I don't own PJO, HoO, or ToA and its characters; all characters belong to Rick Riordan.
I only own the Original Characters.
"Who was that girl you were dancing with?" Annabeth asked, curiosity evident in her voice.
Genji turned to her, noticing that Percy had the same question on his face.
"I don't know," he replied. "I just danced with her; it felt like I was in a trance."
"So, you're telling us that you let that girl take you around and dance with you, and you didn't even bother to ask her name?" Grover chimed in, clearly interested in the conversation.
"Like I said, it felt like some sort of trance; I wasn't thinking straight for most of that time. For all I know, she could be a worker at the hotel with the sole purpose of keeping people like me inside," Genji defended himself, but he felt as if he were lying to himself.
Deep down, he knew he could have resisted the effects of that girl if he had really tried. Instead, he allowed himself to be drawn in by her beauty and whatever else she was doing to him. He had let his guard down too easily, and now they had only one day to fix this mess—all because he couldn't get a grip on himself.
Percy seemed to notice Genji's distress.
"Hey, we're not blaming you for the time we lost," Percy said, with Grover and Annabeth nodding in agreement. "We're just curious because you seemed relaxed with her. You're always so serious and collected, so we thought you might know her."
"What did she say to you that left you so shocked?" Annabeth asked. "It was almost like she slapped you with the way you were acting."
"She just said I was a godling," he lied. He couldn't tell the truth—not now. "I simply didn't think she would be able to tell the difference between a godling and a demigod."
Annabeth didn't seem convinced, but fortunately, she decided to drop the matter for now.
See you around Hybrid
How did she know what he was? The only people who were supposed to know that were his father, mother, and grandmother.
From what they had told him, being a hybrid was dangerous for him. They never explained why—only that it was. So knowing that there was someone out there who knew his secret brought him no comfort.
He saw Percy telling the driver to head toward Santa Monica Beach.
Noticing Genji's confused expression, Percy decided to explain the detour.
"Remember when you threw me into the Mississippi River after we fought the Echidna and the Chimera?" Genji nodded. "Inside the river, a Nereid told me to go to Santa Monica so that Poseidon could give us aid in our quest."
"That's all?" Genji asked.
"Well, she also warned me to be wary of you and that Poseidon didn't trust your intentions."
"Fair enough."
When they got close enough to the beach, they exited the taxi and made their way toward the shore. After a few seconds, Percy started moving toward the water as if he were in some sort of trance, completely ignoring the calls from both Grover and Annabeth.
Meanwhile, Genji was pondering his relationship with the trio, remembering Ares's taunting words. As much as he hated it, Ares was right; he was caring too much, and he couldn't understand why.
Why was he caring so much? He didn't know them, and they didn't know him. Why did he act as if they were long-time friends instead of just acquaintances from the past few days?
Could it be that living in his grandmother's house his whole life affected him to the point that the smallest act of companionship was enough for him to start caring?
He continued to ponder until Annabeth started to shake his arm.
"Genji."
He finally snapped out of it and looked at her.
"Yes?"
"Do you think the Lord of the Underworld is the one behind this?" she asked.
"Why are you asking this now?" he responded.
Annabeth and Grover shared a look.
"It's because of some nightmares that Percy has been having." She then proceeded to explain everything she knew.
After hearing it all, Genji felt more confused, but at the same time, he recognized the voice Annabeth described in Percy's dreams. Not only did he know it from his father's stories, but also because this voice tormented his grandmother to this day.
"Kronos," he muttered.
"Don't say that name," Annabeth whispered, looking around fearfully as if merely speaking his name could summon him from the depths of the Underworld.
"Annabeth, if it's truly him, then we already have his attention on us."
Just as they were about to continue their conversation, Percy finally came back, and when he reached them he showed them what was Poseidon's gift.
In his palm, there were three pearls.
Percy and Annabeth started to get into a discussion about whether the gift was free or not, but Genji and Grover pointed out that they really didn't have time for that and decided to get a bus to Los Angeles.
Straight to where the entrance to the Underworld was.
Arriving in Los Angeles, they soon figured out that they had to keep a low profile since it seemed that after what happened in the Gateway, Percy was deemed as the suspect for what happened, and so was a fugitive.
