Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or any of the characters besides some random OC's. All rights go to Rick Troll Riordan. Sorry for not updating. I just write and I don't even think about posting, so I'm a bit ahead. I'll edit and post a bit more frequently now.
"Is he dead?" an unfamiliar voice whispers loudly, followed by several annoyed shushes.
"I think he's waking up!" someone else shouts excitedly, the chorus of shushes that follow are now doubled.
I open my eyes slowly to see several curious, unfamiliar faces hovering inches from mine. I roll over quickly, sweeping them all off of their feet with a single spin. I rip the dagger from the belt of the one closest to me and lurch to my feet quickly.
"I tried to warn them," someone calls out, their voice filled with laughter. I slowly turn towards them, already knowing who will be sitting down.
"Luke," I say slowly, shaking my head. "You're dead. I saw you die. I burned your shroud. I held your body!"
"Never got to thank you for that by the way," he remarks casually, as if heiss commenting on the weather.
"Someone needs to explain some things," I growl, reaching down to help a little girl I knocked down. "I'm sorry, by the way."
"My lord," she squeaks, blushing bright red before slinking back into the crowd.
What the Hades?!
"Can we go somewhere more private?" Luke asks, gesturing at the others.
"Lead the way," I reply sarcastically, as if I have any other choice.
He walks into the hall, nodding curtly. I sigh as I fall into step behind him. I hate when people just leave and expect you to follow. It's so annoying.
"Where are we going?" I ask, after what felt like an hour of walking. We've passed so many darkened hallways, I lost count at about fifty-seven.
"To your chambers," he replies, glancing at me oddly. How was I supposed to know?!
"I suppose that means I'm stuck here?" I retort, gritting my teeth. "I am seriously tired of all of these gods meddling in-"
"There are no gods allowed here," he interrupts, stopping in front of a hallway with only one entrance. A massive door that was made completely of some dark black and red glowing metal.
"What is this place?" I ask in amazement, walking towards the huge door.
Luke doesn't answer, but I'm too enthralled to care at this point. There's words and letters in some kind of language that I don't understand inscribed upon every square inch of the door. The symbols are swimming around, seeming to move faster as I step closer. The rest of the world seems to freeze as my hand is slowly drawn to the handle, as if being pulled by a powerful magnet. My fingers close around the bronze door handle that thrums in my hand warmly, causing a brief, unexpected smile to flit across my face.
"That was a bit anticlimactic," Luke observes, walking over to stand beside me.
"What are you talking about?" I murmur, looking over at him curiously.
"Everyone else who touched the door has been thrown back," he explains. "I was kind of hoping to see you hit the wall, Jackson."
"You let me touch a cursed door?" I question, frowning.
"You wouldn't have died," he chuckles, shrugging innocently.
"Asshat," I mutter, tugging the door open lazily.
He just laughs and gestures for me to walk into the room first. If anyone is going to die, I suppose I'm the obvious choice. I shake my head and step through the threshold, looking around curiously.
The room is surprisingly normal, albeit a bit spacious. There's a king size canopy bed in the middle of the room, pushed up against the back wall. The sheets are all a deep, midnight blue. There's three dressers and a nightstand around the room, all dark black. No windows, or light bulbs that I can see, but the room is till lit with some kind of dark purple glow. It's abnormally cold in here, but not entirely unpleasant. If I'm feeling my eyelids freeze, I have to be alive. So that's a plus, right?
"Dude," Luke mutters, following me into the room.
"What?" I ask, glancing back at him.
"Welcome home, my Champion," Chaos' voice fills the room, and once again she is nowhere in sight.
"You have got to stop doing that," I groan, shaking my head. "Are you not coming in?"
"Are you inviting me?" she retorts. I hate when people answer a question with another question.
"Is this like on of those vampire myth things?" I mutter to Luke. "Like, she can't come in without an invitation?"
"More like a respect thing," Chaos responds for him, appearing in the middle of the room. Again. "I don't enjoy intruding on the privacy of my Legions."
"You should really get those looked at. Annabeth told me they get infected rather quickly," I tell her slowly, smiling like a child.
"Does he have a hearing problem or is he just stupid?" she asks Luke, rolling her eyes.
