CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
—dumb underworld

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—"TO be honest with you," Percy looked at Judith as she adjusted her scimitars on her belt, "I wouldn't mind a two month nap. Sounds like a total dream."

Judith just scoffed, pushing him along to the dark cave in front of them before he could see her smirk at his comment. If she was honest, she could go for a lengthy nap as well. The past few hours had taken their toll on her and she wasn't quite sure what to do about it, but sleep sounded like as good a solution as any.

After her hissy fit at the Jackson apartment downtown ( which Judith could admit now was totally embarrassing ), they'd shadow traveled to Central Park, per Nico's command. It was the second of two locations to the Underworld, the other one in L.A. ( which Percy had used to retrieve his mother a few years back ). This one, apparently, required music to activate — like who decided that?

After a few minutes of arguing over who would take one for the team and sing 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,' Percy had the bright idea to get in touch with Grover over their empathy link. Considering that tether had been radio silence for the past few months, Judith didn't have high hopes. But surprisingly, when a boy wanted to avoid musical humiliation, he could do anything he put his mind to. Grover, groggy yet unharmed, arrived with terrible bed head and a dirt riddled shirt.

  Judith and Nico turned away from the heartfelt reunion between the friends, choosing to rouse Mrs. O'Leary from her short nap instead. They tuned back in at the mention of Morpheus' involvement in the uprising. Grover had been in pursuit of reclaiming the Wild when the Titan of dreams struck Central Park.

Percy was hardly rattled by the news, claiming, 'Sandman is the least of my problems right now.' Grover hadn't quite known how to respond to that, and frankly, Judith didn't either. She wasn't surprised that Percy was becoming desensitized to the dangers lining up in front of him — that was hardly unexpected after all these years. But disregarding yet another threat was just begging for trouble down the line. Grover picked up on this as well, deciding to find out whatever he could about Morpheus before the inevitable war. After opening the entrance to Hades with his reed pipes first, of course.

  And the kicker — the real kicker, was Grover pulling Judith aside before he left.

  "He heard the prophecy, didn't he?"

  Judith could do nothing but nod, and Grover sighed.

  " ... Look out for him, Judith." While I can't, is what he didn't say.

  And then he was gone, leaving the daughter of Ares with a nearly impossible task. As the girl looked at him now, rigid shoulders betrayed his nonchalant voice. His hands were stuffed deep in his pockets, no doubt clutching his pen in wariness.

  They stood at the threshold of darkness, staring into the abyss, and Judith felt that same eerie emptiness she'd encountered when searching for Nico in the Labyrinth.

  The boy in question looked between the two older kids. "Ready?" They didn't answer, but it had to be noted that they both tensed in preparation. "It'll be fine. Don't worry."

  "I've been here before, I'm practically home," Percy tried to joke, his voice coming out strangled. "Let's do this."

  Judith took one last glance at the dark sky above before they all plunged into the inky black. The light from the entrance quickly faded behind them and the only light came from Judith and Percy's celestial bronze blades. The stairs continued on for miles, it felt like — dangerously narrow and steep.

  Mrs. O'Leary had trampled on ahead, skipping ten steps at a time, quickly leaving the demigods in the dust. The only indication that she hadn't left them completely were her joyous barks. The sound echoed through the tunnel like cannon shots.

  Percy led the way, at Nico's insistence. The younger boy lingered behind Judith, his footsteps dragging along the stone staircase. Judith slowed down and turned back to face him only to see the whites of his wide eyes.

  "You good?" She asked, keeping her voice low and away from Percy's ears.

  "I'm fine." His shifty hands said otherwise. "Just ... Judith, if I had — "

  "Everything okay back there?" Percy called back to them.

  Judith could hear Nico swallow and eyed him suspiciously. He didn't answer so she took the liberty. "Just keep moving." The toe of her boot nudged at Nico's fraying sneaker. "Everything will be okay."

  But who was she to make empty promises? Who was Judith Sloane to promise things that she didn't even believe in?

