Chapter Text
Poseidon POV
Taking the book from Aphrodite, I sit back down next to Perseus.
Imagine the largest concert crowd you’ve ever seen, a football field packed with a million fans.
Now imagine a field a million times that big, packed with people, and imagine the electricity has gone out, and there is no noise, no light, no beach ball bouncing around over the crowd. Something tragic has happened backstage. Whispering masses of people are just milling around in the shadows, waiting for a concert that will never start.
I frown, looking at Hades.
“Is it really so bad, brother?”
He sighs.
“It has gotten easier over the years, but…”
His hand gestures vaguely, and I wince as I realize the truth. His realm is a lot more populated than I thought, and my mind drifts to all the storms and earthquakes I’ve caused over the years. All those deaths couldn’t have been helpful.
“I’m sorry, Hades. Truly.”
He blinks in shock at my words, and I curse.
Have we drifted so far apart that my kindness to him is so foreign?
Perseus nudges me slightly, and I clear my throat.
The dead aren’t scary. They’re just sad… Even from far away, I could see people being chased by hellhounds, burned at the stake, forced to run naked through cactus patches or listen to opera music.
Chiron makes an offended noise, and Hades shrugs apologetically.
I could just make out a tiny hill, with the ant-size figure of Sisyphus struggling to move his boulder to the top… I got the feeling they were waiting for us.
Hades smiles.
“They were. I know instantly when any living being enters my realm, but especially my sibling’s children because of the power they hold.”
Hephaestus frowns.
“You don’t just sense Father and Uncle P’s children?”
He shakes his head.
“No. People often forget, because only I and my brothers are mentioned so much in the old myths, but I’ve never forgotten Demeter’s power. Her rage at Zeus caused her to nearly kill the world. Though not as flashy as mine, Zeus, or Poseidon’s powers, Demeter is just as powerful as Zeus or I. Po and Hestia are the most powerful of our siblings, though. Hestia, by being the eldest, and Po, by some reasons he tells only Mother, Amphitrite, and Hestia.”
I shrug when all eyes turn to me.
“What? I like my privacy. Amphitrite is exempt because she is my wife, Hestia because she is my favorite sibling, and Mother because, well…”
I wave my hand vaguely, unsure of how to put it into words but my siblings nod.
“Mother’s always been able to tell if we lie, and also the look of disappointment she gets on her face is literally terrifying.”
My siblings nod sagely.
“It’s awful.”
Suddenly Grover jerked sideways, and his sneakers sprouted wings. He landed on his back as the shoes yanked him forward by his feet, dragging him away from us.
I grabbed for him, but the shoes tugged him out of my reach. I started running after him, my brain barely registering the fact that Haley had stopped following us. I knew there was some sort of significance in that, but all I could focus on was the fact that Grover was getting further away and things were getting darker and colder. We ran past spirits that chittered at us in annoyance, trying to keep him in sight. I was sure Grover was going to barrel straight through the gates of Hades’s palace, but the shoes veered sharply to the right and dragged him in the opposite direction… The tunnel got darker and colder. The hairs on my arms bristled. It smelled wrong down here. It reminded me of all the terrible things I’d tried to forget over the years.
I look at the next few sentences, and I feel the ground start to shake.
That mortal dared…
There’s a soft click next to me, and my anger instantly vanishes as I look at my son.
“Μπαμπάς, can… can we just get this over with?”
I nod, and he leans against me with a thankful chirp.
The first time Gabe hit me. The times mom had to work overtime and Gabe would lock me in the coat closet. The first time he came into my room…
I clench my fists and close my eyes.
Don’t drown Australia, don’t drown Australia…
Sally gasps, and pulls Percy to her.
“Oh mi hijo… Lo lamento. Lo siento mucho. Debería haberte protegido.”
He hugs her tightly.
“I hid it well mamá. I never wanted you to know.”
She sobs, and he clings to her.
Taking a deep breath, I look back at the book.
Then I saw what was ahead of us and stopped dead in my tracks.
Perseus shudders, and I glance at him worriedly. He gives me a wan smile, and I frown but keep reading.
The tunnel widened into a huge dark cavern, and in the middle was a chasm the size of a city block .