"He's a great hero, ma'am," Luke reassures, glaring at me pointedly. "Just needs a bit more training."
"Hey!" I complain. "If I'm dead, I will suffer in peace. No training."
"We need to talk, Perseus," Chaos says, facing going deadly serious. "You don't believe this is real?"
"Of course it isn't real," I snort, shaking my head. "This is one of Hades' brilliant punishment ideas."
"Even Hades doesn't have enough creativity for all of this," she tells me, her voice oddly gentle. "We both know this is much too cruel for him."
"It doesn't make sense," I protest, still shaking my head. "Luke is dead. I should be dead. I…. Annabeth is gone. I want to be dead."
"You're destined for great things," she argues. "If you would just believe-"
"I am sick and tired of being forced into destinies I don't agree with," I grow. "I don't want to be a hero. There's no one left to be a hero for."
"We all tire of our destiny," she says slowly, glancing at Luke. "I'm just here to offer you another chance."
"Another chance," I repeat, watching them curiously. "Another chance at what?"
"You are the most worthy hero to grace the nine realms," she continues, nodding her head. "I know you dislike destiny's Perseus, but you can't always outrun them."
"What do you want?" I ask, trying not to sigh. Do I even have a choice in the matter? I never do.
"I want you to finally have a choice in something," she says. "I want you to be able to choose for yourself."
"That isn't possible with the Fates," I tell her flatly. "All three of them hate me."
"They also have no power over you anymore," she counters, crossing her arms as Luke shifts awkwardly. "You've been completely banished."
"How does that cut the power from the Fates?" I ask in confusion. "Aren't they all knowing and all powerful?"
"Powerful?" she snorts, shaking her head. "They just like yarn. Any more stupid questions?"
"One," I reply, licking my lips slowly. If any of this is real, I'm ready to start right now. "What is this prophecy everyone keeps mentioning?"
"That," she says slowly, eyes darkening. "No one knows what that means. It's been around for as long as I have know, and it doesn't translate directly into your language."
"Then break it down for me," I demand, glancing between her and Luke curiously. "One of you explain it to me. Please."
"You get a choice this time," Luke says as Chaos opens her mouth to speak. "Trust me. It's a lot better here."
"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," Chaos interjects, glaring at Luke, "I need you to commit to staying for the first level of training before I can give you information."
"How long is that?" I ask.
"Just about seventy years, but you could probably do it in fifty."
"What?!" I shout. "Are you insane?! I don't want to die here!"
"You're already dead," she replies dryly. "You had to die in order to get here."
"I…. I'm dead?" He whispers slowly.
"We all are," Luke says lightly.
"But I didn't die," I protest. "I was perfectly fine!"
"You snapped the master bolt," Chaos explains, shaking her head. "Your entire soul should have been obliterated."
"Then how am I here?" I asks.
"As I said earlier," she sighs, clearly annoyed, "I am not limited to the laws your little gods have laid out for your people."
"Hades will be pissed that he's missing out on torturing me then," I point out, smiling carefully.
"They don't hate you nearly as much as you think Perseus," Luke interrupts. "Zeus, Ares and Hera hate everyone. The rest of them actually respect you."
I laugh dryly, shaking my head. I might actually be dead. This was some form of punishment from Hades. I'll be tricked into thinking that I might have gotten away from everything, then it will all be ripped away. Might as well go ahead and let the old goat have his laugh.
"Fine," I mutter, staring straight ahead defiantly. "I'll do what I have to do."
"Swear your fealty to me," she replies, nodding at Luke who steps to her side automatically.
"Fealty?" I ask, stepping back slightly. "Why is that necessary?"
I had finally gotten away from the gods, if any of this is actually happening, and I'm not eager to swear myself over to some other deity.
"It's not what you think," Luke says, smiling. "Just swear off your loyalty to the gods. You can be released from your oath to her at any time."
"So I can leave if I want to?" I repeat in confusion.
"Of course," Chaos replies, raising an eyebrow. "You're free to go at anytime. I'm just offering you a way out."
"Then I'll swear anything you ask of me," I promise, slowly bowing down.
"Then welcome to the Legions of Chaos, Perseus Jackson," Chaos says, her voice echoing through the room.