Unlimited Power

CHAPTER THREE - Hades

Hades held his breath as Bianca pondered the question. There was a thin layer of dust on her hair and face, but the girl didn't seem to notice. The dust was probably from the cell. Even the thought of his daughter in the claustrophobic room made him want to smash the stupid soldiers into oblivion. He was doing his best not to show it on his face, though, because for once, Persephone was right.

Hades really wanted Bianca to agree. If he could convince Zeus, she would become a goddess, and he would never lose her.

"Can I..." She began, then glanced up at him and back at her food. "Have a little time to think?"

"Yes, of course," Hades breathed out. It wasn't a no. "Is there anything else you'd like to know?" Bianca's eyes glinted. She looked so much like her mother...

"I'd like to know more about the Olympians. What they're like, I mean. Nico had a game called Mythomagic, and there was a lot of Greek mythology in it, but to be honest, I didn't really care at the time."

"What would you like to know?" Hades sipped his pomegranate wine. It wasn't what he'd asked for, but he couldn't kill anyone near a twelve-year-old. Persephone would probably stab him, even if she did hate Bianca.

Huh. Was she still a twelve year old? Time ran differently in the Underworld, and she had been in the trance for a while... "I heard a lot about Apollo, but I wanted to know what you think about him." She looked up, tilting her head. The small gesture made a pang of pain wash over him, but he swallowed it.

"He's an absolute drama queen, he's obsessed with haikus, and he thinks he's the hottest sh-" Persephone narrowed her eyes. "Man in the room." Bianca stared at him. "A-a-and, he's the most annoying god to have ever existed."

"Um, right. Well, what about Demeter?"

"She's terrifying. Stay out of her way, avoid her, and be polite."

"She's the goddess of... plants," Bianca answered incredulously.

"You'd better pray she didn't hear that, child."

"Poseidon?" She changed the subject.

Hades pursed his lips, trying to make up something good. "He's really... laid-back, I suppose. Doesn't like being told what to do. And he has the most frustrating child to have ever walked on Earth."

"You mean Percy?" Hades shot her a look, and she shrugged. "I like Percy. He's a nice guy."

"A nice guy who let you die." He sipped his wine again.

"Well, I don't feel very dead, so I'm not complaining on that one. Besides, I chose to sacrifice myself."

It was Hades's turn to shrug. Nothing anyone can say will convince him about Percy Jackson. "Anyone else?"

"Athena?"

"My niece? She's kind of a smartass, but she's usually right about everything. She can be a lot to handle, but if you get on her good side... Well, you'll probably win any Kahoot. If not, hell will be unleashed. Same thing with her children." Too late he realized that he swore. Bianca looked slightly scandalized, but that was probably because she was raised in the 30s. Hades cleared his throat. "Are you done eating?"

"Yes," Before he could answer, the double doors cracked open. Bob, or Iapetus the Idiot Titan, stuck his head through.

"Bob," He hissed. "I did not summon you. If there's a mess to clean up, I'll let you know." Bianca frowned at him.

"He didn't do anything wrong," she said. "You don't have to be so mean." His eyes met her stubborn ones. The blue of her irises wasn't soft, but piercing like the sharp edge of an iceberg. The same.