The Afterlife (HoO Fanfiction)

Killian

I had never flown on a pegasus before. I loved the sensation. It was fast, scary, but at the same time, you felt safe in between the pegasus's powerful wings. In a few minutes only, we were on Mount Olympus. The pegasi left my friends and I in what looked like a public square. Except that the square was deserted and badly beaten up. The floor was uneven, the columns and benches that surrounded the square had crumbled to the ground and a fountain was spilling dirty water everywhere.

"The agora..." Thalia whispered in disbelief, looking at the desolation. "What happened here?"

The earth shook. We heard a low rumbling noise from somewhere at the foot of a hill. There was an Ancient Greek theatre in the distance and the stands were filled with an unmoving crowd. We couldn't see the stage from where we were, but the noise seemed to be coming from there. We glanced at each other and headed towards the source of the noise.

Once we arrived at the entrance of the theatre, I noticed that the gate was blocked by what looked like a concrete wall. There was only a small opening where the wall was broken. It was possible to enter the theatre one at a time by crawling under the concrete wall and through the main gate.

"There must be an easier way to get in," Reyna said, already turning to find another entrance.

"There is none," replied Thalia. "I know this place. This is the only entrance."

"Alright, I'll go first, then Thalia you follow me," Reyna said, then turned to me, Delilah and Adelaide. "You kids stay here."

There was no bargaining possible. Thalia and Reyna crouched one after the other and disappeared in the theatre. I turned to my friends. They already had a determined look on their face.

"We're going in," I said. "We have a role to play in this, I know it."

The two girls nodded. I let them go first. When it was my turn to go in, I crouched and tried to see what was on the other side. I couldn't see anything, so I crawled farther. The air was getting colder and colder. The smell... It was familiar.

I found myself lying on cool patchy grass. The lights were dimmed and the place was cozy, despite the cold. I stood up. I knew where this was. It was the main circus tent in which I had spent most of my life.

"Delilah? Adelaide?" I called. But I was alone. Somehow I had been separated from my friends. There was something wrong in the air, like if it were glowing with magic and raw power.

I walked around the tent. It was empty and the silence was sending chills down my spine. The wind was howling outside. I headed to the exit, but a noise made me turn.

"Killian."

I turned around and let out a sob.

"Lewis?"

I ran towards him. Right when I was about to touch him, Lewis vanished in smoke. I looked around frantically, but He was nowhere.

"I hate you, Killian," I heard Lewis whisper.

I was out of breath. Panic was tightening my chest, making every intake of air a battle of its own. I couldn't think clearly. All I could picture in my mind was a dead Lewis, repeating over and over again I hate you, I hate you, I hate you. I was in physical pain and tears started streaming down my face.

"Killian."

This time the voice was softer, deep and feminine. The voice calmed me, allowed me to breathe more freely, but the panic was still there, like a voice inside me screaming that it was time to leave this place. I noticed that there was a tall, beautiful woman seated in the stands. She had wings taller than she was, and a long staff.

"I have been waiting for you," the woman continued. "You know who I am. My name is Ananke, goddess of the inevitable, among other things."

"Help me," I breathed.

"You are in luck, child. That's what I'm here for. I'm here to help you and help all your friends. All humankind. There is only one thing you have to do. Consider it as payment for my gift."

"Anything! What do you want?"

"You have to renounce the gods. Say the words and they are gone. And you are free at last."

I was baffled. Was this woman asking me to kill the gods?

"I don't understand," I said. "I cannot kill the gods! They... They are family, they give gifts, they helped many people I know."

"Is this what you believe, or is this what you were taught to believe? Deep down, you know that I am right. Not some has-been demigods that you met just a few days ago."

"I..." There was nothing to reply. I was confused.

"Why are you here, young Killian. You are here to save people you don't even know. I have been watching you for a long time, you always want to be a hero. But you don't have to risk your life to be one. Where you worked in a circus, you were the hero of so many young children. You made magic. You have a gift. You can help people with it, Killian, and this doesn't have to take a toll on your life expectancy."

"But... The gods... They put us on the right path, they talked to my friends and I. It was thanks to them that we could find each other and find a home at Camp Half-Blood."

"You have a point. It is true, they put you on the right path. Actually, I put you on the right path. It was me all along, trying to make this exact moment happen."

"You manipulated us?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes, because that's what a god does. Me, your father, any god. You are toys to us. You are meaningless. Look at Lewis. He died and no god tried to protect him. Now he is sentenced to roaming the Fields of Asphodel for eternity. Do you know what the Fields of Asphodel are, Killian?"

"N...No?"

"They are a place in the Underworld where ordinary souls, nor good, nor bad, roam for eternity. They don't suffer, they don't rest for eternity. They just... walk, in oblivion, losing themselves little by little, until they forget who there are. Right now, Lewis is still very aware of everything and is cursing you every minute. Is this how you want him to spend his afterlife? Hating you until he forgets why he was resentful in the first place?"

"That's horrible! No, it can't be!"

"But it is very real. So, if you want to save him this pain, you have to destroy the gods. If the gods die, the Underworld disappears."

"But where will Lewis go?"

"He is dead Killian, there is no bringing him back. He will just... vanish. As all dead people do. They will live on in your memories and in the hearts of people who knew him. And he will rest at last."

I stayed silent. I was contemplating the situation. Somehow, I had the impression that I was being tricked.

"How can I know you're not lying?" I asked.

"You will have to take my word for it. If you refuse, you will suffer the consequences. You will fight for a cause that you don't understand. You will see your friends die and suffer. You will witness injustices. You will see James die just like Lewis died, alone, unable to understand what got him."

"How do you know?" I was starting to grow more and more suspicious. I started to back up towards the exit of the tent. "How can you say such things?"

"Killian, I am the goddess of the inevitable. I know that this will happen. And you, too. Think about my offer, and we'll be in touch."

I didn't see what happened next. Was Ananke running behind me, I couldn't tell. All I knew is that I was running full speed to the exit of the tent. I had to get out of here and far away from that crazy goddess.