Coming of Age Ch. 33 (Percy Jackson) (Patreon)

A/N: Everything is finally turning up Percy... right?

(Also make sure to vote in the Vibe Check immediately proceeding this post please!)

-x-X-x-

The tension builds for a long moment, silence filling the Lord of the Underworld’s Throne Room. Surrounded by skeleton guards, Percy and his friends can only wait with bated breath to see which side the coin will fall on. Until finally…

“I believe you, Perseus Jackson.”

Percy’s eyes widen as the tension in the room suddenly evaporates. Hades even smiles, though it’s a somewhat sickly thing. Still, the pale God leans back in his throne with that smile on his lips and the army of the dead that he has at his command all physically lean back a few inches as well. They don’t leave or anything, but it’s certainly a very clear sign of just how ready they were to tear Percy and his friends to pieces on Hades’ orders.

Meanwhile, Percy is finding himself struggling with the casualness that Hades has delivered such good news.

“You… you believe me, Lord Hades?”

Waving a hand through the air, Hades huffs.

“I believe you have not told me a lie. And if you have not told me a lie, the implications cannot be ignored. I could believe that Ares might try to spark a war between my brothers and me. That whelp was always a fool and quick to blunder in truly extravagant ways. But these shoes you say were cursed to fly you into the Pit itself… yes, the thought of my Titan Father getting his hands on his brother’s Master Bolt curdles the blood in my veins.”

Holy shit. A reasonable god. Percy could hardly believe it, though at the same time he does everything in his power to keep his shock and wonder off of his face. He doesn’t want to insult Hades, not now. Still, it’s rather impossible to stop the big broad smile from curling up along his lips.

“T-Thank you, Lord Hades. Thank you for believing me.”

For the first time since all of this shit had gone down, Percy was feeling like he was on the up and up. Finally, they were making some sort of headway. Not only had he made sure his father would be informed about Kronos via the Nereid, he’d managed to convince Hades of the threat as well.

So far, all Percy had experienced was a divided Olympus, and he had to admit that seeing the gods squabbling like children had set him more than a little on edge. Was this truly what divinity looked like in their world? Were these his uncles and cousins? Until now, ignorance had truly seemed like bliss and he’d almost begun to wish he’d never turned out to be a demigod in the first place.

But now… now things could go back to the way they were supposed to be, couldn’t they? Sure there was still the matter of Luke and Ares, but with Hades believing him, they could get him, Zeus, and Poseidon all together and get things figured out. Percy’s part in this whole ordeal could almost be over.

“But of course, young Perseus. Let it not be said that I am an unreasonable god. In fact.”

Hades snaps his fingers… and Percy freezes, eyes widening as he finds himself staring at his mother suddenly in the Throne Room. Standing at the feet of the dais leading up to Hades upon his throne, it’s like she’s in stasis, frozen in a shower of golden glimmering light, just the same as when Percy last saw her.

That’s right. Percy remembers that part of his dream now. Seeing his mother in Hades’ Throne Room. A clear provocation from Kronos meant to turn him even further against the Lord of the Underworld. However, not every provocation had to be a lie. Indeed, the best lies had a kernel of truth to them. In this case, the truth was… Hades did have Percy’s mother. He always had.

But to be fair, the god had thought Percy stole his Helm of Darkness. In hindsight, sending the Minotaur after him made a lot of sense. Indeed, Hades confirms it a moment later as he admires Sally Jackson’s frozen form.

“When I initially believed you were coming here to blackmail me into submission on behalf of your father, I thought that perhaps your mother would make a fine counteroffer. Now I know better, of course.”

No apology, but even still it sounded like Hades was about to give Percy his mom back. That alone was enough to lift Percy’s already high spirits, leaving the young man smiling brightly and waiting for the God of the Dead to unfreeze his mother.

He should have been waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“Alright then, let’s make the exchange, shall we? I shall make sure my brother receives his Master Bolt, and I shall make sure the Daughter of Ares reveals everything she knows about her father’s scheming and the whereabouts of my Helm. In turn, you may take your mother, the satyr, and the Daughter of Athena and go back to that quaint little camp of yours.”

… What?

