We had been flying for what felt like several seconds, but that didn't say much, when I saw something on the horizon. It wasn't exactly bright, but in comparison to the darkness of the void, it was like a beacon.
As we got closer and closer I realized I was looking at a house, it was nothing like Damasen's hut, it was massive, more like a fortress than a house, dark massive stone blocks made up a the wall surrounding the central castle. Ramparts maned by what seemed to be giant humanoids made out of shadows. The main building was made of some dark kind of wood, a massive Victorian style house, with several turrets, on the opposite side was a massive chunk of land, dark craggy rock like the terrain I had seen when first falling, like the stair steps for some kind of gargantuan god or demon.
As we landed in the courtyard many of what I assumed were gods approached holding massive weapons,
"Stop, be gone children." Nyx commanded. "Perseus it is time to close your eyes." as I did the goddess gripped my shoulder rather harshly. Leading me forward she spoke quietly, "there are stairs here, step up." I followed her directions, and heard a door creak open, I knew I had passed the threshold when the deep chill worsened and I began to hear whispers in my ears, things seemed to grab at my clothes.
"As we pass through each section of my house you will be tested, you will need to pass each in order to leave this place, hopefully it will make you a better person, that is if it doesn't destroy you even more." As we continued the voices began to grow louder and visions appeared in my head.
The first vision was horrible, it was Annabeth, her eyes were shrouded in darkness it got even worse when she spoke,
"Hello, my love, I was worried about you, but alas we have been reunited." Anger boiled in my gut, but the voice of nyx calmed me slightly.
"What you see isn't real Perseus, this the first test. You should see the things that anger you, to accept you need to accept that rage and keep it under control" I diverted my brain into two different sections, one to deal with his motor functions to continue walking, the other in order to deal with the apparition in front of me.
"You are no longer my girlfriend, as retribution for your sins know that you will never receive my mercy or forgiveness again," I spoke in my mind. The next was Jason, he appeared to me in jeans and no shirt, sweaty and breathless but with those same hollow dark eyes ,
"That girl of yours is something amazing Jackson," at this point I had stopped moving, my whole being focused on the idea of letting my new swords taste blood, his blood. Nyx had said to pass these tests I would need to control my anger though, if I relented there was no way I would pass. "What's wrong Jackson, do you want to hurt me, rip me to shreds, you could never hope of even touching me." Gone was the young man I had once called a friend, what ever he had gained since I lase saw him was nothing good, yes I had begun to accept the darkness within but I was still the same person mostly anyways.
"Begone Jason, you will get your comeuppance soon, and who knows I might just be the one to do it, or maybe a giant will rip you to shreds, either will suffice." He sneered before disappearing into the mist.
"Nyx we may continue for now," I said and began marching foreward at a steady pace, it was maybe a few seconds before the next apparition appeared, this one was the one person I would have never liked to see again, the one who haunted my nightmares, Smelly Gabe.
Just as I thought I was ready to continue, this walrus appears and throws me off the rails, no I wouldn't let him, I walked faster and more confidently, even if I didn't feel it. He had beaten me and my mom, hurt us in ways that my subconscious had buried deep within my brain. He was the first monster I had ever encountered, and he was just a regular mortal.
"BEGONE, leave me in peace, you are a horrendous creature that deserves punishment worse than even Tartarus can offer." As I spoke he sneered, I was more terrified than I had been in years, sure facing Kronos had make me quake in my shoes, but this man made me want to hide, to save my mom and never be seen again, he was the reason that scars littered my body, he was Evil
"Fine, brain boy, but so you know death ain't got shit on me anymore, can't wait to see your mom," and with that he vanished, I was so horrified that I almost opened my eyes, could he really have escaped from the underworld, there was no way…
"That would be your first illusion of fear, in my house you will see things about yourself that you have to deal with in order to move on, these tests are all about helping you control every ounce of your strength, after fear comes guilt, and finally doubt. But who knows I have never given a mortal this test."
"You must accept that all you can to is fight, fight in the name of those who still live, and even then it might not be enough, I can tell you that one of them is fated to die, you must prevail." This was very hard, just the thought of one of them dying made my heart clench. But I knew that to continue I needed to leg go of that fear, I was so much stronger than I had been when I fell down here, hopefully when or rather if I returned to the mortal world I could learn how to properly use the grace I had been given. Maybe, just maybe it would allow me to subdue Gaia, And with that my friends disappeared. The only problem was the sight that took their place made my already suffering heart, and my blood freeze, standing if front of me were my old friends, the ones I had lost in the battle of the labyrinth, Zoe nightshade, Lee Fletcher, Charles Beckendorf, Selena Beauregard, and even Luke castellan, They were shadowy figures, like ghosts. I was happy to see them until they began to speak,
"You Killed me, dropped a bridge on top of me"
"It was your fault I Died, if only you could have taken on atlas"
"You left me on that ship to die, how could you"
"You should have killed that Drakon, but instead my face was melted off"
"You should have died instead of us," they all chorused. "You are a failure, you can't even protect the ones you love," at that all the hope that maybe I would return to the mortal world, vanished in an instant. It took a few moments before my confidence returned,
"The friends I knew would never have said something as heinous and destructive I know I wasn't strong enough to save them but they… wouldn't say such a thing, the dead ones I know wait for me in Elysium." They too dissolved before me.
