Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Have you found the truth?

Imagine the most crowded concert you've ever seen, a football stadium filled with a million fans. Then imagine a venue a million times the size of a football field packed with people, with no power, no noise, no lights, no big beach balls rolling around over the crowd.What tragedy happened backstage, and the whispering audience just wandered around in the dark, waiting for the concert that would never start. If you can imagine this scene, you probably have an idea of ​​what the Solar Orchid Realm looks like.The black lawn has been trampled by the dead for ages, and the wind that blows on it is warm and damp, smelling like a swamp.Black trees grew here and there, which Grover said were poplars.

The cave we were in had a very high ceiling, surrounded by thick dark clouds, and stalactites were exposed among the dark clouds. Looking up, all we could see was a gray shimmer and evil stalactite tips.I tried not to think that stalactites might fall on us at any moment, but everywhere I looked around I saw fallen stalactites nailed to the black lawn.I guess the dead don't need to worry about the little danger of being impaled by a stalactite the size of a jet rocket. Annabeth, Grover and I tried to blend in with the crowd and kept an eye out for the ghoul guards.I couldn't help but look for familiar faces among the ghosts of the Solar Orchid Realm, but it was hard to see because their faces shimmered.They all looked a little annoyed or confused, and they would come up to me and talk, but all they could hear was chattering, in small voices like the squeaking of bats.Once they find that I don't understand, they immediately leave with a frown.

Dead people are not scary, they just make people sad. We tiptoe along with the new dead.The line snaked from the main entrance towards a black pavilion-like shed above which a sign read: To Elision or the Tribunal of Hell's Abyss Welcome to the New Dead! The back of the shed is divided into two small rows, and the number of people is much smaller.The row of dead souls on the left, flanked by ghouls, walked down a rugged rocky path towards the prison.In the distance was the prison of light and smoke, a vast and cracked wasteland formed by lava and strewn with minefields, separated by kilometers of barbed wire into separate torture zones.Even from this distance, I could see people being chased by hellhounds, burned by cauldrons, forced to walk naked across cacti-strewn grounds, or listened to opera music.I saw a small hill, and there was an ant-sized figure, much like Sisyphus, pushing a big stone to the top of the hill.I have also seen other cruel tortures, but I don't want to talk about them.

The right row from the trial booth was much better.The procession headed for a small valley enclosed by the northern wall, a gated community that seemed to be the only happy place in the underworld.Behind the gate guard booth are beautiful houses in the whole area, including styles from various periods in history, including Roman villas, medieval castles and Victorian mansions.Gold and silver flowers bloomed in the colorful meadows, and there was laughter and the smell of roasting meat inside. That's Elision. In the center of the valley is a lake glowing with blue light. There are three small islands in the lake, and the scenery is like a resort in the Bahamas.Those are the Islands of Happiness, exclusive to those who choose to reincarnate three times and reach Elision all three times.It suddenly dawned on me that that was exactly where I wanted to be when I died.

"That's right there," Annabeth said, as if reading my thoughts, "That's where heroes belong." But I think that only a very small number of people can enter Elision, which is really pitiful compared to the size of the Sun Orchid Realm or the prison.It turns out that so few people do good things in their lifetime, which is really disheartening. We left the Tribunal and moved deeper into the Sunlight Orchid Realm.It was darker there, the colors were fading from our clothes, and the murmur of the crowd was fading away. After a few kilometers, we began to hear familiar screams in the distance, and a palace loomed on the horizon, gleaming with obsidian.Three bat-like creatures hovering over the palace's frieze are Furies.I have a feeling they seem to be waiting for us.

"I guess it's too late to turn back now," Grover said sullenly. "We'll be fine." I tried to sound confident. "Maybe we should look elsewhere." Grover suggested, "For example, like Elision..." "Sheepboy, come on." Annabeth grabbed his arm. Grover yelped, his shoes popping out wings, leading his feet forward.He broke free from Annabeth's grip and fell onto the grass on his back. "Grover," Annabeth scolded him, "stop messing around." "But I didn't..." He yelled again, and now the shoe flapped its wings like crazy, lifted his foot up, and pulled it away again.

