When Things Fall Apart

Chapter Ten

While the rest of the hunt were sleeping in their tents, Artemis was on the move. She didn't like her attachment to Percy Jackson at all. Not only was it affecting how others perceived her, but it made her question her very purpose in life. Although she never let herself follow the chain of ideas that led to being sad about Percy, she was sure that the source was something wrong with her core desires.

So she decided to remind herself why she lived the life she did. She was going to go for a hunt. Hopefully, she would get some venison to share with the hunters for breakfast. She lingered behind a bush, as stealthy and quiet as an owl. She looked out in front of her and saw a stag eating grass. She slowly raised her bow behind the bush and aimed at the deer.

crckk

The deer heard the noise and ran away. Artemis looked down and noticed that she stepped on a twig. She responded with anger. She was losing her game. She wasn't on top of things like she used to. All because she failed her mission of saving Percy. It took her three tries to catch her food that night, and she was not a happy camp- erh, hunter.
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Meanwhile, Percy was stuck in the Underworld. And in his situation, that was a marvelous and beautiful thing compared to Tartarus. To Percy, the musty air of the Underworld was refreshing and calming compared to the lethal vapors down below.

How did Percy plan to escape this place? The same way he escaped Tartarus- back from where he came.

He walked past Hades castle and didn't care if was noticed this time. And sure enough, there he was.

"Nephew, I didn't expect to see you," Hades called. "Wow, you look absolutely terrible," he said with curiosity.

Percy looked down and noticed he was right. His hoodie was full of holes, and his pants were rags at this point.

"You know Artemis just came to look for you. Well, I mean, about a month or two ago. You must have hidden pretty well." He leaned in. "So tell me, where did you hide?" Hades inquired.

"Tart-" Percy coughed. The last time he talked was when he battled Hyperion. His throat wasn't ready. "Tartarus," he replied again.

Hades eyes widened. "Impossible," he mused. "Not in all my life-"

Percy just shook his shoulders. "Yeah, I'm not sure how that worked out."

"How did you get out?" he asked.

"I climbed my way out," Percy replied. Hades eyes widened even further, and his facial expression screamed both 'what the me' (cuz he's Hades) and 'that shouldn't be possible'.

"You can't. That's not possible. Not by a mortal. Not even by a god or titan. No one can escape Tartarus by climbing back up. A spell was put on it by the Fates themselves that anyone who tried to climb it would surely fail."

There was a moment of silence. "Well, I'm just glad I'm back," Percy said.

Hades face turned to one of curiosity and amusement. "And what exactly do you plan to do now?"

"Escape the Underworld," Percy replied. "It shouldn't be too hard compared to Tartarus."

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that? The only one with permission to come and go is Hermes. The rest must use the pearls."

Percy just shrugged his shoulders. "I plan on leaving the way I came."

Hades looked upwards, pondering. "That also is prevented in ancient laws. There are only a few ways to leave this place, and that one is prohibited."

"Well, I'm going to try it. If it doesn't work, I'll let you know. If it does, it was nice seeing you Uncle Hades," Percy replied.

Hades shook his head in disbelief. "You know, I usually hate my brothers' children. But you intrigue me, Perseus Jackson. If you are capable of leaving, I give you the permission to enter my domain whenever you desire. Best of luck to you." And with that, he was gone with the shadows.

Percy made his way towards the River Styx. He remembered when he came here with Nico, and he dipped in the water. He remembered seeing Annabeth, and how she anchored him to reality. He wondered who he would see now if he jumped in. He imagined that person may be different than before. He found an old row boat on the shore and willed it to take him upstream. He realized that it wasn't difficult for him at all. Before he knew it, he was at the entrance of the Underworld.

He walked through it, assuming he would be back at DOA Recording Studios, but everything turned white.

Percy noticed his consciousness letting go.

Percy was standing in a totally white place. Remember when Squidward was "alone" in that one dimension from the time machine. Almost the same thing here. He looked around, but didn't see anything. He looked at himself, and noticed he was wearing his Camp Half Blood apparel. "How did that happen?" he asked out-loud.

"Perseus Jackson!" He looked up to the screeching voice, and he wanted to pee his new pants. Standing before him were the three Fates themselves.

The lady on the right spoke. "You foolish mortal, what have you done?" she asked accusingly.

"I don't know what you are talking -"

"SILENCE" the one in the center shouted. "You have made a grave mistake, Perseus Jackson."

"How did I do that?" he asked. He had no clue.

"That fading spell you summoned was against the ancient laws. Of course you would have known that if you would have read the footnote of Homer's manuscript." She recited the passage: "Any mortals who dare use this cursed spell will remove themselves from the laws of the universe, as well as detract themselves from the Fates, themselves."

Percy looked at them confused. "And what is wrong with that?" he asked.

"Foolish, foolish boy," the one on the left spoke. "You have removed yourself from the causal chain of events that keep this universe going. An event happens. People react to it. All of this follows the codes of Nature as well as our own jurisdiction. You have separated that link, boy. Because you have disrupted fate, anyone you interact with will also suffer the same loss of nature's course, as you are not supposed to be a part of it. Then, when that person, whose destiny is destroyed, interacts with another person, so too will that persons destiny be destroyed."

The lady in the middle spoke, "Did you really think you could have escaped Tartarus or the Underworld, otherwise? No, you broke yourself from the order of the universe. You are now a force of chaos. If you meet just a single person, the causal chain will ripple just like the butterfly effect. It will start with one person, then two, then four. Before you know it, the whole world is disconnected from fate and order."

He opened up his arms. "I still don't see how this is a bad thing. You guys have caused the death of millions of people. And they weren't deserved. You have done so much harm to everyone."

The lady on the right spoke, "That's what you think, Jackson. We maintain the order of the planet. Without us, chaos and anarchy will take over. You are a bane to all of Olympus now. You cannot swear on the Styx anymore and have it mean anything. You are a loose cannon, Perseus. If you meet someone, all of their obligations will be gone as well."

"Including your precious Artemis," the lady in the center spoke. "If you do come into contact with her, she will lose her obligation to remain an eternal maiden. And so, if you ever meet her and 'swoon' her into liking you, just know that it will never be real. If that does happen, it is because you disrupted the natural order and her destiny. Is that what you want, Perseus Jackson? Be grateful, we did everything in our power to prevent Hades' destiny from being destroyed when you talked to him. But we cannot continue it anymore."

They all spoke in unison. "You are a force of Chaos, Mr. Jackson. Beware. You will bring this world into a spiral of disorder."

Percy woke up to the sounds of sea gulls and waves. He looked up and found himself at the beach where he battled Ares. He remembered his dream, and his stomach felt like a rock slammed right through it.