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"How dare you come here, insolent child," a voice trembled across the gold pavements, shaking the ground beneath her feet.

As soon as (Y/N) stepped across the line and past the gate, verve crackled in her belly like wildfire. The voice, she assumed was Hades didn't speak again, which only served to strengthen her trepidation.

"It's okay guys. We can do this," Percy said, squeezing Annabeth's shoulder. The daughter of Athena smirked at him, a light pink flushed over her cheeks.

"Faith by descent or mare...something strangely extraneous to me, " Hades voice was flat, yawning and laced with disgust.

"I'll never understand mortals, such wretched little things," Hades chimed, his voice doing nothing to deter Percy, Grover and Annabeth.

Here she was, trembling in fear, watching her friends march forward into the depths of fear. She couldn't get her feet to budge, stunted in place, humiliated.

She was so far away from who she wanted to be. The courageous hero that was strong enough to save the people she cared about. Fearless and charismatic. A hero who could save her friends, save her companions, save her loved ones. Save...Percy?

If Percy was brave enough to do all the things he had done, then so would she. She would fight for her life because it was exactly that. Her life. Hers to live, hers to love, and hers to throw away, no matter what she wanted to do. It was her own.

Percy was the strongest person she knew. And so she would confront destiny with a hard glare. She'd prove Hades wrong, and if she died trying, at least she tried.

And so, she had stepped across the gate.

"Where are you Hades?" (Y/N) yelled.

"(Y/N) don't antagonise him, do you want to die?" Annabeth grumbled as they climbed a flight of stairs that curled into a long, ivory hallway. They were made entirely of gold and silver, decorated with bouquets of flowers made of precious metals and jewels. It was astonishing.

They reached the end of a hallway where a set of double doors sat, each held a flickering torch of pure black fire.

"Athena's daughter is quite correct, but then again you are already dying..." a roguish laugh echoed across the halls, making (Y/N) shiver.

"You're the one that cursed me, you should know," (Y/N) said as she followed the sound of his voice. She took the lead for her friends and let them trail behind, her anger flaring with every step.

"You're so right. Unfortunately, the last stage of the hex failed to acclimate an absolute effect. And now you're here, what a bother..." he sounded awfully bored, resentment and anger budding behind his words.

(Y/N) made it to the end of the hallway and one of the torches changed from black flames to piercing white, a stark contradiction. Before she could even set her sights on the double doors, they flung inwards on themselves, snuffing out the torches.

Hades was sitting upon a huge black throne decorated with skulls, surrounded by Hellhounds and dead U.S. revolutionary soldiers, British Redcoats, Greek warriors, Roman Legionnaires, Modern U.S. soldiers, and Confederate soldiers. They hummed and groaned as they rotated around him.

Next to his throne was another made for his wife, woven out of flowers and fruit.

Hades was very tall, about five meters tall, looming on a stand of bones glued together like mac and cheese. He stared at them as they entered, his eyes tracing (Y/N)'s every feature.

"Oh, how you've grown..." he said in his croaky voice, like the whispers of a thousand souls.

"You say that like you know me," (Y/N) spat.

The god raised an eyebrow, unconcerned by her temper as he slowly got to his feet.

"Little one, I you. When Hestia first found you, you were a little baby, crying and sobbing to live,"

He gave her a once over with his cold, dark eyes. Hestia? What what was Hades even talking about?

"Not much has changed," he added and (Y/N) had half a mind to tick, 'Being roasted by a God' off her bucket list.

Hades took a step down from his throne and (Y/N)'s stomach twisted and she almost passed out. A chill whispered by her ear, sending a ripple of goosebumps across her skin. Afraid to come off as a scaredy-cat, she pushed the fear down and stood firm in front of her friends.

"Trying to be brave...how pathetically impressive of you (Y/N),"

She swore if anyone said her name like that again she would disown herself from the world. It was like all this time she'd been alive had amounted to nothing when he said her name. Like her insignificant, sad life was just a dot of ink on his personal map. And she hated it.

Hades made his way down from his throne of bones, his skeletons soldiers clicking and groaning in protest when Hades sighs, levelling down in front of (Y/N), shrinking in size but still looming over her.

"I should destroy you right here and now," he murmured, his breath was hot and cold at the same time as he ran a gangly finger across her jaw.

"Then go ahead, I'm sure the Fates would love you meddling with destiny, or Styx for that matter,"

Hades raised an eyebrow, his coal eyes flickering in amusement. His hair shimmered under the flickering red torches as he tugged his hood down, ivory skin pulling into an expression she could only associate with amusement, and seeing a God entertained didn't settle well in her stomach.

"Darling, I am your destiny," he laughed, a smirk curling at his lip.

(Y/N)'s last sane nerve snapped in that moment, and she hurled her sword right at his face.

"—(Y/N) wait!" Percy yelled, but it was already too late.

The lilac blade went straight for his face, and the God hesitated for a fraction of a second, smokey eyes widening in astonishment.

But then his eyes turn wicked and sharpened, his long, pale fingers tracing a figure behind her.

"—Annabeth!" (Y/N)'s warning sat on her tongue, useless.

A tendril of shadows struck straight through Annabeth's sternum and she froze up, a pitiful cry leaving her mouth. Her tanned skin blanched and her cheeks flared, eyes rolling into the back of her head. Like a spider web, small black veins started to crawl across her skin and she fell to the floor, seizing up.

