"Woah..."

The four gazed up at the three heads of a ghastly Rottweiler that stood twice the size of a wooly mammoth. This was surely a sight to behold at 12 years old. Imagine telling the camp that they'd got to see Cerberus itself.

"So... ready to abuse your magic?" Percy asked nervously, glancing at Ashe.

As the four were forced to inch closer to the gates of the Underworld's TSA, Cerberus began to sniff their air, sensing an unfamiliar scent. More specifically, a forbidden scent.

"Um. Yeah. Sure." Ashe was sharing the nervous grin, holding up his amulet with a shrug.

Two heads began to sniff the air, and it didn't take long for them to look directly at Ashe, making him flinch. The three-headed Rottweiler began to prowl over with a low grumble.

"Okay, do it now- do it now!" Annabeth shouted as Grover nodded frantically.

"PÉTRA!"

The three preteens closed their eyes as a wave of emerald light washed over spirits and ghouls in a fan. Cerberus flinched with a harmless sheet of electricity crackling over its body.

"That was sick! I've gotta use this way more often-" Ashe was going to boast but Grover and Annabeth began to drag him through the EZ Death line to make their escape from the massive canine.

Unfortunately, both Ashe's scarf and amulet set off the detectors. "Unauthorized possessions! Magic detected!" A speaker shouted, alerting the black robed ghouls around of their location.

As they burst through the gates, Ashe spun on his heel and shouted "PÉTRA!" again, trying to make the ghouls freeze, but without eyes, that was no dice.

"Well, that tracks..." He spun back around and rushed after his friends.

Luckily, with Cerberus off their back for long enough, the four rushed through the Underworld's plains to hide in the hollow trunk of a large black tree.

However, the familiar howl and screech of the Furies echoed throughout the Fields of Asphodel, making the four groan.

Luckily, they had the amulet to ward them off should they become a problem.

Suddenly, Grover's shoes began to flap.

"Hey, uh, Grover- now's not the time...!" Percy whisper-shouted.

"B-But... this isn't me-"

Grover suddenly yelped and had his legs swept out from under him. The shoes were flapping so frantically it was almost as if they were panicking. He was thrown away from the tree and began sliding on his back as his shoes led him away.

Ashe was the first to lunge forward and chase after, with Percy and Annabeth close behind.

"Maia!" The wings continued on.

"Maia!" The wings continued on.

"Maia, already! Help!" Grover cried as he flailed his arms around in a panic. Ashe was trying to reach him, but the wings were surprisingly fast. It was no wonder they were a gift from Hermes.

"Untie the shoes!" Annabeth shouted since no one could catch up.

Grover tried to reach up and do as told, but the sheer speed and height of the shoes only let Grover swipe at his knees.

He eventually was flying down a hill, and Ashe had to quit running and slide on his feet. He took a chance and leapt for Grover as he slid down and narrowly missed taking off his left shoe.

The speed at which he fell caused him to tumble as Percy and Annabeth passed him.

The shoes began to follow some sort of path. They would specifically avoid trees and rock formations, heading towards a tunnel.

Ashe recovered from his tumble and followed after the three, catching up with ease. He was about to leap for Grover again until he saw that for whatever reason, the shoes were headed directly for a massive chasm the size of an entire city block.

Percy seemed to stop in his tracks at the sight, and even Annabeth slowed down in shock and fear. Ashe gave the two incredulous looks at their hesitation as Grover inched closer far faster than he liked.

Grover was trying his hardest to claw at the ground and slow himself down, his fingers digging into the dirt to no avail.

"Grover kick your feet as much as you can! Get them loose!" Ashe shouted, breaking into a sprint so fast he could feel the wind make his eyes water.

Grover was beginning to cry as he lurched closer to the void before them, but he suddenly felt Ashe grab his hand in a last ditch dive just before his body could fly over the chasm.

Stabbing his sword into the cobble below, Ashe yanked Grover out of his shoes and back towards the land just as they spiraled down into the void.

Ashe panted with a hoarse breath, holding Grover close in his free arm. Grover was wide-eyed, frozen in shock at how close he came to death. He subconsciously began to clutch Ashe's clothes tightly, as Ashe lifted him to their feet.

Ashe wobbled over to Percy and Annabeth with a thumbs up, but needed to take a knee from the harsh minute of using all of his stamina.

Annabeth was still frozen, but muttered out: "Tartarus..."

"Tartar-what?" Ashe mumbled in confusion, but shook his head. "Listen, let's get back on track. We don't have time for anymore wacky shoes to send us into the abyss."

With him leading the way now, everyone eagerly followed to be rid of such an ancient, dreadful entity.

