Chapter 18: The Lord of the Dead
The deeper they journeyed, the more oppressive their atmosphere became.
It was more than the oppressive heft of the Underworld, it was something else.
Something older. It was observing them.
Annabeth and Grover walked next to Percy, stepping carefully, and looking stern. Even they could feel it.
The massive hall of Hades' palace stretched endlessly, the darkness consuming them. Dark columns of obsidian thrust upwards out of the floor, throbbing with a dim, disturbing light. The torches that illuminated the path were burning with unnatural, cold blue flames. Their light crept and danced in the air, casting a shadow-like pallor of shadows as if surging with life.
And at the end of it—his throne.
Hades.
Percy tightened his grip on Riptide. He had confronted a god before, but this was different. This was the god of the dead.
He could hear the sound of rustling wings.
From the shadows came three, small dark figures—the Furies.
Alecto, the same one who had attacked Percy back at Yancy Academy, was in front. Her leathery wings quivered, her yellow eyes sparked with something unreadable. But there was no smugness in her face.
She looked hesitant.
She stopped a good distance away and curved her fingers into claws. Percy anticipated she might strike—a foolish assumption—but she did not.
The other two Furies shared in her discomfort, glancing back and forth between him and each other.
Annabeth and Grover were too wrapped up in their thoughts to notice but Percy did.
They were afraid of him. That realization sent shivers down his spine. Why would the Furies—the lord of the dead's enforcers—be scared of him? Was he that powerful?
Percy shifted his weight forward. The Furies flinched.
Percy realised that he reveled in their fear.
Alecto quickly regained her composure, but her voice was sharp and delivered with a bit less steadiness than before.
"The Lord of the Dead is expecting you." She waved one long finger toward the throne.
Annabeth tensed.
Grover gave an anxious bleat.
Percy inhaled heavily, then advanced up the steps.
As they got closer, the air became even colder. The steps leading up to the throne were carved from black marble with a deep red vein, reminiscent of frozen blood. The throne was carved of one slab of onyx, the edges as sharp as knives.
And upon the throne— Hades.
He sat cloaked in shadows, supple but not relaxed. His robes were woven from the darkness that engulfed him, billowing and twisting about him as if they had a life of their own. His black hair was striking against his starless night countenance, a striking aristocratic look that was pale, cold, and ageless. His eyes glowed with an ice-cold fire.
Percy had been expecting a mocking smile or an arrogant show of power, similar to Ares.
Instead, Hades simply assessed them.
The god was silent and unreadable.
Percy's heart raced.
He knows something.
When Hades finally spoke, his voice was smooth; steady, and calm, though it gave Percy chills that seeped in and out of his bones.
"You have my Helm."
Percy's mouth felt oddly dry, "No. I don't!"
There was a flicker of something in Hades' expression. Amusement? Disappointment? It was gone too fast to tell.
Hades leaned forward a bit. The darkness grew heavier. "You have Zeus's Bolt."
Annabeth stiffened beside him. Grover made a whimpering noise.
Hades briefly looked at the bag on Percy's back then turned back to Percy; his expression unchanged.
"You have come here," Hades said, "to negotiate; but you offer nothing but lies."
The shadows moved again.
Annabeth swayed, and Grover made a feeble noise and crumpled to the floor.
"Hey—" Percy turned to Annabeth just as her knees buckled; her eyes dilated and rolled back in her head. Hades did not move.
"They are not part of this conversation."
Percy clenched his hands into fists.
He was alone.
Alone with Hades.
The god watched him for a long moment, then raised one hand.
A living, swirling, mass of darkness formed in his palm.
In the undulating darkness, Percy saw things.
Glimpses, memories that were not his. Visions of something old. Something wrong.
"This," Hades said, "holds answers."
Percy's breath caught in his throat.
"Answers to the gnawing questions of your spirit," Hades continued. "To your heritage. To your truth."
Percy's body felt still, frozen in place.
"But," the god said softly. "It is not for me to give them to you."
And then—Hades closed his hand.
The orb shattered.
Percy's heart nearly stopped.
No.
The pieces of the orb disintegrated into nothing, fading like a puff of mist.
His fingers were digging into his palms.
"Why?"
Hades tilted his head. "Because it was the Fates' will. You must find the truth for yourself, Son of Kronos."
