Son of the Moon
Chapter 33
-Percy-
Scowling he stormed through the boundary to camp, having gotten an update from Clarisse and Amanda about a…development at the camp. It didn't help his mood that he had been in the middle of saying his goodbyes to Zoe, Castor, and Katie when he had been called back
-Flashback-
"Just follow this road and you'll reach the bridge into Elysium," Hades explained as he stood with Nico, Bianca, and Phoebe who had come with him for moral support "the guardian of the entrance has already been told to allow you four entry.".
"Thank you Uncle." he said softly, the pain of losing his sister and friends feeling fresher than before now that he knew he would be talking with their spirits.
Hearing a sigh he looked up only to see his Great-Uncle lean down and pull him into a hug, "You aren't alone Percy," the lord of the Dead said sadly "you have your family here to support you every step of the way.". Hesitantly he hugged his Great-Uncle back while Nico, Bianca, and Phoebe joined in the embrace, showing him that they weren't going to let him go it alone. "Now go on," Hades said after a moment, the Ruler of the Underworld smiling sadly at him "you shouldn't keep them waiting.".
Nodding he began walking down the cobblestone road that led to Elysium, Bianca intertwining her fingers with his own as she squeezed his hand reassuringly and Nico clapped a firm hand to his shoulder. They walked in silence as they followed the path, quietly taking in the sights as they were the first mortals in centuries if ever to lay eyes upon Elysium. The farther and farther they got from Hades' palace and the fields of Asphodel the more things grew lighter as he saw that it was a balance. He had glimpsed the fields of punishment and saw that it was full of black and reds, the fire and shadows of the punishments created for each specific soul of the damned. The fields of Elysium were an endless plain of grey, grey grass, grey trees, and even grey shades as the souls of those who were neither truly good nor truly bad wandered. But with the souls of the righteous he saw that it was filled with whites an golds, the grey granite turning into white marble and the weak poplars turning into ornate columns.
In the fields of punishment he had heard the fierce howling winds that carried the screams of those sentenced to endless suffering. In the Fields of Asphodel there was no wind at all, a sickening stillness that were more likely to drive one mad than any horror in the Fields of Punishment. But with Elysium…a gentle breeze would blow through just when it was needed, carrying the scents of everything wonderful as he wondered if the magic of the Elysian winds was related to the smoke of a sacrificial brazier.
Finally though were the sounds that differed from Field to Field. In Punishment all once could hear were the baleful cries of the damned, the tortured souls that were condemned to endless punishment where they cried, screamed, begged, and cursed for mercy that would never come. In Asphodel there was nothing, no sounds as each spirit drifted along silently, their minds all but empty as they both existed and didn't, a place where even his own voice sounded almost muted and hollow when he spoke. But with Elysium all that could be heard was joyful laughter, songs of merriment and valor, the cheerful yells of people who were happier than anyone else could ever dream of being. "They deserve it." he said softly as he stared at the beautiful white marble buildings that filled the Field and valley, the rolling green hills and even the lake with the small Islands in the center where the buildings seemed to give off an aura of peace that he could feel even from outside the valley.
"What was that Percy?" Phoebe asked in confusion as his sister turned towards him.
"Zoe, Castor, and Katie," he said, never taking his eyes from the sight before them "they deserve to be here. To be in a place where they can actually know peace for eternity, where they won't have to worry about fighting in a war or risking their life in some hunt or battle…where they can truly be free.".
"This is true." A new voice said as he looked up to see a white marble Arch covered in gold filigree, the word 'Elysium' carved into the front in Greek. Atop this beautiful gate lay a man who wore brilliant white armor and a white cape, all of it gilded and detailed in what he assumed was Imperial gold as he felt the power it gave off. Along with the armor and cape the figure had a weapon that was gleaming imperial gold and honed to a razor's edge. The final thing he noticed about the man was the dirty blonde hair, grown out to his shoulders with a single braid near the temple marked with a blue bead that matched the man's eyes. (AN: Brad Pitt from Troy)
"Would you be the Guardian of Elysium?" Nico asked the man with a raised eyebrow as the white armored man leapt down from the top of the arch with a nod.
"That I am son of Hades," the man said with a nod "my name…is Achilles. I was tasked with guarding the Fields of Elysium to protect the shades within from any souls that escape Punishment or live beings that enter the Underworld without Lord Hades' permission. There is a similar guard for the Fields of Punishment whose duty is to keep those shades within. The Ghouls guard Asphodel.".
"Are you truly the Achilles of legend?" he asked in shock "The Achilles of the War against Troy?".
"Yes I am," Achilles said with a nod "I spend most of my time here by the Gate, only ever leaving to warn off people who attempt to bathe in the Styx.".
"Like Luke Castellan." He said with a nod as Achilles blinked in surprise. "He…he's the one who is responsible with the deaths of my sister and my friends," he said as a tear fell down his cheek, his mind once again playing the scene of the knife plunging into those who meant the world to him "I slew both him and Atlas.".