Percy caught her on the way down, eyes wide and panicky. A pang went off in (Y/N)'s chest and she wasn't sure who it was for.

Annabeth's lips thinned and her eyes fluttered shut. It didn't look like she was breathing.

"Annabeth!" Grover bleated as he sank to his knees and stared at his friend.

"What did you do to her?" Percy growled, hands cupping his friends face and moving her onto her side.

Hades grinned, amused by their efforts.

"What makes you think I'd answer? You're speaking with a God, Perseus Jackson, don't forget that,"

Percy's jaw tightened, the pudgy skin around his cheeks swallowed up by the nasty scowl I'd ever been witness too.

"I'm not an Olympian and my family has made that quite clear. And yet they decided to coddle and kiss the bane of my existence. I'll never understand Hestia, and her eagerness to help ..."

(Y/N)'s knees buckled under the strength behind his hand and she flopped agaisnt his angry fist.

"You are prophesied to ruin my entire plan. My skeleton army, the dissolution of the Western world. I couldn't concede...if you were to exist, then I would never prosper to my absolute reign!" He roared and the flames from the torches exploded in a fiery column of heat.

"—W-What...Annabeth?" (Y/N) gasped, her windpipe closing in on itself as Hades fingers curled around her throat. He lifted her into the air, his eyes seething with rage.

"Is that all you care about? You're friends?" He snarled as he dropped her.

(Y/N)'s legs jutted out, and her body started to convulse, lungs burning for air.

"Leave her alone Hades!" Percy snapped as he got to his feet and uncapped Riptide.

So far, negations with Hades were going very well.

"Silence Poseidon's son!" Hades roared, throwing his hand wide. Annabeth let out a blood-curdling scream and curled in on herself into a fetal position.

"Annabeth!" (Y/N) choked out as her throat burned and tears blurred in her eyes.

"You cannot save her. The bane of my umbrae is indefinite," Hades said, his voice had calmed down significantly and he turned his gaze back to (Y/N). She was shuddering and gasping for breath, spasming agaisnt the floor.

"—L-Leave her alone..." she gasped out in a broken sob, blood trickling from her nose.

Hades raised an eyebrow, amused.

"Are you sure little one? If I leave her alone, then you'll be my only plaything,"

His words meant nothing to her, echoing across the palace walls like air. So she nodded, her brain melting in her head, and blood filling her mouth.

"(Y/N)!" Percy yelled as he charged at Hades.

Percy's feet failed him and he was frozen stiff, falling flat agaisnt the coppery ground. Grover bleated out another wretched sob as he held Annabeth close.

"S-Stop hurting them...please," (Y/N) whimpered.

"As you wish..." Hades clicked his fingers and a sudden, insurmountable pain consumed her.

(Y/N) arched her back, screaming at the top of her lungs. It burned too deep and so hard that she didn't know how to feel. Tears flushed down her cheeks in fat dollops, her lungs screamed and ached, fizzling out in panicked hiccups.

For the first time in her life she wished to die. The pain was so unbearable she was surprised she hadn't past out. Her sword slipped through her fingers and exploded in a blood puff of feather, the noise of her friends cries drowned out by her screams.

Percy was dead weight, watching her thrive in agony. He looked back, calmed in the slightest to see that Annabeth was sitting upright, her stormy eyes hardened in disbelief.

Percy wanted to blame her, resent her for the pain (Y/N) was being put through but his heart knew it was wrong. It was clumsy as it tap-danced around in his chest, rattling the coercive thoughts in his brain.

He should be doing something. But his body wouldn't budge. He was forced to watch as faint pulsing veins threaded across her skin, and started to glow. Dark blood trickled out of (Y/N)'s ears, her eyes rolling up into the back of her head.

"Foolish." Hades said and (Y/N) eyes started to morph and change colour. Green, a brilliant jade stared up at the god of the Underworld with pure hatred.

"The pearls!" Grover blurted out. Hades frowned, looking over at the Satyr with mild interest.

Acting quickly, Annabeth pulled the pearls from her pocket and chucked two to Percy.

He dived to catch them and rolled, his sword awkwardly jabbing him in the ribs with the hilt as he landed next to (Y/N).

"No!" Hades roared, reaching out his robed hand towards (Y/N)'s spasming body.

Percy threw his palm down onto the sparkling floors, the small gems shattering agaisnt the marble. Annabeth and Grover stomped on their own and they broke, shimmering in the air, the smell of the ocean warping around the room.

Percy pictured Camp Half-Blood. It's strawberry fields, its beautiful lakes. He thought of the Campfire singalongs and warm meals at the pavilion. His sword seized itself back into a pen and he stuffed it into his pocket as he wrapped his arms around (Y/N), she stared up at him with sea-green eyes and writhed again, black veins slithering across her cheeks.

Hades long fingers grazed (Y/N)'s neck, and a wound immediately opened up under his touch, a slit scarcely close to her jugular. Her neck started spraying blood, showering Percy in red rain.

Percy couldn't bear to look any longer, and he turned away, his hands crushing (Y/N) into his side. Then, their images shattered and they disappeared into the stratosphere.

Negotiations were a bust, Hades was planning to overtake the world and worst of all, (Y/N) was dying.

Percy could agree that this quest was going anything but right.

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