Siren (A Percy Jackson Fanfic)

Time to Face Certain Death

*Percy POV*

I wake up what I assume is a couple hours later, still humming the Siren's Song. I have no clue how much longer I have to fall or how long I've been falling, but I do know it's a lot more relaxing than I thought it would be. I can't hear the whooshing of the wind in my ears over the Song in my head and it calms me a bit more.

I smile as I twist myself so I can feel the wind on my face. It's not fresh air, but it's not what Nico described either. It's a nice mix, and getting worse. I take in the air hitting my face as much as I can as I feel the air get thicker and more humid, acrid, maybe a little sour. It starts feeling as if the sun melted and poured onto my skin. I just hum the Song and close my eyes, feeling what little moisture is in the air.

I make the moisture come to me and evaluate it before deciding the water comes from the rivers of hell and I should not ingest it unless I want to burn from the inside out and forget why I'm burning, where and who I am and how to use my powers. I release the water from my hold and continue to fall, feeling the hole open up into a cavern.

I open my eyes and see everything blanketed in a red mist. Just like Nico described in our late night nightmare talk abouts in the mast of the Argo.

I twist myself so my feet are facing down and I'm reverse pencil diving. I close my eyes and concentrate on the water molecules in the air once again, using them to slow my descent. I feel myself slowing and eventually stop. I open my eyes and lower myself to the ground. My feet hit the black sands of what I'm assuming is the River Cocytus from the shouts of lamenting souls telling me to give up.

I just rolled my eyes at the voices, I already have one of them in my brain at all times. One of the reasons I threw myself over the edge is because of this voice. It tells me the truth instead of what others want me to think. The only person who knows about this voice is Nico, he has helped me through dark times.

Anyways, back to the matter at hand.

I looked down thinking there couldn't possibly be sand in Hell. I bend down, humming the song, and touch the black sand. As I guessed, it was not sand. It was tiny shards of glass that found their way into my skin. Wonderful. I straighten myself up and try my best to brush the glass from my hands, only succeeding in pressing it further into my palm. I just shrug and rip off the sleeves of my shirt, wrapping the sleeves around my hands knowing I'll need it.

I grab Riptide from my pocket and uncap him. I throw the cap down and put him in the belt loop in my jeans like a makeshift scabbard. I'm terribly slow at uncapping him. I put up my guards, using the little bit of moisture in the air to feel everything around me.

My lungs burned and my skin ached but I just ignored it. It wasn't that unusual for me to mask my pain and just shove it to the back of my mind. I've been doing it since I was two, when Gabe decided it was ok to beat the shit out of and rape a little kid. Pain isn't a big deal to me anymore.

I looked around and saw a cliff. I saw fire somewhere below it and remembered something about a River of Fire. I decided to try it out. Who knows, maybe I'll die, maybe it'll work.

As I make my way over, I see something that makes my heart drop and feel a presence behind me. I see the car that pulled Arachne into the pit and I can only guess I felt her behind me, so when she got close enough I turned sharply and ripped riptide from his makeshift sheath, slicing through her in a matter of seconds. I stare at the dust she made relaxing Riptide on my shoulder and kicking it a couple times, before setting off to the cliff in search of The River of Fire.

As I approached the edge of the cliff, Riptide in my belt loop once again, I realized just how shitty the environment I was in made me. My lungs were burning, my skin was red and blistered, and I felt like I was forced to drink battery acid again. Don't ask, it was terrible. I had to tell my mom I didn't know what it was when I drank it instead of telling her Gabe forced it down my throat because I threatened to tell.

Anyways, I got to the cliff and realized it was also glass. All the places I could use as foot holds and grab to get down this cliff were sharp glass edges. Good thing I already ripped my shirt sleeves off. I took a deep breath and started my descent to the Fire River.

You might just ask me why I don't just use my powers. I AM TIRED! OK? If I used my powers again I would pass out before getting to the river.

Before I actually went down, I wiped my fingertips on my sweat soaked shirt so I didn't slip from the glass ledges. The sleeves of my shirt should protect my palms from the sharp edges of the glass.

I could feel my fingers slipping from the glass as more sweat pooled all over my body. I almost slipped as I found a nice ledge to relax on. It was just big enough to sit down on so I sat there for a little bit before getting down the cliff all the way and all but running to the River of Fire.

I dropped to my knees on yet another glass bleach frantically taking the cloth off my hands and putting it in my pocket before plunging my hands in the liquid fire and pouring it down my throat before comprehending the pain it brought.

I immediately coughed and shook and felt like I was boiling inside, but when that was over, I felt better, my skin cleared up, and I got my usual tan skin back. I decided to stay close to the River until I didn't need it anymore. This is one of those times I wished I kept a canteen of water with me everywhere.

Even if I didn't have the water for very long I'd have the canteen to put some fire water in for the journey. Considering it didn't melt the canteen the moment it touched the plastic. These are thought for another time.

I stood up and got the cloth from my pocket, wrapping it around my healed hands. You never know when you'll need to protect your palms.

I squinted my eyes at the nasty red color that is the Tartarus landscape, and tried to figure out where I need to go. If this is just Tartarus' body then maybe the Doors of Death are closer to the center, which would be his heart? Yeah, his heart.

If this is his body, the rivers are probably his "blood" which means that the rivers would lead to his heart, so I need to follow the fire river until I no longer can. Then maybe I'll have an idea of what to do.

Step by step Percy. Step by step. We'll figure things out as we go. Pulling Riptide out of his makeshift sheath, I sigh and head the way the river was flowing, away from the cliff I just climbed down.

"Time to face certain death," I say, putting Riptide on my shoulder and humming the Sirens Song, quiet enough so no monsters will hear, but loud enough to warn them to stay back.

A/N Wow Me?? Update?? Who knew??? anyways i hope you liked it and have a wonderful day love you BYEEE

-CHARLEZ OUT