Nico lets out a sharp noise like he’s been punched, and Percy rises shakily to his feet. He walks over to the younger male and pulls him into a hug.
I smile sadly. Even though he’s struggling himself, his first thought is always of other people.
Grover was sliding straight toward the edge, and I pushed my legs to move faster toward him even though all I wanted to do was run far, far away.
I shouted names in my head as I lunged desperately for one of his hands.
The air filled with scents of winelaurelsstrawberriesseasaltdustasphodels-
What are you doing why are you there no godling go back go back not safe turn around stop stop child no
My right hand grabbed his wrist as I stabbed Riptide into the dirt with my left. We jerked to a stop, and I howled in pain as the pull from the pit grew stronger.
Perseus yelps in pain, but I force myself to keep reading after seeing that Apollo and Liam are already looking at him. I want to stop and look over him myself, but I know the thing that will help him the most is getting this part of the chapter over with.
Riptide slipped from my grasp, but I didn’t even have time to panic before I was encased in asphodels and pomegranates and dirt and another smell that I couldn’t place but I knew meant safety.
A different kind of darkness surrounded us, and then the smells of wrong, evil, dark, wrong vanished. Grover slumped to the floor, and I curled up closer to the asphodel-pomegranate-dirt scent.
“Ειρήνη, ανιψιός. Αναπνέω. Είσαι ασφαλής. You are safe.”
“Θ… θείος…”
A pale hand rubbed my back soothingly, and I clung to my uncle.
“Your father would have made me fade if I lost you in there. Chaos, he would have destroyed my whole realm. Even the Isles of the Blessed would not have been safe.”
Hades jerks slightly and looks at Nico.
“I haven’t told you, have I?”
Nico just looks confused, and Persephone smacks Hades slightly.
“Hades!”
He winces.
“I know, love.”
Leaning forward slightly, Hades puts a hand on Nico’s shoulder.
”I meant to tell you this after the Battle of Manhattan, but the Greek/Roman schism happened and it completely slipped my mind. Bianca only went for rebirth after she knew you were safe after the Battle of Manhattan. And souls who go for rebirth are dipped in the Lethe, so they don’t remember their previous lives.”
The boy blinks in confusion, and Percy gasps.
“Bianca was her soul’s third life!”
My eldest brother nods.
“Yes. The Isles are open to you, my son, if you wish to see her.”
He blinks furiously, and I turn my gaze back to the book. If his son is anything like him, he won’t want anyone to see him vulnerable.
I let out a sound that was half-sob half-laugh, and Hades conjured chairs for Grover and me as I nudged Grover awake and he moved back to his throne.
For the first time, I realized Annabeth wasn’t there, but my first thought wasn’t fear. It was anger.
Hades must have seen the look on my face, for he sighed.
“You are thinking of the Wisdom’s spawn, yes?”
I nodded, and he waved his hand. The doors opened, and Annabeth stormed in.
Before I could speak, she cleared her throat.
“Lord Hades,” She said. “Look, sir, there can’t be a war among the gods. It would be ... catastrophic.”
Hades glared at her as the throne room shook violently. “Do you think I want war, godling?”
“You are the Lord of the Dead,” Annabeth said arrogantly. “A war would expand your kingdom.”
I slapped my hand over her mouth and she glared at me, but I had bigger things to deal with. Looking at Hades, I shook my head.
“No, Uncle. I’ve seen the Asphodel Fields. I know the death rates have skyrocketed. More souls would make things harder for you.”
He raised an eyebrow and looked at me appraisingly.
“You are smart, Sea Prince. Not many would have realized that.”
Unsure of what to say, I stayed silent.
“Charon wants a pay raise.”
I turned my head to look at Grover incredulously. He let out a nervous bleat and started chewing on a tin can.
It’s dead silent at hearing that.
“Really? You brought up the pay raise?”
Grover flushes.
“I panicked!”
“Don’t get me started on Charon!” Hades yelled. “He’s been impossible ever since he discovered Italian suits! Problems everywhere, and I’ve got to handle all of them personally. The commute time alone from the palace to the gates is enough to drive me insane! And the dead just keep arriving. No. I need no help getting subjects! I did not ask for this war.”
