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chapter twelve ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
012. Three Heads Is Better Than One
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From the shadows, Cassie read the letters. DOA RECORDING STUDIOS.
On the glass window was a normal store warning, except the 'no living' one.
By now it was midnight but the place was filled. A tough looking guy with the classic shades and an ear piece, sat at the security desk.
"Okay, you remember the plan?" Percy said.
"The plan. Yeah. I love the plan." Grover nodded.
That was totally convincing.
"But what if the plan doesn't work?" Cassie pipped.
Nothing went the way it was supposed to on quests. The daughter of Ares knew that and this was her first one.
"Don't think negative." Percy scolded.
"We're about to go into the Land of the Dead. You're expecting me to think positively right now?" Cassie quipped back.
Percy gazed down at the pearls he had gotten from the Nereid. Now doubts were clouding his mind.
Annabeth coughed and elbowed Cassie. Her face told the brunette everything she didn't say. 'Apologize,' it read.
"Er, Percy, forget what I said. I'm just over worrying. We'll make it." Cassie reassured and Percy gave her a small smile.
He was thankful she was trying, but deep down, Percy knew she was right. Deep down, he also felt that something wasn't going to go right, but he had to do this.
For his mom. For Grover. For Annabeth. For Cassie. For himself. Maybe even for his dad. So he pushed those doubts aside.
"It'll be fine. Besides, I always have a back up plan."
Annabeth nudged Grover after she gave her own reassurance.
"Oh, right! We got this far. We'll find the master bolt and save your mom. No problem." Grover agreed.
Yeah, Percy was really grateful to have them. Only moments before, they were almost stretched to death on water beds while he small talked.
Now they were about to risk their lives for him again and yet they were still trying to make him feel better.
"Let's whup some Underworld butt." Percy smiled as he put the pearls back in his pocket.
༻ ─── •✧💢✧• ─── ༺
The lobby was exactly what you'd expect from a modern entrance to the Underworld.
The decorations were made of bones and the seats of black leather.
The room was packed with dead souls. Cassie could see them when she wasn't looking directly at them, but they became see through when she did.
At the security desk, was a guy with chocolate colored skin and bleach blonde hair. His hair was cut short but it went with his shades and suit.
His name tag said: Charon. Easy enough for Cassie to read, also he was the ferryman for dead people.
But, Percy wasn't thinking about the stories and made a mistake.
"Your name is Chiron?"
Cassie grimaced and Charon leaned forward. He smiled at Percy. It wasn't a sweet smile, more of a warning one.
"What a precious young lad. Tell me, mate, do I look like a centaur?" Charon had a British accent.
"N-no."
"Sir." He told Percy.
"Sir." The son of Poseidon repeated.
He pulled the name tag a little closer to Percy.
"Can you read this, mate? It says C-H-A-R-O-N. Say it with me: CARE-ON."
"Charon."
"Amazing! Now, Mr. Charon."
"Mr. Charon."
It was amusing, watching Percy get a pronunciation lesson.
"Well done. I hate being confused with that old horse-man. And now, how may I help you little dead ones."
Percy glance to Annabeth for some help. He didn't know how to respond.
"We want to go to the Underworld." The blonde answered.
"Well, that's refreshing." Charon lips slightly raise in amusement.
"Why's that?" Cassie asked.
"Straightforward and honest. No screaming. No 'There must be a mistake, Mr. Charon.'" Charon explained as he inspected them. "How did you die, then?"
Cassie had plenty of ideas but Percy nudged Grover.
"Oh, um . . . drowned . . . in the bathtub." The satyr lied.
"All four of you?" Charon questioned in astonishment.
They nodded.
"Big bathtub. 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." Charon told them, slight pity in his tone.
Cassie grinned. "What if it's not our American Express?"
Charon hesitated as if he would allow it, but Percy spoke up.
"Oh, but we have coins." Percy placed four drachmas on the security desk.
Charon licked his lips. "Well, now . . . Real drachmas. Real golden drachmas. I haven't seen these in . . ."
He reached for the coins but hesitated, staring at Percy.
"Here now. You couldn't read my name correctly. Are you dyslexic, lad." Charon inquired.
"No. I'm dead."
Charon leaned closer and sniffed. Cassie backed up from the closeness.
"You're not dead. I should've known. You're a godling." He realized.
"We have to get to the Underworld." Percy urged.
