𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 | 𝐩. 𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧

Percy goes head-to-head with the God of the Dead

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 Pecry'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."