Percy Jackson and the Soul Society: The Weight of Betrayal

II: A Shinigami's Duty

Percy was in Camp Half-Blood, but something was strange. It was the middle of the day, the sun blazing brightly in the sky... And yet, nobody was around. Hestia wasn't tending the hearth, no campers were talking, nobody was manning the store.

It was... Barren. Completely deserted. Percy instantly knew this would have been Camp Half-Blood if they had lost the Giant War. This would have been the result, a barren land with not even the hearth burning any longer.

"Percy!" He heard his father's voice, making him turn around before he was wrapped in a strong embrace. "Thank Mother Rhea you're okay!"

"D- Dad?" Percy blinked in surprise, before returning the hug. Hey, hug from his dad, he wasn't gonna complain! "Why are you here? I was just..." He stiffened as he suddenly recalled what he'd been doing. He'd turned into a Shinigami and had fought that hollow to save the family.

Looking back on it, he felt dumb. Why had he listened to her? She didn't know his life, she didn't know what he'd been through. Why on earth had he listened to a girl who was almost half his height? He should have just killed the hollow like he killed any other monster, so why didn't he?

"Percy, you died..." His father said with a strained voice, snapping the demigod out of his thoughts. "I felt it, Hades felt it, Nico felt it! They searched the underworld for your soul but couldn't find it! And then, about an hour ago, we felt you come back to life! What happened Percy?"

"I..." He gulped. "Ever since I came to Japan, I've started seeing ghosts. Real ghosts, with chains in the middle of their chests..." He noticed his father's paling face but continued. "I headed to my room after getting home a bit late, and I saw this black butterfly and this girl in black robes- Rukia- step through my wall. She called herself a... A Shinigami."

"No..." Poseidon whispered. "Percy, what happened!? Tell me exactly what happened, now!" His voice thundered, and he heard the seas churning.

"I..." Percy felt his mouth go dry at his father's voice. This was very serious. "A... An evil spirit, a Hollow, attacked the Kurosaki's- my distant cousins- and... I saw red, I cut off its arm, and then... Rukia explained that is was my fault the family attacked me... So, I was ready to fight it, kill it, and move on but she... Got between us, took an attack I'd planned to stop-!"

"So, she died, right?" He was almost horrified at how hopeful his father sounded. "She died, you killed the Hollow, and moved on. Right?"

Percy gulped. "Her... Her words got in my head, saying that I wouldn't be able to do it. That the only way was to become a Shinigami... I... I don't know why I listened to her, maybe it was the adrenaline high, maybe it was because I was just so angry and felt so guilty... But I... I took her sword and..."

"No..." Poseidon whispered, but Percy continued.

"I plunged it into my heart and became a Shinigami."

Poseidon pulled away from Percy and looked at him in shock. "Percy... Why did you allow yourself to believe her so easily?"

"I..." Percy frowned. "I said, didn't I? Adrenaline high, guilt..."

The Sea God's eyes narrowed, and he looked around, before he noticed the Hearth wasn't lit... And his eyes widened... And then Percy felt it.

The presence of an enraged god.

He hadn't felt it since the time he'd sat on his father's throne to get his attention, but it was powerful, mighty, sending shudders through his spine.

"Someone has been hypnotising you," Poseidon growled.

"What!?" Percy exclaimed.

"The place," he gestured around. "Is your mind, or your soul, take your pick as they're essentially the same thing for the purposes of this. Everything here represents you in some way. For example," he gestured to Cabin Six... Now that Percy got a better look at it, it wasn't as grand as he recalled. It seemed to have lost some shine, but it was still beautiful. "Represents your Wisdom and Knowledge. Once, it was rusty. But, as you've been working hard, your wisdom and knowledge has grown, meaning the cabin is much more radiant. Do you see what I mean?"