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Leo felt like he had died again and was given a hundred doses of Physicians cure at once. It hurt so much that he felt numb with pain. Pain and an Olympus load of guilt.

How could he have done this to his best friend? How could he have been so selfish? Jason was dead. Gone forever. And the last time he had seen him was months ago, when Festus had dropped Jason and Piper to save them from the blast. Then Leo had so selfishly left them to drown in guilt and grief over his death, while he went away to rescue his girlfriend and then on a happy journey on "Happy the Dragon". How could he have given them so much pain? Leaving them to blame themselves for his death? He, who knew exactly how it felt. And now he couldn't even apologize.

He had planned a grand comeback. A big surprise. All that felt pathetic now. He felt sick. What kind of a hero was he if he couldn't even save his best friend? His brother? The heck! He wasn't even there for him when he needed him the most. Leo was the world's worst best friend.

Ha! Worst best friend.

"Shut up me" Leo said to himself. "You don't even deserve to be called just a friend".

Festus made a long creaking sound. "No Festus, I've been a terrible friend. I left my friends to fight and die alone while I went on a Vacation. Jason and Piper were always there for me. They fought by my side and saved my life so many times. They stayed with me through thick and thin and helped me through ups and downs. They trusted me. But when they needed me I wasn't there. What a great friend I am!" he said bitterly.

Tears silently ran down his cheeks. He remembered all the good times he spent with Jason. The Wilderness School (though those memories were never real), his first quest, how Jason had trusted him even though he barely knew him. He had trusted him with his past and more than his own sister. He remembered how much Jason had loved him, cared for him. How guilty and pained he looked after the Medea incident. Leo usually forgot to eat or sleep while working on the Argo ll and Jason would get into "Big brother mode" and bring him food and drag him back to his cabin to rest. Jason was the only one who never got annoyed at the names Leo made up for him. After the eidolon incident Jason and Piper were the only ones who trusted him without any questions. He remembered the look of pure joy and relief on Jason's face when he found Leo on Malta or that of absolute terror when Asclepius looked at Leo as if he was a dying man. Jason cared about everyone and he had given his life to save them. Leo had never felt so much pain since his mother had died.

He slowly drifted off to sleep, exhausted from crying, and was instantly transported to Morpheus' realm. He dreamed of Jason and piper, of the times they were together. He dreamed of Tempest bringing Jason to them. Jason soaked in blood and covered in arrows. Leo felt like throwing up. Then the dream shifted to Camp Half-Blood. Leo saw the seven demigods seated around the ping pong table. Percy and Annabeth were crying silently. Nico looked pained and somewhat angry. Frank and Hazel were sobbing almost uncontrollably. But what broke Leo's heart the most was seeing Piper and Jason. Piper had literally collapsed on Jason's chest and was crying her heart out. And Jason… Gods! Jason, who was always composed and stood strong no matter what, looked broken. Leo knew the look. He was blaming himself, wishing it was he who died. Wishing it was the storm.

Then he saw Jason and Jason and Piper on the roof of Zeus Cabin. He heard Jason say that they had to believe Leo was alive. He saw the desperate hope in Jason's eye and a silent plea. The dream changed to show Jason and Piper riding Tempest and looking for him. Then Leo saw Jason asking Tempest to search harder, while Piper looked on sadly. It was clear that she had given up hope.

Then the dream shifted again to the Zeus Cabin. Leo saw Jason kneeling in front of the Hippie Zeus statue. He heard Jason praying "Please Dad! I know that I might have angered you and I am sorry. But please, please help me this once. Bring Leo back. Please Dad. After all he DID save the world. He saved Olympus. You are the Lord of the Universe," – at this Jason's mouth turned up in a smile _ "bring him back safely or at least show me some sign of where he is. I swear that I will not ask you anything for myself. Just help me find him". Jason's voice cracked at the end and he sat down heavily.

Leo jolted awake from his sleep, eyes stinging. He felt like his heart was thrown into a shredder. He didn't deserve a friend like Jason. Jason deserved the best. He deserved much more than dying at the hands of a stupid, psycho emperor. And Leo was going to make sure that he did. He owed Jason at least that much. Leo made up his mind just as Festus landed near Bunker 9.