Charon growled and the people in the room got up to pace and smoke cigarettes.
"Leave while you can. I'll just take these and forget I saw you."
Percy grabbed the coins before Charon could.
"No service, no tip."
The man growled again as the dead souls started banging on the elevator door.
"It's a shame too. We had more to offer." Percy taunted.
The son of Poseidon waved the coins, from the bag he found in Crusty's, in front of Charon's face.
The security guard purred. "Do you think I can be bought, godling. Eh . . . just out of curiosity, how much have you got there."
"A lot. I bet Hades doesn't pay you well enough for such hard work." Percy said, tempting Charon.
"Oh, you don't know the half of it. How would you like to babysit these spirits all day? Always 'Please don't let me be dead' or 'Please let me across for free.' I haven't had a pay raise in three thousand years. Do you imagine suits like this come cheap?" Charon ranted.
'Then don't buy them?' Cassie thought.
"You deserve better. A little appreciation. Respect. Good pay." Percy really knew how to talk someone into something.
If it wasn't for the whole water thing and love of blue, one might mistaken him as a child of Aphrodite.
He placed more coins on the counter and Charon seemed to be more intrigued.
"I must say, lad, you're making some sense now. Just a little."
With a mention of talking to Hades about a pay raise, Charon finally gave in. He took their drachmas and allowed them onto the next boat.
Cassie patted Percy's back when Charon wasn't looking.
They made their way through the lobby, avoiding the reaching hands of desperate spirits, to the elevator. Charon led them inside and pushed away any hands from people trying to get into the elevator.
The group squeezed in with some other dead souls. They all held green boarding passes.
"Right. Now, no one gets any ideas while I'm gone. And if anyone moves the dial off my easy-listening station again, I'll make sure you're here for another thousand years. Understand?" Charon threatened.
He closed the elevator doors and took out a key card to swipe on the elevator panel. It started going down as Cassie held onto a rail.
This was another tight space. Curse the gods that she had claustrophobia.
"What happens to the spirits waiting in the lobby?" Annabeth questioned.
"Nothing." was Charon's blunt reply.
"For how long?"
"Forever, or until I'm feeling generous."
Cassie stomached the nauseous feeling and stated. "That's great, nice and fair."
"Whoever said death was fair young miss? Wait until it's your turn. You'll die soon enough, where you're going."
"Who said I wasn't looking forward to it for years now?" Cassie joked.
Percy shook his head at her antics. "We'll get out alive."
"Ha." Charon scoffed.
Cassie yelped as the elevator jerked, changing directions. Her hands tightened around the rail. The elevator started to sway.
Mist surrounded them as the spirits' clothes changed to gray robes. Charon also changed. He was now wearing a dark robe and his shades had disappeared.
Now, black endless voids of darkness were where his eyes should've been.
Percy gawked and Charon turned to him. "Well?"
"Nothing." Percy let out.
The floor kept moving as Charon looked like a skeleton now.
Grover cupped his mouth. "I think I'm getting seasick."
Percy glanced to Grover, confused by his wording, but then gazed around.
Now they were on a boat, being pulled across a river by Charon. The river was full of bones and other random junk.
Cassie let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, as the elevator walls disappeared.
She leaned over the edge to inspect the water. Annabeth reached and kept a firm grip on her shirt collar.
"The River Styx. It's so . . ." Annabeth's voice faltered.
"Depressing." Cassie finished.
"Polluted." Charon corrected. "For thousands of years, you humans have been throwing in everything as you come across-hopes, dreams, wishes that never came true. Irresponsible waste management, if you ask me."
Cassie peered up to the roof, which turns out is made of stalactites. The shore ahead, shone green like poison.
The brunette focused back down to the river and felt the urge to reach out. Annabeth grabbed the hand that was lifting, in her own and held it.
Cassie's face flushed and she whipped her head around. Annabeth seemed nervous but the daughter of Ares refrained from saying anything.
Percy also held the same look as Annabeth, so Cassie placed a hand on his shoulder. She wasn't holding his hand.
Cassie saw the shoreline. It was covered in sharp rocks and black sand and extended towards the bottom of a never-ending stone wall.
A howl rang out from the distance and Charon grinned.
"Old Three-Face is hungry. Bad luck for you, godlings."
The dead souls passed by them, off the boat. A mother and her daughter, an old couple, and a boy around their age shuffled along the shore.
