DEVOTION, percy jackson

Tallulah Meets Her... Half Brother-in-Law?

The group approached the palace of Hades. Up close the engravings on the gates were scenes of death. Some were from modern times—an atomic bomb exploding over a city, a line of African famine victims waiting with empty bowls—but all of them looked as if they'd been etched into the bronze thousands of years ago.

Inside the courtyard was the strangest garden I'd ever seen. Multicolored mushrooms, poisonous shrubs, and weird luminous plants grew without sunlight. Precious jewels made up for the lack of flowers, piles of rubies as big as my fist, clumps of raw diamonds.

Tallulah was completely entranced by her half sister's garden. It was possibly the most gorgeous place Tallulah had ever been in. In the center of the garden was an orchard of pomegranate trees, their orange blooms neon bright in the dark. "The garden of Persephone," Annabeth said. "Keep walking."

Percy pulled Grover away to keep him from picking a big juicy piece of fruit. They walked up the steps of the palace, between black columns, through a black marble portico, and into the house of Hades.

The entry hall had a polished bronze floor, which seemed to boil in the reflected torchlight. There was no ceiling, just the cavern roof, far above. Every side doorway was guarded by a skeleton in military gear.

"You know," Grover mumbled, "I bet Hades doesn't have trouble with door-to-door salesmen." "Well, guys," Percy said. "I suppose we should knock?" A hot wind blew down the corridor, and the doors swung open. The guards stepped aside.

"I guess that means entrez-vous," Annabeth said. "What does entrez-vous mean?" Tallulah asked innocently as she played with the much too long sleeves of Percy's blue flannel.

No one answered her as they walked through the doors. The room inside seemed to be occupied. Hades sat on his throne, lounging like a super villain in his lair.

He was at least ten feet tall and dressed in black silk robes and a crown of braided gold. His skin was albino white, his hair was short and jet black. He wasn't bulked up like Ares, but he radiated power.

"You are brave to come here, Son of Poseidon, and bringing your partner in crime as well." he said in a low voice. "After what you have done to me, very brave indeed. Or perhaps you two are simply very foolish."

Tallulah's expression morphed from curiosity to insult. "It's not like we want to be in your palace of gloom. We didn't even do anything and had to hike our asses across the country." She told the god, once again not thinking before she spoke.

Hades' eyes widened with both surprise and insult. Percy slapped a hand over her mouth before she could keep talking and said, "Please excuse her.  Lord and Uncle, I come with two requests."

Hades raised an eyebrow. When he sat forward in his throne, shadowy faces appeared in the folds of his black robes, faces of torment, as if the garment were stitched of trapped souls trying to get out.

"Only two requests?" Hades said. "Arrogant children. As if you have not already taken enough. Speak, then. It amuses me not to strike you dead yet."

Annabeth looked at Tallulah and whispered, "For our sake, keep your mouth closed." "Yes ma'am." Tallulah told her with mock salute. Annabeth cleared her throat and poked Percy in his back.

"Lord Hades," he said. "Look, sir, there can't be a war among the gods. It would be . . . bad." "Really bad," Grover added helpfully. "Return Zeus's master bolt to me," he said. "Please, sir. Let me carry it to Olympus."

Hades's eyes grew dangerously bright. "You dare keep up this pretense, after what you and your sidekick have done?" Percy looked back at them.

"I'm nobody's sidekick." Tallulah told the god, forgetting momentarily Annabeth's advice. "Um . . . Uncle," Percy said. "You keep saying 'after what we've done.' What exactly have we done?"