  They continued on in silence, following the echoes of the hellhound until they could recognize the roar of a river. Judith shivered as the rush of water became a white noise in her head, a constant reminder of what was to come for Percy.

  They emerged at the base of a deep cliff, on a plain of black volcanic sand. To their right, the River Styx gushed from the rocks and roared off in a cascade of rapids. To their left, far away in the gloom, fires burned on the ramparts of Erebos, the great black walls of Hades's kingdom. It loomed in shadows, bigger than Judith had imagined.

  Mrs. O'Leary passed by them and ran along the beach, picking up a random human leg bone, and romped back toward the trio. She dropped the bone at Percy's feet and waited for him to throw it. Judith hadn't been kidding when she said Percy only liked to play games with her.

  "Um, maybe later, girl." He mumbled distractedly, his eyes drawn to the rapids beyond. "So ... how do we do this?"

  "We have to go inside the gates first," Nico said, hands wringing themselves within his sleeves.

  Judith paused. The boy had always been vague about what the plan would entail once they'd reached the underworld. She had assumed it was because it was straight forward from that point. But she was starting to believe he was keeping something from them.

  "But the river's right here," Judith pointed out.

  "I have to get something," he said quickly. "It's the only way."

  And he marched off without waiting. Judith dug her fingers into her temples as Percy stared off after him. He turned to her. "What does he need?"

  The girl dropped her hands with a groan. "I don't know. But we're not doing this without him."

  Percy agreed. After Judith's confession in his bedroom, he didn't think she would be able to convince him to make the final step anymore. If anything, she'd drag him back out the way they came. He needed Nico for this, he needed the shove ... because Judith was no longer willing to do it herself.

  They trailed behind the son of Hades, giving him some distance. Lines of the dead stood outside waiting to get into Hades' estate.

  Mrs. O'Leary barked again and bounded toward the security checkpoint. Cerberus, the guard dog of Hades, appeared out of the gloom — a three-headed rottweiler the size of a pickup truck. Compared to Mrs. O'Leary's mini van size, Cerberus was huge. This didn't stop them from romping around with each other.

  "Mrs. O'Leary, no!" Percy shouted at her. "Don't sniff ... Oh, man."

  Judith wrinkled her nose as the dogs did what they did best. Nico even turned around to smile. But as his eyes caught theirs, his expression dropped to severity again, like he'd remembered something unpleasant. "Come on. They won't give us any trouble in the line. You're with me."

  They slipped through the security ghouls and into the Fields of Asphodel. Judith whistled for Mrs. O'Leary three times before she left Cerberus alone and ran after them. They hiked over black fields of grass dotted with black poplar trees. Judith's eyes wandered around the expanse, trying not to linger on any of the transparent faces that shuffled around.

  Nico trudged ahead, bringing them closer and closer to the palace of Hades.

  "Hey," Percy stopped him, "we're inside the gates already. Where are we —"

  Mrs. O'Leary growled suddenly, sidling up to Judith and Percy protectively. A shadow appeared overhead — something dark, cold, and stinking of ugly death. It swooped down and landed in the top of a poplar tree.

  Judith recognized the shape of a fury. She had a shriveled face, a horrible blue knit hat, and a crumpled black velvet dress. Leathery bat wings sprang from her back, equally as wrinkled as her face. Her feet had sharp talons, and in her brass-clawed hands she held a flaming whip and a paisley handbag.

  "Mrs. Dodds," Percy said. Judith raised a curious eyebrow, wondering about the formality.

  She bared her fangs. "Welcome back, honey."

  Her two sisters — the other Furies — swooped down and settled next to her in the branches of the poplar. The branches bowed beneath their combined wait, but the tree held.

  "You know Alecto?" Nico asked Percy.

  "If you mean the hag in the middle, yeah," he answered. "She was my math teacher."

  "No wonder you hate math," Judith scoffed.

  Nico licked his lips, turning back to the furies. "I've done what my father asked. Take us to the palace."

