He wasn't positive, but Ryker had a sneaking suspicion that he greatly preferred monsters to mortals. Monsters at least had a goal in mind: to devour demigods. Even in death, the lack of direction that the mortals of Elysium had was almost enough aggravation to completely counteract the happiness that the silver metal imparted in him. But not quite. Many of the mortals that he passed were rooted to one spot, the happiness pouring through them causing them to simply stand there with a dumbfounded expression. The other mortals who were not similarly captivated were almost more annoying. They consistently tried to strike up a conversation with Ryker about anything that struck their fancy, their faces in constant beatific grins.
"Pretty cool place, eh?" One particularly energetic mortal asked Ryker, patting him on the back as the demigod passed him by. "How did you die?"
Ryker did not even bother to look at the words' source, choosing to instead continue on his way. But this mortal was a persistent one. He followed Ryker like a lost puppy, chattering away even though he never got a word in response. Other mortals seemed to find some enjoyment in the man's plight to follow the demigod, possibly sensing that he was not like them, and joined the man until Ryker had a veritable train of mortal souls following him. It's a good thing that the Acheron isn't here. Ryker thought to himself, amused. I would like to see if they would jump in there.
But the thought was nothing more than an attempt to dismiss some of the happiness from his mind. It was making him relax, far too much than a hunter had any right to. And being relaxed on a hunt led to shortsightedness and missing obvious signs. For all Ryker knew he had passed the barrier between the demigods and the mortals several times. Taking a deep breath, he slowed to a stop and glanced behind him to the massive train of mortals he had accumulated. They beamed back at him and, for whatever reason, broke into applause. Ryker blinked in surprise but could not bring himself to scowl. "I'm looking for something." He began, slightly uncertainly.
"You can do it!"
"We'll help you!"
"Life is all about looking! Not sure about death though…"
Ryker looked at the mortals in disbelief and blinked several times, thrown by the sudden encouragement. "Is there some place here that you can't go? Possibly because of a wall, or a guardian?"
"Oh, you mean the Line!" One of the mortals shouted, clearly happy to be of help. "Yeah we can't go there. Impossible to pass."
"You can do it though!" Another one immediately reassured him.
"You just have to believe in yourself!" Another recommended.
"And be a good person!"
"That's not a requirement." An old gray-haired woman corrected with a smile. "But I am sure this young man is a lovely person."
Ryker shook his head while a smile played at his lips. This metal was truly infuriating, but if it made mortals more amicable to helping him perhaps he could use it. "Can you take me there?" He asked with icy politeness.
The mortals were only too happy to help. What would have taken Ryker hours if not days to find only took the mortals, who were admittedly familiar with the place, several minutes. They showed Ryker to a place where the buildings that filled Elysium disappeared and showed a large expanse of the silver metal. The expanse of the happiness-metal was perhaps two hundred yards wide and at the far end was a wall of no more than fifteen feet. But that was not what drew the attention of the mortals. One of them placed an arm around Ryker's shoulder and pointed to the center of the silver field. "That's the Line." He explained, indicating a red line that shimmered in the air. "I've tried to pass it a time or two, but it won't let me. But that's fine, there's always next time!"
Ryker carefully extracted himself from under the arm and stepped away from the mortals. "I thank you," He said a tad grudgingly. "For your assistance. Goodbye."
Without another word Ryker strode away towards the Line with the encouragement from the mortals at his back. He crossed the Line with no issue, which almost surprised him. "It must be used to keep the mortals from entering the demigods' territory." He muttered, striding purposefully up to the wall. It was made out of what appeared to be simple stone, but Ryker was wary of it nonetheless. He touched one hand to the cold rock and frowned. The stone offered nothing in the way of handholds or purchases which he could use to climb. "Funny, isn't it?" An all too familiar voice inquired from atop the wall.
Ryker looked up and saw Erebus lounging on the stone, staring down at him with an amused smile. "What's funny?" Ryker asked, not at all seeing what was humorous about his situation even with the happiness inducing metal affecting him.
