When Luke had entered through the doors of DOA recording studios, his hopes weren't very high. Charon gave him one look and told him to get in the elevator. He shooed everyone else out, leaving Luke alone as the elevator made its steady descent down into the underworld. Charon's ferry came into being once the elevator hit the river Styx, ploughing through the murky waters. Luke shivered as he remembered the pain he had to endure when he had to bathe in the Styx. It was excruciating, but he wasn't sure if it was the worse pain he's ever experienced. Over in the distance, Luke could see the huge black archway that rose above the toll booths into the fields. Even from where he was sat on the ferry, Luke could see the massive lines of dead spirits in front of the toll booths, waiting for judgement so that they may finally enter one of the fields. There was even a short line at the EZ DEATH booth.

'That's what you helped to accomplish mate,' Charon said, him empty eye sockets following Luke's stare. 'Even the EZ DEATH line is slightly backed up, thanks to Typhon's rampage across America. Is that what you wanted lad?'

Luke didn't answer. He didn't have anything to say that could have been a good enough justification for what's happened. What were his reasons? That his mother mother had traumatised him as a child? That he had to fight for his life for years? The fact that Hermes, his father, was the root of all of his problems? In his mind, everything made perfect sense, or at least, it did. His resolve had never wavered, not when it came to poisoning Thalia's tree, nor when it came to using Annabeth as bait for Artemis. The Gods had made his life miserable since day one and the quest they had sent him on to retrieve a golden apple from the Garden of Hespirides just helped to make him even more bitter. Luke knew his reasons, he knew why he did what he did but now, after that last battle with Pe-

The boat thudded onto the black sand at the bank of the river Styx, jarring Luke from his thoughts. He made to get out of the boat but was stopped by a bony hand on his shoulder. He looked around and Charon was staring directly at him, his mouth wide open in a maniacal grin. He reached into his hooded robe and passed Luke a small laminated card that said ASAP on it.

'Think of it as one of those fast track things at that place that children like to go to, what was it called, Dipsyland? Ah whatever, you wouldn't believe how many kids come here whining about never being able to go there again. Anyway, the king of the Underworld himself gave me that kid, 'specially for you. You get to bypass all those stupid mortals waiting in line and get straight to the booth, isn't that great? Now get on moving, not everyone has the rest of eternity, time is money you know. Speaking of which, if you ever see that Jackson kid again tell him cheers for the pay rise yeah? Good good, now off you go,' and with that, the ferry started it's way back across the Styx.

Luke stared down at the little plastic card in his hand, dread washing over him. There was only one reason why Hades would want him to skip the line, and that's to start his punishment as soon as possible. He slowly made his way towards what he was certain was eternal damnation. The souls of the departed looked up as he passed by and there were quiet murmurs amongst the spirits. Luke's gut twisted in apprehension as the toll booths came closer and closer. He could see the three judges, King Minos, Thomas Jefferson and William Shakespeare. He took a deep breath and steeled himself for what was about to come; he could take what they were going to give him. It couldn't possibly as bad as what Kronos had put him through when he failed in his missions. At last, he stepped up in front of Jefferson and showed him the card. The judges all shared a glance at each other before declaring unanimously, 'Elysium,' although Minos did so grudgingly. Luke just stared at them, wondering if he had heard them wrong. Jefferson just looked at him and smiled.

'Dreams of the future are better than the history of the past boy, don't forget that, now go on, Elysium's waiting for you.

It had been a year since Luke took his first steps into the fields of Elysium and he still couldn't believe that he was there. His most optimistic thought was that he might just be able to make it into the fields of Asphodel. It didn't register that he was actually going into Elysium until he had stepped through the security gate and was met with the beauty that was the fields of Elysium. Ever since that first day, Luke had spent most of his time skirting around the edges of the fields, keeping away from anyone who might recognise him. Heroes tended to make it into Elysium more often than not because their deaths were usually to do with monster attacks, which in turn was because of their godly heritage. What better way to say sorry than to allow their kids to spend the rest of eternity happy? As a result, Luke knew that there would be a lot of people that would resent him and he didn't want to have any confrontations with anyone. Luke also spent a lot of his time at his house, just watching what was on Hephaestus Tv or playing on one of the games consoles that were provided. It was a surprise that the Underworld kept up with modern technology.

