Stolen War and Promises in the Underworld
Hades let out a sigh as he looked at Percy and his companions; the faces trapped in his robes seemed to twist, as if trying to escape. The god adjusted his posture slightly and, with each movement, released his deadly aura without realizing it, a heavy presence that made the air tremble.
"Your teacher was here; indeed. And after a conversation… not very pleasant for my castle, he showed me some evidence sufficient to prove your innocence. Normally I would ignore such things, but there was a guarantor to give his word for him. So, after that, we made a sort of deal. You would bring me my stolen helmet and, in the meantime, I would protect your mother in my lands" Hades said with his cold, almost glacial voice, his fixed gaze piercing straight through Percy.
The amount of information seemed to overwhelm the three young demigods, who were processing each word as if their minds could barely keep up.
"Well… it seems my teacher forgot to tell me that part of the information" Percy muttered with an obvious headache. "So then… where is the master bolt?" he asked, looking at Hades with genuine confusion.
Hades looked at him seriously before shaking his head lightly. "Why should I know?" he asked.
That was another shock for the trio.
"Wait… you don't have it?" Percy asked instantly.
"Not at all. I would hate to have something of Zeus in my hands" Hades replied with a cold, utterly deadly seriousness.
"Great… I'm lost" Percy said, turning to his companions, who stared back at him with their eyes wide and their faces completely confused.
"But don't you… want the war, sir?" Annabeth asked, her voice trembling. Hades' gaze fell over her like a shadow, and Annabeth lowered her head immediately.
"Do you think I want war?" Hades asked, this time with a hint of irritation.
Percy was about to say that the soldiers they had seen earlier didn't exactly look like peace activists, but he figured his uncle's anger would only grow, so he closed his mouth. Luckily.
"W–well… a war would expand your kingdom, right?" Annabeth insisted, stuttering slightly as she struggled to withstand the aura that kept intensifying around Hades.
"Hmph. The typical phrase from my brothers. Do you have any idea how many dead arrive every year in my realm? How many new subductions must be opened constantly? Do you think the only war that exists is the one between the gods, when mortals fight all the time? Why would that benefit me?" Hades said with evident disgust.
"Not only that. The constant amount of people I must hire: guards, judges, the Furies… who, now that I remember, two of them lost their souls after reaching you in search of my helmet" he added, narrowing his eyes at Percy.
"Well…" Percy tried to find an excuse, but Hades didn't allow it; he was visibly tired of the conversation.
"I don't care what you want to say; let's finish this quickly. Go get my helmet as that man instructed. Bring it back, and until the master bolt is found or the war ends, or whatever happens above, I will protect your mother as I promised. Although I promised nothing about you three" he said, waving his hand as if dismissing them.
Percy now didn't know what to do. He literally had no idea.
"Could I at least see my mother once?" Percy asked, his gaze almost begging.
The god stared at him for a moment. Then he snapped his fingers.
What looked like an ice coffin appeared right in front of Percy. Inside, Sally Jackson lay in a state between sleep and freezing; her face peaceful, her breathing barely perceptible.
"Mortals cannot stay in my lands for too long while still alive" Hades explained before standing and turning away to leave his chambers, as if giving Percy that intimate moment before sending him on his mission.
Percy looked at his mother and released a sigh filled with tension and sadness, his gaze fixed on her. He touched the ice coffin gently, as if to reassure himself she was still alive, and then turned around.
"Let's go back" he said to his companions, who were more confused than ever.
"Back to where?" Annabeth asked, her voice full of nerves. Now that they didn't know where the master bolt was, or who had stolen it, or what had truly happened, they had no idea what to do next.
Grover was just as lost; even worse.
"I have… more or less an idea" Percy said, with a slightly serious, almost cold tone, as he took the pearls from his pocket. He handed one to each of them. "Three," Percy said, looking at the pearls. "I hope this means he was aware too" he added before throwing his pearl to the ground and suddenly being surrounded by a bubble of water.
Annabeth and Grover exchanged a look, swallowed hard, and quickly did the same.
Their bodies began to float as they were hurled upward, moving through the earth at incredible speed, rising and crossing what seemed like water. They didn't stop; they continued rising from the dark depths until light finally reached them and the bubbles burst at the ocean's surface.
Thankfully, they were close to the shore, so they only had to swim strongly to reach land.
Coming out onto the sand completely soaked was a minor problem compared to what awaited them there.
