The Legacies: The Next Generation - A Percy Jackson Fanfc

Chapter 26: Marie

Marie didn't mind the underworld, being a granddaughter of Pluto and all. It was fine. Sure, it was dark, but Marie was used to darkness. They walked into some sort of lobby the moment they stepped in. There were a few waiting benches where spirits sat, mourning. In fact, the place was crowded with spirits. Marie spotted a family of five sitting with their arms around each other. Looking at them reminded her of her own family. How were her parents? How were Sammy and little Emily? Marie looked away from them. She couldn't afford to get distracted.

A guy sat in front of a huge desk. He was tall and elegant, with chocolate-colored skin and bleached-blond hair shaved military style. He wore tortoiseshell shades and a silk Italian suit that matched his hair. A black rose was pinned to his lapel under a silver name tag. The guy was counting golden coins with a hungry gleam in his eyes. He looked up only when Cora cleared her throat loudly.

"Yes?" He asked in a bored voice. He had a weird accent, like British mixed with something else.

"We–uh–want to go to the underworld," Cora said.

That caught the guy's attention. He raised his eyebrows. "You want to go? Well, that makes my job easier. How did you pretty gals die?" He leaned forward, observing them.

They all looked at Silena. Silena glared at all of them. "Um–we got trampled by an elephant,"

Rose snorted. Bianca stepped on her foot.

"All six of you?" The guys asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Totally," Marie piped up. Silena shot her a thankful look. THe poor girl looked awful and she was clutching her wrist. Marie wondered if it wasn't properly healed. "It was gray, you know. African Elephant. During a safari,"

"Big elephant," The guy mused. He sighed and leaned back on his chair and continued counting his coins. There was a pause.

"So–can we go?" Cora asked hopefully. The guy slammed a coin on the desk and leaned toward Cora. "Listen, Mate. You think you can fool me? You lot are obviously alive," He sniffed. "Demigods? No, never mind. Scent isn't powerful enough. Legacies, I assume?"

"Uhh—dead legacies?" Rose offered.

The guy rolled his eyes. "If you were dead I doubt you would—"

Bianca suddenly slammed her hand on the guy's desk. "Take us to the Underworld, Charon, if you know what's best for you."

The guy, Charon, gulped and edged backwards as if Bianca were some sort of powerful monster or god. Something clicked in Marie's mind. Charon. She knew that name. But Bianca seemed to have it under control. She'd always been better at the 'underworldy' stuff than Marie.

She felt a small pang of guilt. She still hadn't told her friends about her power over precious metals and stones. She couldn't tell them. If she did, she would have to explain about her firewood, which she simply couldn't bring herself to do. She wondered how her father told his friends. It probably hadn't been very easy.

"Charon? Like Chiron?" Rose asked.

Charon kept his eyes fixed on Bianca. "Yes, I suppose. Uh, which way, miss? I mean, of course this way, of course I knew that—" He jumped to his feet, fumbling with his pouch of golden drachmas.

"Woah," Silena told Bianca. "And I thought I was good with words. How did you even know his name?"

Bianca smirked, obviously pleased. "Oh, I know a few things. Charon does what he's told to do, unless he wants a word from my grandfather. Isn't that right, Charon?"
"Yes, of course, miss. Uh, see—my boat—it's rather full–"