Chapter seven: The Goddess of Misery.
Percy's Pov:
"The death mist, you would take him to Akhlys."
"Yes the death mist could hide him, it might be the only way to get him through the doors of death."
"Unfortunately, that is a terrible plan, even more unfortunate is that might be the only plan, you will have to tell him to be careful of Night."
I could hear the voices before my body began to wake, I was so sure that I would die, that when everything went black, I believed it would be the final release. But here I was surrounded by massive sheep skin blankets, as I began to look around I saw bob sitting by the fire with massive red giant. My first instinct
'You haven't told her,' Damasen said.
'No,' Bob admitted.
'She is already scared.' The giant grumbled.
'She should be. And if you cannot guide them past Night?' Damasen said Night like it was a proper name – an evil name.
'I have to,' Bob said.
'Why?' Damasen wondered. 'What have the demigods given you? They have erased your old self, everything you were. Titans and giants ... we are meant to be the foes of the gods and their children.
"Are we not?"
"Then why did you heal the boy?"
Damasen exhaled. "I have been wondering that myself. Perhaps because the girl goaded me, or
perhaps ... I find these two demigods intriguing. They are resilient to have made it so far. That is
admirable. Still, how can we help them any further? It is not our fate."
"Perhaps," Bob said uncomfortably.
"But ... do you like our fate?"
"What a question. Does anyone like his fate?"
"I liked being Bob," Bob murmured.
"Before I started to remember ..."
"Huh." There was a shuffling sound, as if Damasen was stuffing a leather bag.
"Damasen," the Titan asked, "do you remember the sun?" The shuffling stopped. Annabeth heard the giant exhale through his nostrils.
"Yes. It was yellow. When it touched the horizon, it turned the sky beautiful colors."
"I miss the sun," Bob said.
"The stars, too. I would like to say hello to the stars again."
"Stars ..." Damasen said the word as if he'd forgotten its meaning
"Yes. They made silver patterns in the night sky." He threw something to the floor with a thump.
"Bah. This is useless talk. We cannot"
"Then come with us, you can see the sunset and the stars again," I interrupted, they turned to look at me,
"Ohh demigod, I cannot, it is my fate to remain here killing the Maeonian Drakon again and again. I can not picture anywhere else but here."
"Do not accept your fate, fight back, don't kill the Drakon find a way to break the cycle and defy your fate." I got out of bed and walked towards him, I was surprised that I felt better, maybe even as strong as I felt when I initially fell. He offered me a small bowl of stew and I practically inhailed it, I was sure that the next time I had ambrosia it would take exactly like this, needless to say it tasted like heaven. Damasen waited until I finished eating before her spoke again
"You should leave now, demigod," he said "I fear the Drakons roar will draw the defeated ones here you must hurry, but first I have several things to assist you in your journey. I do not have much to craft from but what I do is strong, I can only hope that they serve you well" He held out his hand and in his was a set of swords they were sheathed in yellowy Drakon leather, I also realized that they were probably made of Drakons bone. I strapped them on my back, they formed and X and as Damasen turned around to reach something on the table I dew the blade to look at it, a blade of dragon bone, honed to a deadly edge, with a simple grip of leather. When I sheathed the blade I realized the giant was holding out his hand again, this time in his hand was a set of armor, the under layers were made of Drakon leather and the actual chest plate, and grieves were made from the same bone as the sword.
"Damasen, There is another destination. Look at me! Remember my face. When you're ready, come find me. We'll take you to the mortal world with us. You can see the sunlight and stars." I began to put on the new armor, I had to take my new swords off but when I had everything on I felt a lot more protected. He had also given me a backpack to replace my ripped and battered one, inside was some Drakon jerky, extra clothes, and water.
As bob and I left the hut I heard the Drakon roar in the distance shortly followed by a voice I knew all to well, "THE SEA GOD'S SON! HE IS CLOSE!". It was Polybotes and he was one of the ones hunting me.
Bob and I ran for it, and as we did the swamp faded behind us. I never thought I would miss the bed and hut of a giant, but here I was felling sad. I was so sure that his fate was to come with us, Foes bear arms to the doors of death.
Percy tried to think of good things to keep his spirits up – the lake at Camp Half-Blood, the time
he'd kissed Annabeth underwater. He tried to imagine the two of them at New Rome together, walking through the hills and holding hands. But Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood both seemed like dreams. He felt as if only Tartarus existed. This was the real world – death, darkness, cold, pain. He'd been imagining all the rest. I shivered. No. That was the pit speaking to him, sapping his resolve.
I was snapped out of my thoughts when a particularly sharp gust of wind, "This place is worse than the river Cocytus."
"Yes much worse, that means we are close."
