Perseus Jackson: Champion of Thanatos

Samsara

I looked on in horror as they all smiled mindlessly at me, emerging from beneath the plain. I grasp Riptide, my hands shaking slightly, my eyes glistening somewhat; for the first time in years. They all swarmed me at once and I did not have a chance to decide. The first one to reach me ran itself through on my sword, as if just to antagonize me. I felt the familiar feeling of madness and depravity as the curse struck me, and the image before me in itself. I tried to hold them off and managed to kill some, and the ones I didn't would end themselves by my sword. Not one had tried to attack me, I suppose this would do more harm. As the umpteenth replica of my lover ran herself through on my blade, I felt my resolve breaking. The sheer number of curses placed upon me from their deaths was likely to drive me mad soon, and I don't think I could bare to kill another. Yet, at the same time the curse made me wish for more death which was the horror of it all, I was sure if I killed another, I wouldn't want to stop anymore. When the next Arai came I did something I had never done before, not when I was the Hero of Olympus; not when I was thrown into the pit by an unknown force. When the copy of the daughter of Athena came upon me; I gave up.

My sword Riptide was enveloped by the blazing soot on the ground. And I fell to my knees, the Arai standing before me. "Do not be afraid Percy Jackson fear is my bussiness." A grating voice in my head told me. "Yes, I will certainly be waiting for you, at my end." Said a different, dark and sickly voice. I felt these voices in my head and they seemed to comfort me some, and I relaxed. "Annabeth" lightly touched my cheeks, and began to speak. "Oh, Perseus, what a sad story you have. It will be told for centuries I assure you." Then she kissed me on the forehead lightly. Her eyes shifted from soft grey to deep red irises. The hands on my cheeks elongated into cold claws. Then Annabeth ran a claw swiftly across my throat, and I fell into the ash, letting it embrace me. For a moment I felt pain as I looked at the stone ceiling of the cavern, then numbness. I waited to see the boat that would lead me to the Styx, a frightening prospect, but something darker happened.

I looked to see the Arai standing over me grinning, then the next moment they all exploded in plumes of smoke, just like the Hellhound. The veil of smoke and steam swirled in distinct patterns and then the whole cavern was drenched in shadow. A man slowly rose from the ground, his body erect. He was a pale blue color and donned a hood. On his wrists were shackles with a foot length of chain attached, until it abruptly cut off. In his right hand he held a wicked looking staff, the blade made from black stygian iron.

His veins ran with a black fluid, only exaggerated by the blue pallor of his skin. "Perseus Jackson, Hero of Olympus, then abandoned demi-god. How the mighty have fallen, eh?" He grinned at this, yet it was disturbing, as if someone had carved it into his face with something sharp. I attempted to speak but only a harsh gurgling came out. "Why don't you let us do the talking?" He said. At this point I was thoroughly disturbed. Who was this man, and why wasn't I dying? He suddenly realized the man had said let "us" do the talking. Just then, behind the man stepped another being. I started thrashing violently at the sight of him. He was wearing a tailored suit black as ink, and had no face.

That wasn't why I was freaking out though, something about his aura instilled a massive amount of fear in me. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Thanatos, you know; God of Death?" The immortal said casually. "And this, this is Phobos, fear incarnate of course." Ok, scratch that, now I was terrified. "We have come to make you an offer, we just had to wait for the correct time." Thanatos said as he snapped his fingers. "You mean when I died!" I said, as the hole in my throat was sealed. "Well, yes, death is my specialty." He said matter-of-factly. "We have come to ask you if you are at all angry at the gods, and wish for revenge." I raised an eyebrow quizzically, "Are you offering to assist me in getting revenge, I thought you were on the side of the Olympians?" Thanatos smirked at this, "Hades and all beings and deities of the Underworld have been planning this for some time, and Hades wants the throne. I would not mine sitting on Olympus myself." I was quite surprised at this, yet this was a great offer. "So what is the deal?" I asked skeptically. "Simply put, we will give you our blessings and free you from this place, and you will do anything we or Lord Hades says." Thanatos said rapidly.

I did not like the idea of being putty in someone else's hands just like with the Olympians, but this had been the opportunity I had been waiting for ten years. "Give me your blessing, I will do as you say, I swear it on the Styx." I said without any doubt. I gave them a look as hard as stone, and Thanatos and Phobos smiled. Well, Phobos didn't smile, but I would like to think he did. "Phobos, give him your blessing." The man in the suit walked towards me and placed his hand on my head. "I wish you success, hero." His voice breathed in my head. Then I felt the most scared I had ever felt in my life, I watched my mom being tortured by Kronos for hours. My father writing me off to suffer in Tartarus for eternity. Thousands of my largest fears, some I didn't even know I had. What felt like hours was actually a few seconds, and it was over.

Phobos bowed and then dissipated into mist. Thanatos looked at me almost admirably, "It is very rare someone gets the blessing of fear, and even rarer that someone gets blessed by Death himself. Needless to say, both blessings are very unpleasant to receive." I winced involuntarily at the thought. He floated a few inches off the ground and dropped in front of me. Before I could protest, he raised his scythe and punched it through my gut. I screamed endlessly and I could feel the blood leaving my body. I could only see blurs of color and then I fell to the floor the shadows encircling me. Before I died I heard a whisper. "Sleep, young hero, for when you wake up, death and your fears will no longer own you."