Good evening. Yes, this is a rewrite. Yes, the other one is dead now. No, I don't own PJO or HOO. Have fun!
Nyx was driven away from the session of meditation when she felt a disturbance in her realm, that awoke the goddess from her slumber.
Opening her quasar eyes, she almost felt like growling. But this wouldn't do anything to change the situation at hand. Neither would it solve what was troubling her. One might ask, what would be bothering the all-mighty personification of Night itself? Well, it all had to do with her wonderful family.
For millennia Nyx had been complacent, if not content, with the "rule" of the Olympians. Of course, let them think they have all the power, when in reality, all it took was one Primordial to kick the door, to knock the entire structure. Olympus could crumble easily if someone like her decided to act.
Just like it was happening now. Her children kept her mildly informed. The gods were divided between Roman and Greek, in a near permanent state of confusion, while their children were warring away. All was proceeding as Gaia had foreseen. But did Nyx trust the Earth, or any of her siblings for that matter? She would be damned if that was the case. They were manipulative, evil, bitter, and vengeful. It was probably due to the lack of parental figures, Nyx supposed. Damn Chaos for being so incorporeal. At least she wasn't a psychopath like Gaia.
This particular attempt of taking over was deeply troubling Night. When the Titans had tried, Nyx didn't care. The Titans were the same as the Olympians, in the end. Kronos wasn't suicidal, he wouldn't bother her. But with Gaia, it was a different story.
Mainly because of her sister's wonderful boyfriend/brother, Tartarus. In the past, Nyx's brother, possibly the most intimidating member of the family, had been levelheaded, not interested in taking sides, unbothered with the petty conflicts on Earth. It was the reason why Nyx chose to move the Mansion of Night here in the first place. It was a guarantee that no one would bother her. But now? He was fully involved in the Gigantomachy. And it made Night uneasy at the very least. It was truly possible that when Gaia and Tartarus were done with the gods, they would come for her head.
Of course, it would be against the rules that Chaos had passed on to them for two Primordials to fight. But were these rules ever respected? If they were, there wouldn't be another way happening right now. And Ouranos might have still been alive.
This whole situation was the reason Nyx was meditating near the abyss of Chaos, a place that she had not dared to approach in a long time. Maybe out of fear that Chaos would notice her, but it never had happened. Instead, she found a small amount of peace here, but no real answers.
Nyx had wanted to oppose Gaia, but she didn't have the means necessary. She didn't have an army like her wicked sister did. At best, she had her sons and daughters, and even then, the most capable ones, the ones who could be of useful help, decided not to be with her.
That knowledge left a sour taste in her mouth. Her children were ungrateful. The ones that stayed with her did so because they did not have anywhere to go, or were too fearful to run away. It had been a long time since she had seen Hemera and Aether. Her most prized possessions. The children that brought light to her life, in all senses.
But they are gone now. Chaos knows where.
Others like Hypnos, Thanatos, and Charon, had other obligations. Other overlords. She doubted she could sway them. And they were most likely suffering from the war. The rest… Well, Nyx was doubtful that the Fates or Hecate, who had once been close to her at the point that she considered them family, would ever jump on a revolution with her.
That left one person that could have helped her. But it wouldn't do anything, thinking about him.
Back to the aforementioned disturbance… it wasn't all that far. In fact, it seemed awfully closed to the Mansion. Nyx tried to sense who was there, and found herself even more confused, a frown appearing on her face. She felt…
By the creator, what was Akhlys doing now? That poor excuse of a goddess couldn't even exist without bringing problems to her mother. Nyx floated away from the void, anger inside her. While she flew, she had to wonder what this commotion could actually be. Had Tartarus finally lost his patience and decided to attack her? Was this a trick to draw her attention?
Whatever it was, Nyx for the first time in years felt uncertain.
Night began to hear screams and loud noises as she approached the Mansion of Night. Something unnatural was occurring at the cliff above her palace.
"Percy!" Nyx heard a distant, feminine voice, one that didn't sound like Akhlys at all. "Uh, hey, Miss Wonderful! Cheerful! Grins! Over here!"
"You will feed the eternal darkness!" That was definitely Misery. "You will die in the arms of Night!"
