The Scythe of Thanatos

Hazel

As i re-appeared on camp half-blood soil i watched as the campers rushed to the big house. I took a few steps and realized, i had been cut. I didn't remember how. but it was tearing me apart anyway.

I ran up the hill from the forest and burst into the infirmary. to see hazel lying on the bed, nico and frank standing over her. I instantly remembered the painting in Rachel's cave... I knew what i had to do...

"HOW COULD YOU!?" Frank yelled at me.

"Frank..."

"Don't you 'Frank' me you stupid-"

"that's enough frank." Chiron said as he walked in.

"frank. look. who would you rather have alive? me or her?" i stared Frank in the face already knowing what he would say.

"Hazel!" frank looked confused "but what has that got do to with it?"

"because i can save her."

"Seth! i saw what you did to your arm, you can't cure this." he responded

"Frank, i can." i looked down at the scythe in my hand, it was wreathed in grey smoke. I thought of Rachel...

why? why must I die when I've only just found a place where i can be happy?  

Instantly the words that i feared so much as a child came floating back to me. the words of the oracle.

"A boy shaped in darkness shall die by his own power, shall fall to save another's lover, a blade once owned by his father, shall give him power to save a sister. A dead boy shall rise again, to pay out a debt owed by Death."

I at once had known i was the boy, who would die for his friends and save someone and live again. But right now, i didn't  know how i would rise again, it didn't make much sense. 

"Seth you cant!" Frank started to realize what i wanted to do. "We'll find another way!"

"we don't have time!" i closed my eyes and snapped my left hand. "Goodbye."

Pain wrenched itself from my mortal frame ripping my nerves into pieces, i couldn't move or scream. my mouth hung open like a gaping well. as frank shook me. I could feel the Styx water flow out of Hazels body ant into mine. i was slowly burning away. Dying wasn't so bad, i couldn't really feel it after a few moments. then it was like i was standing behind my self, watching my body crumple as hazel gasped and all eyes turned to her. In a way i was at peace. Hazel was alive, i was dead but who would really care? i had only been there for a few days.  But wait, hadn't i told Keith i would come back for him? show him around camp... well, i guess somebody will have to do it.  i looked down at my feet to see my regular black sneakers, just sort of hazy and grey. i looked down at my body and looked at my face. i had a sharp nose with grey eyes. small lips and a small jawline what had Rachel seen in that? i didn't really look that good. Especially with my black hair all in a mess. suddenly Rachel burst into the room along with my dad. well he just appeared next to me.

"oh, it's you." he just looked at me. "well, i guess i lost the bet."

"what?" i looked at him

"i had a bet with Hermes that if you lived after beating Khione that he would pay me, and if you lost i would take on his job of leading the dead to Charon."

"so you have a debt to pay?"

"you could put it like that."

Well there we go. i have a job to do now.

"well, i could do it."

"what do you mean?"

"i could lead the dead."

"you? you can't even move yet."

"yeah i can!" i replied defiantly i drifted forwards and circled around back in font of him.

"maybe, maybe." he mulled it over "we'll discuss this later. watch."

"watch what?" i turned back towards the scene to see Rachel cradling my dead body and silently balling. "Oh. what do i do? none can see me."

"just think about it. you can manifest yourself."

"alright then." i glided over to Rachel and thought about becoming visible, i laid my hand on her shoulder and she tried to bat it away, when her hand passed right through mine she looked up into my smiling face.

"Seth..."

"i'm right here." i said "I'm dead, but here."

"Seth, you are the most stupid hero i've ever met!"

"Oh I am?"

And so the story concludes. Seth worked for his father to lead the dead and soon was able to teleport to where ever the next person who was dead died. but there were still some questions that needed answering, such as why had he been given the power to heal? that had never been a power of death. or the broken body he was given where did that come from? so one day eh decided to inquire of his father.

"father, i have questions."

"and you have work to do."

"the dead can wait."

"so can your questions."

"LISTEN!"

"fine."

"I have two questions, one why can i heal and wound people, and two where did this body come from?"

"what?"

"why can i heal and wound people?"

"that is a long story."

"so tell me."

"Alright. the story goes like this. Death once met  the most lovely lady in the world and loved her with all his heart. being death he could not give her a child, so he went to Prometheus chained in the underworld and had him mold a body, but because there wasn't good clay to mold a body in the underworld the body was broken. so death called Apollo to give the body life. when Apollo was finished the body could heal others and wound them, also the spirit of prophecy lived inside of it. Death was annoyed that it wasn't a normal child, for he wished to give his love everything. he visited the girl as often as he could, but finally Zeus told death to leave the child alone."

"Oh, well then. Thanks dad." i turned my now normally looking figure away. "for everything." and i left.