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As soon as Festus landed, Leo jumped down from his back. He took Festus to the back of Bunker 9. “Stay here buddy. I’ll be right back.”
He slowly made his way to the entrance of Bunker 9 and pressed his ear to the door. There was no sound and Leo couldn’t feel any machinery working inside. He opened the door and went in. the bunker was completely abandoned. Leo walked into a tiny room that he had used as his own while working on the Argo II. The room was still intact except for some of the blueprints which must have been taken by his siblings to work on. Leo found an old backpack and quickly threw in some clothes. He found some ambrosia and nectar in one of the drawers. Thank gods the godly food and drink did not have an expiration date. He stuffed them into the bag and came out into the huge workplace. It felt like ages ago that Leo had found the Bunker and worked on his dream project – the crayon drawing. He had named it Argo II because of Jason. And now Jason was gone.
No. Leo was going to bring him back. Jason had never given up on Leo and Leo would not give up on Jason. He was going to save him. He had travelled to the Doors of Death to rescue Percy and Annabeth from Tartarus, even with Gaia trying her best to kill him. Jason was in Underworld. Leo would bring him back.
Yes! Leo was going to travel to the Underworld. That was why he did not want to meet anyone. They would try to stop him. He knew he must tell them about Jason. But if he did that he won’t be able to go on his quest. And Calypso would immediately know that something was wrong, looking at his face. At her name Leo froze. Calypso! How could he leave her just like that? He didn’t even know if he would come back. Leo couldn’t do that to her. On the other hand he couldn’t meet or tell her anything either. She would do everything in her power to stop him. Leo groaned in frustration. He could solve any puzzle, fix any machines. But when it came to people or emotions Leo felt utterly hopeless.
At last Leo picked up a paper and pen and began writing. Leo couldn’t tell Calypso about his crazy plan. But he could at least make sure that she wouldn’t worry herself to death. He hoped that she found it convincing.
Dear calypso, first of all I am really sorry. I am late. Again. But there are some things that I have to take care of. Jason is dead. That evil, psycho emperor killed him. Leo swallowed back a lump in his throat. It was okay. Jason will be back soon. He went back to his letter. And Piper needs me. I have to take her back to her Dad. I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry about me. I love you. So much. – Your Supersized McShizzle Leo Valdez.
Leo knew the letter sucked. His language teacher would’ve probably scored him negative for that letter. But he knew Calypso would understand. She knew how much Jason and Piper meant to him.
He folded up the letter into an aeroplane - THAT was easy - and held it up. “Take this to Calypso, please” he said out loud. The wind picked up the paper plane and it flew away. Leo sighed and walked out of the bunker, feeling as if the hole in his chest had expanded. He crept to the back of the Bunker where Festus was waiting for him. He patted his nozzle.
“Looks like I am gonna be the official CPR, buddy – the ‘Crazy Physician of Resurrection’. First I brought you back. Then I came back. And now we’re gonna bring Jason back. Well! Let’s go bring our MISSION IMPOSSIBLE – UNDERWORLD HUNT.”
And then Leo almost directly went to the Underworld.

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There was a loud gasp. “Jason is DEAD?”
Leo jumped a foot in the air. He turned around, his hair and hands on fire. He quickly put out the fire. He did not want to start the “Great Camp Half-Blood Fire”.
He was standing face to face with a girl wearing a shocked expression. She looked about 13-14 years old. She had chocolate brown hair that came up to her shoulders. Her skin was slightly tanned as if she just returned from a beach vacation. She wore a clean pair of Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and jeans. She held some feathers in her hands. Her brown eyes, fixed on Leo, were wide with shock.
“You mean Jason Grace?” she asked Leo. Oh great! The one thing that Leo DID NOT want to talk about and so, of course, that’s what he gets. The gods must REALLY love him. Here Leo, SURPRISE! Bwahahaha.
“Holy Hades!” Leo said. “Can you at least give some warning before the sudden apparition? ‘Cause I really don’t want to be remembered as “Leo Valdez, the hero who destroyed Gaia, saved the world, died, came back to life and then died of a heart attack because a girl sneaked up behind him. That would be a real comedy.”
The girl obviously didn’t think so. She glared at Leo. “You did not answer my question.”
Leo sighed. He probably wasn’t getting away with it. The girl was stubborn and time was ticking away.
“Yes!” Leo quickly briefed the girl on what had happened. He saw a multitude of emotions pass on her face. Shock, anger, pain. Her eyes were brimming with the tears she was trying hard not to shed.
At last she wiped her eyes and stared at Leo. “So, you are going to the underworld to bring him back?”
Leo could’ve kicked himself. He HAD to say that out loud.
“What?” he started. “I didn’t… that wasn’t...”
“I am coming with you” the girl said.
Leo’s jaw almost touched the ground. “WHAT? No. No you are not. I mean I am not…”
The girl held up her hand, “You don’t have to lie to me. I heard you and I am not stopping you. But you are taking me with you or I am gonna run back and tell Chiron. So choose”. She crossed her hands and looked at him defiantly.
Leo could not believe his luck. Like really? He sighed. “Ok fine. I agree. I am going to the Underworld. But there’s no way I am gonna let you come with me on a death quest.”
The girl raised an eyebrow. “So you think you have some Copyright of dying?” she asked. “Or do you think I am so weak?”
“It’s not that” Leo wanted to clutch his hair and scream. “I… well,it’s… aaarghh. Why do you want to come anyway? I don’t even know if it will work out” he asked her.
The girl took a deep breath. “You don’t know me. I am Hailey, daughter of Aphrodite. I arrived at the camp after you left on your quest. But I do know about the Seven.” She smiled at Leo. “And I knew Jason. He stayed at Camp Half-Blood after the war. Jason saved my life. It’s a long story. But, it was actually my fault and Jason never told on me. He didn’t even yell at me. He was very understanding. Jason was like a big brother to me, Leo. I owe him and you too. After all, you sacrificed yourself to save us. Please, let me help. Two are better than one, right?” She looked at Leo pleadingly.
Leo was dumbstruck. He never expected someone to feel indebted to him. But here was someone offering to help him because she feels she owes him. And she clearly loves Jason. Most importantly, she would inform Chiron if he refused to take her and that would be that. And she was right. Some help will be good.
Leo cleared his throat. “Well, I guess I don’t really have a choice then. But you can’t fly away with me just like that. Everyone at camp will get worried.”
The girl’s face lit up. “Oh don’t worry about that. I’ve got this. Wait here for me. I’ll be back in no time.” She ran back towards the camp, grinning ear to ear.
Leo sat down leaning against Festus. His head was spinning. Could this day get any more weird? He pulled out some random stuff from his toolbelt and started building not really giving any thought to it.
After some time Hailey returned with a backpack on her shoulders. She looked at Leo’s hands with awe. “Is that a helicopter?” she asked.
Leo looked down at his work. It was indeed a helicopter just like the one he had built at the Grand Canyon. Only this one was sturdier. Leo pushed it into his toolbelt.
“How did you get away?” he asked her.
“Oh, that was easy” Hailey replied. “You see, somebody had to tell the camp about Jason” her voice caught at his name. She swallowed. “I told Chiron about Jason and, that you were here but you didn’t want to meet anyone. I told him that you were going to meet Piper and I wanted to go too. He knows that Piper and Jason were like brother and sister to me. So he allowed me to go with you and promised to tell the Camp about Jason. So we are cool to go.”
Leo stared at her in wonder. “So… You ready?” he asked her.
Hailey beamed at him “I always wanted to ride off into the sunset”.
Leo grinned at her “Sorry but I am already taken”.
Hailey rolled her eyes. They climbed onto Festus’ back. “So, where are we going?” she asked.
“Well,” Leo said. “When you have no idea New York is always a good idea” and they took off.

