"Stella, wake up. Somethings happened!" Percy calls out to me while I'm still half asleep in my cabin.
"Perc, Its 6 o'clock. What do you want?!" I say pulling the blanket over my face.
"Its Thalia!" He says.
I immediately get out of bed and open my cabin door.
"What is it?" I ask.
———
We get to her tree and see her awake and alive. I almost can't believe what I'm seeing.
"Annie? Is that you?" She says wiping the tears off of Annabeth's face. "And, Grover? Wow, you have your horns. Why are you all so much older?" She asks.
"Oh, Thalia." Annabeth says hugging her.
"Out of my way, please." Chiron announces as he gallops towards Thalia. "Dear gods." He says under his breathe. "Someone take her to the infirmary, please!"
Some of the men lift her up and carry her towards the infirmary as Chiron and Annabeth follow closely behind.
"I thought the fleece would just revive the tree, not her." I say.
"I know, I can't believe shes alive." Grover says as he runs to the infirmary to catch up with the rest.
Percy and I just stand there looking at each other confused. Now may not be the best time to bring up my trial today, so I'll just hold off until later.
"We should go." Percy says.
"Yeah." I answer as we walk to the infirmary.
———
"Out of the way, guys." Annabeth says as she brings a chalice of nectar towards Thalia and she downs it in a second.
"I almost forgot how good that tasted." She says laughing a bit. "Hey, stop with the tears, Annie."
"Right, sorry." Annabeth replies.
I don't think I have ever heard Annabeth say sorry before.
"So, can someone please tell me what happened?" Thalia asks and Chiron tells everyone to clear the room so he can explain.
Grover and Annabeth stay, leaving Percy and I alone.
"So, this is really bad timing, but theres something you should know." I tell him, but pause for a while waiting for a reaction from him.
"Spit it out." He says growing impatient with me.
"I have a trial today...with the gods for using my powers on the quest."
"What? But, you only shadow travelled once and saved Olympus."
"I know, its total b.s, but all they see when they look at me is Hades' daughter, so I am praying that this trial goes well."
"Can I come? I can be there for you." He says.
"I'll have to ask Chiron, but, me personally, I wouldn't mind the company." I say nudging his arm.
We both let out a laugh and then everything turns a little more serious when we make eye contact.
"What?" I ask Percy shaking off the laughter.
"Nothing, it just...nothing." He says causing me to be a little confused, but I just shrug it off.
Then he looks at me like he actually does have something to say causing me to grow impatient with him.
"Say it!" I say.
"Its just that...you know the prophecy...how a child of one of the big three is destined to either save or destroy Olympus?" He asks.
"Yeah....why?"
"Well, I thought I was the child in the prophecy, until Thalia came back. I thought that I actually had some more purpose to this whole thing, but now I'm not so sure."
"Why would Thalia coming back change any of that?"
"Because she is Zeus' daughter, one of the big three?"
"I'm Hades' daughter, but you still didn't put me in the child of the prophecy category." I say slightly annoyed.
"Sorry, that was so stupid of me to say."
"No, trust me, I get it. Who could think that a daughter of the most evil guy ever could ever be destined for something good."
"Me. Remember what I said when you were dying?" He asks.
"Not really. I just remember you crying." I tease him and nudge him. He nudges me back and we both laugh.
We both direct our attention to Thalia exiting the infirmary and making her way to her cabin. Percy and I walk over to introduce ourselves.
"Oh, Thalia, this is Percy Jackson and Stella Darke. They helped retrieve the fleece." Annabeth says.
"Nice to meet you guys. I guess I should be thanking you...So who are your parents?"
"Poseidon."
"Hades."
"So we are all children of the big three, thats interesting. I heard there were never all three in one generation. Thats pretty cool." She says making me confused and glad she didn't flinch when I said Hades is my father.
I like this girl.
"Well, I would love to chat, but I would really love a nap more. Even though I have technically been napping for years, but a little more rest couldn't hurt." Thalia says as her and Annabeth walk towards the cabin.
We wave goodbye and walk towards Chiron who is pacing back and forth.
He notices our presence and looks at us.
"Well, what is it?" He asks.
"Is it possible for Percy to accompany us on our trip to Olympus?" I ask.
"Sure." Is all he says.
"Okay..." I reply just standing there.
"What?" He asks, slightly annoyed.
"I am just surprised you said yes."
