MOONLIT [Discontinued]

INTERLUDE 2: A Hero Prophesied

For all he knew, he was just floating in the midst of nothingness. Perseus Achilles Jackson, son of Pontus, had faded. In the extension of what he understood, his existence had been erased. He had heard stories earlier that just like mortals had an afterlife, the gods had something like that too, something called the realm of the faded.

It was believed that Hades's realm was in fact a replica of the faded deities' final resting place. But the mortal soul was different from an immortal's essence. Once separated from the host body, a mortal soul began its journey to Hades's realm and after being judged, took its place among the many other souls that occupied Erebos.

But the immortal essence is a whole other thing. Immortals don't have souls, it is their living force that drives their body, an essence to keep it simple. Once the deity fades, this essence passes on to the Realm of the Faded, away from the epicenter of all the hustle and bustle of life, both mortal and immortal.

But Percy's case was a totally different one. He was an immortal, who had a soul. And thus when he died/faded, he was had created a special case for himself. He was in an in-between. Neither had he faded completely, for he had to be a full immortal to be able to fade; and neither had he died, for his soul had burnt away in the need for power.

Still, it wouldn't have been possible without an outside force in play. If he was indeed in his own in-between, like he assumed, he shouldn't have been able to gain consciousness. Some outside power had either reignited his soul or this was something else entirely. But whatever it was, there had to be some power present for this to happen and he was more than certain it wasn't his own.

Realization hit him like a boulder from a mountain. His sorrow knew no bounds. The pain of leaving behind the love of his life was too much. He had promised Artemis that they would have a family of their own. His sisters, hunters he cared for like they were his own blood. He had to leave them all. Silent tears made their presence known as they raced down his cheeks. Yet through all his sorrow, he found solace in knowing that he had left the world in a much safer environment.

"Something bothering you, child?" an ancient female voice reverbed in the dark nothingness.

Percy's hand automatically reached out towards his trusted sword, yet found nothing. Instead, he settled for just asking aloud. "W-Who are you? Where am I? Am I dead?" he asked.

A gentle laugh rang out again but Percy couldn't detect any malevolent edge to it. Rather this voice was more homely than hostile.

"This place? This is nowhere and everywhere. It is somewhere yet everywhere." the voice answered.

Now Percy was thoroughly confused, his previous sorrow forgotten. "What do you mean by that? Do you mean harm?" he rapid fired. The gentle laugh once again filled his ears.

"A feisty one, aren't you? I am but one being. Patience, all your questions will be answered. After all, we have a lot of time." More questions bubbled inside Percy but he held his tongue, lest he angers this being, who no doubt was very powerful, seeing that they had somehow resurrected him. He simply nodded and waited for them to continue.

"First, to put it bluntly, you have faded but being not a complete immortal, you were denied entry into the Realm of the Faded and thus are stuck in the in-between. Second, I mean you no harm child, quite the contrary. You are a bright one, you must have figured out it was me who resurrected you, have you not?" At this Percy let out a breath of relief. He had already figured these two things, at least to some extent. And this being just confirmed it all.

"Now comes the complicated part Perseus. I would advise you to brace yourself. It might be too much to digest." Percy needed answers, complicated or not, so he once again nodded.