"Maya!" he yelled, but the word didn't seem to have any effect now. "Maya! I said it! 119! Help!" I recovered from my astonishment and tried to grab Grover, but it was too late, and he accelerated down the valley like a big sled. We run after him. Annabeth yelled, "Take off your shoes!" It's a good idea, but I guess it's not easy to do if your shoes are pulling you at full speed. Grover tried to sit up, but couldn't get close to the shoelaces. We continued to follow him, trying to maintain a distance within sight of him.And now he sped through the angry ghosts who were whining about him beside him.

I'm sure Grover is about to head straight through the gates of Hades' palace at high speed.At that moment, his shoe turned sharply to the right, pulling him in a different direction. As the slope got steeper and Grover picked up speed, Annabeth and I had to make a final sprint to keep up.The cave has narrowed, and we have entered a tunnel with a fork.There are no black lawns or dark trees here, only stones underfoot, and stalactites above their heads glow dimly. "Grover!" I yelled, my voice echoing through the tunnel. "Find something to hug!" "What?" he yelled.

He was clawing at the gravel, but none of the rocks were big enough to slow him down. The tunnel grew darker and colder, and the hairs on my arms stood on end.There's a sinister, depraved vibe to it, and it reminds me of images I'd never imagined, like blood splattered on an ancient stone altar, or the filthy smell of a murderer. This is what I saw in front of me, and I stopped immediately. The tunnel widened, leading into a huge dark cavern with an abyss the size of a city block in the middle. Grover slid straight to the edge of the abyss. "Percy, come on!" Annabeth yelled, yanking my wrist.

"But, that's..." "I know!" she yelled. "It's the place in your dreams! But if we don't hold onto Grover, he's going to fall." She was right, and Grover's predicament kept me going. Grover yelled and clawed at the ground, but the flapping shoes continued to pull him into the abyss. At this speed, we might not have time to catch him. It was his cloven hoof that saved him. Originally, the flying shoes were too big for his feet, so when Grover hit a big rock, the left shoe flew out and flew into the dark abyss.The right shoe continued to pull him forward, but not so quickly. Grover caught a large boulder just in time and, like a brake, slowed himself down.

