Treya
Treya stared at her sleeping bag. They’d all unrolled them last night to sleep in since the Hestia cabin had only a few decorational bunks. Castiel and Alexis had already rolled their bags up and were running to the camp store to get supplies for their quest.
As for Treya, she was struggling.
“Why won’t you fit?” She asked the bag angrily. She had plenty of experience with bedrolls, but this gods-damned thing was another thing entirely. She huffed, rolling the squashy green thing up as tight as she could, then strangling it with her knee while she shoved the bag onto the other end. Slowly, she crammed the sleeping bag into its bag (why did the bag need its own bag?) and tightened the string.
“That was ridiculous,” she scolded the thing, breathing heavily. “Who the hell created you?”
The door to the cabin creaked open and Treya jumped up, grabbing the sleeping bag. “Hi?”
“Hi,” Sam replied. She took in Treya’s red cheeks, uneven breathing, and the lumpy bag in her hand and laughed. “Sleeping bag giving you issues?”
“No,” Treya protested hotly. “I would never be defeated by a stupid bag.”
“Sure.” Sam stepped inside and let the door swing shut behind her. “We’re going to go back to the house, so I came to give you this.”
She held out a chain with a large metal charm on it - an Ankh, the symbol for life. This would be the anchor that Carter and Sadie would use to find them in Tartarus. Hopefully.
“I wanted to wish you luck.”
“Thanks.” Treya tucked the amulet into her pants pocket. “We’ll be fine.”
“I hope so.” Sam bounced on her toes. It was strange - from what Treya knew of Sam, she was usually quite steady and calm. “Look, when you get back, I was wondering if you’d think about coming back to Brooklyn House.”
Treya blinked. She hadn’t gotten as far as what happened after the quest. She supposed Brooklyn house was where she would logically end up, but how could she leave Alexis and Castiel?
“I…hadn’t even thought about it,” Treya admitted. “I can’t make any promises. I don’t know what Alexis and Cas are going to do.”
“Ah, I see.” Sam stopped bouncing. “Well, Brooklyn House will always be open for you. We… I mean, I would really love it if you’d go there.” She shrugged. “If you want to.”
Treya watched Sam carefully. She hadn’t known Sam for a very long time, but it was long enough to become used to her habits and mannerisms. This was a side of Sam that Treya hadn’t seen before. Her voice was too high, and she radiated a nervous energy.
She must think I won’t come back.
“Don’t worry,” Treya offered. “We’ll be back in no time.”
“Promise?” Sam asked anxiously.
Treya hesitated. She didn’t like making promises; she’d broken so many of them. But the look in Sam’s eyes…Treya had to give her something.
“Promise.”
Sam gave Treya a concerned look. The next moment she rushed at Treya, wrapping her in a hug. Treya stiffened on instinct. She weakly patted Sam’s back, but it was hard when she felt so suffocated.
Eventually, thankfully, Sam let go and stepped back.
“I’ll see you soon, then?”
“Yeah,” Treya said. Sam walked back to the cabin door. As she opened it, she turned and gave Treya one final, melancholy smile. Then she was gone.
Treya watched the door swing shut. Her arms tingled where Sam had been touching her. She rubbed at them, trying to shake the feeling.
It was nice, in a way, that Sam cared enough to ask Treya about Brooklyn House. But it was also confusing, and a bit scary. And, surprisingly, Treya was feeling much more enthusiastic about leaving as she bundled her sleeping bag into her backpack and set out toward the camp border.
Alexis and Castiel were waiting there, talking with Annabeth. Nico was leaning against the pine tree at the crest of the hill, and Chiron stood nearby, observing.
You better watch your back, Horse Man.
“Follow the Phlegathon,” Annabeth was saying. “If you do happen to lose track of your supplies, the river will keep you alive. Remember, Tartarus is designed to-”
“-torture us, not kill us.” Alexis finished wearily. She waved to Treya as she approached. “Morning, Trey. I’m sorry to say you missed one hell of a pep talk.”