When they were walking around, they realized that Percy stopped close to a shop where a TV was on display. It showed a man named Gabe Ugliano slandering Percy's name by blaming him for the disappearance of his mother.
And judging by Percy's closed fist, it was starting to get to him.
So Genji placed a hand on his shoulder.
"One battle at a time, Percy," he said. "You can deal with this guy after you retrieved Master Bolt, and of course..."
He then looked at Percy's eyes
"Saved your mother."
At that nodded and continued to walk.
After walking through the streets of Las Angeles, searching for the entrance, they decided to use the alleys to avoid the authorities, and it seemed that everything was going nicely for them; they were able to sneak around the city with no problems.
Until the problems decided to find them.
As they slipped into a shadowed alley, hoping to avoid unwanted attention, a sharp voice rang out behind them.
"Hey! Stop right there!"
Genji, Annabeth, and Grover instinctively quickened their pace, but Percy hesitated. His natural curiosity—or maybe his sense of justice—got the better of him, and he turned around. Before they could react, a group of teenagers emerged from the darkness, blocking both ends of the alley.
There were five of them, all older, maybe seventeen or eighteen. Their clothes were expensive, the kind of designer brands that screamed money. The leader, a guy dressed in all white, stood out the most—pristine despite the grime of the alley. He twirled a knife between his fingers, his smirk full of cruel amusement.
"Look what we have here, boys. A bunch of lost little kids." He grinned, stepping forward. "Be good brats and hand over whatever you've got. Phones, wallets, jewelry. Everything."
Genji immediately positioned himself between Percy and the leader, his face impassive. "I don't know what you think you're doing, but I suggest you walk away now," he said, voice steady—cold. "Unless you want to get hurt."
The leader scoffed. "Oh? And what are you supposed to be? Some kind of tough guy?" He stepped closer, waving the knife mockingly. "C'mon, let's see what you got."
Genji's eyes narrowed. "Final warning. Back. Off."
The leader chuckled, arrogance dripping from every movement. "Make me."
And then he lunged.
The knife drove forward, straight into Genji's stomach—except it didn't. The moment the blade touched him, it snapped clean in half, the broken metal clattering onto the concrete.
Silence.
The gang leader's smug expression twisted into confusion. Then, before he could react, Genji moved.
"My turn."
It was a simple backhand. Nothing more than a light slap, in his mind. He didn't even think about it.
But mortals were fragile.
The impact sent the leader flying. He crashed into the alley wall with a sickening crunch, forming a crater where he landed. The wet, horrifying sound of bones snapping filled the air. A choked gurgle escaped the boy's lips, his body twitching as his organs struggled against the damage. His hands clawed at the wall, desperate, but weakening by the second. Then, finally—nothing.
The other gang members froze.
Then one of them let out a strangled noise and bolted. The others followed, scrambling over each other in blind panic, desperate to escape whatever monster they had just provoked.
And then there were four.
Genji stared at the body, his expression unreadable. His hand was still slightly raised from the strike as if his mind hadn't caught up to what had just happened. The blood dripping from the wall was stark against the dull concrete.
Annabeth took a step forward, voice shaking with fury. "You—" She swallowed, then yelled, "You killed him!"
Genji didn't respond.
Annabeth's breathing was ragged, her hands clenched into fists. "We're already being hunted, and now we have a dead body on our hands! Do you even realize how bad this is?!"
Percy swallowed hard, his eyes flicking between Genji and the corpse. His hands trembled slightly. "Genji… why?"
Grover just stared, unable to form words.
Genji didn't look at them. His gaze remained fixed on the body, blue eyes unreadable. He hadn't meant to kill him. He had held back. He knew mortals were weaker than gods, but… not like this.
He forced himself to step forward. He crouched beside the gang leader, looking at the ruined body, the way his sightless eyes were still frozen in shock. He'd never felt pity for an enemy before. He wasn't sure this even was a pity. But for the first time, the weight of his own strength pressed down on him.
His fingers twitched. He could close the kid's eyes, at least. That was the proper thing to do, wasn't it?
But no. He pulled his hand back.
