୨⎯ The Daughter of Ares ⎯ ୧ ☾P. JACKSON x FEM OC☽

21. "Boy shut up you look like a rat."

THE NEXT DAY, PERCY, AND ERIKA HAD ENTERED A SHOP OF BEDS.

The owner walked up to the two, "Well, hello there. Missing our mommy, are we?" He asked as he had this British accent- thing - Dunno.

"We know who you are. You're Procrustes." Erika said, looking at the ugly looking rat. "Son of Posiedon, and murderer of travelers."

"Crusty, please." Procrustes corrected before he walked up to the two, Erika was ready to get her dagger out. "And you, you've got Dad's eyes." He added, looking at Percy. "Take a load off. Relax for a minute." He said, trying to offer the kids a seat on those disgusting beds of his.

"The beds are a trap. That's how you do it." Erika responded, "How you murder your guests."

"I do?" Crusty musty dusty asked, seeming offended by his rat faced expression.

"We know there's a secret passage to the Underworld here." Percy responded, "We know you were left here to guard it. But we need you to let us through. Please?"

Crusty stayed quiet before he turned around and started speaking, "In addition to being incredibly comfortable, these beds are great-"

"Boy shut up you look like a rat." Erika cut him off as he turned around.

"For your self-confidence." He continued as he turned around to look at the two.

"We're really not interested- " Percy started before being cut off by Crusty.

"They show you how to fit." Crusty added. "Fitting's not easy for guys like us, am I right? Our parents make it so hard. Stretching us and twisting us and hacking off pieces to make us seem more like them." By that, He placed his hand on Percy's shoulder, Erika glared at him before he moved his hand away, "Anywho. These beds take all that away." He added before he smacked the bed, letting it move like water. "With these beds, you just... fit. Try it. I think you'll feel much better."

"You first." Percy responded, By that, He was shoved onto the bed, the bedsheets immediately captured him, Annabeth took her hat off.

"You two okay?" Annabeth asked, looking at them.

"If he says another word, I'm gonna behead him." Erika added coldly, staring at Procrustes, who was moving around to get free.

"Yeah, im fine." Percy responded, staring at Procrustes as well.

"You won't save her. You won't be the first to try bringing someone back from the Underworld." Procrustes commented, not being able to look at the kids. "You won't be the first to fail."

"Yo. You're lucky you still got your head, dummy." Erika responded, looking at Procrustes.

"Don't push it." Annabeth added. Slowly, Grover opened the door and peaked his head in.

"Is it over?" He asked, looking at the three.

After few seconds, the kids stood in front of "Do not Enter" door. "Are we sure this is the right way?" He asked, Grover turned his head towards him to listen to him. Grover slowly approached the door and opened it, immediately coughing and backing up.

"It's either the realm of the dead, or someone left a carton of milk in there in the 1990s." He said, picking on his thorns again.

Erika looked around, looking for anything that could help Grover. She finally took a ball, which looked like a dog's toy ball.. for some reason and handed it to Grover.

"Better?" Annabeth asked, looking at Grover.

"Much." He responded before Percy started speaking.

"If we get into trouble. These are our tickets out." Percy said, taking the pearls out.

"No one's turning back till we all come back." Annabeth added before Procrustes yelled,

"No one comes back."

"Oi! You rat faced old wringly grandpa! Don't make me come back out there." Erika yelled, having mixed feelings about this trip to the Underworld. But Procrustes was making it harder for her to stay calm. She hated this grandpa already.

"We have mo idea what's down there." Percy said as Grover played with the ball, making it squeak to calm himself down.

"I just think it's safer if I'm not holding them all." Annabeth said, looking at the pearls in Percy's hand. Erika felt her fingers on her pendant sword again, taking deep breaths before she tied her hair into a little bun. Annabeth took a pearl, and so did Grover. Erika hesitated before she took one, leaving Percy with one too.

"Let's go get your mom." Erika said as she placed the pearl in her pocket and zipped it up so the pearl doesn't fall out. By that, the kids began to go into the Underworld.

Erika was fiddling with the sword pendant, checking her pocket per minute. She was trying to stay calm about this whole quest to the Underworld. But everyone saying they'd fail was getting into Erika's head.

"Hey, it's fine. Take deep breaths." Annabeth comforted, looking at Erika, who was fidgeting with her sword pendant. The kids finally got into the Underworld and they immediately hid somewhere.

"Not in Kansas." Percy mumbled, Annabeth turned to Percy before saying,

"Hey, focus. We left Kansas four days ago."

"Yeah, no, it's a.... nevermind." Percy responded as he sighed.

"Guys, is that who I think it is?" Grover asked, his toy ball getting a bit louder as he kept making it squeak. The thunder was rumbling and his toy ball was squeaking. Erika and Grover were literally having the same emotions right now.

"Charon, the boatman, taking new arrivals across the River Styx," Annabeth said, "Which means that over there is the main gate."

"Let's go. Maybe we can get there first." Erika said softly.

"Yeah." Grover responded before he got up, Erika turned to look at Grover.

"Why don't you let me hang on to that for now?" Erika said, extending her hand for the ball. Grover handed the ball to Erika before they started walking again.

The kids moved past the crowd of the dead people, Percy apologising to everyone as Erika was shoving the dead people aside.

"This seems so wrong." Grover said.

"Nah." Percy responded.

"Only suckers wait in line." Erika said.

"You know, you should really spend some time in the city with me." Percy said to Grover. "I think you'd learn a lot."

In front of them, was a person with their face covered with their hood.

"You're not dead." The grim reaper looking guy said.

"I mean... we're all dying..." Percy responded. "To some extent."

Charon sighed, "And you didn't pay to cross."

"Wait we can pay! We can pay!" Grover said as he shoved Percy towards Charon as Charon was closing the line.

"Here. Drachmas." Percy said, getting the Drachmas out. "Just take... take, uh... Just, you know, take 'em all."

Charon whistled almost inaudibly. "You can buy a new whistle." Erika added.

Suddenly there were heavy footsteps approaching them. It was a cerberus barking. The four started running as fast as they could. One of the head took Grover into its mouth.