Andy, Annabeth, and Thalia stood staring at the sign in gold letters on the black marble, 'The other neighborhood Recording Studios.' Below it, on the glass doors, was the lettering, 'No Lawyers, No Homeless, No Living.'
"Are you sure this is the entrance to the underworld?" Andy asked, sounding skeptical. "The place where souls go after they die? Where they are judged to be punished or rewarded?"
"That's what it said on the flyer I picked up from the bulletin board of the guy who almost stretched us to death, "Thalia said, holding up an orange flyer from the recording studios "El Otro Barrio.""Damn it. I don't need to be stretched to be taller, I'm 176 cm tall! I'm already considered even taller than average!
"Hehe… Bigfoot"Andy mocked.
" Shut your mouth!
"But seriously, I find it hard to believe that this place is the entrance to the underworld. It looks like the entrance to a private medical clinic. Are you going to make an appointment to see one of the three judges and have them diagnose you with a treatment to the Fields of Punishment for all eternity?
"Anything is possible," Annabeth said, shrugging. "The ancient Greek world has adapted to the modern world. The Lotus Eaters' Den is a prime example."
Thalia frowned. She still had that strange demigod who had helped them in her mind. The credit card he had given her was still in her pocket and had been a great help in getting to Los Angeles.
Plus, she now had access to unlimited money. She would no doubt put that to good use in the future. Considering if she made it out of this alive.
"Do you have the pearls? "Annabeth asked Andy.
The girl searched in her pocket and took out three white pearls that shone in the darkness of the night.
He had to go to Santa Monica Beach to get it. Andy had heard the same voice in his mind again, just like that time when he faced the hellhound at Camp Half-Blood. The voice had told him to go to the beach and dive into it.
Andy had some hope of meeting her father for the first time in her life, but was disappointed when a Nereid arrived. She was grateful for the pearls that would give her a way out of the underworld, but was disappointed that it wasn't her father who gave them to her.
She was going to enter the underworld itself to recover Zeus' stolen master bolt and prove her father's innocence, but he wouldn't even deign to appear in person.
She was feeling rather grumpy when she came out of the sea. And the one who had to pay the price was a monster called Procrustes or "Crusty" who tried to stretch them to death in their water beds, but Andy managed to trick him. The monster fell victim to his own bed and was then killed by Andy's sword.
"They had not reckoned on my cunning! "was his triumphant declaration.
Andy gave a pearl to Thalia and Annabeth and they put it in their pockets.
"You better not lose your ticket out, "Thalia said."I don't want to be stuck in the underworld before my time. I'm too young and beautiful to die here. There are still so many things I want to do in life. Like finish my book series and go to a Green Day and Metallica concert.
"I want to become an architect and build a monument that will last for the next millennium," Annabeth said decisively.
Thalia and Annabeth looked at Andy, waiting for her to say something too.
"I… I just want to see my mother again" she said.
Andy felt a little inferior at that, feeling like his ambition was small compared to the two of them. But when he looked up and saw Thalia and Annabeth smiling encouragingly at him, he felt better.
"Okay," Thalia said, cracking her knuckles. "Let's get crazy!"
Andy felt a little scared of the lunatic look and the unhinged smile that adorned Thalia's features.
As they entered the reception area, which did indeed appear to be a private medical clinic, the elevator music was the first thing they noticed, music about a woman named Brandy who served whiskey and wine to sailors in a port town.
The reception area carpet that adorned the floor was grey, along with the walls. There were long black leather couches and chairs that were all occupied by people, or what Andy assumed were people, but when he looked closely, they looked transparent like some kind of hologram or… ghost.
Unconsciously, Andy hid behind Thalia and held on to her leather jacket. She wasn't very good with ghosts.
The three demigoddesses approached the counter where behind it stood the guard who was even taller than Thalia. He seemed to be about 1.90 cm tall.
"Hey, man, how's it going?" Thalia asked, as if she were talking to an old friend. "Busy night?"
The guard let out a tired sigh.
"You don't have the slightest idea," the man complained. "Every day it's the same thing, 'Oh, Mr. Charon, I can't be dead. There has to be a mistake', 'I can't die. I haven't lost my virginity yet' or 'I'm too young to die, I have to watch the end of One Piece' and stuff like that… I don't get paid enough to put up with this."
"Yes, I know the feeling, "Thalia said.
"Are you Charon? "Andy asked, staring in amazement at Charon still standing behind Thalia. "The ferryman who guides souls to the underworld?
