DISCLAIMER: I humbly present Mr. Rick Riordan's characters! Though the plot and some of the new ones are definitely mine!
A/N: Ohoho, I don't think so! I can't leave you guys hanging! Especially I may or may not update tomorrow :( anyway, please RATE&REVIEW you won't regret it especially with what is coming... Just say your comments please, your silence is leaving me hanging!
Get ready for the shock of your life...Oh, wait, not yours but Percy's.
CHAPTER TEN:
You know the feeling that you are floating and you are certain you know that you're lying in your bed, exactly on the ground like you know you were? Well, that happened. I looked down and saw myself on the bed. My dad was on the doorway with Apollo in a headlock and Hermes laughing on the sidelines. But what came as a surprise was when I saw myself on the bed; it looked like I was barely breathing.
Oh my gods, I really died?
"That's it? After pleading, crying, bleeding, shouting and spitting at the gods, I'm going to die because I slept?"
Geez, it sounds even more pathetic once you say it out loud. I could almost hear Hermes announce to everyone that the great Percy Jackson, the Hero of Olympus, passed away while he's drooling in sleep. A laughingstock, I'm sure. I was vaguely aware that I was wearing a hospital nightgown and not the jeans and shirt I wore when I went there. I silently prayed that they wouldn't bury me alive in a nightgown because that would be the end of my social life- If I ever have one in the Underworld, of course.
After the initial surprise, I turned to look at my surroundings. Where in Hades am I?
I was floating in black place. I mean, literally black. No trees, no buildings. Heck, even no dust. Except for some small glowing dots scattered randomly around the place. At first, I thought I just got passage in-Oh gods, forbid- Hades' room, which scared me a LOT.
But then there are no signs that Hades sleeps in here. No skulls, no pictures of torture and all that bad-boy-image. I did not even have a glimpse of his magical gym shorts-not that I was peeking intentionally. But this is a stranger place than the Underworld.
"I can assure you that you are perfectly alive and well. And as for the other question, you are-how do I put this?-in me, son." A voice behind me chuckled.
I turned and saw a tall man with black robes that goes well with the background. But his robes were somehow shining. His pale skin was in contrast with his robes but his eyes were a distracting blood-red color. As if all of the blood in his body somehow got into his eyes and stayed there. Must be caused by many headstands, I thought.
I died in my sleep and got eaten by a sparkly dude with freaky red eyes that looked like he just got off a giant electric fan that showered him huge boxes of glitters in a mega-sale event in a mall. Wow, this just keeps getting better and better.
"Your thoughts are refreshing to hear, son." He smiled. I peered in closely and saw white fangs a bit longer than his normal ones. My heart beat up faster.
"You're not an empousai, are you?" I said.
The man was taken back. "I'm sorry?"
"Oh, you know- those ugly vampires with those weird legs that were like a donkey's and a Hephaestus' automaton's put together-Very dangerous. They trick you with their weird powers and then eat you. Looks like a model but is definitely a member of those vampire fan clubs." I said.
I was surprised to hear the man laugh. It was a mysterious one, though. It was a mix between a sonic boom, a snort and something I couldn't think of. It wasn't scary but it was definitely startling.
"You are one-of-a-kind, Perseus Jackson. I am impressed." The man laughed.
"How did you know my name?" My eyes narrowed in suspicion. I mean, seriously, who would be impressed by what I described of those monsters. It was true but it hardly counts as a description.
"Why, I was the one who summoned you here, of course. And I wouldn't do anything that might raise your suspicion." The man said.
"So, let's make this clear-you're not going to eat me, right?" The man rolled his eyes and nodded.
"Yes, my digestion wouldn't handle it. Now, make yourself comfortable." Immediately, two white couches appeared.
I eyed one of the couches, cautious. It would be the death of me if I would just accept something from a complete and scary stranger in a place that looks like the Underworld. Remembering Persephone's curse, I patted the foam for some hidden weapon or the bag that makes fart noises. Hey, if I should be cautious, I'd make thorough.
When I found nothing suspicious, I sighed quietly and sat down.
"Okay, I believe you. So, what do you mean, I'm in you? Did you accidentally summon me in your stomach or something? Because if you did, that'll answer a lot of my questions." I shrugged.
He shook his head in amusement. "I've heard of your, ah-colorful remarks, boy. And it is amusing indeed. But to answer your questions…No, I did not summon you in my stomach or in any of my body parts and as for your other question; you are in me because this place is me."
This dude is crazy.
"What?" I said.
"You are in the void, Perseus."
Okay, now I'm confused. The Void?
"Where in the world is that? Nobody ever told me about a place named like that. And if they did, maybe I wasn't listening or they're spouting useless facts while I was bashing monster heads." I mused.
The man ignored my comment. "This is the void. And the void is me."
I waved a hand to stop him from speaking. "Okay, this isn't making sense. I'm in the void," He nodded. "And you are the void."
"Correct." He said.
"Then why did you tell me I'm not inside you when you said it yourself that I'm in the void and you are the void. Am I missing something here?" I raised an eyebrow.
He chuckled. "I do not have an inkling of an idea of how your mind runs but I'll give you a simplified version of my existence."
Then he grew serious. "You see, the primordial gods-or who you stubbornly call the 'Gaia meanies'—weren't the first ones to rule the Earth. Only a few of the stories ever said my name so you wouldn't know. I was the one who created Gaia and her brothers and sisters. I was the one who made the universe. Your scientific theories made out vague impressions of the origin of the universe. And some of them are accurate; specifically the one that they pointed out that the universe came from a big explosion. Well, I was that explosion. In other words, I am Chaos, the First One and Creator of the Universe." He explained.
I digested that in my mind and I was relieved it actually made a bit sense-For me, at least.
