A/N: So this is the last post before we start regular updates on 9/18, the series will update every Sunday, depending on interest I may open an interest check for a physical book, and that’s all. Happy reading!
* You know you must look absolutely feral, a wild look in your eyes, ichor splattered across your clothes and hands, staring dead in the eye of the king of the underworld himself.
* Hades doesn’t look at you like you’re a spectacle, instead he strides straight to where your father’s laying on the pure white sofa, now stained gold.
* Hades inspects the wounds, his eyebrow furrowing.
* “This isn’t good.” He holds his hands above the wounds, whispering a few words in Greek. You see the skin begin to repair itself, the gashes begin to close, only to re-open.
* “It’s as I feared,” Hades whispers.
* “What’s wrong with him?” You shriek, tears prickling at the corners of your eyes, you hastily wipe them away, taking a deep breath.
* ‘I have to keep my emotions in check.’
* You pick up the ichor stained towel so you can apply pressure to the wounds, using what little you know of first aid to do what you can.
* “It’s…it’s comparable to what you humans call blood poisoning.” He finally says. “All Gods have a certain element in their blood, mageia, it’s self regulating, typically it’s easy to replicate and replace.”
* “But dad is a fertility god.”
* “Zagreus is a unique case, think of it as if he has a rare blood type, the only kind in the world.”
* “So we can’t save him?” Panic again grips your heart, and you have to remind yourself to breathe. Hades mouth stretches into a stern fine line.
* “There is a way.” Your eyes turn to him, hope fluttering know your chest. “Circe, the goddess of witchcraft, she may be able to make a potion.”
* ‘Circe is the one who live on the island and turns men into pigs, and then married her lovers son.’
* “Gods,” Hades voice is soft, almost forlorn. “Cannot intrude in Circe’s domain without an invitation.”
* Your blood runs cold, but your mind finds the loophole in his words.
* That’s how all those human men ended up on her island.
* “It isn’t so simple.” He interrupts.
* “I have to try!” For a moment your powers leak out, and the blue aura escapes from you.
* He doesn’t buckle under the weight of your despair, but tears gather in the corner of his eyes.
* You breathe quickly, dealing with the emotions that rage in your heart as fast as you can.
* ‘Can’t make mistakes like that again.’
* “Aren’t you full of surprises,” Hades whispers, renewed interest sparkling in his eyes. “Fine then, I’ll begin making the arrangements for your quest.”
* You gulp hard, nodding.
* “What now? Will I have to cross the ocean to get to Circe’s island?”
* “Even worse…you’ll have to go to a summer camp.”
* For a second you wonder if he’s trying to be funny or something, and though the dark expression that crosses his face may seem comical, it’s one hundred percent serious.
* “The journey is not especially long, but it is tedious, you’ll have to cross out of the city and into Long Island, you can drive, yes?”
* His eyebrows thread together.
* “Is that not older than the minimum age requirement for operating a motor vehicle?”
* “That would be sixteen.”
* Technically it’s fourteen to have your hands on the wheel with someone beside you, but you’re not going to give him any ideas.
* You can tell he’s stumped, before he suggests you ride a fury to Long Island, or maybe your bike you say:
* “I know dad’s car is with the valet, maybe Maki can drop me on the beach and I can walk the rest of the way.”
* “Makaira.” You quickly amend, feeling heat creep up your neck at the informality you just showed.
* ‘He’s probably at the end of his patience at the insolence I’ve shown calling his son ‘dad’ and his daughter by a nickname.’
* “I didn’t realize you were so close.” It’s only for a second but it looks like his lips jut out in a sullen pout, when you blink his face is impassive as ever. “Very well, Makaira will take you to that…summer camp.” He spits the words out again like he’s cursing.
* “You’ll be at a disadvantage, it may be presumptuous of me but I doubt Zagreus has been teaching you combat.”
* It’s not like you need to know how to use a spear, your entire body is a weapon, it just takes a flick of your eyes to bring devastating despair to your opponents, but the comment still makes your face feel hot.
