¹On This Spring Day, percy jackson & the olympians

006.

ON THIS SPRING DAY
━━━━━ chapter six

━━━━━ THE TAG-TEAM OF four emerged in Central Park just north of the Pond. Mrs. O'Leary looked pretty tired as she limped over to a cluster of boulders. She started sniffing around and Violet was afraid she might mark her territory ( because Mrs. O'Leary was still very much a dog even if she was called a hellhound ), but Nico said; "It's okay. She just smells the way home."

Percy frowned. "Through the rocks?"

"The Underworld has two major entrances," Nico told him. "You know the one in L.A."

"Charon's ferry," replied Percy, nodding. "Yeah, I know it."

Nico nodded. "Most souls go that way, but there's a smaller path, harder to find. The Door of Orpheus."

"The dude with the harp."

Violet frowned. "Dude with the lyre," she corrected. "But, yes—him. He used music to charm the earth and open a new path into the Underworld. He sang his way right into Hades's palace and almost got away with his wife's soul."

There was more to the myth, of course—it was a Greek myth, after all—but that was the summarized version. And frankly, Violet didn't know if she had the time to give the full myth—if she had the time before Kronos invaded, or if Percy would stay awake long enough for her to tell the whole tale. Besides, she didn't want to, not liking how the story ended—death. That's how it ended; Orpheus failed in bringing his wife back from the Underworld, and then called upon Death with his lyre so he could be with his wife. Just because her dad loves tragic love stories doesn't mean Violet loves tragic love stories.

"So this is the Door of Orpheus." Percy gestured toward the rocks, his eyebrows pinched. He looked to Violet and Nico, the disappointment clear on his face and in his voice. He wasn't impressed by the Doors of Orpheus. "How does it open?"

"Music, obviously." Violet shrugged, the answer obvious to her. "You any good at singing?"

Percy snorted. "Uh ... no." He looked at Nico, asking; "Can't you just, like, tell it to open? You're the son of Hades and all."

Nico shook his head. "It's not so easy. We need music."

He started to look at Violet, but the daughter of Eros raised her hands. "Don't look at me!" she told him. "Apollo would strike me down if I ever tried to sing. I'm pretty sure he's mad he can't strike me down for simply listening to music."

"O-kay ..." the son of Hades murmured. "So, no singing for Violet."

"I have a better idea," Percy announced. And he turned confidently to face the rest of Central Park and yelled; "Grover!"

Violet blinked. She looked out, finding no sign of the trusted satyr. "That's your bright idea, Fish Face?"

🌷

They waited for a long time. So long, in fact, that Mrs. O'Leary curled up and took a nap. Violet could hear the crickets in the woods and an owl hooting nearby. Traffic hummed along Central Park West; horse hooves clopped down a nearby path, maybe a mounted police patrol. She was sure they would love to find some kids hanging out in the park at one in the morning.