Penumbra

Chapter 4 - Sleep

The despair on the faces of the other demigods made Percy regret telling them about what they'd found out, but he knew they needed to know. If they were ever going to step out of the Labyrinth again, they would need to know what to expect from the mortals.

Percy shut his eyes and leaned against the wall. He was annoyed that he hadn't taken the chance to take a short dip in the Potomac while they were in Washington D.C., but it was too late now. And he still smelt and looked like a mess, the same as everyone else. He spun Riptide between his fingers as he thought, trying to figure out what they were going to do.

Finally, Percy sighed and pushed himself off from the wall as he stood. He made his way over to Hades, pressing his lips together. "Do we know where we're going?" Percy bluntly asked the god.

Hades grunted. "For now the only aim is to survive. We can worry about that later."

"We've done nothing," Percy pointed out, his frustration rising. "We're just sat around and moving every so often when a monster comes along and – they're dying Hades," Percy pressed. "What are we supposed to do?"

The god glowered, gaze darkening. "Every other god or goddess will have either gone missing or have pledged themselves to the Titan Lord by this point, Jackson," Hades snapped angrily. "What do you suggest? We can't go to the Underworld – we could try, but I doubt we'll be leaving again if it's true and his brother has taken over – and that Camp or Olympus is surely not an option either."

"But isn't there anywhere else?" Percy pushed. "Maybe somewhere away from the Titans?"

Hades pressed his lips together. "There might be," he admitted. "But I have no way of knowing if it's safe or not. If we try to go there, it could easily be a trap." The god sighed. "It's best not to try until we can be certain they're not overrun."

Percy was confused, but he assumed Hades was figuring it out. "Okay, so there's a place, but we can't go there yet?"

"Yes," Hades said.

It was then that Percy was noticing just how worn the god seemed. His dark hair was greying, body clearly becoming frailer. "Are... you alright?" Percy asked hesitantly. Sure, Hades was his least favourite god, but he was the only god they had right now. And he was a hell of a lot better than a Titan. "Is your throne...?"

Hades just shook his head tiredly.

"Oh," Percy said. No wonder Hades wanted to avoid the Underworld if his throne had been destroyed there. Percy didn't want to ask the god what would happen if his throne was never fixed. Percy worried then what would happened to the gods and goddesses, where they were.

"The Titan Lord will not be kind to those whom stood against him," Hades said, either reading Percy's mind or seeing from his face what he thought.

"And what about those who died standing against him?" Percy asked.

"I expect dead heroes and heroines will be sent to the Fields of Punishment," Hades mused. "Both demigods and mortals. If the Titans could not make them suffer in life, then they would suffer in their death."

Percy's gaze dropped, his stomach churning. He desperately hoped then that Kronos wouldn't know what his mother and Paul looked like, that he and Iapetus wouldn't be able to single them out amongst all the dead souls heading through into the Underworld. Percy didn't know, but he hoped his mother and Paul would be at peace in death.

Hades knew what he was thinking, from one look at the god's face. "My suggestion would have been for you to pray. But the only ones to pray to now are the Titans."

Percy nodded slightly. "We can't stay down here forever."

"We could," Hades disagreed.

Percy firmly shook his head. He had his mother and Paul to avenge, and everyone else. "No. We can't," he said. Percy retreated from the god then. He didn't want to think about the people he'd lost anymore, and he doubted Hades would accept Percy talking back to him again. He was surprised the god was being so docile as it was.