, as if steeling herself to reveal something she hadn't shared in a long time. "You're not the only one who's been betrayed by someone you trusted. Someone you... cared about."

Thalia frowned, the tension in her posture easing slightly as curiosity and concern mingled with the fading anger. "What are you talking about?"

Zoe exhaled slowly, looking away from Thalia for a moment, as if gathering her thoughts. "I haven't been completely honest with you, with any of you," she admitted, her voice quiet. "About who I am. Where I come from."

Thalia watched her closely, the lightning in her hands dimming as she listened.

"I am Zoe Nightshade," Zoe continued, "daughter of Atlas and Pleione. I was once a Hesperide, a nymph of the sunset. My sisters and I were charged with guarding the golden apples of immortality in the Garden of the Hesperides. But... I was exiled. Erased, as if I had never existed."

Thalia's eyes widened, her anger completely replaced by shock. "You're... a daughter of Atlas?"

Zoe nodded, a distant look in her eyes as she recounted her past. "Yes. My father, the Titan who holds up the sky. I was part of the Hesperides, the guardians of the garden. But then... Heracles came. He sought the golden apples as part of his twelve labors. I... I trusted him. He was strong, brave, everything a hero was supposed to be. So, I helped him. I gave him a sword—one that I had forged myself. And in return, he betrayed me. Took the sword, took the apples, and left me to face the wrath of my father."

Zoe's voice wavered slightly as she spoke, but she pressed on, the words flowing now that the dam had been broken. "My sisters turned their backs on me. My father disowned me. I was cast out, forgotten, as if I had never existed. I had nowhere to go, no one to turn to—until Artemis found me. She took me in, made me her lieutenant. She gave me a purpose, a place where I belonged. But the pain of that betrayal... it never really goes away."

Thalia stared at Zoe, her mind racing to process everything she had just heard. Zoe—the aloof, unyielding lieutenant of Artemis—had been betrayed by someone she had trusted, just like Thalia had. And not just anyone, but Heracles, one of the greatest heroes in Greek mythology. The realization hit Thalia like a punch to the gut.

"Zoe, I..." Thalia started, but the words failed her. She had no idea what to say.

Zoe turned back to her, her expression still calm but her eyes betraying the old wounds that still haunted her. "I've spent thousands of years trying to move on from that betrayal," Zoe continued, her voice steady. "But it still haunts me. And I never wanted to make you feel the way I felt back then. I never wanted to remind you of your mistakes—I was just... worried. Scared, even. That you might end up like me. Alone, with nothing but regret."

Thalia felt a pang of guilt twist in her chest. She had been so consumed by her own pain and anger that she hadn't stopped to consider that Zoe might be dealing with her own demons. That the way Zoe had acted, the way she'd tried to push Thalia, wasn't about superiority or arrogance—it was about fear. The fear of watching someone else make the same mistakes she had made.

"I... I'm sorry, too," Thalia finally said, her voice soft. "I didn't realize. I was so wrapped up in my own stuff, I didn't think about what you might be going through."

Zoe gave a small, sad smile. "We've both been through a lot. But I think we both know now that it doesn't help to keep it all bottled up."

Thalia nodded slowly, the tension on her shoulders easing as she finally let go of the anger that had been gnawing at her for so long. She took a deep breath, feeling a sense of clarity she hadn't felt in ages. "You're right. And... I get it now. Why you didn't want to go through Ladon's lair."

Zoe looked surprised, but then nodded in understanding. "Yes. Facing him would have brought back... memories I'd rather leave buried. But I suppose we don't have much choice now."

"No," Thalia agreed, her tone resolute. "But we'll face whatever comes together. And we'll get through it. No more fighting, no more letting the past control us."

Zoe nodded, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Agreed."

Thalia and Zoe stared at each other for a moment, the weight of their recent truce settling between them. It wasn't an easy alliance, and it was clear that both of them were still coming to terms with it, but it was a start. With a nod of mutual understanding, they picked themselves up and began to navigate the dark, twisting tunnels of the cave.

The echoes of their footsteps bounced off the damp stone walls, the silence between them not as heavy as it had been before. They moved with purpose, a newfound synergy in their movements that hadn't been there before. For the first time, they were working together, really working together, not just tolerating each other for the sake of the mission.

After what felt like an eternity of winding through the labyrinthine caves, they finally found the others—Bianca, Reyna, and Annabeth—huddled together in a small, dimly lit chamber. Relief washed over Thalia as she saw them, all in one piece, albeit a bit battered and bruised.

Bianca was the first to spot them, her face lighting up in surprise and relief. "You're okay!" she exclaimed, running over to them. "We were starting to worry."

Zoe nodded, a hint of a smile on her lips. "We're fine. Took a bit of a tumble, but nothing we couldn't handle."

Reyna raised an eyebrow, clearly noticing the shift in the dynamic between Thalia and Zoe. "You two... seem different," she observed, her tone cautious but curious.

Thalia shrugged, trying to play it off. "We had a little chat. Cleared the air."

Annabeth, who had been watching from the back with crossed arms, seemed to be considering this information. "Does that mean you're finally done with all the fighting?" she asked, her tone a bit sharper than usual.

Zoe glanced at Thalia, and they both nodded. "We're done," Thalia said simply, and Zoe echoed the sentiment with a firm, "Yes."

There was a brief, almost awkward pause, before Bianca cleared her throat and got back to business. "I've been trying to shadow travel us out of here," she said, her voice tinged with frustration, "but the walls of this cave are coated with some kind of magic. It's messing with my powers—I can't get us through."