"Oh, aren't you a darling little thing?" said Charon, amused. "But yes, it is I. Don't let my fine suit fool you. Anyway, how can I help you, my lovely little dead ones?"
"We want to go to the Underworld," Annabeth said, without a second's hesitation. Maybe she had been preparing herself to say that.
Charon raised an eyebrow.
"Just like that? No screaming or complaining? "He looked at the three of them skeptically. "How exactly did they die?
"Electrocuted," Thalia replied.
"I drowned on the beach," said Andy.
"A bookshelf in the library fell on me, Annabeth said.
"Well, I don't see them very sad about the fact that he died," said Charon, looking at them with distrust.
Thalia shrugged.
"Life is overrated.
The boatman chuckled. His laughter seemed to come from a deep cave.
"I see you're going through your nihilistic phase. You're not the first to say that, but people always get cold feet when they're in front of the three judges. Or they're too afraid to face them and choose the Asphodel Fields.
Thalia narrowed her eyes at Charon.
"I may be many things, old man, proud, stubborn, unfriendly, impatient, deceitful, and temperamental, but I am not a coward.
Charon smiled, as if accepting a challenge.
"We will see about that, daughter of Zeus.
The three demigoddesses stood frozen in place as if they had been given an electric shock.
"Do you think I can't recognize a demigod when I see him standing in front of me? "Charon asked. "You are not the first to come before me, whether you are alive or dead, with the intention of entering the underworld. And let me tell you that there are only two ways to enter, the first, and the simplest, is to die and wait your turn until I am in a good mood to let you pass.
"And the other one? "Andy asked, not liking the first option at all.
"Let's say if they offer the… right price, I can turn a blind eye when I take a ride on my boat.
The message was not so subtle, and the three of them could immediately tell what the boatman was referring to.
"Strategy meeting! "Thalia said.
She dragged Andy and Annabeth into a corner and the three of them hugged each other, like they were soccer players before entering the field to play a game.
"Okay, how much do you have? "Thalia asked.
"I have a mint gum and half a 12-pack of Oreos," Andy said.
"Oreos sound tempting, we'll use them as a last resort.
"What about that credit card that guy at the Lotus Casino gave you? "Annabeth asked. "It has unlimited money on it.
"I don't think an immortal like Charon would be interested in a credit card," Thalia said, but the truth was that she didn't want to hand over the card. She was a little greedy.
"So what can we pay him to let us through? "Andy asked.
Annabeth's eyes brightened and she smiled.
"Andy, your backpack," she said.
"Do we have to give him the Oreos? "she asked, disappointed.
"Not that. Ares gave you a bag of Drachmas, didn't he? In ancient Greece, a drachma was placed under the tongue of the dead as payment to the ferryman.
" Oh!
Andy dug into the backpack Ares had given him and pulled out the bag of Drachmas. The gold coins clinked in the bag, catching Charon's attention, who raised his head from the counter like a meerkat spotting its prey.
The three of them smiled triumphantly at that.
"We have it for our payment," Andy said.
"First the entrance to a medical clinic, now an airport security line" Andy commented, looking at the entrance to Hades himself."What's next? What is Hades' castle that looks like Disney?
"With the Greeks being so crazy, I wouldn't be surprised, "Thalia said, as they walked toward the three rows of dead people."Where's that cute three-headed dog? I wonder if he's as friendly as Miss O'Leary…
"I think we'll see very soon," Annabeth said.
She pointed to a giant three-headed Rottweiler that was twice the size of an elephant. Its entire body was semi-transparent. Next to it, Ms. O'Leary looked like a normal dog.
"Well, it's not a cute little dog," Andy commented.
" Really? I like it"Thalia said.
"You like everything that's weird," Annabeth said.
Cerberus guarded the entrance where the sign read "Quick Death." The entrance to the Asphodel Fields. The dead walked fearlessly toward him and passed quickly between his legs without needing to bend down. Yes, that legendary monster was that huge. And Thalia thought it was cute.
"Do we really have to go… that way? "Andy asked, fearfully.
"It's the direct path to Hades' palace," Annabeth said. "Through the Asphodel Fields. Once there, we can see straight to the palace."
The central head turned directly towards them. It gave a deep sniff and growled in their direction.
"I think he found out," Andy said.
The middle head growled and then barked so loudly that it made the ground where they were standing tremble.
"Do you think so? "Thalia asked.
