▬▬▬ CHAPTER TWENTY SIX ▬▬▬

https://youtu.be/Q_dtR775pLE

THE CHAPTER YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!

ESMERELDA ENDED UP PASSING OUT from exhaustion on the drive back. Nobody could really blame her. Destroying the Brooklyn Bridge had taken up so much of her energy and it had also given her an unimaginably painful headache. Her short rest was just a temporary reprieve from it.

She woke up while being carried on someone's back. Judging from the familiar curly hair and stature, it was Connor. For some reason, he was carrying her in some extravagantly decorated elevator.

Connor must have sensed her movement because he glanced back at her and grinned in relief. "Essie, you're awake! Don't worry, we're at the Plaza Hotel right now, heading up to the penthouse suites. Cool, right? Everyone else is up there. I think we're just waiting on Percy and the rest of them now."

Esmerelda mumbled something in reply before squeezing her eyes shut. The bright lights were making the pounding in her head even worse.

Then the elevator dinged and they stepped out. Everything was even brighter if that was possible.

Demigods had completely taken over the top floors. Campers and Hunters were crashed out on sofas, washing up in the bathrooms, ripping silk draperies to bandage their wounds, and helping themselves to snacks and sodas from the minibars. A couple of timber wolves were drinking out of the toilets.

Everyone was beaten up, but at least they were alive.

Lou Ellen was walking behind Connor, and she was the first one to notice Esmerelda's worsening state. "We'll get you some ambrosia real soon, Essie, just hold on a little longer..."

They laid her on a couch and just as her sister said, a few minutes later, she was being spoon-fed some mashed up ambrosia squares. The pain in her head had disappeared, but she was still exhausted.

She listened to the Stolls talk about raiding the other hotel rooms that were currently occupied by filthy rich mortals before slowly drifting off to sleep.

"—absolutely nothing? Are you sure?"  Sirius asked, pacing around the floorboards of what looked to be the living room of the Tonks' house. The television was on, blaring a news report about Typhon—or the 'freak storm system' as the mortals called him.

To Esmerelda's relief, he looked physically healthy. Mentally though, he was a mess. An anxious, angry mess.

Ted looked up from his phone. "I'm not getting anything, but that's the weird thing."

"What do you mean?" Andromeda asked.

"Well, it's New York, Andy. There's always something going on in that state, especially in Manhattan. But the last news report from the city was over twelve hours ago and it was about the Stock Market rising. I've checked and there's literally nothing else after that."

"Maybe nothing interesting is happening then," Remus said hopefully, keeping a tight grip on the coffee mug he was drinking out of.

Sirius shook his head and continued pacing. "No, no, no. There's always some crazy shit going on in Manhattan, there's always something the media is talking about. News articles should be flying in every second, it shouldn't just be stopping. Something's going on in the city. Something must have happened twelve hours ago that made everything just... stop."

"We should contact Essie then," Tonks suggested.

He scowled coldly. "I would IM her, but apparently when she charmspoke me into packing my essentials, drachmas weren't part of the list."

Esmerelda winced at the furious look on his face. Ah, so he was still angry with her. That was to be expected, but she truly did have his safety in mind... What other choice did she have? He wouldn't listen to her, wouldn't leave... It would've been too dangerous, and the events of tonight only further proved that.

"I sent her a letter though," Sirius murmured. "Hopefully... hopefully she received it."

Esmerelda wanted to tell him that the letter would never come to her, that the owl would only veer away from the city thanks to her mother's influence, but she was already waking up.

When she regained consciousness, there were worried murmurs all around her. Slowly, she sat up, feeling a little better after a few hours of rest. According to the clock on the wall, it was already 12: 42 AM, so she had managed to sleep a good two hours.

"Wh-what's going on?" She asked the people she was sharing the penthouse with.

"It's Annabeth," Lou Ellen answered. "She got hurt real bad. One of Kronos' demigods came after Percy and she took the hit. It was—" She faltered at that part.

Esmerelda sat up a little straighter. "It was who?"

Lou Ellen averted her eyes, but Travis didn't.

"Ethan," he told her. "It was Ethan."

Her mind immediately went to the knife she had given him for Christmas all those years ago.

No.

"W-wait," she was shaken. "What did he stab her with? Was it a knife?"