For a moment, Percy doesn’t quite process what Hades is saying. It doesn’t help that the god sounds so cordial and casual as he speaks. As though it’s a foregone conclusion that all of those things will be happening and not even really a negotiation. As though… as though Percy really doesn’t have a choice.

A spark of something ignites deep inside of Percy, even as he swallows thickly and seeks to clarify.

“Ah… excuse me, Lord Hades… but I’m not sure what you mean. I have a quest to retrieve Lord Zeus’ Master Bolt and return it to him to prevent the war between him and my father from breaking out. Clarisse is a member of my party… she hasn’t done anything wrong. In fact, she’s a large part of why I made it here in the first place.”

He shoots Clarisse an encouraging smile back over his shoulder, only to see the Daughter of Ares looks as pale as a ghost. But then to be fair, being told that you’re about to be tortured by the Lord of the Underworld will have that effect on anyone, even someone with as much bravado as Clarisse.

Of course, when Percy turns back to Hades, the god looks annoyed again.

“So was Ares, boy. Or did you already forget that? Do you think it a coincidence that his daughter stands at your side? Is it really that surprising that she’s a traitor?”

You shall be betrayed by one you call ally.

The Oracle’s prophecy echoes through Percy’s mind and for a moment he has to consider it. Maybe… maybe if it wasn’t for the situation with the flying sneakers he might have even believed it. Hades was right after all; Ares had clearly been immensely motivated in getting Percy to the Underworld and Clarisse helping him had indirectly assisted in that goal. But that was just it… indirectly.

Percy didn’t believe for a second that Clarisse knew anything about what her father was up to or what he might have been planning with Kronos. Just the way Ares treated his daughter back at the diner had made it obvious that the relationship between them was pretty much nonexistent.

“As for the Master Bolt… am I not my brother’s brother? Do you not trust me to see the Master Bolt delivered back into my brother’s hands?”

You shall find what was stolen and see it safely returned.

Another line from the prophecy echoes through Percy’s mind as Hades leans forward in his throne again, his eyes narrowing. Supposedly at the perceived insult, but Percy… Percy thought he knew better. He’d almost allowed himself to be fooled, to be lulled into a false sense of security. But in the end, his first impression of Hades was the correct one. The Lord of the Underworld was a tyrant plain and simple. Just like Zeus. Maybe even like Percy’s father as well, he didn’t know.

But one thing was certain. This god in front of him was used to having his way… and Percy was going to have to deny him.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, Lord Hades. But the prophecy was very clear. I must be the one to see what was stolen safely returned. And I will… for both Lord Zeus’ Bolt AND your Helm, my Lord.”

It’s an olive branch, plain and simple. Percy doesn’t want to make an enemy of yet another god, regardless of how much of a crapshoot this whole thing has turned out to be. Unfortunately, Hades isn’t buying it.

“Now that, Perseus Jackson… was a lie. You don’t trust me one bit.”

Percy tenses up as the skeletons surrounding them all begin to rattle ominously. His hand goes into his pocket, where his fingertips touch the pearls that the Nereid gave him on behalf of his father. Hades just smirks.

“You only have four pearls, boy. Four pearls for four people. Did you think I didn’t know what tools and toys you brought with you to the Underworld?”

Hades leans back in his throne again, but this time the tension in the room only ratchets up as he looks downright amused by Percy’s predicament.

“You’ll end up leaving my nephew’s daughter with me after all. Simple math, isn’t it? Who’s the least valued member of your little party? Who would you happily abandon for your mother, hm? You can save her right now… by giving over the Daughter of Ares. And you can save yourself my wrath by giving over the Master Bolt as well. Or you can sacrifice the Daughter of Ares and earn my undying enmity. Either way, we both know you won’t give up a chance to get your mother back just to save this girl.”

That… that was a very good point. Percy didn’t believe Clarisse had willingly betrayed him at any point, but it wasn’t like she’d been a stalwart ally from beginning to end. Their relationship had started off rocky and stayed that way until he’d literally beaten her into submission. And sure, she’d switched up rather hard after that point, but what was their bond, truly? One purely of sexual gratification?

And yet… staring at his mother’s frozen, glimmering golden form, Percy lets out a slow breath.

You shall fail to save what matters most in the end.