  Judith's hands went to the handles of her scimitars tentatively, wondering if her conscience would allow her to use them against the boy if it came down to it. No, she wouldn't be able to, and she hated that. "Nico, you didn't ... "

  "I had to," he tried to explain to her, his voice desperate as Judith's hands shook against her belt. She didn't let up her hold on the blades, but her arms refused to unsheathe them.

  "What — exactly, did you have to do? Nico, what did you do?" Judith's teeth clenched together. Percy was perfectly silent and still next to her, hurt shadowing in his eyes. The daughter of Ares' chest constricted as she looked away from him and back to the boy in front of them.

  Nico winced. "My father promised me information about my family, but he wants to see you, Percy, before we try the river. I'm sorry."

  "You tricked me?" Percy came to. "You tricked us?" And he lunged after the son of Hades, sword outstretched. Judith, about to stop him before he could do something he regretted, hissed as the furies reigned down on them.

  'Mrs. Dodds' snatched up Percy while one with sagging skin caught Judith. They were soon dangling sixty feet in the air.

  Judith screamed in — well, in fury. "Put me down right now! Nico, I'm going to kill you!"

  The boy was calmly positioned in the talons of the third fury. "I really am sorry."

  "No, di Angelo, you will be. You'll be so sorry."

  —THEY were dropped like sacks of potatoes in the middle of the palace gardens. Judith tucked and rolled, scrambling up in the next second to push Nico into a bed of flowers. She may not be able to wield a sword against the boy, but she was well versed in other forms of fighting.

  His face turned fearful for a second before returning to a mixture of guilt and defiance.

  "What the hell, Nico. How long has this been the plan? Since the beginning?" She stood above him with clenched fists and flaming eyes, daring him to stand up from the dirt. "I could strangle you right now."

  "Trust me, Jude, I only —"

  She swiped her hand through the air, cutting off whatever excuse — whatever apology he was planning on delivering. "Trust you? After this? Not possible. And don't call me Jude." His face crumpled.

  "Judith," Percy whispered, his hand encircling her elbow to pull her away from Nico's fallen form. She didn't resist as she noticed his eyes glued to the furies on the stone dais in front of them. "Save it for later."

  Judith sent one last scathing glare over her shoulder to see Nico climbing to his feet. The three empty thrones on the elevated stage started to shimmer, revealing three figures. Their words flickered to life.

  "—told you he was a bum!" the older woman said, Demeter.

  "Mother!" Persephone replied.

  "We have visitors!" Hades barked. "Please!"

  Hades was dressed in onyx robes, draped over his shoulders with silver clasps. The light from the blue fire torches around him caught the fabric and at certain angles, Judith could see the horrified faces of the damned. He had pale skin and the intense eyes of a madman.

  "Percy Jackson," he said with satisfaction, a smirk blooming on his chilly face. "At last."

  Queen Persephone studied them curiously, taking her eyes over each of them individually. She had lustrous black hair and warm brown eyes. Her dress shimmered with a plethora of colors, matching the garden around her. Flower patterns in the fabric changed and bloomed — roses, tulips, honeysuckle. Demeter had the same hair and eyes, but looked older and sterner. Her dress was goldenrod, the color of a wheat field. Her hair was woven into a braid with dried grass interlaced throughout.

  "Hmmph," she said. "Demigods. Just what we need."

  Next to the two older demigods, Nico knelt. Judith flinched away from him, not trusting herself not to punch his lights out for what he'd done. Later, Percy said later.

  "Father," Nico said. "I have done as you asked."

  "Took you long enough," Hades grumbled. "Your sister would've done a better job." Judith blinked, unsure of how she felt about the comment as Nico lowered his head.

  Percy took a deep breath. "What do you want, Hades?"

  "To talk, of course." The god twisted his mouth in a cruel grin. "Didn't Nico tell you?"

  "So this whole quest was a lie. Nico led me down here to get me killed."

  "Oh, no," Hades said. "I'm afraid Nico was quite sincere about wanting to help you. The boy is as honest as he is dense. I simply convinced him to take a small detour and bring you here first."

