Percy Jackson: Son of Hades - Prince of the Underworld Chapter 299: The School Play (2)

[Third Person's PoV]

Persephone grabbed Hades' arm as the smile across her face widened with delight.

"Ohh, it's starting~" she sang, eyes shimring with excitent as the theater lights dimd.

The rich, velvet curtains began to slowly roll up, revealing a set painted like the quaint streets of Verona. A soft hush fell over the audience just before the voice of the narrator—clearly that of a young boy—echoed dramatically across the auditorium.

"This story of tragedy begins in Verona, Italy. Long ago, during the Renaissance era… two feuding families were constantly at odds. They were known as the Montagues… and the Capulets."

As the nas were spoken, the stage burst into color and motion. Actors portraying both families ran out in vibrant, easily distinguished attire: the Montagues in bold, bright blues; the Capulets in deep, proud reds. They collided at center stage, shouting in rehearsed fury, wooden swords clashing with exaggerated flair, while so of the younger cast threw in comic relief punches and dramatic tumbles.

The brawl was chaotic but choreographed well.

"Look! There's Bianca," Nico whispered excitedly to Markus, pointing toward the Montague side where his sister stood, striking a dramatic pose with a foam sword raised high.

"I see that…" Markus chuckled, though his eyes shifted with a wary glint. His gaze caught two familiar figures over on the Capulet side—Atropos and Lachesis, posing as noblewon. A visible shudder ran through him as he rembered their real identities and the silent power behind their smiles.

From the front, Hades watched with amused detachnt, catching Bianca's fleeting glance in his direction. When their eyes t, she subtly smirked a wry smile, and Hades gave her a slow, knowing wink.

"Hey, isn't that one of your evil bastard spawn?" Deter drawled with saccharine venom. "I think I rember her from the trial"

"Mother, behave," Persephone muttered through clenched teeth, eyes still fixed on the stage.

Deter scoffed and crossed her arms. "I don't get why you're chastising . You should be on my side here. That girl is the result of his betrayal, his infidelity—" she spat with a sneer, "—and this school play certainly wasn't what I envisioned when I asked for quality mother-daughter bonding ti."

"Shhhh! You're ruining the show," Persephone hissed.

Down on stage, a commanding presence erged through the chaos.

Lucian stepped forward, his body language calm yet authoritative, breaking up the staged fight with little more than a cold glare and an extended arm. Even without a single word, the air shifted.

Then, Chloe entered, walking with elegance and purpose, echoing his movents in a mirrored symtry. As they t center stage, the lights snapped—the entire set plunged into darkness. A double spotlight shone, illuminating just them.

The narrator's voice returned, soft and spellbound:

"Everyone knows… every great tragedy begins with love at first sight. And such was the case for Roo Montague… and Juliet Capulet."

Though no dialogue was spoken yet, the entire auditorium fell eerily silent. Lucian and Chloe stared at each other across the spotlight divide, their expressions raw, vulnerable, and breathtakingly sincere. It all felt real, like they were truly falling in love at the sa ti.

Gasps swept through the crowd. A few leaned forward in their seats, drawn in like moths to fla. Even Deter, against her will, blinked and murmured, "…Huh. He's not bad."

The curtain closed and opened as the second act ca into play.

Act II – The Masquerade Ball and Secret Vows

The next scene opened with dazzling splendor. The stage was transford into the Capulet's grand ballroom, glowing with flickering faux chandeliers and ambient candlelight. All the perforrs wore shimring masks, adding a layer of mystery and magic to the already enchanting atmosphere.

Music filled the theater—sothing slow, romantic, and orchestral. Actors danced in pairs, weaving and spinning in practiced synchronization.

Lucian—masked as Roo—slipped into the crowd in disguise, flanked by his "cousins." His eyes scanned the room until they landed on Chloe's Juliet, who entered like a vision in white and gold, her mask only enhancing her ethereal beauty.

As their eyes t, the world around them seed to blur. The music dulled, and for a brief second, the spotlight narrowed onto only them as they approached each other through the crowd, untouched by the chaos around them.

Lucian (softly, reverently):

"If I profane with my unworthiest hand

This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this—

My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand

To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."

Chloe (smiling behind her mask):

"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, Which mannerly devotion shows in this…"

Their chemistry drew sighs and dreamy murmurs from the audience. When their hands touched—and later, when they kissed—the crowd erupted into gasps.

Lucian in a hushed quick whisper asked, "Did you just use tongue…?"

"...No" She whispered back, clearly being dishonest.

As the masquerade ended and Juliet discovered his identity, Chloe's gasp was perfectly tid. The tension was palpable.

Juliet (stepping back in heartbreak):

"My only love sprung from my only hate!

Too early seen unknown, and known too late!"

"I didn't know Lucian could act like that. He's actually impressive" dusa muttered without taking her eyes off the stage.

