Alecto dropped Percy like a sack of turnips in the middle of the palace garden.

It was beautiful in a creepy way. Skeletal white trees grew from marble basins. Flower beds overflowed with golden plants and gemstones. A pair of thrones, one bone, and one silver, sat on the balcony with a view of the Fields of Asphodel. It would've been a nice place to spend a Saturday morning except for the sulfurous smell and the cries of tortured souls in the distance.

Skeletal warriors guarded the only exit. They wore tattered U.S. Army desert combat fatigues and carried M16s.

The third fury deposited Nico next to him. Then all three of them settled on the top of the skeletal throne. Percy resisted the urge to strangle Nico. They'd only stop him.

The raven-haired boy stared at the empty thrones, waiting for something to happen. Then the air shimmered. Three figures appeared—Hades and Persephone on their thrones, and an older woman standing between them. They seemed to be in the middle of an argument.

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

"Mother!" Persephone replied.

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

Hades, one of Percy's least favorite gods, who just happened to be his best friend's father, smoothed his black robes, which were covered with the terrified faces of the damned. He had pale skin and the intense eyes of a madman.

"Percy Jackson," he said with satisfaction. "At last."

Queen Persephone studied him curiously. Percy had seen her once before in the winter, but now in the summer, she looked like a totally different goddess. She had lustrous black hair and warm brown eyes. Her dress shimmered with colors. Flower patterns in the fabric changed and bloomed —roses, tulips, honeysuckle.

The woman standing between them was obviously Persephone's mother. She had the same hair and eyes but looked older and sterner. Her dress was golden, the color of a wheat field. Her hair was woven with dried grasses so it reminded him of a wicker basket. Percy figured if somebody lit a match next to her, she'd be in serious trouble.

"Hmmph," the older woman said. "Demigods. Just what we need."

Next to the son of Poseidon, Nico knelt. Percy wished he had his sword so he could cut his stupid head off. Unfortunately, Riptide was in the fields somewhere.

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

"Took you long enough," Hades grumbled. "Your sisters would've done a better job, Evangeline wouldn't have been as good as Bianca since... well you know why."

Nico lowered his head. Percy might've felt sorry for him, he was also confused by what Hades meant.

The raven-haired boy glared at the god of the dead. "What do you want, Hades?"

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

"So this whole quest was a lie. Nico brought 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."

"Father," Nico said, "you promised that Percy 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 lady 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 noooo. 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. "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. "If you're going to kill me, could you just get on with it?"

All three gods looked at him.

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

"Indeed," Hades agreed. "I'd love to kill him but Evangeline doesn't let me, all she does is say Dad no killing Percy or Dad I'm in love with him, and blah blah blah something else I don't pay attention to the rest."

Percy felt a lump form in his throat, he felt like it was getting harder to breathe as he heard Hades' words. It didn't make sense why everything felt so tense to him and why his hands started getting clammy. He could suddenly feel the necklace Evangeline had gotten him turn heavy.

"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 sisters 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 and Evangeline 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 grits 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, the Fury Alecto began to change until she was a middle-aged man in a pinstriped suit with a briefcase. She—he—looked strange crouching at Hades'sshoulder.

"You!" Nico said. The Fury cackled. "I do lawyers, teachers, and old neighbors 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."

Percy plucked a ruby off the nearest plant and threw it at Hades. It sank harmlessly into his robe. "You should be helping Olympus!" He said. "All the other gods are fighting Typhon, and you're just sitting here—"

"Waiting things out," Hades finished. "Yes, that's correct. When was the last time Olympus ever helped me, half-blood? When was the last time a child of mine was ever welcomed as a hero? When have you ever seen Evangeline get the same amount of honor and respect you have gotten? 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."

"What about Evangeline?"

"She's chosen to exclude herself from this narrative said 'They all assume it's Percy so just rule me out' so it's not her, so the boy will have to do I suppose."

"You're crazy," Percy said. "Kronos will crush you, right after he finishes pulverizing Olympus."

Hades spread his hands. "Well, you'll get a chance to find out, half-blood. Because you'll be waiting out this war in my dungeons."

"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 him. 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 this little hero go? He's awfully brave."

"No, my dear. I've spared his life. That's enough."

Percy was sure she was going to stand up for him. The brave, beautiful Persephone was going to get him out of this.

She 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'splans. 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. Have fun in my dungeon. We'll check on you again in—oh, fifty or sixty years."

"Evangeline will hate you for this!"

"Oh no, my teenage daughter will hate me," Hades said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "She'll get over it and besides I won't have to worry about you and her. Who knows maybe she'll make the right decision and choose the Martin boy instead, I always liked him, smart boy that one."

"He's not smart, he's an idiot, with his stupid face, his stupid eyes, and his stupid hair thats somehow always perfect," Percy spat.