  Judith's chest lost its unrelenting fire, but she could still feel the bite of a spark.

  "Father," Nico said, "you promised that Percy and Judith would not be harmed. You said if I brought him, you would tell me about my past — about my mother."

  Queen Persephone sighed dramatically. "Can we please not talk about that woman in my presence?"

  "I'm sorry, my dove," Hades said. "I had to promise the boy something."

  The older goddess harrumphed. "I warned you, daughter. This scoundrel Hades is no good. You could've married the god of doctors or the god of lawyers, but no. You had to eat the pomegranate."

  "Mother —"

  "And get stuck in the Underworld!"

  "Mother, please —"

  "And here it is August, and do you come home like you're supposed to? Do you ever think about your poor lonely mother?"

  "DEMETER!" Hades shouted. "That is enough. You are a guest in my house."

  "Oh, a house is it?" she said, looking around. "You call this dump a house? Make my daughter live in this dark, damp —"

  "I told you," Hades said, grinding his teeth, "there's a war in the world above. You and Persephone are better off here with me."

  "Excuse me," Percy broke in, voice ragged. "But if you're going to kill me, could you just get on with it?"

  Grover's words hit Judith like a truck. Look out for him. How in the world was she supposed to look out for a boy with a death wish? One of her hands flew out to grab his own and the other settled on Soulrender. She tried to pull Percy behind her, but he remained unmoved beside her.

  All three gods looked at him with piercing gazes.

  "Well, this one has an attitude," Demeter observed.

  "Indeed," Hades agreed. "I'd love to kill him."

  "Father!" Nico said. "You promised!"

  "Husband, we talked about this," Persephone chided. "You can't go around incinerating every hero. Besides, he's brave. I like that."

  Hades rolled his eyes. "You liked that Orpheus fellow too. Look how well that turned out. Let me kill him, just a little bit."

  "Father, you promised!" Nico said. "You said you only wanted to talk to him. You said if I brought him, you'd explain."

  Hades glowered, smoothing the folds of his robes. "And so I shall. Your mother — what can I tell you? She was a wonderful woman." He glanced uncomfortably at Persephone. "Forgive me, my dear. I mean for a mortal, of course. Her name was Maria di Angelo. She was from Venice, but her father was a diplomat in Washington, D.C. That's where I met her. When you and your sister were young, it was a bad time to be children of Hades. World War II was brewing. A few of my, ah, other children were leading the losing side. I thought it best to put you two out of harm's way."

  "That's why you hid us in the Lotus Casino?"

  Hades shrugged. "You didn't age. You didn't realize time was passing. I waited for the right time to bring you out."

  "But what happened to our mother? Why don't I remember her?"

  "Not important," Hades snapped.

  "What? Of course it's important. And you had other children — why were we the only ones who were sent away? And who was the lawyer who got us out?"

  Hades grit his teeth. "You would do well to listen more and talk less, boy. As for the lawyer ... "

  Hades snapped his fingers. On top of his throne, Mrs. Dodds, Alecto, began to change until she was a middle-aged man in a pinstriped suit with a briefcase. He sat casually upon the throne's back.

  "You!" Nico said.

  The Fury cackled. "I do lawyers and teachers very well!"

  Nico was trembling. "But why did you free us from the casino?"

  "You know why," Hades said. "This idiot son of Poseidon cannot be allowed to be the child of the prophecy."

  Judith's hand fought to stay in Percy's, but he ripped it away and snatched a ruby rock from the ground before launching it at Hades. It sank harmlessly into his robe. "You should be helping Olympus!" He shouted. "All the other gods are fighting Typhon, and you're just sitting here —"

  "Waiting things out," Hades finished. "Yes, that's correct. When's the last time Olympus ever helped me, half-blood? When's the last time a child of mine was ever welcomed as a hero? Bah! Why should I rush out and help them? I'll stay here with my forces intact."

  "And when Kronos comes after you?"