"You can't pass into the part of Elysium you want without crossing this stone wall, and you can't." Erebus chuckled again and crossed his hands behind his head as he laid down and stared up at the dark sky of the Underworld.
Not at all one to back down from such an obvious challenge, Ryker summoned his claws and struck at the wall. He had been intending to gouge a furrow in the rock that he could use to propel himself upward, but the stone remained unscarred and fully intact. The demigod tried several more times and failed each consecutive attempt. "What is this? Ryker demanded, thoroughly vexed by the stone.
"Nothing that any mortal could hope to harm." Erebus told him most unhelpfully. "You aren't going to get over this wall with force. And I won't-."
"Yeah, yeah." Ryker frowned at Erebus. "You won't interfere because it makes things less enjoyable for you. I've heard that before."
"Well then, you better figure out another way over." Erebus advised him.
Doing as the primordial god recommended, Ryker began to pace up and down the wall. He attacked the stone in several places and walked for many miles down each side. To his annoyance he found that the wall did not seem to end at any point. Each time that he passed Erebus the man merely chuckled and continued resting atop the stone. After several hours of walking back and forth Ryker had reached the end of his rope and even the metal could not pull him from the dark mood that had settled over him. "How am I to get over this wall if it doesn't end?"
"Well of course it doesn't end." Erebus told him, finally sitting up. "Well, to be fair it does end. But the wall forms several hundred feet in front of you so that you won't ever be able to see it. It goes away after you are out of the area. Is that helpful?"
"I don't know, is it?" Ryker snapped.
"Not really." Erebus said almost regretfully. "But there is a way over, I will tell you that."
"What is it then?" Ryker demanded, not at all happy to be toyed with.
"Jump over." Erebus said simply, as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world.
Ryker looked at him incredulously as though the god was mad. Perhaps he was. He certainly seemed like it. "Jump over?" He repeated. "As though it is that simple."
"Why isn't it?" Erebus countered. "A deer could do it if absolutely necessary."
"I am not a deer." Ryker snarled.
"Perhaps a jaguar then?" Erebus suggested brightly. "If memory serves they have excellent jumping capabilities."
"I am not an animal." Ryker hissed through gritted teeth.
"Oh, are you not?" Erebus asked, surprised. "I have seen you fight before you know. But you don't realize it, do you? What happens when you… lose yourself to the bliss of fighting?"
"I don't know what you mean." The demigod answered slowly.
Erebus slowly laid back down on the wall and stared up at the Underworld's ceiling again. "That doesn't surprise me. Suffice to say you are more than capable of surpassing this wall. You know that you have accomplished feats of physical prowess that should be far beyond demigods. But then again, demigods in of themselves are capable of fantastic feats. I can't say that I have seen many humans who can manipulate elements or summon the dead."
"Speak plainly!" Ryker snapped, quickly growing with fed up with the indirect way that Erebus spoke. "How does any of that help me get over this wall?"
"Your friend Percy can control water at will. Jason can control the wind. Hazel can manipulate the mist." Erebus informed him in a rather bored tone. "Who is to say that you can't control your own abilities?"
"What abilities?" Ryker demanded.
"Your ability to channel the abilities and strengths of all manner of beasts." Erebus vanished and reappeared behind Ryker, his face alive with energy. "The same ability that takes control of you during a battle. Tell me, do you know how it can do so?"
Ryker looked at the god in mounting confusion and Erebus smirked. "I thought as much. Let me illuminate you in that case. The reason that you fall under its power so easily is because you are weak."
"W-weak?" Ryker repeated, the blood draining from his face. The shadowy claws sprang forth seemingly of their own accord and Erebus glanced down at them with morbid amusement.
"There it is." Erebus said, almost tauntingly. "That anger. The rage that lets you use your power. Or perhaps it is the other way around? Maybe it is your power that is using you. I've seen such things happen before, it wouldn't surprise me."
"I am not weak!" Ryker growled.
Erebus vanished and appeared back on top of the wall. One leg swung back and forth as he rested his arms on his other. "Well then, proving me wrong shouldn't be that hard. Master your ability and ascend this wall. Or you can keep trying to find another way across. It won't work but you are welcome to try."
