Penny Ranger and the Lightning Thief

Chapter XXXV: Grover's Footwear Becomes Evil

Thankfully, Cerberus decided not to pursue us and instead settled for alarmed barking. We ran as fast as we could, eventually taking refuge on a rotten tree. We watched as a group of security ghouls ran past.

"So, Percy, what did we learn today?" Grover asked.

"That three-headed dogs prefer red rubber balls to sticks." Percy guessed.

"No. We learned your plans always go wrong!" Grover corrected.

Personally, I wasn't so sure. If you thought about it, Annabeth and Percy had the same thought: even in the Underworld, some creatures still needed company and friends. The only difference was that Annabeth's execution actually worked.

I glanced over at her. She was currently wiping a couple of tears out of her face, her gaze fixed on the gates of Erebus. The mournful whimpers of Cerberus could still be heard, the monster already missing his new friend. Unfortunately, we couldn't afford to linger. But I made a mental note to do whatever I could to help Annabeth fulfill her promise to Cerberus.

*

Grover wasn't exaggerating when he described the Fields of Asphodel. It was like standing in a huge wheat field packed with people waiting for a concert that would never begin. It was very depressing. The whole atmosphere was so dark, it made me want to just lie down and cry.

It also didn't help that the Fields seemed to go on forever. If we were to walk from one end to the other, it would probably takes us several days. It was like an endless expanse of pure melancholy.

We kept trudging through the crowd of dead souls. Sometimes they seemed like they wanted to talk to us, but we ignored them and kept moving on. Up ahead I could see a large black tent. A sign at the entrance said: JUDGEMENTS FOR ELYSIUM AND ETERNAL DAMNATION, WELCOME NEWLY DECEASED.

From there two lines split off. One went to the left, to the Fields of Punishment. The area was surrounded by metal fencing and barbed wire, hell hounds patrolling the perimeter. Inside I caught glimpses of the eternal tortures the condemned souls had to endure: boiled in oil, flayed with a whip over and over again, being forced to listen to opera music. In the distance I could even see the small figure of Sisyphus pushing the boulder up the hill. Overall, the kinds of things I would never wish on anybody.

The line to the right led to the exact opposite: Elysium. It was a walled off area, considerably smaller than the other two. Inside it was sunny and inviting. There were several beautiful villas in practically all architectural styles. In the middle of a valley there was a lake, with three pristine looking islands. The Isles of the Blessed, the special reward for those who chose rebirth three times and managed to reach Elysium every time.

"That's what it's about. That's the place for heroes." Annabeth said, noticing Percy and I staring at it.

I nodded in agreement. It certainly looked like it.

But unfortunately, it didn't seem like the place Hades would hide the Master Bolt in. So we turned around and kept walking towards the darkness. Eventually we stopped once we saw a huge palace made of black obsidian rising over the horizon. Above it, bat-like shapes circled like vultures. The Furies.

"I suppose it's too late to turn back.

"We'll be okay." Percy assured Grover.

"Maybe we should search some of the other places first." Grover suggested.
"Like Elysium, for instance..."

"Come on, goat boy." I told him as I smiled and shook my head.