"Yeah," he answered, much to her dread. "Annabeth already had about three squares of ambrosia from previous fights before coming here, so the Apollo kids don't want to risk giving her a fourth dose. I heard that it was bad. Will managed to heal the stab wound, but the knife must've been poisoned. He says it's too far spread throughout her bloodstream at this point—"

"—I need to get the cure!" She exclaimed, scrambling up to her feet. Her mind went a little dizzy but she ignored that. "The knife is laced with a venomous tentacula juice, Annabeth's gonna be in excruciating pain unless I give her the cure!"

The bezoar. Fuck, she left it back at the Hermes cabin at camp. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

"Hold on!" Travis grabbed her arm to steady her. "You know what that knife is?"

She looked at him guiltily.

"I gave him that knife," she admitted. "As a Christmas present, b-before he defected. You need a bezoar to stop the pain, but I left it all the way at camp!"

His face fell.

"That's too far then," Connor frowned. "We can just let the Apollo kids handle this."

She shook her head. "No, you don't understand. The poison won't kill, but it's painful. I felt it before, I felt like I was dying while being tortured. I can't let Annabeth go through any more of that. I have to get the bezoar."

"But how?" Lou Ellen cried out. "It's too far!"

"I'll Mist travel," she decided.

"No way," Travis shook his head. "No way, Essie. You already exhausted yourself too much. You'll be Mist traveling twice, one to get to camp and then a second time to come back."

"I can do this," she told them. "I have to."

She didn't wait for them to reply and Mist traveled away. When she materialized out of thin air, she immediately dropped to the floor, thoroughly winded. She could see her arms and hands fading in and out of existence and gulped. It stopped, and she rose to her feet unsteadily and looked around.

Luckily for her, she had Mist traveled into the very center of the Hermes cabin. She rushed over to her bunk and paused.

Bezoar, bezoar, bezoar, where did I put it? She knew Professor Pomfrey had given her a whole crate full of them and she had shrunk them all down so she could put them in a more compact, plastic container to bring home from school, but else? She couldn't remember ever unpacking it though... Was it still in her backpack?

She grabbed her bag from under the bed and opened every zipper.

There in the front pouch was a small plastic container full of shrunken bezoars.

There! She quickly snatched the whole thing. Knowing Ethan and how stab-crazy he was, there were probably going to be a lot more victims than just Annabeth.

Holding the box tight, she Mist traveled back to the plaza.

For the second time, she collapsed the second she materialized. Nobody had been quick enough to catch her, but at least the box of bezoars were okay. Someone had grabbed ahold of her and before she could fully pass out, she enlarged the container and bezoars back to their regular size.

"Annabeth... tell her to bite one," she managed to mutter out before finally losing conscious.

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When Esmerelda woke up again, there was a wet rag over her forehead. Weakly, she opened her eyes.

"Basil...!" She whispered, pure relief running down her body once she saw his familiar face.

"Hey," he smiled a bit.

She sat up carefully and realized that she was in one of the bedrooms of the penthouse suite she was staying in. She removed the wet rag from her forehead.

"Where have you been? When'd you get here?"

"Ah, well, I was already on the way back to Manhattan when I got the message from Grover that an invasion was coming. So I high-jacked a car—an electric one for the sake of the environment—and sped here as fast as I could." He explained. "Ran over a couple of monsters too, which was great. I worked with Grover and some other nature spirits to cover the uptown areas where there weren't many demigods. How about you?"

"I, ah, destroyed some bridges." She mumbled, not exactly feeling proud of any of that.

His face fell. "Yeah... Travis told me about that, and what happened with Alabaster. I'm sorry, Essie..."

She shook her head. "No, it's fine. It had to happen."

He just nodded. "Hey, uh, how about you get up now? You're probably in dire need of food."

He wasn't wrong about that.

It was past midnight now, but there was still a bunch of food left over that the Demeter kids had made. After hours of non-stop fighting and using her powers, she was starving, so she grabbed herself a plate of pizza before heading to the living room where she spotted a small group of demigods talking.

Grover was there too, and he was eating all the fancy furniture.

She approached them and turned to Percy.

"Percy," she began hesitantly. "Is Annabeth...?"

