Chapter Text
“Hey Percy, our kid just asked if he can leave.”
Persephone frowned but didn’t look up, sitting cross-legged on the dark blue sofa in one of the underworld palace’s ironically numerous living rooms. Persephone sipped her wine and kept her eyes on her book.. The black-stone room was lavishly decorated with muted maroon and purple, an elegant contrast to the gloomy blues. Outside the dim window, faint chatters and moans drifted from the fields of dead, suffering their eternity of waiting and boredom. It wasn’t her fault so few wanted to read the books she had organized for them. Some did, and they were her favorite subjects, but most preferred to wallow. She supposed that shouldn’t surprise her; life was full of interesting things to do, and yet many mortals still managed to be bored and idle for most of it. Still, Persephone was confident that eternity would eventually wear them down. Sooner or later, they’d get over it, learn to read, and stop being miserable.
“Okay?” the Dread Queen said. “And?”
Hades sighed.
“And I don’t know what to tell him. Normally I’d say no. But … ”
Persephone looked up from her book.
“What do you mean? You always let Zagreus wander the palace grounds. Since he’s been getting older, you’ve taken him to the edge of the river yourself. What changed? Did he do something wrong?”
“No, no,” Hades put a hand to his forehead and leaned against the ornate doorframe. “I mean, Zagreus wants to leave the Underworld. I get asked that a lot, and the answer is always the same.”
Persephone’s eyebrows lifted. She set her book and wine on the end table, her expression turning thoughtful. Hades hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
“What are we supposed to do?”
Now Persephone sighed. Hades could be hard to calm. His flabbergasted moments were annoying, but oddly endearing. It came with being a god, especially one so uncontested. It wasn’t often he encountered something he couldn’t control. All he usually had to do was wait. But Zagreus wasn’t mortal. Having a child, Persephone thought, had been good for Hades.
“Well, let’s think it through, dear. One step at a time. He wants to go to the surface, right? The land of the living?”
“Yes,” Hades said, crossing and sitting next to his wife, tapping his fingers anxiously on the armrest. “He wants to go to some exotic coastal city where the queen has offered a quest across the world for an ancient artifact. It’s classic hero stuff, and he’s obsessed with it. He wants to get rich, sailing the seven seas, and settling down with some pretty girl he’ll meet along the way. I mean, isn’t his father the god of money already?”
“What about the girl?” Persephone asked. “I love you, but surely you don’t want to rub your marriage strategy off on him?”
“I - “ Hades stopped, and for a moment he looked embarrassed. Persephone was the only person who could do this to him, and she relished that power. “I’m sorry, Percy. Of course not. But still, Zagreus is being absolutely ridiculous.
“He’s been talking to Hermes, hasn’t he?” Persephone said, covering a knowing smile. “Good for him. Hermes is a good influence. I think it’d be great for Zagreus to have a little adventure. I often worry that it’s too boring for him around here... it is the Underworld, after all. He’s still finding his place in the bigger picture.”
Hades’s expression softened. “I hadn’t thought of it that way.”
“Honestly,” Persephone went on, “my only worry is that he’ll get hurt. He’s a god, but he’s a special case when it comes to immortality. There haven’t been any wars or plagues lately, but it’s dangerous up there. We’ll have to wait until spring so I can be with him when I go to visit my mother. It’s only a few weeks away. Then, he can go off on his own, with someone watching over him of course.”
Hades leaned forward and Persephone watched his thoughtful expression. He did want his son to experience more of the world than just its dark and dreary basement. He and Persephone loved it here, but they could tell the boy was itching for something more than field trips to the bleak rivers, fields of dead grass, and forests of gnarled, leafless trees. Books could only take someone so far, especially someone who had never lived. He needed someone to talk to who wasn’t dead, or a god, or a dog.
Finally, Hades nodded, decision settling into his broad shoulders.
“Let’s get that boy on an adventure .”
***
“Let’s go!” Zagreus said, almost running circles around his parents in the carriage. The skeletal horses that drew it flew over the crowds of the dead milling about below. “Thanks, mom and dad! I’ll make you proud.”
Zagreus was strong, if a bit thin for seventeen. He wore his formal best; black robe, royal dark shoes, and a silver circlet. He had striking white hair that reached his ears, turquoise eyes, and already some laugh lines starting to show. He was one of those offspring whose energy is both exhausting and revitalizing to be around.
“Now, son,” Hades cautioned the excited boy, “remember that the surface is a dangerous place. Just because you’re a god doesn’t mean you can’t die.”
Zagreus frowned. “But if I die, doesn’t that mean I just come back here?”
“Yes, but you’re not a fully-fledged god yet. You’re still discovering your abilities, your domain, your role. You’re vulnerable to injury and death. You should be familiar with those by now.”
Zagreus looked over the side at the familiar endless crowd below. Of course he was familiar with death.
“But you should be fine!” Persephone added cheerfully. “Look at you, all big and strong and ready to face the world! You may still be young, but a god is a god, and it’ll take a lot more to bring you down than even the strongest mortal.”
“Hm,” Zagreus said, turning back to his parents. “I’ll try to only anger mortals, then.”