"Let's hope that Landon won't be as clueless as you,"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, that it's been two years Percy Jackson and you have yet to use the one small brain cell in that head of yours."

"I don't understand,"

"My daughter cares about you,"

"I know that—"

"No, you don't." Hades said. "You've met Evangeline, you've known her for years. You know she doesn't just let people in."

Percy stayed quiet as he let Hades talk. "She doesn't just care about you son of Poseidon, she let you in, why do you think she did that?"

"Because I'm her friend,"

"Wrong!" Hades raised his voice. "She told you about her past, she trusted you with it but all you have done is hurt her feelings and that gives me one more reason to enjoy your punishment."

"I don't understand where you're going with this, I didn't hurt her, sure we got in a fight but—"

"About what?"

Percy shifted on his feet. "The prophecy."

Hades rubbed his temple. "Not that you idiot, think."

"About Rachel Elizabeth Dare, but we're just friends I don't why she's getting so angry about her."

"She isn't angry, boy," Hades sighed. "She's jealous."

"Why? She doesn't like me." Percy knitted his eyebrows together.

"That's because she doesn't like you, she's in love with you."

All Percy could think about while riding on Mrs O'Leary's back was what Hades had said to him before he was taken to the cell. "She's in love with you," those words repeated in his mind over and over again.

It started making sense as to why Evangeline had been shutting him out. Percy didn't want to believe the god of the dead but deep down inside he knew that Hades was right, she was in love with him. It was like pieces being fit into a puzzle.

Evangeline hating Rachel, being angry with him about Calypso, and keeping her distance from him ever since they kissed. And then it hit him like a brick, as the final piece fit in.

The son of Poseidon rubbed his forehead as he realized why she had said the kiss was a mistake, she didn't think that, she thought he was in love with Annabeth, she thought he didn't like her, Evangeline thought she was ruining his chances with Annabeth.

Mrs. O'Leary didn't stop until they were far upriver and the fires of Erebos had disappeared in the murk.

Nico slid off Mrs O'Leary's back and crumpled in a black heap on the black sand.

Percy took out a square of ambrosia—part of the emergency god food he always kept with him. It was a little bashed up, but Nico chewed it.

"Uh," he mumbled. "Better."

"Your powers drain you too much," Percy pointed out.

He nodded sleepily. "With great power... comes great need to take a nap. Wake me up later."

"Whoa, zombie dude." Percy caught him before he could pass out again. "We're at the river. You need to tell me what to do."

Percy fed him the last of his ambrosia, which was a little dangerous. The stuff can heal demigods, but it can also burn them to ashes if they eat too much. Fortunately, it seemed to do the trick. Nico shook his head a few times and struggled to his feet.

"My father will be coming soon," Nico said. "We should hurry."

The River Styx's current swirled with strange objects—broken toys, ripped-up college diplomas, wilted homecoming corsages—all the dreams people had thrown away as they'd passed from life into death. Looking at the black water, Percy could think of about three million places he'd rather swim.

"So... I just jump in?"

"You have to prepare yourself first," the son of Hades said, "or the river will destroy you. It will burn away your body and soul."

"Sounds fun," Percy muttered.

"This is no joke," Nico warned. "There is only one way to stay anchored to your mortal life. You have to..."

He glanced behind the raven-haired boy and his eyes widened. Percy turned and found himself face-to-face with a Greek warrior.

For a second, he thought it was Ares, because the guy looked exactly like the god of war—tall and buff, with a cruel scarred face and closely shaved black hair. He wore a white tunic and bronze armor. He held a plumed war helm under his arm. But his eyes were human—pale green like a shallow sea—and a bloody arrow stuck out of his left calf, just above the ankle.

Percy was terrible at Greek names, but even he knew the greatest warrior of all time, who had died from a wounded heel.

"Achilles," Percy said. But the warrior wasn't alone, alongside him stood a woman Percy recognized by catching a glimpse of the eyes.

This was the second weirdest hangout he had seen: Mary Merlyn hanging out with Achilles.

The ghost of the warrior nodded. "I warned the other one not to follow my path. Now I will warn you."

"Luke? You spoke with Luke?"

"Do not do this," He said. "It will make you powerful. But it will also make you weak. Your powers in battle will be beyond any mortal's, but your weakness and your failings will increase as well."

"You mean I'll have a bad heel?" Percy said. "Couldn't I just, like, wear something besides sandals? No offense."

He stared down at his bloody foot. "The heel is only my physical weakness, demigod. My mother, Thetis, held me there when she dipped me in the Styx. What really killed me was my own arrogance. Beware! Turn back!"

"I have to," Percy said. "Otherwise I don't stand a chance."

Achilles lowered his head. "Let the gods witness I tried. Hero, if you must do this, concentrate on your mortal point. Imagine one spot of your body that will remain vulnerable. This is the point where your soul will anchor your body to the world. It will be your greatest weakness, but also your only hope. No man may be completely invulnerable. Lose sight of what keeps you mortal, and the River Styx will burn you to ashes. You will cease to exist."