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Leo landed Festus in Central Park. Thankfully there weren’t many visitors in the park. They jumped down from Festus’ back. Hailey murmuring “Wow!” and “That was amazing”. She had been chanting similar phrases the entire journey. Leo honestly wished his head was still the same size. He looked around. He knew the mist would cover them and Festus from mortal eyes, but he didn’t want to leave Festus in the Park. He pulled out his whistle.
“Hey buddy! You know the drill. Fly wherever you want. Don’t go too far and be a good draggo. I will whistle for you when I come back”, IF I come back Leo thought. But he pushed the thought aside. “All right then. Have a good flight” Leo patted Festus. Festus nuzzled Leo’s hand and took off. Leo watched him fly away scattering the group of birds. He felt as if a part of him had flown away with Festus. He hoped that this was not the last time he saw his dragon friend.
Leo felt a hand on his shoulder. “Hey! You okay?” Hailey asked. Leo plastered a grin on his face and turned to face her. “Of course, I was just watching my dragon fly”. Hailey rolled her eyes. Then she looked around the park. “So, where to now?” she asked.
Leo pointed towards his left. “You see those rocks over there? Well, apparently there is a door leading to the Underworld hidden there. It’s called the “Door of Orpheus”. At camp they said that Nico and Percy entered the Underworld through it. But you need music to open it. And he didn’t know if his amazing Valdezinator would work on it. Still he had to try. If it impressed the God of Music then hopefully it would impress the music dude too.
Leo set to work. He sat down and started pulling out the tools he needed. His hands flew around the tools, building the instrument. Hailey sat down opposite to him.
“Are you building a musical instrument?” she asked.
Leo nodded. “It’s my own invention. The Vadezinator!” he said proudly.
Hailey’s eyes widened “Wow!”.
Leo really admired the girl. She did not push him or bother him while he worked. For a daughter of Aphrodite she did not look like a fashion diva. She wasn’t like Piper but neither was she like her other siblings. She just looked natural. And she had an air of calmness and confidence about her, like she knew what she was doing. Leo was grateful she was here. He could use some calm and confidence.
Leo finished the instrument within few minutes. He held it up in triumph. “Behold! The greatest musical innovation of all times. The one and only…”
“LEO!” Hailey shouted.
“Umm… It’s actually Valdezinator” Leo said sheepishly.
Hailey looked at him as if he was crazy - which he probably was. “What? Oh! No. that’s not… look behind you” she pointed behind him.
Leo looked back and cursed. There were five Earthborns walking towards them, waving their six arms excitedly as if they were very happy to meet up with them. Leo figured that since the Earthborns liked to eat demigods anytime of the day, they WERE probably happy to meet the two of them.
Leo heard a sound of metal and looked Hailey. She had taken out a celestial bronze short sword of about two feet long, including the hilt, and was standing ready in a battle stance. Tough daughter of Aphrodite Leo thought, and instantly regretted it. That brought back so many memories of his first quest with Piper and Jason. Hailey looked at Leo in confusion. “We fight them, right?” she asked.
Leo smirked. “Yeah. I only like dinner when I am not it.” He took out the helicopter he had built in the woods and made some modifications. He took out a remote controller and pressed a few buttons. The helicopter flew towards the Earthborns and hovered above them. The Earthborns looked up in surprise and the bigger one of them reached out his hand and snatched it.
Leo smiled and pressed another button. “Surprise!” he yelled.
BLAM! The helicopter expoded along with two of the Earthborns who quickly turned into mere earth. The other three stared at the ground open mouthed for a good half minute before letting out a guttural cry and running towards the two demigods. Leo took out his hammer and threw it at the nearest Earthborn. The Earthborn ducked, but the one behind him wasn’t so lucky. The hammer hit him in the face and he turned into a clay puddle. Leo set his hands on fire and shot white hot flames right at the Earthborn’s eyes. The Earthborn howled and fell to his knees. Leo willed his toolbelt to give him the largest pipe wrench and set it ablaze. He ran towards the Earthborn and brought down the wrench in an arc across his neck. The Earthborn dissolved into a thick mud mush. Leo turned around to help Hailey. But she seemed to be holding her own against the monster. As Leo watched the Earthborn ran to grab her. But she simply rolled away, making him stumble. Hailey ran for the rocks behind him, turned and pushed off the rock. She brought down the sword on the Earthborn’s neck and flipped in mid-air and landed in front of the now puddled Earthborn. She looked at Leo who was gaping at her.
“Good job” he said.
Hailey smiled at him. “Jason” she said.
Leo nodded. He took out his Vadezinator and took a deep breath. He let his hands take over. He remembered Jason and Piper and Calypso. He remembered his Mom. He remembered all the happy moments with them. He let his emotions flow through the music. He closed his eyes and forgot everything else happening around him. He just kept playing.
There was a grating sound and a gasp. Leo opened his eyes. There was an opening in the rocks with steps leading down into the darkness. Leo could feel the cold emanating from the door. He glanced at Hailey. There were tears on her face. She wiped them and nodded at Leo. They walked towards the door and stepped into the cold darkness, just as the door slid shut behind them.

