Chapter Text
The ground appeared very suddenly beneath Percy’s feet. He felt like throwing up for a moment. Then he saw the shining marble and gold and towering temples and splendid market. Olympus. They were above the clouds, which were dark and crackling with lightning. Each bright flash reminded him of Perseus’ eyes. Perseus who was somehow him but also a child of Zeus. Perseus who was in Tartarus with the bolt they were meant to return.
His uncle, Hades, took his hand off his shoulder and gestured for the three of them to follow.
“What about my mom?”
“When I get my Helm,” Hades said. “Until then, she will be safe.”
Before their eyes, Hades began to glow. Between one step and the next, he was eight feet tall and wearing a traditional Greek robe. It was black with what looked like souls swimming in it. His hair lengthened to his shoulders, sleek but oily. His presence seemed to amplify, emanating waves of superiority and fear. Percy gulped.
Hades glanced back, eyes burning like cold fire and his expressions steely. “Watch your words in front of my brother. I sense he is… angry. He is not as forgiving as I.”
Not as forgiving?! Hades had sent all three of his Furies to try and kill them! He kidnapped his mom! Then again, Zeus sent Echidna and the Chimera after them while Percy was on a quest to retrieve his bolt, and he'd come much closer to death because of them. And he'd also sent lightning bolts to blow up his mom's car and the bus they'd taken. Maybe Hades had a point.
“Yes, Lord Hades,” Annabeth demurred. “We understand the severity of the situation.”
“Guys?” Grover whispered very quietly. “I don’t want to get vaporised.”
“Grover, you don’t have to come with us,” Percy murmured, gently squeezing his best friend’s wrist.
The satyr shook his head. “I’m your protector, and you’re the best friend I’ve got. I’m not leaving you to face them alone.”
Percy’s lips curled into a smile. “Thank you. And I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“What am I, chopped liver?” Annabeth huffed teasingly. There was a tremor of fear in her voice that Percy wished he could do something about, he didn’t want her to be scared. But she was too smart to be placated by anything he could say, he couldn’t guarantee anything.
“I won’t let anything happen to either of you,” he corrected, sending a grin her way as he looped an arm over her shoulders and pulled both her and Grover close before letting his arms drop back to his sides. They felt like lead. “We’ll be fine.”
They climbed a set of stairs. Higher and higher, towards a massive and grandiose pavilion. When they were nearer, he began to hear raised voices and rapid-fire Ancient Greek. He couldn’t tell what they were saying, but Percy could’ve sworn he heard his name.
“Zeus, Poseidon,” Hades announced his presence loudly. “I have news.”
Percy, Annabeth and Grover trailed behind him. When he crested the edge of the pavilion, he caught his first glimpse of his father. He knew immediately which of the two arguing gods Poseidon was. Percy had the same eyes and wild hair as his father, who reminded him simultaneously of a professional surfer with his deep tan and windswept hair and a fisherman with his scarred hands.
“Brother, why are you here?” Zeus demanded. “With demigods, no less. Demigods who do not have my Master Bolt.”
“Your Master Bolt,” Hades mused. “Yes, that. These demigods have reason to believe it fell into the Pit.”
You could hear a pin drop, with how quiet the pavilion got at the revelation. Zeus’ eyes glowed with power.
“What?” Zeus bit out. Lightning crackled at the word.
Hades gestured to the three of them, with an expression that said ‘explain.’
“We were on our way to Lord Hades’ Palace because we thought he stole the bolt,” Percy said. “But before we could, a pair of shoes that Luke gave us, which were a gift from Lord Hermes for his previous quest–”
“Luke said they sometimes act up around other magic,” Annabeth added quickly.
“Yeah. So they suddenly activated, and we couldn't deactivate them, and started dragging us towards the entrance to Tartarus, but luckily Perseus saved us–”
“Why do you refer to yourself in third person, boy?” Zeus asked coldly, Hades was giving him a strange look as well.
“Uh… well…” Percy stammered.
“I believe I can explain that,” Poseidon, his father, said. “There's been a small case of dimensional travel. Unprecedented, yes, but I believe it to be true. I encountered Perseus several hours ago and he explained the situation to me. He said that he would aid the children on their quest.”
Zeus whipped to face his father, fuming. “You have yet another child?”
“No, he's yours,” Percy piped up, and belatedly added, “Lord Zeus.”