At least arriving at a cliff, she noticed a bizarre situation transpassing. Three beings were present, one being the deformed form of Akhlys. The others… were demigods. Undoubtedly. They had mortality, but also godhood to them.
They both had the Death Mist covering them, making them seem like they were dead. Undead, better speaking. But Nyx could see through the deception. Behind the disguise, she saw the face of two handsome, although absolutely beat up, teenagers. The girl, who was shouting at Akhlys to draw her attention, with no luck in that regard, had dirty blonde hair and gray eyes.
The boy, who was currently engulfed in a cloud of poison from Akhlys, had raven black hair, and sea green eyes. Immediately, Nyx was aware that these were offsprings of the Olympians. But what were they doing in the Pit, of all places?
While Nyx pondered, she felt another disturbance. To her shock, the cloud of poison, the thing Akhlys most prided herself with, was out of her control, turning on its former overlord.
"What is this?!" Misery asked in panic, the cloud rapidly approaching her.
"Poison." The boy, now on his feet, answered in a cruel voice. "That's your speciality, right?"
Akhlys was unable to respond, the poison making her cough, and causing her eyes to become full of tears. Nyx found herself smirking, admiring the sadism, even if it was technically self defense.
The poison continued to move forward, in contrast to the demigod girl, who moved to the edge of the cliff, a look of terror in her face. Nyx could see that she was afraid of the boy. Just as Akhlys stumbled on her feet, falling to her knees, the girl screamed the boy's name again. Percy. Night had heard that name before.
"Stop…" The girl pleaded, the boy looking at her with reluctance. He wanted to continue on. But this girl meant something to him, undoubtedly. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stopped.
The girl pleaded again. The boy finally acquiesced, creating a path for Akhlys to get out of her sight. "Leave!" He demanded, and Akhlys ran as fast as she could with that defective body she chose to appear as.
The demigods approached one another, switching some inaudible words while the girl held the boy's arms. They looked at each other for a moment, until Nyx finally managed to eavesdrop the conversation.
"We have to get away from this cliff. If Akhlys brought us here as some kind of sacrifice…" The demigoddess said, fear very present in her voice.
"She said something about feeding us to the night." The boy answered after some thought. "What was that about?"
Nyx found this moment very opportune, at last dissipating some of the mist clouding her, fully materializing near the cliff.. The demigods noticed the sudden apparition, crawling away from her, terror stamped in their faces.
"I imagine," said Nyx, tasting the fear in the air. "that she meant Night, with a capital N. After all, I am the only one.'
Night continued to relish in the pure horror that was being emanated from them. But as much as she wanted to vaporize them and go back to meditating, she needed some answers. And she was also quite impressed with the performance of that boy against an ancient immortal like Akhlys. Along with that, the power that the girl exerted over him. It could have its uses.
"It would be polite of you to state your business. Otherwise I will be tempted to destroy you myself." The Primordial threatened, trying to squeeze any information out of them.
"Of course!" The girl perked up, speaking in quite a jovial tone, considering her situation. "I believe we're a bit lost. The brochure didn't really talk about you."
Nyx was taken aback by that. "Brochure?"
The girl patted her pockets. "We did have one, right?"
"Yeah…" The boy, Percy, seemed just as confused as Nyx was, but decided to play along with whatever the girl was trying to do.
"Anyway," she continued, "I guess the brochure didn't say much because you weren't spotlighted on the tour. We got to see the River Phlegethon, the Cocytus, the arai, the poison glade of Akhlys, even some random Titans and giants, but Nyx… hmm, no, you weren't really featured."
Nyx had a deep frown in her face now. What was she talking about? "Featured. Spotlighted?"
"Yeah," Percy said, seemingly more comfortable with whatever the hell this was. "We came down here for the Tartarus tour – like, exotic destinations, you know? The Underworld is overdone. Mount Olympus is a tourist trap –"
"Gods, totally!" Annabeth agreed. "So we booked the Tartarus excursion, but no one even mentioned we'd run into Nyx. Huh. Oh, well. Guess they didn't think you were important."
Night wasn't sure whether she was supposed to feel insulted, to laugh, feel amused, or furious. She decided on the last two, as a way of being merciful. She glared furiously at the two demigods, with the boy raising his sword, ready to defend the girl.
