The Fourth Inheritor (A Percy Jackson/Chaos Fanfic) [Complete]

Chapter One: A Slight Understanding

"Where am I?"

It should have been a simple question; there should have been a simple answer. Neither were the case. Unless Hades had somehow redecorated the entire Underworld as a black-and-white New York City knockoff, he wasn't there. It certainly wasn't Tartarus or Olympus or... anywhere he recognized.

"Haven," a voice replied, as if that answered everything. It answered his question in the barest of terms, but it didn't really give him anything.

Percy looked around. He didn't see any other people. "Who said that?"

"I did," the same voice said. A second look around had Percy doing a double-take. Shadowy figures were all over, moving up and down the street as if it were a normal city, only one or two of these people having an obvious appearance and lacking the shadows. One figure was stopped just a few feet from Percy, features obscured by the flickering darkness that continuously played over them. "Hi. You must be new."

"Uhhh..."

"Yeah, that's the usual reaction. You've already got a solid form though, which is unusual. Just how quickly did you go through the Underworld?"

"Yeah, ok, I'm done. Whoever thought this was a funny joke, I disagree. I'd also really like you to stop now." Percy looked around some more, waiting for someone, anyone to pop out, laughing hysterically about how he fell for it.

"I'm sorry?" the shadow-person seemed to tilt their head to the side.

"Alright, who are you? Come on. Leo put you up to this, didn't he? Oh, he is so getting dunked in the lake when I get to Camp." Percy started rambling at the end, but he refocused fairly quickly, staring the other person down.

"I'm Matthew," the shadow-person said. "Don't really know who I was before. Anyways, I'm a Specter. Most people in Haven are. Some are Solids, like you."

"I'm not even gonna try anymore," Percy muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. Maybe Nico was in on all this? It was rude for them to play a prank like this on someone right after they woke up... from getting shot... in the chest... in a New York City alley...

Matthew explained anyway, ignoring whatever of Percy's interior thoughts were playing across his face. "Specters are all of us who look like these shadow things. When we died, we had some major or important sort of regret or hadn't accomplished what we wanted in life, so, when we died, part of us ended up here. Anyway, the rest of us ends up in the Underworld like normal. If we end up in Asphodel, like most people do, then we're a Specter forever. Go figure, but at least those people have some of their memories intact here. I'm one of the ones who doesn't, which should mean that the rest of me is in Elysium. No one from the Fields of Punishment has ever been allowed into Haven. I think."

"This just keeps getting weirder... Alright then, if you're supposed to be in Elysium, how come you're still this Specter thing?"

"I guess I haven't chosen rebirth. When a Specter's soul in the Underworld choses rebirth, it gets rejoined with the part that's in Haven, and the Specter becomes a Solid, someone with a solid form like you. We still don't get our memories though. The River Lethe does its job well."

Percy sighed. None of his friends were this elaborate when it came to pranking. Not even Annabeth. Any doubts he had about this being real were quickly vanishing. He frowned as another thought hit him. "How come I can remember everything?"

"I don't know. That's pretty weird. Maybe it's linked to your regret? That's all a Solid can typically remember, at least. Whatever it is that led to their being in Haven."

"Do you know why you're here then?"

Matthew shook his head. "Nope, not exactly. All I know is that there are some people on the other side that I need to look out for. No names, no faces, nothing. I think I made a promise to them though... I see them sometimes, in flashes and dreams, but I never remember them afterwards. That's just how it is. We fulfill our regrets, but our old life is still behind us..."

"How come you know your name?" This was unbelievable. Nothing about this place entirely made sense. He still wasn't sure where it was. 'Haven' didn't exactly ring any bells.

"Oh, that. Any of us who don't remember just find a name that sort of feels right. Don't know if it's our original name or not, but it's the one we have now." A shadow-wreathed hand extended towards Percy. "Now that you're fairly filled in, let's try this again. Hi. I'm Matthew."

Percy didn't know what else to do. He took the offered hand and shook it. "Percy."