Chapter One: The Styx
The last thing I saw was green. Greek fire, everywhere, engulfing dracanae, disintigrating telkhines on the spot. Oddly, it was a thing of beauty. When the tongues of flame came into contact with me, I screamed an ear-piercing scream. It seemed to go on forever. When will this end? Logically, I know it was only a few seconds, though it felt like an eternity until the Princess Andromeda sunk into the depths of the ocean.
Charon, the ferryman, took me straight onto the boat. I guess he felt sorry for me, because he didn't ask me for a coin, which was a relief, because I don't usually keep drachmas in my pocket just in cause I take a trip to the Underworld. Call me crazy, but I like to be optimistic.
Woah. Lost my train of thought. The River Styx definitely wasn't what I expected. Sure, I know it's where all broken and lost dreams go, but I was expecting something a little more... formidable. The thing about the Styx is that if you bathe in it, and don't die, of course, your body is impervious to any sort of attack. You're basically invincible. That's what Achilles did.
It's like the world's best body armour, and being a son of Hephaestus, that sort of thing appeals to me. The idea, of course, is crazy. I would never do it, but seeing as it's so famous, and so dangerous, you'd think it would be spewing flames or bright red with lava or something. But it's a murky grey, like everything else in the Underworld. Broken china, rusted armour, torn manuscripts, anything you can dream of is in here, but it's all broken. Really welcomes you into the Underworld, right? Hey, you just died! And as if that experience wasn't depressing enough, here's the River Styx! Careful, don't touch it, you'll die!
Great. Just great.
I suppose it's not all bad, though. Sure, I've died, but it was for a noble cause. So I don't regret my decision. I saved Percy, who will be the child of the prophecy. I know it.
"End of the line," Charon whispers eerily.
I step off the boat, take a deep breath, and face the Hall of Judgement.
Alright, Beckendorf. Get moving.
