CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE - PERCY FINDS OUT THE TRUTH

Erebus was not a place that I would like to go to on vacation.

The River Styx, Cerberus, and the Fields of Asphodel combined were nothing compared to Hades's palace. It was high and mighty, made of solid obsidian and bronze. It reminded me of the old castles you'd see in black and white horror movies, the ones that were always haunted, but the poor family would go inside anyways. I was really hoping that this family visit wasn't going to end with my gruesome death.

When we approached the massive bonze gates, I hesitated. I craned my neck upwards and watched the Furies circle the parapets. I could almost see Mrs. Dodds licking her lips in anticipation.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by someone touching my shoulder from behind me. My father's training kicked in on instinct, and I reached behind me, grabbing the person's wrist. In one swift move, I twisted and brought them over my shoulder, flipping them onto their back at my feet.

Percy let out a groan, and glared up at me. "I was just going to ask if you were okay," he said, clutching his wrist in pain.

"O—Oh, my gods," I stammered, and pulled him to his feet. "I am so sorry, Perce. I was just a little jumpy and then the shoulder thing, and my dad's self-defense training kicked in and—"

"It's fine, don't worry about it, Av. Although, remind me to never sneak up on you, ever again." He let out a little laugh and rolled his shoulder around.

We looked back behind us when we heard a snort. Annabeth and Grover were both doubled over at the waist, shaking with laughter. My face burned, and Percy was bright red.

Annabeth straightened up and pretended to wipe a tear away from her eye. "Why on earth would your dad teach you how to judo-flip people?" she asked.

I shrugged, and said, "I was a teenage girl living in Northern Los Angeles. It's one of the worst cities for fourteen-year-olds. Almost as bad as Chicago. My dad started teaching me self-defense when I was nine."

She nodded in appreciation. "You have to teach me that when we get back to camp."

"No problem. I wonder if Clarisse will show me how to perfect it," I mused. I looked at Percy, and shot him a sickly-sweet smile. "Hey Perce, how would you like to be my test subject when we get back?"

He sent me a playful glare. "As much as I would love getting beat to a pulp by my best friend, we have a job to do here, before we can go back to camp."

His words drained all the energy from my body, along with most of the blood from my face. I looked back at the palace, which loomed before us, shrouded in mist.

"Right," I squeaked. "A job to do."

*

We walked through the gates.

My eyes grazed over the engravings in the massive gates. Scenes of death enfolded around us. Some didn't have a specific time to them—a flood wiping out houses, fires raging in a forest, two young boys fighting in a duel—but some were easy to identify. They all happened within the last century—an atomic bomb exploding over a city, a trench filled with gas mask-wearing soldiers, a line of African famine victims waiting with empty bowls—but they looked as if they'd been etched into the bronze thousands of years ago.

Could all of these really have been prophesized?

Inside the courtyard was a massive garden. Although, instead of tomato vines and herb baskets, there were multicolored mushrooms, poisonous shrubs, and bioluminescent plants. Where flower beds should have been, there were precious jewels instead, piles of rubies, clumps of raw diamonds. Standing here and there were Medusa's handiwork—petrified children, satyrs, and centaurs—all smiling grotesquely.

In the center of the garden was an orchard of pomegranate trees, the massive red fruit hanging in bunches throughout the branches. "The garden of Persephone," Annabeth said. "Keep walking."

"It's a shame we can't eat those," I mumbled. "I really like pomegranates."

But I knew why we had to stay away. The tart smell of the fruit was almost overwhelming, but one bite of Underworld food, no matter how small, and we would never be able to leave. And leaving was something I was looking forward to.

We walked up the steps of the palace, our sneakers (or, in Grover's case, hooves) echoing against the marble. We passed between black columns, through a black marble portico, and into the house of Hades. The entry hall had a polished bronze floor, which seemed to boil in the reflected torchlight. There was no ceiling, just the cavern roof, so far above I could barely see it.

Every side doorway was guarded by a skeleton in military gear. Some wore Greek armor, some British redcoats, some in tattered camouflage with American flags on the shoulders. None of them stopped us from continuing on, but their hollow eye sockets watched our every move, their skulls swiveling to follow us as we walked down the hall, to the big set of door at the opposite end.

Two U.S. Marine skeletons guarded the doors. They made me think of a friend of mine, who joined the Marines after high school. He ended up being deployed to Afghanistan, and then was killed when his vehicle was hit by an I.E.D. There wasn't even a body to bury.

I shook myself out of the memory. Now was not the time to think of fallen friends.

"You know," I heard Grover say, "I bet Hades doesn't have trouble with door-to-door salesmen."

I let out a quiet laugh. "They'd never get the chance. Remember the sign on the door of DOA? No solicitors."

"How do you possibly remember that?"

I gave him a confused look. "It was only, like, three hours ago."

Percy shushed us. He readjusted his backpack on his shoulder, grimacing at the extra weight. I wanted, more than anything, to reach in and grab what was giving him so much trouble, but I couldn't move. The Fates had given me a little leeway by answering Annabeth's question, and now I was on a tight leash once again.

