Page 103 of The Court of the Dead

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Pirithous’s expression soured. His small, dark eyes bored into Hazel’s. “I see you’ve shared the story of how we met.”

“But all those years in Asphodel,” Hazel recalled, “you never once explained how you got in trouble. You were too busy whining about your rigged trial and unfair punishment.”

“Because itwasunfair!” he shouted. Then he paused, evidently trying to regain control of his anger. “But that’s fine. I let it guide me to moral clarity.” He pointed a finger at Hazel. “That’s how I crossed paths withyou. In a way, you inspired my court as much as your brother did.”

Hazel held back angry tears. She didn’t want to give Pirithous the satisfaction.

“Don’t blame your megalomania on me,” she said. “You don’t deserve power over anyone.”

Pirithous feigned shock. “Oh, do I not? Yet I was king of the Lapiths. I was worshipped as a hero across Greece. I led armies into battle. And then, when Theseus and I ventured into the Underworld, we both were fused to that cursed rock.Theseuswas freed by Hercules. But me? No.Your fatherdeemed me unworthy of rescue. He would not allow it. He…”

Pirithous seemed to realize that he had been subconsciously gripping the gold mask hanging around his neck, trying to crush the face of Hades. He dropped his hands.

“At any rate,” he continued, “I was left behind. I was stuck in that rock forthousandsof years. Then you came along, Hazel Levesque. You were in Asphodel for, what, a few decades? One of a billion souls who actually belonged in that place. But then your entitled brother freed you! Did Hades object to that? No! Did you deserve it? No!”

His pale face had turned bright red. A vein in his right temple looked like it was about to burst. “Do you know what it feels like to be disrespected like that?”

There were a lot of things Hazel could’ve said in response, but Pirithous’s words were so absurd Hazel just broke into laughter.

He peered at her with disgust. “Of course you do not understand.”

Hazel steadied her breathing. It felt good to laugh in Pirithous’s face, but there were other lives on the line besides hers.

“If your grudge is with Nico and me,” Hazel said, “let the mythics go free. They haven’t done anything to you.”

Pirithous scoffed. “Nice try, but that’s not in the plan. Remember, you all have been sentenced to death.”

“Allow me to hazard a guess,” said Asterion. “You put us in here with little food and water. Then you wait until we turn on each other. In this way, you prove to yourself that we were monsters all along, unworthy of any other life.”

Pirithous looked stunned. “Oh, that’s good. That’s very good! I confess I hadn’t thought of that. But no, Asterion, I don’t really care how or when you die in this cage. Your fate will serve a much greater purpose than simply proving the obvious. You will help me put the world to rights!”

Arielle slammed her fist against the barrier, and then she reeled backward, cradling her injured hand. “We won’t help you withanything. Let us out!”

“You’re an impatient one, Arielle.” Pirithous shook his head like a disappointed father. “Give it time. More and more of you will appear in this prison, and with each new addition, I’ll be closer to my goal.”

Hazel felt like she was banging her head on the invisible wall. “Which iswhat?”

“For starters, I’m going to break the Mist.”

Hazel blinked. “Excuse me?”

“The Mist has always hidden our world from that of the humans,” said the judge. “We’ve fought entire wars without mortals knowing what was really happening.”

“And?” asked Asterion.

The man’s smile was absolute evil. “Never has there been such a high concentration of mythical beings in one small space at the same time. Eventually, it will be too much for the Mist to cover. When it breaks from the sheer pressure I’ve exerted on it, the mortal world will see exactly what you are, and how sloppy the Underworld has been about enforcing its borders. There will be chaos. Hades’s misrule will be laid bare for all to see. He willhaveto respond.”

Asterion snorted. “All of this, to embarrass Hades?”

“That is the beginning,” Pirithous said. “When he arrives…well, I have a veritable army of gods, monsters, and demons on my side. All the forgotten and misunderstood stand with me. They all appreciate my logic. No one is above justice, even the gods.”

Hazel shivered. “So that’s what this is about. You want to put myfatheron trial?”

“And why not?” he cried. “Have youseenthe state of the Underworld since the Doors of Death opened? It’schaos. You have Titans becoming heroes, heroes venturing into Tartarus, the Minotaur playing dress-up in the mortal world with his hand-knitted outfits. There is no order. No just punishment. Hades must answer for this. He will have his day in court.”

“You’re delusional,” said Hazel. “If my father does show up, he will tear you into a million pieces.”

The gleam in Pirithous’s eyes was calm and self-assured. It made Hazel nervous.