"Not to mention, we got ambushed by stone golems the moment we dropped down the hole," Reyna added, with a tired sigh.

Zoe frowned at this, her eyes narrowing as she examined the walls more closely. "Of course they're enchanted," she muttered, more to herself than anyone else. "Atlas would make sure no one could easily escape."

Thalia felt a spark of anger flare up inside her at the mention of Atlas, but she forced herself to stay focused. "We need to bring those rock golems down," she said, her tone determined. "It's the only way we're getting out of here."

Everyone turned to look at the hulking stone golems as they approached, their forms crackling with latent energy. They were massive, towering over the girls with an imposing presence that made it clear they weren't going to go down without a fight.

"We're going to need a lot of firepower," Reyna said, her voice steady despite the gravity of the situation.

Zoe pulled out her bow, checking the arrows in her quiver. "Thalia, can you charge these with your lightning?" she asked, her voice calm but tinged with urgency.

Thalia blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the request. Zoe was asking for her help? But she quickly recovered, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, I can do that. It'll be risky, though. We're going to need to time it perfectly."

Zoe gave her a sharp nod, her eyes gleaming with determination. "Then let's make sure we get it right."

Thalia took the first arrow that Zoe handed her, channeling her lightning into it. The air around them crackled with energy as the arrowhead began to glow with a fierce blue light. Zoe nocked the arrow, aiming it at the nearest golem with unwavering precision.

"Ready?" Thalia asked, her voice steady as she prepared to unleash the full force of her power.

Zoe didn't hesitate. "Ready."

With a deep breath, Thalia sent a surge of lightning through the arrow just as Zoe released it. The bolt of energy shot forward, striking the golem square in the chest. For a split second, there was silence—then the golem exploded in a shower of stone and rubble, the force of the blast sending shockwaves through the cave.

The other golems roared in response, their forms beginning to shift and move with renewed aggression. But Thalia and Zoe were already working in tandem, moving with a coordination that surprised even them. Thalia charged the next arrow, Zoe fired, and another golem exploded in a burst of electric energy.

"Keep it up!" Annabeth shouted, her eyes wide with a mixture of awe and urgency. "We're almost there!"

But as the last golem crumbled into dust, the cave began to rumble ominously. The ground shook beneath their feet, and the walls started to crack and splinter, chunks of rock falling from the ceiling.

"We need to get out of here!" Bianca shouted, panic creeping into her voice as the cave began to collapse around them.

The five girls didn't need to be told twice. They sprinted toward the exit, dodging falling rocks and trying to stay ahead of the cave-in. The sound of the crumbling cave was deafening, and dust filled the air, making it hard to see or breathe.

With a final burst of speed, they managed to break free of the collapsing cave, stumbling back onto the narrow mountain path they had started on. Behind them, the entrance to the cave sealed shut with a thunderous crash, leaving them panting and covered in dirt, but alive.

Thalia looked back at the now-sealed cave, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. "That was too close," she muttered, wiping sweat and grime from her forehead.

Zoe was breathing hard too, but she managed a small, relieved smile. "But we did it."

"Yeah, but now we've got a new problem," Reyna pointed out, her eyes narrowing as she surveyed the path ahead.

Without the cave, the only way forward was straight through Ladon's lair. The thought of facing the dragon filled the air with a new kind of tension, especially as Zoe's normally composed expression faltered, revealing a flicker of fear.

Thalia noticed immediately. Zoe had been strong, unyielding, but now... there was something different. She was nervous, genuinely so. Thalia remembered Zoe's story, it all made sense now why Zoe had been so adamant about avoiding this route.

But this time, Thalia wasn't going to let Zoe face it alone.

"Hey," Thalia said quietly, stepping closer to Zoe. "You're not going through this alone, okay? We'll face Ladon together, all of us. No one's going to be left behind."

Zoe looked up at Thalia, the fear in her eyes replaced by a soft smile of gratitude. "Thank you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Thalia just nodded, the bond between them strengthened by the shared experience of battle and confession. It wasn't perfect, but it was real, and for the first time, Thalia felt like she understood Zoe on a deeper level.

As they began to walk again, Annabeth came up beside Thalia, her expression more relaxed now that the immediate danger had passed. "Thalia," she started, her tone careful, "I'm... I'm sorry for how things have been between us. I was just—"

But Thalia cut her off, shaking her head. "No, Annabeth, I'm the one who should be sorry. I've been acting like a complete jerk, and you didn't deserve that. You were right to call me out. I need to do better."

Annabeth blinked, clearly not expecting that. "Thalia, I—"

"Let me finish," Thalia insisted, her voice softer now. "I've been taking my anger out on everyone, especially you. But that's not fair. You've always been there for me, and I've been pushing you away. I don't want to be that person. I want to be better. And I know I've got a long way to go, but... I'm trying."

Annabeth studied Thalia's face for a moment before breaking into a small, proud smile. "You're doing just fine, Thalia. We all mess up sometimes, but what matters is that you're trying. I'm proud of you."

Thalia's face turned a shade of pink that was nearly as shocking as her usual bravado. She wasn't used to receiving praise, especially not from Annabeth, who she admired more than she'd ever let on. "Thanks," she mumbled, looking away to hide her embarrassment.

Annabeth chuckled, nudging her friend playfully. "Come on, let's go. We've got a dragon to deal with, and I'd rather not keep him waiting.