At this time, he was still three meters away from the abyss, so we quickly grabbed him and dragged him up the slope.The other flying shoe also fell off by itself, circled around us angrily, kicked our heads in protest, and then flew down the abyss to meet another one. We all slumped on the crushed obsidian, exhausted.My limbs were as heavy as lead, and the backpack seemed to get heavier, as if someone had filled it with rocks. Grover was badly scratched, his hands were bleeding, and his pupils were drawn into a line, which is the expression of a frightened sheep. "I don't know how..." He gasped, "I don't know..." "Wait." I said, "Listen." I heard it, a whisper from the depths of the darkness. After a few seconds, Annabeth said, "Percy, this place..." "Shh." I stood up. It grew louder, a murmur from deep, deep beneath our feet.The voice was full of evil, and came from the abyss. Grover sat up straight and said, "So... what's that sound?" Annabeth heard it too, you could tell by the look in her eyes.She said, "Tartarus, here is the entrance of Tartarus." I took off the pen cap of the Wave Sword. The bronze sword was outstretched and shimmered in the darkness, while the evil voice seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then resumed its murmur after a while. I can almost read the sentences, it's a very old, very old language, older than Greek, it's like... "Spell," I said. "We have to get out of here," Annabeth said. Together we dragged Grover's hooves up and back into the tunnel.I couldn't walk very fast because the weight of the backpack made it difficult for me to move.The voices behind us got louder and angrier, so we started running. I didn't run a few steps. A strong cold wind pulled us from behind, as if the whole abyss was breathing hard.The most horrifying moment was when I slipped on the gravel and almost lost all my work.Had we been any closer to the edge of the abyss, we would have been sucked in. We pushed on and finally came back to the entrance of the tunnel, where it widened into the Sunland.The wind died down, but the angry howling still echoed deep in the tunnel, and something was not happy with our escape. "What's that?" Grover gasped as we slumped in the safer black aspen grove than before. "Is that Hades' other pet?" Annabeth and I looked at each other.I knew there was a thought growing in her mind, probably the same one she had in the taxi to Los Angeles, but she was too scared to say it, and it was enough to scare me. I capped my sword and put the pen back in my pocket. "Let's keep going." I looked at Grover, "Can you go?" He swallowed and said, "Of course, I don't like shoes." He's trying to look brave, but he's still shaking, and so are Annabeth and I.The thing in the abyss is not someone's pet, it is an indescribable ancient power, even Annabeth never gave me such a feeling.I almost slacked off as I turned my back on the tunnel and headed for Hades' palace. so close. Nemesis hovered in the dark sky above the cornice, the castle's outer walls gleamed with black light, and the two-story bronze gates stood wide open. As I walked up to the gate, I saw engraved images of death scenes, some of recent events, such as an atomic bomb exploding over a city, a trench filled with soldiers in gas masks, a row of starving Africans carrying The empty bowl waits.But these images seem to have been etched on them thousands of years ago, I guess this may be a fulfilled prophecy. Entering the door, there is a strange garden that I have never seen before. There are many mushrooms, poisonous bushes and weird glowing plants that can grow without sunlight.Precious gems made up for the lack of flowers, piles of rubies as big as my fist, and piles of rough diamonds.The garden was littered with frozen party guests, garden statues made of Medusa, petrified children, satyrs and centaurs, all with eerie smiles on their faces. In the center of the garden is a pomegranate tree lit with neon lights that glow in the dark. "Perserphine's garden," said Annabeth, "don't stop." I understand why she urged us to keep going, because the sour smell of pomegranate almost overwhelmed me.I suddenly longed to eat them, but I remembered the story of Persephone.Just one bite of the food of the underworld, and we can never leave again.I pull Grover away, preventing him from laying down a big, juicy pomegranate. We climbed the steps of the palace, lined with rows of black columns, and passed through the black marble portico into the main house of Hades.The foyer had a polished bronze floor that looked like it was boiling in the light of the torches, and there was no ceiling above it but a high cave roof, and I guess they never had to worry about the rain. There are armed skeleton guards at the door on each side, some in Greek armor, some in British military uniforms, and others in camouflage with battered American flags on their arms.They are armed with long guns, muskets or M-16 rifles.They didn't bother us, but their empty eye sockets followed us as we walked down the hall, looking past the end of the doors. Two U.S. Marine skeletons guard the gate, sneering at us, holding rocket-propelled grenade launchers to their