He gave her a small smile. "Yeah, she's going to be fine. She's resting now. About that bezoar thing you grabbed for her... She wanted me to tell you thanks."

Her shoulders relaxed. "Ah... I'm glad she's alright... What were you guys talking about before I came here?"

Grover raised a hand. "My report." He took a deep breath. "I managed to mobilize most of the nature spirits in the city—well, the ones that will listen to me, anyway." He rubbed his forehead. "I had no idea acorns could hurt so much. Anyway, we're helping out as much as we can."

He told them about the skirmishes they'd seen. Mostly they'd been covering uptown, where we didn't have enough demigods, like Basil had said. Hellhounds had appeared in all sorts of places, shadow-traveling inside their lines, and the dryads and satyrs had been fighting them off. A young dragon had appeared in Harlem, and a dozen wood nymphs died before the monster was finally defeated.

As Grover talked, Thalia entered the room with two of her lieutenants. She nodded to Percy grimly, went outside to check on Annabeth, and came back in. She listened while Grover completed his report—the details getting worse and worse.

"We lost twenty satyrs against some giants at Fort Washington," he said, his voice trembling. "Almost half my kinsmen. River spirits drowned the giants in the end, but..." He trailed off.

Percy nodded. "Essie, how are things on your end?"

She straightened up. "I... destroyed Brooklyn Bridge, completely. No one should be able to cross it since, you know, it doesn't exist anymore. The demigod forces on that end fell with it. We had to assist Connor's group on the Manhattan Bridge since their forces were a lot bigger there. I blew up a portion of it, but they shouldn't be able to cross through."

"That's good..."

Thalia shouldered her bow. "Percy, Kronos's forces are still gathering at every bridge and tunnel. And Kronos isn't the only Titan. One of my Hunters spotted a huge man in golden armor mustering an army on the Jersey shore. I'm not sure who he is, but he radiates power like only a Titan or god could wield."

"Great," he said. "Any good news?"

Thalia shrugged. "We've sealed off the subway tunnels into Manhattan. My best trappers took care of it. Also, it seems like the enemy is waiting for tonight to attack. I think Luke—" She caught herself. "—I mean Kronos needs time to regenerate after each fight. He's still not comfortable with his new form. It's taking a lot of his power to slow time around the city."

Grover nodded. "Most of his forces are more powerful at night, too. But they'll be back after sundown."

Percy bit his lip. "Okay. Any word from the gods?"

Thalia shook her head. "I know Lady Artemis would be here if she could. Athena, too. But Zeus has ordered them to stay at his side. The last I heard, Typhon was destroying the Ohio River valley. He should reach the Appalachian Mountains by midday."

"So at best," he said. "We've got another two days before he arrives."

Jake Mason cleared his throat. He'd been standing there so silently Esmerelda had almost forgotten he was in the room.

"Percy, there's something else," he began. "The way Kronos showed up at the Williamsburg Bridge, like he knew you were going there. And he shifted his forces to our weakest points. As soon as we deployed, he changed tactics. He barely touched the Lincoln Tunnel, where the Hunters were strong. He went for our weakest spots, like he knew."

"Like he had inside information," Percy said grimly. "The spy."

"What spy?" Thalia demanded. Percy informed her about the silver charm Kronos had shown him, the communication device.

"That's bad," she said. "Very bad."

"It could be anyone," Jake's lips thinned. "We were all standing there when Percy gave the orders."

"I can use the Mist," Esmerelda offered. "I just need every demigod to gather in one room so I can ask them."

Jake shook his head. "That might not work. Kronos knows of your powers, he probably made sure the spy could resist your commands. It could be anyone with a strong enough will."

"So what do we do?" Grover asked. "Frisk every demigod until we find a scythe charm?"

They all looked at Percy, waiting for a decision.

"We keep fighting," he stated firmly. "We can't obsess about this spy. If we're suspicious of each other, we'll just tear ourselves apart. You guys were awesome last night. I couldn't ask for a braver army. Let's set up a rotation for the watches. Rest up while you can. We've got a long night ahead of us."

The demigods mumbled agreement. They went their separate ways to sleep or eat or repair their weapons. Esmerelda went to join them, but Percy gingerly grabbed a hold of her arm before she could. 

"Wait," he said. "Essie, um, I heard about what happened at the bridge." 