"Trust me, you need a support system." He answers, scaring me a bit.
"Oh..umm..kay." I say as I begin to walk away.
"We leave at 1 o'clock. Be ready, both of you!" He announces as we both put a thumbs up and walk away.
———
"That was a bit harsh, don't ya think?" Percy says.
"Yeah, but its good he didn't sugarcoat it, now we know what to expect. I mean, the gods weren't exactly happy to see me last time I visited them."
"I'm sorry." Percy says.
"For what?"
"That the gods don't see you how I see you. That they only think of your father when they look at you."
I just smile at him, then look back at the ground.
"You know, hes not that bad of a guy. I mean yes he is evil and told me he didn't want anything to do with me when we met, but he has been talking to me a lot and when I died, I saw him. I know he isn't exactly dad of the year, but maybe he's trying to turn over a new leaf."
"My dad never talks to me, ever. After the whole lightning bolt thing, I never heard from him again."
"Sorry, Perc." I say as I put my arm around him and we walk to the dining hall.
———
Some time goes by, and it is almost time to depart for Olympus. Chiron told me to meet him in his office a half hour before he left so I am making my way there now.
"I'm here." I announce as I walk into his office.
"Please, sit." He says as he lets out a sigh.
"Whats wrong?" I ask.
"The gods won't let Percy attend your trial."
"Why?"
"They don't want any other half blood attending, so its just you and me. I am sorry." He says causing me to feel a tear in my eye. "You may say your goodbyes to your friends now."
I just walk out of the room and try to find my friends. If this doesn't go my way, chances are I won't see my friends for a long time.
I spot Annabeth, Grover, Tyson, and Thalia all talking by the lake.
"Hey, guys." I say approaching them.
"Hey!" They all say in unison.
"Can I talk to you guys for a moment?" I ask.
"Sure, whats up?" Annabeth asks.
"I have a trial with the gods today as I'm sure Percy told you guys."
"He did. I'm sorry, the gods should be more reasonable with this." Grover says placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Yeah, umm...so before I leave, I just wanted to say goodbye incase this doesn't go the way I want it to." I say holding back my tears.
"Don't say that. We will all be here and ready to celebrate when you come back to us." Annabeth says.
"I know, I know, but just incase, can I maybe get a maybe goodbye hug?" I ask.
"Of course." They all reply as they pull me into a big hug.
"Even though, you'll be gone for like a day, I'll still miss you so much!" Annabeth says as she squeezes all the oxygen out of me.
"Thanks Annie." I say barely able to breathe.
"And, even though we just met like 6 hours ago, I know that you don't deserve being sent away to Tartarus." Thalia says making me smile.
"Thanks, guys." I say as Grover pulls me in for one last hug and Tyson does the same.
"Okay, no more tears. Percy will want to see you before you go." Grover says sending me towards Percy's direction.
"Perc, we need to talk." I say approaching him at the dining hall.
"Whats up?"
"Chiron changed his mind, you can't come with us."
"What? No, thats not fair."
"I know, I know, but I want to say my goodbyes incase this doesn't go my way."
"No, it will. Don't do that. Don't say goodbye like we won't see eachother again. They can't send you away for that long."
"That was our agreement. I killed someone, Perc. Then, I betrayed the deal I made with the gods. I am hoping they will be lenient, but that might not be the case."
"Stella, hey, I won't let them send you away." He says as he pulls me into a hug.
"Thanks, Perc."
I have to tell him to let go.
"See you soon." He says as he smiles at me and I notice tears welling up in his eyes.
I just nod and smile at him.
"Its time to go, Ms. Darke." Chiron says.
"Bye, Perc."
———
We arrive in Olympus and are met by a room full of the gods discussing what I only guess to be my predicament.
"Don't talk unless you are spoken to." Chiron reminds me.
"I know." I say.
"Please, stand before us." Zeus announces.
I walk over to a stand where I try not to be intimidated by the 60 ft tall gods in front of me.
"Stella Darke, you failed to hold up your end of the deal of not using any of your powers, whilst knowing that your punishment for doing so will be a sentence to Tartarus. Correct?" Asks Zeus.
"Yes, but.." I answer, but get interrupted.
"And you are aware that we were lenient when you committed the ultimate crime against one of your fellow half bloods?"
"Yes."
"So, do you accept your punishment or want to proceed with trial?"
I look back at Chiron and he nods.
"Proceed with trial."