•

Strutting through a beautiful, furnished courtyard, Ashe led the others with an exhausted frown on his face. It didn't take much time to travel with their head in the game, so they admired the Garden of Persephone as they continued in their way.

The multitude of flora and plethora of colors of jewels and petals caught their eye, slowing their pace to a slow shuffle.

What caught Ashe and Grover's eye was the Orange-leafed Pomegranate trees in the center.

The two began to creep over, hoping for a quick bite of refreshment, but Annabeth pinched their ears and pulled them along after Percy.

Walking up the steps of the palace, Ashe quickly jogged up beside Percy to help him confront the big bad everyone was hyping him up to be. The two turned on their game faces: stern glared and neutral expressions- but it would only carry them so far.

Black columns, polished bronze floor, ghastly green torchlight- the place had all the vibes you'd expect from the House of Hades.

Every side doorway was guarded by a skeleton in military gear. Some wore Greek armor, some British redcoat uniforms, some camouflage with tattered American flags on the shoulders. They carried spears or muskets or M-16s.

However, none of them bothered the four. Their hollow eye sockets followed them as they walked down the hall toward the big set of doors at the opposite end.

Two U.S. Marine skeletons guarded the doors. Ashe scratched his head at the sight of grenade launchers.

"This guy clearly doesn't live in the past." Ashe mused, nudging Grover. "I bet he has no trouble with door-to-door salesmen," Grover added with a smile.

Suddenly, a warm breeze blew the massive double doors open, making the two think they were heard.

"Here's goes nothing." Ashe was about to walk forward, but felt a sudden weight in the backpack Ares had given the four. He was wondering if it was the exhaustion catching up with him again, but the weight felt... unorthodox.

With no time to check on the matter, the four tread forward.

The man himself waited patiently on his throne of bones and bodies, leering down at them from his seat with lazy posture. He easily stood ten feet tall, wearing black silk robes and a braided crown weaved of gold. His skin was white, with pale being too colorful to describe it. His hair was shoulder length and darker than black. He wasn't what one would call bulky, but by every sense of the word he was powerful.

Percy, Annabeth, and Grover began to breathe hoarsely due to his sheer presence becoming that overwhelming. They glanced saw that Ashe was unscathed, further making him an enigma in their eyes.

Somehow, he withstood the weight of Hades' evil charisma, even earning a glance of intrigue despite his human status.

"You are brave to come here, Son of Poseidon," his voice was oily and full of pride. "After what you've done to me, very brave indeed. Or perhaps foolish, for bringing a mere human all this way."

Percy was quiet for a few seconds, trying to overcome the pressure of facing the Lord of the Dead.

"Lord, Uncle, I've come with two requests." Percy began.

When he sat forward in his throne, shadowy faces appeared in the folds of his black robes, faces of torment, as if the garment were stitched of trapped souls from the Fields of Punishment, trying to get out.

"Arrogant child. As if you have not already taken enough. Speak, then. It amuses me not to strike you dead yet."

"U-Um, Lord Hades, sir, there can't be a war among the gods. It would be... bad."

"Really bad." Grover added with a whimper.

"Awful even..." Ashe nodded in confusion.

"Can you please return Zeus' Master Bolt to me, sir?" Percy asked with a gulp.

Hades' eyes grew dangerously brights burning into their souls. "You dare keep up this pretense, after what you have done?"

Clearing his throat, Ashe spoke for the four when asking: "I've been with him since he reached camp, so uh- what exactly has he done...?"

A tremor shuck the throne room hard enough that debris began to chip from the ceiling- but above that, the skeletons from outside all lined the room to form a perimeter. They were now surrounded.

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

"Well... war would expand your kingdom, right?" Percy asked with a small shrug.

"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?"

Percy went to speak, but now the stress ball was rolling...

"Have you any idea how much my kingdom has swollen in this past century alone, how many subdivisions I've had to open? Oh, and more security ghouls," he moaned. "Traffic problems at the judgment 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," Ashe suddenly muttered, earning an elbow from Annabeth.

"Don't get me started on Charon!" Hades yelled. "He's 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."

"So you didn't steal the Master Bolt?" Ashe asked with a frown.

Hades suddenly erupted from his seat with another tremor. "No, mortal." He towered over them all at the size of a goalpost.

"Your father may fool Zeus, boy, but I am not so stupid. I see his plan." Hades stomped forward making them flinch at the pressure.

"You were the thief on the winter solstice," he said. "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 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!"

"Wait... so your helm was stolen?" Ashe asked as his eyes widened.

"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."

"Percy..." Ashe suddenly mumbled in fear.

Everyone turned to him as he removed the pack from his back. He kneeled down and unzipped it, before revealing the dupe.

