Percy's POV
I opened my eyes and stretched my arms climbing out of bed. I rubbed the sleep from eyes.
That's when I noticed the room I slept in was different from the room I fell asleep in.
Jumping into a defensive position I scanned the room for threats.
What I saw did not make me relax at all.
I was in a large bedroom that should have been in old mansion.
Red drapes fell from the curtains casting dark shadows over.
Silk sheets covered the bed I was in, with red wood paneling covering the walls.
My hand slowly crept towards my swords on my back when I realized the lack of familiar weight on my back.
I was unarmed.
That's when I noticed the double doors at the end of the room.
Warily, I walked to the doors and slowly opened them.
It led to a long empty hallway.
Stepping out, I made a quick decision and edged forward slowly, watching for danger constantly.
Surprisingly, nothing happened.
Soon enough, I had reached the end of the hallway and was thoroughly nervous.
Where was I?
Placing my hand to the door in front of me, I jumped back as where my hand was, darkness was spreading across the polished wood.
No, not darkness,
Space
Tiny stars twinkled on the wood as the inky blackness spread across the walls and ceiling, making me appear to be in the endless expanse of space.
I stared in wonder as a comet flew across the ceiling and watched as star collapsed in on itself creating a black hole.
Then the doors swung open and the darkness faded away.
The room was brightly lit from marble braziers holding Greek fire.
There were obsidian pillars holding a ceiling that mirrored the hallway I was just in.
I felt a force compel me to enter the room.
It wasn't menacing or nefarious; it reminded me of all my happy memories,
It reminded me of home.
Not Camp Halfblood,
The Heart of the Rivers where I lived, with Zoe and my mothers.
Soon I reached the center of the room and the energy faded.
That's when I saw the shimmering throne in front of me.
A man wearing a black suit was sitting in a throne that seemed to be the universe folded into a physical point.
Galaxies seemed to be the common theme here.
For they were all over the throne, as they moved and shifted constantly like a living being.
"I see you find my palace interesting,"
My attention snapped back to the man as he spoke.
The man had pitch black hair, lightly tan skin. But what caught my attention the most were his eyes.
They were pure white, shining like a miniature supernova.
"Who are you and why did you bring me here?" I asked.
He laughed and stepped down from his throne and shrunk to human size.
"Two very simple questions also with two simple answers,"
And he turned and looked at me expectantly.
"Walk with me, Raze, if that is what you wish me to call you,"
I shrugged and followed him.
The hall folded in on itself and transformed into a small scale replica of a very familiar view.
"Is that Earth?" I asked in wonder.
The man ignored my question and walked around to the other side of the model Earth.
"I have seen many things over my very long existence son of Poseidon, but nothing as interesting as you. You have defied logic and reason and you have never failed in what you believed was right."
I gritted my teeth at the mention of my birth parent, but did not argue with what he said. I had no idea who he was but I could tell he was powerful, stronger than even I was.
"I am Chaos," he said casually, keeping his eyes on me to watch my reaction
My jaw dropped and quickly knelt down.
Then I thought about it for a second.
And stood back up.
Chaos looked at me questionably, "Why do you not continue to bow," he asked somewhat amused.
"Well first off," I counted with my fingers, "Three of your daughters tried to kill me and one of your sons as well. I'm assuming you brought me here to die for stopping your daughter and for the role I played in the Great Prophecy that stopped your grandson Kronos from taking over Olympus."
Chaos chuckled,
"All very good points, but you didn't take into consideration that I could have helped to guide you through your challenges? I chose you for a greater purpose."
"And what was that purpose? To fight in two wars, lose my closest friends and be betrayed by the one I loved? Where were you helping me then?" I shout at him, completely disregarding his status.
He just ignored me.
"Those were not what you were born to do, not what you were born to be. Those wars were only a rough draft for what will happen. Son of the Rivers, there is a new war coming, a war that will tear the cosmos apart."
"And you will be in the middle of it,"
"Why me? Why can I not have a break? I saved the world multiple times, lets someone else do it!" I said exasperated.
"You and I both know there is no one else worthy or strong enough to carry that burden, it will be you and only has ever been you," Chaos spoke with pity but also pride in his voice.
"And this is why I believe you deserve a gift,"
"What kind of gift? If you are offering more power I will not accept it," I said stubbornly.
Chaos simply waved his hand and shadows seemed to reach towards him. With a sudden flash of light that caused me to turn away, I was shocked by what hovered in his hand.
It was a scythe.
It was nothing like Kronos' scythe, which was golden.
This scythe had a pitch black handle with gold etching built into the shaft forming an intricate pattern. The blade was a dark metal, so dark it didn't appear to have a solid form.
The crescent blade was beautifully crafted, not a blemish on its surface.
This was a weapon worthy of the gods.
