𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍
𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅
❛ her future laid before her
and the others ❜
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐃, 𝕬urora wasn't the biggest fan of the underworld, she deemed. The area was too gloomy for her tastes, the air practically smelled like death—which she wasn't surprised by, but still didn't identify it as a favorable one.
The longer she stayed in the Underworld, the longer she wanted to leave. The sights sent a tremor down her spine and the deeper they ventured the more horrid they turned.
Like currently, she felt minuscule compared to the entire otherworldly place around her— and the crowd in front of them didn't help.
A mass of what could be millions upon millions of souls whispered in the darkness rising the hair of her arms. They merely wandered like they had no where to go and no where to turn, and in the place they were in, Aurora wasn't surprised.
The Fields of Asphodel weren't a pretty sight in the Daughter of Aphrodite's mind. The black grass had been trampled by eons of dead feet, patches missing. A warm, moist wind blew like the breath of a swamp forcing Aurora's face to crinkle in disgust.. Black trees, were littered throughout the crowd. The cavern ceiling was so high above them it might've been a bank of storm clouds, except for the stalactites, which glowed faint gray and looked wickedly pointed.
The group of four tried to blend into the crowd, keeping an eye out for security ghouls. Aurora was the one scanning their surroundings the most out of the others. Her many runnings with the paparazzi had built her hawk-like eyes, easily able to distinguish the wrong thing.
No more than three spirits tried to converse with the girl. Curious about her beauty, and wondering about her past. Yet, their voices were lost in the wind, whispers stacked upon whispers so incredibly incoherent it was beginning to make Aurora frustrated.
Nonetheless, They crept along, following the line of new arrivals that snaked from the main gates toward a black-tented pavilion with a banner that read:
JUDGMENTS FOR ELYSIUM AND ETERNAL DAMNATION
Welcome, Newly Deceased!
Out the back of the tent came two much smaller lines. To the left, spirits flanked by security ghouls were marched down a rocky path toward the Fields of Punishment, which glowed and smoked in the distance, a vast, cracked wasteland with rivers of lava and minefields and miles of barbed wire separating the different torture areas.
Even from faraway, you could see people being chased by hellhounds, burned at the stake, forced to run naked through cactus patches or listen to opera music. They could just make out a tiny hill, with the ant-size figure of Sisyphus struggling to move his boulder to the top.
Screams of horrors echoed the air and all Aurora could do was clench her eyes shut.
The line coming from the right side of the judgment pavilion was much better. This one led down toward a small valley surrounded by walls—a gated community, which seemed to be the only happy part of the Underworld. Beyond the security gate were neighborhoods of beautiful houses from every time period in history, Roman villas and medieval castlesand Victorian mansions. Silver and gold flowers bloomed on the lawns. The grass rippled in rainbow colors. You could hear laughter and smell barbecue cooking.
Aurora gasped in disbelief and took a step closer towards the marvel, "Elysium."
In the middle of that valley was a glittering blue lake, with three small islands like a vacation resort in the Bahamas. The Isles of the Blest, for people who had chosen to be reborn three times, and three times achieved Elysium.
The gates stood tall, maybe about a couple of hundred or so feet up almost to the top of the cavern with beautiful gold fences decorating the walls.
The laughter was so beautiful, it almost made Aurora tear up . . . almost.
"So," Percy walked beside her. "What's your play?"
He received no response.
As if in a trance, Aurora ventured closer to the gates but also closer to the guards.
"Um, Aurora," Grover squeaked. "Wrong way."
Suddenly the security ghouls noticed her, "By the order of Lord Hades, you godling are ordered to stop or suffer eternal torment in the Chamber of Chaos."
Percy whirled to Annabeth, "Chamber of chaos?"
Even Annabeth looked dumbfounded, "I-I don't know. I've never heard of it—"
"Aurora, No!"
Aurora payed no mind to the own chaos around her. The security ghouls moments away from capturing her, her friends reaching out to stop her, and souls watching with curiosity.
Her mind too hazy to comprehend that she was moments away from touching Elysium's gates, notoriously known to turn souls to ash if they didn't belong.
Until she noticed it.
A shadow loomed in front of her, larger than anything she had ever seen—and she'd just seen Cerberus— causing her to crane her neck up painfully to face its eyes . . .
it's fire-red eyes.
A dragon, she identified.
It's white scales and gold wings looked beautiful, and when the light from within Elysium hit them, they gleamed such a beautiful light it was almost breathtaking.