Cerberus walked up until he was right in front of the three demigoddesses, each head sniffed at the three demigoddesses and then growled menacingly at them. The one in the middle at Thalia, the one on the right at Annabeth, and the one on the left at Andy.
"Well, from my experience with supernatural dogs…"Thalia said, not daring to take her eyes off the giant rottweiler looming over her"I can tell he's hungry.
Cerberus growled again.
"And a lot" he added.
"Annabeth, you're the brains of this team," Andy said."Any ideas?
"Well, if you have an Olympic-sized dog biscuit in your backpack, that will help," Annabeth said.
"No… I only have the Oreos.
"Perfect. Give them to me.
" Huh? But those are mine " he complained " I was saving them for later.
"Give me the damn Oreos! "he demanded.
Grumbling, Andy reached into the side pocket of his backpack and pulled out the half-eaten packet of cookies, and handed them to her.
Annabeth stood in front of Cerberus and showed him an Oreo.
"Hey, kid! Are you hungry? "Annabeth asked, sounding friendly.
Cerberus' three heads looked at her in bewilderment. Looking at Annabeth, the Oreo, and then back at Annabeth.
Surprisingly, all three heads nodded in unison.
" Then sit down! "Annabeth ordered.
Cerberus looked doubtful, but looked hungrily at the Oreo and then at Annabeth, as if considering which of the two to eat. He licked his three pairs of lips, shifted his weight to his rear, and sat down, instantly crushing dozens of spirits.
"Good dog!" Annabeth said, tossing him the Oreo.
The cookie flew into the air and the three heads dove to catch the Oreo. The middle head emerged victorious and munched on the Oreo with gusto. The other two heads moaned sadly, while the middle one stuck its tongue out while panting happily.
Annabeth pulled out two more cookies and tossed them at the remaining two heads, who happily munched on the Oreos.
Andy had no doubt that if Cerberus had a tail, he would be happily wagging it.
"Okay, Cerberus, I'll give you the remaining Oreos if you let us through," Annabeth suggested.
"But I wanted to eat them! "Andy protested.
Cerberus looked at her and growled in her direction, causing Andy to hide behind Thalia.
Cerberus tilted all three heads to the right, as if considering the offer. Then all three heads looked at each other, as if debating with each other. Then he looked at Annabeth and they nodded in unison.
"Okay! Who's a good little dog? "Annabeth asked, in a playful tone.
Cerberus stood up on all fours again and looked at Annabeth expectantly.
" You are! You are a good little dog!
The guard dog of the underworld barked happily. He stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, as if waiting for his reward.
Annabeth tossed the remaining Oreos into each of their mouths.
As Cerberus happily munched on his prize, and Andy silently mourned the loss of his cookies, the three demigoddesses headed through the Quick Death Gate, straight into the Asphodel Fields.
Alarms started ringing and red lights began to flash as if there was a fire, while the three of them ran and hid behind a rotten trunk of a huge black tree that seemed to be packed all over the place like a forest.
A dead forest full of ghosts.
Andy was pale, as pale as the thousands of ghosts that surrounded her and flooded the forest of dead trees that was the Asphodel Fields.
If I had to describe what the Asphodel Fields looked like, it was like a combination of a dead forest and a swamp, only instead of water, there was black soil.
The landscape was dotted with thin, withered black trees, many of them fallen and others rising to an incredible height of thirty-five meters.
The ground was not stable, it was full of craters, elevations so high that they formed caverns and winding paths that did not seem to lead anywhere except in the darkness that reigned in the place.
"I don't like this place at all," Andy said, clinging to Annabeth. "It's like a cursed forest. And the ghosts don't help matters with those bat-screeching sounds they make."
Annabeth raised an eyebrow.
" Are you scared of ghosts, Andy?
Andy tensed at that and looked at Annabeth in affront.
" What's wrong with it? You're scared of spiders.
-Touch.
It was several minutes later, when they crossed over a rock as big as Zeus' fist, that Thalia let out an annoyed growl.
"We've been walking all over this place for hours, and I still don't see any palace where the god of this shitty place is supposed to be!
He kicked a rock off the ground and sat down, leaning his back against one of the thousands of black trees that were all over the place.
"Maybe we could use a break," Annabeth said, sitting down on a rock to catch her breath.
They all nodded in agreement, each of them feeling as if they had been mountain climbing for the past few hours. They thought that once they entered the Asphodel Fields finding Hades' palace would be easy, but they didn't count on the fact that the place looked like a labyrinth of dead trees, huge stones, and ghosts that made their progress difficult.
