Aquaphobia (Percy Jackson Fic)

A Fall from Grace

A/N: Sorry for the wait. This took me forever to write, I kept having parts of it written, but struggling to come up with an idea for the whole. I just started Grade 12 at a new school, but I will update as often as possible

Warning: Mentions of death.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson franchise, even though that would be awesome! I only own any characters I create and most of the plot line.

It's hard to explain the feeling of being half dead. I still feel alive, but I feel, stronger? That isn't really the word. I feel less tired, and it feels like my body's needs have been met perfectly. Since I am not fully dead, I will probably still need to sleep and eat, but I think I could go a while without them like this. Not that I will have the time to test that out.

Me and Greyson arrived in front of the River Styx, apparently Poseidon had already paid our fair to cross, so at least that is one less thing we must worry about. Crossing the river is, chilling, to say the least. Spirits of the dead flow through the river, their hands sometimes reaching above the boat hoping to grab on and be taken out of the river, but Charon just uses his oar to brush them off. When we arrive across the river, instead of passing under Cerberus like the spirits, a skeleton is there waiting for us. It beckons us with a finger bone and begins to walk. I look at Greyson and shrug, we have no clue where to go, so we might as well follow it.

As we walk, we see a huge Palace looming in the distance. It is black, maybe made of Obsidian rock, definitely the same material as the Hades cabin at camp. The building towers over all of the underworld and is quite terrifying to see. The skeleton leads us down a pitch-black path with lava on either side. As we walk, I can hear the screams of the damned as they serve their punishments. Greyson shivers beside me.

The palace is just as intimidating when you are directly before it as when you are kilometers away. We are lead through a garden, and let me tell you, all the flora and fauna on earth pales in comparison. The flowers seem to glow and radiate untold power, trees have an almost bronze look to their wood opposed to the brown you see normally. The most appealing thing in the garden is a pomegranate tree. It towers above all the other plants, and I feel drawn towards it. Greyson puts a firm hand on my shoulder. "This is Persephone's Garden, if you take anything, you better hope she is on a good mood and only turns you into a plant." The skeleton grows impatient and begins to tap its foot at us, so we continue to follow it.

The throne room is massive. The ceiling is so high I can barely see the arches at the top. Greek Columns are scattered throughout the room, holding up the impressive space. Two thrones sit in the room, both are occupied. "Who dares to enter my domain." Hades voice thunders around the room, the sound echoing from all angles. Greyson kneels, and I follow suit. "Lord Hades," begins Greyson, "We have been assigned a quest that requires us to journey to Tartarus. The only way we know how to access the entrance is threw your domain. We are sorry for the disturbance."

"You wish to travel to Tartarus? I advise that you run now demigods, you will surely die down there, and if you do your soul will not be able to return." I gulp.

"Lord Hades, we have to go. There is something important we must retrieve." He nods at my words. "Very well. My daughter Melinoe will escort you." The room flashes with light as Melinoe appears.

I have never met Elani's mother before, but her appearance was striking. The right side of her body is as light as sun reflecting off freshly fallen snow, and her left side is as dark as a sea cave on the ocean floor. Out of all the gods, her appearance is the most ethereal. "You summoned me Father?" She asks, not even looking at me and Greyson.

"Melinoe, I need you to escort these young half-bloods to the pit and help them descend slowly. Try to make it as painless as possible." She nods, slightly bowing to her father before turning to us. At first, I think I see disgust in her eyes, but I soon dismiss it as her face turns to a pleasant expression. "Come young heroes," she says.

🌀 🌀 🌀 🌀 🌀

Melinoe leads us out the back of the palace and towards a large cave. "It would be wise to turn back young half-bloods, return back to your camp and forget about all of this." Her words made sense, but she said camp with such venom that they didn't seem like a worrying gesture. "Here we are."

We stop at the mouth of a cave. It was huge. The entrance spanned out on either side of us before arching upwards to create a jagged opening. Looking into the black I feel a sense of foreboding and fear. The place feels wrong. Greyson grips my hand. "We can do this," he says. I don't know who he is trying to reassure.

We only walk for a minute before we arrive in front of the pit. I cannot see the bottom, and I know if I threw a stone down, I would not hear it hit the ground. "We should double check our supplies," says Greyson. He's stalling, but I am more than willing to let him. I grab his hand to squeeze it in comfort. I am about to speak when a great force pushes us from behind. I tighten my grip on Greyson's hand as we tumble forward. Melinoe calls out to us in a scared voice. I spin as I tip backwards and see her worried face. I grip onto Greyson for dear life, knowing if I let go, I will not find him at the bottom, but the same force rips us apart. I spiral around, black below and above me, but all I can think of is how the worry in Melinoe's face did not match her eyes.

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I don't know how long I have been falling. It could have been a few hours to a few days. I have long since stopped screaming and calling out to Greyson. Everything feels and looks the same. If it wasn't for the feeling of wind whipping past my ears, I would have thought I was floating in a vast nothingness.

After what seems like days, I see a faint red glow below me. Soon the light becomes more and more vivid as suddenly the ground appears a few feet below me. I land hard and begin to cough. I can't breathe. I rack my brain for what Percy said about Tartarus. The River Phlegethon, the infamous river made of fire. Percy said I need to drink from it to survive in Tartarus. I look around me as spots dance in front of my vision. I finally spot the river 300 meters to my left. I drag myself slowly, crawling on my hands and knees. Poseidon's magic allows me to go longer without air then any mortal or half mortal should be able to, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.

When I reach the river, I almost fall in. Gripping my backpack, I pull out one of Leo's cups and scoop some fire water. Here goes nothing. I bring the cup to my lips and take a large gulp. It is agonizing. My entire throat burns and my eyes water uncontrollably. I begin to cough and shake, but as my coughing fit ceases I find myself able to breathe. I need more though; my lungs are still tight. Tears run down my face in anticipation as I once again bring the cup to my lips. This time I finish it all in one go. I shake and cry but refuse to remove the cup. It gets easier with every drink, but it is far from being a manageable pain. When it's all gone, I collapse backwards in relief. I finally pause to take in my surroundings. I see red everywhere. Red mountains, red sky, red sand. The entire land has the same red glow as the embers of a fire. Dead trees sparsely populate the land. Monsters fly above me in the sky, luckily not noticing my presence. I spot a small cave maybe a kilometer away, and instantly begin to run towards it. The longer I am in the open the more vulnerable I am. As I approach the entrance, I summon my daggers. I walk into the cave with a fighting stance, luckily, it isn't too deep and doesn't branch off, so I am able to see every corner. I sigh as I see I am alone. I move to a corner where I can see the cave entrance, but not be seen from it. Sliding down the walls I bring my knees to my chest. A sob escapes my lips as I come to terms with the fact that Greyson isn't here to help me. He is missing, and I am all alone.

A/N: Its really short, I know, but I didn't have many ideas for this transitional chapter, and I have a test tomorrow. The next chapter will be longer. Comment what you think! I love to hear feedback and seeing a comment reminds me to get writing the next chapter.

Stay Whelmed!