If Looks Could Kill *Percy Jackson and the Olympians*

Chapter Thirty-One

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

 Now, imagine for me, if you will, the absolute biggest crowd of people you can think of, like a football field packed with people, a concert arena packed with fans.

 Now I want you to multiply that by about a million. You can barely move without elbowing someone in the stomach or the arm. There is no electricity, or, if there was, it went out. There’s no noise, no light, no beach ball going around overhead. Something tragic has happened, and everyone is whispering, waiting for news, waiting for something that will never start.

 That, my friends, is what the Fields of Asphodel looked like.

 The black grass Percy, Devin, and I soon found ourselves standing on was trampled by millions of dead feet. The air was warm and muggy with a slight wind. There were clumps of dead trees in random spots.

 Asphodel’s ceilings were so high up; I could barely see the top. I could faintly see stalactites, which glowed wickedly gray. I tried not to think about them too much, to not have visions of them suddenly falling and crushing the three of us.

 Devin, Percy, and I tried our best to blend into the crowd, watching carefully for the Furies or the security ghouls who’d been chasing us. I couldn’t help but look for someone I knew among the shining faces of the dead. I didn’t see anyone I knew, fortunately or unfortunately.

 Occasionally, one of the dead spirits would float up to Percy or Devin or me and start talking- except their voices sounded like chattering instead of actual voices. One they realized that we couldn’t understand a single thing they were saying, they got frustrated and floated away.

 We followed the spirits along a long line that headed towards a black pavilion with a banner that read:

JUDGEMENTS FOR ELYSIUM AND ETERNAL DAMNATION

Welcome, Newly Deceased!

To the left, I could see a rocky path that lead down to the Field’s of Punishment. Off in the distance, I could see flames roaring and smoke rising high into the cavernous ceilings of the Underworld. I could see people being punished eternally for things they did in life. I could see, barely, the small form of Sisyphus, pushing his boulder up the hill. There were worse tortures there, some that made me think of Charlotte. I don’t really want to talk about them.

 Over to the other side, well, that was a different story. I could see Victorian mansions and Roman villas and medieval castles. I could smell barbecues going and hear laughter and celebration. I could see flowers of every color blooming on vibrant green lawns.

 That, my friends, is Elysium.

 I looked over quickly at Devin, and I saw he was staring at Elysium with everything he had. I remembered how he had told me that his girlfriend, Eleanor had told him that she’d wait for him in Elysium- and there was no doubt in my mind that she was there, as she was apparently so kind to everyone in life and died a heroes death. I knew Devin was probably hoping to catch a glance of her, but I didn’t think it was too likely. I patted him on the shoulder, feeling bad for sort of pulling him even further from Eleanor, but we had a mission to complete.

 He sort of shuddered as my hand touched him. He looked at me with big brown eyes; eyes that reflected the pain he was feeling on the inside back out to me. I gave him an apologetic glance, but then said, “We have to keep moving.”

 Percy patted Devin on the back, also watching his friend look for his lost love.

“Yeah, man….Sorry you can’t look for her now….You’ll be with her someday,” Percy said, though I’m not sure it was so helpful to Devin. His shoulders slumped before his sniffed and then picked his head back up again.