Chapter 1: Your Better Half
Percy was falling, falling, deeper into the chasm. His hand wrapped tightly around Annabeth's wrist, his only lifeline.
He had no idea how long they had been falling at this point. Tartarus seemed to go on forever, and he wondered if it would hurt very much when they hit the bottom.
A loud rumble shook the walls of the chasm, and suddenly Percy was sitting in a small and cozy cafe. He blinked and quickly and shook his hair out of his eyes, searching for Annabeth.
Annabeth was sitting in the chair next to him, a dazed look on her face. Percy was sure it matched his own confused expression.
"Whh?" Percy cleared his throat, "Where are we?"
"I have no idea." Annabeth's voice was faint, barely a murmur.
"I know you probably have a lot of questions, but if you can just let me explain without a million questions I'd greatly appreciate it."
Percy's head shot up, and his eyes bugged.
Standing above him was a man who looked to be in his early twenties. He had shaggy, black hair and tired looking green eyes.
Percy opened his mouth, a thousand questions about to pour out, but the man held up a hand.
"Please," he began. "Just let me explain."
A woman pushed through the swinging door that seemed to come from the kitchen, her curly blond hair flowing behind her.
"Have you told them?" She asked the man.
"I'm trying," he said, his face agitated.
She sighed.
"Look, I know this isn't what you expected to find down here. But this is not the world you remember."
This whole situation was making Percy extremely angry. He had just fallen into a pit that led down from Hell, and now he was sitting in a coffee shop with two people who could not be there.
"Stop it. Whatever you're playing at, just stop it. And tell me what the fuck is going on." He was almost shouting now.
"We are trying to help you," the blonde woman glared at him. "So shut up and listen.
Tartarus is a prison meant to hold some of the most horrible creatures to ever walk the earth. It is forever and impossible all at once. It is so old that no one can remember where it started. But the craziest, the most unusual, thing about Tartarus is that it blends different realities. The soul of Tartarus can see every outcome that has ever existed."
Annabeth was staring at the blonde woman in awe.
"I-I've heard of that. There are stories, but they're so very old and have so little proof that no one truly believes in them." She said, her coming out stronger.
Percy looked over at Annabeth. "You know what's going on?"
Annabeth nodded her head slowly. "I think so. Percy, do you remember when we almost fell into Tartarus because of the flying shoes Luke gave you?"
"Of course," Percy exclaimed. "It was sort of unforgettable."
"Well, maybe in some other world we did fall in. You, me and Gover, stuck in Tartarus forever. I think these people are us, if we had fallen in."
The man smiled, and for the first time he looked younger and happier.
"You always were smarter than me, Annabeth." He said turning to the blonde woman.
"Well Perce," the man said turning back to Percy. "Meet your better half."
