Modern Myths

Book 4.5 - The Sword of Hades & The Bronze Dragon

12/25/08, Monday

Hades' Castle, Underworld, 10:00am EST

Percy POV

Aunty P told me that she'd teleport me here, with Nico, Bianca, Hazel, Thalia & Jason after we finished breakfast for an emergency mission.

She even woke up Thalia, Jason & Hazel early so they could eat before the mission.

She stands before us alone, before speaking, "I was forging a sword for my husband, but it was stolen hours ago. I locked the underworld, so they couldn't use the key in it to escape."

Hades' keys allow someone to enter or leave the underworld however they please.

With it locked down, the keys wouldn't work & the thief would have to either swim up the Styx & defeat her, or try the secret portals scattered across the underworld.

She continued, "This yellow carnation will track the thief. The further they're away the more petals it will lose. If it is bare, they're no longer in the underworld."

Thalia took it & I opened my book, "Hades' Sword is possessed by...Ethan, why would he turn, & is near Melinoe's Cave."

Bianca spoke, "That's one of the ways out of the underworld. We must hurry."

We raced past the river Lethe, due to the good word Styx gave Lethe, thus allowing the other 5 to walk on water, too.

We saw the Field of Punishment being smaller, due to the opportunity to move to Asphodel in exchange for farming enough crops if their sins were minor or they suffered a significant time.

I even saw Sisyphus's empty hill.

Keres waited for us. She is a Daemon that I fought back on my journey to the Sea of Monsters.

She can replicate herself indefinitely.

I held up my shield. Since it had Medusa's head on it, she was stoned.

She split herself up, but it didn't matter as the stone curse affected all of them, even if only 1 looked at it.

Once we reached the cave, we saw the goddess herself waiting for us.

Nico asked heartbroken, "Why are you doing this sister?!"

Melinoe responded coldly, "To bring about a new age. The underworld grows stale under father."

That was her attempting to be cold, but I could tell there was something off with how she moved.

She honestly looked guilty between listening to Nico & her response.

I said, "This is a training exercise, isn't it? If you weren't as doting on Nico, Bianca & Hazel as Kym is with me, you might have fooled me."

She folded immediately, "Yes, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm here to stop you!"

She summons illusions with her mist of Jason & Thalia's abusive mother & the loving mothers of the Hades Trio.

They saw right through them & attacked.

Thalia & Bianca with their bows & The rest of use with swords.

Nico spoke, "Leave us, Percy, Jason! Get to the Sword!"

Jason & I continued through the cave.

We eventually caught up to him, with me freezing him in place, causing him to trip.

Jason ran past me to pick up the sword, as I held Ethan down.

Sure enough, Uncle H was watching the whole thing from the exit.