Chapter Thirty-Three

Death was a lot like sleep. He wasn't aware of anything until he woke up. But also true to sleeping, he had dreams. Some longer, some just flashes.

In his first dream, just a flash, there was a woman staring down at him. Her skin was deathly pale, and her long hair was as dark as night. Her eyes were also black. She seemed to be trying to go for a bit of a gothic look, wearing black jeans and a black spaghetti strap top, with black eyeliner and lipstick to match. She had a smile on her face as she was looking down at him.

As soon as he saw her, she was gone, replaced by another dream. A longer one this time. It was the middle of his sixth birthday party. Well, to call it a party was a stretch. It was just him and his mom. Smelly Gabe was also there, but he didn't really count. There were decorations, streamers and balloons, all blue. Gabe had allowed them on the condition that he and his mom would be the ones to pick them up. Even after all this time, Percy still hated his stepdad and felt glad his mother had killed him.

Percy and his mother were in the kitchen. There was a blue cake in front of him. This was the party where he had just decided blue was his favorite color, and had wanted everything at the party to be blue. "Happy Birthday, Percy!" His mom said, putting the candles on the cake, before lighting them.

She turned off the kitchen light, and started to sing the happy birthday song. At the end of it, Percy blew out the candles. She turned the light back on before reaching under the table and pulling out a wrapped box. She handed it to Percy.

He smiled widely and started to unwrap the gift. He opened the box to see a brand new basketball. "I noticed your old one was starting to fall apart." His mom said.

"Thank you!" Percy said, before trying to open the packaging.

The memory faded into another vision, a brief one. He was flying, passing through clouds. He should have been scared, this was Zeus' domain, and he wasn't exactly on the King's nice list. But, instead of terror, he felt a sense of calm.

As soon as the vision started, it was over.

LINE BREAK

He woke up, every muscle in his body tense. He was lying on the floor somewhere. He stood up and rolled his shoulders before stretching. He felt good, like really good. He looked down at his stomach. To his surprise, his suit was fully intact. Gone was the blood on his white dress shirt, as well as the large hole. In fact, his suit was not only repaired, but smelled good. Gone was the scent of fire and brimstone he had grown accustomed to in Hell, replaced by the smell of the laundry detergent his mother used to use when he was younger. He felt his pocket, making sure Riptide was there. Then he checked his thigh, confirming that the knife was there.

Satisfied, he inspected as much of his skin as he could. No open cuts or wounds. Every wound he had was healed. The cut on his hand from when he had given Artemis the knife, even that had healed, leaving behind nothing but a thin white line. Then he noticed that he wasn't breathing. He took a breath, but found that it did not bring the same relief. Then he noticed that his heart did not beat, it was as still as a windless night.

Percy sighed and looked around. He didn't know where he was, and he couldn't really tell from his surroundings. He was standing at the entryway of a mansion. Eight stories high and made of white limestone and gray marble. In front of him were a pair of double doors, each one made of a dark, heavy wood, and bound in iron. In the center of each door was a knocker in the shape of a wolf's head.

Behind him was a fifteen foot wall made of the same white limestone as the house. Over the wall, Percy could see skyscrapers and buildings of modern design. In one corner of the courtyard was a tall birch tree in full bloom. Its leaves were made of solid gold. Beside the tree was a plaque.

He turned back to the doors just as they opened. Blinding gold light spilled out, which reminded Percy of Azazel's mansion. Standing in the doorway was a burly man. He wore a doorman's uniform, complete with a top hat, white gloves, and a dark green jacket with tails. The letters HV were embroidered on the lapel. His face was covered in warts and soot. His beard looked like it hadn't been groomed in ages. His eyes were bloodshot, and burned with murderous intent. Oh, and he had a double bladed ax at his side. His name tag read, "Hunding, Saxony, Valued Team Member since 749 C.E.

"Excuse me." Percy said. "Is this Valhalla?"

The man, Hunding, seemed taken aback. "Yes. It is." His voice was gruff and deep. "Follow me to registration." He turned around and walked into the mansion.