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(Okay. So this might be a slightly or very different depiction of the Underworld from the books. I just tried to go with my own imagination on this one. Please bear with me.)

The steps seemed to go on forever. Or maybe it was just how the Underworld felt. Other than Leo's fire there was no source of light. Leo led the way with Hailey close behind him with her sword drawn. Leo could no longer bear the eerie silence. It was killing him. Wow! Bad choice of words.

"So" he started. Hailey jumped up in fright. "Sorry. Just wanted to make a small talk" Leo apologized.

Hailey gave a watery smile. Leo could tell she was scared and tired. But she did a good job hiding it. She was really very brave.

Leo stopped. "Let's take a small rest. We can have something to eat as well. You like tacos?" he asked. Hailey gave him an incredulous look.

"Where the hell are we gonna get tacos here?" she asked.

Leo chuckled. "Hey! That's a good allusion!". They burst out laughing and then stopped. In the eerie silence of the Underworld – with the echoes and shadows – their laughter sounded very creepy.

They shuddered. The underworld felt like a cold storage facility. If not for Leo's fire they would have been certainly frozen.

Leo quickly made some fire and started pulling out ingredients from his tool belt. "Well," he said "haven't you heard of Chef Leo the Tofu Taco Expert?" He winked at Hailey. He placed the tacos on some paper plates and offered one to Hailey. She took out a water bottle from her backpack. They sat there munching their tacos.

"This is really very good!" Hailey praised. Leo beamed "Gracias, senorita".

They finished their tacos and stood up brushing off the crumbs. Hailey picked up her backpack and they started walking down the steps. After a few minutes of walking Leo heard a sound of gurgling water. The steps took a sharp turn to the right and Leo could feel the darkness getting more intense and colder.

The steps came to an end leading to a small tunnel. The sound of water – probably an underworld river – became more distinct. Leo put out the fire slowed down. He could see a strange dark glow coming from a small crack in the wall in front of him, which grew wider as he stepped closer. He cautiously stepped out through the crack, which now, looked like uneven door.

Despite of the darkness, Leo could strangely see his surroundings very clearly. There was a strange dark glow. Almost as if the darkness itself was glowing. There was no way of describing it. Everything was dark but one could see as clearly as in daylight.

Leo looked back at the tunnel. It was well hidden. No one would be able to find it, if they didn't already know about it. The opening was sideways into the wall. So that if someone looked from the outside, they would simply see a uneven, rocky wall.

In front of Leo a river flowed sluggishly. A flowing current of silky black. It merged so well with its surrounding that if not for the sound and movement, no one would know that there was a river. It flowed towards Leo's right where it disappeared down a waterfall.

To his left, about a mile farther, stood a massive gate of stygian iron, embedded with red rubies. On either side of the gate, tall pillars made of bones shone eerily in the dark from the glow of the Greek fire that burned above them. Behind the gates Leo could see the Palace of Hades towering over the place.

