𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍° ! percy jackson

𝐢.𝐱𝐱 - 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲? (𝐚)

Annabeth cleared her throat. Her finger prodded Percy in the back, signifying for him to stick to their plan. At least one of them had to follow it.

"Lord Hades," Percy said. "Look, sir, there can't be a war among the gods. It would be... bad."

"Really bad," Grover added helpfully.

"Return Zeus's master bolt to me," Percy's voice was instructional and patient, slow and afraid of slipping up and coming across as even more accusatory than they actually were. Aurora, on the other hand, couldn't have cared less. "Please, sir. Let me carry it to Olympus."

Hades's eyes grew dangerously bright. "You dare keep up this pretense, after what you have done?"

Aurora frowned at Hades' claim, bewildered. Percy glanced at her, but she provided nothing but a confused shrug. Even Annabeth was lost. "Um... Uncle," Percy stammered. "You keep saying 'after what you've done.' What exactly have I done?"

The throne room shook with a tremor so strong, they probably felt it upstairs in Los Angeles. Debris fell from the cavern ceiling. Doors burst open all along the walls, and skeletal warriors marched in, hundreds of them, from every time period and nation in Western civilization. They lined the perimeter of the room, blocking the exits.

Hades bellowed, "Do you think I want war, godling?"

"Calm down!" Aurora matched his tone, and her eyes were like a lit fuse. For some reason, the palace listened to her, and everything just... stopped. The skeletons halted, staring at her like they were going to obey her, and all life slowed. She brushed off pomegranate seeds from her shoulder. How they got there, she had no idea. The Underworld's aura pulsed through her veins, her heredity welcoming it with open arms. "It's not like summoning your army shows that you're a fucking peace activist."

Hades' jaw gaped open much like Percy's had. But it seemed like the   more in shock of what she had done, and not what she said. Before his anger could grow any more, Percy quickly interjected, following their thorough script.

"You are the Lord of the Dead," Percy said carefully, twiddling his thumbs nervously at the dark look that passed over Hades' face. "A war would expand your kingdom, right?"

"A typical thing for my brothers to say! Do you think I need more subjects? Did you not see the sprawl of the Asphodel Fields?"

Percy hesitated. "Well..."

"Have you any idea how much my kingdom has swollen in this past century alone, how many subdivisions I've had to open?" Percy opened his mouth to respond, but Hades was on a roll "More security ghouls. Traffic problems at the judgment pavilion. Double overtime for the staff. I used to be a rich god, Percy Jackson. I control all the precious metals under the earth. But my expenses!"

"Charon wants a pay raise," Percy blurted out. If looks could kill, Annabeth would have Percy and Aurora—well, they were already in the Underworld. Probably Tartarus, but Aurora wasn't trying to think about that until she was guaranteed not dead. 

"Don't get me started on Charon!" Hades yelled. "He's been impossible ever since he discovered Italian suits! Problems everywhere, and I've got to handle all of them personally. The commute time alone from the palace to the gates is enough to drive me insane! And the dead just keep arriving. No, godling. I need no help getting subjects! I did not ask for this war."

"But you took Zeus's master bolt."

"Lies!" More rumbling. Hades rose from his throne, towering to the height of a football goalpost. "Your father may fool Zeus, boy, but I am not so stupid. I see his plan."