Her face fell. 

"I'm sorry," he told her softly. "I get it too. I destroyed the Williamsburg Bridge. Separated the enemies, but I killed the mortals and... Michael." 

Her eyes widened. "Michael Yew? So then that means..." The Apollo cabin had already lost their previous Head Counselor, Lee Fletcher, last summer in the Battle of the Labyrinth. She couldn't believe they were suffering yet another loss. 

Percy bowed his head down, "Yeah. So I get how you feel. But this wasn't all I wanted to talk to you about. There's something I need to ask you... It's important." 

The seriousness in his tone got her even more worried. She allowed him to steer her in a more secluded corner of the room. "What is it?"

"How much do you know about Ethan's powers as the son of Nemesis?" He asked her quietly. 

"Not much really," she admitted. "And what I do know, I can't explain that well. I know he has a way with luck, granting people good and bad whenever he deems it. Sometimes he even does it without realizing it. He can also... sense injustice, in a way? I don't really know a lot, sorry, but... why are you asking?" 

His face turned serious. "Do you think he can tell people's weaknesses?" 

Her eyes widened. "You're not talking about—?"

"Back at the bridge, Ethan's attack was aiming for me when Annabeth took the hit, but that wasn't all... How he did it... it was like he knew where my Achilles Heel was." He explained in a hushed voice. "I haven't told anyone where the spot is, Essie... It has to be one of his abilities." 

She paled in realization. "Oh gods... Ethan has power over luck and balance, it could be either one of those." 

"So he knows," he said shakily. "He could tell Kronos." 

"He might not," she reassured him. "Percy, he's still new to his powers. He might not have realized what was going on." 

"But—but if he does..." 

She bit her lip. It would be a huge disadvantage if Kronos knew where Percy's Achilles Heel was while his own was still unknown to them. 

"Don't dwell on it," was all she could tell him. "Seriously, Percy, there's a good chance Ethan doesn't know, okay? So just rest up, you need to save up your energy for the next battle." 

"Essie, you should rest up too," Percy suggested. "You've been using up a lot of power lately."

She nodded in agreement. "I know, I will. I'm just... worried about things. A lot of things really. Have you heard from Nico?"

He shook his head. "No... He's probably still in the Underworld."

I hope he's safe... She thought, before drifting away.

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Nico breathed heavily, having finished digging a hole in one of Persephone's flower beds. His wretched stepmother probably wasn't going to be very happy about that but he could care less.

He tossed the shovel to the side before grabbing a goblet of wine. He poured it into the hole and began to chant.

"Let the dead taste again. Let them rise and take this offering. Maria di Angelo, show yourself!"

White smoke gathered. A human figure formed, but it wasn't Nico's mother. It was Bianca.

"Bianca," Nico furrowed his brows. "But—"

"Don't summon our mother, Nico," she warned. "If you haven't realized it yet, then you are not ready."

"Ready for what?" He asked her.

"I'm sorry," she said regretfully. "But you are forbidden to know."

"Why?!" He demanded. "What's our father hiding?"

"Pain," she answered. "Hatred. A curse that stretches back to the Great Prophecy."

"What do you mean?" Nico growled in frustration. "I have to know!"

"The knowledge will only hurt you. Remember what I said: holding grudges is a fatal flaw for children of Hades." She warned.

"I know that," Nico said through gritted teeth. "But I'm not the same as I used to be, Bianca. Stop trying to protect me!"

Bianca's face crumpled. "Brother, you don't understand—"

Nico swiped his hand through the mist, and Bianca's image dissipated.

"Maria di Angelo," he said again, his voice rising. "Speak to me!"

A different image formed. It was a scene rather than a single ghost.

In the mist, Nico saw a younger version of himself and Bianca. They were playing in the lobby of some elegant hotel, chasing each other around marble columns. He had vague memories of that place, just bits and pieces that he could never fully piece together.

A woman sat on a nearby sofa. A woman Nico had seen before. Melinoe had taken up her form last winter to distract him and it had successfully worked.

It was his mother. She was donning a black dress with matching gloves, luxurious pearls strung around her neck, and a black veiled hat adorning her head. She looked like a famous 1940s movie star. She had Bianca's smile and his eyes—or at least, what his eyes used to be: warm, gentle, and happy.