"Very, well. Against our favor, we have someone else joining us today." Says Zeus as he looks over to another empty chair.
Hades appears in the chair right before my eyes.
"Hello." He says with a smile on his face, a sinister one.
The other gods just role their eyes.
"Ms. Darke, please give us your explanation for breaking our deal." Hades says and I begin to explain just like I told Chiron.
———
As I finish my explanation, I feel very confident from the look on the gods faces, every god except Hades. For some reason he seems to be angry.
"....and thats why I broke our agreement, for the sake of Olympus and Thalia, the daughter of Zeus." I finish.
"I do appreciate you reviving my daughter, young one. And, you do show great strength and brightness, even though your heritage should show other qualities." Zeus says, side-eyeing Hades. "But, I still don't quite understand why you felt the need to go back for the Castellan boy."
"Love." Aphrodite interrupts. "She wanted to change him and she saw the good in that boy. I feel as though love is the greatest source of drive to do something that requires a leap of faith."
I smile at Aphrodite and direct my attention towards Hades as I hear him groan.
"Something you want to add, Hades?" Poseidon asks.
"Only the lie she just told you all." He says causing me to look at him confused and back at Chiron. Chiron just focuses on Hades. "I was watching over Stella the very moment she used her powers to get back onto the ship, and while it could've been for love, it was also for power. Kronos filled her mind with poisonous thoughts, like ones where she destroys Olympus. Stella wanted to figure out how to use her power given by me to be the very thing she uses against us."
"Thats not true." I say.
"Quiet!" Announces Zeus. "This is your daughter Hades, why so quick to throw that all away?"
"Because she is dangerous. And a mistake." He answers. "She is a threat to what we've built."
"What we have built, not you!" Poseidon corrects him.
"Very, well." Hades answers keeping his cool, which I have never seen before.
"Stella, even though Hades doesn't have a great record of telling the truth, we do believe a gods word over a girls. If what he is saying is true and you are in fact a danger to us all, then you must be sent to Tartarus for the sake of Olympus." Zeus says as he slams his hand on his chair.
I feel tears streaming down my face.
"Please, don't do this." I say.
"Take her away." Zeus says avoiding eye contact with me.
"I should be the one to do this, Zeus. I mean, she is my daughter." Hades says causing me to feel anger.
"Very, well. This trial is over with." Zeus answers as the gods disperse.
"Chiron!" I call out but see him being called to speak with Zeus.
"I'm sorry, dear child. Truly." He says as he leaves me.
I don't get it. I know Hades never wanted me, but I thought he was atleast warming up to me when he gave me all those messages trying to 'protect' me. But, I was wrong. I was dumb enough to have hope or to believe in something that I thought was worth it.
"Are u ready?" Hades asks as he approaches me in human form.
"Why?" I ask desperate for some closure.
"I'll tell you when we are in a safe place, away from prying ears." He says gesturing towards the other gods staring at us.
I just look at him completely disappointed. He walks out of the door and into another room filled with portals. There is one that is dark and terrifying, I'm guessing thats the entrance to the Underworld.
"This way." He says as he walks through it.
Going against the horrible feeling in my gut, I follow him.
"Why are we here? I'm supposed to be suffering in Tartarus, remember?" I ask, still with tears in my eyes.
"Relax! I have to admit, even when you are basically walking into an eternity of misery, you still have the fire." He says proud of his genes.
"Answer my question." I say.
"What question? Oh, yeah, the 'why' question. Well, to answer that, I am ready to propose a deal. Yes, you are still going to Tartarus, but instead of hopelessly trying to find your way out, I will help you with that." He says as he pours himself a drink.
"What do you want in return?" I ask.
"I lost something. Something very important to me. Its in Tartarus." He says.
"Why can't you just get it yourself? Wait, you convinced them to send me to Tartarus because you lost something?!" I ask enraged.
"Well, I would get it myself, but, unfortunately, the gods won't like me venturing in there. They will get suspicious and I can't have that. The thing I need you to retrieve for me is my helm."
"Your helm of darkness? I thought I noticed something missing from you." I say very much annoyed and vengeful.
He downs the rest of his drink and looks back up at me.
"So, do we have a deal?"
Author's Note
The end!! Thank you so much for your support and to show my thanks, I would like to show all my readers the 'poster' for my third book to this series. But, before you look at it and probably judge my horrible editing skills, its my first book cover thing I have ever made. Anyways: