Do-over (A Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

11. Hades is now my least favourite god

I was frozen where I was standing. Everything around me was a blur. I paid no attention to the hordes of skeletal warriors pouring into the room. I could vaguely hear Annabeth drawing her knife but it wouldn't be able to do much against a god.

'What have we done?' Annabeth tried desperately, her eyes darting from armed skeleton to armed skeleton. 'We're just here to retrieve the Bolt!'

Hades stood up from his throne in anger, the entire throne room shaking under the tremor undoubtedly caused by him. He towered over us, looking down on us with eyes that wanted to vaporise us on the spot.

'And the Bolt is something you already have!' Hades bellowed. 'You come down here, to my home with the very thing you are demanding from me! Do you think I want war? I didn't ask for this, godling.'

That snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked around as my hand reached into my pocket, the undead soldiers inching closer and closer while their master stared down at us with absolute loathing.

'What do you mean?' Annabeth demanded.

'Why don't you ask the little Poseidon spawn,' Hades snarled as the three Furies descended into the room and perched themselves on Hades' throne. 'He's been carrying it in his backpack the entire time.'

Two pairs of eyes turned towards me almost simultaneously. Annabeth's confused expression slowly turned into a face of slight anger.

'What does he mean, Percy?' Grover asked nervously as he continuously looked back towards the circle of skeletons around us.

'I don't-' I paused for a bit before slinging the blue backpack over my shoulders. I unzipped it with a small sigh of relief when I saw the highly dangerous, very explosive godly weapon sitting at the very top of the bag.

'Percy,' Annabeth started. 'How-'

'I-I don't know,' I feigned surprise. 'I don't understand.'

'You heroes are always the same,' Hades scoffed. 'Your pride makes you foolish, thinking you could bring such a weapon before me. I did not ask for Zeus' Master Bolt, but since it is here, you will wield it to me. And now...my helmet. Where is it?'

'Helmet?' Grover asked at the same time Annabeth's eyes widened in shock.

'Your Helm of Darkness is missing too?' Annabeth gasped before whispering, 'Oh, this is not good.'

'Yes, my Helm is indeed missing,' Hades continues smirking as he thought about his helm, that smirk quickly disappearing when he remembered it was actually missing. 'You wouldn't have known, little godling. I have said nothing of my Helm's disappearance because I had no illusions that anyone on Olympus would offer me the slightest justice, the slightest help.'

I opened my mouth to say something but Hades wasn't done yet.

'I can ill afford for word to get out about my most powerful weapon of fear is missing,' Hades said before turning his gaze onto me. '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.'

'Threat?' I said, a bit taken aback that he out of all people think that a mere demigod like me would willingly threaten a god like him. I'm not that crazy. 'Now hold on just a second-'

'Return my helmet now, or I will stop death,' Hades threatened with a deadly calm tone to his voice. 'That is my counter-proposal. I will open the earth and have the dead pour back into the world. I will make your lands a living nightmare. And you, Percy Jackson - your skeleton will lead my army out of Hades.'

Like that would ever happen. My skeleton is mine and mine alone. I don't give consent.

'Look, Uncle, this is all a misunderstanding,' I started, surprisingly calm at the situation we were in. 'We don't have your helmet. We came down here because we thought you had the Bolt.'