Percy grinned and followed behind the man. His first thought upon entering the mansion was, 'Artemis would love this place.' The space inside was twice as big as the mansion outside. An acre of hardwood floor was covered in exotic animal skins. He spotted zebra skins, lion skins, cougar skins, and even the skin of a forty foot reptile. To his right, against the wall, was a hearth the size of a bedroom, fire crackling inside. It reminded him of Artemis' tent.

The ceiling was held up by tree trunks, along with rafters made from spears. Golden shields lined the walls, reflecting golden light everywhere. In the middle of the room, a display board outlined a bunch of activities for the day, most of which were to the death. How Bikram Yoga could result in death, he didn't know.

"Do you have any luggage?" Hunding asked.

"Uh, no."

"Of course you don't, no one has luggage anymore. Don't they put anything on your funeral pyres?" He scowled at the far corner of the room, where an overturned boat's keel served as a reception desk.

Hunding's question did spring some other ones to Percy's mind. What happened to his body? What would Artemis decide to do with it? Burn it? Bury it? Just leave it to rot? He honestly couldn't tell.

The man at the reception desk apparently had the same barber as Hunding, because his beard was even larger, and his hair looked like a bird had exploded on his head. He was dressed in a forest green pinstripe suit, which reminded Percy of Zeus. His nametag read, 'Helgi, Manager, East Gothland, Valued Team Member since 749 C.E.'

"Welcome. Checking in?" Helgi said, looking up from his computer screen. Percy immediately took notice of the technology, having only been able to look at them, never use.

Percy smiled. "Yes, checking in."

"Oh, how forward! What a pleasant change. Unfortunately, check in time is at 3 P.M. If you die before that, I can't guarantee your room will be ready."

"I guess I should have planned my death for later in the day then."

Helgi chuckled. "Let's see here… Ah, here we are." He grinned, revealing he had exactly three teeth. "I see that you have been upgraded to a suite, very nice."

"All we have is suites." Hunding muttered.

"Hunding…" Helgi said, his tone a warning.

"Sorry, sir."

"That's what I thought. Don't want me to use the stick again, do you?"

"No, sir."

Percy watched the exchange, enjoying it. He wondered what it must have been like to arrive at Valhalla, unknowing of its existence, or that you had achieved it.

Helgi turned back to Percy. "How many keys would you like? Would one be sufficient?"

Percy thought about it for a second. "Can I get two?"

"Of course." He handed Percy two stones engraved with a single viking rune. "Would you like the minibar key?"

"Do I have to pay for it?"

"It is included with the suite."

Percy grinned. "Then sure, I'll take it."

"Alright, here you are." He handed Percy another stone with a different rune on it. "You're all checked in. If you would please follow Hunding to your room. Enjoy your stay with us at Hotel Valhalla."

So that was how Valhalla modernized itself. As a hotel.

Percy followed behind Hunding as he led him to his room. They passed through multiple halls, each one seemingly bigger than the last. Most of the hotel guests looked to be high school age, though some, like Percy, were older. Groups sat together in front of fireplaces, talking in many different languages, eating snacks, playing board games like monopoly (maybe someone could finally finish a game), and even russian roulette. Percy peeked into side lounges and spotted pool tables, arcade machines, and even an Iron Maiden torture chamber.

Hotel Valhalla staff, wearing dark green shirts and khaki pants, moved from group to group, bringing platters of food, and pitchers of drink. As far as he could tell, all of the servers were buff women who looked like they did nothing but snort protein powder and pump iron. They had shields on their backs, and swords or axes on their belts. One of the servers passed by them with a cheeseburger. His mouth started to salivate at the thought of tasting one. Suddenly he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. This place reminded him of the Lotus Hotel.

"So, how does death work here exactly? I saw on the directory earlier that there were fights to the death, but we're already dead?"

"You don't seem too bothered by the fact that you are dead." Hunding grunted.

Percy shrugged. "Visited one while I was alive. Being in one while dead ain't different enough to warrant thought."

"You visited Helheim?"

"No." Percy said. "So, how does it work?"

Hunding sighed. "Well, there is death, and there is death."

"Makes perfect sense."

