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With Ikki leading them, they stopped in front of the massive doors leading to the throne room where the ruler of the Underworld from the Greek pantheon resided.
"Well, folks," Percy looked at the huge doors and asked, "Should we... knock?"
A warm breeze blew down the corridor, and the doors opened.
The guards stepped aside.
"I guess that means 'enter'." Annabeth said, shifting nervously.
"Don't worry. Just remember my words. Everything will be fine." Ikki whispered quietly enough for the three of them to hear.
With that, he stepped forward confidently, as though he weren't about to face a god with the power to erase a planet from the universe.
The same could not be said for Percy, Annabeth, and Grover. They nervously followed their friend, but strangely, as they looked at Ikki's supernatural figure ahead of them, they began to calm down and felt that everything would be okay.
This effect was so powerful that they didn't even feel like they were about to meet one of the Three Most Powerful Gods of Greek Mythology. It felt more like they were about to meet an ordinary person...
Ikki used his 'influence' to rid them of their worries.
As they entered, they faced a vast room with a throne, black marble walls, and a bronze floor.
The throne was horrific, made of fused human bones.
It was occupied by its lord, Hades, the God of the Underworld.
Of all the gods he had encountered on his journey, this was the fifth one, but the first to have impressed Ikki, at least a little. He had the posture of a true god. Hades stood at least three meters tall, draped in black silk robes and a crown of braided gold. His skin was white like an albino, and his long black hair reached his shoulders.
He wasn't as muscular as Ares, but radiated strength. He reclined in his throne of fused human bones, appearing flexible, elegant, and as dangerous as a panther.
Like some kind of charm, the man before them gave off the feeling that he should be the one giving orders, that he knew more than they did and was meant to be their master.
It was this feeling that his influence or charm gave off, but it had no effect on Ikki.
Looking at the historical details, Hades reminded Ikki of portraits of Adolf Hitler, Napoleon, or terrorist leaders controlling bombers.
He had the same intense gaze, the same hypnotic and malevolent charisma.
While Ikki ignored the influence of the man before him, his friends were struggling!
A numbness crept into Annabeth's, Grover's, and Percy's joints, making them want to lie down and take a quick nap at Hades' feet. They wanted to curl up there and sleep forever.
It was as if death had embraced them in a comforting way, making them realize that life had no purpose and that death was the salvation of their souls...
Ikki obviously noticed this and stepped in front of his friends, pulling them out of their stupor and combating Hades' influence with his own...
Percy, Annabeth, and Grover felt relieved as they emerged from that pleasant yet terrifying state.
At that moment, they heard the god, who had been watching them coldly up to this point.
"You are truly brave to come here, Son of Poseidon..." he said in a rich voice. His malevolent eyes scanned Percy, then the other three children in the room. An indescribable, even shocked, gleam appeared when his eyes landed on Ikki, but he quickly hid it and continued with his dignified, emotionless exterior.
"After what you've done, I have to admit either you're very brave, without a doubt, or perhaps very foolish..." Hades continued, speaking coldly to Percy.
Percy stepped forward and stood next to Ikki. He knew what to say, or at least had an idea. After discussing with his friends what should be done upon meeting Hades, they concluded that he should try to negotiate with the Lord of the Underworld, since he had been accused of stealing the "Master Bolt."
Standing beside his friend, Percy felt much calmer than he should have. After all, he was meeting one of the most powerful gods, the ruler of the Underworld, and the one who held his mother hostage. Plus, he was the only one who had truly impressed him as a god, and he should be very emotional. But he was only slightly nervous.
He said cautiously:
"Lord and Uncle, I bring two requests."
Hades raised an eyebrow. As he leaned forward in his throne, dark faces appeared in the folds of his black robes, tortured faces, as if the garment were made of souls from the Fields of Punishment, stitched together after attempting to escape.
Percy's "attention deficit disorder" part couldn't help but wonder if the rest of his clothes were made in the same way. What kind of horrible things would someone have to do in life to deserve to be part of Hades' undergarments?
Seeing his friend taking the lead in the conversation, Ikki remained calmly silent, waiting for the perfect moment to put his plan into action.
"Only two requests?" Hades narrowed his eyes, glowing malevolently. He said, "Arrogant child. As if you haven't already received enough. Speak, then. I think it'll be fun to wait a little before I obliterate you..."
Percy swallowed hard. This was going about as badly as he feared. He glanced at the smaller, empty throne next to Hades. It was shaped like a black flower, decorated in gold. Percy wished that Queen Persephone were there. He remembered something in the myths about how she could calm her husband's moods.
Annabeth cleared her throat. Her finger nudged Percy's back.