Leo felt a strange tug deep in his soul. Coldness swept across Leo's body making the hair on the back of his neck to rise. He knew that feeling. He had felt it on the day of the war with Gaea. When he had caused the blast that had killed Gaea as well as him.

Leo looked at Hailey to see if she too felt the same. Hailey looked pale. Fear evident on her face. She was staring wide eyed at Hades' Palace. But Leo could tell that she did not feel that familiar tug. She was scared of the Underworld, not her soul trying to run away from her.

Leo steadied himself. He knew the danger. He had willingly taken up the risk. He couldn't back down now. Not when he was this close to Jason. He couldn't be selfish. Not again.

Leo opened his mouth to speak. But before he could utter a word, a strange shimmering glow surrounded them and out of thin air four skeleton warriors materialized surrounding them.

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Hailey jumped and screamed. Leo did not blame her. The warriors had some sort of transparent grey fleshy substance around their skeletal frame making their skeletons visible. Their eye sockets were hollow and dark mist swiveled in them. They held spears in their hands, whose sharp tips looked disturbingly bloody. The skeletal warriors stood around Leo and Hailey at four corners like bodyguards, facing the Palace gate.
There was a loud booming sound and the gates opened inwards. The skeletal warriors banged their spears on the ground and the two at the back pushed Leo and Hailey forwards towards the gate. Leo figured that fighting them would be suicide and he was pretty sure there were many more warriors who would quickly fill up for the fallen ones. If they were being taken to the Palace maybe they will have a much better chance at survival. They silently walked towards the gate and through them towards the Palace.
The Palace was huge. There was a fountain of lava in front of the palace which Leo figured was from the river Phlegethon. The Palace doors were as tall as a two storied building. The guards led them through the doors into a dark hallway that glowed from the Greek fire burning in the torches set on the walls on either sides of the hallway and the jewel encrusted ceiling. The walls on either side seemed to be moving and rippling with shadows. Once Leo felt that he saw a screaming face in the wall, he decided to stop looking at his surroundings and kept his eyes straight in front of him. He found that Hailey was doing the same. Leo once again couldn’t help but admire the bravery of the young girl.
The guards stopped in front of a massive set of Stygian iron doors with golden carvings of the Underworld landscapes and more faces of tortured souls. The edges of the doors were moving with actual souls which Leo smartly chose to ignore.
The doors opened to reveal a room so huge Leo was sure he could easily fit the entire Bunker 9 in it. The ceiling of the room seemed to be lost in the dark or simply endless. The floor was covered with a red velvety carpet. Golden pillars on either side led the way to a raised platform encrusted with more jewels. On a shining black throne that seemed to be made of moving shadows sat the Lord of the Underworld with black robes that swiveled around him.
The god looked well above 6 feet. His skin was paler than ivory in stark contrast to his dark hair and “all black” theme of the entire surrounding making him stand apart. A dark golden aura radiated from the god making him glow.
Leo felt a sharp nudge at his ribs. He jumped and looked to his sideways.
“Kneel!”, Hailey whispered and knelt down.
Leo quickly followed her suit, thankful for the company of a more sensible person. They bowed their head.
“Welcome demigods” Hades said. His voice was hoarse as if not used in a long time – which he probably hadn’t – and tinted with amusement.
“LEO! HAILEY!?” a familiar voice exclaimed. Leo jerked up his head. He was so intimidated by the Lord of the Underworld, that he hadn’t noticed two other thrones on either side of Hades’ throne.
On the left side of the throne stood a golden throne adorned with fresh flowers that looked strangely out of place. It was smaller than Hades’ throne and was unoccupied. Leo figured it belonged to Persephone, Queen of the Underworld.
There was another much smaller throne which was for some strange reason had its backrest shaped like arrows. On the throne sat a skinny boy wearing a black skull hoodie and black jeans, looking almost invisible if not for his pale face. Nico di Angelo stared back open mouthed, eyes wide with shock.