* ‘So what if dad didn’t teach me how to use a sword, he taught me what fork to use and which bread plate and glass are mine at a fancy restaurant, and that feels just as valuable.’
* Hades waves his hand, a thick red cloak appearing from thin air. He eyes you then the garment before snapping his fingers, the cloak shrinking several sizes.
* “This is my cloak of invisibility, it will hide your presence from any monsters while you use it.” Your hands hold the silk fabric, your eyes tracing the way it seems to shimmer under the light.
* “You’ll also need some money, I’m sure Zagreus gives you enough mortal currency but in case you need immortal money…” he drops a coin purse as large as your fist into your hands, you’re practically blinded when you open it, there’s at least a hundred large gold coins and a handful of jewels.
* “And of course, you can have this.” He places a small, spherical object in the palm of your hand.
* “What does this do?” Is it a smoke bomb in disguise? Maybe it’s a weapon or a container for poison or sleep powder.
* “It’s just a normal pomegranate.”
* “The pomegranates of the underworld are quite delicious because the soil is so rich in nutrients. The seeds are very small, almost non-existent. They are…tasty.” He looks almost bashful as he says it’s, his fingers fidgeting.
* ‘He’s just trying to give me a treat? Like some grandpa who wants me to eat some fruit he cut?’
* “D-don’t worry, this isn’t the fruit of the underworld Persephone ate, it’s just a regular fruit.” He reaffirms, he looks like he’s about to say something else when you stop him.
* “I wasn’t worried about that,” you fold the cloak carefully, putting it into your favorite bag, the pomegranate set on top. “Thank you for the treat.” You watch this adult man, a king of gods, cough into his fist a pink blush fanning across his face.
* “It is the least I can offer considering you’re going on a quest to save my s— an integral part of the underworld hierarchy.” He clears his throat mid-sentence.
* ‘It must be exhausting having to hide your feelings all the time.’
* Hades lifts your father in his arms like he’s a sack of potatoes.
* “I’ll take him to the underworld, for now, Persephone might be able to keep him stable and buy us some time.”
* He gives you one last glance, his eyes softening as he looks at you.
* “Remember you have my card if you ever need help.”
* Before you can open your mouth he dissipates into a cloud of black smoke.
* For the first time in twelve years, you’re completely alone.
* “I guess I should go see if dad left his wallet and steal some of his cash from him.”
* You leave with your backpack full of the chocolate chip cookies your dad baked, toiletries, three pairs of clothes, and $300 dollars you took from your dad’s wallet (out of the five hundred he seems to carry around like he’s begging to get mugged or something), and your dad’s lucky jean jacket.
* You hold it to your nose, taking in his scent—the smell of a mossy meadow, like birth and decay, before tugging it over your shoulders. It’s oversized, reaching past your hip, and you have to roll your sleeves up, but it makes you feel safe.
* You take one last look around the penthouse, the only home you’ve known for the last twelve years—
* Before closing the door behind you.
* When you get down to the parking garage Maki’s already there, her hand slapping the hood of the car, each slap punctuated by the word ‘shit’.
* “Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shi- Oh, hi (Y/N).”
* ‘At least she’s got a coping mechanism.’
* “Dad drives the black SUV.” You point to the Range Rover with the ‘My child is an Honor Student at St. Catherines Charter School’ sticker on the bumper. You toss her the spare keys you pilfered from your dad’s home safe.
* ‘I can’t believe the code was my birthday, Geez dad.’
* The drive to Long Island is tense, your dad’s favorite radio station humming in the background.
* “You’re not going to ask about Dad?” You finally ask, reading the silence.
* Her grip tightens around the steering wheel.
* “If mom’s the only one who can help him I can imagine what happened.” She murmurs.
* You’re still too shocked to process what happens, but the thought of your father’s golden blood smeared on your hands has your stomach twisting into a knot.
* “This whole thing is a fucking mess.” She hisses, muttering archaic Greek curses as she overtakes a particularly slow silver Prius.