"Lord Hades." Percy snapped out of his stupor and tried to find words. "Look, Lord, there can't be a war among the gods. That would... be bad."
"Really bad," Grover added, eager to help.
"Give me back Zeus' Master Bolt," Percy took a deep breath and said sincerely, "Please, Lord, let me take it back to Olympus..."
Hades' eyes glowed dangerously. His voice grew colder as he said, "You dare continue this charade, after everything you've done?"
"Uh... Uncle..." Percy said, confused, "You keep saying 'after everything you've done.' What exactly did I do?"
The throne room shook so violently that the impact was probably felt up in Los Angeles. Chunks of rock fell from the cave ceiling.
Doors slammed open violently in every wall, and skeletal warriors marched in, hundreds of them from every era and nation of Western civilization. They lined up in the four corners of the room, blocking the exits.
Hades did not answer his question. He roared, "Do you think I want war, son of a god?"
Miraculously, Percy managed to keep from saying anything stupid.
"You're the Lord of the Dead," Percy spoke cautiously, "A war would expand your kingdom, right?"
"It's typical of my brothers to say something like that!" Hades scoffed coldly. He said, "Do you think I need more subjects? Can't you see the vastness of the Fields of Asphodel?"
"Well..."
"Do you have any idea how much my kingdom has grown just in the last century, how many subdivisions I've had to create?"
Percy opened his mouth to respond, but Hades was now on a roll.
"More security spirits," he complained. "Traffic problems in the judgment hall. Double overtime for the staff. I was a rich god, Percy Jackson. I control all the precious metals beneath the earth. But my expenses..."
"Charon wants a raise," Percy blurted, remembering this fact.
Ikki remained silent, waiting for the moment to execute his plan.
"Don't talk to me about Charon!" Hades' eyes gleamed even more, and he shouted, "He's been unbearable since he discovered Italian suits! Problems everywhere, and I have to deal with them personally. The travel time between the palace and the gates is enough to drive me insane! And the dead keep coming. No, godlings, I don't need help finding subjects! I didn't ask for this war..."
"But you took Zeus' Master Bolt," Percy said, trying to reason.
"Lies!" More rumblings. Hades rose from his throne, towering over them like a football goalpost. He snorted and said coldly, "Your father may deceive Zeus, boy, but I'm not that stupid. I see his plan..."
"His plan?"
"You were the thief on the winter solstice." Hades began to explain, his reasoning clear, "Your father thought he could keep you as his little secret. He sent you to the throne room on Olympus. You took the Master Bolt and my helm. If I hadn't sent my Fury to find it out at Yancy Academy, Poseidon might have gotten away with hiding the plan to start a war..."
"But now you've been forced to show up. You'll be exposed as Poseidon's thief, and I'll get my helm back!"
"But..." Annabeth spoke, her mind racing, "Lord Hades, did your helm of darkness also disappear...?"
"Don't play innocent with me, girl," Hades practically growled. The frustration in his voice was evident, "Because I have no illusions that anyone on Olympus will bring me justice, or help me. I can't let the news leak that my most powerful weapon is missing. So, I searched for you myself, and when it was clear you came to threaten me, I didn't try to stop you."
Ikki, who had been standing in silence beside Percy, furrowed his brow. He noticed that Hades seemed to want to ignore his existence... It was more as if he wasn't sure how to deal with him.
He stared deeply at the God of the Dead and activated his [Akashic Eyes], hoping to discover any clue as to why Hades was acting so strangely, but he found nothing...
As he searched for an explanation for the subtle oddities he'd noticed since entering the throne room and seeing the God in front of him, his friend seemed shocked by the fierce accusation!
"No!" Percy spoke uncertainly, "Poseidon didn't... I didn't..."
"I didn't say anything about the disappearance of the helmet," Hades practically growled, his irritation very apparent in his voice. "Because I have no illusions that anyone on Olympus will do me justice or help me. I can't allow the news of my most powerful weapon going missing to leak. So, I searched for you myself, and when it became clear that you came to me with your threat, I didn't try to stop you."
"You didn't try to stop us? But..."
"Give me my helmet now, or I will halt death," Hades decided to take the offensive and threatened Percy coldly with an evil glare. "This is my counteroffer. I will open the earth and send the dead back to your world. I will turn your lands into a nightmare. And you, Percy Jackson... your skeleton will lead my army out of the Underworld."
All the skeletal soldiers stepped forward, weapons at the ready.
It was at this moment that Ikki moved! He stood in front of his friends and spoke lazily, "Wait a second. I don't think this will happen."