Hunding continued. "Think of this as kind of an in-between state. You aren't exactly dead, but you aren't alive either. You are an einherjar now. One of Odin's chosen, a soldier in his eternal army. You fought bravely in your past life, and will continue to until Ragnorӧk. You can die here, but will be resurrected before dinner, just as alive as before. However, if you die outside of Valhalla…" His face grew dark, before returning to normal. "But no need to worry, you shouldn't have reason to leave."

They stopped before a group, the one that was playing russian roulette. "Watch." Hunding said.

A girl held the revolver and put it to her temple. She pulled the trigger, resulting in a click. Having survived, she released the cylinder, gave it a spin, and set it back in place. She handed it to the boy next to her. He fearlessly put it in his mouth, the barrel against the roof. He pulled the trigger, and with a BANG, his head gained another hole. Blood splattered against the wall as the boy's body slumped forward.

A pair of grey wolves ran into the lounge, bit the man's ankles, and dragged him out, disappearing around a corner. The blood disappeared, evaporating into thin air.

"He will rejoin us at supper." Hunding said, before continuing on. "Follow me."

They entered an elevator. It was one of those old fashioned ones, with a gate door, this one made out of spears. They really loved their weapons here. The control panel had buttons spanning from the floor to the ceiling. The highest number was 540. Hunding pressed 19.

The elevator came to a stop, and they stepped out into the hall. The ceiling was twenty feet above them, lined with, wait for it, spears. Torches burned in sconces along the walls, but didn't produce any smoke. Percy could feel the fire, like he could with water. He could tell the fire was magical. They cast a warm, orange glow along the swords and tapestries that lined the walls as well. The hall was wide as well, so wide you could play a game of NBA basketball, and have a large audience, with no problems. The floor was carpet, a dark red, the color of blood. Silver patterns seemed to resemble tree limbs, swaying in the wind.

Each room was set about fifty feet apart, with doors made of rough-hewn oak, bound in iron. There were no doorknobs, or locks. On each door was a name plate surrounded by viking runes. They passed by door after door. They got near the end, passing a door with a name Percy recognized on it. Magnus Chase. They made things easier.

Next to Magnus' door, was Percy's. "Go ahead." Hunding said.

Percy held out the stone, the room key one, not the minibar key. The runes in the door glowed blue, before the door swung open. He stepped into the room and took a breath. The suite was nicer than any place he had ever stayed, save for maybe the Lotus. It was also one of the weirdest rooms he had ever stayed in. The main room was a beach out in the bahamas. White sand and clear blue water. He spotted a couple of fish in the distance. There was a pier that led to a wooden hut on the water.

The room was in the shape of a cross, four sections branching off of the main room. The first one was the main entrance. To his right was a bedroom. He had to take a pause as he stepped into it. It was the size of his mom's apartment, and it was decorated exactly how he would have decorated his childhood room if they had the money to. The walls were painted blue, matching the comforter on the king size bed. Along one of the walls were a bunch of skateboards. On the opposite wall was a basketball hoop, with a basketball sitting underneath it. There were posters of various bands he liked.

The next room, opposite the bedroom, was a bathroom. It was just as big as the bedroom. There was a sauna, a hot tub, a walk-in closet, a walk-in shower, and a fancy toilet.

The fourth room was inside the wooden hut. It was a kitchen and living room. At one end of the living room was a leather sofa, facing a plasma screen TV with three different video game systems in the entertainment system. Percy didn't even know what they were called. In between the two was a coffee table with a thick leather bound book laying on top of it. Along the walls were picture frames. He gazed at them, remembering when each one was taken. His first day of school, him and his mom in their new apartment after leaving Gabe, his mom's wedding, a picture of his sister just after she was born. He felt a tear well up in his eyes.

"You're lucky." Hunding said.

Percy turned to him. He didn't know that Hunding was still there. "What?"

"You're lucky. Valhalla likes to provide you with keepsakes, memories of your life. However, photographs didn't exist when I was a kid."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It is not your fault." Hunding straightened. "If you have any questions, call the front desk. I look forward to hearing of your brave exploits during dinner. Just before dinner, your valkyrie will come by to get you. It was a pleasure to serve you, and welcome to Hotel Valhalla." He held his palm up.

Percy realized he was asking for a tip. "Shit." He muttered, before reaching into his pockets. He took out his wallet and prayed he had money to give the man. Luckily, he found a twenty and gave it to Hunding. He took it, although he looked almost disappointed?