It was one of those days where he was feeling restless so he decided to go out for a walk. He opened his front door and stepped out, looking around for anyone that might see him. What he saw instead made him tense, both in shock and horror. He was standing in the kitchen of his mum's house, the same house he had ran away from at the age of nine. What was worse was the figure bustling around the kitchen, moving from the counter to the oven. The figure turned around and Luke saw his mother for the first time since he had to ask her for her blessing. May Castellan saw her son and a mile immediately broke out on her face.

'Luke!' she cried happily and launched herself at him, engulfing him in a massive hug. Luke stiffened further at the contact but didn't push her away.

This can't be real. This can't be real. This is what my fate really is. To spend the rest of eternity in the one place I wanted to get away from. Elysium was just to tease me, just to punish me further wen everything was taken away again.

'I have your lunch ready for you in the kitchen! Come,' May said, dragging him over to the table and sitting him down. In front of him, stacked on the wooden surface, was hundred of tupperware boxes, each one filled with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The ones at the bottom had turned green and fuzzy. Over at the oven was a stack of cookie sheets, each one having a dozen black shapes that could only have been failed attempts at baking. The sink held a mountain of empty plastic kool-aid pitchers that looked about to fall over. Luke looked at everything in horror. He couldn't take it, he had to get out of there. He stood up, the chair toppling over behind him, and ran for the front door. He was out of the house and into the woods before May even realised he was gone. Luke ran for what felt like hours, the only thoughts in his head was, 'Got to get away, this can;t be happening.' Eventually he stopped, exhaustion coming over him. He looked around at his surroundings and he found himself in a small clearing with sunlight streaming down from the canopy. There was a tree stump close by so Luke took a moment to sit and gather his breath. His face dropped into his hands and he tried to figure out what in Hades was going on.

A hand was gently placed on his shoulder and Luke almost jumped out of his skin. He was almost too scared to look up and see who it was but before he could, the person spoke.

'Well then, Luke, what do you intend to do now?' Luke looked up in shock at the sound of his father's face and indeed, Hermes was standing above him, a cautious yet gentle smile on his face. Before he knew what he was doing, Luke had jumped up and had crushed Hermes into a hug. It had been too much. The sight of his old house, his mother, the surfacing of memories he had long since wanted to forget. He burst into tears, sobbing into his father's shoulder, wanting his comfort for the first time since he felt betrayed by the Gods.

'I-I-I'm sorry...I'm sorry dad.' If Luke had been shocked by what had just come out of his mouth, it was nothing to how Hermes felt. The messenger God awkwardly placed is hand onto his son's back and rubbed comforting circles as Luke continued to murmur 'I'm sorrys' into his shoulder.

'Hey, hey, it's okay. It's okay son,' Hermes said, trying to soothe his favourite son. How Hermes wished that it could have always been like this. The war was completely unnecessary and so many people lost their lives, all because the Gods neglected their children. 'I'm surprised Luke,' Hermes continued, 'I was expecting a punch to the face, at the very least.' Luke gave a watery chuckle but there wasn't enough humour in him to make it last very long.

'No, no, I know it;s not your fault for anything. I needed someone to blame, after mum, and then Thalia, and then that stupid quest and the looks from the other campers. The Gods were just convenient to put the blame on. Please don't make me go back there, I'm sorry.' Luke continued to murmur 'I'm sorrys', the guilt that had been building up inside of him for the past year finally being let out into the open. Hermes just stood there and let his favourite son pour his heart out. Eventually, Luke got a hold of himself and let his father go.

'What's going on?' Luke asked, ' Is this a punishment? Was Elysium just a way to get my hopes up and this is really what Hades has planned for me?' The thought itself was enough to bring tears to Luke's eyes again but he held them back, wanting an answer from the man in front of him. Hermes just watched his son with eyes full of regret.