* “Keep your wits about you okay? Don’t trust anything anyone says, just keep to yourself if you can.”
* “Why is everyone acting like you’re sending me to —” you were about to say hell, but given the lineage of the person you’re speaking to it might not be the most tactful choice. “ —lion's den, I mean it’s just a summer camp, right?”
* It didn’t seem particularly exciting in the books, it mostly seemed like the typical stuff: sword fighting, strategy lessons, and studying a language, the same sort of classes you’d been subjected to most summers on the upper west side.
* ‘It’s hardly the death sentence everyone seems to be making it out to be.’
* “I know it sounds perfectly harmless,” her knuckles turn white again, her mouth arched in a sneer. “But that’s the whole point.”
* “They say it’s to help those kids learn the survival skills they need but, that place, it’s nothing more than the womb of a shark.”
* ‘What the hell's that supposed to mean?’
* “You’re a sharp kid, you’ll know what I mean when you get there, just…” she pauses, teeth nibbling into the flesh of her lip. “Just don’t be fooled by that asshole’s propaganda.”
* Before you can ask what she means, she pulls into the parking of a beach, the clouds dark overhead.
* “This is as far as I can take you.” Her words are firm but her expression is conflicted. Her mouth creases, eyes glancing into the distance. “It’s about two miles away, about a thirty-minute walk, it’s the second hill—the bigger one.” You follow her index finger, looking at the two hills in the distance, the first is a stumpy thing, and the second is far larger, the peak hidden behind a cloud.
* “You have dad’s card right?” She asks, and you nod.
* “Yup, tap the ground three times and whisper his old name.” You pull your backpack out from the backseat, your hand rummaging through the contents.
* “And he gave you the cloak?”
* You nod again, pulling out the silky crimson cape. Maki takes it wordlessly from you, securing it around your neck and fastening the top two buttons gently.
* “Keep this on until you get to the camp,” her face becomes incredibly stern. “No matter what happens, no matter what you see, do not take it off.”
* ‘But what if it’s, like, really hot?’
* “And remember,” she gulps hard. “If it’s too scary or you don’t feel like it’s right, it’s okay, you can quit, the old man will figure out another way to get to Circe’s island. No matter what anyone says, you’re not a hero—”
* ‘Gee Maki, that sure does make me feel good about myself.’
* “—you’re a member of our family.” Her hands rest on both of your shoulders and you feel a lump of emotion rise in your throat.
* Years from now you would find this to be the integral moment that set your future in stone, the words would be engraved in your bones like a blessing, reminding you of who you were no matter how far you may stray.
* But at this moment all you could manage was a nod, letting Maki pull you into a hug before walking away.
* The trek to Camp Half-Blood was mundane, the silky cape may be lightweight but in the summer heat, it stuck to the back of your neck like a second skin, an entire layer of slimy sweat coating your body.
* Halfway through the trip, you noticed the clouds above you getting darker, growing ominous as you crossed the first hill.
* ‘Hope it doesn’t rain, how much would it suck to show up soaking wet with all my stuff wet too.’
* When you reached the base of the second hill, you remembered you forgot to pack a towel, smacking your forehead.
* ‘Maybe I can trade some cash for one.’
* You found this hill to be steeper than the last, practically scaling the hill.
* ‘This is basically rock climbing at this point.’
* A quarter of the way in your worries about the towel returned.
* ‘What if they don’t have a camp store, and no one has an extra towel? I guess I could use the clothes from the previous day but that would be kind of gross.’ You sigh.
* “Living in the lap of luxury sure has spoiled me.”
* You were three-quarters of the way there when you heard it, a hum in the distance. At first, you wonder if your ears are playing tricks on you, if the fatigue of climbing has finally gotten to you, when a sea of black begins to encroach on your place on the mountain.
* ‘What the absolute fuck is this shit?’
* On closer inspection, the black forms have angry red eyes, lithe bodies, heavy mouths dripping with foam, and razor sharp teeth.