"I do not know what game you're playing, half-blood, but this act is over." Nyx decided. "I want the truth. Right. Away. No tricks, or lies."
The girl seemed to ponder intensely for a few seconds, perhaps brainstorming ideas of how she could get out of this situation. "Where do you want us to start?"
Nyx squinted her eyes. "Your names."
The girl sighed. "I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena."
"I'm Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon." The boy complemented, and bells rang inside Nyx's head.
"Percy Jackson." She repeated. "You are the boy that defeated Kronos. The hero from the prophecy."
The son of Poseidon had his eyes widened. "I… yes, that's me." Perhaps out of instinct, he grabbed Annabeth closer to him, with the latter barely noticing, her gray eyes fixated on the goddess.
"And what, by the creator, are two demigods doing here? I can't imagine the Olympians banished their prized heroes to such a vile place."
"They didn't." Annabeth assured, but her voice was bitter. "We fell."
Nyx blinked. "You fell."
"Yes." The daughter of Athena confirmed. "We were on a quest to stop…" She hesitated. "Gaia. We came from the New World, to the Ancient Lands. We were in Rome, when we fell here, thanks to Arachne."
The explanation seemed short, but informative. Nyx remembered the tale of Arachne and her beef with Athena. But what really intrigued her was the fact that they were on a mission against her sister. The same people who brought the end of the Titan Lord.
Night leaned forward, immediately causing reactions from the demigods. "And did you survive here all on your own?"
"No." Percy admitted. "We had help from Damasen. And B… Iapetus."
Nyx stared at them for a few moments. They came far. Even with divine help, they managed to survive the depths of hell. For two demigods this was… a miracle. A fluke. Despite just meeting them, Nyx saw potential.
Percy, he seemed powerful. He managed to subjugate Akhlys, and this was not an easy task by any means, despite Misery's appearance. Also, if the tales she heard were true, he wasn't just all power. He navigated through a war, and outsmarted the Titan Lord on various occasions, eventually bringing him down. Night also saw how protective he was regarding the girl. Undoubtedly lovers. And undoubtedly, an undying loyalty for her.
And the girl… Nyx hadn't heard that much about Annabeth Chase. But she was aware the girl was present at the final showdown against Kronos. And the way she managed to create such a story, that even if it fell flat on the goddess's ears, it still made her incredibly insulted. Perhaps Nyx would have fallen for it if she hadn't been thinking and pondering for so long recently. Along with all of that, how the girl feared the raw power that Percy possessed. Fear of the unknown was natural. But if Annabeth wanted to, things could be very much different.
Nyx continued to think, diving deep into her mind. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to intervene. She pictured herself drawing her deck. Percy and Annabeth could be her wild cards against Gaia… and possibly… No, she wouldn't do that just yet. These two were loyal to the gods. To their family. If she tried to turn them away so quickly, it would backfire.
She had to be patient. As of now, she thanked Chaos for the opportunity and turned her attention back to the demigod.
"What a day." Nyx muttered. "If all you told me earlier is true."
"It is." Annabeth said with a shudder.
"I see." Nyx kept looking at them for a few seconds. "I believe we have some converging interests."
"We do?" Annabeth asked, very much shocked.
Nyx chuckled. She could see that the demigods were unnerved because of her laugh. "Trust me, I do not wish to see my siblings thrive."
The two demigods said nothing, and as such Nyx continued. "And if you already made this far, it is ludicrous to think that my brother hasn't noticed you yet."
"By your brother, you mean…" Percy never finished speaking. He probably knew the old saying. Names had power.
"Indeed. But as of the moment, you are in my domain. He cannot detect you, or do anything to you. But as soon as you leave… he will notice you again."
"Comforting." Annabeth muttered with a grimace. "How can we reach the Doors of Death?"
Nyx turned her attention fully to the girl, who this time didn't shrink. "Yes, the Doors. The only safe passage is through my palace. The Mansion of Night. However, if you wish to pass, you should not, under any circumstances, open your eyes. The terrors inside the Mansion will be… too much for your human minds."