Thalia's stomach growled audibly in hunger. She hadn't eaten anything since the Lotus Casino, she hadn't slept at all, and she felt really tired. And a tired Thalia meant a grumpy Thalia.
She leaned further back against the tree and her hand touched what looked like a flower. It was white, with equally white petals with a golden line running along each petal. It had seeds in each stamen that emerged from the center of the flower.
Thalia looked at her closely. She looked strangely… appetizing.
" Thalia, no! "Annabeth screamed, slapping the flower away when Thalia tried to put it in her mouth.
"Hey, what the hell…?!
"You were trying to eat that flower," Annabeth accused. "You shouldn't do that."
"And why not?
"That flower is called asphodel, and it grows mainly here in the Asphodel Fields.
"Thank you for the botany lesson, Sensei.
Thalia grabbed another flower that was there and tried to put it in her mouth, but Annabeth took it away from her again.
" Don't you understand? That's the flower that the dead eat! If you eat that flower, you'll start to forget who you are to the point that you'll become just like them!
He pointed at the ghosts that were all over the place. Now that he looked closely, he could see many ghosts picking up the flowers that were all over the place and eating them.
Maybe it was her imagination, but she could swear that every time they ate a flower, the ghosts became even more transparent.
He never touched a flower again after that.
When they had rested enough, the three of them set out to continue searching for Hades' palace.
"I don't understand," Annabeth said. "The palace is supposed to be visible to the naked eye across the Asphodel Fields."
"What if only the dead can see it? "Andy asked. "I mean, only the dead are supposed to belong here.
"Any volunteers?! "Thalia asked abruptly as she pulled out Percy's knife with a deranged grin.
Annabeth and Andy tensed and took a step back in fear, causing Thalia to laugh at them.
"That wasn't funny! "Annabeth admonished.
"It was for me," Thalia said, chuckling.
He tried to put Percy's knife back into his leather jacket, but it slipped from his fingers and fell to the floor.
"He he… butterfingers" Andy mocked.
Thalia blushed a little.
- Be quiet!
He bent down to grab the knife, but before he could touch it, it flew several meters forward.
The three demigoddesses stared in shock at what had just happened before their eyes, completely stunned.
" What the hell…?
They looked at the knife carefully, but it didn't move again. As the three of them approached, the knife began to move erratically. The three of them tensed at this and took a step back as the knife was once again thrown several meters in one direction of the forest.
"Alright, who the hell is messing with us?! Show your face, you bastard! "Thalia exclaimed, looking around carefully.
The only thing around the place were the dead trees and the ghosts that filled the place, but none of them seemed to pay attention to him.
They heard a playful giggle from all around the place. The three demigoddesses became alert at that and huddled together, pulling out their respective weapons. Andy his sword, Annabeth her dagger, and Thalia her spear.
The giggle became clearer and closer, as if the one doing the laughing was right in front of them.
But the funny thing was that it wasn't a sinister or evil laugh.
It was a funny laugh.
The three demigoddesses watched closely as from among the sea of ghosts, one of them bent down and picked up Percy's knife and held it up. He began to look at it carefully and play with it, spinning it in the air.
He then grabbed the knife and hugged it to his chest, as if it were a prized object, while letting out light giggles.
"A… ghost?" Andy asked, perplexed.
The ghost walked, or rather glided, towards them. But he was a little different from the others that filled the Asphodel Fields. His ghostly form was a little more physical, but at the same time, he was almost invisible, like Cerberus.
He stood in front of them and offered the knife to Thalia, who was wide-eyed. Her mouth was opening and closing as if she were hyperventilating and her lips were trembling slightly.
"Thalia, what's wrong? "Andy asked, worried about her friend's lack of action.
Thalia didn't say anything, she just continued to stare at the ghost offering her the knife in total shock.
"Annabeth, what is happening?! Why…?!
Andy turned to look at Annabeth, but she had a torn expression on her face, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"This… can't… can't be…" Thalia whispered. She reached out and gently picked up the knife the ghost offered her. "It can't… it can't be you…"
"Are you… Is that really you…?" Annabeth asked, her voice choked. "Sammy…?"
The ghost laughed lightly again, but it was a sad laugh, and he nodded slightly.
"How are you...? "Annabeth said. "How are you here? Why?
She stepped forward and extended her hand. Sammy's ghost extended his hand as well, but when they were about to touch, Annabeth's hand passed through it.
"Annabeth," Andy called. "By 'Sammy,' do you mean that mortal who was with you before you came to camp?"
