Unknown POV

Even outside, the musky smell of rotting flesh hit hard. The boy raised his shirt, covering his nose as he walked down the black corridor. There had been a time when all you could hear would've been screams of pain, fear, and every negative emotion. That time had passed. There had been a time where rebellion had sparked and lit a fire. That time had passed. There had been a time where we manipulated the strongest of the strong…

That time had passed.

Pacing faster, the boy walked further down the corridor. From where he was, the beginning and end of the corridor looked infinitely as far. He could see neither. Soon enough, the boy broke into a run. Not to escape from the unnerving corridor, but from the voices growing larger and larger into his head. The boy had done nothing wrong, remaining neutral, and still, they thought they had the audacity to force him to work here like a slave. But hey, after all 18 hour shifts every day, with only one day off a month and 1 drachma per week is pretty reasonable, eh?

At the end of the corridor was a single, metal door, reinforced by layers of steel and celestial bronze. The black paint had long since eroded, leaving a dull brown that reminded the boy of expired cocoa beans. Fumbling around in his pockets, the boy took out a large keyring filled to the brim with keys. He searched through them until he found four orange keys. The door had fifteen keys, and he only had four of them. Finding the letterbox on the door, the boy inserted a key into each corner before twisting. After a few pulls, the letterbox grudgingly moved apart, revealing a small hole.

Peeking inside, the boy saw two men playing cards. He was quiet, watching them with intent. Both their faces were disguised. Both of them wore similar, long, black rags. The only difference was the bracelet cuffing them together. One had an black bracelet while the other's was crimson.

"Blackjack," the black one said, turning his cards over and revealing a King and an Ace. The purple sighed, throwing his cards onto the floor. The black one collected them and began shuffling them, leaning against the wall.

"Welcome back," the purple drily muttered.

"Now, is that really how you treat our saviour?" the black chided.

"Oh please," the purple said. "He brings us a pack of cards and suddenly you're on your bloody feet worshipping him like Jesus."

"Weren't you listening when he talked about-"
"All the suffering and pain yeah sure, whatever."

"Max here needs more respect. He will save us all, I know it," the black one said softly. The purple snorted.

"Max Zimmerman, our lord and saviour," the purple mocked. "Isn't that right Max," he said, looking right at the boy who shifted on his feet.

"Father," the boy, Max began. "I am here as you requested, what would you like me to do," he asked.

"Break us out, will ya," the purple mumbled.

"It- it is not so easy for one to break out of here," Max replied nervously.

"It has been done before-"
"And it will be," the black snapped. "But while we figure out a plan, I need my son to go on a little errand for me. I want to do a little experiment, just out of curiosity. Perseus Jackson. The filth has taken everything away from us all, you included. So, on your day off, after you've spoken to Thanatos, why don't you take something from him, and we can see how he reacts." Max grew a small smile just at the idea of watching Perseus cry.

"You know our leader won't approve…" the purple said, after hearing the idea. The black shrugged.

"The leader isn't here anymore, is he? And until he is, I think we're allowed some playtime. Now Max, here's what I want you to do…"

Percy POV

Never before in my life had I been as happy as I was right now. Annabeth and I had been together for just over a few months since we had all saved Olympus from the Giants and Gaia. We laughed together, joked together, slept together and were together in everything. Life was just perfect. We were together. We were lovers. We were one. Or at least that was what I was thinking as I walked to the beach where I knew Annabeth was waiting for me. However, what she never knew was how I was ready for something I thought that I would never be ready for. We had been together for years, fighting monsters with each other. Now I had courage that I could never have used before in all of those schools I had been kicker out of. I was ready. Ready to propose.

If you want me to be perfectly honest, nervous couldn't even explain what I was feeling. Yeah sure, me and Annabeth did everything with each other, but she seemed so distant away. Perhaps I should've first consulted someone else about my plan. Perhaps my father or mother. Even Athena would've been good to talk to about my plan. The last thing I wanted was to be rejected. Being rejected is much worse than getting your memory lost, because when you're rejected, it affects your heart. You lose all the courage you had, and the shame is unexplainable.