"I didn't think he was that weak," Genji murmured, voice quieter than before.
Annabeth looked like she wanted to scream at him, but something in his expression stopped her. Percy let out a slow breath. Grover shifted uncomfortably.
Percy was the first to speak. "We can't stay here," he said firmly. "We need to keep moving."
Annabeth hesitated, then nodded. Grover followed suit.
Genji took one last look at the body.
Then he turned away.
They left the alley without another word. Behind them, the lifeless corpse of the gang leader slumped in the cratered wall, abandoned. Forgotten.
The streets were quiet as they slipped into a dimly lit waterbed store, one of the few places still open at this hour. The neon sign buzzed faintly above them, casting a sickly blue glow over the glass windows. Inside, the air smelled of plastic and cheap lavender air freshener.
Genji stepped forward first, his senses sharp. Something felt off.
Behind the counter, the store owner—a greasy-looking man with dull, glassy eyes—stared at them with an unnatural stillness. A monster. Genji didn't even hesitate. Before the thing could react, he flicked his wrist and sent a bolt of lightning straight into its chest.
The creature barely had time to screech before it exploded into golden dust, the fine particles settling onto the tiled floor like falling embers.
Annabeth groaned and smacked Genji's arm. "Can you not be so trigger-happy?"
Genji looked at her, unfazed. "It was a monster. You saw how it exploded." He gestured to the dust still swirling in the air.
Annabeth let out a slow breath, rubbing her temple. "I know. I just…" She hesitated, looking away. "I guess I'm still shaken by what happened in that alley."
For a second, there was silence. Even Genji didn't immediately respond.
Percy shifted uncomfortably, staring at the floor. "We can't change what happened," he said at last, his voice quieter than usual. "But we can keep moving forward."
Grover cleared his throat. "Uh, guys?" He pointed toward the bulletin board near the entrance.
Percy stepped closer, his eyes scanning a faded flyer pinned between advertisements for palm readings and discount mattress sales. The words DOA Recording Studios—Los Angeles stood out in bold letters.
Annabeth exhaled sharply. "So that's where the entrance is."
"At least we know where to go now," Grover muttered, though he didn't sound particularly happy about it.
A heavy silence settled between them again. The weight of what had happened in the alley still lingered, but they had no choice but to keep going.
Without another word, they stepped back onto the dark streets.
As they walked, Genji folded his arms. "Okay, we still need a plan. We can't just charge into the Underworld and hope for the best."
Annabeth sighed. "Agreed. We need to know exactly what we're doing once we're in."
Percy and Grover nodded.
"Charon should be easy… I hope," Genji continued. "The problem is Cerberus." His blue eyes flickered with thought. "Has any hero actually gotten past him?"
He didn't want to fight the watchdog. Both his father and grandmother had warned him—even minor gods feared that beast.
Annabeth snapped her fingers suddenly. "Orpheus!"
Percy blinked. "The musician guy?"
"He tamed Cerberus with music!" Annabeth explained, eyes lighting up. "If we can do something similar, we might be able to get past him without a fight."
Percy frowned. "Great. And how exactly do we play music for a giant three-headed hellhound?"
Genji scanned the street and spotted a cellphone store across from them. A small smirk formed on his lips. "I have an idea."
The trio followed his gaze, then immediately reacted.
"NO."
"It's a viable option," Genji countered.
"No, we can't just steal a phone," Percy argued.
Genji waved a hand dismissively. "We're not stealing."
Percy relaxed—until Genji added, "We're borrowing… for an undetermined time."
"Genji!"
"Do you have a better plan?"
Percy hesitated. "Well… no."
"Then it's settled."
Percy groaned while Annabeth pinched the bridge of her nose. Grover just sighed.
At the DOA Recording Studios
The neon sign flickered ominously as they stood outside the building. The weight of what they were about to do settled over them.
"Dracmas?" Annabeth asked, breaking the silence.
"Here." Grover shook the sack of coins.
"Cellphone loaded with classical music?" Percy asked.
Genji held up the phone, the screen dimly glowing. "Got it."
Annabeth took a breath. "Alright. No turning back now."
They stepped forward, pushing open the doors to the Underworld.
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