𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐀'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕
ೀ ˚✧.
after a lot of running, we emerge deeper into the underworld. it honestly looks like a desert.
"weird, i haven't heard the dog in awhile." grover pointed out.
"he chased us all that way and then just... stopped?" percy thought aloud.
"i don't think that's normal." i said.
"that's what i'm saying." percy responded.
all of a sudden grover began walking forward at a fast pace.
"grover?" i walked quicker to catch up with him.
"grover, where are you going?" the blonde boy did the same.
"i don't— i don't know. i— i can't stop!" he began to panic and trip over luke's converse he was wearing. "guys, it's the shoes!"
we both started sprinting to him. "grover!"
"PERCY! MAE!" he screamed.
when we stoop atop of a sandhill, a deep black mass stood before us.
my eyes widen in fear. "tartarus."
percy and i leap down and hold onto the satyr for dear life, but we keep sliding down.
percy then grabbed riptide and plunged it into the sand to make us stop falling.
i pulled up grover with all my mortal strength. "let the shoes fly off!"
a couple second later they did and we all collapsed and were breathing hard.
when percy tried to back up, his backpack weighed him down and made a clank.
"what was that?" grover managed to say between breaths.
percy took the backpack off his shoulders and zipped it open. i sat up and moved closer to him.
he struggled to take the item out of the bag, but when he did my jaw dropped.
in percy's hand was a powerful weapon. the very purpose of our quest.
my father's lightning bolt.
percy looked at me nervously "is this—"
"no." his best friend cut him off.
i snatched my dad's stupid thing out of his hands.
when i did, it crackled with electricity. "no. freaking. way."
"that was in my bag...?" percy pointed out.
"this is the bag my brother gave you." i began to fill with rage. "my brother had the bolt this entire time and tricked us."
my grip around it tightened, only leading it to spark with more energy.
i stood up. "this isn't done. we're getting your mom."
——
we stood in front of hades's palace. grover and percy were looking at i'm in awe but i just walked forward.
the guards let us through.
i was still pissed and if you think percy was disrespectful towards the gods, just you wait.
"mae... uh don't you think you should calm down a little bit." grover gulped. "you know, before you barrette the lord of the dead."
"i know what i'm doing."
we stood on an elevating platform. once we went up, we heard loud footsteps.
the master bolt was radiating with so much electricity, if i wasn't the daughter of zeus i would've been disintegrated.
"hey fellas. welcome!" said none other than my uncle. "it's great to meet you... well most of you. i know you miss sparky."
a small lightning strike hit his floor, leaving a charred hole on the ground.
everyone jumped a bit.
"well maisey, isn't it nice to see you again." he said distastefully. he turned to the boys. "well i know who you guys are and you know who i am, so we can just skip right past that part. can i get you anything? fresh pomegranate juice, a snack—"
percy cut him off. "my mother."
"boom, straight to business. i admire the cut of your jib—"
it was my turn to speak over him. "where is she hades?!"
"alright, let's get to it! your mom's just over here." he began to walk.
i immediately followed him and the boys followed soot.
he revealed a golden statue under a tarp.
that statue being sally jackson.
"...mom?"
i soon as i saw her and heard percy's hoarse voice, my heart sank. my hold on the bolt loosened and the crackling came to a halt.
"what did you do to her?!" the son of poseidon grew frustrated.
"uh... saved her life?" hades said like it was obvious. "being crushed by a minotaur is kinda irreversible, so i snagged her in the nick of time. so you give me what you got, and i'll give you what i've got."
i held the bolt in two hands.
percy's voice trembled. "i can't— i can't give it to you."
"you see, this isn't a one way trade."
"the bolt doesn't belong to you." i said.
"the bolt is your father's drama, i don't want anything to do with it." haded raised his brow.
"what?" percy, grover and i said in unison.
"you don't want it?" i tried to confirm.
"no."
"then what do you want?" percy asked.
"my helm!"
"your helm of darkness?" i scrunched my nose.