"Well, guys," Percy said. "I suppose we should...knock?"

A hot wind blew through the corridor, and the doors swung open. The guards stepped aside.

"I guess that means entrez-vous," Annabeth said.

"The proposal doesn't make the situation any less terrifying in French," I rushed out. Annabeth just rolled her eyes at me, but I could see that she was scared, too.

The throne room was massive, made of black marble and bronze floors, like the rest of the palace. Hades lounged on his throne, made of human bones fused together. He was ten feet tall, easy, and dressed in black silk robes and a crown of braided gold. His skin was the color of milk, his hair shoulder-length and jet black, looking almost exactly how I always pictured a vampire to look, minus the red eyes and the fangs.

But that wasn't the scariest thing about him. Even though I had only gone two steps into the throne room, I was overwhelmed by the power that was radiating off of the god. I felt small, insignificant, like a bug that he could squash with the heel of his boot. His eyes were the hardest to look at. They held the same kind of mesmerizing, evil charisma that you could pick out in old photographs of Adolph Hitler or Mussolini.

"You are brave to come here, Son of Poseidon," he said. His words were oily and cold, and full of anger. "After what you have done to me, very brave indeed. Or perhaps you are simply very foolish."

Percy looked petrified. His eyes were wide and unblinking. I glanced past him, and saw that Annabeth and Grover had the same expressions adorning their faces.

Then Percy took a deep breath, steeled his emotions, and stepped forward. "Lord and Uncle," he began, "I come with two requests."

Hades raised an eyebrow and sat forward in his throne. When he moved, his robes shimmered, revealing shadowy faces of tormented souls from the Fields of Punishment.

"Only two requests?" Hades asked. "Arrogant child. As if you have not already taken enough. Speak, then. It amuses me not to strike you dead yet."

Percy gulped, and looked towards the smaller throne to the right of Hades's. It was shaped like a black flower, gilded with gold. It belonged to the goddess of springtime, and the queen of the Underworld, Persephone. At the moment, she was in the world above, spending her three months away with her mother, the goddess of agriculture, Demeter.

Annabeth cleared her throat, and gave me a look. I winced, but I took a step forward and stood next to Percy anyway, nudging him with my shoulder.

"Lord Hades," Percy said. "Look, sir, there can't be a war among the gods. It would be...bad."

"Really bad," Grover added helpfully.

"Return Zeus's master bolt to me," Percy continued. "Please, sir. Let me carry it to Olympus."

Hades's eyes flashed dangerously. "You dare keep up this pretense, after what you have done?"

Percy opened his mouth to respond, but closed it again just as quickly. He looked back at our friends, but they looked just as confused as he was. He turned to me, but I backed away from him, guilt written all over my features.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, to all of my friends, but I was focused mostly on Percy. "I wanted to tell you, I tried to tell you throughout the quest, but the Fates...they wouldn't let me. I'm so sorry."

Percy's eyes were riddled with confusion, but he turned back to the god. "Um...Uncle," he said. "You keep saying 'after what you've done.' What exactly have I done?"

The throne room shook with a tremor so strong, no doubt it was felt upstairs in Los Angeles. The city was probably on fire, by now. Debris fell from the cavern ceiling. Doors burst open all along the walls, and skeletal warriors marched in, hundreds of them, surrounding us in seconds.

Hades bellowed, "Do you think I want war, godling?"

Percy hesitated, and then spoke slowly. "You are the Lord of the Dead. A war would expand your kingdom, right?"

"A typical thing for my brothers to say! Do you think I need more subjects? Did you not see the sprawl of the Asphodel Fields?

"Well..." Percy tried.

"Have you any idea how much my kingdom was swollen in this past century alone, how many subdivisions I've had to open?"

This time, I tried to speak up. "Well, with the two world wars..."

"More security ghouls," Hades moaned, not giving any indication that he heard me. "Traffic problems at the judgement pavilion. Double overtime for the staff. I used to be a rich god, Percy Jackson. I control all the precious metals under the earth. But my expenses!"

"Charon wants a pay raise!" Percy blurted out. As soon as he said it, he clapped his hands to his mouth. But the damage was done.

"Don't get me started on Charon!" Hades yelled. "He has 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, godling. I need no help getting subjects! I did not ask for this war."

"But you took Zeus's master bolt," Percy protested.

"No, he didn't," I said. They all looked at me, even the god.

"You would do well to listen to the girl, Percy Jackson," Hades said, his voice steely. He rose from his throne, towering over us. "Your father may fool Zeus, boy, but I am not stupid. I see his plan."

"His plan?" Percy asked.

"You were the thief on the winter solstice," Hades said, his voice uneven and raw with anger. "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 not 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, the gears turning behind her eyes. "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, aided by this daughter of Apollo with her knowledge of the future," he sneered at me, waving haphazardly in my direction. "You come here, threatening me in Poseidon's name, no doubt, to bring me to an ultimatum. Does Poseidon think I can be blackmailed into supporting him?"