"I don't suppose you could tell me Luke's mortal point?"

He scowled. "Prepare yourself, foolish boy. Whether you survive this or not, you have sealed your doom!"

On that happy note, he vanished but Mary stayed observing Percy.

"Percy," Nico said, "maybe he's right."

"This was your idea."

"I know, but now that we're here—"

"Just wait on the shore. If anything happens to me... Well, maybe Hades will get his wish, and you'll be the child of the prophecy after all."

He didn't look pleased about that, but Percy didn't care.

"You're the idiot my daughter is in love with?" Mary spoke up, arching a brow.

"Uh, I am?" Percy said. This was the first time he had met the woman he had heard such horrible things about.

"That girl always finds ways to disappoint me," Mary shook her head. "Of course, I didn't expect any better from her she has always had a tendency to be a failure."

Percy glared at the woman, his hand clenching into a fist. "Evangeline isn't a failure."

The woman narrowed her eyes. "Of course she is, she isn't good at anything, the only things she's good at are failing and being a disappointment."

Percy clenched his fist tighter, his knuckles turning white. "You're the failure."

"Excuse me?"

"Excused," he said. "Evangeline didn't fail as a daughter, you failed as a mother. Mothers are supposed to take care of their children, love them, and be proud of them. But all you do is whine and complain,"

Mary set her jaw. "That isn't even all, you just go on and on about how much Evangeline was a problem to raise, maybe instead of being so mean to her you should have tried to be a mother and actually blamed yourself since you were the one raising her."

"You don't know anything about me, son of Poseidon." She grits her teeth.

"I mean, there's not much to know is there?" He shrugged.

"You don't know how much I sacrificed for that girl."

Nico warily watched. "Percy—"

"Shh, let me talk." Percy put a hand up. "Who are you kidding? You're not a mother Mary you're an insufferable monster who doesn't deserve to have an amazing, kind, caring, smart daughter like Evangeline."

Mary glared. "You'll be perfect for her, both of you foolish brats." That was the last thing she said before her form vanished.

Percy huffed and turned to the river. Before he could change his mind about the plan, he concentrated on the small of his back—a tiny point just opposite his navel. It was well-defended when he wore his armor.

It would be hard to hit by accident, and a few enemies would aim for it on purpose. No place was perfect, but this seemed right to him, and a lot more dignified than, like his armpit or something.

Percy pictured a string, a bungee cord connecting him to the world from the small of his back. And he stepped into the river.

Imagine jumping into a pit of boiling acid. Now multiply that pain times fifty. You still won't be close to understanding what it felt like to swim in the Styx. Percy planned to walk in slow and courageous like a real hero. As soon as the water touched his legs, his muscles turned to jelly and he fell face-first into the current.

Percy submerged completely. For the first time in his life, he couldn't breathe underwater. He finally understood the panic of drowning. Every nerve in his body burned. He was dissolving in the water. He saw faces—Rachel, Grover, Tyson, his mother—but they faded as soon as they appeared.

"Percy," his mom said. "I give you my blessing."

"Be safe, brother!" Tyson pleaded.

"Enchiladas!" Grover said. He wasn't sure where that came from, but it didn't seem to help much. He was losing the fight. The pain was too much. Percy's hands and feet were melting into the water, his soul was being ripped from his body. He couldn't remember who he was. The pain of Kronos's scythe had been nothing compared to this.

"The cord," a familiar voice said."Remember your lifeline, you moron."

Suddenly there was a tug in his lower back. The current pulled at him, but it wasn't carrying him away anymore. He imagined the string in his back keeping him tied to the shore.

"Hold on, seaweed brain." It was Evangeline's voice, much clearer now. "I'm not letting you get away from me that easily, you're not dying today."

The cord strengthened.

He could see Evangeline now—standing above him on the canoe lake pier. he'd fallen out of his canoe. That was it. She was reaching out her hand to haul him up, and she was trying not to laugh. She wore her black camp T-shirt and jean shorts. Her hair was down reaching her shoulders which was strange since her hair was never down.

"Looks like I'll always have to save you, waterboy," She smiled. "C'mere. Take my hand."

Memories came flooding back to him—sharper and more colorful. He stopped dissolving. His name was Percy Jackson. Percy reached up and took the brunette's hand, she leaned down closer to his face and...

Suddenly he burst out of the river. Percy collapsed on the sand, and Nico scrambled back in surprise.

"Are you okay?" He stammered. "You're skin. Oh, gods. You're hurt!"

His arms were bright red. Percy felt like every inch of his body had been broiled over a slow flame.

He looked around for Evangeline, though he knew she wasn't there. It seemed so real.