Annabeth sighed. “Sorry. I’m trying to be as optimistic as I can, but it’s not exactly an optimistic place.”
“That’s an understatement,” Nico muttered.
“Realistically, something will happen and you’ll lose your gear. If that happens, you drink the Phlegathon. That’s the fire one, Treya,” Annabeth clarified. “And be careful about killing monsters.”
Castiel frowned. “I thought we were supposed to kill monsters?” Treya mumbled her agreement.
“Most of them are fine, but when Percy and I were down there…” Annabeth trailed off. “Just…be careful.”
Treya, Alexis, and Castiel shared a look. The longer they stood here the more complicated the quest got.
“We should probably go,” Alexis said. “Any last advice?”
Annabeth looked at the three of them, concern and fear battling in her eyes. “Stay together. It’s your only chance.”
“And on that note, I think it’s time.” Nico pushed off the tree and walked over. “I’ll take you to my father. After that, you’re on your own.”
He looked to Chiron. Chiron nodded slowly, horsetail swishing as he thought.
“Something to say?” Castiel asked Chiron sharply.
“I wish only to impress upon you the importance of group cohesion. If one of you should become confused, or lost, it does not matter. The three of you must remain together.”
“No shit,” Cas snarled.
Alexis put a hand on Cas’ shoulder, maybe to calm them, maybe to keep them from attacking Chiron. “If that’s it, then let’s go.”
Alexis held her hand out to Nico. He took it, holding his other hand to Treya. Treya obliged, flinching slightly at how cold it was. The son of Hades’ own grip tightened in surprise. Treya could only assume her warmth was a shock to him. He looked her in the eye, and Treya could almost imagine the racing thoughts behind those dark brown eyes.
“Good luck,” Annabeth whispered as they dissolved into shadow.
**
If Treya made a list of her least favourite things, shadow-travel would be very near the top of it. The cold, empty nothingness was too similar to the Duat, and Treya had a moment of panic, irrationally terrified that she would get stuck there.
When they appeared in the Land of the Dead Treya stumbled quickly away from the group. The air around was shockingly bright after the darkness of shadow travel, and at the moment it was the only thing keeping Treya grounded as her thoughts raced.
“Trey?” Alexis asked. Treya clenched and unclenched her fists in a rhythm, her pulse fluttering.
It’s not the Duat. I’m not back.
“Just looking,” Treya mumbled. She stared numbly at the fields in front of her, pretending to be enthralled while she calmed her breathing. “There are so many of them.”
The Fields of Asphodel lay before them. It was a massive area, bordered only above by the cavernous ceiling of stalactites, so she could see for miles into the gloom. And the only thing visible for those many miles were souls. It had never made sense to Treya, the way the underworld worked. The Fields of Punishment were reserved for the very worst people, and Elysium for only the very best. Everybody else was reduced to an aimless, semi-conscious ghost and left to wander Asphodel for eternity. It seemed a fate far crueler than was deserved by somebody who had done nothing remarkably bad or good in their life.
Alexis made a small noise of wonder, coming to stand beside Treya. She watched Treya out of the corner of her eye. “Shadow-travel make you sick?”
Treya shrugged. “Not really.”
Alexis looked unbelieving, but thankfully she let it slide. Cas and Nico waited silently until Treya’s panic had subsided, and she and Alexis walked back over. Treya took a deep breath in.
“Let’s get this over with,” she said.
Nico nodded and turned away from the fields.
They had landed near the entrance to the underworld. Three massive lines of souls were moving through the archways. The two on the edges moved quickly, the souls filing through to the fields of asphodel. The line in the middle was at a standstill. At its head was a judge’s table. There was a trial in progress as they walked past, but Treya couldn’t tell if it was going well or not.
Beyond the courtroom of the dead was the most unsettling garden Treya had ever been in. The trees were deathly white and skeletal, branches heavy with ripe pomegranates. Treya had never had a pomegranate, and she had a fierce urge to pluck one from the tree and try it.
