I tried to make sense of my surroundings. I was in a lake, precisely an underground lake. It was quite large with a yet to be discovered color. The pain was gone, numbed and discarded in the corner of my mind as I tried to take in the surroundings. Events started playing across my mind, fascinating as I watched my life story. My first quest, Grover and.. Annabeth. My fight with Ares, our perilous journey to the sea of monsters. Holding the sky, Zoë Nightshade, the new constellation, huntress running free across the sky, the battle of the labyrinth, my first kiss, the explosion of the princess Andromeda cruise ship, Beckendorf, the dip in the Styx, the battle of Manhattan, Luke's final choice, August 18th. Each event increased the stupid lopsided grin on my face as I remembered the good times. Then the scenes shifted.
That arrogant brat Dante. Annabeth's betrayal. Camp is turning on me. The feeling of being used, silence from my dad. My mom's death. My death. The vision.
My mind screamed, desperately trying to dispel the torturous images from my mind. Fear. Dread. Loss. Desperation. Rage. Helplessness. Feelings raged through me like a kaleidoscope.
"That, my child, is the image of the world without you in it." A soft woman's voice said behind me.
Startled, I whirled around, trying to pinpoint the source. But there was nobody. Definitely heard a voice. Fear began to grip .me.
"Who's there?" My voice sounded weak. Like dead frog, if frogs can croak after they die, that is.
"I am the supreme force of this universe. Your creator, the Mother of all beings. The adhesive force that joins this universe. Call me the Devil, the Angel. I am the manifestation of good and evil. I am the last judge. The last supernatural power and ultimate being. I am Chaos, Mother of the Universe." She sang as she came into view and wow.
She was the same height as me with beautiful long black raven hair. Her eyes, exotically purple filled with power yet compassion, kindness and she was wearing a long black dress glittered with stars.
"Oh." I intelligently said.
She laughed, such a beautiful laugh. Full of melody- Woah brain!
"I have to admit young hero. You are humorous."
"Thanks. I guess."
A pin drop silence spread throughout the.. whatever place this was. I tried to be as patient as I could be, rocking back and forth, until ADHD finally kicked in.
"So.. Where am I?"
"You haven't guessed yet. Hmm, I expected better from the Hero of Olympus. You are at the center of the World! The meeting point of the five rivers of the Underworld."
I wracked my brains for one of Nico's crazy emo lessons."Styx? Acheron, Cocytus, Phlegethon and Lethe?"
"So you remember them. You're not that hopeless after all. Yes, Styx- The river of broken and discarded dreams and oaths. The River of pain, Acheron. The river of fire, Phlegethon. The wailing river, Cocytus and the river of forgotten memories, Lethe. The five great rivers of the underworld. The five greatest challenges of human spirit. The beginning where all the rivers meet. Just like I am the beginning."
"And I am here because?"
"Why you died of course. You met your end, so I brought you to the beginning. This is the place where I started the creation of your planet. Where I brought forth my daughter, Gaea, and where she brought forth Ouranos, and from them the Titans and from them-"
"Yes, yes. I get it! I don't want the entire genealogy."
"That seems quite a complex word coming from you. Anyways, coming to the point, I brought you here because you intrigue me and to help you prevent the War."
"Gee. Thanks. Intriguing someone truly makes my day, really makes me feel appreciated. Now, about the war?"
"You're quite good at sarcasm," she smiled and continued on ignoring the war. "Returning to my point, I've always been intrigued by your race. They are... different from all other races throughout the universe. I can't pinpoint the exact differences. It...puzzles me. Your kind never seems to do anything expected. Judging from your nature, you should have butchered yourself to extinction, yet here you are. Still alive, still prospering, still moving forward and I don't understand. It annoys me to no end."
"Oh.."
"You have no idea, how annoying it is..." She continued hurriedly. "I should be concentrating on the entire universe, but I feel drawn to your civilization. It reached to the point where I can't stand it anymore. So I've decided to end this issue once and for all."