But the sight of his mother wasn't what struck him when Melinoe had taken on her form. It was the fact that she looked so much like Esmerelda.

The resemblance between Maria and Esmerelda was uncanny. The only difference was the age and the color of their eyes, Maria's were brown while Esmerelda's were green.

Nico stumbled back from the scene, feeling his legs grow weak. Minos' voice echoed in his head: "Decades ago, I once judged a soul. This soul was very special. An old lover of your father. He loved her so much he was willing to disregard his own wife and build his paramour a palace of gold to live in should she agree to stay in the Underworld with him. Unfortunately, tragedy struck and she perished. He even tried to bring her back."

His mother was that soul.

It explained everything. Why every job Hades gave her kept her in the Underworld whereas Persephone's jobs required her to leave, the familiar feeling he would get whenever Esmerelda was around, the odd flashes of memories they would both experience...

He turned his focus back to the scene, spying the young man sitting closely towards his mother. He felt his breath hitch upon seeing him. It was his father, Hades, dressed in a pinstripe suit, his dark hair slicked back. He looked the same as last night, where he had offered him that deal...

Hades was leaning toward Maria, using his hands as he talked, like he was agitated.

"Please, my dear," he begged. "You must come to the Underworld. I don't care what Persephone thinks! I can keep you safe there."

"No, my love." Maria spoke with an Italian accent, her voice so sweet and silvery, and so scarily similar to Esmerelda's. "Raise our children in the land of the dead? I will not do this."

Hades grew more desperate. "Maria, listen to me. The war in Europe has turned the other gods against me. A prophecy has been made. My children are no longer safe. Poseidon and Zeus have forced me into an agreement. None of us are to have demigod children ever again."

She frowned softly. "But you already have Nico and Bianca. Surely—"

"—No! The prophecy warns of a child who turns sixteen. Zeus has decreed that the children I currently have must be turned over to Camp Half-Blood for proper training," he spat. "But I know what he means. At best they'll be watched, imprisoned, turned against their father. Even more likely, he will not take a chance. He won't allow my demigod children to reach sixteen. He'll find a way to destroy them, and I won't risk that!"

"Certamente," Maria said. "We will stay together. Zeus is un imbecile."

Nico couldn't help admiring her courage—it was very Esmerelda-like to hate on Zeus.

Hades glanced nervously at the ceiling.

"Maria, please. I told you, Zeus gave me a deadline of last week to turn over the children. His wrath will be horrible, and I cannot hide you forever. As long as you are with the children, you are in danger too."

But Maria only gave him a warm smile. "You are a god, my love. You will protect us. But I will not take Nico and Bianca to the Underworld."

Hades wrung his hands. "Then, there is another option. I know a place in the desert where time stands still. I could send the children there, just for a while, for their own safety, and we could be together. I will build you a golden palace by the Styx."

Maria di Angelo laughed gently. "You are a kind man, my love. A generous man. The other gods should see you as I do, and they would not fear you so. But Nico and Bianca need their mother. Besides, they are only children. The gods wouldn't really hurt them."

Naive, Nico thought painfully, just like Essie could be sometimes.

But another thing he noticed was that Maria's deep value for family had passed on to Esmerelda. It certainly showed.

"You don't know my family," Hades said darkly. "Please, Maria, I can't lose you."

She touched his lips with her fingers. "You will not lose me. Wait for me while I get my purse. Watch the children."

She kissed the lord of the dead and rose from the sofa. Hades watched her walk upstairs as if her every step away caused him pain.

A moment later, he tensed. The children stopped playing as if they sensed something too.

"No!" Hades cried out. But even his godly powers were too slow. He only had time to erect a wall of black energy around the children before the hotel exploded.

Nico flinched, closing his eyes and bringing his arms. He momentarily forgot that he was just watching everything through the mist and that he couldn't actually get hurt. When the bright light disappeared, he lowered his arms.

The scene had changed.

He saw his father kneeling in the ruins, holding the broken form of Maria di Angelo. The sight shook Nico to the core. Maria's striking resemblance with Esmerelda made it look like the girl herself was dead. He had to remind himself that this had long since passed.

Fires still burned all around his father. Lightning flashed across the sky, and thunder rumbled.