The king of the gods narrowed his eyes, lightning-bright gaze darting between Poseidon and Percy.
“Definitely yours,” Poseidon agreed. “My children don't fly.”
“There's something else that you are not mentioning. About the dimensional travel.”
“Perseus is eighteen. His dimension was… razed,” his father said, a heavy implication that his brothers seemed to understand in the last word. Percy heard Hades’ breath stutter. “But he claimed that he was about to achieve some kind of victory when he was transported here.”
“We shall discuss that later. Continue, boy.” Zeus turned back to Percy.
“I saw more of what happened next,” Annabeth said before Percy could keep going. He wasn’t so sure that Annabeth saw any more than him and Grover did, but he let her take over the telling. “But first, I have to explain how we got hold of the backpack. In Denver, we encountered Lord Ares and he commanded that we complete a quest for him: retrieve his shield from a waterpark. It was broadcasted to Olympus, so I’m sure you know of it, my lords. When we returned, Lord Ares gave us a backpack of supplies– extra clothes and such– as a reward as well as telling us how to get to Las Vegas. Skip forwards to the Underworld, Luke had been acting strange for a few hundred feet. When the shoes began dragging us, he looked as though he was fighting some outside influence–”
“Outside influence?” Zeus repeated.
What was Annabeth talking about? Maybe she did see more than they did…
“Yes, my lord. We were recovering at the edge of the Pit, after Perseus saved us by cutting the laces of the shoes, when Luke picked up the bag and walked to the edge… in a trance of some kind.”
What? That wasn’t… Percy began to doubt his own memory. Had Luke been in a trance? He seemed pretty damn aware.
“He dropped it in, but Perseus flew over and caught it... And then they crashed into each other and scuffled for a few seconds, but the Pit sucked them and the backpack in before they could regain their footing. Like a black hole,” she added shakily. Annabeth was lying. To the gods. Holy crap they were going to get vaporised, until then, though, Percy would admire the sheer bravery it took. “The thing is, I saw the bag spark multiple times with electricity and it landed much harder on the sand than it should’ve if it only had fabric in it. That, combined with other evidence, points to the fact that the Master Bolt was hidden inside.”
“You didn’t see the Master Bolt?” Zeus asked, lip curling into a snarl.
Annabeth shuffled. “Not as such.”
“You expect me to believe the words of a child?” Zeus thundered. “You make bold claims, ones without proof! With your words, you accuse Lord Ares of treason!”
“Summon Ares, then,” Hades said, chin raised defiantly. His eyes were narrow and burning. “The god of war has plenty to gain from a war.”
“If their claims are true, then one of the most dangerous weapons in existence is in the Pit,” Poseidon added.
Zeus fumed, looking like he wanted to smite everyone in the room, but he snapped his fingers. Hermes puffed into existence next to him.
“Retrieve Ares,” the king ordered.
With a nod, and a confused glance at the three demigods huddled around Hades, Hermes vanished. He reappeared seconds later, a furious Ares in tow.
“What is the meaning of this, father?” Ares demanded. He shot a scathing look at Percy, “I see Death Breath didn’t kill you. Shame.”
“Watch your tongue, Ares, you tread on very thin ice,” Hades snarled.
Percy glared mutinously back at the god.
“Hermes, before you return to your duties,” Zeus said, ignoring the hostilities. “The flying shoes you gave your son, can they be enchanted by an outside source?”
The messenger blinked, a worried crease on his forehead. “I suppose, yes… With enough power.”
“Thank you, that will be all.”
Hermes looked like he wanted to say something, but at Zeus’ scowl, he left.
“I shall speak to Ares in private,” Zeus said. He glared at Ares. “Come.”
The two gods left the pavilion in a blinding flash that Annabeth quickly told him to not look at.
“What’s gonna happen?” Percy asked quietly, studying his father’s face. They looked remarkably similar, he could see why his mom always said it. Poseidon’s eyes matched Percy’s almost perfectly.
“Most gods cannot enter Tartarus without breaking Ancient Laws,” Poseidon explained, frowning. “Hermes or Iris may be able to, but I don’t believe that they will be permitted to.”
Percy crossed his arms. “Why not? We’ve got to get them out!”
“The Pit is dangerous, even to gods. Hermes is a messenger, his power is immense but not suited to the threats that reside there. Iris as well. The risks…” Hades trailed off. “Our brother doesn’t seem to want to believe that his Bolt is there. Nor does he want to believe that our father may be awakening.”