Annabeth nodded sadly, still staring at Sammy's ghost. Now that Andy looked at her more closely, he could see the ghost's almost invisible face. It looked exactly like the little girl he'd seen in the photo Thalia had shown him.
"Why are you here, Sammy? "Annabeth asked, wiping the tears from her face. "Did you choose Asphodel Fields?
Sammy's ghost opened his mouth, but only the same squeal that all ghosts made when they tried to speak came out. His face turned pitiful, but then he looked at Annabeth and shook his head.
"You didn't choose to be here? "Thalia asked. "So, you were condemned to this place? Did the three judges sentence you to be in the Asphodel Fields?
Sammy's shoulders slumped, and he nodded sadly.
Thalia clenched her fists tightly and electricity began to surge throughout her body.
"That's not fair!" Annabeth snapped. "You did so many good things while you were alive! You helped me when I was sick the day we met. You helped Thalia, Luke, and I by feeding us when we had nothing. You saved me when I was taken hostage by the Lamia. You helped Percy, and you stood by him when he needed you the most! You don't deserve to be in the Asphodel Fields!"
Sammy's ghost crouched down and used his finger to write in the black dirt.
"It's not the way I lived that's why I'm here, it's the way I died."
That caused shock in Thalia and Annabeth, while Andy just looked confused.
"The way you died? "Andy asked, confused. "What does the way you died matter to the judges of the underworld?
Sammy wrote in the sand again, and Andy's eyes widened in shock when he read it.
¨It matters if suicide is the way you died¨
She was perplexed to read that.
"You… committed suicide?
Andy looked at the ghost of Sammy, who looked away in what might have been embarrassment.
It seemed almost inconceivable to Andy that a girl who appeared to be his age could have made such a drastic decision.
Yes, she herself had had many bad times in her life. Teachers who looked down on her, classmates who bullied her because she was different. She had always been alone and never had a true friend until Grover came into her life. For almost twelve years, the only person close to her had been her mother, but she never considered taking her own life as a solution to her problems.
As I thought about that, I could only imagine how much Sammy had suffered to be able to take his own life. Thinking about that was like being stabbed in the heart with a rusty knife and twisted.
He didn't have time to dwell on his grief because Sammy had finished what he was writing in the sand.
"As punishment, the judges sentenced me here to spend the rest of eternity, but that was not enough for them. Because I committed suicide, they added to the sentence the obligation to preserve my memory instead of forgetting it as those who are here do every time they eat one of the flowers that bloom in this place."
" What?! That's not fair! "Thalia exploded.
Sammy smiled sadly before going back to typing.
"That's the punishment given to suicides. But your memories disappear once the time you've lived has passed. In my case, once eleven years have passed, I'll forget everything and become just another ghost like the ones here. I guess it's their way of being merciful."
"You call this mercy?! "Thalia spat angrily". Forcing a person who committed suicide to remember his entire life? The same life that led him to commit suicide?
Sammy smiled comfortingly at Thalia.
"It wasn't all bad. The memories I have with you are the ones I treasure the most. They were the best of my life."
"Sammy…
"By the way, what are you doing here?" wrote Sammy. "I'm happy to see you again, but I can say that you are not dead yet."
"We're looking for Hades' palace," Annabeth said. "We have to go there to get something back that was stolen."
"You mean that huge black palace on the horizon?"
" Did you see him?! Do you know where he is?!
Sammy's ghost nodded and pointed in a direction in the woods. The shadows seemed to swirl in that spot and grow darker.
"So Andy's theory is true"Annabeth muttered to herself"Only the dead can see Hades' palace in this place.
Andy puffed out his chest proudly with a smug smile.
"Can you guide us? "Annabeth asked Sammy's ghost.
She nodded and began to slide towards where he had pointed.
The three demigoddesses immediately followed her.
As they walked through the woods following Sammy's ghost, no one said a word. Andy looked at Thalia and Annabeth's faces, and saw that they were staring sadly at Sammy's ghost.
It was surprising how quickly they advanced through the dead forest that was the Asphodel Fields. Previously, they felt as if they had been walking in circles. But now, after what felt like only a few minutes, they could see Hades' palace on the horizon.
With their goal in sight, they redoubled their efforts to advance, trying not to lose sight of Sammy's ghost among the thousands of ghosts in the place.
As they approached the palace, the three of them could see how the number of ghosts decreased noticeably, they even moved away from the palace as if they did not want to go there.
They could even hear the whispers between the ghosts.
