Book 1 - The Lightning Thief
"There is a secret passage to the underworld at Crusty's Waterbeds," Percy explained as they walked through the streets.
"Procrustes," Annabeth corrected. "We all know his story," Ayden stared at her. She knew some things about mythology, but she knew the others forgot that she didn't get the same kind of elementary school learning as they did. "The killer of travelers."
"Didn't he cut off their limbs and stuff?"
"Yes," Annabeth nodded. Grover gave Ayden an unsure look.
"Look maybe he will like me better as a fellow child of Poseidon," Percy offered. Ayden crossed her arms.
"Eh I'm not sure, but we can try, I'll go in with you since he can't trap me unless he touches me," Ayden offered. Grover took a step back shaking his head.
"I'll stay out here if you don't mind. I like my limbs and being stretched to death isn't on my bucket list."
"I'll go in with you," Annabeth pulled out her NY cap. Percy and Ayden walked in first as Annabeth snuck in.
"Welcome young travelers!" Procrustes smiled. "Please come in, come in."
"Procrustes?" Percy asked.
"Crusty, please," The salesman waved his hand. Ayden looked at his appearance seeing that he resembled his name. Crusty.
"We know there is a secret passage to the underworld hidden here," Ayden cut off the sales pitch. She looked around at the beds. She realized that's how he must have trapped people before he cut off their limbs or heads. She grimaced.
"Please, please, just relax take a load off," He moved toward one of the beds to push on it. The motion sent ripples into the waterbed.
"Are you going to help us?"
"Please, just take a moment," Crusty gestured around the room. Percy turned to look at Ayden before looking at the water bed. "I'm sure you will feel much more relaxed after testing one out?"
"You first," Percy spoke. Ayden shoved the salesman onto the bed. In an instant, the cover sheet wrapped around him trapping him on the bed.
"Mmm," She tilted her head to the side.
"You'll never survive the trip! You'll die!" Crusty muttered. Annabeth took off her cap revealing herself.
"Good job," She nodded at the pair. Grover opened the front door to peek in.
"Is it over?"
"Just get in here, we have to find the entrance," Ayden muttered as she teleported toward the back room. She saw a closet and opened it. "Just a closet." Then she moved into another room finding a closet inside of a closet.
"You think this is it?" Percy asked.
"A closet in a closet isn't normal usually," Annabeth offered. Grover came in and they stood together. Ayden moved forward opening the door seeing a fog. She nodded and stepped back looking at the others.
"Either that's the underworld, or something is rotting," Grover pinched his nose. Annabeth grabbed a red ball from a cart next to them handing it to him.
"Better?" He nodded squeezing it over and over.
"You'll never make it out alive!" Cruty yelled from the main room.
"Dude!"
"Do I need to come back in there and cut your head off!" Ayden screamed. Grover's eyes widened as he held the ball closer to his chest.
"Before we go down," Percy pulled the five pearls out of his pocket. "Each of you take one of these. The pearls will get us back from the underworld." He set one in each of their hands.
"Alright," Annabeth moved first. The three followed after her. They walked through the mist seeing people in cloaks.
"That's Charon, we have to hurry, he's taking people across the River Styx."
***
"Excuse me."
"Pardon me."
"Sorry."
"Coming through."
The four of them moved through the dead people waiting to get through the gates. Ayden thought it looked like lines at an amusement park. Everyone just huddled together waiting their turns. When the group got to the front they were stopped by Charon.
"You aren't dead."
"Uh," Grover looked at Percy.
"Aren't we all slowly dying inside," Percy shrugged a little. Ayden face plamed and shook her head.
"We have money." Annabeth offered.
"Yeah, take, take all of these. I'll even get you a new whistle."
"That's not what that's for," Ayden started shoving them as she heard the barking. "Go! Go!"
"Zig zag!" Grover screamed as he ran sideways. The dog got closer and closer until Ayden saw it bite down on Grover.
"No," She hesitated. "Grover!" The dogs didn't stutter as the other two heads snapped at Percy and Ayden. "Where's Annabeth?" The dogs stopped. They whined and then slowly sat down. When their heads turned it exposed Annabeth on the side of the hound's neck scratching just behind their ears.
"You're a genius," Ayden laughed at her. The dogs lay down resting their heads on top of one another.
"Guys, I can't hold this for long!" Annabeth yelled. The hound's lips moved exposing Grover as he pushed himself free. Ayden grimaced seeing that he was covered in dog slobber.