He hated this. He hated prophecies. He hated the gods and their egos. And he thinks he might especially hate Hades now for forcing him into this situation in the first place. But staring at his mom’s frozen face, her entire body paused in the act of reaching out to him… Percy knows what she would say. He knows what Sally Jackson would tell him to do.

Percy doesn’t bother with words until after he’s yanked the pearls out of his pocket and thrown them upon the ground, shattering them at his and his companions’ feet. Hades’ eyes widen at the clear defiance, but before the god can speak, Percy shouts across the Throne Room at him.

“You won’t lay a finger on my mom’s head, Hades! Because know THIS for the truth! I’m going to get your Helm back to you, just like I’ll deliver the Master Bolt to Zeus! And if you’ve harmed a single hair on Sally Jackson’s head, I’ll return the Helm by STICKING IT UP YOUR FUCKING ASS!”

Hades’ look of outrage increases a hundred-fold at those last words and the God of the Dead finally rises from his throne, truly angered.

“YOU DARE, GODLING?! DESTROY THEM!”

The army of skeletons surrounding them rushes forward, weapons from swords to fully automatic rifles all pointed in their direction. But just as bullets begin to fly, the broken pearls do their work and Percy finds himself encased in a milky white sphere that replicates itself around Annabeth, Grover… and Clarisse.

Weapons from centuries of warfare all ping off of the bubbles they find themselves in, even as the four of them all begin to float up… and up… and up. As they gather speed, Percy glances upwards to see them heading straight for the ceiling of Hades’ Throne Room. There was no way they would survive the impact… except that they race right on through.

He’s suddenly surrounded by pitch black darkness, but the feeling of movement remains. They’re still going up. They’d gone down in an elevator that turned into a barge that ferried them down the River Styx. Now they were traveling up from the Underworld in a collection of pearl bubbles that… well, they burst right out onto the ocean floor itself after a few moments, and then keep going from there.

As they’re going, Percy takes stock of his belongings. He has the Master Bolt now. He still has Riptide too. They have everything they need to end the war. And if Percy is right about what will come next, then he won’t even have to wait long for a chance to retrieve the Helm of Darkness either.

Perhaps antagonizing Hades as he’d done before they left wasn’t the smartest idea Percy had ever had. But he meant the threat. Every last word. If Hades harmed his mother, then Percy would find a way to kill even a god. He didn’t fucking care.

The bubbles hit the ocean’s surface and pop. They’re not too far from land, and from what he can see, they’re in Santa Monica Bay. Grabbing Grover, Annabeth, and Clarisse, Percy is able to keep them all afloat with powerful leg kicks while they all catch their bearings. Each of them is looking at him with a different sort of bewildered and aghast.

Percy pays them no mind. Fortunately, they don’t have the oxygen to spare for words like he does, even as he begins dragging them all to shore. They probably could have waited for a boat. But Percy was feeling impatient and had a lot of angry energy to burn off. More than anything though, the water was as invigorating and empowering as ever. It took none of his stamina or strength to move through it. If anything, he felt more powerful the longer he was swimming.

Ares is waiting for them of course. Black leather jacket, sunglasses covering his eyes, a baseball bat instead of a shotgun resting against his shoulder. His bike defies all logic and good vehicle sense by sitting on the beach itself, its headlight turning the sand in front of it red as Ares sneers at Percy.

“You were supposed to die, brat.”

Percy gets the impression that there’s something beyond just Ares working for Kronos at work there. Some hatred for Percy in particular that goes beyond this whole fucking debacle. But he doesn’t care. Nor does he particularly want to know. Standing there in the surf, Percy draws Riptide wordlessly.

Ares just laughs at him.

“What? Going to fight a God of War? Mm, perhaps for this?”

He pulls a bank robber mask out of his pocket and it immediately transforms into a bronze helmet straight out of Greek Myth. The Helm of Darkness.

Gritting his teeth, Percy nods.

“If I have to.”

Now Ares looks amused. But before battle can be joined, his burning gaze shifts from Percy… to Clarisse.

“Well, girl? What are you waiting for? Get over here and face your enemies! I didn’t give you that spear for you to hide behind another demigod and ride his coattails, now did I?!”

Percy feels Clarisse stiffen at his back. And even after everything they’ve just been through together… he’s a little dismayed to say he’s not completely sure who she’ll side with, now that Ares has made it an ultimatum.