The Undead's Decision (A Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

Revelations

[Percy POV]

Black.

Pitch Black. That was all I could see when I stepped through that portal. The only thing that was even remotely visible was the silhouette of my body. I glanced at my feet, trying to see what I was standing on, but there was nothing there, although I definitely felt some kind of platform beneath me. Thoughts raced through my head as I stood there wondering if this was some kind of joke, some sort of elaborate ruse.

"Its not a joke, Percy Jackson."

A voice echoed through the area as another portal, this time blindingly white, opened in front of me. I scrambled back, awaiting any kind of danger, as my battle instincts kicked in. However, the unexpected occurred. Three middle-aged looking women, dressed in chiffon white gowns and barefooted, stepped out of the portal. At first look, the women were completely unknown to me, but the longer I stared at them, I slowly felt an air of familiarity.

"You probably wouldn't recognise us in this form, Percy Jackson, as the last time we met we had appeared quite differently to you," the lady in the middle spoke.

As I looked at them, I noticed something in their hands, which I should have from the start. The two women on the sides held a large ball of yarn each, and the one in the middle had a pair of scissors, or at least that's what it seemed to be in the darkness. The last time I had seen those items was when I was with Grover, and our school bus had broken down while on the way home from Yancy.

"The Fates..." my voice slowly trailed off, as I looked at them in realisation and awe. "What...How is this possible? Weren't you supposed to be old ladies?" As soon as I uttered those words, I realised how stupid I sounded. Clotho let out a small laugh, the sound reverberating through the space they were in.

"This is our mother, Ananke's, dimension. Being the Primordial of Fate, she had created a space for us where we are able to reside in our actual form. The reason why we appear as elderly women in the over-world is because we are burdened by the fates of all beings, both mortal and immortal. This realm gives us a place where we can rest, but most importantly allows us interactions, like this, that are forbidden by the ancient laws."

"Why are you taking such a risk? If this interaction is against the law, what reason could you have to want to meet me? Considering the fact that I am dead, I do not think that I would be of much help to you," I questioned after processing the information that she gave me. Atropos gave me a small smile and opened her mouth to answer.

"The very fact that you are dead makes you infinitely more valuable. You see, every living, breathing being has its individual string of fate. After its death, that string perishes, gone for eternity. Hence, the souls in the underworld are not bound by any fate, which includes you. This allows you to gain the ability to handle much more power than when you were alive."

After hearing her words, the hidden meaning behind her reply gradually became clear to me. However, the more I understood what she was saying, the more I hoped that it was not the case. Finally, I mustered up the courage to ask her the dreaded but unavoidable question, which I felt that I already knew the answer to.

"Do you mean that you were responsible for my death?"

Clotho and Atropos slowly turned to Lachesis, who seemed disturbed to answer my question. Looking at each other, they seemed to be having a silent conversation about what they should tell me.

"Yes, but we had a good reason for whatever we did, so I would like for you to hear us out first." However as soon as I heard the confession, a loud ringing began in my ears. Mind completely numb, my eyes clouded with tears as I realised that because of them I might never see my mother and friends again. I might never see Annabeth again. With that thought, rage filled my body as I glared back at them.

"WHY?! WHY DID YOU JUST DECIDE TO END MY LIFE WHEN YOU WANTED TO? The war had just ended and I was looking forward to a peaceful life with Annabeth and my friends, AND YOU JUST TOOK THAT AWAY FROM ME!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, taking deep breaths after every few words.

The Fates stood still, taken aback from my outburst, eyes wide and lips sealed, unable to say anything. Finally, after recovering themselves, Clotho started to answer.

"I believe that we do owe you an apology, but we also deserve a chance to explain ourselves, so please allow us to do so. The reason that we had orchestrated your death is simple: we are in great need of a strong ally. You see, a long time ago, we had detected a higher and ancient power rising, a power more authoritative than us. Although we are not able to discover its identity, we do know for sure that its intent is nowhere near good. We had already kept the Primordials on high alert but we were afraid that it would not be enough to deal with this threat. Hence, we decided on starting a league, league that would consist of individuals across the universe that have accomplished feats that were extraordinary, heroes with talents useful for our sole goal: to protect the universe from the looming threat. We named this group The Fated League, fitting for a team started by us, won't you say" My mind slowly calmed down, as it did its best to process this information. My heaving chest after my outburst slowly went back to its regular rhythm.

"What does any of that have to do with me dying?" I asked them, confused as to how their explanation was connected to the reason why they killed him.

"Recently, the threat that we detected seemed to have gained an enormous amount of power, hence we feared that it is close to have achieved its full power. This forced us to resort to desperate measures to gain the support that we needed to fight this common enemy. This means you, Percy Jackson. We just explained how a person who has severed ties with fate is infinitely more powerful or can become the same. After assessing the feats that you achieved over these past years as a demigod, we chose you as a perfect candidate to be our new Reincarnate... that's what we have as an official term for you and your future comrades, if you accept our offer. You may be thinking why we did not apply this... let us say 'policy', for your friends, especially the rest of the prophesised Seven. If we were able to it would have definitely happen, however this power to alter someone's fate is only available to us once every year for one person," Lachesis finished, finally uncovering the truth that I was dying to hear, no pun intended.

"Suppose that I do not accept this offer of being some new Reincarnate, what would happen then?" one final question came out as soon as I thought about it, thinking that I had have enough of being of service to higher beings.

"Nothing special, honestly," Atropos answered, letting out a small laugh. "Your memory of this interaction would be erased and your soul would be returned back to Elysium where you would continue your afterlife with no one to bother you."

There, the choice that I would make once again seemed to make a big difference to the fate of the universe. One way, I would be once again be fighting against all odds but it gave me a chance to fulfil my unfinished life, while the other way, I would be able to enjoy the paradise provided by Elysium for the rest of eternity without having discovered the full extent of my ability.

However, my thoughts wandered to back to my friends and family, that would be perished if this unknown power rises. I need to at least try and protect them, or else I would have failed them completely. Finalising my thoughts, I stepped up, ready to announce my decision.