It's upper lip was pulled back into a snarl as it laid eyes on the mortals in front of them. It's eyes so menacing, they all involuntarily flinched.
"Time to go!"
A hand wrapped around her wrist to tug her away, but she remained rooted to her spot, "No!" She cried.
"Keep an eye on her!" Annabeth ordered the boys. "I'll buy us some time." she ran to battle the ghouls around them.
Suddenly, the dragon lowered its neck as if to get on eye level with the mortal who was foolish enough to try and step into his territory.
Prodigy. Prodigy. Prodigy.
The word echoed in her head, halting any other thought and disintegrating them to ash until that was all she could think of.
She was yanked out of her stare down with the creature before her, "Now, it's time to go!" Annabeth rushed out. The ghouls behind her.
Aurora tried to fight her grip to stay but Annabeth wasn't letting up even a little, her vice grip surely to leave a bruise or two.
"No!" Aurora cried in desperation the further they ventured from the gates. "It was saying something, we have to go back!"
"We can't, Rory! They'll catch us."
Percy appeared before her, "What did he say?"
Aurora shook her head, "Prodigy," she frowned trying to elaborate the best she could. "All it said was Prodigy. Over and over again."
"That's all it said?"
"Yes."
"Well," Percy muttered. "Does it mean anything to you?"
Aurora shook her head, "No," she stated. "It doesn't."
Annabeth noticed the turmoil behind her best friends eyes and gave her hand a squeeze, "We'll ask Chiron when we get back. He'll know more about it."
Aurora wanted to argue and say that Chiron wasn't at liberty to disclose such details, but she only nodded and walked along the path they were headed
They left the judgment pavilion and moved deeper into the Asphodel Fields. It got darker. The colors faded from their clothes. The crowds of chattering spirits began to thin. After a few miles of walking, they began to hear a familiar screech in the distance. Looming on the horizon was a palace of glittering black obsidian. Above the parapets swirled three dark bat like creatures: the Furies.
"I suppose it's too late to turn back," Grover said wistfully.
"We'll be okay." Percy tried to sound confident.
"Maybe, Aurora was right," Grover said. "Maybe, we should head back and search Elysium . . ."
"Come on, goat boy," Annabeth grabbed Grover's arm, making him yelp.
His sneakers sprouted wings and his legs shot forward, pulling him away from Annabeth. He landed flat on his back in the grass.
"Grover," Annabeth chided. "Stop messing around."
"But I didn't—"
He yelped again.
His shoes were flapping like crazy now. They levitated off the ground and started dragging him away from them.
"Maia!" he yelled, but the magic word seemed to have no effect. "Maia, already! Nine-one-one! Help!"
Aurora panicked but began to follow her best friend as he began to pick up speed, skidding downhill like a bobsled, "Grooves," she called. "Try to hold on!"
"To what?!"
"Anything!" Aurora shouted while Annabeth screeched, "Untie the shoes!"
Grover looked around to the best of his ability but found nothing steady enough to grab a hold of, so he tried to sit up, but unfortunately couldn't get close to the laces. They kept after him, trying to keep him in sight as he zipped between the legs of spirits who chattered at him in annoyance. Suddenly, his shoes veered sharply to the right and dragged him in the opposite direction of Hades' palace.
The slope got steeper. Grover picked up speed. The three demigods had to sprint to keep up. Aurora was in front of the other two, because of her fast thinking.
The cavern walls narrowed on either side, and Aurora realized they'd entered some kind of side tunnel. No black grass or trees now, just rock underfoot, and the dim light of the stalactites above.
"Grover!" Percy yelled, his voice echoing. "Hold on to something!"
"I'm trying!" he yelled back.
He was grabbing at the gravel, but there was nothing big enough to slow him down. The tunnel got darker and colder. It smelled evil down there.
Aurora continued running at full speed and yelled, "Bow!"
Her bow and quiver appeared rather quickly. Her mind conjured up a plan to try and get the shoes off of Grover, to aim for the wings on the shoes.
When she saw what Grover was headed, she quickly lodged an arrow on her bow to the best of her ability and aimed at a wing on his right foot. Running while holding your best aim, was too complicated for her liking.
So the first two arrows, Aurora sent flying completely missed their target to the point where one of them scratched Grover's cheek.
"Ow!"
Aurora yelled, "Grover move your head!"
Grover continued screaming but did as told, giving Aurora the perfect shot. She let go of the arrow and watched in triumph as it knocked Grover's right shoe off.