As he spoke these words, he extended his hand in a grabbing motion, and in front of everyone present in the room, a magical scene unfolded. From golden particles, a woman began to form, and when she appeared, silence fell upon the room.
This was due to the identity of the woman—none other than the Queen of the Underworld, Persephone!
She was all bruised and her hair was disheveled, her beautiful face covered in cuts and bruises... Honestly, she looked quite miserable, as if she had been beaten severely before being kidnapped.
Her eyes were tightly closed, but Ikki's grip on her delicate neck seemed to control gravity itself, keeping her standing with her head normal, not drooping as expected from someone who was unconscious in her current state.
The shock Hades felt when he saw his wife captured by the "enemy" was immense. He narrowed his eyes at the boy and spoke in a dangerously cold voice, though there was a hint of hesitation in his pupils, which did not go unnoticed by the Greek King of Heroes.
"Boy... Let her go now, or you will face a fate worse than any torture invented in my Land of the Dead..."
Ikki frowned when he noticed the hesitation and lack of explosion from the God in front of him. It wasn't exactly how he had imagined it, but he continued with his plan.
"I propose a simple exchange. We know that Percy's mother is being held hostage by you. I want her back, and in exchange, your wife returns to you fully healed."
Percy, who had recognized the identity of the woman, was stunned, his jaw practically hitting the floor. Annabeth and Grover weren't much better; they had suspected but were still shocked by the confirmation from their friend.
The three of them wondered how Ikki had managed to capture a Goddess.
From the marks on her body, they could only assume that Ikki had fought her and won, much like Hercules, capturing her and deciding to use her as leverage in this negotiation with the Lord of the Dead.
Hades looked at the boy thoughtfully, considering whether or not to kill him with everything he had, but dismissed the idea as foolish. He could see the boy's soul as a deity with mastery over death...
He was anything but a regular demigod.
From his perspective, he saw Ikki transform from an empty abyss into a resplendent rainbow, with his soul exploding from his body like a fiery hell. A normal soul could be compared to a small flame, but his was like a star, shining not just one color but a rainbow, and Hades could even see a beautiful golden aura swirling in the center of his soul... almost like an ancient thread that made his own soul tremble slightly.
Just from this fact, he tried to ignore the boy and not provoke him—not out of fear, but because his soul was on a different scale than anything he had ever seen. That fear he felt every time he looked into its depth made him hesitate in everything involving this boy.
"Fine, Ikki Phoenix, son of Zeus. I will accept your terms," Hades said coldly, looking at his beloved wife in the hands of his current enemy. He raised his hand, casting golden fire on a step in front of Percy. It exploded, and there was his mother, frozen in a rain of gold, just as she had been at the moment when the Fury's whip had tried to squeeze the life out of her.
Percy couldn't speak, staring in shock at his mother.
"Here is your friend's mother."
At the end of his words, he snapped his fingers, and Sally appeared completely unharmed in front of Percy.
Percy, still stunned by everything, looked at his mother, now perfectly fine, and felt incredibly relieved and happy. He forgot all about his shock.
"Mom!" Percy shouted, running to her and pulling her into a big hug. "I thought I lost you..."
Tears flew down his face as he couldn't stop the overwhelming happiness.
"Percy?" Sally cried as she looked at her son. "Percy, are you okay?"
"Me? You're the one who was trapped in the Underworld for the last few days! Are you alright?" Percy said, starting to check if his mother was hurt, despite her protests.
"Percy, I'm fine. The last thing I remember is the monsters chasing me, and... well, I think that's it," Sally replied, looking around confused.
"It's all good. I'm so happy you're okay, Mom." Percy said, giving her another hug.
Annabeth and Grover, having gotten over their shock at Ikki capturing the Queen of the Underworld, smiled at the scene.
Since Hades had fulfilled his part of the deal, though he still felt something was off, Ikki quickly followed suit. He snapped his fingers, and Persephone was fully healed before disappearing and reappearing on her throne next to her husband, still unconscious.
Hades nodded his head and sighed a little, still looking complicated. Unlike his brothers, he wasn't someone extremely proud; he also had caution in his heart, and while he wasn't afraid of anything, he did take into consideration what his eyes had seen...
"I will give you the option to hand over my helmet and the master bolt, and you can leave here with your mother unharmed," he looked at Percy and spoke.
"But I don't have it!"
Hades snorted, still looking at Percy. "You came here with it, little fool, thinking you could threaten me..."
"This is a lie!"
"Then open your backpack..."
A horrible thought struck Percy. The weight of his backpack, like a bowling ball... It couldn't be... Under the curious eyes of his friends, he took the backpack off his shoulders and unzipped it. Inside was a metal cylinder, about sixty centimeters long, with a tip on each side, buzzing with energy.