"Now play along."
All of a sudden Annabeth and Grover came back to consciousness. As they woke up, Hades continued like they never collapsed.
"You were the thief on the winter solstice," Hades said. "Your father thought to keep you his little secret. He directed you into the throne room on Olympus, You took the master bolt and my helm. Had I not sent my Fury to discover you at Yancy Academy, Poseidon might have succeeded in hiding his scheme to start a war. But now you have been forced into the open. You will be exposed as Poseidon's thief, and I will have my helm back!"
"But …" Annabeth spoke. Percy could tell her mind was going a million miles an hour. "Lord Hades, your helm of darkness is missing, too?"
"Do not play innocent with me, girl. You and the satyr have been helping this hero-coming here to threaten me in Poseidon's name, no doubt-to bring me an ultimatum. Does Poseidon think I can be blackmailed into supporting him?"
Percy decided to play along.
"No!" he said. "Poseidon didn't-I didn't-"
"I have said nothing of the helm's disappearance," Hades snarled, "because I had no illusions that anyone on Olympus would offer me the slightest justice, the slightest help. I can ill afford for word to get out that my most powerful weapon of fear is missing. So I searched for you myself, and when it was clear you were coming to me to deliver your threat, I did not try to stop you."
"You didn't try to stop us? But-"
"Return my helm now, or I will stop death," Hades threatened. "That is my counterproposal. I will open the earth and have the dead pour back into the world. I will make your lands a nightmare. And you, Percy Jackson-your skeleton will lead my army out of Hades."
The skeletal soldiers all took one step forward, making their weapons ready. At that point,Percy decided to take things to another level.
"You're as bad as Zeus," he said. "You think I stole from you? That's why you sent the Furies after me?"
"Of course," Hades said. "And the other monsters?" Hades curled his lip.
"I had nothing to do with them. I wanted no quick death for you-I wanted you brought before me alive so you might face every torture in the Fields of Punishment. Why do you think I let you enter my kingdom so easily?"
"Easily?"
"Return my property!"
"But I don't have your helm. I came for the master bolt."
"Which you already possess!" Hades shouted. "You came here with it, little fool, thinking you could you threaten me!"
"But I didn't!"
"Open your pack, then."
A horrible feeling struck him.
The weight in his backpack, like a bowling ball. He slung it off his shoulder and unzipped it. Inside was a two-foot-long metal cylinder, spiked on both ends, humming with energy. At that moment, Percy realised that he had been deceived. But he would get his revenge soon.
"Percy," Annabeth said. "How-"
"I-I don't know. I don't understand."
"You heroes are always the same," Hades said. "Your pride makes you foolish, thinking you could bring such a weapon before me. I did not ask for Zeus's master bolt, but since it is here, you will yield it to me. I am sure it will make an excellent bargaining tool. And now … my helm. Where is it?"
The Underworld suddenly felt too small.
Percy shouted, "Now, guys!"
They smashed the pearls at their feet.
For a moment, nothing happened. Hades yelled, "Destroy them!"
The army of skeletons rushed forward, swords out, guns clicking to full automatic. The Furies lunged, their whips bursting into flame. Just as the skeletons opened fire, the pearl fragments at their feet exploded with a burst of green light and a gust of fresh sea wind.
A crack split the air.
The ground vanished beneath them.
For a split second, Percy saw Hades watching. The god's expression was unreadable, but his voice echoed through the void—
"We will meet again, Son of Kronos. Do not think badly of me because I cannot give you the actual answers, as the Fates permit it."
And then—
Light.
A rushing sensation.
When Percy's vision cleared, they were no longer in the Underworld.
Somehow, he knew what time it was: early morning, June 21, the day of the summer solstice. In the distance, Los Angeles was on fire, plumes of smoke rising from neighborhoods all over the city. There had been an earthquake, all right, and it was Hades' fault.
But his mind was reeling.
Because Hades had called him Son of Kronos.
He put it aside though as he had a certain god of war to deal with.
--
End of chapter 18
Author's note:I tried to make some changes here as I wanted to change Hades' character. He was quite weird in the books as compared to what I wanted him to be. Also, before you guys start in the comments, yes, I did copy quite a big portion from the book this time. Hope you enjoy!
Thoughts?