To all writers that are reading this chapter, I just wanted to share this.

If anybody ever asks why the characters in your story are OOC, or Out Of Character, just PM or tell them this straight out, and I quote:

"Nobody who's writing fanfiction can write the PJO or TKC characters in character. They're OOC by definition. Only Rick Riordan can do IC."

Technically, that's true, right? Well, enough of that. Enjoy!

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The last thing I remember was smashing the doors open with a Ha-di spell, and ordering Diana to go before me. After that…nothing.

The next thing I know, I was staring at Anubis' face. And he was clearly not happy to see me.

"Ugh…what happened?" I asked, rubbing my forehead. I felt like a truck had just wheeled over me. I noticed that we were on a beach of some sort, deep inside the duat. I could practically hear the power humming through the place.

"You died." Anubis said.

"I died!" I gasped. "How…but-"

"Don't ask me." Anubis said. "I don't know how people die. I just embalm them. Of you really want to know, ask your father."

My dad. Oh no, he's going to kill me for dying. I wondered how ghosts could die…again? "Uh, does he know already?"

Anubis shook his head. "Not yet. But I am planning on telling him later." He looked somewhere far off. "Lord Osiris senses your presence. He is calling for me. Wait here. And do not, under any circumstances, touch that river, unless you really want to go to Lord Osiris and get your heart weighed." He pointed to the River of fire that Sadie and I traveled through once. "But I warn you, Ammit does not like cowards."

With that, he turned into a jackal, and ran off.

"Wait!" I called after him. "I still need to ask you something!"

But Anubis was already gone.

Sadie is going to kill me. Oh wait, she couldn't; I'm already dead.

"He's really impatient, isn't he?"

I turned around, and saw our old chief Lector, Iskandar. He was in ba form, which was basically his human head with a bird's body. I bowed deeply.

Iskandar chuckled. "No need to bow to me, master. It is I who should be bowing to the Pharaoh."

"I was the Pharaoh." I said. "Now I'm dead."

"Oh no." Iskandar said. "Mortally wounded, yes. But not dead. Though you are very close."

"What do you mean? I don't even remember what happened." I strained to remember how I even died, or as Iskandar put it, got "Mortally wounded".

No matter how hard I try, nothing just comes to mind. I felt like if I think even more, my brain was going to pop out.

"Of course you don't." Iskandar said. "You got brained in the head with a piece of concrete so strong that it dulled all your senses. Luckily for you, a piece of the wall kept you from getting flattened. If I'm guessing correctly, those Greek friends of yours are probably in the hospital right now."

My mind was so overloaded with the new information that I had no answer except. "Gah?"

Iskandar sighed. "Forgive me. I'm still not used to your new generation's very limited thinking ability."

I didn't know if that was an insult or an apology.

"The important thing is this: you're still alive, but your soul has already traveled here. You can either choose to go back to your body and face suffering, hardship, and endless difficulties, or you could go to your father" – he pointed to the river with his wing – "and let the others finish your quest."

"But what about Zia?" I asked. "And Sadie, and Walt, and all the others?"

Iskandar considered this for a moment. "Carter, I cannot tell you their exact destinies, as I am only a guard of the lake of fire, but I can tell you this: if you choose to stay here, their ends will come more quickly than predestined."

"What do you mean by "their ends"? Their deaths?"

Iskandar didn't answer. He looked at me one more time, before spreading his wings, and flapping off back to the entrance to the lake of fire

I looked into the river of fire. I was really tempted to just let everything go, and live, er…die, with dad, and…mom.

I took one small step towards it. Then another. And another.

"Let the other finish your quest." Iskandar had said. So what if I died? Zia will probably move on, the gods won't care either way (they hate me. I just know it), gran and Gramps will be more than thrilled to see me dead, and not to mention Sadie. Sure, she could be crying and all that, but then again, she would be probably be doing a lap dance at my funeral.

I took one more step. This is it. I could feel the fire burn brighter underneath me, as if the river was accepting me, goading me to continue. Leave everything behind, it seemed to tell me. It's alright

I took a deep breath…

Cliffhanger! I just love them. Well, I'll post another chapter later. (Actually, the next one was supposed to be combined with this one, but it adds to the suspense if I separate them, don't you think?)