chests. "I bet," Grover muttered, "Hades doesn't have to worry about the salesman coming." My backpack now seems to weigh a metric ton, don't know why it doesn't.I'd love to open my backpack to check if someone dropped a bowling ball too carefully, but now is not the time. "Hey," I said, "I guess we should...knock on the door first?" A gust of hot wind blew into the corridor, the door slowly opened, and guards walked to both sides of the door. "I said 'come in'," said Annabeth. The interior of the room looks a lot like what I saw in my dream, but this time Hades' throne isn't empty. He was the third god I met, but it was the first time I really felt like seeing a god. He was at least three meters tall and wore a black silk robe and a gold crown.His skin was as white as albinism, and his shoulder-length hair was black and shiny.He is not as strong as Ares, but his whole body exudes strength.He leaned on a throne made of fused human bones, his posture was soft, graceful and menacing, like a jaguar. Immediately I felt that he should call the shots.He knows far better than I do, and he should be my master.But at this time, I told myself to put these thoughts aside as soon as possible. The power of Hades is affecting me, like Ares.The master of death felt a lot like some of the photos I've seen, like Hitler, Napoleon, and terrorist leaders directing suicide bombers, all have strong eyes and a charming evil charm. "Son of Poseidon, you are brave enough to come here." He said in a falsely kind voice, "Especially after what you did to me, very brave indeed, of course it may be just plain stupid. " The numbness seeps into my joints, tempting me to lie down, take a nap at Hades' feet, and lie there, sleeping forever. I struggled to fight this feeling and took a few steps forward.I know what to say. "Uncle Tianshen, I came here with two requests." Hades raised an eyebrow.As he leaned forward on the throne, a blurred face appeared in the folds of his black robes, a pained expression.The garment seemed to have been sewn from the bound souls of a prison, and the souls were trying to break free.Task aside, my lack of concentration can't help but start to wonder if his clothes were made the same way.And what kind of bad things do people have to do while they are alive to be woven into Hades' underwear? "Only two requests?" Hades said. "Arrogant child, as if that's not enough. Come on, you better please me, or you'll die." I swallowed, and that was exactly what I was dreading. I glanced at the small empty throne of the Hades judge, much like a black flower adorned with gold leaf.Wish Queen Persephone was here because I remember her in mythology calming down her husband's emotions, but it's summer and Persephone is of course up there in the bright world with her mother Di Mitt together.It was her visit that created Level 4, not the Earth's tilt. Annabeth cleared her throat and poked me from behind with her finger. "Hades gods," I said, "listen to me, gods can't go to war because it's... bad." "Really bad," Grover added for me. "Please return Zeus' Lightning bolt to me." I said, "Please, let me take it back to Olympus." Hades' eyes shone dangerously. "How dare you show off in front of me, after you did something like this?" I looked at my friends and they were all as confused as I was. "Um...uncle," I said, "you keep saying 'after you did this', what did I do?" The Throne Hall vibrated suddenly and violently, and I think Los Angeles upstairs felt it.Rubble fell from the top of the cave, and all the surrounding doors were slammed open, and hundreds of skeleton warriors rushed in. This army was composed of soldiers from all eras and countries of Western civilization, and they lined up around the room. , Strictly seal the exit. Hades yelled, "Boy, do you think I want war?" I was tempted to say, "Hey, these guys don't look like peacemakers at all." However, I thought that might be a dangerous answer. "You are the king of the underworld," I said cautiously, "will really expand your territory, won't you?" "It's the same as my brother said! Do you think I need more people? Don't you see the chaotic expansion of the Sunlight Orchid Realm?" "Ok……" "Have you ever wondered how much my realm has grown over the past century? How many divisions I have had to open?" I opened my mouth to answer, but Hades' words flowed out. "I need more ghoul guards," he grumbled. "The Inquisition is stuck in traffic, and the staff have to work twice as much overtime. Percy Jackson, I used to be a rich god, because I own all the underground Precious metals, but now I'm spending a lot!" "Charon wants a raise," I blurted out, because it just happened to come to mind.I literally wish I had my mouth sewn shut when I said that. "Don't mention Charon!" Hades yelled. "Since he discovered Italian designer clothes, he has become hopeless! There are problems everywhere, and I have to deal with these things myself, from the palace to the entrance. The commute is enough to drive me nuts! In the meantime, the dead still keep pouring in. Tell you, brat, I don't want, I don't want more people! I don't want a war at all." "But you took Zeus' Lightning bolt." "Nonsense!" the rumbling