The Lightning Thief: Apollo's Daughter

Out of Body

"Very brave indeed. Or perhaps you are simply very foolish."   

Skyler's POV

I looked at Percy out of the corner of my eyes seeing him glaring at Hades. Hades took a few steps towards us. "Welcome," Hades said, opening his arms.

He pointed his pale thin finger at Percy "You have your fathers looks. Always the lucky side of the family." Hades said.

"You are especially brave for coming here, Miss Cross." He said his deep-set brown eyes staring into me as if looking into my deepest darkest fears. He looked away from me and looked at Percy, pointing at him with his skeletal finger. "Come closer." Percy opened Luke's shield in anticipation for whatever could come next.

"I can see the look of disgust in your eyes, but this existence was not of my choosing. I was banished here by Zeus and your father. My only chance of getting out of this place is to defeat my brothers and take control of Olympus. But of course. I'll need the bolt."

Annabeth grabbed her dagger quietly. I went to grab my dagger but stopped. I felt like I had a headache and about to pass out. Everything went black for a minute. I could still feel my body and I could still hear Percy and Hades talking..nothing in my body felt like I had hit the floor and fainted but it felt like I wasn't in my body.

"And I need my mother" I heard Percy say.

"Then we have an understanding. Give me the bolt and I'll give you your mother." Hades said.

Percy's POV

I looked over my shoulder at Annabeth, Grover, and Skyler. Skyler had a blank faraway look in her eyes that I couldn't quite place but I didn't have time to focus on her right now.

"I uh..need to tell you the truth..." I stopped, turning back to Hades and Persephone. "I'm not the lightning thief. I don't have the bolt. I never did." I said looking at Hades, he looked confused.

"Then why did you come here?"

"I was hoping that when you saw I wasn't the thief, you'd let my mother go," I said, glancing at Skye as if asking for a little help, but she stood there blank-faced like she was just an empty shell. I shook it off again

"Yes. Yes, but do you think I'm an idiot? I'm Hades! Now give me the bolt or say goodbye to your mother!" He said. Hades loosed a ball of gold fire from his palm. It exploded on the obsidian floor in front of me, and there was my mother, frozen in a shower of gold for a moment before she blinked a few times.

"Mom!" I said, dropping Luke's shield to the ground with a clatter. I ran to my mother, hugging her tightly.

"Percy!" She hugged me back, smiling.

"I thought I lost you forever," I said softly.

Skyler's POV

I slowly was able to see again but before my vision came back fully I heard a faint voice in my head '"I'll be back very soon." I recognized the voice. It was the voice from my dream...the voice in the pit of darkness.

I blinked a few times, seeing Percy hugging a middle-aged woman. 'That must be his mother..' I then looked at Hades who was walking towards Luke's shield on the ground. I saw the arm strap had been knocked off a bit revealing the hidden bolt Luke had put there.

Hades knelt down, picking up the bolt from inside the shield. Persephone walked towards Hades, looking at the bolt in amazement, She hadn't said a word since we came in here. She was just...scilent. I felt pity for her. She didn't love him. She didn't want to be here.