My Boyfriend is a Dead Roman Hero | Jason Grace

I Beat the Quiet Game

Juliette never realized how much she loves to talk.

Talking is fun. Talking. Singing. Humming. Even screaming would be nice right about now.

She settles for whistling.

"You know, I thought getting your voice stolen would make you quieter." Nico hisses.

Julie grins at him and takes in a breath to continue. She is rudely interrupted when he yanks her into an alcove. Nico glares at her and peeks around the corner. Three skeletal guards come marching past through the hallway of the palace. They disappear into the throne room, and Nico's shoulders slump in relief.

"We need to get to the gardens," He whispers. "I can't convince him to help if he's leveraging my mom against me. I think it's time I summon her and get answers for myself."

His face is grim and gaunt in the pale green light of the Greek fire torches. Juliette shudders at his resemblance to Hades in this moment. She nods at him, and he grabs the sleeve of Percy's jacket to pull her down the hallway in the opposite direction of the guards.

They pass a random buffet table and Nico swipes a goblet of wine and plate of cheese without breaking pace. Julie crooks an eyebrow at him.

"For the summons." He explains.

Juliette shrugs and continues following him into the warm humidity of the gardens. She tries to get her war face on. Whatever they're about to learn needs to be a game changer. They can't win this war without Hades, and the two of them are Olympus' only chance at getting his help. They cannot screw this up.

"For gods sakes, would you stop whistling?!"

--

There's a moment of complete stillness as the face of the Oracle dissipates into mist.

Juliette tries to find her thoughts. Her eyes flit to Nico.

He's paler than she's ever seen. His shoulders tremble as he falls to his knees on the damp grass.

"And just what," A cold voice barks. Juliette jumps and looks up to find Hades before them, a murderous glint in his eye. "Do you think you are doing?"

Shadows erupt throughout the garden. Juliette throws herself down over Nico to shield him as pockets of earth explode around them. Gems combust and shower them with shards of ruby and sapphire. Nico feels cold in her arms. He hasn't stopped trembling.

When Hades' tantrum is finished and stillness returns to the garden, Juliette looks up to meet those pitch black eyes. There is pure fury within them.

"I forbade you from summoning Maria," He snarls. Nico looks at him hollowly. "You have spat on my will. You have expressly disobeyed me." Hades approaches swiftly, his robes billowing out behind him. Nico just stares. "I should be rid of you right now. Give me one good reason not to blast you into oblivion!"

Juliette could give him twenty, but she's still unable to speak. She looks to Nico desperately.

He's studying his father like it's the first time he's ever seen him. His fingers trace shallow divots in the soil between his knees as he takes in the god's face.

"She was beautiful." Nico breathes.

Hades reels back as if he'd been struck.

The two of them are silent for a very long time, just staring at one another like their entire universes have been flipped around. Like nothing at all and everything makes sense all at once. Like they're meeting for the very first time.

Juliette feels like an intruder on an important moment. For the first time, she's glad to be without her voice.

When Nico finally speaks, his voice carries through the garden as if he's shouting. "You loved her?" He whispers.