boomed again. Hades rose from his throne, towering like a football goalpost. "Your dad might be able to fool Zeus, but I'm not that stupid and I know his tricks." "His trick?" "You are the thief of the solstice," he said. "Your father has you as his secret weapon. He guided you into the throne room of Olympus and took the Lightning bolt and my rudder. If I hadn't sent the Nemesis to Yancy school asked you to come out, Poseidon may have successfully hidden the trick and started the war smoothly. However, now that you are forced to show up, it has been exposed that you are a thief sent by Poseidon, and I want to get mine back rudder!" "But..." Annabeth said.I felt her brain was spinning at a speed of 10,000 kilometers per hour. "God Hades, is your dark rudder gone?" "Little girl, don't pretend to be innocent in front of me. There is no doubt that you and the satyr helped this half-breed man come here, and together threatened me in the name of Poseidon, trying to give me an ultimatum. What, is it Did Poseidon think I was going to be threatened by him and back him?" "No!" I said, "Poseidon didn't...I didn't..." "I never said anything about the missing rudder," he growled, "because I never imagined anyone in Olympus who would give me a sliver of justice, or a sliver of help. My most powerful weapon of terror even made I lost it, I can’t say it, so I rely on my own strength to find you. When I am sure that you will come back to me and threaten me, I will stop you no longer.” "You didn't stop us? But..." "Now, give me back my rudder, or I will stop dying." Hades threatened. "This is my return. I will open the surface and pour the dead back into the world of the living. I will make your land Turned into a nightmare of terror. And you, Percy Jackson, your skeleton will lead my army out from here." The skeleton soldiers all stepped forward and took up their weapons. At this moment, I probably should be terrified, but strangely, I just feel offended.There's nothing more infuriating than being falsely accused, and I've had it too many times before. "You're as bad as Zeus," I said. "Do you think I stole from you? That's why you sent Furies after me?" "Of course," Hades said. "What about the other monsters?" Hades moved his lips contemptuously and said: "I didn't call them, I don't want you to die so quickly, I want you to appear in front of me alive, so that you can experience every torture in the prison. Otherwise you miss me How can you enter my territory so easily?" "easy?" "Return my property!" "But I didn't take your rudder, I came here for the Lightning bolt." "You already have that thing!" Hades yelled, "You came here with that thing, little idiot, you think you can threaten me with that thing!" "I obviously didn't!" "Okay, then, open your backpack." A sense of terror came over me, the weight in the backpack, which looked like a bowling ball, could it be... I removed the backpack from my shoulders and unzipped it. Inside was a sixty-centimeter-high metal cylinder with spikes at both ends, making a hissing sound of gathering energy. "Percy," said Annabeth, "how come?" "I... I don't know, I don't understand." "It's the same for you half-breeds," said Hades. "Egoism makes you stupid. You can carry a weapon like this in front of me. I didn't want Zeus's Lightning bolt, but since it's here, give it to me. Give it to me. I'm sure it's a great bargaining chip. Now... where's my helm? Where's it?" I have nothing to say.I don't have a rudder, and I can't figure out how the Lightning bolt got into my schoolbag.I was going to think it was all a Hades trick, because he's such a badass.But at this moment, my head suddenly turned sharply, and I realized that I had been fooled.Because it was the other guy that made Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades choke each other's throats. The Lightning bolt is in my backpack, and this backpack is from that... "God Hades, please wait," I said, "It's all wrong." "Mistake?" Hades yelled. Skeletons turn their weapons on us.At this moment, leather wings fluttered and flew high above us, and then three Furies swooped down to perch on their master's throne, and the face of Mr. Dawes was grinning eagerly at me, waving took up her whip. "There's nothing wrong," said Hades. "I know why you're here, and I know why you brought the Lightning bolt. You're going to trade her." Hades let go of a ball of golden sparks in his palm, and the fireball exploded on the stairs in front of me.It was my mother, frozen in golden light, just before the Minotaur strangled her. I am speechless.I reached out to touch her, but the golden light was as hot as a campfire. "That's right," Hades said with satisfaction, "I captured her. Percy Jackson, I know you'll come back to make a deal with me after all. Exchange my rudder and maybe I'll let her go. She's not dead , not yet, but if you piss me off, things will change." I think of the pearl in my pocket, maybe the pearl can lead me out of here, if I can only save my mother... "Oh, Pearl," Hades said, and my blood froze. "By the way, that's my little brother's trick. Percy Jackson, come here with the pearl." My hand moved forward against my will, revealing