The younger, more innocent version of himself and his sister stared at their mother uncomprehendingly. 

"...Mamma...?" His younger self whimper. "Mamma?" 

The Fury Alecto appeared behind them, hissing and flapping her leathery wings. The children didn't seem to notice her.

"Zeus!" Hades roared at the skies. "I will crush you for this! I will bring her back!"

"My lord, you cannot," Alecto warned. "You of all immortals must respect the laws of death."

Hades glowed with rage. For a second, it looked like he would show his true form and vaporize his own children, but at the last moment he seemed to regain control.

"Take them," he told Alecto, choking back a sob. "Wash their memories clean in the Lethe and bring them to the Lotus Hotel. Zeus will not harm them there."

"As you wish, my lord," Alecto obeyed. "And the woman's body?"

"Take her as well," he said bitterly. "Give her the ancient rites."

Alecto, the children, and Maria's body dissolved into shadows, leaving Hades alone in the ruins.

"I warned you," a new voice said.

Hades turned. A girl in a multicolored dress stood by the smoldering remains of the sofa. She had short black hair and sad eyes. She was no more than twelve. Nico was certain he had never met her before, but she seemed vaguely familiar. Then again, his memories were a mess so he probably had met her once in the past.

"You dare come here?" Hades growled. "I should blast you to dust!"

"You cannot," the girl said. "The power of Delphi protects me."

The Oracle, Nico suddenly realized, eyes widening. Hate bubbled in his chest, a hate he thought he had long discarded since last summer.

He had met the Oracle once, when he first came to camp and experienced his first capture the flag game. The Oracle had walked out of the attic to deliver a horrible prophecy—a prophecy that resulted in his sister being killed.

And here was that same Oracle now, alive and young.

"You've killed the woman I loved!" Hades roared. "Your prophecy brought us to this!"

He loomed over the girl, but she didn't flinch.

"Zeus ordained the explosion to destroy the children," she said. "Because you defied his will. I had nothing to do with it. And I did warn you to hide them sooner."

"I couldn't! Maria would not let me! Besides, they were innocent." 

"Nevertheless, they are your children, which makes them dangerous." She stated. "Even if you put them away in the Lotus Hotel, you only delay the problem. Nico and Bianca will never be able to rejoin the world lest they turn sixteen."

"Because of your so-called Great Prophecy." He spat. "And you have forced me into an oath to have no other children. You have left me with nothing!"

"I foresee the future," was all the girl said. "I cannot change it."

Black fire lit the god's eyes, and Nico knew something bad was coming. 

"Then, Oracle, hear the words of Hades," Hades growled. "Perhaps I cannot bring back Maria. Nor can I bring you an early death. But your soul is still mortal, and I can curse you."

The girl's eyes widened in fear. "You would not—"

"—I swear," Hades began, his voice growing darker. "As long as my children remain outcasts, as long as I labor under the curse of your Great Prophecy, the Oracle of Delphi will never have another mortal host. You will never rest in peace. No other will take your place. Your body will wither and die, and still the Oracle's spirit will be locked inside you. You will speak your bitter prophecies until you crumble to nothing. The Oracle will die with you!"

The girl screamed, and the misty image was blasted to shreds.

The scene changed again, and this time, Nico was seeing the River Lethe.

There were two figures standing a good distance away from the edge. One was his father, in his younger form and dressed in another pinstripe suit. The other was his mother, dressed in white and gold and looking like an angel. She radiated with the glow of someone who had been granted Elysium. Nico thought it suited her. 

"Are you certain this is what you wish?" Hades asked her, his eyes desperate. "Please. Stay with me. Don't leave."

But Maria wouldn't falter from her decision.

"I'm sorry, but I have to," she said gently, and Nico could see something in his father break. His heart, maybe. "I know of your plans, Hades. You will keep our children inside that place until the prophecy comes, and I cannot spend my time in Elysium waiting for them to come. I want to see them now. And who knows... Perhaps the Fates will be kind enough to let me watch over them one last time."

Nico had never seen his father look so human and vulnerable before. The once powerful god of the Underworld looked like he was about to cry.

Hades grasped Maria's hands. "You have always been a mother first," he said bitterly. "But I understand your decision. I should've expected this..."

Her face fell. "Hades..."

