The House of Hades (Fan-Fiction)

Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Hazel

            Hazel personally thought the House of Hades looked… well… unimpressive.

            She expected it to be an underground temple, extravagant with Greek statues, beautiful even in age. This was something she had not expected.

            It was a rundown house, two-stories, looking ready to collapse. The wooden boards were chipping away probably with termite damage, grass up to her knees, shattered windows, and a rocking chair on the porch. Though they were in Greece, the house looked very American.

            “This is the House of Hades?” Piper questioned, crossing her arms tightly against her chest. The wind blew back her choppy hair, shivering.

            “Yeah, this is it.” Nico nodded. “I can sense it.”

            “This looks like a house you’d find in northern California,” Frank mumbled, shaking his head. “But we’re in Greece.”

            “Trust me, this is it.” Jason walked off the Argo II, his gladius at his side. Like everyone else, he wore armor, prepared for whatever awaited them. “I had a dream about this place.”

            “And now you’re sounding like Martin Luther King Jr.,” Leo scoffed. “So, what’s our game plan?”

            “We close the Doors of Death, we save Percy and Annabeth,” Coach Hedge offered.

            “It’s not that easy.” Piper shook her head gently. “We need to seal the doors from both sides… But how can that be? Someone would need to stay in Tartarus…”

            A silence fell over the demigods. Hazel got shivers up her spine. Someone would need to stay in Tartarus. Who would be brave enough to sacrifice themselves to close the doors?

            Jason straightened himself up. “Okay. We have a fight ahead of us. Are we ready?”

            “Let’s go.” Leo marched right up to the porch, the wooden boards creaking beneath his feet. He pushed open the front door, storming right through the threshold.

            “He’s going to get himself killed,” Piper muttered under her breath, picking up the pace, the second one through the door.

            Hazel was next, stepping up onto the porch. She felt the boards strain beneath her, the wood struggling to hold her weight. She hesitantly stepped through the threshold, taking in her surroundings.

            It looked like a house that was let go. Furniture was pushed over, some of it broken. The wallpaper was peeling, revealing molding walls. The floor was a dusty mess, all the floorboards creaking when she took a step. A staircase led up the stairs, somewhere she would not be going anytime soon. The house had a strong smell, a smell most people would not recognize.

            The smell was of poplar trees, the same smell that hung over the Asphodel.

            She thought she would go into shock right there, the overwhelming smell reminding her so much of Asphodel that it hurt. Her whole body stiffened, shudders running up her spine. Leo and Piper were too busy searching the house to notice her sudden mental attack.

            “Hazel!” Frank gripped her shoulder gently. It was enough to break her from her terrified trance. “Are you okay?”

            “F-fine,” she answered, keeping her head down. “It’s just… This place is just…”