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“NICO!” Hailey and Leo shouted at the same time.
Leo’s head was spinning. He didn’t want anyone to know his plan. He hadn’t thought that he would meet Hades (which was absolutely stupid of him). He had intended it to be a top secret, stealth operation. So obviously, it went the exact opposite way. It looked like the Fates always twisted his ‘yarn of fate’, or whatever it is, in the wrong way and seemed to be enjoying it a lot. He was DEFINITELY unique. Leo knew that Nico being Hades’ son sometimes visited the Underworld, but he wasn’t expecting to meet him like this. He always found Nico a bit scary. But he also couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved. Maybe Nico would be able to persuade his father not to make them his three-headed doggie’s dinner or breakfast, considering whatever time it was now.
Nico stood up. “What are you two doing here?” he asked. He looked as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing in front of him.
“Oh! The same as you son!” Hades said. “They have come to meet their friend Jason Grace. But with the intention of taking him back to the world of living”. His glittering black eyes bore into Leo.
Leo was happy he was already kneeling. He didn’t think his legs would have held under Hades’ gaze.
Nico’s eyes grew even wider. But to Leo’s surprise, there was no anger or disbelief, but sadness and pity. He turned to his father, and what he said surprised Leo even more.
“They might be able to if you let them to” he said.
Now it was Hades’ turn to get surprised. “Nico! You know that is not possible”.
“”Not possible” but not impossible. After all father, you control the Underworld and all the souls in it.” Nico pressed on.
Hades’ whole demeanor changed. His eyes took on a sad look and his voice was impossibly soft when he answered Nico. “Son, I love you! I know Jason was your friend. A very good friend. But you know better than anyone why it is forbidden. It is not a rule or a law that can be broken, changed or undone. It is a continuum through which the cosmos achieves balance. You can’t change or undo it. Imagine if no one died. Yes! It has been reversed before. But you also know how it ended ultimately. There is always a consequence, a very high price to be paid. Because you are disturbing the balance of not only the universe but the very foundation of its functioning. Your friend Jason Grace is in a better place now. In fact, he is in the happiest place – The Isle of the Blessed. Don’t you think that is the best thing for him? Isn’t that what every hero strives for his entire life? Don’t you think he is better off here than in the mortal world? Your friend is justly rewarded. Isn’t that enough?”
Leo’s ears were ringing. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew what Hades said was right. Jason was in a happy place. He was in The Isle of the Blessed for Olympus’ sake. He was among the blessed in a safe and peaceful island away from all the chaos. Of course, Jason deserved it. He deserved the best.
But all this logic was overpowered by the pure rage that was boiling within him. All the fear, unease and apprehension evaporated. He sprang up to his feet. He could feel the temperature in the rising. He was practically glowing. Hailey crawled back, away from him. But Leo’s gaze was fixed on Hades, his fiery eyes glaring at him.
“Enough?” Leo yelled at Hades. “Isn’t that enough for Jason? Has anything ever been enough for you gods? You make us demigods fight for your cause, to save you. You let your own children suffer, fight wars and die to ensure your safety, your power, your immortality. You want us to do your work for you, play your games for you, every time. Even entertain you. We are nothing but mere pawns for you. You call yourselves gods but yet you leave the major burden on us. We went on a death quest, risked our lives, everything to save you from your own schizophrenic selves and your maniac grandmother. Jason sacrificed his life to once again save you and your world from a psychopathic emperor. He could have chosen not to. But he did. You gods have been playing and messing around with his life since even before his birth as if he was a lifeless toy. But he still laid down his life to save your useless ones. He always did the right thing. And you say isn’t it enough? You call it a just reward? I will tell you what Jason justly deserved. He deserved to be happy not just in death but in life. He deserved to live his life for himself. He deserved to live – a long and peaceful life. He deserved to have a good time, make cherishing memories and experience all that is best about the mortal world. You think being in the Isle of the Blessed is some sort of compensation? A reward? A blessing? No. He is in there because he earned it. It is rightfully his. And he has earned much more and he deserves to have it all. So guess what? IT IS NOT ENOUGH!”
There was a dead silence when Leo was done, only broken by his heavy breathing. He was literally smoking. His hands were clenched into fists and flames flickered and danced all over his body barely touching him, as if they were waiting to get free and destroy something or Someone.
Hades was glowering at Leo. His eyes were as dark as… well, darkness itself. The shadows surrounding hi were moving and growing darker and larger.
Both Nico and Hailey had similar expressions of horror on their faces. They kept looking back and forth between Leo and Hades and at each other.
Hades took a step forward and Leo felt the similar tugging sensation deep within him, this time stronger than before. He almost stumbled forwards.
Hades’ voice was deep and devoid of any emotions when he talked to Leo. “Leo Valdez! Your own life is hanging on to you by a weak thread. But here you are, fighting for your dead friend’s life. I do not know whether to call you brave or extremely foolish. It seems my son has a peculiar taste in choosing his friends. As for Jason Grace, he died for a greater cause – a cause he chose to be greater than his own life. He made his choice. And as you say he earned his place into the Isle rightfully. And that is where he is now. What more do you want me to do? I cannot go around resurrecting dead people. How do you think that will end? Don’t you know what happened when the Doors of Death were opened? Weren’t you the one closed them? Now you expect me to do the same thing and open the doors of the Underworld and send back the dead? Tell me how THAT is just, demigod?” Hades asked.