"How did you find his Mortal Point?" Achilles asked, the ancient warrior blinking in confusion as the man led them through the gate and down into the Field of the blessed, several spirits stopping to stare at them as they passed.
"My sword couldn't pierce his heart," he said coldly "so I surrounded both myself and him with fire as their bite quickly found his mortal point and killed him that way.".
"That…is something I had never considered." Achilles said with a small frown "Such a simple solution to overcome a nearly unstoppable defense.".
"People always thing that a solution to something such as the blessing of the Styx has to be extremely complicated or esoteric," he said neutrally "so they would overlook the simplest answer.".
"Fair enough," Achilles said with a shrug before gesturing to a nearby marble home "your sister and friends are waiting for you in there.".
"Thank you." He said gratefully as the fallen hero nodded and walked back to the Arch. Almost hesitantly he reached up and pushed open the door to the building as he stared inside and saw the spirits of Zoe, Castor, and Katie who shot to their feet the moment they saw him.
"Percy!" Zoe cried as she ran forward and embraced him, a gesture he returned without hesitation as his tears fell once more, both of them collapsing to their knees as they held each other closely, Castor and Katie joining in the embrace followed by Nico, Bianca, and Phoebe.
He lost track of how long he spent in Elysium, sharing old stories with his Sister and friends as they relished what little time they had left with each other. As the 'sun' of Elysium began to set however a flapping sound was heard as he looked up to see Alecto the Fury coming over towards them. "What happened?" he asked when he saw the nervous and almost fearful look on the face of the ancient torturer.
"There have been four more deserters," Alecto informed him "four more who have joined Kronos. Three demigods…and an Olympian.".
"What?!" Zoe yelled in shock as they stared at Alecto in horror "Who would do something like that?".
"From the letter that was left by two of the deserters we've gained a pretty good idea of what happened." Alecto explained "The demigod son of Dionysus, Pollux, was consumed by his Cloud of Madness and the daughter of Demeter, Miranda, went mad as well, their madness feeding and enhancing that of the other. They had decided to leave Camp with Thalia to find the best way to protect Percy as their madness is focused on keeping him safe. Poseidon made a deal with Kronos to get the Titan King to force you to see Poseidon as your father and the three demigods were apparently promised positions as your wife and bodyguards.".
"He sees this as insurance," Castor spoke up in horror "I…I asked him to try and look out for you in the last entry of my journal. He sees it as a way that no matter who wins the war, you'll survive. If he felt that Kronos would go back on his word then he'd try to slaughter the Titan King without a moment's hesitation. His entire being is devoted to keeping you safe as he sees it.".
"But that's not all," Alecto said with a wince "Lord Hades received word from your friend, Amanda. It seems that Annabeth Chase has learned that you were the one to kill Luke Castellan and she is now trying to move the Camp against you.".
Scowling he rose to his feet, "I'm sorry Zoe, Castor, Katie, but I have to go." he apologized "If I don't go now then that idiot could destroy the unity of the Demigods and all but hand our lives to Kronos on a golden platter.".
"It's alright Percy," Zoe assured him as she embraced him once more and tenderly kissed his cheek "go kick her ass.".
-End Flashback-
"Chase!" he roared as he stormed over to the dining Pavilion where he saw Annabeth trying to give a speech while standing atop one of the tables.
"The murderer shows his face!" Annabeth called out only to scream in pain when Bianca shot the fool in the shoulder with an arrow, falling to the ground with a thud as the other demigods quickly backed away to avoid being caught in the line of fire.
"Be silent Chase," he scowled "you are already being held in contempt as a traitor to Olympus.".
At his declaration the other demigods gaped in shock while Annabeth spluttered indignantly "I'm no traitor!" she yelled "If anyone is it's you!".
"You support Luke Castellan!" he roared as he pulled his blade and held its tip against her throat "That bastard was a traitor to the core. Luke Castellan kidnapped my mother, my brother, and my love! He had my sister and my friends killed! He tried to destroy the boundary of Camp Half-Blood, he stole my Grandfather's Master Bolt, and he sold his soul to Kronos. You claim that I am a murderer for killing him? By making that statement, by showing loyalty and support to that piece of scum, you are saying you agree with every one of his actions in this war, every life lost and every soul threatened by him. You are saying that you agree with him wanting to kill your mother, to kill my mother, to kill the rest of the gods. You are saying that you are a traitor. I will not let you tear this camp apart and offer up the lives of my brothers and sisters in arms to Kronos due to your own hubris. If I find you trying to aide Kronos again like you were today you won't have to worry about being killed by a monster…because I will send you to the fields of punishment myself. Now, get out of my sight.".
AN: To those who are upset about his actions towards Annabeth think about it from his point of view. Luke Castellan truly is and was a traitor and by her supporting him she is saying that she agrees with the guy's agenda AND the murder of Zoe, Castor and Katie whose spirits he just left…I think he would be rightfully pissed off.