Spirit of the Panther (House of Hades/Frank Zhang Fanfic)

XV. Doors of Death

We found the source of the lightning. We were hovering over a river. A couple hundred meters away there were ruins. It didn't look like much but the tendrils of darkness did. They reached up into the sky and I could feel the dark magic coming off of them. As I stood next to Hazel, I knew she could feel it too.

"The Necromanteion," Nico said. "The House of Hades."

"Fancy," I muttered. I threw my hair into a bun. "Well, let's get this over with. I want to face my death with open arms."

Nico looked at me. "And I thought I was grim."

"I feel exposed up here," Piper said, hugging her arms. "Can't we touch down?"

"I wouldn't." I peered over the edge. "That's the River Acheron."

"Isn't it supposed to be in the underworld?" Jason asked.

"It is," Hazel asked. "Its headwaters are up here though. The water below us eventually flows to the realms of Pluto - I mean, Hades. Landing down there -"

"Yeah, let's don't do that," Leo stated. "I don't want any of that kind of water on my hull."

I took a shaky breath and look at the dark tendrils. They were giving me flashbacks of Tartarus. I shivered, trying to block the memories of what happened.

I felt a hand on my back. I looked up to see Frank. He smiled kindly at me and wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close.

"It's alright, Ezzy," Frank murmured. "It's going to be alright. We're going to get through this."

I nodded, wrapping an arm around Frank's waist. "I know. I was just remembering what happened in Tartarus."

Frank held me tighter. "Don't think about it right now, honey. I'm here for you."

I smiled, wiping my face. "Thanks. Let's get this over with."

Jason clapped his hands. "So it's settled. Everyone else - let's get to the ruins. Gaea's party needs a little crashing."

"I'll get us down quickly," I said. "Take my hands."

Everyone but Hedge grabbed my hands and we transported to the ruins. It was really hot and I felt sweat trickling down my back. I pulled at my shirt, hating the feeling of the overwhelming dark magic there. I hated it.

Nico led us to a ditch and we found a doorway. The death storm was stronger here and seemed to originate from above us. As I looked up at the swirling madness above, I had to steady myself so I didn't pass out from the overload being thrown at me.

Nico faced us. "From here, it only gets worse."

"Sweet," Leo murmured. "So far I've only been pulling my punches."

Nico glared at him. "We'll see how long you keep your humor. Remember, pilgrims came here to talk to dead ancestors. Underground, you might see things that are hard to look at." Nico gave a pointed look at me. "Or you may hear voices trying to lead you astray. Frank, do you have the barley cakes?"

Frank nodded, handing over the cakes.

"Eat up," Nico said.

I ate my tasteless crackers and I only wished I had some Nutella with me. Oh, how the sweet spread would have made me feel way better about things.

"Okay." Nico swallowed the last of his cake. "That should protect us from the poison. 

"Yay, poison!" I cheered. "I love poison. Only a bit of Nutella should add some flavor."

Nico rolled his eyes. "If only. Just stick close together and maybe we can avoid going insane or getting lost."

On that note, we entered the doorway. It was dark and too cramped. I never thought myself a claustrophobic but when it comes to underground things, then yes, I was.

Hazel ran her hand along the masonry. "This wasn't part of the temple." This was . . . the basement for a manor house, built in the later Greek times."

"A manor house?" Frank asked. "I hope we aren't in the wrong place."

I looked around, letting the damp and eeriness enter me. "The House of Hades is below us. But Hazel's right. The upper levels are newer. When archaeologists first excavated this site, they thought they'd found the Necromanteion. They realized the ruins were too new, so they thought it was the wrong place. However, they were right. Mortals, am I right?"

In the corner we were supposed to go down, there was a block of stone.

"Hazel, if you would do the honors?" Nico asked.

Hazel stepped forward and placed a hand on the rock and it turned to dust. The tunnel shuddered and cracks spread across the ceiling. I knew it wouldn't crumble on us. Fortunately, the dust settles and the rumbling stopped.

A set of stairs appeared, continuing deeper into the earth. A soft but evil pulse beat from the entrance. I hated the feeling. I started to shake a little, remembering how that feeling came from Tartarus.

Frank pointed at something. "Look."

A golden cup sat on the first step of the stairs. It was full of dark green liquid.

"I suppose that's our poison." My voice was shaking.

Nico picked up the cup. "We're standing at the ancient entrance of the Necromanteion. Odysseus was here, along with dozens of others like him, seeking advice from the dead."

"Hopefully to leave," I murmured.

"Like I want to do now," Piper admitted.

Nico drank and offered the cup to Jason. He took a sip and it was passed around. I took a sip and it tasted like a mix of cherry cough syrup and artichokes. It was disgusting. I passed it on, wiping my mouth.

I cast my mind ahead of us and saw a multitude of tunnels. I felt a dark, dark, presence down below us and I knew instantly that it was the sorceress Hecate warned Hazel about.

"Hazel," I said.

She looked back at me. "You scared me. What is it?"

"That sorceress Hecate warned you about?" I said. "She's here."

"You feel that fuzzy feeling too?"

"Yeah," I replied. "She's trying to mess with us."

Hazel heaved a heavy sigh. "I can feel it. How far away is she?"

"Can't tell," I replied. "You know, aren't you the one who can see tunnels underground?"

"Aren't you the one who can do that too?" Hazel retorted.

I laughed. "True, true. We should be careful though. From here on out, the dead are stronger than the living."

"Where are the monsters?" Frank asked. "I thought Gaea had an army guarding this place."

"Don't know," Jason said. "At this point, I'd rather have a fight."

"Careful what you wish for." Leo held out his hand, lighting it on fire. "Personally, I'm hoping no one's hope. It would make things a whole lot easier."

"Like that'll happen," I said snarkily. "Let's get this over with. I don't want to be here much longer. It reminds me of Tartarus."

The tunnel rumbled.

"The Doors just opened," Nico said.

"It's happening like every twelve minutes," Piper noted.

"Every twelve," I corrected. "We'd better hurry. Percy and Annabeth are close and they're in danger. Trust me. We shouldn't leave them for too long."

Everyone nodded and we headed down the passageway. I really hoped things went well, though as we continued, I knew they wouldn't turn out as I had hoped.