Annabeth quickly nodded, but Percy seemed skeptical of the situation. "We thank you and all, but why are you helping us?"
Nyx grinned, although it was likely that they couldn't see it. "Much like you, I have no desire for the status quo to change. The gods don't bring trouble to me. But Gaia… Isn't the gods. She is assertive. And will want to purge any threats to her rule."
"That makes sense." The daughter of Athena approached the cliff, looking down at the Mansion. "How are we gonna get there?"
Nyx's smile didn't fade. "Perhaps as a matter of trust, you could jump. I will prevent any injuries from happiness."
"It seems pointless to ask why should we trust you since…"
"... I could have killed you already in the blink of an eye if I truly wanted to. Now go."
The couple glanced at each other, before looking at the Mansion once more. The abyss of Chaos was nearby, almost looking back at them. That one saying applied accurately to this situation. Holding each other's hands, the demigods jumped from the cliff, falling in the direction of the Mansion of Night. Nyx observed, thinking about how funny it would be if she let them be turned into jelly. But since they were half-bloods, they would probably survive, although not intact at all.
But Nyx wouldn't let such assets be wounded after they endured through so much. They needed to be fit so they would be useful. As soon as they were about to hit the ground, the shadows around the two solidified into a soft matter, breaking their fall. Nyx soon joined them at the entrance of the Mansion.
"It is integral that you maintain your eyes shut from now on. Just march forward, and I will tell you when to stop."
The demigods nodded, and closed their eyes. No questions were asked, of which Nyx was appreciative of.
"Move." Night ordered, and they immediately complied, blindly following the Primordial as she floated around the Mansion. The so-called horrors inside the palace weren't that big of a deal for someone like Nyx. But even her children, the ones that embraced the light, preferred not to come here. It had been too much for them.
It wasn't long until the border of Nyx's territory was visible in the distance. The Acheron started to whisper in her mind, but she closed her head to it. She didn't need to hear anything from that river.
"Stop." Nyx said, a few meters away from the cliff. They both stopped in their tracks.
"Can we open our eyes?" Percy asked.
"Not yet." Nyx took another look at the two. They seemed so brave and experienced, despite their youthfulness, or the Death Mist. If her newly formulated plan had any chance of succeeding, they had to make it out of here alive. "Percy." She called.
"Yes?" The boy promptly responded.
"You can feel the water below, correct?"
He nodded.
"That's the Acheron. The river of pain. I would advise you both to not listen to its words. It is just as cruel as the other four rivers. Now, son of Poseidon, do you think you will be able to jump beyond the river?"
While Percy nodded, Annabeth was visibly troubled. "Is it a long fall?"
"It won't be fatal." Nyx mused. "But I would recommend healing yourselves, if possible, before resuming the path. When you land, you will be facing the heart of my brother. The Doors of Death will be ahead of you. Be mindful. I would be disappointed if you were destroyed."
Silence resonated after Nyx finished speaking. Both Percy and Annabeth were seemingly in deep thought, still gripping each other's hands.
"We thank you for your mercy, Lady Nyx." The daughter of Athena spoke, to which Nyx shook her head softly and chuckled.
"This is not mercy, Annabeth Chase. This nightmare is not yet over. But if you make it out alive, we will meet again, I assure you that. Which reminds me…" Nyx flickered her hand until a small artifact materialized. A full moon, a waning moon, a waxing moon. A symbol associated with her, but also to other deities. She flew close to the demigods, who both shuddered, her presence unnerving them. With a smirk on her face, she opened Annabeth's right hand, and placed the symbol inside of it, closing her first subsequently.
"What is it?" The daughter of Athena asked.
"You'll see when you open your eyes. Do not lose it. You can now jump."
With that, Percy and Annabeth took a deep breath and jumped over the drop, starting to fall down. Nyx could see that they were already ahead of the Acheron, so that was a good start. Apart from that, there wasn't much Nyx could notice. They were already back in her brother's realm.
The Primordial sighed. This will be dangerous. But anything involving her family inevitably will be risky. She just had to play her cards right. This was, after all, a great game, and Nyx was eager to win it.
Night had just made her first move.
I know Percy isn't the hero of the prophecy, but this is from Nyx's perspective. Hope you enjoyed it!