Leo gritted his teeth. “Jason is not a monster” he snapped. “And he made a choice because you left him no other choice. And anyways, I am not asking you for any favors. You owe us. You owe Jason. He dedicated his entire life not just to fight your wars for you and protect your godliness; he strived to make it better. He strived to end all the wars and animosity. He hardly ever complained. But the only rewards the gods bestowed upon him were unending difficulties and sorrows. Even after the war ended, he wasn’t done. He took it upon himself to build temples and shrines for the minor gods so as to bring peace and prevent anymore civil wars between the gods. The gods owe him. You owe him. So, give him what he truly deserves.”
Hades’ eyes narrowed. “You dare disrespect a god, boy? If you weren’t one of the seven, you would already be dead. Fine! If you think we are indebted to you, know that the Underworld is a place of balance. It evens all the odd ends. It is a place of justice. If you are so adamant on taking back your friend, so be it. You said that we did not give him a choice. This time I will let you choose for yourself. But be warned! This is Underworld and it is not a child’s game. As I have told you there is a consequence and price for everything. I will let Jason Grace walk back to the mortal world with you. But he will not be able to return to the Isle of the Blessed again. He will be judged at the end in the usual way and placed accordingly.
“That’s not fair!” Leo objected. “Jason has already sacrificed enough. And it’s not a choice when there is no alternative. You said you will let me make the choice. Where are the options?”
“Do not interrupt me demigod” Hades growled. “You do have an alternative. But it won’t be much use to you. It is impossible.”
“Leave that to us to decide” Leo said.
“Very well then” Hades replied. “If you want to take back Jason Grace without any consequences, you will personally have to find him and convince him to travel back to the mortal world with you. But remember! You will only be able to take him back if he is truly willing to leave the Isle of the Blessed and come back with you. And be warned that once you reach the Isle, you will only have five mortal minutes to find your friend and convince him. After which you will be sent back to your world. There. You have your options. Make your choice. Now go!”
Hades waved his hand and Leo felt a strong gust of wind. The shadows surrounded him making him blind. He felt the land give away beneath him and he was falling. It only lasted for a few seconds and then Leo felt his feet touch the ground again. He stumbled and fell.
“I hate Shadowtravelling” Leo grumbled. He heard Hailey curse a few feet away from him. She too was down on the ground and was looking a bit dizzy.
“You okay?” Leo asked her. She looked up at him, her face a mixture of fear, anger, disbelief and amazement. “Wow! You do have a death wish, don’t you?” she said, getting up and brushing dust of her.
“Yes he does” said a voice next to Leo, making him jump. He turned and found himself standing face to face with an angry-looking Nico di Angelo.
“Apparently dying once wasn’t enough for you, I guess” Nico was now glaring at Leo. “What were you thinking?”
Leo flinched, but forced a smile. “Aww, I knew you loved me. But don’t you worry. Uncle Leo is very much safe and as hot as ever.”
He beamed at them. But Nico and Hailey only glared at him some more.
Leo sighed. “Look I am sorry. I might have acted a bit stupid. But you can’t say I was wrong. Was i?” he asked them.
“No, what you said was not wrong. But the fact that you said that to a god in his face and in the way you said it, could have made things end up very badly for you” Nico said.
“Yeah. We are lucky Hades didn’t make us permanent residents of the Underworld. I only came for a short visit. And what was all that about your life hanging on by a weak thread?” she asked Leo.
Leo’s heart began hammering as if in response. He didn’t want to scare the demigods by telling them the truth. They already had enough to worry about. He waved aside the question.
“I am fine. Hades must have been talking about my previous death which I survived” he smiled at them reassuringly.
Hailey looked confused but seemed to take his word for it. Nico gave Leo a long look. Leo was scared that Nico being the son of Hades would sniff out his secret. But luckily for him Hailey interrupted them.
“Anyways I would really love to get out of here although this place looks so much better than the Palace, no offence Nico. And speaking of which, where exactly are we?” She looked around her as if looking for a sign board.
Leo was really grateful to Hailey. He wasn’t sure how long he might have been able to survive Nico’s death glare. He looked around him. They were in some kind of a meadow. It looked like a pleasant picnic spot. There were flowers blooming on the grass. And unlike the rest of the Underworld this place was bathed in brilliant sunlight, though Leo could not see the sun. Behind him there was a huge wall of rock with a cave-like entrance in the middle of it, leading to darkness. In front of him there was a beautiful Island with gardens, fountains, small stone cottages and groves with trees bearing all kinds of fruits. There was a huge mountain of rock right in the middle of the island from the top of which a magnificent waterfall cascaded down to meet the cool blue pond below forming a rainbow. Leo had never seen anything so beautiful and peaceful. It was simply breathtaking. The island was separated from the meadow by a milky white river that surrounded the island like a fort.
“The Isle of the Blessed!” Nico whispered in awe. “Father once told me its beauty was unmatched. He was right.”
Leo now realized why every hero dreamed of achieving the Isle of the Blessed. It truly was a blessing, especially for a demigod who had gone through hell in his life. It truly was the paradise of paradise. He looked at his fellow demigods. Both Nico and Hailey had looks of longingness on their faces and Leo was sure he had the same expression too. He couldn’t help but think of Calypso. She would absolutely love the place. He wished they could be able to live in that island together peacefully forever.
