Percy Jackson: Daughter of Shadows

17. My Mother and Sister Are Strange

I sat bolt upright, looking around. My head was pounding, and I had a massive headache. "Where in the Hades am I?" I muttered, standing up. It looked kind of like the fields surrounding Haven, full of wildflowers and poplar trees. I tried to remember what had happened. Luke... the dagger.... Annabeth and Percy screaming... "Ah shit" I said. "Well, lucky me, I didn't have to talk to Charon, so that's lovely. Bonus: I made it to Elysium, I think?" 

   "You did, Lilly" said a woman's voice. I turned around. A tall, tan woman with long, wavy black hair and bright purple eyes smiled at me. "Mom?" She laughed. "Well, someone's memory still seems to be intact. I had to bang my head against a wall to keep myself from forgetting my own name!" "No, no. This isn't funny, Alecto!" She stood up. "Lilly, it's not a trick" She pressed her finger to her lip. "Here, ask me something only I would know" I gulped. "How did you die, and what were your last words to me? Alecto isn't allowed that information" She smiled. "Indeed she isn't. I died at the age of thirty-two from leukemia. My last words to you were I love you, and then my heart monitor went down, and I died, landing myself in DOA Recording Studios. Charon nearly jumped out of his skin when I got there" Tears fell down my face. "Mom?" She nodded. "It's me, Lilly" "MOM!" I ran toward her. She wrapped her arms around me, holding me tight. I sobbed into her chest. "How are you here?" "Ghosts can travel between areas. But me, on the other hand," She held up her finger. A silver band with a small rose quartz glittered on her ring finger. "I'm also Hades second wife, so I get benefits" I laughed dryly. "What happened?" Mom brushed the hair out of my face. "Well, you died, sweetheart. Luke is still shocked by it." 

   "No shit" came a girl's voice. I looked behind my mom. A girl about twelve stood next to a poplar tree, a silver half-moon circlet sparking on top of her black hair. "Bianca?" I exclaimed. Bianca grinned. "Hello, sis!" I tried not to faint. "Can someone please explain to me what's going on?!" I demanded. Bianca smiled. "Like your mom said, you died, but you're not dead for good" "I'm sorry, what?" 

   Mom nodded. "Lilly, do you know what happened when you took the dagger with Kronos's soul still attached to it?" I nodded. "Yeah. I saved Luke and killed myself" "Exactly, but it did something else. Remember Nico's plan in the Labyrinth, why he was hunting Percy?" I blinked. "You mean-" "A soul for a soul" A woman materialized next to Bianca. "Mamma" "Maria" Mom said, turning to her. "Wait, Maria? As in Maria di Angelo?" Maria shook her head. "Yes. And you must be Hades other daughter. Lilly, is it?" "Yes ma'am" Maria smiled. "Seems like Hades did a good job with this one. And he visited Bianca and Nico almost every week, yet somehow you got his manners" "Yeah, I also got his dark humor, so I'd be careful" "Lilly!" Mom exclaimed. Maria laughed. "I see why Bianca idolizes you" Bianca's face turned dark red. "How about we get back to explaining?" "Agreed. Back to the soul for a soul, Lilly, Kronos covered your soul" I blinked. "What? "When you killed yourself with him, his immortal soul, his very being, made up for both Luke's and your soul. So technically, you're not dead." 

   I sat down, trying to comprehend what they were saying. "So, I'm not dead, Luke isn't going to die either way, and I can go back?" Bianca nodded. "Unlike me, you died when you shouldn't have. You took a hold of the prophecy by sparing Luke, so the Fates never cut your lifeline. Everyone else doesn't know that though" "Except for you three. Might I ask how?" "The same way I made sure your father could watch over you for years" Mom said, waving her hand. A giant misty ball floated towards her. I leapt up. "What in the name of Tartarus is that?!" Bianca laughed. "So, snakes, deities, monsters, and Death himself doesn't scare you, but an orb of mist does?" I blushed. "I wasn't expecting it. That's why I like monsters and fighting, they're easy to read, you know when they're going to strike" Bianca smirked. "Sure, sure" I groaned. "I spent too much time around you. Is this what I'm like?" "Yes, and technically, she is your younger sister" I stared at Bianca. "Well, I can tell you who's my favorite sibling" Bianca's mouth gaped, offended. "Excuse you!" "Why thank you madam, I will excuse myself from your presence" Bianca rolled her eyes. I looked at the orb. "So, what does this do exactly?" The orb flickered, and an image of the Olympian throne room came into view. "It lets you look at whatever or whoever, you want." I looked back at the orb. Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Ethan, and Luke were sitting next to my body. Luke had his hands in his hair, still reeling from the shock. Flowers were forming around my body as Grover continued to play his music. Percy and Annabeth had tears streaking their cheeks. Ethan was sitting in silence, picking at the grass. 

    My mother turned to me. "You need to head back, Lilly. They're waiting for you" "They don't even know I'm still alive" The orb disappeared. I sat on a rock, plucking the grass around it. "Lilly," My mom sat next to me. "Why are you hesitating?"  I sighed. "Because I finally have you back. Bianca's here, I can't die again, I have no worries, no Titans or monsters trying to kill me-" "But you still want to be with Viktor, right?" I looked around. Bianca sat next to my mom, looking up at me. Maria di Angelo stood where the orb was, smiling sadly. "Lilly, you have to go back. It's not your time" I wiped my eyes. "But I don't want to leave you again" She hugged me, rubbing her hand up and down my back. "I know. I don't want to lose you either, but you have to" I nodded, sitting up. "Alright. How do I get out of here?" 

   "AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" A scream of pure agony shook the entire Underworld. I stumbled. "'What was that?" Mom looked up to the living world. "Your father knows" My blood went cold. "Shit" "Yeah. You should've heard him when he heard about me" Bianca said, shaking her head. "You need to go, now" Mom handed me a diamond. "Take that" I looked at the diamond in my palm. "I'm going to go ahead and assume that this works like the pearls?" Maria nodded. "Smash it at your feet. Hades has a few of them in case if someone died when they shouldn't have. Smash it, and you'll return to your body" "I'd hurry before you get barbequed" Bianca said. "That or Dad loses it. He'll blame Zeus" "Because if Thalia hadn't been born, none of this would've happened?" Mom nodded. "Yep" She wiped her eyes. "Now get going, before your father blows up Manhattan" I gripped the diamond in my hand. "I love you, Mom" She smiled. "I love you too" I smashed the diamond, and my mom and Bianca disappeared.