  "Let him try. He'll be weakened. And my son here, Nico —" Hades looked at him with distaste. "Well, he's not much now, I'll grant you. It would've been better if Bianca had lived. But give him four more years of training. We can hold out that long, surely. Nico will turn sixteen, as the prophecy says, and then he will make the decision that will save the world. And I will be king of the gods."

  "You're crazy," Judith said next. "Kronos has already risen. The war is inevitable at this point — he'll crush Olympus. Then what will you be the king of?"

  Hades spread his hands. "Oh, Judith Sloane, without the vessel of the Prophecy, it will never come to fruition. Olympus will neither fall nor rise, Kronos will neither win nor lose. This war is simply another fight to pass the time. And you, Percy Jackson, will be waiting it out in my dungeons."

  Judith tried not to dwell on how he specified only Percy.

  "No!" Nico said. "Father, that wasn't our agreement. And you haven't told me everything!"

  "I've told you all you need to know," Hades said. "As for our agreement, I spoke with Jackson. I did not harm either of them. You got your information. If you had wanted a better deal, you should've made me swear on the Styx. Now, go to your room!" He waved his hand, and Nico vanished.

  "That boy needs to eat more," Demeter grumbled. "He's too skinny. He needs more cereal."

  Persephone rolled her eyes. "Mother, enough with the cereal. My lord Hades, are you sure we can't let these little heroes go? They're awfully brave."

  "No, my dear. I've spared Jackson's life and Sloane's is not mine to tamper with. That's enough."

  Not his to tamper with?

  Persephone shrugged indifferently. "Fine. What's for breakfast? I'm starving."

  "Cereal," Demeter said.

  "Mother!" The two women disappeared in a swirl of flowers and wheat.

  "Don't feel too bad, Percy Jackson," Hades said. "My ghosts keep me well informed of Kronos's plans. I can assure you that you had no chance to stop him in time. By tonight, it will be too late for your precious Mount Olympus. The trap will be sprung."

  "What trap?" Percy demanded. "If you know about it, do something! At least let me tell the other gods!"

  Hades smiled. "You are spirited. I'll give you credit for that. Now, I have a bargain to be completed. Pain! Panic!"

  Judith could smell them before she could see them. Sulfur invaded her senses and the crack of yellow vapor sprung in front of her.

  "Hello, sister." Phobos' grin triggered a loathing within Judith and she shoved her hands out to push him away. He caught her wrists, however, preventing her from doing much. "Oh, don't be like that. We're saving you from half a century of dungeon life."

"Get off her," Percy spat, stepping up next to them.

Deimos walked closer, leather jacket hanging off his shoulders. "'Get off her!'" He mocked in a squeaky voice and Judith could vaguely hear Hades chuckle. "This doesn't concern you, kid. This is a family matter."

"What are you doing here?" Judith growled.

"Ah, well, we've got to make a living somehow. While father dearest is busy, we answer to another." Phobos jerked his head to Hades. "We make a good wage down here with the god of riches."

Judith scoffed and yanked her hands out of Phobos' tight grip. "What do you want with me?"

"That's a story we don't have time for right now. We have places to be, sister," Phobos answered.

Percy's hand tried to reach out for her, his eyes alight with fear. Judith's body leapt away from her brothers arms stretching out to latch onto him, but the gods all worked simultaneously to split them apart. While Hades snapped his fingers and banished Percy to the dungeons of the House of Hades, Deimos and Phobos took her up in their arms and transported them away from the estate.

Look out for him, Judith.

Mission impossible.

NOTES ;

RIGHT SO, HOW LONG HS IT BEEN SINCE I UPDATED???

WELL, I HOPE THE DRAMA IN THIS CHAPTER MAKES UP FOR IT. I'M REALLY SO EXCITED FOR WHAT COMES NEXT

LET ME KNOW YOUR LAST MINUTE THEORIES!

ALSO, JUDITH AND NICO WILL NEED SOME TIME TO GET BACK TO THE WAY THINGS WERE. I'M SORRY