"Close to the death mist?" I asked, he looked at me and put his finger to his lips in a shh gesture, the darkness began to get thicker and heavier,
Then the darkness dispersed with a massive sigh, like the last breath of a dying god. In front of
them was a clearing – a barren field of dust and stones. In the centre, about twenty yards away, knelt the gruesome figure of a woman, her clothes tattered, her limbs emaciated, her skin leathery green. Her head was bent as she sobbed quietly, and the sound shattered all of my hopes. I realized that life was pointless. My struggles were for nothing. This woman cried as if mourning the death of the entire world.
"We are here. Now you must go to Akhlys, I cannot follow this is no place for immortals," if the sobbing ghoul was bob's idea of help, Percy was pretty sure he didn't want it. Nevertheless, Bob trudged forward. Percy felt obliged to follow. If nothing else, this area was less dark not exactly light, but with more of a soupy white fog.
"Akhlys!" Bob called.
The creature raised her head, and Percy's stomach screamed, Help me! Her body was bad enough. She looked like the victim of a famine, limbs like sticks, swollen knees and knobby elbows, rags for clothes, broken fingernails, and toenails. Dust was caked on her skin and
piled on her shoulders as if she'd taken a shower at the bottom of an hourglass.
Her face was utter desolation. Her eyes were sunken and rheumy, pouring out tears. Her nose
dripped like a waterfall. Her stringy grey hair was matted to her skull in greasy tufts, and her cheeks were raked and bleeding as if she'd been clawing herself. I almost wished that bob had warned me of what Akhlys would look like, Almost, I didn't think it would help though. Then I noticed something else, Across her knees lay an ancient shield, a battered circle of wood and bronze, painted with the likeness of Akhlys herself holding a shield, so the image seemed to go on forever, smaller and smaller.
The old hag wailed. "The shield of Hercules. He painted me on its surface, so his enemies
would see me in their final moments – the goddess of misery." She coughed so hard it made Percy's chest hurt.
"As if Hercules knew true misery. It's not even a good likeness!" Percy gulped. When he and his friends had encountered Hercules at the Straits of Gibraltar, it hadn't gone well. The exchange had involved a lot of yelling, and death threats.
"What's his shield doing here?" Percy asked. The goddess stared at him with her wet milky eyes. Her cheeks dripped blood, making red polka dots on her tattered dress.
"He doesn't need it any more, does he? It came here when his mortal body was burned. A reminder, I suppose, that no shield is sufficient. In the end, misery overtakes all of you. Even Hercules."
"Bob" I said "We shouldn't have come her." From somewhere inside Bob's uniform, the skeleton kitten mewled in agreement. The Titan shifted and winced as if Small Bob was clawing his armpit.
"Akhlys controls the Death Mist," he insisted. "She can hide you."
"Hide them?" Akhlys made a gurgling sound. She was either laughing or choking to death. "Why would I do that?" she studied me and smiled evilly,
"I can see the misery buried deep with in you, and I know something that will break you."
"He must reach the doors of death, to return to the mortal world."
"that is not possible, there will be thousands of monsters guarding them, you will never survive, if you want to die then let me help you, I am also the goddess of Poisons, I can give you a painless and tranquil death." I needed to do some quick thinking,
"If you help us think of all of the misery I will bring to the monsters and gods who oppose me, and if I fail you will get to tell me, 'I told you so for all of eternity' it'll be fun."
"Fun, Fun, the death mist isn't fun, it is misery in carnet for it to work, it will attach itself to you when you are closest to death. Then and only then will it shroud you."
"Okay… But I will be concealed from the monsters?"
"OH yes, if you survive the experience, you will be able to walk through the armies of Tartarus unnoticed. Come with me, I will show you the way."
"The way to what." I asked but she was already walking away into the gloom, I turned to look at bob for reinforcement, but he was gone. I ran after the goddess who seemed to almost be speeding up in excitement, that was all I needed to know she would try to kill me the first chance she got.
"Where is my friend" I asked,
"I believe he told you he could not take this path; he is immortal so the death mist will never take to him." I already missed the titan; he had been the one and only constant with me in Tartarus. He was eternally grateful for Bob's help, there was no way I could have made it through the pit without him.
I continued to follow the goddess as she struggled across the baren plane, I would have lost her if not for the bright neon plants that sprang up her wake. Up ahead I saw her figure halt, looking off into the distance, when I had arrived at her side I looked out, below me was absolutely nothing. An empty Void that stretched out in front of me, I knew that if I fell down there, I would fall forever, or at least until the primeval darkness dissolved me.
"This is the place, we are where Night meets the void bellow us. Right now you are closer to Chaos than any mortal has ever been. Can you feel it, here you are as close to death as you can be while still living." The strange thing was I could feel it. This place was special, a place where mortals were not meant to exist, I could feel the darkness pulling at me, like it was trying to devour my soul.
I turned but when I did I felt different, my body was heavy and white mist had began to curl up my legs transforming them almost translucent. " The death mist, is this it."
"Yes, even now you are passing between." I turned to walk away form the cliff and she followed, when I was about twenty feet away, I turned again to sit down, only to see Akhlys in midair lunging at me.