The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus, #4)

by Rick Riordan

Still, how can we help them any further? It is not our fate.” “Perhaps,” Bob said, uncomfortably. “But…do you like our fate?”

“I miss the sun,” Bob said. “The stars, too. I would like to say hello to the stars again.”

“You have to come with us,” she pleaded. “The prophecy says foes bear arms to the Doors of Death. I thought it meant Romans and Greeks, but that’s not it. The line means us—demigods, a Titan, a giant. We need you to close the Doors!”

“No, child,” he murmured. “My curse is here. I cannot escape it.” “Yes, you can,” Annabeth said. “Don’t fight the drakon. Figure out a way to break the cycle! Find another fate.”

“Yeah, go.” Nico kissed her cheek, which Piper found surprising. He hardly ever made gestures of affection, even to his sister. He seemed to hate physical contact. Kissing Hazel…it was almost like he was saying good-bye.

Being the only two girls on board was kind of rough. They’d shared stories, complained about the guys’ gross habits, and shed some tears together about Annabeth.

Piper knew what her friends whispered about Jason—he was too perfect, too straitlaced. If that had ever been true, it wasn’t anymore. He’d been battered on this journey, and not just physically. His hardships hadn’t weakened him, but he’d been weathered and softened like leather—as if he were becoming a more comfortable version of himself.

“I keep thinking about fire,” Piper said. “How we expect Leo to beat this giant because he’s…” “Hot?” Leo suggested with a grin. “Um, let’s go with flammable.

“That line in the prophecy makes it sound like only one of you can succeed. And if the storm or fire part is connected to the third line, an oath to keep with a final breath…” She didn’t finish the thought, but from Jason’s and Leo’s expressions, she saw that they understood. If she was reading the prophecy right, either Leo or Jason would defeat Gaea. The other one would die.

“And I could always set Coach Hedge on fire,” Leo volunteered. “Then he can be fire.”

“But the whole quest started with us finding Hera and waking that giant king Porphyrion. I have a feeling the war will end with us too. For better or worse.” “Hey,” Jason said, “personally, I like us.” “Agreed,” Leo said. “Us is my favorite people.” Piper managed a smile. She really did love these guys. She wished she could use her charmspeak on the Fates, describe a happy ending, and force them to make it come true.

She worried that the giant Clytius had been put in their path to eliminate Leo as a threat.

“Hey!” he yelled. “Hey! Let me go!” Piper ran toward him, but a voice in the storm said, “Oh, yes, Leo Valdez. I will let you go permanently.” Leo shot skyward, like he’d been launched from a catapult. He disappeared into the clouds.

What would Annabeth do? Delay, Piper thought. When in doubt, talk some more.

“You are a meddler, the daughter of a useless goddess. What can you do alone? Nothing. Of all the seven demigods, you have no purpose, no power.

What will you do to stop us, Piper? A hero? Ha! You are a joke.” Her words stung like sleet, mostly because Piper had had the same thoughts herself. What could she do? How could she save her friends with what she had?

All her life, Piper had been looked down upon, told she was useless. It has never been true, another voice whispered—a voice that sounded like her mother’s.

Aphrodite was about subtlety and guile and charm. Piper decided she shouldn’t focus on making people do what she wanted. She needed to push them to do the things they wanted.

“Our secret weapon, Khione! We’re not just a bunch of demigods. We’re a team. Just like Festus isn’t only a collection of parts. He’s alive. He’s my friend. And when his friends are in trouble, especially Leo, he can wake up on his own.”

Maybe love was no match for ice…but Piper had used it to wake a metal dragon. Mortals did superhuman feats in the name of love all the time. Mothers lifted cars to save their children. And Piper was more than just mortal. She was a demigod. A hero.

His focus narrowed to the ground in front of him. Nothing existed except for that and Annabeth at his side. Whenever he felt like giving up, plopping himself down, and dying (which was, like, every ten minutes), he reached over and took her hand, just to remember there was warmth in the world.

Annabeth didn’t give in to despair easily, but as they walked, she wiped tears from her eyes, trying not to let Percy see.

But Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood both seemed like dreams. He felt as if only Tartarus existed. This was the real world—death, darkness, cold, pain. He’d been imagining all the rest.

Annabeth laced her fingers through his. In the light of his bronze sword, her face was beautiful. “We’re together,” she reminded him. “We’ll get through this.”

“I’d settle for New Rome,” she offered. “As long as you’re there with me.” Man, Annabeth was awesome. For a moment, Percy actually remembered what it was like to feel happy. He had an amazing girlfriend. They could have a future together.

Annabeth turned the blade of her drakon-bone sword, which Percy had to admit made her look pretty intimidating and hot in a “Barbarian Princess” kind of way.

For years, he had worried about Annabeth dying. When you were a demigod, that went with the territory. Most half-bloods didn’t live long. You always knew that the next monster you fought could be your last. But seeing Annabeth like this was too painful.