"So, you're saying, you're the Universe and you're a very powerful man." I finished.
"Only a unique man such as yourself can simply understand the long tale of how I existed and explain with a few words. And yes-I am, technically, one with the Universe." The man, or Chaos, nodded.
"But shouldn't you be evil? Like from your name, it sounds like you're trouble." I said. Added also the fact you created Gaia and her goons, but I didn't add that one.
Chaos frowned. "I am the good and evil. Not one could be with the other. For instance, as long as the Olympian gods reign among your people, my sons and daughters reign in Tartarus who happens to be my son as well. Or the fact that once Thor is resurrected from the ashes of Asgard, the Midgard Serpent shall put an end to his life. Evil will not exist if good doesn't. Many philosophies believe in balance and order: Greeks, Norse, and Chinese, even the famous Ma'at and Isfet if you're Egyptian but they are a bit unwelcoming to me, though. I retain the balance in the world. If evil is reigning, I have to help the good. And if good is staying longer than expected, well—you get the picture."
That's not a good image.
I shivered involuntarily and changed the subject. "And now I'm in space? With no breathing bubble like those space suit guys were putting around their head to breathe?"
He smiled roguishly. "If you're with me, there's no need for that 'breathing bubble' you're mentioning. And you're not exactly in space."
"Where am I, then?" I asked.
"You're still on Earth. My headquarters on Earth is somewhere between Australia and that big chunk of ice they call Antarctica. I also have a few bases in Alaska and Russia and some places we don't need to go into, but this is the ideal one for meetings. So I pulled you away from your body so I could talk to you here." He shrugged.
"Why can't you just zap on Olympus and talk to me there to save you some trouble?" I asked. It was disconcerting to know that you are partly on Earth and space. I wondered if my body was sawed in three parts just so I could be on Olympus, some headquarters in the middle of nowhere and in space itself.
Chaos frowned. "I work on a need-to-know basis. My grandchildren need not know that someone else is ruling their domains and a war is out of the question. Besides, I pulled you here to talk to you in private."
"Oh. Okay. Shoot." It was weird to hear someone call the Olympians their grandchildren when the gods must have been thousand years old in the context.
Chaos stared at me with unreadable eyes before answering. "I came here to serve as a messenger of the Oracle and the Fates."
My blood turned cold. Fates? "You mean—"
"Yes," He sighed. "It concerns a prophecy."
This is so not my day.
I huffed heavily. "Look, I really don't want to read omens of death right now so could you wait after I die?"
He nodded. "I understand. But this concerns your race. And as I pointed out, I am merely a messenger."
Then weird things happened. His figure emitted a very bright light it made yellow spots in my eyes. I closed my eyes and waited for an impact of some sort. When I felt nothing, I opened my eyes—and received the greatest impact of my life.
Chaos's eyes vanished. In the place of the blood-red orbs lie the deepest black eyes I've ever seen. It felt like it was staring right into my soul. I shivered involuntarily. Then he opened his mouth and spoke in a raspy voice. This is not Chaos, I thought. It sounded like Rachel when she begins spouting words that really doesn't make sense. But it doesn't sound like the three voices I hear when a prophecy is being said. No, these voices sounded too ancient, too old to be the Oracle of Delphi. It sounded like the-
Fates.
"Perseus Jackson." Three raspy voices spoke at once. I silently wondered why they, out of all people, have raspy voices when they pretty much speak for centuries, trying to scare off demigods. I mean, really, do these people even know the use of water?
"You have opened the paths of the gods. Together, these may prevail or tremble beneath thy power. For the sake of thy race, ask what you seek." Chaos's face was blank and empty except for his moving lips. It was horrifying to hear him speak like this.
My mind was in ripples. I couldn't think straight and all of the things that had happened to me made my head spin. Still, I said in the most confident voice I could muster, "Pass unto me the knowledge of the prophecy."
Chaos's lips emitted a greenish-black smoke as he said the words that horrified me to no end.
The hero of old shall perish in lightning and thunder
He shall face the god in deep slumber
One shall turn, one shall fall
Seek the power where lies all
But take heed of the promise of the revengeful
To see the world fall in the villainy of the rule
The path shall speak to yield on what has been done
The downfall of Olympus, the Armageddon of a new dawn
Then as fast as the voices spoke, they were gone. I shook my head and regained my senses. "Wait—what do you mean perish in lightning and thunder? And what Armageddon are you talking about?"
That was useless. Chaos inhaled deeply and resumed back to his previous state. He shook his head and sniffed in disdain. "I never had any fondness with this kind of experience."
But I hardly heard a word he said since my nerves couldn't take what I heard. Yep, I almost collapsed. If there was one thing that I didn't think of as a probable topic with a conversation with a powerful man, this is it. Downfall and Armageddon? We haven't had the chance to fix the camp when the war with Gaia ended months ago and now evil will come again? Not that it was unexpected. Evil has a nasty habit of not staying dead for a long time.
"Is it in my time?" I asked, hoping that it will happen a few thousand years later, long after I'm dead. And the prophecy stated that a hero of the old shall face this madness. I couldn't wish this tragedy to any immortal hero, even a jerk named Heracles. But, as my experiences always say, wishing for the dearest thing you want to happen don't really happen. If one more war happens and I would become a part of it, I'm going to scream bloody murder.
Chaos met my worried gaze. I was scared of the expression on his red eyes. "If you choose to be."
"What do you mean by that?" I nearly shrieked. I was totally freaking out.
He sighed resignedly. "Let me explain, child. It means that the biggest prophecy of all time, made by the Fates themselves, is about to begin and the hero of the old, the demigod who possesses the power to make the most important choice ever to be made is talking about you, Perseus."
Yep, I lost it.