Ashe showed a two-foot cylinder, spiked on both ends with golden electricity dancing along it.

"Sir... It's Ares." Ashe said standing up.

"...What?" Hades' voice boomed through the room, causing another tremor and rattle of the skeletons bones.

"Guys, we have to find Ares- NOW!" Ashe shouted in fear feeling Hades' pressure beginning to affect even him.

Percy, Annabeth, and Grover all pulled out their pearls, and because of Ashe's quick thinking, no one could respond to their escape fast enough. They slammed the pearls down and became encased in a milky white sphere.

"We'll bring back your helmet, Uncle!" Percy shouted.

Hades snarled as the pearls suddenly burst upward and back for the surface.

•

Percy and Ashe emerged from the water of Santa Monica Pier with faces full of fury. Annabeth and Grover emerged behind them; all with their clothes dry thanks to Percy.

Across from them was the culprit himself, grinning maliciously at the four with smug eyes hidden behind his shades.

Wearing his black leather duster, he propped an aluminum bat over his shoulder as his motorcycle rumbled in the night.

"Hey." He greeted. "You were supposed to die, kid."

"You tricked me. You stole the helm and the Master Bolt." Percy balled his fists.

"Well, now, I didn't steal them personally, but I'm sure you know that." Ares tossed up a black ski cap, "You're impeding the war effort. See, you've gotta die in the Underworld so Old Seaweed head will be mad at Hades for killing you. Corpse Breath would've had the bolt, so Zeus could be mad at him. And then Hades would still be looking for this..."

"The Helm of Darkness..." Grover gasped.

"Yup. We could've had a nice little three-way slug fest." Ares sounded disappointed, but his smirk told otherwise.

"But they're your family!" Annabeth protested.

Ares shrugged. "Best kind of war. Always the bloodiest. Nothing like watching your relatives fight, I always say."

"Why take the risk of sending the most powerful nuke in the world down to Hades himself? Kinda sense does that make?" Ashe spat in annoyance.

Ares' jaw twitched in response. He looked distracted behind his shades, almost as if he was listening to someone else- "Why didn't I... yeah... with that kind of fire power-" his muttering stopped.

The trance he seemed to be in made the four preteens glance amongst themselves with anticipation.

"You're following orders!" Ashe shouted in realization. "This wasn't even your plan to begin with!"

"Of course it was!" His shades began to fume and smoke as if they were about to catch fire.

"You didn't order the theft," Percy deduced. "Someone else sent a hero to steal the two items. Then, when Zeus sent you to hunt him down, you caught the thief. But you didn't turn him over to Zeus. Something convinced you to let him go. You kept the items until another hero could come along and complete the delivery. That thing in the pit is ordering you around."

"I am the god of war! I take orders from no one! I don't have dreams!"

Percy began to glare harder. "Who said anything about dreams?"

Ares looked agitated, but he tried to cover it with a smirk. "The problem at hand, is you're alive. So let's fix that-"

Sand erupted from his feet and a massive boar spawned from the grains. It was twice the size any should be and pawing at the ground to trample the four.

Percy stepped back into the surf as Annabeth and Grover paced away. "Fight me yourself, Ares."

He snorted, but there was a little edge to his laughter; uneasiness. "You've only got one talent, kid, running away. You don't have what it takes."

"Scared?"

"In your adolescent dreams." But his sunglasses were starting to melt from the heat of his eyes. "No direct involvement. Sorry, kid. You're not at my level."

Annabeth said, "Percy, run!"

The giant boar charged, but Percy was fed up with it all. He was tired being errand boy for the Gods- being their plaything.

As the boar rushed him, Percy uncapped his pen and sidestepped. Riptide appeared in his hands and he slashed upward. The boar's severed right tusk fell at his feet, while the disoriented animal charged into the sea.

Percy shouted, "Wave!"
Immediately, a wave surged up from nowhere and engulfed the boar, wrapping around it like a blanket. The beast squealed once in terror. Then it was gone, swallowed by the sea.

He turned back to Ares. "Are you going to fight me now?" Percy asked. "Or are you going to hide behind another pet pig?"

"You're really asking for it, kid. I could turn you into a-"

"Cockroach? A tapeworm? I'm sure you'd love to spare yourself the ass whooping." Ashe barked, drawing his own sword and standing beside Percy, slinging the nylon backpack on after zipping it up.

Flames danced along the rims of his glasses. "Ha! A fucking mortal is challenging me?! A human?! Do you have some kind of death wish? That's what Hades was for!"

"Nah, but you wanted a three-way slugfest, right?" Ashe and Percy twirled their swords and began to smirk.

With their free hands, the two gestured him to advance.

"Come and get it."