Don't go there.
There is only suffering ahead.
Abandon all hope.
Andy was tempted to listen to his warnings, turn around, and leave that place. She felt that nothing good would come of going to that dark place, and that every step she took only made the god of the underworld even angrier.
As if reading her thoughts, Annabeth turned to look at her and took her hand, transmitting her warmth and companionship.
Andy could see it in her eyes, she was scared too, but she was determined to keep going, no matter how hopeless it seemed.
"You're not alone, Andy," Annabeth told him. "We're in this together, remember? I'm not leaving you."
Andy couldn't help the small smile that formed on his face and he squeezed her back, feeling his doubts and fears diminishing. They didn't disappear, they were still there, but he would push them aside to move forward.
When they were close enough to clearly see Hades' palace, Sammy stopped abruptly and looked at the three demigoddesses sadly.
"Sorry, I can't get any closer," he wrote in the sand.
"It's okay, Sammy," Thalia said, giving the ghost of the little girl a small, sad smile. "You've helped us quite a bit. Without you, we wouldn't have gotten here."
Sammy's ghost shifted uncomfortably in her spot, as if she wanted to say something.
Finally, he wrote in the sand.
"How long has it been since I died? It's hard to tell from here."
It was Annabeth who decided to answer.
"A little over five years.
Sammy nodded sadly.
"So there's only half the time left. That's good."
Thalia's expression turned guilty as she looked at the ghost.
"Sammy, I… I'm sorry," she apologized in a pained, choked voice. "If I had been there for you, this wouldn't have happened. You wouldn't have had to go through all of that alone. You could have lived with us. You did what you did because you were alone. It's… it's my fault… I'm sorry."
Sammy shook his head sadly before writing in the sand.
"It's not your fault, Thalia. I don't blame you or anyone for what happened. It's just that…" she paused for a second before going back to writing. " I felt like there was nothing left for me anymore. My father died, and I could only move on because of Percy. And when he died too… no matter how much I thought about it, I felt like nothing made sense to me anymore. I'm sorry if what I did hurt you, but it's done. And you have to learn to accept it. I've had time to do that."
She looked at them and gave him a big smile, the same smile that Andy had seen in the photo that Thalia had.
Annabeth sobbed silently, while Thalia had a conflicted expression on her face as she looked at the ghost of the girl she had come to consider a little sister in the past.
¨You have to leave the past behind. You have a future, and a life to live. There is no point in dwelling on what could have been¨
Sammy looked at them with a small smile on his face as he finished writing.
Thalia had light tears in the corners of her eyes, while Annabeth sobbed silently.
"I'm glad I found them. I'd almost forgotten their faces... even Percy's."
Sammy looked sad when he wrote that.
Andy felt sorry for her. He wanted to comfort her somehow, and he came up with a way to do it.
He reached for Thalia's sleeve and asked for her wallet. She looked at him confused for a second, but then understood the message.
He handed him his wallet and Andy pulled out the same photo they had shown him on the bus on the way to Las Vegas.
He showed it to Sammy and she picked it up with shaking hands, as if she was afraid she wouldn't be able to hold it. She did, and looked at it carefully.
It was surprising that even as a ghost, she could cry.
Tears streamed down her ghostly face as she ran her fingers over the image and then hugged it to her chest.
He handed it back to Andy, then wrote a simple word in the sand.
thank you
Andy just nodded solemnly. Happy to have given the little girl's ghost a little relief.
Annabeth reached out her hand once more, Sammy mimicking the gesture, but their hands didn't touch. Both girls had tears streaming down their faces as they stared at each other, as if they wanted to burn that memory into their minds.
"Let's go," Thalia told them, putting away her wallet. "We have to get that damn lightning back."
Both demigoddesses nodded as they walked towards Hades' palace.
Before leaving, Thalia turned to look at the girl's ghost one last time.
"Sammy! "Thalia shouted, drawing the girl's attention". I will free you from this place! Even if I have to force Hades to do it, I will free you from the Asphodel Fields and make sure you go to the Elysian Fields! I promise!
The last thing she saw before leaving that place was Sammy's grateful smile. She waved her hand in farewell before disappearing into the sea of ghosts that adorned the Asphodel Fields.
"I promise," Thalia whispered, wiping away the light tears that fell down her face, revealing a determined look in her eyes.
…
..
.
[T/N, If you like this chapter then leave a comment, drop some stones, and write a review! If you want to read some advanced chapters then check out my Patreon!]
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