The beach was so beautiful at this time. Sunset at the ocean. Peace. Serenity. Contentment. A mixture of all of these creates the unmatched feeling that overwhelms me when I'm at the beach, watching the constant ebb of the waves. It's only me on the beach, allowing me to enjoy the sunset, undisturbed. I've got a few minutes before I will propose. After all, they say that night is the most romantic time. The sun, a fiery orb, looks like it's gradually receding into the waters below. The sky consists of an assortment of shades, a blend of reds, oranges and yellows. The waters below mirror this effect. The waves are tinted vermilion, with underlying streaks of blue that clash with it. The sand below my feet is the same color, making me feel like a firewalker – daring and bold. The contrast created between the dark waters and the luminous sky makes the horizon look like a meeting of two worlds – the known and the unknown. It's breathtakingly beautiful, and I'm speechless as I stand before this magnificent sight.

Nothing disturbs me as I slowly sit down on the sand. All I can hear is the sound of the waves as they crash against the shore, and seagulls, which I cannot see, squawk in the distance. The wind whispers in my ear as it plays with my hair, as if it is telling me it's deepest, darkest secrets. It is all so pure and cleansing, so much so that I feel intrusive when I scratch my foot – the sound seems loud and resounding.

The fishy smell is oddly comforting. It smells warm and salty, as I breathe in the cold, salty. The smell is chaste and unpolluted, a welcome change from the smog that envelops me in the city. It is the smell of freedom, and it makes me want to get up and run along the shore, which is exactly what I do.

As I run, the wind whips my face, blowing my hair back. The salty air makes my eyes water and my feet tingle. The sand is soft beneath my feet, as I run close to the ocean, dodging the waves that try to push me over. I almost fall – the water makes me slip, and I stumble clumsily. My arms are thrown apart, grasping the empty air. I stop, breathless, and feel the stickiness settling on my skin, as I walk towards the ocean to wash my feet.

I soak my feet, and wash my face – which is a big mistake. The saline water stings my eyes, making them burn, and goes into my mouth. It tastes salty and dirty – quite different from how it looks – and I spit it out. I raise my shirt to wipe my mouth, and get sand in my mouth. My idiocy annoys me as I spit out the rough, grainy sand. It tastes of nothing at all – it's not salty or sweet, just dry. I wipe my mouth and sit back down, feeling stupid. All of that is forgotten when I look out into the horizon again. Without me noticing, the sun has almost set. The sky is more purple than red now, highlighting the transition from day to night. I lean back and stare at the sky, noticing the different hues.

As I sit there and look out into the horizon, the sun has almost set now and just the tip is left to disappear into the water. The sky has now changed from yellows and oranges to pinks and purples transitioning from day to night. Once the sun completely disappears into the water, I sigh, standing up, brushing off the small grains of sand that have stuck to my trousers. The time that I have been trying to avoid for so long has finally came. I look back and take in one last glance of what was the best part of my day, before putting one foot in front of the other and making my way towards the rock pool at my far left, where I knew Annabeth would be.

I wasn't too surprised when I met the Stoll brothers, both walking away from where I was walking to. What did surprise me was the frightened face when I greeted them.

"Wha-Where are you going at this time," Connor asked me, fidgeting with the hem of his camp-half blood t-shirt. I looked at them blankly. Why were they so concerned?

"Alright, can I let you in on a little secret," I asked them after a moment of hesitation. The two looked at each other, before nodding in sync at me. I leaned forwards and looked around to ensure that we were alone, before whispering into their ears.

"I'm going to propose to Annabeth." If anything, their faces grew even more scared, or perhaps anxious was a better word.

"You can't go there," Travis suddenly said, moving in front of me, as if he could block my path. I raised an eyebrow.

"It's a free country, Travis," I said, a bit weirded out. "Just let me pass." Almost casually, my hand drifted down into my pocket, where I felt relieved as I felt the all familiar shape of Riptide. Eyeing my hand, Travis stepped back, letting me pass.

"Just know, you won't like what you see," Connor muttered as I hurried on, not sure what to think about the small talk I had just had.

She was waiting for me before I had even got there. That was a shock to me! I was almost always earlier than her all the time (aside from when it involved sleep!) and we still had one whole hour left until it was time to start our date. As I edged closer, I heard a sound that made me freeze in my tracks, my blood turning cold. Adrenaline was rushing through my veins and arteries, but it was not the type of adrenaline you'd ever want to feel. Going through my ears right now was a noise that I thought only I would ever cause. It was Annabeth making weird noises.

"Mhmmm oh yes Eddie,. You're so hot, so handsome," she half cried. Eddie... Where do I know that name from? Daring myself to lift my eyes, I scanned the beach and saw a boy kissing Annabeth. He was short and had a malicious glint in his eyes. Immediately, I recognized him as one of Hermes', from Cabin 11. Tears started trickling down my cheek as I realized what was happening. Annabeth was cheating on me. Annabeth didn't love me. Annabeth had someone else. Having seen enough, I decided that it was time to make myself known. I might as well get it all over and done with as soon as possible. With a glare in my eyes that even Ares couldn't beat, I walked towards the 'couple' and cleared my throat. Annabeth turned around, and she saw me, oh yes she saw me, crystal clear.