"Doesn't that once and for all sound too sinister?" I asked, not liking the way this converstation was going.
"Perhaps... Back to the topic. I've shown you a vision of the future. A vision without you."
I shuddered as fresh wave of panic and fury razed through me.
"But we can change it, right? I mean that's why you showed it to me, so I can stop it from happening.. You know, prevent it from happening and all that. And what do you mean without me?" My voice sounded small and fragile.
"And how do you plan to change it? You don't know the nature of this threat. I assure you it's not me. What will you do to prevent it? Go to the Olympians? They are arrogant fools who are so desperate for their own destruction that I am surprised that they managed to hang for so long. Especially after having that stupid brat for a king. Odin was far away a better ruler and I'm not even comparing his lightning powers to Thor's. Will they listen to you? Did they listen to you when you retrieved the lightning bolt? When you saved Thalia's tree? If they had listened, they wouldn't have been in the mess they're in. What makes you think they will listen to you? They practically ignored you after you fought their war for them. Discarded you away like a broken toy, to be replaced by arrogant fools like them. Will you go to the centaur? Some teacher he is, mistreating a student who respected him the most. Tell me, young hero, how will you stop this? The Norse gods met their end and it was kind of spectacular and so entertaining you have no idea. Maybe it's time for the Greek gods to share the same fate, and whatever happens the earth will still be there... More or less but without any human being."
Each word struck into me like a ten ton truck. Striking me where it hurts the worst. She was right. What can I do to save the future? Does the future even deserved to be saved the vision flashed in front of my eyes again. I shuddered. No. no matter how messed up this world is, it doesn't deserve that fate. It's worthy to be saved.
"Maybe, maybe so tell me hero what will you do now. You can't go to the Olympians or to another god from a different mythology. You can't go to your precious camp. What will you do?"
I had no answer to that.
"Oh and the answer to your question as in without you. It's quite simple. I was watching everything, when I sensed your death, everything went wrong. Without you. The world will never be the same. War. Destruction. Annihilation. That's all there is."
I couldn't get my mind around that. How was I so important that without me,all there will be War and Destruction.
"I'll give you a chance. Do what you think is best to do. Try what you want to try. Let this be another journey for you. You are the beginning. See this through to the end. In your struggle lies my answer Perseus Jackson. I give you a chance. Change the future."
Thunder boomed. Earth quaked causing ripples to form across the calm waters. There was a bright flash of light. A broad swoard floated in the air. It was almost completely black, but it did have crimson red edges and crimson red cloth rapped around the handle. The most unusual thing about the blade was the long chain that originated from the end of the handle.
I touched the sword, as soon as I touched it by the handle, the sword sprung to life. The chain swung around my arm and held it tightly. The broadsword changed shape from a larger blade into a smaller katana blade.
I yelled in shock and immediately tried to pry the chain off my arm. My arm began to burn terribly. It felt as if the metal was branding itself into my skin. For a full minute, I writhed in pain as the blade marked me. When the pain ended, the sword was gone. All evidence of it disappeared into thin air. Shakily, I examined my arm. My long sleeve hid most of it, but my hand was shown.
In my palm, was an image of a miniature blade. Shakily, I rolled up my sleeves. There on my arm was bark chain like tattoos that went all the way up my arm to my shoulder. The sword wasn't gone. It was connected to my very skin.
"What-What the-?"
Chaos explained. "The sword claimed you. That sword is the most powerful weapon alive. It is made of voidiac metal from the Void of course. Mixed with the rivers around us- and the blood of Tartarus."
"I could give you a history lesson on it, but we can talk about that later. We have wasted our time. You have lots to change above us in the world of the living. Much to change."
I took a deep breath. Steeling my resolve, I said in a determined voice, "Lead me to the surface. I will fight for the future and flame of the humankind. If we are destined to fall, then we will go down fighting."
She laughed with anticipation as the darkness surrounded me. My mind blanked out. The last thing I heard was her soft whisper. "I will be watching you hero."