the pearl. "Only three," said Hades. "What a pity! You must know that each pearl can only protect one person. Try it, boy, and take your mother away. So, which one of your friends will stay?" Stay with me forever? Come on, make your choice, or give me the backpack and accept my terms." I looked at Annabeth and Grover, and they both looked strong. "We fell for it." I told them, "by design." "Yes, but why?" Annabeth asked, "And the voice from the abyss..." "I don't know yet," I said, "but I'm going to find out." "Choose, boy!" Hades yelled. "Percy." Grover put his hand on my shoulder. "You can't give him the Lightning bolt." "I know." "I will stay," he said, "give the third pearl to your mother." "no!" "I'm a satyr," Grover said. "We don't have souls like humans. He can torture me to death, but he can't keep an eye on me forever, and I'll be reincarnated as a flower or something. That's the best Methods." "No," Annabeth pulled out her bronze dagger, "you two go. Grover you must protect Percy, you must get a scout license and start the mission to find Pan. Get his mother out of here. I will cover you , I originally planned to come down to fight." "No." Grover said, "I'll stay." "Young Sheep, you have to think about it," said Annabeth. "Stop! You two!" My heart seemed to be tearing into a salad.They've been through a lot with me.I remember Grover swooping down on the Medusa in the Statue Gardens, and Annabeth getting us out of Cerberus; we left Hephaestus' water world, the St. Louis Arch, and the Lotus Casino alive together.Among the girls thousands of kilometers away, I was always worried that I would be betrayed by a friend, but the two of them never did.Time and time again, they wanted nothing more than to save me, and now, they all want to sacrifice their lives to save my mom. "I know what to do." I said, "Take it." I gave them each a pearl. Annabeth said, "But, Percy..." I turned to look at my mother, I wanted to risk everything, sacrifice myself, use the last pearl on her, but I knew what she would say, she would not let me do it.I must bring the Lightning bolt back to Olympus, tell Zeus the truth, and stop this war.She won't forgive me if I don't complete the mission to save her.I think of the oracle on Half-Blood Hill, which seems like a million years ago.The oracle said: "In the end, you will fail and fail to save the most important." "I'm sorry," I told her, "I'll be back and I'll find a way." The smug look faded from Hades' face, and he said, "Half-blood kid...?" "Uncle, I will find your rudder," I said to him. "I will give it back to you. Remember to give Charon a raise." "Don't resist me..." "Also, it doesn't hurt to play with Cerberus once in a while, he likes red rubber balls." "Percy Jackson, you can't..." I yelled, "It's now!" We smash pearls at our feet.And at this horrifying moment, nothing happened. Hades yelled, "Destroy them!" The army of skeletons charged forward, drew their swords, and switched to fully automatic mode with a click.Nemesis swooped down, the whip in her hand ablaze. The moment the skeleton fired, a shard of pearl exploded at my feet.A green light and a strong sea breeze appeared, and I was wrapped in a milky white ball and began to float off the ground. Annabeth and Grover were right behind me, and we continued to float upwards, guns and bullets unable to hurt Pearl Bubbles. Hades roared angrily, shaking the entire castle.I know that Los Angeles must not be peaceful tonight. "Look up!" Grover yelled, "We're about to collide!" We're sprinting toward the stalactite tip, and I'm guessing the thing will burst our bubbles and turn us into kebabs. "How do you control this thing?" Annabeth yelled. "I don't think you can do that!" I yelled back, too. We screamed as the bubble slammed into the ceiling of the hole, and it was... dark. Are we dead? No, I still feel the speed, we are going up, through the solid rock, as easily as bubbles move through the water, the power of pearls.I understand the meaning of that sentence, "What belongs to the sea will return to the sea." After a while, nothing could be seen beyond the soft bubble, and then my pearly bubble burst out of the seabed and into the sea. Annabeth and Grover's milky white ball continued to slowly follow me up towards the surface, and... BOOM! We exploded in the middle of Santa Monica, knocking over a tourist's surfboard, and there was an angry expletive: "Damn it!" I grabbed Grover and dragged him onto a buoy, then grabbed Annabeth and pulled her up as well.There was a curious shark circling around us, a great white nearly three meters long. I said, "Three sides." The shark turned and swam away quickly. The surfers yelled and slid away from us at full speed. For some reason, I know that it is the morning of June 21st, the summer solstice. Los Angeles was on fire in the distance, white smoke rose from all over the city, and there was an earthquake there.Well, that was Hades' fault.He might be sending an army of the dead after me. But at the moment, the underworld is not my biggest problem. I must go ashore and return Zeus' Lightning bolt to Olympus.Most importantly, I must have a good talk with the god who designed to frame me.