The left shoe kept tugging him along, but not as fast. Grover was able to slow himself down by grabbing onto a big rock and using it as an anchor. He was ten feet from the edge of the pit when they caught him and hauled him back up the slope. The other winged shoe tugged itself off, circled around them angrily, and kicked their heads in protest before flying off into the chasm to join its twin.
They all collapsed, exhausted, on the obsidian gravel. Aurora felt absolutely weak. The adrenaline rush was gone and what was left was an aching feeling all over her body.
Her body was shaking and she didn't know whether it was because she was tired or because she was terrified of losing one of her friends to the pit, knowing what was down there.
It looked too familiar to her dream with Nathaniel. The pit was as wide and empty as she'd seen them in her dreams, but this wasn't her dreams anymore—no, this was her reality, and it began to haunt her.
Grover was scratched up pretty badly. His hands were bleeding along with the scratch on his cheekbone because of Aurora's arrow. His eyes had gone slit-pupiled, goat style, the way they did whenever he was terrified.
"I don't know how . . ." he panted. "I didn't . . ."
"Wait," Percy said. "Listen."
Aurora shook her head and took a wobbly step towards Percy, "Percy, this place—"
"Shh." He stood.
Aurora could hear it getting louder, a muttering, evil voice from far, far below them. It sent a shiver down her spine. The shaking from before only turned rougher.
Grover sat up. "Wh—what's that noise?"
Annabeth heard it too, now.
"Tartarus. The entrance to Tartarus."
Aurora always thought of Tartarus as a queasy subject, the name brought goosebumps to her skin and despite the girl never really seeing it—it plagued her nightmares.
She never understood why, why the name Tartarus, sent her heart into overdrive trying to keep the girl calm. And she wasn't sure she ever wanted to know, especially now that she'd laid eyes on it.
Percy uncapped Anaklusmos. The bronze sword expanded, gleaming in the darkness, and the evil voice seemed to falter, just for a moment, before resuming its chant.
"Magic," Percy said.
"We have to get out of here," Annabeth said.
"That would be great," Aurora took a deep breath to calm her nerves.
Together, they dragged Grover to his hooves and started back up the tunnel.
When the voice got louder and angrier behind them, Aurora began to sprint. Her aching body protested, but she knew nothing good would come out of them staying there any longer. The others understood where she was going with this and followed her lead.
Not a moment too soon, A cold blast of wind pulled at their backs as if the entire pit were inhaling. Aurora screamed a bit at the scare.
When she turned around, she noticed Percy lose his footing. Aurora panicked and did her best to steady her own footing to the best of her ability as the wind grew in strength. She grunted when she painfully reached a hand out towards Percy, her arm sore from before but she didn't let that stop her. The resistance of the wind was making it hard to reach the ocean-eyed boy, but Percy took a hold of her hand and pulled himself up on his feet, as best as he could.
"Aurora!" Annabeth yelled from above her.
Aurora gripped his hand terrified that either of them would fall, "I got you!" she reassured Percy.
Percy could only hope she wouldn't let go.
When they regained their footing they continued their struggle forward until they finally reached the top of the tunnel, where the cavern widened out into the Fields of Asphodel. The wind died. A wail of outrage echoed from deep in the tunnel. Something was not happy they'd gotten away.
Aurora placed a hand on his arm, "Are you okay?" She asked. "By the gods, Percy, you scared me half to death!"
"I'm fine," he tried to assure. "You actually took a hit, Are you okay?"
"I'm okay," she breathed out and abruptly let go of his arm. "Note to self, never fall in a bottomless pit."
Percy nudged her with his elbow a relieved smile on his face, "Unless there's someone there to catch you."
Aurora rolled her eyes, "Remind me to never travel to the Underworld with you, ever again."
"What was that?" Grover panted when they'd collapsed in the relative safety of a black poplar grove. "One of Hades's pets?"
This proved Aurora's theory, something bigger was at work and Tartarus proved it.
Percy capped his sword, and put the pen back in his pocket. "Let's keep going." Percy looked at Grover. "Can you walk?"
He swallowed, "Yeah, sure. I never liked those shoes, anyway. Thanks for the save, Aurora"
Aurora merely nodded, her mind was racing with painful thoughts she didn't want to even acknowledge. Her chocolate brown eyes looked mysterious as if she held dozens of secrets at once and couldn't decide which one to prioritize.
