God of the Hadal Seas

Chapter IV

The quest members arrived once the sun started to rise over the tree line, the hunters coming first. I gave Zoë a questioning glance, noticing Phoebe not there with them. "The sons of Hermes, Phoebe is out of commission," she spat angrily, marching past me with Bianca following cautiously.

"How's Nico doing?" I asked, as she walked by. "I don't know, haven't seen him," she answered with a shrug, continuing past. I rolled my eyes at her, looking back at the camp, waiting for the other two.

They arrived about 10 minutes later, followed by Chiron to send us off. I reached around the tree, grabbing the attempted stowaway by the back of his shirt, hauling him into view.

"A good attempt, Nico, but unnecessary. I'll be on the quest, so I'll be there to bring Bianca back," I reassured, patting his shoulder comfortingly. "You better," he muttered, scowling at having been caught.

"Get this one back to his counselors, and tell them to keep an eye on him. Set him up for some psychological classes, children of Hades are flawed by their ability to hold grudges," I explained, pushing the boy into Chiron's grasp.

"Will do. Take care of them, Perseus, please," he requested, laying a hand on my shoulder. "You can count on me, my friend. Everyone should return safely on my watch," I replied, giving him a determined nod. He patted his hand, before leading Nico away.

I walked down the hill, joining with the campers as we made our way to the hunters. "Why do you smell like the underworld?" Grover asked, sniffing the air. "Grover, he's a minor god of the Underworld," Annabeth deadpanned, looking at him.

"Plus, I made a little pitstop there last night," I added, satisfying the satyr. "Why?" Annabeth asked, turning up at me. "My mother called," I answered, lying smoothly. Best to keep my adventures in Tartarus a secret.

She nodded, backing out of the conversation. Family drama, especially amongst the gods, is not something anyone wants to deal with.

"Where's Argus?" Grover questioned, looking up and down the road. "I was thinking I could take care of transport, so I relieved him from duty," I answered, snapping my fingers. The asphalt before us melted into a black pool, beginning to bubble.

A black and silver stagecoach ascended from the pool, pulled by shadowy Shire Horses with red eyes and fangs. A skeletal reins-man nodded to me, tipping his hat with respect. "Care to give us a heading, my satyr friend?" I asked, opening the door for the ladies. A step ladder folded out as the door opened.

He fumbled through his pockets, before tossing out an poplar leaf. It floated to the ground, pointing south. He looked to me, and I nodded in partial thanks.

I grabbed some gravel, tossing it onto the ground. They scattered around, becoming words. "Washington, my good sir. The capital," I informed the reins-man, which he nodded at. I allowed Grover in, before climbing in myself.

As the door closed, we heard the snap of the reins, and we were off. "A bit cramped," Bianca stated, getting squished between Annabeth and Zoë. "It's a simple expansion spell, but I would need to collect some ingredients, and I can't teleport while we're moving like this," I replied, gesturing to the windows.

They turned to look, seeing stone and patches of dirt zoom by us, with the occasional ore deposit. "We're underground?" Grover asked with surprise. "Much faster than dealing with mortal traffic laws. We should arrive in DC in an hour," I explained, shrugging.

They nodded impressed, except for Zoë. She just stared out the window with boredom. Bianca and Annabeth began conversing quietly, so I started conversing with Grover about the council.

Time Skip:

We surfaced on the road outside the Air & Space Museum, slowing to a stop. I opened the door, letting the ladies out first before allowing Grover and I to disembark. I tipped the reins-man an iron coin with Hades and Persephone imprinted on either side. He tipped his hat, before snapping the reins and pulling away.