Heroes of Mount Olympus

Chapter 18: Te Amo

 I stay there, unable to cry but unable to move away. His head rests softly on mine, his arms securely around me to keep me close to him. It was like the world stopped, until I felt a new hand on my back. I buried my face deeper into Clovis' chest.

"Aqua are you okay?" Percy dared to break the silence. I chose not to say anything. Clovis and I got up and I walked away, the glass rose was in my backpack so I know I good. I grabbed the backpack and left. No one came after me, and no one tried to stop me.

"Aqua?" I heard Addison's voice waver as I walk away. They follow, but they keep shushed and stay a few distances away. I follow my memory of the dreams as I walk. They lead me to a shop, Hollywood Sign. I enter the building and see a tall man in a black tux his name tag reads Chiron.

"Chiron is it?" I ask with a soft voice.

"It says Charon demigod." His voice is gruff and rude.

"Sorry I didn't mean to offend you sir. Can you please lead me into the underworld?" I ask.

"You aren't dead, and you have to fill out paperwork to get in." He says with his gruff voice placing a stack up papers on his desk. His tux looks like it's on it's last leg and his cufflinks are missing.

"Sir can I pay to get into the underworld?" I ask with edge on my voice.

"How much you talking?" He lends over the desk to me.

"Fifteen golden drachmas?" I ask looking up at him.

"Mhm, make it twenty and we got a deal." I hand him all twenty of my drachmas. He gladly steals the coins from me.

"Follow me," he walks to an elevator and presses a button on the keypad. I follow after him as I see Clovis walk in the door. He looks around but doesn't notice me. He walks out of the elevator after we reach the bottom. The ground is full of trash and leads to a lime green body of water. I think it's the flumen Acheronta. The river of woe as some people called it in ancient times.

"This way and don't fall in or you will be going here for good." Charon gets in a small row boat. I carefully get in and sit down. The water was full of screaming and crying souls, the water itself was lime green with a dark tint. The place was covered in the scent of death, everything was black and sorrowful.

Charon stopped the boat on the other side of the river. I climbed out and noticed he wasn't moving.

"This is as far as I can take you," Charon turned the boat around and left. I looked forward and saw in the distance lines of souls. I saw a giant dog and headed that way. I walked up to the souls and looked around. Cebras was here to keep the living out and make sure the dead went in. He probably wanted a friend. I look into my backpack remembering I stuck a stick in it from when I was defending myself on my own.

"Hi Cebras, do you want to play fetch?" I asked the three headed dog when I got up there. His heads shook quickly and I showed him my stick.

"Do you want the stick?" I asked gently in a playful voice. The dogs heads followed the stick as I wave it around. I turned around and threw the stick then ducked. I watched as Cebras jumped over my head and went after the stick. I turned around and ran into the kingdom of Hades.

I looked to my left and saw Hades' black kingdom. It had black pillars of marble and dimmed torches. It was built for a king. I walked up the black marble steps as two bone guards came charging out. They made me follow them into the kingdom leading me right to Hades' thrown.

"Who is this child!" An angry male voice screeched.

"My lord I come in your favor to return what had been stolen." I lay the glass rose at his feet as I pull it gently from my backpack.

"As you should for you stole it!" He screeched again. I dared to look up to see a hard ice white face that looked like it'd never seen daylight before. His long chiton held faces of souls trying to escape his burning grasp.

"I have not my lord, but indeed I now who did. It was Phoebe daughter of Persephone!" I say in a strong worthy tone.

"Persephone is my wife she has no kids!" He roared in anger, I have heard that he gets madder when she leaves for the winter. On the Spring Solstice though she will be on her way back.

"Sir I object I have seen this child with both my eyes, I tell if no lies." I say still strong.

"Be gone child for I don't want to hear your false accuracy!" He said waving his hand in a dismissive way.

"Sir I did not make up such thing please believe that. Besides why would I lie over such a great deal in front of you my lord?" I ask bowing my head once more and standing up.

"Aqua!" I turn around and see Clovis shout he is also being brought here by bone guards.

"What!" I shiek in aggravation.

"Your pocket!" He yells back I find two pearls in my pocket, there are soft and wet. I look at them and see a wet note on the side of the inside of my pocket. "What comes from me retreats to the ocean."

"I know why you would bring up such a lie!" Hades yells down to me grasping my unwanted attention. I look back up to him as he brings down and flash red orb with lighting blue flashing in it.

"Sir I know of not whatnot that is," I say back to him.

"Then all show you!" A boney hand is place on my back and orb falls beside me.

"Aqua!" I hear Clovis yell as I'm pushed into the orb. I turned around to see in the orb and ghost. A beautiful curly blond haired girl that looked about twenty nine. She opened her eyes and I almost melted at their gray intensity.

"Mammam!" I shout and hug her, we sink to the floor of the orb together in a hug.

"Infans Owl!" She pulls away. "We don't have much time so listen closely Owl." She raises my head to look into her kind eyes.

"Yes mammam." I say with respect.

"Te amo, you know about my history and everything from Annabeth. Owl I'm dead I can't come back, but you will. I tough you everything you are smarter than a college student. Thomas has no custody of you so don't go back to him, I have set up schooling for you if you still want to go. Remember your latin and greek. Try to get along with others more. Phoebe isn't bad she just wants a friend and you can do anything you want if you put your smarts together. Remember all the stories I told you they will keep you alive. Work on you're two sword fighting and and tell Poseidon te amo for me. Don't let your emotions escape you, you are like a ticking time bomb don't explode or you can end up hurting those you love. Owl none of this is your fault it's mine don't let anyone tell you otherwise and make sure you remember me." I was crying in her arms and she told me her strong words.

"Don't cry Owl be strong for me I will be watching over you. Remember te amo and don't forget it." She kissed my forehead.

"Te amo mammam" I cried in her arms, but stopped for her sake. I felt as I was pulled away from her and onto the floor of Hades' kingdom.

"That gives me no reason to tell you fales accuracy my lord!" I shout as I rise anger and pain colliding in my veins.

"Guards seas them!" Hades shouted as he gets fed up.

"Clovis!" I shout looking around I feel his back against mine. The pearls in my hand vibrated. "Break on ground to use."

"Here," I hand him the pearl even though I know now that I could throw the pearl at the orb above Hades to take my mom with me.

"Throw it on the ground." I say as I do it. A white orbs comes from the ground and circles around me and one does the same for Clovis. I feel as me travel above into the air.