Chaos waved his hand and the weapon floated over to me and dropped into my hands.
"You're kidding me right? I can't accept this, this is too much," I tried to argue.
Chaos smiled at me warmly, "This is your symbol of power, and with this you will be able to save the world once again,"
I nodded numbly, already feeling my connection to the scythe begin to strengthen.
"What's name?" I ask, not even looking up from my new symbol of power.
"Maelstrom,"
My head snapped up at the name, which was clearly a reference to the sea.
"Why that? Why something that is obviously close to my past life which I'm trying to avoid,"
Chaos walked up to me and placed his hand on my shoulder, looking at me seriously.
"Because Raze, no matter how hard you try to run, it will always be a part of you, he emphasized this by tapping where my heart was, "It's here and what you have changed for the better. Do not fear it; embrace it, because when you accept who you are, it makes you even stronger."
I struggled to come to terms with what he said, could I really forgive them? I pushed it to the back of my mind as Chaos began to talk again.
"This war is not between primordials or even the giants and Titans,"
I visibly sighed with relief. "Well that's not too bad then," I said trying to be optimistic.
"It will be with all of them," Chaos finished.
My jaw dropped and I stared appalled.
"What!"
"This war, you will need to side with beings you thought were your enemies. This is not some fight of control; this is a war of survival. Everyone will fight; the only truly neutral beings would be the Fates and I. You will need to decide who to fight for, and who will fight for you, because the fate of the universe lies in your hands."
Suddenly my sight started to blur, and I realized Chaos was sending me back home.
And right before my vision went black completely, I heard Chaos shout one last thing to me,
"And remember, do not be afraid of who you were!"
The wind howled as they fell.
It seemed days had passed and many campers were feeling fatigued and anxious.
Except for one.
Annabeth
She was reliving her worst nightmare; she knew exactly where they were going.
Of the whole group she was the only that had been to that wretched place before.
Even Nico was spared; he wasn't in camp at the time.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she remembered the voice that had spoken, the voice that taunted them and threw them back into this hell pit.
She forced her eyes opened and forced herself to think. She took count of who was here.
She saw Katie clutch Travis midair and Conner try to hold his brother Chris. But Clarisse kept kicking him away. Will Solace was also surprisingly there with Jake. The remainder of the Seven was also freefalling, either holding on to their significant other or glaring at the betrayers. Although a few pitying looks were thrown her way.
And Rachel, the only mortal within their group, but she didn't look terrified.
Almost serene.
Annabeth couldn't help but wonder if Rachel knew something they didn't or if she just didn't understand the concept of Tartarus.
But she pushed that thought out of her mind as their fall started to slow and a bright red light emanated from below them.
And there it was.
Tartarus hadn't changed at all from her last visit, Annabeth could only pray their large group would deter most monsters.
Only about a mile from the surface, Annabeth suddenly had a spark of brilliance.
"Jason!" she yelled over the roaring winds trying to get the son of Jupiter's attention.
Thankfully he heard her and looked at her questioningly with also a hint of barely subdued panic.
"If you have an idea now would be the best time to mention it!" He yelled at her.
"Slow us down Jason! Get everyone close to us and try to slow us down as slow as possible!"
Jason face palmed but managed to get everyone's attention and soon enough everyone was close together and holding each other.
They started to slow down but not fast enough.
'Hurry up Jason," urged Leo, "I'm too sexy to die like this!"
As the others started to shout more encouragements, the winds did manage to slow them down drastically, but they were still falling at a rate that would be instant death.
Suddenly, Piper grabbed Jason and smashed her lips into his causing him widen his eyes in surprise but he soon closed them as he kissed her back.
Then suddenly they froze in midair, the winds stabilizing completely. While everyone was overcome by relief, Jason and Piper slowly kissed as they floated slowly to the ground.
But when they broke apart, they noticed everyone was quiet and they too turned to see the landscape of Tartarus.
Annabeth couldn't form a coherent thought; she was being struck by flashbacks and nightmares, all of which tortured her mentally and physically as she slumped to the ground.
She watched unseeing as her friends tried to help her but she couldn't escape her own mind.
And if she couldn't even escape her own mind, how would she be able to escape Tartarus?
Hi Pixels!
This is the update you have all been waiting for.
Dedication to My_blue_tardis for two reasons,
First, best username ever
Second, this girl is awesome go check her out, follow read her stories and spam her message board and all that fun stuff.
I love lighting up people's days, remember, a true writer doesn't just write books for views or comments. We write because it's something we can put out into the community and to entertain other people.
Also go vote for me on obsessiveobstinacy Fanfiction Watty awards. I think my story is the last contender.
Next update will be on my second account ChaoticOrder, Lord of the Eclipse, check that story out!
Catch ya on the flipside Pixels!
-PixelUp