(A/N: I own nothing.)

Chapter 1: Good and Bad

I have been called many things.

A beast. A monster, perhaps. A bringer of woe, who never forgets. The starter of fire, who never relents.

I have been cursed by both god and mortal alike, waving their fists in anger. I am the sign of ultimate trust. But really, I am quite simple.

Memories are, after all, an important thing. Oaths, promises, loved ones… all depend on me. If you swear my oath, you are bound forever. No matter what you do, I am everlasting.

That is what I think, as I sit here watching the scene play out in front of me.

There is a boy. The age of manhood, perhaps. Close cropped, brown hair, slightly crooked teeth, cracked glasses. Bloody hands. Tears in his eyes. Cradling a young girl, the age of seven, who's body lays lifeless, staring at the ceiling of their small housing unit. A gold sword lays behind this boy. It is stained with dried blood, like the color of the girl's stab wound. It lays on her stomach, where it seeps through her clothing, covering the boy's hands in it.

Blood. What a terrible thing to be spilt. It is the ties to our family, what we are made of. However, this boy did something. He broke what is irreversible.

Two months ago, he had promised a woman of around the same age that he would always protect her. That he refused to put himself foolishly in danger. And thus, he swore on me. Little did he know, that two months later, mere hours after he broke this oath, he would run into his family's apartment… and stab his sister with his own sword.

The boy cried out, and shoved the little girl aside. Still she looked up, unmoving, unblinking. He stumbled over to the sword, still crying her name. He picked up the hilt, flecked with blood like its blade. He cried out in agony, turned the weapon, and shoved it into his own stomach. His eyes went wide as he slumped to the ground, savoring the last moments of his life.

Pathetic.

This boy, who believed in family so much, couldn't bear to face his actions. That is the mark of a coward. Fools like this deserve to die. That may make me sound like an unemotional being. But believe me, I am anything but.

My entire existence is based on the beliefs of others. The bonds that hold people together can break so easily. I'm here to patch them. After all, I have a river named for me. Quite a special one, it is.

I have seen many the plights of men. When Orpheus lost his precious Eurydice, I saw to it myself that he rescued her. Unfortunately, right as his beloved was about to be released from her hellish prison, he broke his oath. Thus, he suffered.

I do not take pleasure in these things. It is not my duty to wreak fear and havoc, no. That is for the true monsters, the ones who dissolve into Tartarus. I am simply a reflection of humanity, whether you choose to believe it or not.

I have looked into the face of Death. He is but a kind creature. Thanatos is as beautiful as he is deadly. Humans fear him. For what, I do not know. After all, the unknown can still be discovered, as long as one looks deeper.

Now I come across another scene. A girl this time. Young adult. Long, black hair. Wearing a U.S. Army outfit, dressed in camouflage. In her hands, she holds a boy of the age of three, who is happily sobbing into her shoulder. She promised she would return to her son. And now, here she is. Promises fulfilled are those worth keeping.

I know what it takes to move on. I know how it feels to lie. I know how some people think that right is wrong. But there are times when people must let go, and rejoice. These are the bonds that stay strong, and remain unbroken. These are the happy endings.

Unfortunately, life does not always have a happy ending. What that entails for this tale, I know not. You must simply read and listen.

Here I sat, in my shroud of darkness, my protective bubble, when a certain Muse approaches me through Iris message. I roll my eyes and throw in a drachma, as Melpomene, or Tragedy, appears in front of me, frowning. Mount Olympus looms behind her, a behemoth of paradise in the skies above New York.

Melpomene seems to be the only one who understand what I mean. All of the others deities take matters very lighthearted. Thus, their vision is clouded. Tragedy, on the other hand, did not guarantee happiness. Things happened for a reason, including sadness.

This is why this Muse, out of the nine, shone in front of me. She wore a black shawl flecked with white dots, and maintained a fairly young appearance, not trying to be too flashy.

"Where have you been?" she asked, hands on her hips.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Where do you think?"

"Inside your cave of madness, I assume."

"Darkness, not madness," I groan.

She waves it off. "Whatever, you Linkin Park freak." I frown at her choice of words. "Mother says it's been over two hundred and seventy-six days since you've visited."

"How am I supposed to keep track? It helps to have the goddess of memory as your mother. Or to have a mother at all."

She grimaces uncomfortably as I stare ahead. "Well, at least come over tonight. We have a large feast."

"What for?"

She smiled dreamily. "It's Apollo's birthday. And he's invited that Percy Jackson. Everyone will be there."

"Not me."

"Oh, no you don't." She crossed her arms very seriously. "I won't take no for an answer. I'll come and unplug your Green Day blasting behind you if I need to."

I turn around. "What? This is a decent song. It reflects on his broken oaths perfectly… I thought you liked Boulevard of Broken Dreams."

She took a deep breath, annoyed. "That's not the point. You are coming, whether you like it or not."

I roll my eyes. "Fine. But I'm not dealing with any superficial bullshit I get from any of his cronies." I wiped the rainbow in front of me, as Melpomene waves frantically. The image disappears, leaving the swirling fog in front of me.

"Great."

As I whoosh into being at the front of the mortal entrance to Olympus, I am greeted by a blur of silver that crashes into me, hugging tightly around my waist. I push it away to find Thalia, the Grace of good cheer, smiling at me. I adjust the bands holding up my hair, as she begins to talk. "Wow, Ms. Grumpypants is actually here? I can't believe you showed, silly!"