“That is where Jason is?” Hailey asked, not taking her eyes off the island.
“Yes” Nico answered.
Leo snapped himself out of his reverie. “Then we better keep moving.” He took a step forward but Nico grabbed his arm and yanked him back.
“Leo, listen to me. Are you sure you want to take Jason back? Now that you have seen the Isle of the Blessed, don’t you think he is happy in there?” he asked.
“I know he is happy Nico” Leo replied. “But I want him to be happier. I want him to be more than just happy. And anyway Hades said that if we ourselves find Jason and take him back he will not lose his place in the Isle. He will be able to come back here. So it’s all right. And I bet I can find Jason within five minutes. There don’t seem to be many people over there. Once I find him, I am sure Jason will not say no.” Leo was sure of that. Jason hardly denied anything to anyone. He would never deny anything to his best friends.
Nico’s face fell. “Hades also said it is impossible. And he was right Leo. Only Hades can visit that island. Even I can’t visit it. Hades tricked us. We can’t go over there. You see that white river surrounding the island? To get to the island, you will have to cross the river. And that is river Lethe. One drop of it and you would forget your own existence.”
Leo’s hopes came crashing down. He had travelled this long, survived Underworld and Hades himself, all for nothing? He felt the rage boiling within him. He could imagine Hades sitting on his throne and laughing at him right now.
“No. there has to be a way. There’s always a way. Maybe I can build something. Or… wait! You can shadowtravel us to the island and back. Can’t you? We don’t have to worry about the river then.” Leo looked expectantly at Nico.
Nico shook his head. “No. I can’t. None of our powers work beyond this meadow. It is to protect the Isle from any kind of threats. Only Hades can access it. You can’t build anything either. I am sorry Leo. There is no other way.” Nico looked at him sadly.
Leo felt dizzy. He sat down. He couldn’t believe he had come this far only to go back empty handed. He thought back to his visions of Jason. How Jason had spent months looking for him. And then begging Tempest to find him. How Jason absolutely refused to believe that Leo was dead. How he never gave up on him. Now it was Leo’s turn. He couldn’t give up on Jason. Not when he was so close to him.
He put his hand into the toolbelt and started taking out metal pieces, wires and other things and began working on them. Nico and Hailey exchanged a confused look.
“Leo, what are you doing?” Hailey asked.
“Can you Charmspeak?” Leo asked Hailey.
Hailey looked taken aback. “I… well… a little bit, I guess. It’s not as powerful as Piper though. But why, though? What use is charmspeak here?”
Leo didn’t answer. He kept working.
“Leo what are you thinking?” Nico asked.
Leo finished his project and held it out to them. There was an earpiece and two square boxes that looked like small speaker boxes. He put the earpiece into his ear.
“The earpiece is for me. These are portable speakers. You can speak to me through it.” He handed one to Hailey and pointed to a button on the side. “Just switch it on. I will carry one with me.”
“Hold on. Where do you think you are going?” Nico asked.
Leo took a deep breath. “I am going to the island” he announced.
Nico and Hailey jumped on him together.
“Are you mad?”
“What? No. You heard what Nico said”
“You will lose your memory”
“Leo, you can’t do this”
Leo held up his hands. “Guys, please listen to me. I didn’t come this far for nothing. I can’t just go back without Jason. And I certainly can’t let Hades win his sly little game. I am going to the island no matter what. It’s up to you, whether you want to help me or not.” Nico opened his mouth to object, but Leo stopped him. “I don’t want to hear anything. There’s nothing you can do to change my mind. Just tell me this. Will you help me or not?”
Nico and Hailey looked at each other. Their expressions were pained. Hailey had tears in her eyes.
“Leo, please think about it once again. Do you think Jason would want it? And what about Calypso?” Nico asked.
“Jason would do it for me” Leo answered. He smiled at Nico. “And I don’t need my memory to love Calypso. I would love her anyway. Memory or no memory.”
Leo believed what he said. He was thinking of Calypso while he was working. And he was sure that all he had to do was look at her to know that she was the one.
“You would forget all about your past life Leo. You wouldn’t even remember your name.” Nico warned again.
“The only memories worth remembering were made after I met Jason and Piper” Leo said. And they know enough about me to help me. Just do me one favor and send a word to Calypso and Piper when we get back, please.”
Nico looked sadly at Leo “Of course. I will do that.”
Leo turned to Hailey who was openly crying now. “You are a very brave girl, Hailey. You remind me so much of Piper. Please help me. When I step into the river charmspeak me to move on and find Jason. When I find him tell him what happened. I will switch on my speaker. And remember we have only five minutes. Once I step into the river everything will be on you. Do you understand?”
Hailey burst into tears and hugged him. “Oh Leo!”
Leo patted her back. He remembered the time when Hazel and Frank had hugged him when he had told them his plan. He never thought that history would repeat itself so fast.
Hailey pulled herself back “Yes I understand. I will do it” she said.
“Thanks Hailey” Leo turned to Nico. “Thank you”
And surprise of all surprises, Nico stepped forward and hugged Leo. Though he quickly pulled back.
“You are stupidest demigod I have ever met” he said.
Leo grinned. “I love you too Neeks”
“Shut up, Valdez!”
“So, are you guys ready?” Leo asked.
“No” both replied at the same time.
“Good”
Leo walked towards the river. He tried not to think of anything as he switched on his speaker and fastened it to his toolbelt. He looked at the river. It wasn’t that wide, maybe some hundred yards or so. He ran the last few paces to the river and jumped in.