DESTINY ↳ WILL SOLACE

18. Music Soothes The Savage Beast

"Charon," Percy repeated faintly.

"Amazing! Now: Mr Charon."

"Mr Charon."

"Well done." He sat back in satisfaction. "Now, how can I help you, little dead ones?"

Percy blinked once, twice, completely caught off guard, and reflexively glanced at Will to save them. Once again, he had kept his cool.

"We want to go to the Underworld."

Charon's mouth twitched. "Well, that's refreshing."

"It is?" Will asked, sounding a bit confused.

"Straightforward and honest. No screaming. No 'There must be a mistake, Mr Charon.'" He looked them over. "How did you die, then?"

Percy and Will looked at Grover, but he seemed to have withered under Charon's look. He glanced at them, as if just remembering what he was supposed to say, and blurted out, "We drowned. Um... in the bathtub."

If he could've, Percy knew Will would've smacked his head. He kept his expression neutral, but there was an unmistakable twitch of his fingers and eye. Percy didn't blame Grover, though. He had almost been shaking the entire time they were in the lobby, and he had never been a good liar under even the best of circumstances. The Underworld just seemed to make him worse.

"All three of you?" Charon asked?

They had no choice but to all nod.

"Big bathtub." Charon looked mildly impressed. "I don't suppose you have coins for passage. Normally, with adults, you see, I could charge your American Express, or add the ferry price to your last cable bill. But with children... alas, you never die prepared. Suppose you'll have to take a seat for a few centuries."

"But we do have money." Percy held up the three drachmas she found on Crusty's office desk, hoping Charon didn't see her hand shaking.

"Well, now..." Charon moistened his lips. "Real drachmas. Real golden drachmas. I haven't seen these in..."

He made to take them, and Percy held her breath. Will had gone completely still beside her, eyes staring at the coins. They were so close...

Then Charon's hand stopped. He looked at them again, but his cold stare seemed to bore holes into her. "Chiron," he recalled. "You couldn't read my name correctly. Are you dyslexic, lass?"

"No," Percy blurted out, panic overtaking her. "I'm dead."

As if someone couldn't be both at the same time.

Or could they be? Maybe all of that faded when she died...

Either way, Will tensed from beside her, but it was too late. Charon had leaned forward and sniffed, his teeth baring into a snarl a moment later. "You're not dead. You're a godling. I should've known."

"We're dead godlings?" Percy said, but it came out more as a question.

Thankfully, Will saved the day.

"We have to get into the Underworld."

"Leave," Charon snapped. "I'll just take these and forget I saw you."

He went to take the coins, but Will was faster. He snatched the coins away, inches from Charon's hands, but that might not have been the best idea. Charon growled, a deep, terrifying sound down in his throat, but Will looked back at him with that unsettling unreadable expression of his, completely unfazed by the agitated spirits in the lobby who had taken to pacing, lighting cigars, running their hands through their hair, or checking watches.