I sighed. "Someone convinced me."

Melpomene slinked to my side. "But of course, I did. You should have seen the look on her face when I threatened to turn off her music."

I stared at her. "You know that I don't make faces."

She shrugged, and grabbed my hand. I followed reluctantly as she dragged me up the meticulously perfect stair of the pathway leading to the palace, lit up by gold torches. Soft lyre music played, which I recognized to be an acoustic remix of Passionfruit by Drake. Somehow.

We pass assorted minor gods hitting on nymphs, who giggled silently as the pulled down the pants of some who were already too drunk to care. The music grew louder as we approached, Melpomene saying a kindly "no, thank you" to satyrs selling recycled tin cans. A particularly bushy one shrugged, and popped it in his mouth happily.

The two pillars next to the large entrance doors stood unguarded, as an electric guitar blared the notes to Shape of You. On the statue of Hera, the nose appeared to be somewhat off center, which I expected to be the work of the new architect, who I heard took a dislike to the goddess.

We stepped inside, and were immediately greeted with a crowd the size of the throne room. The seats themselves remained up for display, and many partygoers stood around them. Hephaestus crouched behind his own chair, making some repairs.

Melpomene was taken farther into the crowd by Calliope, and I was left to fend for myself. I dodged a dancing leopard, who I assumed to be Dionysius, and made my way over to the tank of the Ophiotaurus, recently dubbed Bessie, who swam around in her tank happily, munching on food that a sullen looking angel threw in.

The man had coal black wings, and his face was turned away from the light as he sat on an unoccupied couch. However, I recognized who he was. I sat down next to him, staring at Bessie. "Hello Thanatos."

"Styx." He merely acknowledged my presence, and handed me a piece of bread, still looking down. I accepted it and ripped it apart, feeding the cheerful sea cow, who did multiple backflips. "How are the promises?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Flowing. How are the Doors?"

He made the same motion. "Resistant."

I furrowed my eyebrows, about to ask why, as an eighteen-year-old boy jumped over the couch, landing in the empty space between us. His golden hair shone with luster, accompanying his perfect smile. "Well, if it isn't the happiest couple in the world."

I rubbed my eyes. "We aren't a couple."

"Right." Apollo continued to smile. "No birthday wishes?"

Thanatos looked up, exposing his beautiful face. "Happy Birthday. Happy?" Apollo sighed wistfully, staring at Death's perfect face.

"If only you were up for dating…"

The angel shook his head, and stared back at the ground, pulling a hood over his head. The god grimaced, and turned to me, bobbing his head at the series of haikus playing over the speakers. "Enjoying the party?"

I pointed to the gates. "Looks like your friends are." Multiple people ran outside as the god's voice blared, sprouting more syllabic poems.

"Well, that is just fantastic. Hey, iambic parameter!" He tapped his head. "Always stuff going on up here. Oh, there's Shakespeare!"

He jumped away as the ghosts of famous artists and singers began to arrive, all of them demigods. Freddie Mercury set up his live show as Mark Twain recited a story to a group of Muses.

"And then he goes, 'woe is me'. Can you believe it?" They all laughed like a canned studio audience.

I heard a popping noise next to me, and as I looked over, Thanatos was nowhere to be found. I stared back ahead, summoning bread to feed to the sea cow.

A clinking of glass sounded behind me. Everyone turned to look, except me. A youngish sounding boy began to speak. "Now, the only reason I'm here is because this guy forced me." The crowd laughed. "But, being the savior of Olympus, I have some obligations. Especially for partying." A few people whooped, and the boy continued. "Now, I remember the first time I met this narcissistic asshat." A girl chuckled, possibly Artemis. "He rolled up in his Maserati, acting all cool, melting the snow, all that jazz. My wonderful cousin mentioned something about him being hot… and I don't mean literally." More laughs. "And thus, there came the melting of Camp Half-Blood, when a Zeus-girl afraid of heights crashed the sun school bus into a giant lake. Even though I thought of him as a complete idiot, he did help me on a quest… in the form of a hobo. I can't imagine how degrading that must have been for him. Even though Apollo might act like an insensitive doofus, he does have his pros. And, as I conclude, I would like to say one last sentence: I'm still expecting that free drive of the sun."

Clapping and laughter filled the throne room, as whoever it was finished, and the music continued. The party atmosphere returned as a composition by Apollo, Nymphs in Paris, played. I proceeded to summon some more bread as a different boy sat next to me. "I noticed that you were the only one not listening."

"I have listened to you all your life, Percy Jackson."

He bent down, trying to catch a look at my face. "Which Muse are you?"

I laughed. "My white robes confuse you, do they not?" He nodded. I raised my head, looking him in the eye as he gulped. "What do you swear on every time you make an eternal promise? Where did you receive that impenetrable skin?"

Realization dawned his face. "You're Styx. I didn't realize you were an actual…"

"Goddess?"

He nodded again, this time more sheepishly.

I smiled weakly. "Do not worry. You do not offend me. You have kept your promises, after all."

He coughed, and posed a question. "What exactly would happen? If someone broke your oath?"

I stared back down at the ground. "Bad things."

I felt his emotional aura shift away, trying to protect himself. "Okay. Thank you." He stood up and walked away.

I whispered under my breath. "Until we meet again, Mr. Jackson."