"We have to get up there," Percy pointed at the top of the cliff. "Can you fly us up one at a time?"
"You got this," Ayden told him. She teleported to the top of the cliff watching him slowly fly Percy to the top, but before he could go back down for Annabeth the hound tried to bite at Grover near the edge of the cliff. Ayden looked over the edge seeing Annabeth holding on for dear life. "I got you." She pulled her up.
"Is this?" Grover paused. "Asphodel?" They walked through the dead trees. They made their way through slowly, a fog covered most of it keeping them hidden.
"Guys, wait," Grover patted his pants. "I don't have, I lost the pearl." His eyes widened as he slowly started to realize.
"The dog," Percy breathed.
"You had to have lost it when the dog got you," Ayden looked back through the fog. She could hear the dog barking in the distance. It wasn't too far off.
"We have to move," Annabeth explained.
"But what about the pearls, we have to talk about it because someone has to stay behind and I think it should be me," Grover shook his head. Ayden pulled the pearl from her pocket and put it in his hand.
"I'll do it," She gave him a tight smile. Ayden didn't want to stay down here, but she would. She would stay in the underworld if it meant Percy could have his mother back and the others would get back safely. "It's not my quest."
"Ayden, no," Grover tried to give it back, but she walked forward leaving him to mutter by himself.
"This is, ah!" Percy came face to face with a person. Or someone who used to be a person.
"They can't see or hear you," Annabeth whispered. She looked around as more people appeared to be in the same state. Ayden moved the cloth wrapped around their limbs showing that they were turning into trees.
"Oh, this is," She grimaced and dusted her hands off on her pants. The barking got closer and closer.
"Run!" Annabeth yelled. The four took off, but when the mist cleared they realized it was only three of them. "Guys!" Annabeth from back where they were.
"Where are you?!" Ayden moved back seeing her in the same spot.
"I'm stuck," She muttered. Ayden and Percy went to work trying to pull her feet free from the roots. "Hey, you have to go." She shoved them the pearl. "This will work. I'll be fine." Percy gave her an unsure look but nodded.
"What do you have to regret?" Grover muttered. Ayden looked up at Annabeth as she gave her a small smile.
"Go." The barking got closer. "I'll buy you some time, go." Percy grabbed Ayden's arm as they moved through the fog toward the other side. They paused watching a flash of light engulf Annabeth as she dissapeared.
"Come on," Grover told them as they continued forward. "She made it."
"Okay, so the plan," Ayden muttered. "You guys grab Sally and get back."
"No it should be me, I lost the pearl," Grover pulled it free as he tried to give it back to her, but she wouldn't take it.
"Okay, look," Percy stopped both of them. "I'm not leaving either of you behind." He handed Ayden the other Pearl, but she wouldn't take it.
"I won't," She shook her head.
"You can and you will," Percy grabbed her hand placing the pearl in her palm. "My mother would never be able to forgive herself if I saved her and left you here. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself." Ayden took a sharp breath and watched his eyes. She wanted to know if he was being honest or if he was just doing it because it was the right thing to do. "Now let's go."
They walked for a while. The three of them ended up in some kind of desert area. The ground shifted under their feet constantly as the sand came free and started to sink. Grover yelped from behind them.
"What are you doing?" Percy sighed as he looked back at his best friend.
"It's not me!" Grover reached for Ayden as the Converse started to fly.
"Grover!" Percy ran after him. Ayden teleported to the other side as Grover hit her with his body. The two grabbed onto one another as they rolled down a hill toward a black pit.
"Not good," Ayden muttered as she tried to stop both of them. Every time she would grab the sand it would come loose. It was useless.
"Ayden!" Percy yelled as he grabbed her hand. He stuck his sword in the ground stopping them before the edge of the pit. "Don't let go."
"Grover, the shoes!" Ayden grimaced as she held onto him. Slowly the shoes came off his hooves the three of them relaxing in the sand. "What the hell." Percy tried to get up, but his bag was heavy.
"What is that?" Grover breathed as he gestured to the bag. Percy took it off and then opened it pulling free the bolt. Ayden's jaw dropped.
"Is this?"
"No," Grover shook his head.
"Are you sure?"
"It's not."
"It really looks like it," Ayden muttered as she touched the metal bolt. "This isn't good."
"What's it doing in your bag?" Grover asked. Percy stared at the bolt and then the bag.
"It's not Percy's bag," Ayden realized. "I'm going to kill him."
