Legacy of Asgard

Time to Meet the Boss

Charon paddled silently across the river. Neither Reyna nor Percy spoke. They held each other's hands tightly knowing whatever came next was likely to be their most difficult challenge yet, one that had a good chance of claiming their lives.

As they approached the other side of the river, the raft crashed softly into the banks before the ferryman turned to them.

"Final chance; I'll raft you back to the other side, no charge."

Percy shook his head, "Thanks but this is where we have to go. It's the only way we're ever escaping this place."

Charon shook his skeletal head, "Very well, it's your funerals." He extended his hand towards Percy before flipping a coin that Percy caught on instinct. He looked down to find one of the drachmas Hemera had given then before looking at the god questioningly.

"Half-price for rides that lead to certain death; you'll need that for passage after your death."

Percy narrowed his eyes but didn't speak. Instead, he pulled Reyna by the hand as they stepped off the raft and into the very heart of Tartarus itself.

Charon and his raft shimmered a few times before blinking out of existence as they were once again truly alone. Ahead of them was a small field filled with fiery chasms and jagged rocks jutting out haphazardly in all directions. It looked like a minefield after the majority of the mines had gone off. At the end of the field was something that made both their stomachs drop; 100 feet of vertical cliff stood looking down at them menacingly, challenging them to even try and escape.

"We'll never make it up that." Reyna said, despair evident in her voice.

"No," Percy growled. "We're not staying here. I've had enough of this infernal place. We will make it past whatever is thrown in our way. Not after everything we've gone through; not after the things we've overcome. I can feel the doors, they are close. We just have to keep moving."

Reyna stared at him for a second, a reminder of one of the reasons she felt about him the way she did was evident in his words.

"Okay Percy, I'm with you. Let's do this."

Without another word, they took off into the field. The place was like a furnace. The fires seemed to burn even hotter in this part of the pit and soon they were both drenched in sweat. They weaved their way through the maze of the rocks and boulders, careful to watch where they stepped.

Percy slid between two boulders as he looked up and realized they were almost to the cliff face.

"PERCY!" Reyna screamed.

He jumped back between the two rocks where he saw Reyna on her back, pulling herself away from a small demonic looking creature that looked at her hungrily. Blood dripped from its mouth before Percyu glanced at Reyna and noticed the blood flowing from her leg.

He felt anger boil up inside him as lunged forward, Mjolnir appearing in his hand as he tried to squash the monster. The thing moved with remarkable speed as they hammer found nothing but empty ground. Percy spun around and slammed Mjolnir into a boulder, causing it to crack but the monster was too quick again, ducking to avoid his hammer.

He spun around, trying to find it when he felt something jump on his back.

"PERCY!" Reyna screamed as the demonic figure prepared to bite into his neck. On instinct, Percy spun around but the creature was strong and managed to hold on. It reared its head back before latching onto the son of Thor's throat.

The monster shrieked in pain when its teeth cracked against the invulnerable skin of the demigod. It fell off his back in shock before Percy pinned it down with a foot to the chest. The monster struggled frantically but Percy moved too quickly, his hands grabbing hold of its head before he snapped its neck in one fluid motion. In an instant, the monster went limp before dissolving into dust.