There was a moment of silence as the two of us looked at each other, my face looking like the face of a man who's life had been crushed, Annabeth's face looking more like the face of a child who had been busted for skivvying their homework, showing no signs of remorse.

"P-P-Percy!" She finally managed to stutter. "It's not what it looks like. Please I'm sorry!" She did truly sound sorry, but the fact that Edward had just been kissing her didn't help at all.

"Save it Annabeth," I hissed. "I loved you, cared for you, fought with you, even jumped into goddamn Tartarus for you. I jumped into the pit of death which Nico hadn't even been able to survive, and this-THIS is how you repay me. Do us all a favour and go burn in Tartarus," I bellowed. To say I was angry was underestimating me. I was beyond anger now. But with anger, comes saddens too. Now, I never wanted to be here, as this whole camp seemed like a curse to me. My heart raced, as suddenly, all the anger came crashing down on me. I was brought back to a reality I didn't want to be part of anymore, one where I've gone from Percy Jackson, the hero of Olympus to Percy Jackson, the rejected. I turned around to leave this place but surprisingly was stopped. Slowly, my hand drifted to my left pocket and Riptide, feeling paranoid. And that was when the punch hit me in my jaw.

For a moment, all I could see were stars as I stumbled to the ground. My vision slowly cleared, and I was greeted with Eddie holding a sword above his head, about to plunge it down into my arm. Quickly, I forced my body to roll to the left, and the sword harmlessly crashed into the right of my hand. My hand brought out Riptide, but my head was still too sore to process what was going on. I tried to uncap my best friend, but felt something sharp penetrate that same hand. Growling in pain, Riptide fell to the floor as I cupped my now bloody hand.

The thud in my chest caused me to fall to the sandy floor, back bruised against the coarse sand. As I did, Annabeth mounted me, sitting directly on my pelvis, something I had always dreamed of, but now, felt disgusted by.

"I don't want to kill you," she whispered, rocking back and forth. "But I have no choice now. Otherwise, you will go back to camp and tell everyone about this scene. I can't have that. It's better to have people think that drowned in the ocean as your father disowned you for being such a prick."

"I can't drown," I spat, which made the psychopaths in front of me put their head up and start laughing.

"It doesn't matter what you can do. What matters is what people will think, and don't think the Stoll's will save you. They already know about Eddie over here., and won't help you in any way."

Alright, I'd had enough now. Pissed off, I raised my hands and closed my eyes, having heard enough. I guess it was time to call for help from my true love, the ocean.

"Don't try that, Percy," Annabeth smirked. "In my hands right now, I have something very toxic, called cyanide. Eddie here has his ways of getting stuff I want. Cyanide has no water, and it kills most mortals. You call the ocean, if I see so much as one drop of water come near me, I guess we'll find out if cyanide can kill demigods too."

For a moment, I just regarded her, before letting my hands drop in defeat. She was on top of me, and there was no way I would be able to escape cyanide poisoning, even if I did call the ocean. They would just inject it straight into me, and then I would be dead. At least this way, I could have a slim chance of escaping.

"Okay knock him Eddie."

"Wait w-w-wait!" I yelled, but it was too late. I had fallen for the trap, and now, I was done for. There was a dull thump, as my body lost all consciousness, and I fell, as limp as the sand I was on.

"Please leave me alone," I begged, while sobbing. In return, Annabeth just smirked at me and continued her punishment. It had been hours since she had dragged me and tied me up. I had no idea where we were. We could've been miles away from camp, and no one would hear me. During these cruel hours of pure torture, they both had carved every hurtful name into my skin, ignoring my never ending screams of pain. How much of an idiot had I been to fall for their tricks. I should've summoned the sea when I had the chance. Now, I was paying dearly for my mistakes. I was dying, and was sure that this would be my last day with the living. Death was better than this anyway. I wanted to die so that this pain would stop. Sure enough, my wish was granted as the world's brattiest brat, Edward, jabbed the shard of glass they were using into my left arm, twisting it around and around, ensuring that there was no chance of survival, before letting me slip into the world of Hades. The last thing I saw was the two smiling at their masterpiece, before walking out of the cave, and leaving me to the mercy of Hades and the Underworld judges.