The Furies circled the parapets, high in the gloom. The outer walls of the fortress glittered black, and the two-story-tall bronze gates stood wide open. Up close, you could see that the engravings on the gates were scenes of death. Some were from modern times—an atomic bomb exploding over a city (Aurora cringed when her eyes landed on the atomic bomb her grandfather helped produce) a trench filled with gas mask-wearing soldiers, a line of African famine victims waiting with empty bowls—but all of them looked as if they'd been etched into the bronze thousands of years ago.
Inside the courtyard was a very familiar garden Aurora had read about countless of times before. Multicolored mushrooms, poisonous shrubs, and weird luminous plants grew without sunlight. Precious jewels made up for the lack of flowers, piles of rubies a little bigger than her own fist, clumps of raw diamonds.
Standing here and there like frozen party guests were Medusa's garden statues—petrified children, satyrs, and centaurs—all smiling grotesquely. In the center of the garden was an orchard of pomegranate trees, their orange blooms neon bright in the dark.
"The garden of Persephone," Annabeth said. "Keep walking."
Aurora pouted as Annabeth had firmly took a hold of her hand and yanked her a long, "Why so hostile? The one you should be worried about is Grover," Aurora frowned and yanked her arm away. "I know better."
She was right to point out that they should be worried about Grover. The satyr was looking hungrily at a juicy pomegranate, but it was Percy who pulled him back.
They walked up the steps of the palace, between black columns, through a black marble portico, and into the house of Hades. The entry hall had a polished bronze floor, which seemed to boil in the reflected torchlight. There was no ceiling, just the cavern roof, far above.
Every side doorway was guarded by a skeleton in military gear. Some wore Greek armor, some British red coat uniforms, some camouflage with tattered American flags on the shoulders. They carried spears or muskets or-16s. None of them bothered the group, but their hollow eye sockets followed them as they walked down the hall, toward the big set of doors at the opposite end. Two U.S. Marine skeletons guarded the doors. They grinned down at them, rocket-propelled grenade launchers held across their chests.
"You know," Grover mumbled, "I bet Hades doesn't have trouble with door-to-door salesmen."
Aurora furrowed her eyebrows, "They still have those in this day in age?"
"Well, guys," Percy said. "I suppose we should . . . knock?"
A hot wind blew down the corridor, and the doors swung open. The guards stepped aside.
"I guess that means entrez-vous," Annabeth said.
Aurora grinned at the French, "I knew you'd pick it up somehow."
Annabeth only rolled her eyes.
As they walked in, Aurora laid eyes on Hades who was seated on his throne very smugly. He was at least ten feet tall, for one thing, and dressed in black silk robes and a crown of braided gold. His skin was albino white, his hair shoulder length, and jet black. He wasn't bulked up like Ares, but he radiated power.
He looked exactly like she had last remembered in.
He lounged on his throne of fused human bones, looking lithe, graceful, and dangerous as a panther.
The Lord of the Dead resembled the lead singer of a rock band with the charismatic eyes he carried.
"You are brave to come here, Son of Poseidon," he said in an oily voice. "After what you have done to me, very brave indeed. Or perhaps you are simply very foolish."
"Lord and Uncle, I come with two requests."
Hades raised an eyebrow. When he sat forward on his throne, shadowy faces appeared in the folds of his black robes, faces of torment, as if the garment were stitched of trapped souls from the Fields of Punishment, trying to get out. Aurora glanced away from the faces in order to ignore them.
"Only two requests?" Hades said. "Arrogant child. As if you have not already taken enough. Speak, then. It amuses me not to strike you dead yet."
Aurora leaned over towards Percy and muttered, "Think of something fast, ocean eyes. I do not want to die."
"I'm trying, Aurora," he glared. "You scolding me doesn't help!"
Annabeth cleared her throat. Her finger prodded Percy in the back taking his attention away from the beautiful girl and to the God of the Underworld.
"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 said. "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 knit her eyebrows. Her mind ran a thousand miles per minute.
Percy must have been equally confused because he glanced back at the group, "Um . . . Uncle," Percy said. "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?"
"You are the Lord of the Dead," Percy said carefully. "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?"
"Well . . . "
"Have you any idea how much my kingdom has swollen in this past century alone, how many subdivisions I've had to open?" He turned to Aurora. "Because of the weapons your family built," he snarled at the girl. "More security ghouls," he moaned. "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, just remembering the fact. Aurora angrily pinched the son of Poseidon in retaliation.
"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."