"I cannot control where your soul goes afterwards, only the Fates know. I hope your next life is kinder to you, my love," he said earnestly. "And I hope you are reunited with our children."

He bent down to kiss her, and it was the most gentlest act Nico had ever seen Hades do. They pulled away, and he could see something wet on his father's face. Tears.

Hades guided Maria closer to the river, his hand on the small of her back. He looked down to kiss her one last time and stepped away.

Maria walked forward and allowed the waters of the River Lethe to engulf her.

The scene was washed away, and it was replaced by another one.

This time, he was seeing the inside of a dark mansion. It wasn't as creepy and luxurious as his father's palace, but Nico had to admit—this place was damn close to it.

A young man was lounging on an expensive looking antique chaise while reading a thick book. Nico recognized him immediately. It was Esmerelda's father, Regulus Black, back when he was still alive.

A small, weird looking elf approached him with a teacup in his hand.

"Master," the thing croaked. "Your tea."

"Thank you, Kreacher," Regulus murmured. He took the cup without keeping his eyes off the page.

Nico managed to read the title of the book he was reading: The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany by William L. Shirer.

"Does master require anything else?" The elf—Kreacher—asked.

Regulus finally looked away from the book. He gave the elf a small smile. "No thank you, Kreacher. You may be excused."

Kreacher bowed, before teleporting away with a sharp snap! that made Nico's sensitive ears ring.

"He's very devoted to you," a voice spoke.

Regulus nearly choked on his tea. He dropped the book and the cup, which shattered on the floor. He shot up and turned to the source of the voice.

"Hecate..." Regulus acknowledged. "Must you do this all the time? You know I don't like surprises."

Hecate, in this form, was younger, a teenager as young as Regulus, with wavy black hair and bold green eyes. She was dressed in majestic looking Greek robes, which hid a lump that she was carrying.

Now that Nico was seeing Hecate like this, he could see a lot of similarities between her and Esmerelda aside from the obvious. In this teenage form, Hecate had this unassuming, delicate air to her, just like her daughter. Her features were very soft and enchanting, something she had certainly passed on to Esmerelda.

"I apologize, dear," Hecate smiled. With a wave of her hand, the shattered tea cup was repaired and set on a nearby table. "But I feel like you will appreciate this surprise I have for you."

Regulus wordlessly rose a brow, and Hecate unveiled the surprise: a baby in her arms, and Nico had a pretty good idea who that baby was.

Regulus, understandably, froze.

"What." He said blankly. "Is that."

"A baby, of course," she rolled her eyes. "Our baby."

"Our—?!" He choked. "—Baby?! Hecate, barely a month has passed since we—"

She raised a hand to stop him. "—Please, Regulus, darling. Watch your language around our daughter."

"Daughter?" He said in a small voice.

She beamed. "Yes. A daughter. Isn't that great?"

"But—but how? We only just—last month—!"

She gave him an amused look. "Have you forgotten that I am a goddess? Do you really think I would willingly force myself to go through nine months of pregnancy? Gods, I would never. I don't know how mortal women could manage to do it."

Regulus was speechless.

She smiled. "Now come, Regulus. Look at her, she's such the sweetest little thing."

He looked to be glued on the spot, as if his mind had shut down once the word 'daughter' was registered in his brain, so Hecate had to walk over to him instead.

"Take a look, dear," she said, showing her to him.

Regulus peered down at the baby's face. She was deep asleep. Something flashed through his face, a brief glimpse of happiness.

But then his face fell. "Hecate, I can't take care of a baby."

"Yes, you can," she insisted. "You will be a good father, I can see it. And she will make you so happy, Regulus..."

He still seemed hesitant.

"She needs a father," Hecate told him gently.

"Alright..." He breathed out shakily, then held out his arms. "May I?"

Hecate handed the baby over and helped him adjust his arms so he could hold her the proper way. While that was happening, the baby finally woke up and Nico saw her familiar green eyes.

"She's perfect," Regulus breathed out, reaching out to touch her face. The baby grasped his finger with her whole hand, cooing softly.

"What will you name her?" Hecate smiled.

He looked at her in surprise. "You're letting me name her?"

"Yes, of course," she nodded encouragingly.

Regulus looked thoughtful. "My family has a certain tradition where we name our children after stars. Now that I know that the stories behind their names are real... I'll choose to refrain from doing that."