Hades cleared his throat. ‘So, Zagreus the plan is this: I’ll take you and your mother to the surface so you can visit your grandmother. After that, Hermes will fly you to Makria, and you can start your quest. How’s that sound?”
“Sounds great, dad!”
“Do you have all your things?”
“Yep! I’ve got my food, money, clothes, sleeping gear, everything!”
“Do you have your gloves?”
“Yep!”
Zagreus sat between his parents and pulled them against his shoulders.
“I’m gonna miss you guys.”
Persephone returned the embrace. “We’ll miss you too. But remember who you are, what you can do, and what you represent, and you’ll be more than alright.”
Hades put a hand on the eager youth’s shoulder. “Try not to give me too much work.”
They shared a laugh at that, and the carriage pulled on towards the surface.
“Wave bye to Cerberus,” Hades said, pointing over the edge of the carriage towards the cave entrance.
“Bye, Cerb!’ Zagreus called. ‘See you later!”
“When are you planning on being back, by the way?” Persephone asked as her son sat back down. “You’re going on a voyage, so that should take a few months, but you will be done before next spring, right?”
“Yep!” Zagreus bounced in his seat. “Not a problem. I will be done before autumn and you can take me home with you!”
“Sounds like a plan, son. Oh!” Persephone started. “Did we tell you about Hermes?”
“Hermes? Not really. I know he’s dropping me off at Makria, but he’s coming with me after that, right?”
Hades shook his head with an amused smile. “Not exactly; he’s got a lot of work to do, even if there’s not as many newlydeads for him to guide lately. He does a lot of different things, you know. But he has generously offered to come to your aid if you ever need his help in your journeys. We of course accepted.”
“Wouldn’t want you getting hurt or lost,” Persephone said, “even if you’re a god. And we know Hermes gave you this idea in the first place. It’s only fitting that he’s available to help you; he’s got experience with this kind of thing.”
Zagreus could barely contain his excitement. “That’s gonna be so fun! How do I call him? Is he gonna be there when we visit grandma?”
“He will,” Persephone nodded, reaching into her dress pocket, “and if you ever need his help, just strum this special lyre he made for you and call his name.”
Zagreus’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped at the instrument his mother withdrew.“It was a lyre of polished ebony, decorated with skulls around the strings. It was the perfect gift for a prince of the dead. Zagreus loved the lyre and had a few already, but this one was different. Persephone could see it in his expression and the way his hands reached for it immediately.
“Go on, take it,” she smiled, passing it to him.
“You better not break that,” Hades said sternly. “Hermes went to some length to get that crafted for you.”
“Don’t worry, dad, I won’t!”
“And if you need to talk to me or to your father,” Persephone said, “simply use the same method I use to call him. Which is?”
“Tap the ground three times and say your name?”
“Preciesely,” Hades nodded, and slapped the reigns lightly. “I was worried he convinced you that the entire orphic hymn was necessary. He just says that to mess with people.”
The small family continued to make their way up toward the surface, accompanied by the music of the lyre in its eager new owner’s hands. After a few minutes, Zagreus paused and looked up.
“But mom and dad, what about the Furies?”
“What about them?” Hades asked. “They’re not going to say goodbye to you. You know how they are.”
“Alright, just wanted to ask.”
“However,” Persephone added, “depending on how busy they are and who you meet, they might come to your aid.”
“I dearly hope he never meets anyone who’d attract their attention,” Hades muttered. “‘I can’t deny I enjoy welcoming those people to the Underworld.”
Zagreus nodded once and went back to playing his lyre. Finally, the time came. The light from above created a blinding white wall, at the edge of the dark stone of the passageways and mountainsides leading down into the Underworld. Hades guided the skeletal horses downward, and the carriage descended to the hard, rocky ground just before the wall of light. Hades climbed down from the carriage and offered his hand to his wife. As Persephone took it and was lightly lowered to the ground, Zagreus jumped out on his own. The family shared a group hug, some final warnings and reminders, and at last a goodbye Then Hades climbed back into the carriage and took off, waving the whole way
Well,’ Persephone said, looking from her son to the bright surface ahead. “Shall we go see grandma?”
Zagreus grinned. “Let’s go!”
“Well, kid, you ready for some adventure?” Hermes yelled over the rushing wind, holding a cheerful Zagreus in his arms as he soared through the air. The prince’s black robe billowed out behind him. Below them, the Mediterranean Sea stretched off into the southern horizon, coastal mountain ranges rising to the north. The beaches lay directly beneath them.
“Oh yeah!” the boy shouted in reply. “How far to Makria?”
“Not far! The Queen is excited to see you! She was getting worried the crew wouldn’t manage on their own but with the Prince of the Underworld on her side? Queen Agathe’s expecting success.’
Zagreus opened his mouth to speak, but then noticed something strange. He squinted at the world below. There was a wave of black coming their way, from the beach. Closer inspection revealed them to be arrows, rapidly approaching.
“Hermes!” he shouted. “Below us! Arrows!”
“Uh oh,” Hermes said. It sounded like he was trying not to laugh. “Drop! Aim for the water in case I don’t catch you!”