“Our friends are down there too,” Grover said miserably. “They’ll die if we can’t get them out.”
Both gods gave him pitying looks. Poseidon sighed, “Alas, they are only mortal. Their souls will reach the Underworld should they perish.”
Percy clenched his jaw, anger boiling over. “That’s not good enough!”
“Perseus said that the Titans emerged in his world,” Annabeth mentioned, grabbing Percy’s wrist. A warning not to yell at the gods. “The costs of not going outweigh the risks by a lot. If they have the Master Bolt–”
“We are all aware,” Hades said, clipped, “of the risks.” His lips pinched. “The two of you should leave. My brother will not be pleased when he returns.”
“Grover and I aren’t leaving Percy here alone.” Annabeth crossed her arms, grey eyes blazing.
Hades shrugged dismissively. “It's your funeral, but don’t expect me to fast-track you once you’re in my realm.”
“He’s right,” Percy told them. “About leaving, not the funeral. I don’t want you guys to get hurt.”
“He’ll kill you,” Annabeth said, brows creased. “Either because you don’t have the bolt or because you’re a forbidden kid.”
“My brother doesn’t have a leg to stand on in terms of forbidden kids,” Hades muttered contemptuously.
“We don’t want you to get hurt, Percy,” Grover said shakily. The satyr still looked very jittery.
“Percy will be fine,” Poseidon stated. “The fewer mortals here when Zeus gets back, the better.”
Annabeth searched Percy’s gaze. She must’ve seen something that she approved of, because she nodded firmly and said, “Okay.” Annabeth pulled him into a hug. “Stay safe, don’t do anything stupid.”
When she stepped away, he noticed that her camp necklace was around his neck instead of hers.
“Me?” Percy managed a mischievous grin. “Never. See you later.”
Poseidon tossed two pearls to their feet and they were gone, to Camp Half-Blood’s beach, probably. Poseidon stared at Percy, and he stared right back. Slowly, Percy approached his father.
“What about the war?” Percy asked. “We failed. The Bolt is gone.”
Poseidon looked down. It seemed as though he was disappointed.
“I’m sorry.” He dug his fingers into his elbows.
“The odds were not in your favour, my son. I don’t blame you.”
A thunderclap interrupted their conversation. Zeus reappeared in the middle of the throne room, somehow appearing even more furious than he had before. Ares stood in his shadow, eyes snapping to Percy.
“Punk,” he snarled, storming forwards, “you think you can accuse me of things I didn’t do?”
Percy refused to budge, he stood his ground and glared up at Ares. “You did do it, though.”
“I never gave you a bag!” Ares yelled. “I met you in Denver, sure. You retrieved my shield, and I told you about your mother and got you transport to Vegas, that was the agreement, nothing more, nothing less. You should've been more grateful, brat. My generosity will never reach you again.”
How dare he? Percy heard a rush of fury in his ears. He wanted to punch Ares in his stupid, godly face. He wanted to see the god bleed. Ares was going to be the reason that Luke and Perseus wouldn’t receive any help. And if his two older friends died in Tartarus, Percy would find a way to kill a god.
“Step away from my son, Ares,” Poseidon rumbled from behind Percy, a hand on his shoulder.
Hades appeared by Percy’s side. “And what of my Helm, Ares? Where is it?”
“I don’t have it, Uncle,” Ares snarled. “And I find myself very insulted by these accusations thrown by this child who knows nothing.”
Percy clenched his shaking fists, barely resisting throwing a punch. “I know enough to know that you’re lying!”
“There is no proof,” Zeus thundered. “There is no proof of any of your claims. No bag, no bolt, no thief, no confessions.”
“Kronos is gathering strength and you’re just going to ignore it?! He might already have your bolt!”
Lightning glanced off the ground in front of his feet and Poseidon pulled him away with a whispered, “Calm, Percy.”
“The Bolt is not in Tartarus and I would already know if it had made its way to Kronos.” Zeus turned his frightening gaze on Percy, “If a single whisper of that rumour leaves this room, I will strike you, and anyone you told, down. Is that understood?”
Percy nodded stiffly, biting back curses. “Yes, sir.”
“Brother–” Poseidon tried.
“And you,” Zeus turned to his father. “Prepare for war.”