The demigods and satyr were all stunned. Only Sally stood there, not understanding anything, beside her son.
"Percy," Annabeth stared at the son of Poseidon, perplexed, and said, "How..."
"I... I don't know. I don't understand..." Percy said, interrupting her. He seemed even more confused and stunned than she was.
"You heroes are always the same," Hades had eyes full of disdain as he spoke to Percy. "Your pride makes you fools, thinking you can bring such a weapon in front of me. I didn't ask for Zeus's bolt, but since it's here, you will give it to me. I'm sure it will be an excellent bargaining tool..."
"Lord Hades, wait," Percy said, reaching the conclusion of who the real culprit was. "This is all a mistake..."
"A mistake?" Hades raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, this isn't Percy's doing. He was used as a catalyst to start a war on Olympus. Ares gave us that backpack," Ikki said with a complicated look on his face, as he looked at his supposed father. He spoke calmly, "It's easy to guess who the culprit is; he must have your helmet too."
Hades paused thoughtfully at Ikki's words and, after carefully considering what to do in this situation, he sighed and spoke.
"Since you said so, I will trust you, Ikki Phoenix, son of my arrogant younger brother. I will let you leave here; I don't need the master bolt, take it with you as well. But in exchange, I want you to recover my helmet and bring it to me in three days."
The group felt strange about how the events had unfolded.
The God of the Dead wasn't the boogeyman others imagined...
Ikki also felt strange. He had been prepared for a full fight against the God of the Dead, but everything had been resolved peacefully... He looked at Percy and said, "Your father gave you four pearls in total, right? Each one can protect and carry one person. So, you four use the pearls to leave the Underworld. I will follow after through my own means..."
Percy, Annabeth, and Grover hesitated to leave their friend, but seeing his expression, they knew they had no choice. After a brief moment of hesitation, the three nodded. After Percy gave each of them a pearl and explained how to use it, they all took a pearl, looked at their friend, then at Hades, who didn't seem to want to interrupt their "escape," and crushed the pearls beneath their feet. They vanished from the Underworld.
Leaving Hades and Ikki alone.
"My brother and his little tricks," Hades muttered uninterested. He then looked at the boy and narrowed his eyes. "You're quite brave to stay here alone with me, aren't you? Anyone else in your place would've left and left their so-called friends behind... wouldn't have chosen to sacrifice themselves..."
Although he appeared indifferent, Ikki calmly looked back at him and said, "You've lived a long life, much longer than I can comprehend. I don't expect you to understand this. However, as a mortal who lived a short life, I put more thought and emotion into every one of my actions than most. It's not that I'm brave, it's that I have things more important to me, and I choose to sacrifice myself for them..."
He had always been like this. His tragic past life was like this, and in this life, it continued. He sacrificed everything he could for more power to protect his mother and friends, sacrificed his own happiness by not pursuing Artemis when he knew she had no feelings for him, even though with his appearance, it would have been easy to win her heart. He felt it was wrong to consider 'flirting' and 'pursuing' as everything the Goddess of the Hunt despised. He cared more about what she felt than about himself...
Other people were more important than him...
"I understand. Someone with your power, capable of facing a God... and yet you continue to put your existence in a state of insignificance. It's curious that you have this kind of thinking—selflessness. So, is this your fatal flaw?" Hades spoke somewhat indifferently. "Before, I considered you an idiot hero driven by pride, but now I understand you're more genuine than the rest. This thinking of yours, that others are more important than yourself, makes you the least detestable son of my arrogant younger brother..."
"Fatal flaw?" Ikki murmured to himself, confused.
"I see that Chiron didn't explain this..." Hades looked at the boy and answered his doubt. "Normally, you heroes inherit certain flaws from your parents. A demigod will have a fatal flaw in their being, something they must control and organize. If not, as the name suggests, it can be fatal to your life..."
Ikki looked at Hades, surprised as he absorbed this fact. Although he knew it could be what the God of the Dead spoke of, he didn't feel it was wrong—he didn't want to be alone and live the life he had in his past life... If he had to give everything of himself to escape that loneliness, he would do it without hesitation...
"Thanks for the answers, Uncle..." Ikki sighed and smiled. "And sorry for the audacity. As I said before, I have my people to protect, and don't worry, I didn't do anything to Persephone, just a light illusion of wounds..."
After saying this, he began to disappear before the eyes of the God of the Dead.
Soon, silence prevailed in the throne room of the Underworld.
Hades looked toward the ceiling, lost in thought.