Before Zagreus could reply, Hermes let go and Zagreus plunged straight down toward the swarm of arrows racing up to meet him. He screamed and put his gloved hands in front of them, the edges glowing a blackened blue as his power reflexively activated. To his relief, the flare didn’t burn the lyre he clutched to his chest. The wind blew his white hair and clothes all around him. Time seemed to slow down as he and his doom rushed towards each other.
“Hermes!” he cried, strumming frantically at the lyre. “You’re supposed to keep me out of danger, not thrust me into it!”
Just then, Zagreus felt two feet land on his back and push him down even faster. He turned his head to look back up, and saw Hermes looking straight back at him with expectant amber-glowing eyes.
“You don’t seem very ready for adventure,” the trickster god drawled, a sly grin on his face. ‘Go on, Prince of Death. Cheat it.’”
Zagreus’s eyes widened. “Ch-cheat it?”
“Yeah, kid. You’re a god, aren’t you?”
Zagreus looked down. He had only seconds to act . He had only a few seconds left to make a move. His mind went blank, and then one desperate idea entered it and filled it so quickly that he did it without thinking. The gloves flared with his frantic energy, blasting it downward and forming a solid, glassy surface beneath him.
“What am I doing?!” Zagreus shouted. It would have been his last words if the shield hadn’t worked.
But it did. More effectively than even Hermes had expected. There was a rush of hissing arrows all around them, gone in a moment.
“Nice work,’ Hermes said, veering them away from the beach and out over the offshore water. ‘Didn’t know you could do that.”
“You didn't?!” Zagreus shouted, still concentrating on maintaining the glassy surface he’d just formed below him.
“Get rid of that, quickly!” Hermes said. “You need to look dead!”
Zagreus let it go and shut his eyes. The glassy shield dissolved into a faint blue glow that curled back into his gloves. Hermes’s pressure on his back increased a bit, pushing him down faster, and he gasped as arrows appeared in his chest and all across his front.
“Relax, those are just illusions,” Hermes said. “Take a deep breath!”
A moment later, Zagreus crashed into the water. On the beach, the archers watched the waves, searching for any sign of movement.
***
“I think we got him!” the archer shouted to his captain.
“The captain nodded slowly, watching the pair of figures pass through the cloud of arrows they’d sent straight up. The archers were nervous about shooting straight up, but Hermes had promised to make their arrows keep going and never come back down once they hit their target. Even so, overturned rowboats were scattered around them just in case.
“Looks like we did; Queen Agathe will be pleased.”
After a moment, as the figures drew closer, the captain squinted.
“Yep, looks like we got the brat. Our accomplice used him as a shield.”
None of the soldiers had ever seen the Prince of the Underworld before, making them the first mortals to ever lay eyes on him.
The pin-cushion of arrows that Hermes rode to the water just offshore was like a young, proud fallen beast, and was fascinating to look at for the glimpse they got before he crashed into the water. After recovering from their initial shock, the massive army of archers lined up again facing the water. Their god accomplice had done his part. Now they just had to wait for him to surface with the body, and they could pay him and be on their way.
But there was a problem.
“Captain!” one of the soldiers shouted. “The arrows in the sky!”
The captain looked up with dread as the sky darkened again. Apparently their god accomplice had forgotten to keep the arrows from coming back down. The captain seethed for a split second, but he had to take action now. He avoided cursing; now was no time to curse the gods.
“Take cover!”
The next few moments were a frantic scramble as archers on a wide open beach hid under the canoes they’d brought for this possibility. Only a fool didn't make contingencies with Hermes involved. There was screaming mixed with arrows landing in a terrible chorus of piercing and slamming into water, sand, and wood.
A few moments later, soldiers peeked from beneath their arrow-peppered canoes as a lone figure rose from the water The captain stormed out of his canoe until it hit him that he was marching toward a god. A thin, unimposing god, but a god nonetheless. His bravado evaporated instantly.
Suddenly, letting a barrage of arrows fall on his men didn’t seem like such a big deal. None of them seemed to have been hurt, anyway.
“Where’s the prince?” the captain asked as Hermes brushed off his dripping clothes and undraped some seaweed from his shoulders.
“He’s dead,” the messenger replied. “Didn’t you see him fall into the water? You lot shot him up good. Now, where’s my money?”
The captain’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure he’s dead?”
Hermes’s amber eyes narrowed back. “Do you want to go check? Go ahead; he’s full of water, full of arrows, and right that way if you want to see for yourself. Might be hard to see in the coastal murk, though.”
The captain sighed and signaled for the treasure to be brought forth from under one of the canoes. You didn’t argue with a god.
“That had better be the treasure I asked for,” Hermes said. “The right ear and mint. You wouldn't sacrifice a grape on an altar built for a bull.”
Under the water, holding his breath as only a god can, Zagreus watched his half-uncle take payment for “killing” him. Anger and betrayal surged through his chest. But just as his gloves started to glow again, and not in the glass-making way this time, he saw Hermes flick a quick wink over his shoulder, right when the soldier verifying coins wasn’t looking.
What in the world was Hermes doing?