Demigod-Witch

Chapter 16

“Hades, I want some answers.” Percy says to the Lord of the Underworld, who is clearly not amused with us. 

            “Go on with it, then.  Ask away, but I might not give the answers, whether I like the question or not.” Hades sighs and puts his ghostly pale hand under his chin, resting on the arm of his black throne. 

            “Why did you kidnap Mr. D.?” Percy asks, waving his hand to the god of wine, who is trapped in that terrible cage, absolutely helpless.  His face looks thinner, and he doesn’t say a word, which is odd for him.

            “He is a cheater.  He cheated me while gambling, oh, and was I mad.  So I imprisoned him here, where he can neither cheat nor gamble.  Fair, isn’t it?” Hades explains with an air of irritation.

            “Cheating, it isn’t right, but you can’t-“

            Percy begins to protest, but Hades cuts him off.

            “I can do whatever I please, you foolish boy.  I am a GOD!” Hades yells, his strong voice bouncing around the room.

            “You are a god, but you know that gods have limits.  Sure, Mr. D. was wrong, but…” Percy struggles to find the right words.  His voice is laced with exasperation.

            “You cannot capture a god forever for cheating.  After all, you should have known that gambling leads to unhappiness.  True, what Mr. D. did was wrong, but gods don’t capture other gods for their mistakes.  Punishments are better than kidnappings.” I protest, and Mr. D. flashes me a look of irritation.

            “Punishment?!!” He shrieks at me.  “I’m Dionysus!  I will not be punished or captured!”

            “SILENCE!” Hades roars.  “I have already captured you, you fool!  Do not make yourself look more ignorant than you are.” 

            “Well, what were you gambling for?  How did he cheat?”  I ask, trying to see if the crime was in proportion to the punishment.

            “We were gambling for his throne.  His throne comes with…responsibilities that I wanted.  So I cheated a little.  Doesn’t matter, I would’ve won anyway.” Mr. D. explains impatiently.

            “You would not have!” Hades yells.

            “Would too!” Mr. D. shouts back.

            “Would not!”

            “Would too!”

            “STOP IT!” Annabeth shrieks.  Hades and Mr. D. stop bickering.  “If you two can BE QUIET, we may come to a solution!  Hades, please explain how Dionysus cheated.”

            “You dare say my name?!!” Dionysus roars, but I wave him off.

            “He dealt from the bottom of the deck!  At the end of our game, when he had won the throne, he yelled, ‘I cheated!  I did!  I dealt from the bottom!  But there’s nothing you can do about it now, Hades.  I have your throne!’  So I chained him up and brought him here.” Hades explains, making Dionysus’s voice high-pitched.

            “Why would you tell him you cheated?”  Percy yells at Dionysus.  He shrugs.

            “I figured that he couldn’t do anything once I had rights to his throne.” He says sheepishly.