On top of a motorcycle resting on its side, with its headlight aimed at the sand and giving it a fiery red glow, someone was waiting for them. Beside it, a bag thrown near the figure's feet immediately caught Percy's attention; meanwhile, Grover and Annabeth felt a growing knot of nerves as they recognized the newcomer's face.
Ares, the god of war, watched them with a slightly proud and amused expression; especially when he noticed Percy's eyes drifting toward the bag.
"Hey, brats, looks like you're alive. That's actually interesting. And here I was wondering what to do to send these supplies down to the Underworld," he said, glancing sideways at the bag beside him.
"Maybe dying would give you a faster trip," Percy said as he straightened up, staring directly at Ares. The god looked at him for a moment before bursting into mocking laughter.
"Hahaha. Gods can't die, you stupid brat," Ares said as he slowly stood up from his motorcycle. "You really ruined everything, didn't you? Tell me, did you suspect something, or did you know anything beforehand?" he asked, in a tone that wasn't a question but a disguised command.
"I don't trust gods, that's all," Percy replied with a serious look.
"You complicated everything. What could have been a beautiful and simple war, brat… now I'll have to kill you so your soul can carry a little gift to the Underworld," Ares said as he lightly kicked the bag at his feet.
An object rolled out of it, immediately drawing the attention of all three. The Master Bolt emerged, releasing sparks, enclosed in a tube that contained its electric form.
"And everything it cost; planning so many things just for an idiot to ruin it. I hoped maybe Hades, upon seeing you, would kill you without hesitation, and Poseidon would get angry at him for it. That was my second alternative… but once again, you ruined everything," Ares said, growing more annoyed.
"Why would someone want to start a war? They're your family…" Annabeth said, finally understanding the truth.
"Exactly. Family wars are the bloodiest," Ares replied almost excited. "There's nothing like watching your own blood fight; that's what I always say," he added with pride.
"Really… so many things ruined. So many problems I caused myself," Ares muttered with irritation as he looked at the trio. "Now, unfortunate for you, you'll have to die," he added. His eyes began to heat up, glowing like burning embers as he stared at them with the clear intention of executing them on the spot. They knew too much.
"It's sad," Percy said suddenly.
Even Ares looked at him with a confused and slightly amused expression.
"Your deaths?" he asked mockingly.
"No. What's sad is that a god like you is being controlled by someone else," Percy replied with absolute calm.
That ignited the god's fury instantly.
"What are you talking about, you stupid brat?" he shouted.
"It's Kronos, right? You're doing his work. He's controlling you. Maybe you didn't even plan any of this yourself; you just ended up serving half the plan. That's why I say it's sad… that the god of war ends up as a simple servant," Percy added with an almost amused tone.
"You know… before, your death wasn't personal. But now I'm going to enjoy every moment of it," Ares said, completely enraged, as he grabbed the bat resting against his motorcycle. The weapon began to transform, as if responding to his fury, preparing to kill Percy with the god's own hands.
"You're a warrior too, right? Like the god of war," Percy said while drawing his two swords: the black blade and Riptide. His eyes locked onto Ares', whose sunglasses had melted from the heat radiating from his flaming eye sockets. "Fight me, and only me. Or are you scared?" Percy said with a proud tone.
"Percy!" Annabeth shouted, worried; fighting a god was madness, an utterly senseless risk.
"You're a funny brat, you know?" Ares said as the bat in his hand elongated and transformed into a massive greatsword, its handle adorned with a skull. "Fine, I'll give you the privilege of dying at the hands of a god. Not many get that glorious honor."
"At least take this for good luck," Annabeth said as she approached Percy and placed her necklace with her father's ring around his neck. She helped fasten it with trembling hands. "Reconciliation; Athena and Poseidon together," she said quickly, trying to give him strength.
Percy blushed for a moment but nodded at her.
"How cute," Ares mocked as he stepped forward with his huge sword, his black cloak fluttering in the wind. "I hope you're ready, brat. I've spent my whole life fighting and I can't die; and you… you trained what, a month or two? And you already think you can beat me. Ridiculous," he added with scornful laughter.
Percy let out a slight sigh and stepped back into the water. He let it reach his ankles; he felt his body renew itself, strengthen. He had felt it many times in training; when his teacher made him fight inside the water, he could endure much more. He had cursed the day his teacher discovered that.
Now, with both swords in hand, Percy adopted his guard stance as he watched Ares. The god, in contrast, didn't even bother to take a stance; he seemed convinced he would kill Percy with a single strike, as if he were no more than an insect.
The wind dragged sand across the beach, the sea advanced another inch, and the air tightened like a rope about to snap.
The battle was about to begin.