“Don’t,” Nico said.
“Don’t what?” Treya asked, startled.
“Don’t take the fruit, unless you want to be stuck here forever.”
How did he know? Treya knew the story of Persephone, of course, and she didn’t plan on spending eternity in the underworld. She was glad to see that Alexis was also eyeing the pomegranates, though Cas seemed unaffectedly grumpy.
Through the edge of the trees, Treya glimpsed the back of a throne of bone-white marble, swathed in brittle white vines. It sat on a dais of black marble, the shallow steps glimmering like ice. On the vines that wrapped the throne were jewels, growing like flowers: rubies, sapphires, emeralds, more gems than Treya had names for. And sitting on the throne, obscured mostly from view, was the God of the Dead himself.
“Good luck,” Nico said grimly, lingering at the edge of the orchard.
“You won’t help us?” Alexis asked, her words barely a whisper.
Nico shook his head. “I can’t. My father respects those who face him on their own. My presence would make your job harder.”
“Awesome,” Cas hissed.
“It’s fine, Cas.” Alexis soothed Castiel. “We’ve dealt with worse.”
Treya nodded grimly. Dealing with the cranky god of the Underworld didn’t even make the top ten of the scariest things she’d ever done. But it had been a long time since she’d been out on a quest.
Nico was unbuckling a long knife from his waist. He held it by the sheath, offering it to Treya.
“You need a weapon,” he explained.
“I don’t,” Treya countered, not reaching for the dagger. “I promise. It’ll only melt.”
It was true. She had been shown the armory at Camp Half-blood and had had this same argument with Chiron and with Percy and with Annabeth, but her answer hadn’t changed. Metal didn’t tend to last very long around her extreme temperatures - she’d had lots of experience with disgruntled blacksmiths who couldn’t understand why every sword she took came back looking like a cooked spaghetti noodle. Plus, the molten steel left horrible burns on her hands despite her usual resistance to heat.
At this point, Treya wasn’t certain she would even remember how to fight with a blade.
“I heard about that little issue,” Nico said, his lips quirking in the faintest smile. “This is stygian iron. It won’t melt. It was tempered in the river Styx.” When she still didn’t take the blade, he sighed. “I’m not letting you leave without a weapon, Treya.”
Treya was doubtful the blade would be helpful, but she took it anyway – and almost dropped it. Like Nico’s hands, it was remarkably cold. She waited for it to warm up in her grip, but it didn’t. Not yet, anyway.
“Now then. Good luck with my father.” Nico put his hands in his pockets and melted into shadow.
“That was incredibly helpful,” Cas grumbled.
“I mean, he did bring us right where we need to be. That counts for something.” Alexis studied the knife in Treya’s hands. Treya wanted to stow the blade in her bag, but with Hades waiting and watching, that felt too unceremonious. She hastily strapped the knife to her waist, the weight of it messing with her balance.
“Let’s do this, then.” She looked to Alexis, who nodded and led the way to the Throne of the Underworld.
Wisely, Alexis walked around the edge of the marble dais and into Hades’ eyesight before ascending the steps. Though Treya was fairly certain he knew they were there.
The god was pale as bone, his bare arms slender but toned. His hair was thin and dark, falling past his shoulders in a straight curtain. Deep black eyes were set into a sharp, angular face. And his robes – all along his rich black robes were souls, their faces twisted in silent screams, morphing as the god shifted to better view his visitors.
“Mighty Hades, god of the Underworld,” Alexis began. Castiel knelt before the god. They gave Treya a sharp glance, paired with a quick touch of their magic on Treya’s shoulder. Reluctantly, Treya copied them. Alexis sank as well, a twitch of her fingers the only sign of surprise at Castiel’s invisible touch.
“We came to humbly ask your permission to pass into the realm of Tartarus.” Alexis’ voice sounded thin in such a large cavern, but she pressed on. “We’ve been given a prophecy by the Oracle of Delphi.”