“Kronos wants to weaken you,” Percy hissed under his breath through gritted teeth, unable to stop the words leaving, “and you’re just going along with it?”
Poseidon squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. “I surrender,” he told Zeus.
Zeus’ jaw practically dropped to the ground. “What?”
Ares looked suddenly enraged. His flaming eyes fixed on Percy like a promise of revenge. Of course he wanted a war, just like Hades had said.
“Take your victory. We need not have bloodshed. Since the bolt is not in Tartarus, Percy will continue his search for it.”
“I set a deadline, it has not been met,” Zeus pointed out, voice reverberating between the stone pillars.
“And I’ve surrendered, meaning the war is already over,” his father countered.
Zeus didn’t even glance at the god he addressed, “Ares, your presence is not needed here.”
With a final glare at Percy, Ares’ form began to brighten. He shut his eyes before the god of war went supernova and vanished. Percy was sure that his fight with Ares was far from over.
Poseidon switched to Ancient Greek and Percy lost track of what was going on. He caught the word ‘Patros,’ meaning father, and ‘tríaina,’ meaning trident, before the two gods’ words sped up and he couldn’t tell where one word ended and the next began. Hades watched the exchange– possibly an argument– with thinly veiled trepidation.
“I will spare the boy until the winter solstice,” Zeus decided. “There will be no war or arguments on the matter, Poseidon. If he does not have the Master Bolt in six months, he will die.”
Percy nodded, hiding his tremble. How was he meant to get the Bolt out of Tartarus? Maybe Perseus was still alive and could somehow fly out… If he was alive. But what if he wasn’t? Maybe Hermes would help, since Luke was there… But how could he be sure that Hermes would care enough to go?
“Hades, would you please drop Percy off at camp?” Poseidon asked his brother calmly, sea green eyes darting over. “He’ll have to continue his quest.”
With a nod that seemed almost grateful, Hades held out a hand to Percy.
“But–”
Poseidon interrupted, “Percy, go back to camp. This matter is between Zeus and I.”
He nodded and took Hades’ hand. The ground was jolted out from under his feet and he was dragged into icy shadows. When he opened his eyes, he was outside the Big House and the sun was well over the horizon.
“That went better than expected,” Hades said, having returned to his earlier, more normal-looking form. He wore a slightly different silk suit than the one he had on in the underworld, black and grey marbling this time.
“He threatened to kill me,” Percy said flatly. “He pretty much promised he would kill me.”
“He threatens to kill everyone he doesn’t like.” He shrugged. “But he doesn’t give everyone an extension.”
“An extension I won’t be able to meet.”
“You might,” Hades’ lips pursed. “If the child from the alternate dimension is alive and flies, he might get out himself. However, like I said before, if you want your mom back, I need my Helm.”
Percy grimaced.
“Hey, I’m not going back on any conditions I set. Can’t have people thinking I’m willing to change them because I’m being nice.” Hades shrugged, he seemed a lot looser now that he wasn’t on Olympus. Percy felt a pang of sympathy, it seemed a lot like him transitioning between being at home with Gabe to the more relaxed environment of camp, or, hell, even school. “She’ll be safe, I promise.”
“Is she in pain?” Percy asked, remembering the statues in Medusa’s garden with faces frozen in expressions like the one his mother’s golden face wore.
“No, she’s only frozen. When she wakes it’ll be like nothing happened at all.”
“Okay…” He grimaced, still hating the thought of leaving his mom there. “I’ll try my best to get your Helm back.”
“Swear it,” Hades said. It didn’t sound like a command, only a suggestion.
Percy hesitated, but shook his head. “Perseus said I shouldn’t ever make oaths on the Styx about things I’ll do.”
The god raised a brow. “Did he? Hm, fine. You’ll find Ares–”
Annabeth turned the corner and saw him, eyes lighting up. “Percy! You’re back!”
She had Chiron, Grover and two kids with her. The same two kids that Perseus borrowed their taxi for. It was good to see that they were safe at camp. That whole situation had been weird, and Percy had yet to get an actual explanation for why Perseus was in Santa Monica with two kids.
Annabeth hugged him, and he sank gratefully into her warm arms. She was taller than him, so he was able to bury his nose and eyes into her shoulder without it being too obvious.
Grover joined the hug, wrapping his arms around both of them. “I’m glad you’re still alive, Percy.”