The last vision was possibly the strangest, it was of Gaia, she stood before me in all her glory. She was about 20 feet tall, a flowing green dress covered her figure, her long brown hair was braided with flowers, her eyes were a solid green like the all of nature had been condensed into a single pair of irises, Her face was regal and absolutely gorgeous, high cheek bones, and elegant features.
"Hello little demigod, it is good to see you again. Let me ask you a question Hero why struggle against my might, you know its futile?" asked humorlessly
"Because Gaia im not just fighting for myself, im fighting for all those on the surface whom I love, when you destroy the world your eradicating everything I love. So I will fight to protect the world I care about, yes the gods suck but less than the titans, and when this is all over I plan to have a few words with the Olympians." I said sternly
"You are in my sister's house, I can see it in you, you know that you can't kill my, no more than you could kill Tartarus or Nyx herself, so tell me son of Poseidon, what's your next move." She quipped
"I know that yes and to be honest I'm unsure if I will be able to accomplish the task I have been given, the things that I have to do in order to stop you seem impossible, but you miss one hundred percent of the shots you don't take, so Gaia I'm taking my shot because if I don't then everything that makes me happy will cease to exist."
I had been so engrossed in my test that I had almost forgotten where I was and who had given it to me, but after Gaia was gone no other apparitions appeared, so I logically concluded it was over. I was so happy I almost opened my eyes, only to remember what ever lay in this dark house was not meant for the eyes of mortals. I continued to walk at the goddesses side but then I sensed the walls on either side of me vanish, the open air of Tartarus stung my lungs again, I hadn't noticed it before but Nyx must have had some good ass air filters in her palace because my breathing had become easier, or maybe I had just been to distracted to notice. I was so wrapped up in that ridiculous train of though I hadn't realized we had stopped, only gut instincts and maybe the fact that Nyx's hand had clenched my arm painfully tight, that I realized I was about to do something stupid, maybe even deadly.
"We must cross the river Acheron to officially leave the property of my house, but your almost there." As she spoke I began to sense the river bellow us, and I have got to say not pleasant. Voices began to speak in my head, the longer I stood there the more persistent they became, starting out as a soft tugging and then after a few moments, a stern and violent yelling,
"Perseus come here" she ordered, I did as I was told and walked form her side to her front. When I was where she wanted me, she picked me up. Not like a piggyback, or just hanging on, but full on bridal style. The goddess of Night, one of the eldest Primordial's PICKED ME UP LIKE A PRINCESS before leaping across the large chasm. My senses told me she had jumped about twenty-five maybe thirty feet.
When both of our feet were safely back on the ground and the goddess told me to, I opened my eyes, and immediately I was blinded, after such utter nothingness the dim light that was sprinkled through-out Tartarus was like walking out of a movie theater,
"Fuuck, why is it so bright… sorry stupid question."
"You did very well in my house, but before I leave you theres two thing I need to attend you, the fist of which, I sense your questions, go ahead and ask them." I though for a moment, I thought it unwise to bother such a powerful goddess with too many questions. Eventually I decided on three of the most important,
"Was what I saw real or where they truly visions, because I still cant tell."
"Some were real, you really did speak to the ghost of that gross man, Gabe was it, and your vision of my sister was real aswell, however the others were not,"
"Nyx will you please grant me something. You are strong and honestly the only one who I would ask?"
"It depends young one, I might be able to help, but I would not incur the wrath of The Creator for you."
"Please hold him off just until this quest is over, my old step dad that is, the world must be saved but I have no doubt that Gaia means for him to kill her, the is all I've had for most of my life and I haven't even seen her for almost nine months, I will protect her when the time comes." I said, I must have sounded even more miserable than usual, and thankfully she seemed to pity that.
"I will keep him from finding your mother, but I will release him when Gaia is finally freed from her ehhh murderous rampaging state." To say I had never before felt such relief was only a slight exaggeration, the only other times I had felt relief like that was when I got out from under the weight of the world, or maybe that one time me and Annabeth "Fell Asleep" in the stables, that thought made me angry again, which in turn brought be back from my inner monologs.
"Thank you Lady Nyx, I hope we will meet again," I said truthfully,
"Don't worry, I will see you again soon enough, but before you journey to my brothers heart I plan to bestow upon you my grace, I foresee you will need it when your battle comes." And as Tartarus did, Nyx rubbed her hands together, however unlike her brother she placed both hands on either sides of my head, right on my temples. When she did I once again felt like a balloon about to pop, shortly after it faded again and I felt capital S-T-R-O-N-G. "Now off you go, vengeance and righteousness awaits you."
With that I turned my back on the house of night and its master and headed towards the doors of death, and possibly my own demise.