They made their way to Hades' palace. Once they got into the main entrance, the floor beneath them shifted, causing Sveta to shriek and grab onto Percy. But once she realized that they were fine, she reluctantly let go of his hand. When their ride stopped, they glanced at each other.
"Is this our stop, or —?" Grover asked, unsure.
Footsteps approached them. Eira immediately had the urge to protect Percy. She pressed the rose on her ring and it immediately transformed into a short sword in her hands.
"Welcome!" said the man who Sveta could only guess was Hades. She did not trust him. "Sorry about all that —oh, anyways! It's great to meet all three of you. I see you're very protective of the young boy, Miss Keegan?"
Eira scoffed, tightening her grip on the hilt of her short sword. "I've been protective of him since day one, from the very start. Don't even try me."
"Feisty like her father, I see." He sounded almost amused, to Eira's surprise. "So! What can I do for you? I would like to make my guests comfortable. Would any of you like a snack, or a drink?"
Seriously?
"Actually —" began Grover, but Percy immediately cut him off.
"We're here for my mom."
The lord of the dead clapped his hands in amusement.
"Straight to business! I like it! A little nautical reference in you, I see. Just like my brother."
"Where is she?" Percy demanded.
"Right. Okie-doke. Let's get right to it! The three of you have come all this way. Don't be shy."
He led them to the U-form of the chairs and couch. Percy stopped dead when he saw his mother encased in gold.
"M-Mom?" Percy whispered. Eira glanced over at Percy to see that he had tears of hurt in his eyes. She put a gentle hand on his shoulder to not startle him. "What did you do to her?"
"Uh, I saved her life. What else did you think I did? Y'know, getting crushed by a Minotaur is a terminal diagnosis. I snagged her for ya, so that you can bring me what I have been missing since the Winter Solstice!"
"I — I can't give it to you," Percy finally answered, beginning to take a step back.
"Ah. A quid-and-quo here, I see."
"Listen here, you idiot. The bolt doesn't belong to you. It belongs to your brother. And we ain't gonna give it to you," said Eira. "Your plan almost worked, y'know? You and Ares managed to steal the bolt, trick Percy into bringing it to you, and then letting you have it. Well, guess what. It's not going to happen."
"All I ask you to do is to do one thing," said Percy pleadingly. "Please let my mother go."
Hades looked very shocked and confused.
"Huh?"
"You heard me," said Eira, her voice rising with each word. "The bolt doesn't belong to you. We're returning it to its rightful owner. You're not having it."
"What?" said Hades, who was still confused. "Who tricked Ares into doing what?"
"You heard her. We're returning the bolt to its rightful owner," said Grover stubbornly. "You have been in cahoots with Ares, haven't you?"
"Oh, for the love of the gods. I have not been in cahoots with Ares, you idiots! I can't stand the guy! No one can stand him! The bolt belongs to my brother, obviously. It's his own drama to deal with. I don't want to be any part of what's going on in Olympus."
YOU ARE READING
The Sun and the Sea || PJ x OC (Disney+)
Fanfiction***Finished (for now)*** "The sun and the sea aren't supposed to mix" In which Eirina Keegan, the favorite daughter of Apollo, embarks on a dangerous quest with her friends to stop a WWIII. OR In which Eirina Keegan tries hard to not fall in love...
