𝑵𝒊𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒔, 𝑺𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑻𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒖𝒔

ii. falling down

Percy's POV
While rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I said "Lady Hestia."

"Hello Perseus." She replied gently. I hate when people called me Perseus, but who can hate Lady Hestia?

"May I ask what you are doing here, in my cabin, at this time?" I asked trying my best to be formal.

"Asteria was busy, so she told me to keep an eye on you. Now, you better go get changed." She explained softly.

I nodded as a reply, then she flashed herself out of my cabin. Being a child of the one of big three, I had my own personal bathroom for some reason, but not that I'm complaining. The shower stalls stinked like hell.

《 AFTER BREAKFAST 》

I was minding my own business, sharpening my sword-fighting skills when I heard a a familiar voice call my name.

I turned around and saw a guy with blonde hair, blue eyes and a sacr across his face. Luke.

Next to him was Bianca, and then Silena. They both looked exactly like how they looked when they died. Well other than the fact that Bianca was not wearing her Hunter Of Artemis Jacket.

"What are you doing? Aren't you scared of getting caught or something like that?" I whispered-yelled when I realized they were in the middle of camp at noon.

"Don't worry Percy, the mist." Silena said.

"Silena, demigods can see through the mist." I said.

"Don't worry about that, I think Michael and Lee have your stuff already. We just need to get you," Bianca explained. "We obviously can't use any form of travel because it will leave traces of our magic behind."

Magic? What did they mean by magic? Last I checked 'death' technically isn't a form of magic, but I could be wrong.

"We have to do it the old-fashioned way." Luke suggested.

"No, that's too slow." Bianca said.

"Hold up, where in the world are we going?" I asked. I clearly want to know where I will be staying.

They all looked at each other like they were dreading this moment. Finally, Silena answered my question.

"Tartarus." She said in a small, whisper-like voice but I heard it, and my eyes widened.

Before I could say anything, Bianca said, "Screw it, we're using magic. Sil, you go with Percy, ok?"

Silena nodded, and grabbed my hand. She then led me to the woods at camp. I had a million questions to ask, but I just couldn't get myself to ask them.

"It's alright, Percy. Nicholas will answer your questions." Silena said, almost as if she read my mind.

Wait, Nicholas? I looked at her in confusion.

She sighed and then replied, "Nicholas, Bianca's little brother."

"Why do you call Nico that?" I asked.

"He prefers being called that, I guess. But you're an exception to him, for literally anything." Silena explained.

She then stopped, and started chanting something in another language which I couldn't understand.

Then, all of a sudden, a black portal appeared in front of me.

"Don't be scared, jump in." Silena said, jumping in and pulling me in the portal as well.

We were falling down. It was not new to me since I fell into Tartarus, once before. But it still gave me the creeps.

Then, I felt something cushioning my fall. I looked down and saw a river. This wasn't here the last time. Oh, well.

"Ugh, I always hate falling from there." Silena complained.

I chuckled, "Well the water does cushion my fall."

"Lucky!" She whined.

"Sil! You're back!" I heard another familiar voice. It was Beckendorf's, a son of Hephaestus who died a little time before the Battle of Manhattan. " 'Sup Percy" He greeted me.

I waved back hello, and then the both of them dragged me to the House of the Night.

"So, you live in the House of the Night?" I asked.

"Nah, it just comes in the way." Beckendorf replied.

I nodded to show that I'm listening, but really I was admiring the house. It was still as beautiful as it was when I first saw it.

I was broken out of my thoughts when I heard someone.

"Who is this? A new recruit?" The voice said. The voice belonged to Nyx, the primordial goddess of the Night.

"Lady Nyx." They both said, while bowing.

"This is-" Silena said, but Nyx cut her off.

"Perseus Jackson, I know." She said. I swear I saw a kinder and softer spark in her eyes when she looked at me.

"Well we must go now, Nicholas is quite impatient." Silena told the primordial goddess, who just nodded.

Not taking her eyes off me, she said, "Off you go then."

With a flick of her hands, a door opened. Silena and Charles bowed in appreciation. It must be the exit.

《AT THE HOUSE OF HELL》

We walked inside and I saw a familiar black mansion with red carvings full of myths from Ancient Greece.

"The House of Hell. This will be you're new home, Perce." Silena said with a smile on her face.

I took in the details of the mansion. It was dark, full of mysteries. There were two staircases leading upstairs. To call it huge was an understatement, this 'house' was massive.

Silena and Charles, then, lead me to a room and told me to go in. I hesitated, but then I got the courage to reach to the doorknob and twist it open.

Inside, was a boy with black hair. When he figured out my presence, he looked up and smiled.

He walked over to me and said, "Hey Perce, how have you been all this time?"

"Could be better." I muttered, as a reply.

He looked at me in confusion.

I sighed and replied, "Why did you leave me with him?" I asked silently, while looking at the floor.

"I'm sorry darling, but I couldn't get to you until now." He said, lifting my head up, so that I could see the guilt in his eyes. "You were always surrounded by demigods, gods or primordials."

He, then, grabbed onto my waist and whispered in my ear, "But don't worry, now we're here, together, with each other."