Along the River Styx

I have never seen dawn break over the horizon, but then again I have an entire life ahead to see something so trivial. Dawn; break of a new day, end of another night. I have never understood the concept of light's victory over dark although it's true that Light had the power to illuminate shadows, I repeat, shadows.

Darkness and Shadows are two completely different things. Shadows are created by the absence of light; darkness however is eternal and is as old as the eternal source of light. Then how is Light superior over darkness, when both are equally important and it is the balance between them that not only ensures the continuity of time but life as well.

I'm not against illumination nor Light, but being a child of darkness I have learnt to live in the shadows and the darkness of the Underworld. I have not only embraced the darkness, but death itself. Death, end of life or is it? The way I have come to see it, I think of it as a new beginning, one without any fear, anger, pain and suffering.

It's a chance to live life afresh and try for Elysium and Isles of the Blessed.

As I walked along the banks of the Styx, I took in the dank air, breathing deeply, I sighed. I stopped at the edge of the river, careful not to touch it unless I wished to be burned to death. No, I didn't have a death wish; no one does except for those few depressed souls who feel they have nothing to look forward to in life, pathetic.

And there I go, rambling again, carried away by my thoughts. Who would know more about Death than the son of Death himself? Let me introduce myself, my name is Alec Blackwood, Eldest Mortal son of Thanatos, God of Death.

Lost in thought as well, don't be, the story has just begun. Where to begin? Maybe from the beginning I guess.

Mine isn't a long story, but I'd like to refer to it as one full of action and complete mayhem. Trust me, when I say that the Olympians least expected a demigod son of Thanatos to turn up, I'm not exaggerating. Some of them even had the audacity to get rid of me, as in permanently.

Had it not been for the Prince and the Lord of the Underworld, my dad would have been washing my memories with the water's of Lethe personally. But then again maybe the fates had something else planned for me.

The fates, interesting beings they are, where one spun the thread of life, another measured its length and the third cut the thread of life itself. Unfortunately, the fates had a mind of their own and their decision was indubitable but I guess that was important in its own right, had someone been able to influence their decisions, we and all that we knew would have ended in catastrophe.

Lost in thought again, I have ended up doing that way too often lately so much so that I can't even keep my guard up and being sneaked up on was something that I absolutely hated and the person behind me knew it.

"You are obviously distracted aren't you? What's been on your mind lately?" I heard a grave voice devoid of all emotion from behind me. It had not been always like that, I slowly turned around, on my guard my senses heightened but it was already too late he had his sword on my neck and one mistake on my behalf would have resulted in my death.

"My apologies Prince "I said my eyes averted and with a curt nod, my gaze not meeting the eyes of the Prince of the Underworld and the Son of Hades, Nico DiAngelo.

"Keep your guard up Alec. There might not be a next time for you" He said with a rare wry smile and with that last comment he sheathed his three feet long, menacing, double edged Stygian sword and gestured me to follow him.

"Trouble is brewing at Olympus and Zeus in his fit has called for an assembly of the Grand Council" he said in a dry voice lacking any emotion. I wasn't surprised, the Gods, most of them were insecure, and especially when someone threatened their seat of power but it was also true that it took something on a scale of humongous to gigantic to make them quiver.

"I have sensed Gaea's unrest over a period of time." I said but before I could say anything else he cut in, "No it's not Gaea this time Alec. She might be in a state of unrest but she knows all too well to make a move against the Olympians not after being defeated by them recently." And then a moment later as an afterthought he said, "Besides she wouldn't risk it, she not strong enough, yet to take us on again." With a smirk etched across his face.

I didn't understand him and I don't think I would ever be able to. Nico had a highly indifferent attitude but deep down he cared. His occasional wry smile, sinister smirk and sarcasm all complemented his personality as the Prince of the Underworld but what was Nico beneath those layers was something only his closest friends knew about, and I knew he didn't count me in on them, maybe someday but then why had he come to meet me. H couldn't just be taking a walk along the Styx like me, must be more to it.

"You are probably wondering why I'm bothering you with my presence." He said turning around facing me, his crimson eyes bore into mine sending a shiver down my spine, "Don't worry. I have come here to make a request of you." He said his eyebrow arched, I simply nodded there was nothing else I could do and then with the hint of a smile he continued, "I want you to go back to Fort Olympus and take charge of your cohort."

It was my chance to laugh now and I did, a snicker escaped passed my lips, "What's so funny?" He asked me in a serious tone. I flashed a knowing smile at him, "You know I can't go back there. I was banished from the Fort for..." "Wrong again" he cut it rolling his eyes, "You weren't banished. You chose to leave the Fort before the Council passed judgement, which as I recall was in your favour." He said jabbing a finger towards me.

"But then again, I abandoned them. They'd never take me back." I said my voice serious and indifferent. I couldn't care less, it was my decision. If I didn't want to go back there no one could make me. "Well then that's your decision" He said turning his back towards me and then in a deep undertone that would scare the hell out of anyone "But I want to see you there tomorrow at sunset, in the chambers of the Demigod Council. We'll discuss your punishment for abandoning your cohort and responsibilities then and there." And like the west wind, strong and wild, he disappeared in the shadows leaving me behind to dwell on my thoughts and the last few hours of complete freedom from the disciplined military life of a demigod that I had chosen to follow a few years back.

True it was my decision to abandon the colony rather than be banished. At least I didn't dishonour the legacy of my cohort and the honour of my father. It would have been embarrassing to be banished from the colony for a decision that led to... No, I must not blame myself.

It was a mistake never to be repeated and the only way I could do that was by not going back to the Garrison at Fort Olympus. I had vowed to myself that I'd never let anyone else suffer because of mistakes that I made in the past, Never but then destiny can't be changed or helped and history did repeat itself.

I sighed, but I had no choice but to go back. He had requested my presence and later ordered me to come. He knew I would have honoured his request but I wasn't too sure why he had ordered me to attend the Council meet as well.

Nico would never have requested me to come back and lead the cohort had it not been a grave issue. My Cohort, Dealers of Death, it was truly a morose name but then again it was mostly made up of demigod children whose parent's abode was in the underworld. It mainly consisted of children of Thanatos, Melinoe and rarely of Macaria, The Goddess of Blessed Death, Morpheus and Hypnos my father's brothers. It was also not uncommon to see children of Ares and Enyo in our ranks for their bloodlust never seemed to satiate. I remember training the younger members to shadow travel and taking lessons of sparring.

I miss leading them into the weekly capture the flag and the fortnightly war games. That was one part that I missed but then ever since I had left them I had learnt to live lie alone as well and honestly I quite enjoyed it. A life lacking of discipline, the independence and the freedom, it all soon became a part of me. Thinking about going back to that disciplined life even though I missed it at times just didn't seem right to me but then it wasn't a permanent affair.

After the 'crisis' or whatever it was that had shaken the foundation of Olympus had been dealt with I could choose to live life as I wanted and on my own terms and with that last thought I let the cool wind take over me.

As the shadows engulfed me into the nothingness of their void I could feel the cold shivers running down my spine with the sensation of my life force being drained drop by drop from my body and as I whirled on the spot in a storm of shadows, I could sense a dull presence, something strange and out worldly.

The presence was dull but the power of the being in the realm of the shadows was nothing short of radiant and it was a sensation that I had never experienced but then in a fraction of second it disappeared but it had left a permanent imprint on my mind, something to tell Nico about, something to tell the council about.

A/N: R & R