"Ares." Percy shook his head. They each looked at one another. "This is the quest." Ayden was the first one to stand up. She offered Percy a hand.
"Let's go get you're mom back," She told him. "We are here, that's first." She pulled Grover up as well and pushed them both up the sandy hill. She looked back into the pit. There was something there, someone down there. They were calling to her.
"Ayden." Percy snapped her back to reality. They headed for the giant structure. When they entered through the building they realized it was like an open cavern until the floor moved. A small square from the floor floated up until it joined the actual throne room floor.
"Two thrones," Ayden muttered. "Persephone and Hades." They heard the clicking of heels and then a figure emerged. A slender man came around the corner, dressed in all black.
"Percy Jackson, Ayden Rivera," Hades clapped his hands together. "Glad you could make it." Ayden looked over at Grover with an unsure face.
"Where's my mom?" Percy asked. Hades tilted his head to the side and dropped his hands.
"Right to the point, alright, fine," He waved for them to follow as he moved around his platform for the two empty thrones. A part of Ayden really wanted to meet Persephone, if she was anything like Cameron. "Ta-da!" He moved to the side folding up a blanket. Percy's mother was a solid statue of gold.
"What did you do to her?" Percy asked.
"I saved here just in the nick of time too," Hddes gave him a slight bow. "Now, the trade."
"I won't give you the bolt," Percy shook his head.
"The bolt?" Hades laughed. "Why would I want that? That's my brother's problem."
"You want the bolt to start the war," Grover added. Ayden watched Hades laugh and then gesture around.
"I don't really need one," He smiled. "As you can see, I don't really do jealousy."
"To start a war," Ayden reapted. Slowly she started to realize what happened.
"Then what do you want?" Percy asked.
"I want my Helm of Darkness, the one you used to steal the bolt with," Hades waited patiently as he looked over each of the demigods.
"The Helm of Darkness," Grover shook his head. "But wait."
"Kronos," Percy blurted out. "He's the one that wanted this to happen. He's the one that wants war."
"Oh gods," Grover muttered.
"Trade, the bolt for your mother," Hades rubbed his hands together. Ayden shook her head. The Olympians were going to give Ayden a migraine.
"No you wanted the helmet of darkness," She looked at Percy. He was staring at the ground lost in his thoughts.
"You are a child of Ares aren't you?"
"What?" Ayden glared at him.
"I can smell it," He grimaced. Ayden rubbed her forehead. "And I want the bolt now because if it truly is my father, then I will need that to protect my domain."
"No," Ayden and Grover spoke at the same time.
"I accept," Percy spoke. Ayden turned to him slightly shocked. "Your first deal." Percy pulled his pearl from his pocket. "Guys get ready." Percy saw Ayden hesitate as she stared at his mother's statue. "Ayden, I mean it."
"Percy Jackson, that's not our deal," Hades pointed at him.
"I will bring you the Helm of Darkness Uncle," Percy nodded. "Now!" Grover threw his pearl at the floor disappearing into a flash of light. Ayden hesitated as she watched Percy. She wouldn't leave him behind. "Hold fast Mom." He muttered and threw his down and dissapeared as the light faded.
"Daughter of Ares," Hades moved for her, but she threw hers down as well disappearing. She woke up on the shore. She had sand stuck to her cheek. Percy was next to her. She sat up and saw Annabeth come over, but that wasn't the only thing that caught her attention. Not too far down the shore was her father. Ares. She wiped the sand from her face.
"I'm gonna kill him," She tried to go after him, but Annabeth grabbed her arm.
"Wait," She muttered. Percy seemed to have a similar idea when he uncapped his pen. Riptide forming ready for the battle.
"Let me talk to him," Ayden hissed.
"Ayden, no offense, but I think we all know you aren't going to talk," Grover muttered. She glared at him over her shoulder. He held his hands up. Ayden yanked her arm free and teleported in front of her father. He didn't block her as she punched him in the face. His head barely turned as he clenched his jaw.
"You son of a bitch."
"Careful how you speak of my mother," Ares breathed.
"That was toward Zeus," She gave him a tight smile. "You stole your own father's bolt, you're working with Kronos." She stepped back as he let the sword fall from his shoulder. For a moment Ayden thought he might swing at her while she was unarmed, but he didn't. He stared down at her like any disapproving father would.
"You are your mother's daughter." Ayden felt the anger in her body shift. She was so confused, but she had to focus on something to center herself. Anger. Red hot rage. It's what she was best at.