Hades was silent for another moment. Alexis seemed to be debating whether or not to continue speaking when at last Hades opened his mouth.
“You are aware that I have forbidden more demigods from entering Tartarus.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes, Lord Hades, but we must listen to the Oracle.”
Hades hesitated, long enough that Treya started planning their next approach. It would be exceedingly difficult to sneak through Hade’s realm if he knew they were there already, so trying to deceive him was a bad idea. Treya didn’t know the Underworld well enough to come up with an escape route. Treya figured it came down to whether or not the three of them could subdue the god long enough to find the entrance to Tartarus. She was almost certain they could come up with a way to keep him occupied for a few minutes, but they didn’t know where the entrance was, and he almost certainly had monsters he would call.
“My son has brought you here.” Again, not a question. “Do you know how dangerous that realm is?”
“Yes, Lord Hades,” Alexis said. “Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson have prepared us, along with your son.”
The god stiffened at Percy’s name, and Treya braced herself for his reaction. To her surprise, the god exhaled wearily, leaning back into his throne like he’d aged twenty years in the span of a second.
“If Perseus Jackson has sent you, I will not stand in your way. I owe him a debt still. Perhaps this begins to repay it. But be warned, mortals.” His dark eyes flickered as he leaned toward them, his voice lowering, as if he was confiding a secret. “Delphi’s prophecies are never what they seem. It would be wise, I think, to question whether there are other forces in play.”
“What do you mean?” Cas stood abruptly. Treya took this as a sign that she was allowed to rise as well. “What other forces?”
Hades considered Castiel for a moment before shaking his head. “You’re not ready - if I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. Perhaps if you return…” He steepled his fingers thoughtfully. “Perhaps then I will guide you.”
“Why not now?” Alexis protested, still kneeling. “We’ll believe it, I swear.”
An ominous rumbling sound filled the cavern. Hades’ composure changed again; his hands clenched slightly, and he sucked in a quick breath. He seemed…
Scared. The God of the Dead was scared in his own realm.
“I do not hand out secrets as flippantly as you mortals do. Go off and do your little quest.” As quickly as that fear had appeared, it vanished. He waved them off, the picture of a bored, irritated immortal.
“Where is the entrance?” Treya asked.
Hades pointed into the dark, away from the orchard and the fields of asphodel. “That way. It’s hard to miss.”
“Thank you,” Alexis stood finally, and the three of them peered off into the gloom that Hades had indicated.
“Don’t thank me yet, Stormbringer.”
Treya spun around, but the god had vanished.
“Stormbringer?” Castiel gave Alexis a puzzled look. “New nickname?”
Alexis stared at the empty throne. “Not to my knowledge.” After a pause, she shrugged and walked off in the direction Hades had indicated.
It was hard to miss the entrance. After they’d left the orchard and the throne behind, the ground began to slope downward. The hard-packed dirt became more sandy, and Treya felt like she was being pulled forward by the ground.
Soon, they found it - a massive hole in the ground. There wasn’t much to it, and if it weren’t for the ominous tugging sensation in Treya’s gut she would’ve had a hard time believing it was the entrance to Tartarus.
“Do we just…jump in?” Treya asked the obvious question.
“I guess. Are you going to be ok? It’s a long fall.”
Treya bristled at Alexis’ question. “I’m more worried about where we’re landing than the fall, Lex.”
“Shut up, both of you.” Castiel walked up to the edge of the hole. When Treya and Alexis didn’t follow, they turned around with an exasperated huff. “You’re not seriously going to back out now?”
Treya and Alexis both cautiously approached Cas. Castiel rolled their eyes and grabbed each of their friends by the wrist. Treya’s stomach tightened at the touch.
“Ready?” Castiel asked. The pit was dark and empty looking.
If only it really was empty.
“Ready,” Treya and Alexis said at the same time.
Treya closed her eyes as they stepped over the edge.