* A blur of grey hangs over the swarm, what you can only describe as an old woman with bat wings for arms and a tail.
* ‘Hellhounds and furies.’ You realize. ‘Persephone really wasn’t kidding when she said Dad was what was keeping the monsters away, I can’t have been on my own for more than twenty minutes and I have a swarm after me.’
* You eye the army moving towards you.
* ‘About 2,000 feet, moving at 100 feet a second…yeah, I think I can take them.’
* The wind rustles your hood back, the first clasp of the cloak coming undone, and adrenaline runs in your ears, for a second you swear you see the army stutter, but think nothing of it, extending your hands out.
* ‘At least I’ve got some better power management now.’
* You imagine all the energy in your body flowing to your fingertips, and then stretching out like an aura, letting the emotions you locked away release one by one.
* A small black dot escapes from the tip of your index finger, no bigger than a gumball. It floats forward, growing bigger with each foot, and electricity fizzles from the outer bounds. In less than a second the ball expands to four times its size, encasing the entire army in a veil of black, lightning sputters out before the ball collapses in on itself and disappears with a flash of white light.
* Those are your thoughts exactly.
* It takes you three long seconds to realize those words didn’t come out of your mouth, and another three long seconds to turn around.
* About thirty feet ahead of you are four children, two boys, and two girls, both boys look like teenagers, one with sandy blond hair and bright blue eyes, the other with facial hair and crutches propped under his arms. One of the girls looks about thirteen, maybe younger, with the prettiest face you’ve ever seen—
* ‘She looks like Angelina Jolie.’
* The other girl looks no older than ten, with golden blonde hair, and mocha-colored skin. The most shocking part are her stormy grey eyes.
* They all look like they’ve seen better days, with bloodstained clothes and miscellaneous cuts
* They all stare at you with wide eyes and slack jaws.
* Your fingers fiddle with the neck of your cloak.
* ‘That’s right as long as the hoods up I’m invisible.’
* Which meant those monsters weren’t after you, they were after them.
* Maki’s words echo in your ear: “No matter what you see, don’t take this cloak off.”
* ‘Nice work (Y/N), spectacular job really.’ You size them up again, they’re still too shocked to move. ‘Well, they’re still just kids, I think I can probably pull this off.’
* “Are you guys on your way to Camp Halfblood?” The sandy-haired boy and grey-eyed girl nod. “Cool me too, mind if I join you guys? I’m terrible at directions.”
* They all shake their head, slowly gathering their weapons as you catch up to their spot on the hill.
* “Do you guys know if they have towels there? I forgot mine, and I really need a shower now, it’s surprisingly hot under this cloak.”
* The comment earns you a laugh from the sandy-haired boy and the Angelina Jolie look-alike
* “I’ve never been, do you know Luke?”
* Your heart drums in your ears, your eyes racing to the small girl that eyes you warily—
* The teenage boy beside her begins chewing on a tin can.
* ‘Which means that’s Grover Underwood.’
* Your eyes finally fall to the teenage girl, her jet black hair and eyes as blue as a cerulean sky.
* You’ve only had the thought when a bolt of lightning descends from the sky, engulfing Thalia whole, a shriek of pain escapes her mouth, leaving nothing in its wake
* There’s a single moment of silence, the only sound is the howl of wind.
* Then, all at once, golden light covers the hill when in her place a massive pine tree begins to rapidly sprout.
* For a second you can’t move, all you can do is stare at the spot where she stood, where a massive tree now stands.
* You’re at the dining room table, your father sitting across from you with a pained expression.
* “They call them heroes, but really they’re just pawns.”
* Then you're with Maki in the car, her knuckles white and her mouth arched in a sneer.
* “That place, they call it a camp, but really it’s just the womb of a shark. You’ll understand when you get there.”
* You feel your bag hit the ground with a thud, horrified screams ringing in your ear.
* ‘So that’s what they meant.’
A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! As always if you want to be added to the tag list please comment, if you send an ask or a message I almost always forget