"yes! it went missing just days before someone turned invisible to steal the bolt. i'd like it back now please and then you can get your mom back."
percy looked puzzled. "you really don't want the bolt?"
"why would i want that? i'm not jealous like my brothers. who would—"
my stomach dropped in realization. "kronos."
"maisealina what?" hades said. "kronos is in a million pieces at the bottom of—"
"tartarus. but who would have the longest grudge of them all? i would assume the one that was kicked off his throne." i continued to piece my thoughts together. "and the minute the bolt appeared in the bag, grover was pulled into tartarus."
the god sighed. "ask me for sanctuary. you'll need me to keep you safe. i'll let all of you, including your mom free, and all it'll cost you is the bolt."
i held it closer to me. "you said you didn't want the bolt."
he held out his hand. "well i don't, but now i need it. if war with kronos is coming, i'd like to be prepared."
"no." percy said at last.
"maisealina, give it to me."
he started walking towards us but i held up my only way out of there.
"nice pearl." he sassed.
"we accept your offer."
"great—"
"the first one that is. we're gonna do get your helm, and when we get back, you're going to let percy's mom go."
"okay, hang on!"
"guys, NOW!"
we all slammed our pearls onto the ground.
——
i opened my eyes and i was on the ground.
i look around to see both my friends next to me.
i stood and helped percy up first.
he grabbed my hand and we held eye contact.
i look over to see that annabeth found her way back to us and was helping up grover, but i could still feel his eyes boring at me.
all of us then look the opposite direction to see the god of war walking towards us.
percy not hesitating one bit, uncapped riptide and started going to him.
i had i feeling i knew what was going to happen and made sure to walk right beside him.
"single combat!" percy held out his sword.
"what?" everyone said in unison.
"one-on-one." he continued. "but i set the terms. if i draw first blood, i keep the bolt and you surrender the helm."
ares started laughing hysterically.
"do you accept?"
"i mean it's your funeral kid, although just to be clear, no funeral. any trace of you leaves a trace in my plan and we can't have that."
percy stepped forward. "but it wasn't your plan was it? it was kronos. it was his idea to frame poseidon's kid. and steal hades helm. and steal zeus's bolt to start a war."
annabeth grabbed grover by the shoulder. "what?"
"is that where he got to you too? through your dreams?" percy inched closer and closer to ares, me still beside him.
"gods don't dream little man, AND NO ONE TELLS THE GOD OF WAR HOW TO START A FIGHT!"
as soon as he raised his voice, i grabbed percy's hand. he looked down to me.
i didn't know what to do, so i pulled his lips to mine, for a short kiss. when i pulled away a second later, his eyes softened and he clenched his jaw. "don't die on me kelp head."
"after i kill you, say hi to your mommy for me." the war god said.
i walked backward to grover and annabeth and they looked at me in shock for what i just did.
i couldn't take my eyes off of percy though.
he snapped back into reality and got into position. ares ran towards him and he blocked his hit.
percy seemed to be really struggling at first.
ares knocked riptide out of his hands and slammed him to the ground.
i tried to run forward but grover and annabeth pulled me back.
ares then kicked him to the water, which probably wasn't his brightest idea.
percy began to stand. "i warned you...if you're not careful..." a wave the size of a tsunami rose behind him. "you'll find out who i am."
the water submerged the god, knocking him to the ground.
percy took this as an opportunity to run at him and slash him in the leg.
golden ichor fell, declaring the demigod the winner.
annabeth, grover and i ran to him in shock.
ares began to clap sarcastically. "yay! that was so cool!" an angry look appeared on his face. "you wanna know what you earned today? an enemy for life."
he started to glow, indicating that he was turning into his true form.
"look away!" i yelled.
we slowly turned back forward to see hades's helm of darkness.
i walked forward and picked it up.
i face everyone else and see percy walking towards a cabin.
we all follow.
𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀 𝐘𝐀𝐏𝐒!
oh hey there!
it's been awhile.
i hope i made up for my absence with MAE AND PERCY'S FIRST KISS WHOHOO!!
i'm way too lazy to proof read this right now.