"I'm fine... I think." The color of his skin turned back to normal. The pain subsided.

"Do you feel stronger?" Nico asked.

Before he could decide what he felt, a voice boomed. "THERE!"

An army of the dead marched toward them. A hundred skeletal Roman legionnaires led the way with shields and spears. Behind them came an equal number of British redcoats with bayonets fixed. In the middle of the host, Hades himself rode a black-and-gold chariot pulled by nightmare horses, their eyes and manes smoldering with fire.

"You will not escape me this time, Percy Jackson!" Hades bellowed. "Destroy him!"

"Father, no!" Nico shouted, but it was too late. The front line of Roman zombies lowered their spears and advanced.

Mrs. O'Leary growled and got ready to pounce. Maybe that's what set him off. Percy didn't want them hurting his dog. Plus, he was tired of Hades being a big bully. If he was going to die, he might as well go down fighting.

Percy yelled, and the River Styx exploded. A black tidal wave smashed into the legionnaires. Spears and shields flew everywhere. Roman zombies began to dissolve, smoke coming off their bronze helmets.

The redcoats lowered their bayonets, but he didn't wait for them. Percy charged.

It was probably the stupidest thing he'd ever done. A hundred muskets fired at him, point blank. All of them missed. Percy crashed into their line and started hacking Riptide. Bayonets jabbed. Swords clashed. Guns reloaded and fired. Nothing touched him.

The son of Poseidon whirled through the ranks, slashing redcoats to dust, one after the other. His mind went on autopilot: stab, dodge, cut, deflect, roll. Riptide was no longer a sword. It was an arc of pure destruction.

He broke through the enemy line and leaped into the black chariot. Hades raised his staff. A bolt of dark energy shot toward him, but Percy deflected it off his bade and slammed into him. The god and him both tumbled out of the chariot.

The next thing he knew, his knee was planted on Hades's chest. He was holding the collar of his royal robes in one fist, and the tip of his sword was poised right over his face.

Silence. The army did nothing to defend their master. The Jackson boy glanced back and realized why. There was nothing left of them but weapons in the sand and piles of smoking, empty uniforms. Percy had destroyed them all.

Hades swallowed. "Now, Jackson, listen here..."

He was immortal. There was no way Percy could kill him, but gods can be wounded. He knew that firsthand, and he figured a sword in the face wouldn't feel too good. Also, he was Evangeline's father, he had a feeling she would hate him even more if he told her he stabbed her father in the face.

"Just because I'm a nice person," Percy snarled. "I'll let you go. But first, tell me about that trap!"

Hades melted into nothing, leaving him behind holding empty black robes.

Percy got to his feet, breathing heavily. Now that the danger was over, he realized how tired he was. Every muscle in his body ached. He looked down at his clothes. They were slashed to pieces and full of bullet holes, but he was fine. Not a mark on him.

Nico's mouth hung open. "You just... with a sword... you just—"

"I think the river thing worked," Percy said.

"Oh, gee," he said sarcastically. "You think?"

"You sound like Evangeline," The raven-haired boy said.

Mrs O'Leary barked happily and wagged her tail. She bounded around, sniffing empty uniforms and hunting for bones. Percy lifted Hades's robe. He could still see the tormented faces shimmering in the fabric.

He walked to the edge of the river. "Be free."

Percy dropped the robe in the water and watched as it swirled away, dissolving in the current.

"Go back to your father," The son of Poseidon told Nico. "Tell him he owes me for letting him go. Find out what's going to happen to Mount Olympus and convince him to help."

Nico stared at him. "I...I can't. He'll hate me now. I mean... even more."

"You have to," The raven-haired boy said. "You owe me too."

His ears turned red. "Percy, I told you I was sorry. Please... let me come with you. I want to fight."

"You'll be more help down here."

"You mean you don't trust me anymore," he said miserably.

Percy didn't answer. He didn't know what he meant. The son of Poseidon was too stunned by what he'd just done in battle to think clearly.

"Just go back to your father," He said, trying not to sound too harsh. "Work on him. You are one of the only people who might be able to get him to listen."

"That's a depressing thought." Nico sighed. "All right. I'll do my best. Besides, he's still hiding something from me about my mom. Maybe I can find out what."

"Good luck. Now Mrs O'Leary and I have to go."

"Where?" Nico asked.

The son of Poseidon looked at the cave entrance and thought about the long climb back to the world of the living. "To get this war started. It's time I found Luke."

------✧------

A/N: Percy pissing off both of his future in-laws on the same day, cause like Poseidon and Sally absolutely love Evangeline, but Hades and Mary despise Percy so that's going to be a funny thing.

And Percy finally used his brain and figured out that Evangeline's in love with him. Everybody clap for Percy!

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter mostly because Hades was there. Also, Nico deserves better, I swear I'll try to get him to be more loved now.