"His plan?"
"You were the thief on the winter solstice," he said. "Your father thought to keep you his little secret. He directed you into the throne room on Olympus. You took the master bolt and my helm. Had I not sent my Fury to discover you at Yancy Academy, Poseidon might have succeeded in hiding his scheme to start a war. But now you have been forced into the open. You will be exposed as Poseidon's thief, and I will have my helm back!"
"But . . ." Annabeth spoke. She glanced at Aurora also knowing that they were both thinking the same thing. "Lord Hades, your helm of darkness is missing, too?"
"Do not play innocent with me, girl. You, Stark, and the satyr have been helping this hero—coming here to threaten me in Poseidon's name, no doubt—to bring me an ultimatum. Does Poseidon think I can be blackmailed into supporting him?"
"No!" Percy said. "Poseidon didn't—I didn't—"
"I have said nothing of the helm's disappearance," Hades snarled, "because I had no illusions that anyone on Olympus would offer me the slightest justice, the slightest help. I can ill afford for word to get out that my most powerful weapon of fear is missing. So I searched for you myself, and when it was clear you were coming to me to deliver your threat, I did not try to stop you."
That's when everything clicked for Aurora, her mind assembling the pieces she began to put together
Those with ill intentions are closer than you expect.
She took a step forward, "Lord Hades, We can assure you we are no thieves. We've come here in hopes you could see the truth. That you'd allow us to explain ourselves."
Percy leaned towards her, "We don't need to explain anything. He has the bolt, he has my mom."
Aurora shook her head, "Think, ocean eyes, Hades just admitted that his own weapon was stolen. We don't have it, now do we?"
"No," Annabeth agreed from beside him. "We don't."
"Hades' might have your mother but it wouldn't make sense for him to have the bolt."
Annabeth's eyes widen, her own mind piecing everything together, "How could I be so dumb?"
"Who—"
Aurora sighed, "War. Percy, out of all the twelve gods who benefits from war the most?"
Percy gaped, "Ares."
She then looked down at her rings in anxiety, "But I don't think he did it alone," she turned to Hades. "I can assure you, Lord Hades' we are no thieves."
Hades' eyes lit up in flames at her voice, "And you wish to play me for a fool, prodigy?" The nickname stunned Aurora. "When your plan was to bring the bolt here?"
Percy shook his head, "We came for the bolt!"
"The same bolt you already possess!" Hades shouted. "You came here with it, little fool, thinking you could threaten me!"
"But I didn't!"
"Open your pack, then." A horrible feeling struck Aurora. Her mind was racing a mile a minute when she saw a two-foot-long metal cylinder, spiked on both ends, humming with energy.
Percy cursed under his breath as he looked up to nod at Aurora, "Ares."
"You heroes are always the same," Hades said. "Your pride makes you foolish, thinking you could bring such a weapon before me. I did not ask for Zeus's master bolt, but since it is here, you will yield it to me. I am sure it will make an excellent bargaining tool. And now . . . my helm. Where is it?"
"Lord Hades, this is a mistake. Are—" Annabeth began.
"A mistake?" Hades roared.
The skeletons around them aimed their weapons. From high above, there was a fluttering of leathery wings, and the three Furies swooped down to perch on the back of their master's throne.
"There is no mistake," Hades said. "I know why you have come—I know the real reason you brought the bolt. You came to bargain for her."
Hades loosed a ball of gold fire from his palm. It exploded on the steps in front of Percy and Aurora since they both stood next to each other, and there was Percy's mother, frozen in a shower of gold. Percy couldn't speak, he was speechless which was noted on his face. He reached out to touch her, but Aurora pulled his hand back.
"Yes," Hades said with satisfaction. "I took her. I knew, Percy Jackson, that you would come to bargain with me eventually. Return my helm, and perhaps I will let her go. She is not dead, you know. Not yet. But if you displease me, that will change." He then studied Percy. "Ah, the pearls. Yes, my brother and his little tricks. Bring them forth, Percy Jackson."
Percy's hand dug into his pocket and produced the four pearls.
"Only four," Hades said. "What a shame. You do realize each only protects a single person. Try to take your mother, then, little godling. And which of your friends will you leave behind to spend eternity with me? Go on. Choose. Or give me the backpack and accept my terms."
"Ares set us up," Percy said.
Aurora nodded, "We noticed. Well, I did"
"But the voice in the pit—"
"I don't know yet," Percy said. "But I intend to ask."