"I'd wish you luck, mate, but there isn't any down here. Mind you, don't forget to mention my pay raise."
Charon left, directing his boat back to where they had come from.
༻ ─── •✧💢✧• ─── ༺
They followed the spirits along a path to the entrance of the Underworld.
It looked like airport security with the three entrances under a black arch. The arch had a sign that read: YOU ARE NOW ENTERING EREBUS.
Each entrance had a metal detector and security cameras. Men in black robes stood behind, collecting money.
The howling got louder and Cassie gazed around. Cerberus was nowhere to be seen.
Two of the lines went through entrances labeled ATTENDANT ON DUTY. The other entrance was labeled EZ DEATH.
The EZ DEATH line was much faster than the other two.
"What do you figure?" Percy asked.
"The fast line must go straight to the Asphodel Fields. No contest. They don't want to risk judgement from the court, because it might go against them." Annabeth responded.
"There's a court for dead people?" Percy said was surprised.
"Yeah, Kelp Head. Not everyone deserves to have a good time in the afterworld. There's three judges. People like Thomas Jefferson, Shakespeare. They switch around from time to time." Cassie informed him.
Annabeth nodded. "Sometimes, they look at a life and decide that person needs a special reward-the Fields of Elysium. Sometimes they decide on punishment. But most people, well, they just lived. Nothing special, good or bad. So they go to the Asphodel Fields."
"And do what?"
"Imagine standing in a wheat field in Kansas. Forever." Grover piped.
"Harsh." Percy frowned.
"Not as harsh as that," Grover pointed. "Look."
Cassie saw a spirit being dragged by hooded men to the security desk and checked.
Grover and Percy spoke about knowing the spirit, but something else caught Cassie's eye.
In the ATTENDANT ON DUTY, there was a woman in her mid-thirties. She was being held by some other hooded men.
They shoved her out of the lines, leading her away.
"I didn't mean to, I didn't want a daughter!" The spirit shouted.
Cassie's eyes widened and her breath caught.
"Wait, what?" She whispered, walking forward to get a better look.
Percy pulled her back.
"What is it?" Annabeth questioned.
"I-" Cassie was interrupted by another howl.
It was even louder this time, but still no Cerberus. They crept closer to the gate and the mist shimmered.
The shadowy black, three-headed hound appeared where the path split into three.
They hadn't been able to see it before, as it moved in the darkness but now it was visible and glaring directly at them.
Percy's mouth fell open. "He's a Rottweiler."
Cassie smiled and her thoughts cleared. She loved dogs and a three-headed one. Even more puppy kisses.
"I'm starting to see him better. Why is that?" Percy inquired.
"I think . . ."
"Because we're about to die." Cassie deadpanned, cutting Annabeth's hesitation short.
Cerberus' middle head gaze around. It sniffed the air and growled.
"It can smell the living." Percy observed, voice small from fright.
"But that's okay. Because we have a plan." Grover managed even though he was visibly shaking in fear.
"Right. A plan." Annabeth agreed, but her voice disagreed.
They snuck towards the dog until Cassie broke out into a run.
"Carter!"
"Cassie!"
She hugged Cerberus' leg as the dog bent down. It whimpered quietly and allowed Cassie to pat its heads.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group was freaking out as the brunette embraced the huge Rottweiler.
Percy yanked a big stick from his backpack and waved it in the air.
"Hey, Big Fella. I bet they don't play with you much."
Cerberus moved its heads back up. Growwwwwwl.
"Good boy." Percy praised in a questioning tone.
He threw the stick into the River Styx and it fell with a splash. Cerberus didn't even move and stayed staring unimpressed.
Cerberus made a deeper growl and Cassie backed away. He didn't seem happy anymore. Cassie moved back to her friends.
"Um, Percy?" Grover called.
"Yeah?"
"I just thought you'd want to know."
"Yeah?"
"Cerberus? He's saying we've got ten seconds to pray to the god of our choice. After that . . ."
"We're his next meal." Cassie finished. She was trying to distract herself from thinking about the woman in the line, by talking more.
"Wait!" Annabeth cried out, shuffling in her backpack.
"Five seconds. Do we run now?" Grover asked.
"Ehh." Cassie replied.
Annabeth pulled out a big red ball with the WATERLAND logo on it. She headed towards the hound before anyone could stop her.