"No!" Percy said. "Poseidon didn't—I didn't---and Avalon, she wasn'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."

My mind was reeling. What did he call sending the Furies after us, then? "You didn't try to stop us? But—" I protested.

"Return my helm now, or I will stop death," Hades threatened. "That is my counter-proposal. 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, their weapons at the ready.

Percy looked stunned for a moment. Then his face contorted into something far worse—offense. He balled his fists, and took another step towards the god.

"You're as bad as Zeus!" he cried.

"Um, Perce," I whispered, "It might not be the best idea to get the Lord of the Underworld—which, we're in, in case you hadn't noticed—upset." I reached forward and touched his arm, but he shrugged me off.

He pointed an accusatory finger at Hades. "You think I stole from you? That's why you sent the Furies after me?" He gestured to me. "After her?"

"Of course," Hades said. "The girl, however, was just collateral damage."

"Just collateral damage? She was almost killed!" Percy was almost yelling now. His arms were shaking, but this time it was not with fear. "Avalon had nothing to do with your accusation, and yet you were willing to let her die, just to prove a point."

Hades narrowed his eyes. "I did not instruct my Furies to intentionally go after the girl. However, if they chose to feed, I could not stop them."

I felt like I was just slapped in the face. Just collateral damage...is that what the Fates saw me as? A sacrificial body for the greater good?

"And the other monsters?" Percy demanded, bringing me back to the problem at hand.

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 pf Punishment. Why do you think I let you enter my kingdom so easily?"

"Easily?"

"Return my property!"

"But I don't have your helm," Percy protested. "I came for the master bolt."

"Which you already possess!" Hades shouted. "You came here with it, little fool, thinking you could threaten me!"

"But I didn't!"

"No, Percy," I said. "You did."

Percy looked at me, dumbstruck. "What are you talking about? You know I didn't steal it, Avalon!"

"You didn't steal it, yes. But you have it with you," I sighed. After spending three weeks with my mouth sewn shut, the Fates were finally letting me talk. And, I really didn't want to.

"That doesn't make any sense!"

I gave him a sad look. "Open the backpack."

An array of emotions passed over Percy's face. Confusion, denial, hurt. It felt like the first day of camp, all over again. I betrayed my best friend, and I didn't even get a say in doing it.

We watched as Percy swung his backpack off of his shoulder, and unzipped it. Inside was a two-foot-long metal cylinder, spiked on both ends, humming with energy.

"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?"

"My Lord," I said cautiously. "He has no helm. He is not the thief. Trust me, I know."

Hades almost looked like he was about to laugh. "Trust a godling, one that has toyed with her friends' minds and emotions, no less? Idiot girl. I know you lie."

"Lord Hades," Percy said, effectively cutting off my reply. His voice was different, it had an air of realization to it. He figured it out. "This is all a mistake."

"A mistake?" Hades roared.

The soldiers aimed their weapons. There was a fluttering sound from above us, and the three Furies swooped down to perch on the back of their master's throne. The one with Mrs. Dodds's face grinned evilly at me and Percy, and flicked her whip for good measure.

"There is no mistake," Hades said. "I know why you have come—I know the real reason you brought the bolt. You came to bargain for her."

Hades loosed a ball of golden fire from his palm. It exploded on the steps in front of Percy, and there was Sally Jackson, frozen in a shower of gold, just as she was three weeks ago, when the Minotaur began to kill her.

Percy was speechless. He reached out a hand to touch her, but drew his hand back almost immediately, with a hiss of pain. I grabbed his hand and looked over the burns on his fingers, but they disappeared almost immediately.

"Yes," Hades said with satisfaction. "I took her. I knew, Percy Jackson, that you would come to bargain with me eventually. Return my helm, and perhaps I will let her go. She is not dead, you know. Not yet. But if you displease me, that will change."

Percy's eyes were moving rapidly, roaming every inch of the illusion in front of him. He was so close to having her again. I saw his hand itch towards his pocket, where the pearls from the Nereid were stored.

"Ah, the pearls," Hades said, and Percy's hand froze. "Yes, my brother and his little tricks. Bring them forth, Percy Jackson."

Percy's hand reached into his pocket and brought out the pearls.

"Only four," Hades said. "What a shame. You do realize each only protects a single person. Try to take your mother, then, little godling. And which of your friends will you leave behind to spend eternity with me? Go on. Choose. Or give me the backpack and accept my terms."

Percy looked back at Annabeth and Grover. I walked over and stood next to them.

"We were tricked," Percy said. "Set up."

"Yes, but why?" Annabeth asked, glancing towards me. "And the voice in the pit—"

"I don't know yet," Percy said. "But I intend to ask."

"Decide, boy!" Hades yelled.

"Percy," Grover put his hand on Percy's shoulder. "You can't give him the bolt."

"I know that."

"Leave me here," Grover said. "Use the fourth pearl on your mom."

"No!" Percy protested.

"I'm a satyr," Grover insisted. "We don't have souls like humans do. He can torture me until I die, but he won't get me forever. I'll just be reincarnated as a flower or something. It's the best way."