A Son From Lands Unknown (PJO x Male Reader)

Limbo

(Y/N) descended the counter-clockwise spiral staircase leading into Hell, the red glow only getting brighter as he descended. However, eventually, he reached the bottom of the staircase, which in turn led to a massive cavern. He stepped out of the mouth of the cave holding the staircase, putting a hand in front of his eyes to keep the light out of his eyes.

As his eyes adjusted, he could make out more specific details about his surroundings. There was a massive river between him and a giant iron gate in an iron fence, with statues standing on either side. Once more, the words, 'Abandon all Hope, ye who enter Here,' were visible on the gate. Boats were bobbing up and down on the river's surface, each with a ferryman standing on the pilot's platform with no souls to shepherd across.  There was ample space between the entrance and the bank of the river, a vast red sandbar that sat there, not even being moved by wind. The air was still, making breathing difficult.

As he walked across the vast sandbar, it only seemed to get longer and longer, as if every step he took added another two steps to the distance. The heat coming off of the river Acheron was not helping matters, as the heat of the flaming river only exacerbated the lack of moisture in the air. It felt like being in the deepest part of the Sahara desert, but add in a volcano in the distance.

Everything about the wide-open space screamed that there should be something there, anything, but there wasn't. There was nothing to be seen besides the dark crimson sky and similarly shaded sands. It was amazing that even the furthest reaches of the beach were as hot as they were, as there was no sunlight to be felt on the underground plane. In fact, it seemed the only source of heat was the Acheron, making it all the stranger that the sand on the shore hadn't melted into glass.

Looking behind him, (Y/N) saw that he was still practically at the entrance to the massive cavern. There was simply no way that he had covered that little distance for how long he had been walking. He was no track star, sure, but there was simply no way five minutes of walking had only translated to no more than a tenth of a mile.

And yet, (Y/N) couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching him, and it wasn't just the ferrymen who were looking right at him. No, it felt like something was watching him from behind and to the left, but when he turned to look, there was nothing there. So, not wanting to hang out any longer, (Y/N) broke into as fast a sprint as he could manage. As he was running, though, he felt his prosthetic leg... not exactly glitch out, but certainly did something it wasn't supposed to. It locked up underneath him, sending him tumbling into the crimson sand.

Looking up and shaking the sand out of his hair, he saw that one of the ferrymen had turned toward him and leveled a single skeletal finger. 'The living do not belong here,' it seemed to shout in his head.

(Y/N) stood and brushed the sand from his clothes. He pushed any thoughts he might have still had about being watched out of his mind. He had more pressing matters to attend to.

"I am here to prevent Armageddon," he said. "Let. Me. Pass."

'The living do not belong here,' the ferryman repeated.

"Yeah, and I would say an air conditioner wouldn't belong here either," (Y/N) said, wiping some sweat from his brow. "Doesn't mean it doesn't need one."

'The living do not belong here,' the ferryman repeated once more, annoying (Y/N).

"Alright, bud, listen here. I am here to prevent the end of the world. Current bargains withstanding, that means you will have no one to ferry. Ever. Just standing around, going up and down on the waves of the Acheron. Forever. If you want to prevent that, then let. Me. Pass."

The hooded ferrymen looked at each other, engaged in a silent debate about how to proceed. (Y/N) was hoping he could get across without mentioning his father, but it seemed he would have to go full Malfoy.

"My father is Mammon. Let me pass, or take it up with him."

One of the ferrymen looked at him for a moment, the rest following soon after. The one who first looked at him pushed his oar against the dock they were at, moving towards the shore closest to (Y/N). The son of Mammon took a deep breath in and let it sit in his lungs, the sulfurous stench lurking in his nose. He let it out and took a cautious step forward, then another. As he walked, he was relieved to see that he was actually making progress towards the Acheron. However, he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching him, so he picked up the pace.

Thankfully his leg didn't glitch this time, allowing him to reach the boat unimpeded. The heat was making it hard to board, however. It felt like he was at the mouth of a pottery kiln, the intense flames of the Acheron like the coals of a barbeque. And yet, the wooden boat was not burning, the ferryman waiting patiently.

(Y/N) looked at the hooded figure, trying to find any semblance of humanity within the black hole that was where its face should have been. Seeing none of what he was looking for, he looked back to the floor of the boat and sighed, stepping aboard despite how much his instincts were yelling at him not to. He stood at the bow of the dinghy, feeling the heat of the Acheron against his bare flesh. He figured that, if the preachers were right, he should probably get used to the heat.

The ferryman pushed his oar against the crimson sands, floating into the flaming river of woe. (Y/N) looked back one last time, taking in the scenery which he had just left behind. He looked back at the crimson sands and realized where exactly he must have left. He had just left Limbo and was now sailing through the true gates of Hell.

As they passed the threshold, the flames of the Acheron were forced to bend towards them, and (Y/N) could feel an immense wind in his face, in direct contrast to Limbo. In fact, the wind was so powerful, that he had to sit down in the boat just to not fall into the Acheron.

Thankfully, the flames of the Acheron gave way to the intense winds, and the far shore could be seen. Upon a mountain near the coast, (Y/N) could see a giant man. He was completely nude, save for the giant crown on his head. Unlike most, however, there was a serpent coming from what seemed to be his tailbone, constantly biting at him. At this time, though, he seemed to have managed to wrangle it by the neck. He looked like he hadn't slept in eons, the bags under his eyes alone being enough to get him stopped by the TSA.

The ferryman pulled into the closest thing that could be considered a dock in sight. (Y/N) thanked him for the ride and stepped off the boat, at which point the ferryman took off again and rowed back to Limbo. (Y/N) walked towards the large man, who was still wrestling with his own serpent tail. (Y/N) cleared his throat, getting his attention. The man and the snake stopped, both looking at (Y/N) for a moment.

"Well, this is certainly new," the man said, yawning. "I am King Minos, now admit your sins."