'It's nothing like that at all my dear!' a voice behind them said, 'In fact, you have me to thank for your...what shall we call it, resurrection? I think that's the word that best fits this situation. Luke turned around and saw one of the most beautiful women standing there, but there was something odd about her. Her looks kept changing, her hair and eyes going different colours. Her hair had gone from black, then to blonde, before finally settling on black again while her eyes changed from electric blue, to stormy grey, before settling on sea green. As far as Luke knew, there was no one in the myths about a woman with these features, so he did the sensible thing.

'Who are you?' he asked. Hermes grinned to himself, the woman was not going to like that, not one bit. He was right, she looked offended that anyone would dare not know who she is.

'I take offence to that, demigod! It is I, Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love,' and to prove her point, she summoned two doves that flew off into the woods. 'Is this how your sons treat those that have just done them a huge favour Hermes?' Hermes just rolled his eyes. All the Olympians definitely has a flair for the dramatics. Luke's eyes widened at his mistake.

'My appologies Lady Aphrodite, it's just that you don't look like how I remember you. Your hair and eyes are a different colour. There was a gleam in Aphrodite's eyes when he said that.

'Oh? And what colour are they, pray tell son of Hermes?' Aphrodite asked.

'Black and green?' Luke answered, his tone questioning. Seriously? he thought, If you're going to change the colour of you hair and eyes, it might be helpful to know what colour you're changing them into. Aphrodite just smiled widely at Hermes, who glared at the Goddess of Love. He still didn't agree with what she was planning, but if it brought Luke back to him, then...

'Ah, I see,' Aphrodite said. 'Now, for as to why you are back, let us just say that Persephone owed me a favour. I had her, ah, persuade, Hades to let you back into the land of the living.'

'Can I ask why?' Luke asked before hastily adding a 'Lady' to the question. He wasn't used to being polite to the Gods but he had to reconcile himself with them somehow. Aphrodite just smilled beautifully at him before flashing out of the woods. Hermes just shook his head at the Goddess. Luke looked up at him, wondering what was going on.

'Do you know what she want fa- dad?'

'That doesn't matter right now Luke, what matters now is what you are going to do now that you're out of the Underworld again.

'What do you mean? What is there for me to do? No one will accept me after what had happened, especially not the rest of your children. I'm surprised that even you are talking to me.' Luke murmured the last part to himself quietly but Hermes still heard him. He looked forlornly at his son.

'You will always be my son Luke, never forget that I never gave up on you,' Hermes said softly. Luke didn't meet his father's eye so Hermes continued. 'As for no one accepting you, I know that there is at least one person at camp that has already forgiven you, and they may be able to help you gain the trust of your fellow demigods once again. Besides, when Hades resurrected you, he resurrected you at the age you were before you left camp, before you stopped living. You're nineteen again Luke, so you know you have to go back.' Luke wasn't fussed about the age thing, if anything, he was glad for it. It would truly mean being able to redo his life.

'Who's that one person that had forgiven me?'

Hermes eyes twinkled before he answered, 'Perseus Jackson, of course.' Luke's insides squirmed at the information and it felt like he was floating on air. Percy, the one person that could make him think about what he was actually doing. The one person who tried to reach out to him, even though he had already sold his sole to the titans. He knew that he liked the boy. He realised it the first day he came to camp. He had liked the boy way more than he should have, especially for what he was planning to do. There was just something about Percy that...attracted his attention. However, he knew nothing would have happened when he lay dying on the floor in the Gods throne room. When Annabeth had looked at Percy with love shining in her eyes. He knew he never had a chance to begin with. Doubts clouded Luke's thoughts as he realised that there was a difference between forgiving what has been done, and accepting the other person again. Percy would never let him close again, not after everything he had done to the poor Son of Poseidon.

'At least talk to him, Luke,' Hermes said, giving his son a soft smile. Luke just nodded. 'Here, take these,' he said, handing Luke a bag containing a couple of sets of clothes, a sheathed celestial bronze dagger, and a pair of shoes. Hermes gave his son one last encouraging nod before teleporting out of there, leaving Luke alone in the clearing. He discarded the shoes he was currently wearing in favour of the ones Hermes gave him, placed the sheath on his belt, and donned the bag on his back.

With a heavy heart, he said, 'Maia!' and activated the flying shoes.