Hunding bowed and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Percy sighed and looked around, before flopping down on the couch. As soon as he sat down, he heard a knock from his door. How he heard it over the sound of the waves beneath him, he didn't know, but he had been in the demigod game so long, he chalked it up to magic.

He got up and walked over to the door and opened it. Standing in the doorway was Magnus.

"Percy."

"Magnus. We're on the same floor?" He opened the door wider and motioned for him to come in.

Magnus stepped in and looked around. "Yeah, I bribed Helgi. I thought it would be easier to work together if we were on the same floor. And I figured you wouldn't have anything on you to tip Hunding, so I took care of that for you."

"Oh, thanks man. Really."

"Yeah, no problem. You have more important problems, right?"

Percy frowned. He didn't like the way Magnus said that, like he was accusing him of something. Was it because of what he said earlier, about how important this mission was? "Hey, what happened after I died? Am I just lying there?"

Magnus shook his head. "She buried you. A whole little ceremony. She spoke some words over your body. I couldn't hear what. After that, she went back to hell, saying something about it being too dangerous to stay any longer, and that it was a risk to bury you."

"Yeah. I would have assumed she just left. She's pragmatic like that. I wonder why she risked being caught by our family just to bury me."

"She said you deserved it."

"What?"

"Dude, come on." Magnus said. "You can't be this dense."

"Annabeth's your cousin, I bet she told you just how dense I can be."

"Artemis cares about you, man."

Percy sat down and sighed. "I care about her too. It's just, with all this going on, now just isn't a good time. When all this is over, maybe…" He leaned his head against the wall. His arms on his knees.

"Oh, but before she left, Sam took her away and had a conversation with her."

"About what?"

Magnus shrugged. "I don't know. They were out of earshot, and I didn't ask. She wanted it to be private, and I respect that."

Percy nodded.

"So, what's the plan?" Magnus asked, changing the subject.

Percy sighed. "I need to speak to Odin. Where is he?"

Magnus shrugged. "Only time an einherjar can really see him is at dinner."

"Okay, so then at dinner, I go up to him and talk to him. It's a simple plan, not much can go wrong." He said the last part quieter, like he was reassuring himself more than Magnus.

Magnus chuckled. "Plans go wrong all the time, it happens."

Percy laughed. "Oh, I know, trust me. But, not always. My plan against Ares worked, so there's that."

"Ares? He is your… Tyr? War god?"

Percy nodded. "Yeah. Nasty dude, don't care for him too much. And he doesn't care for me."

"Yeah, I think Annabeth mentioned something like that. You fought him or something?"

"Yeah, got my ass kicked, but I was victorious. I used the sea's waves to leap over him and stab him in the ankle. And then…" Percy's face grew darker. "Well, he was mad, but I was protected."

"Protected?"

"Kronos intervened. Wouldn't be the last time an enemy protected me."

"You have lived a very interesting life."

Percy chuckled. "That's one way to describe it, I guess. Not the word I'd use."

"What word would you use?"

"Horrible. Deadly."

Magnus looked down. "Yeah." He said quietly as he sat down. He looked back up at Percy. "So, if you could be normal, what would you do?"

"Like, are we talking if I were to turn normal right now, or if I was born normal?"

"Mmm, born normal."

"I don't even know. I mean, without all this, who would I even be? If I wasn't a son of Poseidon, would I even like the sea as much as I do? How much of me is just my father? But what about the way experiences shape us? Without the battles I've won and lost, who would I be?" Percy sighed. "I don't know, man."

"Alright, what if you became normal right now? This whole thing with God disappears, and you become mortal, no longer hunted by monsters, and all that."

"I guess… I'd probably get my GED, since I never finished high school. Then go to a university, study something ocean related, and get a job in that field. Settle down with Artemis, I guess. If she'd still have me."

Magnus nodded.

"What about you? If you could be normal?"

"Oh, I don't know. I don't think Alex is one for settling down. But, like you said, who knows who we are without the fighting."

A horn sounded through the room. Magnus stood up. "Come on, that's dinner."

"Time to see how this plan goes wrong." Percy muttered.