"See the ball? You want the ball, Cerberus? Sit!" Annabeth ordered.
Cerberus tilted his head in confusion. Cassie was staring in amazement and admiration. Not that Annabeth would ever know.
"Sit?" Annabeth repeated.
They were counting the time till Annabeth became dinner, but Cerberus listened and sat down. He squished many spirits who were in the EZ DEATH line.
Those spirits vanished into the air, out of sight.
"Good boy!" Annabeth praised.
She tossed the ball to Cerberus and he caught it. The three heads argued over who should have it and Cassie grimaced.
"It's gonna pop!" She yelled to Annabeth, noticing how hard the dog was chewing.
Annabeth ignored her and shouted. "Drop it."
He obliged and dropped the saliva-covered ball in front of the blonde.
"Good boy."
She picked up the slobbery ball and glanced back.
"Go now. EZ DEATH line-it's faster."
"No wa-" Cassie protested as Percy said, "But-"
"Now." Her voice was firm and Cassie knew there was no use arguing.
Grover and Percy started forward cautiously. Cassie just yolo'ed it and marched ahead.
Cerberus let out a low growl.
"Stay! If you want the ball, stay!" Annabeth commanded.
Cerberus listened with a whimper.
"We can't just leave you, Chase. No matter how relieving that would be." Cassie said to Annabeth as she passed her.
"I know what I'm doing, Carter. At least, I'm pretty sure . . ."
It it were some other place that Annabeth had said this, Cassie would've teased the blonde, but here in the Underworld, she didn't.
Her, Grover, and Percy made it through the dog's legs.
Annabeth called out. "Good dog!"
She inspected the ball, as if weighing her options. The blonde knew there would be no more distracting if she gave Cerberus the ball, but she did anyways.
The dog caught it and it's heads bickered. Annabeth slipped through its legs and joined the other three.
"How did you do that?" Percy asked, impressed.
"Obedience school." Cassie could barely make out the tears growing in Annabeth's eyes. "When I was little, at my dad's house, we had a Doberman . . ."
"Never mind that. Come on!" Grover beckoned in a hurry.
Cassie left a pat on Annabeth's shoulder as they turned to rush through the EZ DEATH line. Cerberus whined out, now facing them.
Annabeth froze and frowned at the dog. "Good boy."
The monster titled its head, as if asking if she was okay.
"I'll bring you another ball soon. Would you like that?" Annabeth offered.
Cerberus whimpered in response.
"Good dog. I'll come visit you soon. I-I promise." Annabeth stated.
Cassie gazed between the two. She had never expected Annabeth to be a dog lover like her. Interesting.
"Let's go."
They pushed through the metal detector and alarms rang. "Unauthorized possessions! Magic detected!"
Cassie ran through the gate and as the group passed, more alarms sounded. They just bolted towards the Underworld.
After some running, they found a few trees and hid in the trunk of one. It was dead and rotting like most things around, whether they were human or not.
Security spirits hurried past and called the Furies for help.
Grover nudged the son of Poseidon. "Well, Percy, what have we learned today?"
"That three-headed dogs prefer red rubber balls over sticks." Percy guessed.
"No. We've learned that your plans really, really bite!" Grover exclaimed.
Cassie snickered. "Ha! 'Bite'. Good one Goat Boy."
Percy rolled his eyes playfully at her childishness. Cassie's attention shifted to Annabeth to see her reaction, but the blonde was busy wiping away a tear as she listened to Cerberus in the distance.
Cassie smiled at her sadly, but didn't say anything.
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ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ author's note
Hey guys, I need y'all's opinions. Would you rather read a percy x apollo! daughter or percy x hermes! daughter. This is for the future so any thoughts months later are welcome too.
The fanfic won't be out for a while because I want to focus on this book. And I have a leo valdez fanfic planned that would be published before any percy one.
SUPER MCSHIZZLE BADBOY SUPREME 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 >>>>>>>>
For some inspo/consideration: the character will be extremely flirty because i want to try writing something different.
Apollo is known to be vain and flirty, but a Hermes daughter allows for some fun pick up lines. Also, there are many Apollo! oc x percy and I haven't read as many Hermes! oc x percy.
Anyways, I'm done talking so please let me know your thoughts and enjoy the upcoming chapters. We're gettting close to the end of Act 1!!!!!
—Just Another Overthinker