“And yet you will suffer the most for it.”
He lets out a weary sigh, and for a moment he looks almost, well, human.
All of a sudden, Annabeth elbowed me. Wincing, I removed my hand from her mouth and resigned myself to the fact that she was going to make another stupid remark based on prejudice.
“Your Helm is missing. You wanted Percy to come here with the bolt because you wanted to bargain with the bolt for your helm.”
“No, foolish child. I do not want the bolt.”
She shook her head, adamant that she would be right about something.
“Then why didn’t you tell anyone your helm was missing?”
“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 frown at that, tilting my head slightly at my brother.
“Hades?”
He sighs and runs a hand down his face.
“Yes, perhaps you would have helped, along with Hestia, but most of our family would not. Especially Zeus. I mean…”
He gestures at him, and I look at Zeus. His eyes are filled with paranoia, and no small amount of rage.
“He cast me out from Olympus, from my home, out of fear even though I told you many times I do not want, nor have I ever wanted, to be king of the Gods. Besides…”
He leans forward slightly, his eyes burning with purple fire as he glares at our youngest sibling.
“You would not have looked for my helm out of the goodness of your heart. No, you would have done it purely to gain my symbol of power and revel in the fact that I had grown weaker.”
Our little brother opens his mouth, and Hades bares his fangs as the purple fire in his eyes glows brighter.
“Do not try to placate me with your false platitudes, little brother.”
Hestia stands, tears dripping down her face and hugs Hades tightly before turning to Zeus.
“You disappoint me.”
He flinches slightly, and she glances at me.
“Please continue, Si.”
“But, the bolt-”
Hades growls.
“Enough about the bolt, child! Di immortales, for a child of the Wisdom Goddess you really are stupid. I know where the bolt is. The Sea Prince knows where it is. Figure. It. Out.”
She gasped, affronted, and Hades snapped his fingers. No sound came out of her throat, and he nodded in satisfaction.
“There. Now, as I was saying, Sea Prince, I know why you are here. You came for your mother.”
I nodded, and he loosed a ball of gold fire from his palm. It exploded on the steps in front of me, and there was my mother, frozen in a shower of gold, just as she was at the moment when the Minotaur began to squeeze her to death.
I couldn’t speak. I reached out to touch her, but the light was as hot as a bonfire.
“She… she’s not dead.”
Hades shook his head.
“No. I saved her.”
A part of me knew that, but hearing it said aloud confirmed my suspicion.
“The God King.”
A dark look flashed in Hades’ eyes.
“As mad as I am at my brother for breaking the oath, I would not stoop so low as to take it out on his child, or their family. The God King, though…”
His lip curled, and a weight filled my gut.
“Yes,” Hades nodded. “He was the one who sent the Minotaur. He planned to have you killed, as he does to all children who could possibly pose a threat to him…”
Hades looked lost in memories for a moment, before blinking and refocusing on me.
“The bolt.”
I nodded, and he sighed.
“You do not annoy me as much as I expected, Sea Prince. However, I am still missing my Helm. I swore an oath that I would not give your mother back until my helm is back in my hands, and I must hold to that. Bring me my helm, Sea Prince, and your mother will be returned.”
I nodded and closed my eyes as he snapped his fingers. After a second, I felt air on my face and breathed in the fresh sea breeze.
Annabeth stormed over and punched me in the gut.
“What the Hades, Seaweed Brain?! You knew where the bolt was and didn’t tell me?!”
Nico sighs.
”Please stop using my father’s name as a curse…”
She kept ranting, but I didn’t pay her any attention. I was focused on the only other person on the beach. The real ‘god who had turned’
I look at Perseus and smile softly as I see him leaning against Liam. I don’t know much about Apollo’s son, but I like him. From the glimpses of him I’ve seen throughout the years, and the things I’ve seen over the past few days, he’s a much better match for my son.
The Athena spawn has done too much damage to his self-esteem for him to be anywhere near ready to be in another relationship any time soon, but when he is ready I’d strongly prefer if he was with Liam. I've only ever seen Perseus look that peaceful around myself, other sea family members, Sally, or his cousin-siblings.
He’s gone through so much hardship in his life. He deserves happiness.