Why was the word check wrong? The website's number is still forty three words off last time I checked.
The first time, he was simply trying to get home to his wife and son. He was not a demigod, nor was particularly beloved by the gods. He was a traveler, and that was what he was most famous for. Had it not been for his odyssey, he would have been only a footnote in history: a trickster, a veteran of his age, a new kind of hero; a hero of adventure over deeds, a warrior against Troy, a prince of Ithaca. He chose rebirth.
~oO0Oo~
The second time, he died fighting for his country. He was a son of Timor, known largely in his own battalion for his ability to strike fear into those he met in hand to hand combat. His death had been an accident. One of the barbarians had blindsided him, gashed a large hole in his side. He fought for a month against the wound, which had quickly turned rancid. One of the supply routes had been attacked, resulting in a shortage of supplies. When he died, he chose rebirth.
~oO0Oo~
The third and final time was the most glorious of his lives. He had done the labors of Heracles, retrieved the Zeus's master bolt, found the Golden Fleece, and saved Olympus itself. He was a recognized hero among his peers. He was the first demigod in centuries to be offered immortality, and the first ever to refuse. Unknown to him, by letting him die, the gods had given him an afterlife better than Elysium.
After the war with the titans, he lived a long life, a peaceful life. He eventually married his teenaged sweetheart, a daughter of Athena. His wife quickly became pregnant, and they had a son. A few years later, they had a daughter.
The hero had a steady job, and he took care of his family well. They had a reasonably sized house the mortal world most of the time, though not far from the demigod haven. Most of the available time was spent at the haven, but the hero and his wife's monster fighting skills were strong enough to keep them safe when they weren't there.
Ultimately, the hero died old; in his sleep. He had lived a long life; one such that he had few regrets and had done what he wanted to do with it. He died in piece.
~oO0Oo~
When I woke up, I found myself at the entrance of the Underworld. I looked down at myself, and gasped in surprise. I young again, but I didn't look quite like myself. There was a scar on my side, almost as if there had been a deep wound there. And my limbs were long and sinewy, as if I had spent many years sailing an old fashion sail boat.
I looked up. Charon beckoned to me: "Come on," he said.
I followed him. He led me down to his boat, let me on and didn't even ask payment. He led my pass the lines and to the palace of Hades himself.
The god started at me for a while, as if peering into my entire life, until he said: "Finally, the hero has arrived."
"My lord," I replied, "If you don't mind me asking, why am I here?"
"Why?" Hades answered, "Because you have made the Isles of Blessed."
For once, Hades seemed happy and smiled. It gave me the creeps.
As the first person in centuries to make the Isles of Blessed, I was led personally through Elysium. There, everyone was happy and enjoying themselves and no one was suffering. The place was perfect; I didn't know how it could get better than that.
"When you wade through these waters to the Islands of Blessed, the memories of your past lives will return to you. Something like this would only work for someone who has earned Elysium three times," Hades said when we reached the lake around the Islands.
I waded into the water, and memories seemed to come back to me: a long, endless journey through to Sea of Monsters to a family that I missed, a battle and death for a distant homeland. Then they overwhelmed me: love for long dead families, loyalty for toppled empires, and two hard but fulfilling lives.
I had reached the Islands of Blessed. There I could commune with imprints of all that I've loved in my lives. There I could let the eons pass without worry. There I was at rest.
A/N: Before you ask who the second life was, I don't know. He was just a nameless Roman soldier demigod (Timor is Phobos's Roman aspect) and as always, feel free to make corrections, just don't insult me and try not to be rude. For the first life I tried to leave hints, and the ambiguity was so we could breeze through to get Percy to the Islands of Blessed.