"I know. It's going to be hard to blackmail him. I forgot just how shaless he could be" Thalia grumbled discontent, still recording.

---

Act III – Death and Banishnt

The mood darkened.

The lights shifted to a hot, tense afternoon. rcutio (played by one of Lucian's classmates) was performing with dazzling wit, delivering clever lines and exaggerated flourishes with his sword.

Then Tybalt—played by another skilled actor—stord onto the stage, demanding a duel.

Lucian's Roo entered the scene and tried to stop them. His expression was tense, desperate.

Roo: "Tybalt, the reason I have to love thee Doth much excuse the appertaining rage To such a greeting. Villain am I none."

But the fight escalated, and rcutio was struck.

rcutio (falling, gripping his side):

"A plague o' both your houses!"

The audience gasped.

Lucian, standing in stunned horror, didn't move at first—until his face slowly shifted from grief to fury. His entire deanor changed as he stord after Tybalt, eyes ablaze, voice trembling with rage.

Roo:

"This day's black fate on more days doth depend;

This but begins the woe others must end."

The duel between Roo and Tybalt was fast, intense, and emotionally charged. When Lucian finally struck the killing blow, he collapsed to his knees beside the body.

Roo (aching with guilt):

"O, I am fortune's fool!"

Everyone was able to feel the guilt that radiated from his body.

The Prince appeared, and Lucian was banished. Chloe's Juliet learned of Tybalt's death and Roo's exile, and the audience watched as she wept with such sincerity, several people dabbed their own eyes.

Even Deter grudgingly muttered, "…They've got talent, I'll give them that."

"He gets his theatrical flare from his mother, clearly" dea said through the crystal ball in Persephone's hands.

Persephone had to cover her mouth to not laugh and ruin the mood. While Hades scoff leaning on the armrest with a subtle smirk.

---

Act IV – The Sleeping Potion

Juliet refused to marry Paris, prompting Lord Capulet to explode. Chloe stood her ground in a fiery performance, holding her own with tearful resolve.

Juliet fled to Friar Laurence (played by a classmate in a charming wig and beard), and the plan was laid: she would take a potion to feign death.

As Juliet lay on her bed, lifting the vial with trembling fingers, Chloe delivered her lines with haunting stillness.

> Juliet (softly):

"What if this mixture do not work at all?

Shall I be married then tomorrow morning?

…Roo, I co! This do I drink to thee."

She drank. The lights dimd. The Capulets discovered her "dead." Wails rang out, followed by a mournful, funereal transition into the final act.

---

Act V – The Tomb and Final Tragedy

Lucian returned to the stage as Roo, hooded and pale, carrying a vial of poison. The set was now a crypt—stone columns, dim blue lighting, and a single tomb adorned with flowers and Juliet's lifeless body.

He approached with trembling steps.

Roo (voice low, breaking):

"Here's to my love!

[He raises the vial.]

O true apothecary!

Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss… I die."

Lucian collapsed beside Chloe in perfect stillness.

Then ca Juliet's awakening.

Chloe stirred. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking into the darkness.

She sat up and saw him.

The raw devastation in her voice sent shivers through the audience.

Juliet (whispers, broken):

"What's here? A cup, closed in my true love's hand?

Poison, I see, hath been his tiless end…"

She clutched his body and wept softly.

Juliet (with trembling resolve):

"O happy dagger!"

[She grabs Roo's prop dagger and turns it toward herself.]

"This is thy sheath: there rust, and let die."

She collapsed over Lucian's body, and the two lay still as the lights dimd to a soft blue glow.

Silence.

Then a single spotlight returned to the narrator, standing solemnly downstage.

Narrator (voice heavy, yet poetic):

"For never was a story of more woe…

Than this of Juliet… and her Roo."

---

Curtain Call

The audience erupted.

Cheers, whistles, and applause thundered through the auditorium. Teachers rose to their feet. Students hollered nas. Even gods in disguise clapped in silence and awe.

Persephone had tears in her eyes. "That was… beautiful. Who knew Lucian could really act like that"

Hades leaned over with a smirk. "I should hire him as the castles official Jester"

Deter sighed, "Alright, fine—that wasn't a bad use of mortal ti. Still, next ti, we're going to my kind of show. Sothing with plants."

Deter turned towards Hades and said, "You should be proud of having such a devil spawn that has talent elsewhere that doesn't involve sothing wicked"

Hades just rolled his eyes, "Yes of course I'm proud, since unlike your brats, mines are all special and talented. They all have sothing I can be proud of, I doubt you can say the sa about your own"

"Hades… My love…" Persephone said with a smile that wasn't really a smile, "Need I remind you, you're talking to my mother. I'm pretty sure you just insulted in that little speech of yours. I'm one of those brats you ntioned"

Hades froze and stamred, "N-No, of course not my love! Its your mother, she clearly started it—!"

Persephone just scoffed angrily as Hades continued to defend him. Deter found unbelievable joy seeing his panic expression.

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