“It’s a trap,” Annabeth said. The goddess cackled. “Didn’t you expect me to betray you?” “Yes,” Annabeth and Percy said together. “Well, then, it was hardly a trap! More of an inevitability. Misery is inevitable. Pain is—” “Yeah, yeah,” Percy growled. “Let’s get to the fighting.”

She’d been at Camp Half-Blood since she was seven. Probably she’d had classes Percy never got, like How to Fight While Partially Made of Smoke.

“Percy!” Annabeth called. She’d retreated to the edge of the cliff, even though the poison wasn’t after her. She sounded terrified. It took Percy a moment to realize she was terrified of him.

“Percy, please…” Annabeth’s face was still pale and corpse-like, but her eyes were the same as always. The anguish in them made Percy’s anger fade.

Annabeth stumbled toward him. She looked like a corpse wreathed in smoke, but she felt solid enough when she gripped his arms. “Percy, please don’t ever…” Her voice broke in a sob. “Some things aren’t meant to be controlled. Please.” His whole body tingled with power, but the anger was subsiding. The broken glass inside him was beginning to smooth at the edges.

Leo caught a whiff of cinnamon—maybe her perfume? Not that he cared. Her hair swayed down her back in a mesmerizing kind of way, which of course he didn’t care about either.

“Percy,” Leo said. “Percy Jackson?” She squeezed her eyes shut. A tear trickled down her cheek. Oh, Leo thought. “Percy came here,” he said.

Leo remembered now. The story was supposed to be a secret, but of course that meant it had spread like wildfire across the camp. Percy had told Annabeth. Months later, when Percy had gone missing, Annabeth told Piper. Piper told Jason…

They fit him so well, Leo wondered how she’d gotten his measurements. Maybe she just used her generic pattern for SCRAWNY MALE.

She was wearing red today—Leo’s favorite color. That was completely irrelevant. She looked really good in red. Also irrelevant.

“They are completely fireproof,” Calypso promised. “They’ll stay clean and expand to fit you, should you ever become less scrawny.”

Leo couldn’t help grinning. “Those beautiful little troublemakers! They kept their promise.” Calypso leaned in, watching the Kerkopes. “Cousins of yours?” “Ha, ha, ha, no,” Leo said.

She glared at him. “I suppose that is your girlfriend? Your Penelope? Your Elizabeth? Your Annabeth?”

She held up her calloused, grimy fingers. Leo couldn’t help thinking there was nothing hotter than a girl who didn’t mind getting her hands dirty. But of course, that was just a general comment. Didn’t apply to Calypso. Obviously.

“Well, if you ever get off this island and want a job, let me know. You’re not a total klutz.” She smirked. “A job, eh? Making things in your forge?” “Nah, we could start our own shop,” Leo said, surprising himself. Starting a machine shop had always been one of his dreams, but he’d never told anyone about it.

“We could even provide entertainment. You could sing and I could, like, randomly burst into flames.” Calypso laughed—a clear, happy sound that made Leo’s heart go ka-bump. “See,” he said, “I’m funny.” She managed to kill her smile. “You are not funny.

“Getting out, no problem,” Leo said. “But to get back I’ll need Festus and—” “What?” Leo blinked. “Festus. My bronze dragon. Once I figure out how to rebuild him, I’ll—” “You told me about Festus,” Calypso said. “But what do you mean get back?” Leo grinned nervously. “Well…to get back here, duh. I’m sure I said that.” “You most definitely did not.” “I’m not gonna leave you here! After you helped me and everything? Of course I’m coming back.

“The raft finally got here,” he said. Calypso snorted. Her eyes might have been red, but it was hard to tell in the moonlight. “You just noticed?” “But if it only shows up for guys you like—” “Don’t push your luck, Leo Valdez,” she said. “I still hate you.” “Okay.” “And you are not coming back here,” she insisted. “So don’t give me any empty promises.” “How about a full promise?” he said. “Because I’m definitely—” She grabbed his face and pulled him into a kiss, which effectively shut him up.

This was a real, full-contact kiss. If Leo had had gears and wires in his brain, they would’ve short-circuited.

As his raft skimmed over the water, taking him back to the mortal world, he understood a line from the Prophecy better—an oath to keep with a final breath. He understood how dangerous oaths could be. But Leo didn’t care. “I’m coming back for you, Calypso,” he said to the night wind. “I swear it on the River Styx.”

He was still shrouded in Death Mist, so he looked like an out-of-focus corpse—which broke Annabeth’s heart every time she saw him.

Annabeth wanted to run. She was facing a brood of horrors that could snap anyone’s sanity. But if she ran, she would die. Next to her, Percy’s breathing turned shallow. Even through his misty ghoul disguise, Annabeth could tell he was on the verge of panic. She had to stand her ground for both of them. I am a daughter of Athena, she thought. I control my own mind.

Like everything she’d ever done, it was a long shot. In a way, that calmed her down. A crazy idea in the face of death? Okay, her body seemed to say, relaxing. This is familiar territory.