"Wise choice," Hecate chuckled.

"Esmerelda then," Regulus smiled widely. "It means 'emerald', for her eyes. Her middle name shall be Adhafera. A star in the same constellation as my namesake."

An odd glint shone in Hecate's eyes. "It forms the blade of a sickle," she recalled and Nico felt something in his stomach churn.

Regulus didn't seem to hear that last part, he was too busy admiring his new daughter. Just five seconds ago he looked like he was going to throw up at the prospect of fatherhood, but now he looked like he was fully embracing it.

"You'll help me raise her, won't you?" Regulus asked her expectantly.

Nico winced. So Hecate hadn't informed him of how demigod lives work... He was in for a rude awakening...

"...No. I can't." She told him.

Regulus stilled. "What do you mean, you 'can't'?"

She looked regretful. "I'm sorry, Regulus, but it's forbidden for us to take part of our children's lives. You must raise her on your own."

His eyes widened. "What do you—?!"

"—I'm sorry," she said again. "But it's against the Ancient Laws. Me being here is already risky enough. I must leave after this, Regulus, and it will be the last we see each other. Forgive me."

The previous joy in Regulus' face had shattered. "What... what are you talking about? Law? You—you can't just leave us, Hecate this is our daughter—"

"—And you will raise her wonderfully on your own," she smiled. "You will take her to Camp Half-Blood where she will be trained. I've already left the phone number in her blanket so make sure you give them a call once she's old enough—ten years old preferably, or younger. The younger the better."

"Hecate!" He barked. "Explain yourself! You're not making any sense! How could you just—just...!"

"I truly am sorry for doing this, my love," she said genuinely. "But it must be done. Esmerelda must be trained to be a proper hero to suit my master's desires, so make sure you send her to Camp Half-Blood. Or else the monsters will snatch her from you first."

"Monsters?"

"Oh yes. Lots of them, and they all crave demigod flesh. Here, take this," a wand materialized in the air before them. When Regulus didn't take it, she sighed and set it elsewhere. "The wand is special, made of Celestial bronze and blessed by me. Use this to keep our daughter safe."

"Hecate..." Regulus trailed off, and Nico pitied him when he saw how heartbroken he looked. "Don't leave... please."

Hecate's face twisted into a sorrowful look. "I really hope you forgive me, my love. Protect our daughter, Regulus, and heed my warning. You must stray away from the path you are on. It will not end well, for you and Esmerelda."

And with that, she vanished in a poof of green mist.

The scene finally ended and the vision disappeared. 

Nico fell to his knees in Persephone's garden, his face white with shock. Standing in front of him was the real Hades, towering in his black robes and scowling down at his son.

"And just what," he asked Nico. "Do you think you're doing?"

— author's note —

IT. FINALLY. HAPPENED.

TO EVERYONE IN THE COMMENTS SECTION WHO HAVE BEEN OBSESSING OVER THE 'ESSIE IS THE REINCARNATION OF MARIA DI ANGELO' THEORY, THIS IS FOR YOU! I KNOW YOU'RE ALL SCREAMING WITH JOY RIGHT NOW, I AM TOO!

Like fr, guys, I've been waiting to write this chapter foreverrrrr

Do you guys remember the little flashback scene in "The Sword of Hades" chapter where Essie had a vision of her kissing Hades??? Well, that was right before Maria got her memories wiped by the River Lethe and Nico just saw the full scene of it. Heartbreaking, isn't it? You're welcome :)

Also, in The Last Olympian, Percy actually saw Nico watching through those past scenes in his dreams. Meaning Nico AND PERCY now know that Essie is Maria's reincarnation, while Essie herself is absolutely clueless.

Don't worry though, she'll be informed near the end of the book so just be patient.

MARIA DI ANGELO &
OLDER!ESMERELDA BLACK
played by GENE TIERNEY

YOUNG!HECATE
played by BOGDANA KADRITSKAYA

Next chapter's not gonna be an actual chapter. It'll be a timeline/headcanon thing about the di Angelos. I realized that we didn't have a lot of information about their backgrounds, so I decided to make one instead. It's not super detailed, it's really just ideas of what their life could've been like and it's pretty short, hope you enjoy it though!