“Yeah, me too.” He remembered what Zeus had said. “You can’t mention Tartarus,” he whispered to her. “Not to anyone. He’ll kill us.”
They untangled. Annabeth's grey eyes were serious and calculating, he could see the gears spinning behind her eyes. Something clicked as she realised something, and she nodded. “Alright.”
“War’s off, I got an extension. I have until the winter solstice to find the Bolt,” he announced. Percy turned back to Hades, only to find the god’s eyes fixed somewhere else.
Chiron noticed Hades standing behind Percy and jolted. “Lord Hades, I wasn’t expecting a visit from you.”
“I’m only here to drop my nephew off,” he said, gaze flickering between Chiron and… and the two kids with Chiron. He focused fully on Chiron, head tilting to the side. “I understand that you suspected me of the theft?”
“I– Admittedly, I did. I apologise, Lord Hades, if my assumption was incorrect, I was only working with the information I had.”
Hades frowned. “You mean my reputation because I rule over the dead.”
“Among other things,” the centaur agreed warily.
The little boy behind Chiron, who looked like he wanted to burst with questions, could no longer contain himself. “Are you really Hades? B, his card is super rare. I still don’t have the figurine. Four thousand attack points but five thousand if the opponent attacks first. So if you’re a god, do you know my father?” He spoke faster than a bullet train. “Ooh, do you know Perseus? I think you and him are related because you and him look the same,” he told Percy. “Oh, wait, do you know the Furies? Their attack stats are crazy high, especially if they’re together. Is that true in real life? Persephone’s card is really rare and kinda underpowered, but I think she’s pretty cool. She’s your wife, right? Y’know if you roll a d4 and it lands on two, which means spring, all her actions get a bonus action and plus five hundred damage. Isn’t that cool?”
Percy didn’t know that a god could look overwhelmed, but Hades did. So he decided that he probably owed the god, just a tiny bit, and distracted the kid.
“I have a Hades figurine if you want it,” he offered before his mouth could catch up with the words. Percy wanted to hit himself for admitting he played Mythomagic. In front of a literal god, too. He felt his face heat. “I mean, I’ll bring my old–” Percy added the word purposefully, very aware that he’d played the game about three weeks earlier, “–collection and you can have whatever you want.”
Grover made a face, having been on the other side of the table while Percy was playing.
“Awesome! Thank you so much!” The kid bounced up and down excitedly.
Hades blinked a couple of times and spoke to Percy, “Gettysburg, on the anniversary of the battle. You’ll find Ares there.”
“Thanks, Uncle Hades.”
He nodded, then glanced at the kids and Chiron and smiled tightly. “Until next time. Hopefully the situation will be resolved by then. Good luck.”
The shadows swallowed him up, and he was gone.
“Did the lord of the dead just tell me ‘good luck?’” Percy asked aloud.
Annabeth raised a pretty eyebrow. “Yeah, seaweed brain.”
“Nico, Bianca, why don’t you finish your tour with Chris Rodruigez from Cabin Eleven?”
The two kids looked confused, but they agreed and wandered off towards the horseshoe arrangement of buildings.
“What is the news on Luke and Perseus?” Chiron asked.
There was a hint of hope in his voice, and Percy suddenly felt like it was all his fault. Immediately, the feigned light-heartedness vanished as if it had never been there. Luke had been at camp for five years. Chiron had known him for five years. Watched him grow from a child to a man. And now Percy had to tell him that…
“They won’t do anything to get them out of Tartarus, apparently it ‘doesn’t matter because their souls will just go to the Underworld,’” he hissed in a furious reply. “As if that’s the point.”
Chiron looked deeply troubled, the shadows on his face making him look ancient and oh so tired. “I’m sorry, my boy. If I knew how to get them out, I would do so in a heartbeat.”
Annabeth’s and Grover’s eyes were full of tears, and Annabeth quickly wiped hers away. “I thought that–” Her face morphed into an almost-snarl. Right, she had said that if the gods thought the Bolt was in Tartarus then they would have an incentive to get Luke and Perseus out. She had been so sure of it, too. “We’ll do something,” Annabeth decided resolutely. “We’ll find a way to bring them home.”
When Chiron left them, trotting off to help campers as he mourned for the ones he lost, Annabeth turned to Percy and Grover. “We need to talk about Luke. And Perseus.”