"Decide, boy!" Hades yelled.
"Percy," Grover put his hand on his shoulder. "You can't give him the bolt."
"I know that."
"Leave me here," he said. "Use the third pearl on your mom."
"No!"
"I'm a satyr," Grover said. "We don't have souls like humans do. He can torture me until I die, but he won't get me forever. I'll just be reincarnated as a flower or something. It's the best way."
"No." Annabeth drew her bronze knife. "You three go on. Grover, you have to protect Percy. You have to get your searcher's license and start your quest for Pan. Get his mom out of here. I'll cover you. I plan to go down fighting."
Aurora scoffed as she looked at Annabeth, "That's not an option." She turned to Percy, "I can stay, Percy. I know what it feels like to lose a parent. I wouldn't want you to feel what I felt as long as I did. You guys go! I'll be fine," she then shrugged. "It'll give me the opportunity to find answers for Elysium."
Sure, she wouldn't fulfill the promise she had to her father, but she would never want someone who cared so deeply about their parent to feel the way she did when she lost her father for those three miserable months. Not if she could do anything about it. Her father would understand.
At least, she hoped so.
"No, Aurora!" Annabeth argued.
"No way," Grover said. "I'm staying behind."
"Think again, goat boy," Annabeth said.
"Stop it, all of you!" He glanced at the three. "I know what to do. Take these."
Percy handed them each a pearl.
Aurora placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "But, Percy . . ."
He turned and faced his mother, "I'm sorry," He told her. "I'll be back. I'll find a way."
The smug look on Hades's face faded. He said, "Godling . . . ?"
"I might know where your helm is, Uncle," Percy told him. "I'll find it and I'll return it. Remember about Charon's pay raise."
"Do not defy me—"
"And it wouldn't hurt to play with Cerberus once in a while. He likes red rubber balls."
"Percy Jackson, you will not—" Percy shouted, "Now, guys!"
Aurora smashed the pearl at her feet like the others. For a scary moment, nothing happened. She thought, maybe her pearl was faulty.
Hades yelled, "Destroy them!"
The army of skeletons rushed forward, swords out, guns clicking to fully automatic. The Furies lunged, their whips bursting into flame. Just as the skeletons opened fire, the pearl fragments at her feet exploded with a burst of green light and a gust of fresh sea wind. She was encased in a milky white sphere, which was starting to float off the ground. Her mouth opened in amazement not once seen anything like this before.
Spears and bullets sparked harmlessly off the pearl bubbles as they floated up. Hades yelled with such rage, the entire fortress shook.
"Look up!" Grover yelled. "We're going to crash!"
Sure enough, they were racing right toward the stalactites.
"How do you control these things?" Annabeth shouted.
"I don't think you do!" Percy shouted back.
Aurora gaped and brought her hands over her head in order to shield herself, "So we just die?"
"Pretty much!" Percy yelled back.
They all screamed as the bubbles slammed into the ceiling and . . .Darkness. When Aurora looked back up a smile broke out on her face. They were going up, right through solid rock as easily as an air bubble in water. One similar to the one Aurora was in when she had passed out a couple of days before.
For a few moments, they couldn't see anything outside the smooth walls of their sphere, then her pearl broke through on the ocean floor. The three other milky spheres, Annabeth, Percy, and Grover, kept pace with her as they soared upward through the water.
And—ker-blam!
They exploded on the surface, in the middle of the Santa Monica Bay, knocking a surfer off his board with an indignant, "Dude!"
Percy grabbed Grover and hauled him over to a lifebuoy. He did the same with both Aurora and Annabeth. A curious shark was circling them, a great white about eleven feet long. Aurora gasped and tightened her grip on Percy. Her hands were over his shoulders and she was squeezing for the life of her.
Percy noticed the frightful look on her face and gave her hand a tiny squeeze before letting her go. He didn't really get as embarrassed as he usually did due to the fact that they had already gone through hell together.
Literally.
Percy said, "Beat it."
The shark turned and raced away. The surfer screamed something about bad mushrooms and paddled away from them as fast as he could. In the distance, Los Angeles was on fire, plumes of smoke rising from neighborhoods all over the city. There had been an earthquake, all right, and it was Hades's fault. He was probably sending an army of the dead after them right now.
"You ready to confront a certain go."
"Definitely."
Any theories to elysium's backstory and how it connects with Aurora?
Anyway, how do you think Tony would react to Aurora apparently hanging out with an adolescent boy?
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