Most of the walk was long, uneventful, and overall boring. Monsters seemed to stay as far away from the Styx as possible, afraid of falling in and being killed by the river, the titans really had no reason to wander by, and the Primordials mostly stayed in their domains. Among the sound of Tartarus' gravel crunching under my feet and running water, I could hear the screams of horror and pain from the denizens of the demigod equivalent of hell. I could also hear cheers, though I did not know from where. The River Styx seemed to stretch on for miles upon miles, having no visible end. Through the smog and smoke, I could see a round structure in the distance. It rose high, as tall as nearly Tartarus itself. The closer I got, the louder the cheers became and the clearer the building could be seen. It was a large coliseum-like structure. I knew what this was.

"The Arena of Pallas," I whispered to myself. Guttural cries of anger and anguish, as well as cheers of entertainment, echoed out of the coliseum. I shuddered at the thought of the horrible monsters that could possibly be kept in there and used as opponents. Things that mortals might not even be able to imagine. As I began to near the arena, I began to notice the monsters that were around it, hiding in the smog of Tartarus. Laistrygonian Giants and empousa surrounded the area. I took care of my footfalls, hoping not to alert them to my presence. I could not waste time. I needed to reach the meeting point of the rivers of Tartarus. Despite these precautions, I still had the scent of a demigod, a powerful one at that.

"Percy Jackson," one of them shouted. I froze in my steps as the monsters all turned to face me. The one who called my name, the empousa Kelli, placed her hands on her hips and smiled smugly. "What is Olympus' most famed hero doing in Tartarus, again?" I drew Styx's blade from my coat and twirled the shining dagger. It wasn't as balanced as Riptide, nor did it weigh the same. But it still felt natural in my hands.

"I was just leaving," I muttered, hoping they could hear the threat in my voice. Styx's blessing had rejuvenated my energy in will, but I still didn't know my limits and I sure as Hades did not want to test them quite yet. Kelli let out a sneering laugh.

"And who said you were allowed to leave?" The other monsters, about five more empousa and two Lastrygonian giants, rallied themselves behind Kelli, staring at me hungrily.

"I did." With one swift movement, I threw Oathbringer into the heart of one of the giants before leaping forward. Remembering what Styx had told me about me my arm, I brought it up to block a strike from an empousa and yanked the dagger from the giant, slashing it across her throat. They dissolved into a pile of silver dust and I turned to the rest of the monsters. They cowered in fear as I looked from Oathbringer to the abnormally colored dust.

"We will be back, Perseus," Kelli growled as she and her allies retreated. I placed the dagger back in the cloak and watched them as they left. They moved for the direction of the strange building. I thought about chasing them down then thought better of it.

"Best to continue my current quest rather than hunting down monsters," I whispered to myself. I turned my eyes and feet back to the river and continued to walk, keeping eyes out for any more monsters, familiar or not, who strayed too close. After a few small bouts with hellhounds, I finally reached a turning point. It looked more like where the Phlegethon and Styx split. The green-watered river connected to one of green fire which fed a river of normal orange fire. I remember Annabeth and I drinking from the river the first time I was here. Despite being made of fire, the Phlegethon gave no heat. I sipped a hand in and took a sip, shuddering from the taste. Just as I remembered it.

"Spicy, yet disgusting," I shook my head and willed my feet to continue, taking a sip when I felt tired and trying not to throw up after every time. Step by step I continued. Eventually, I started counting them. I lost interest and track after fifty. Hours seemed to pass and I could see a change. Monsters became extremely sparse and I could feel the River Styx nearby. My feet began to move faster, brought to life by the thought of success. I broke out into a run. I had made it. The pond of Tartarus. It was a swirling mass of the five rivers, each having a statue of a hooded figure at the mouths of the rivers. I fell down onto the side of the pond in exhaustion and adjusted myself to a sitting position. I now had to wait. Surely for not long as Styx would get them to come. So I sat and I waited. And I waited. And I got tired of waiting. When I finally began to think about leaving, I heard a soft sob. A young woman knelt by the statue of Cocytus, crying sorrowfully.

"Would you keep it down, Sister?" a harsh voice shouted. I turned quickly to the voice to see it was a tall, broad-shouldered man in a similar hood. The other two figures revealed themselves from the other statues before I could feel my patron arriving herself. She moved out from behind her statue, a new cloak covering her. Stepping forward, she motioned for her brothers and sisters to come to her. They all moved swiftly, seeming to float over the ground. They each removed their hoods, and I could finally tell which river was which. Acheron reminded me of a cross between Ares and Hades, being large and seemingly headstrong but dark and brooding. Cocytus was as beautiful as Aphrodite, yet her eyes were constantly filled with tears. Lethe's features were ever-changing, almost as if she herself could never remember what she looked like. Lastly was Phlegethon, a tall proud-looking man with short fire-like hair and orange glowing eyes.

"So this is the 'Perseus Jackson'," he said with a scrutinizing sneer. "The future downfall of Olympus."

(A/N)

I'm still on time. Just really late in the day. Sorry. I've been dealing with applying for second jobs. Anyway, tell me what you think and I'd like a few suggestions for powers from the river. Leave a review please and let me hear your opinions.

Adamcoyne- Thanks for the review! and trust me. Percy is certainly not going to forgive those that have betrayed him.

Thanks for the read!