STIll FLASHBACK (last 'flashback' chapter, I didn't mean for it to go this long)

THIRD PERSON POV

Percy had been tirelessly wandering over the desert dunes of Tartarus for… um… awhile. Not having a sun really put a blanket over telling the time. Still, it had been a fair long time (in his opinion) since Percy had gone looking to find some monsters to 'make friends with'. By make friends, he means drinking their blood and killing them. Preferably not in that order.

The atmosphere of Tartarus wasn't as hostile as it was when he first came here. Percy only felt a mild irritation from the air on his skin. there was no scorched lungs or blistered skin. The abrasive glassy ground was still tearing his feet into shreds though.

It was also confusing that Percy hadn't seen any monsters AT ALL. There should have at least been one or two by now. He was getting desperate as his hunger and thirst were steadily getting worse.

"I don't even have Riptide any more," Percy muttered angrily "thanks to my dearest father." Percy spat the word father out like it was an insult; in his mind it was. How was he meant to actually kill anything without his faithful sword?

Maybe if Percy asked nice enough, the monsters would just let him waltz right up have a taste of their blood or two and then continue on with his business. Percy scoffed mentally at the thought.

Wait… Didn't Hecate say that he could now charmspeak? So maybe he COULD just go and ask the monsters. But he would still need some practise before it would work properly enough for a monster just to let Percy suck some blood.

Back to square one. How he was actually going to defend himself with in Tartarus, let alone KILL anything.

Kill… in Tartarus…

A memory rose to the surface; Akhlys, the goddess of misery, trying to kill him with her poison. Percy remembered the power he felt as he forced Akhlys to choke on her own tears and as he forced the poison back to its 'master'. Percy had never used that power again; she had been scared of him… HE had been scared of himself.

But times had changed. Percy didn't care what 'they' thought anymore and he was willing to use anything at his disposal to survive in Tartarus.

Maybe he wasn't so weaponless after all…

•-•-•-•-•-•

A dim glow appeared on the dark horizon and Percy could only think of one thing that glowed in Tartarus; the Phlegethon. The River of Fire. The River that Tasted Like Gasoline and Chilli, as Percy had aptly dubbed it.

Even though his curse restricted him from drinking any liquids, surely fire isn't classified as a processable liquid? 'Anyway, it wouldn't hurt to try,' Percy reasoned, 'If I can't drink it, no harm done?'

Percy crested the last black-sanded hill, and there before him stretched the River of Fire in all its flaming-flavoured glory. Thankfully this time he was already at the bottom of the massive cliff he had had so much trouble descending on his last trip into Tartarus.

Percy cautiously approached the shore of the Phlegethon; careful to avoid any hazards such as suspicious rocks that might conspire to make him trip and fall headfirst into the fiery river. Not that anything like that had ever happened before *COUGH* *COUGH*.

Kneeling precariously on the bank, Percy cupped his hands and scooped up some of the freakishly cold flames. Raising his hands towards his mouth, he made to drink the flames as he had done so numerous times before in his previous sojourn to this hellhole.

Just as Phlegethon flames passed his lips, they vanished. POOF! GONE! Percy dropped his hands in defeat; not that he had expected it to work in the first place. At least now he knew that the curse covered EVERY liquid except blood, as Percy was able to swallow the blood from his finger earlier.

'Now I know how Tantalus feels and I laughed at him when he couldn't eat or drink,' he thought reminiscently, 'Karma's a b****.'

Attempting to drink from the Phlegethon wasn't the best idea as now Percy was even thirstier because he had instinctively expected the fire water to come into his mouth, but it didn't. You know - like when you're about to drink soft drink and your mouth goes all dry? That's how it felt for Percy except a lot worse because he was already so thirty in the first place.

He REALLY needed to find some monsters. WHERE THE HECK ARE THEY ALL!

Percy tried to think rationally but it was sort of hard when you're 1) an ADHD demigod/immortal vampire and 2) starving and parched. If he just kept walking, following along the edge of the Phlegethon, maybe he would have a better chance of finding some monsters. Hopefully just one alone as he wasn't looking too good in the weapons department at the moment.

Hmmm… Percy eyed the Phlegethon thoughtfully. Maybe he could practise his powers as he walked; the Phlegethon was liquid after all. Before that though, he had to remember how he had controlled the Akhlys's poison in the first place. Percy remembered being extremely angry - apoplectic even - and something had snapped inside him. He probably still had the power to do it, but he just hadn't known because he had been scared of using it.

'Well, now is as better time as any,' Percy reasoned. Focussing on the fiery waters of the River, he imagined it being just like any other river he had ever manipulated; just plain old water forming a wave. There was a faint tug in his gut; Percy concentrated and willed it to become stronger. The tug increased until it was almost painful and a small wave appeared on the mostly flat surface of the River of Fire.

Percy released his control over the wave and collapsed to his knees breathing heavily. "That was a lot harder to control than water," he managed to gasp out.

Percy remained on his knees for a while longer as he waited for the exhaustion to pass, which took far longer than it should have with his energy reserves being so low from hunger.

Standing up, Percy tried to gauge which way was better to travel along the Phlegethon. To his left, there was a massive cliff. To his right, there was no cliff and lots of broken boulders scattered over the shore. 'Well, that was a hard decision!' Percy thought sarcastically.

As usual his ADHD brain had its two cents to share; the river sort of looked like the yellow-brick road, with the flaming surface and all... and Percy was following it.

"I'm off to see the Wizard! The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!" Percy sang. At least his sense of humour hadn't left him... Yet.

END FLASHBACK (finally)