Percy works with Tony Stark

17. What happened?

I woke up in darkness.

I was honestly hoping for the white walls of Stark's med room, or even to see the ceiling of the Big House. But it was neither. It took me a while to realize were I was and what the oddly familiar view above me was.

It hit me like a tidal wave.

There was no way right? I had to take a deep breath which lead me to have a coughing fit after breathing in Tartarus's sulfuric air. I didn't even remember how I got here. Was it even worth it to go through all I did to get out last time? Oh Gods-

I was even alone this time, I didn't have Anna- Annabeth. no. no. no. 

But it was all real. She was gone. dead.

I broke down then. But what happened after I blacked out? Where was Loki? I glanced around in panic but was glad when I didn't see him. I hope he got out of whatever landed me here.

I spent my first couple of days lying in the same spot I woke up in. I didn't have anything to do. There was no point in wandering anywhere. There wasn't even a way out this time, the Doors of Death were closed this time. I was stuck in Tartarus with no way out.

It took me around a month to start regaining my memories. Maybe it was the shock that prevented me from remembering, but after a week of wallowing I started to adjust. It was after I slashed down a monster when I started to feel dizzy. I quickly sat down and a wave of memories washed over me. It was something about the throne room, I remember coming in and out when Loki was carrying me up in the elevator to Olympus.

I rubbed my forehead in confusion. Does what mean that Loki knew everything now? I had so many questions that weren't answered by my newfound memories.

Later that month, I decided to be like Bob. Why couldn't I live down here? I made a plan to start building a house. That was also when the anger started to hit. What had I done to deserve this? I saved all of them! And I was repaid with this? My fiancé dead and I was thrown down in Hell?

I was traveling when I had a horrible realization. I knew what I had to do to make living here easier. Thankfully, I hadn't built too much of my house yet because I had to go blindly searching for a specific river.

I also got another memory. Me crying on Olympus's stone floors. Screaming all around me, the Gods condemning me, and my friends, the 7 screaming at the injustice.

So I had an idea of what happened now. A long-awaited betrayal by the Gods. But what triggered it? I didn't have enough information yet.

"Styx," I swore with my hoarse voice as I finally arrived at the dam river. That one got a forced chuckle out of me.

I had to fight hundreds of monsters on the way here and I knew I had to do this now. It was a long trek and I had already lost my perception of time. A week maybe? Maybe it was a couple of months. Hell, it felt like years to me.

I took a deep breath and plunged myself into the icy depths. I definitely didn't miss the pain. I felt like I was dissolving, disappearing. I knew I needed a tether to the world. What did I love about the world? I had to think about something fast, it was getting harder to be aware of everything, hard to concentrate with the pain. Oh the pain sucked. Annabeth.

But I should have known better. The thought of Annabeth, which grounded me the last time only sped up the process. She was gone, and the faster I died, the faster I could join her. But if I died here, I would be gone, not able to join her in Elysium, so I desperately tried to think of something else. Damn, damn, dam, DAM, Thalia, I still wanted to see her. Everyone who fought for my freedom, all my friends, heck even my boss. The one I left without a goodbye. Would I still have my job if I came back? When I came back. I was going to get out of here.

I flew out and coughed all the water out of my system. I heaved in massive breaths that stung my lungs even more, but there was nothing else I could do. I hated that feeling. Drowning always haunted me but it shouldn't have, couldn't have been a fear of a Son of Poseidon's right? Wrong, if I couldn't breath in water it made it so much worse, knowing that the only thing I could depend on wasn't so reliable anymore.

While I was lying on the riverside I passed out in exhaustion, hoping no monsters would attack me in fear of getting near the river.