Son of the Moon

33

-Percy-

Scowling he stormed through the boundary to camp, having gotten an update from Clarisse and Amanda about a…development at the camp. It didn't help his mood that he had been in the middle of saying his goodbyes to Zoe, Castor, and Katie when he had been called back

-Flashback-

"Just follow this road and you'll reach the bridge into Elysium," Hades explained as he stood with Nico, Bianca, and Phoebe who had come with him for moral support "the guardian of the entrance has already been told to allow you four entry.".

"Thank you Uncle." he said softly, the pain of losing his sister and friends feeling fresher than before now that he knew he would be talking with their spirits.

Hearing a sigh he looked up only to see his Great-Uncle lean down and pull him into a hug, "You aren't alone Percy," the lord of the Dead said sadly "you have your family here to support you every step of the way.". Hesitantly he hugged his Great-Uncle back while Nico, Bianca, and Phoebe joined in the embrace, showing him that they weren't going to let him go it alone. "Now go on," Hades said after a moment, the Ruler of the Underworld smiling sadly at him "you shouldn't keep them waiting.".

Nodding he began walking down the cobblestone road that led to Elysium, Bianca intertwining her fingers with his own as she squeezed his hand reassuringly and Nico clapped a firm hand to his shoulder. They walked in silence as they followed the path, quietly taking in the sights as they were the first mortals in centuries if ever to lay eyes upon Elysium. The farther and farther they got from Hades' palace and the fields of Asphodel the more things grew lighter as he saw that it was a balance. He had glimpsed the fields of punishment and saw that it was full of black and reds, the fire and shadows of the punishments created for each specific soul of the damned. The fields of Elysium were an endless plain of grey, grey grass, grey trees, and even grey shades as the souls of those who were neither truly good nor truly bad wandered. But with the souls of the righteous he saw that it was filled with whites an golds, the grey granite turning into white marble and the weak poplars turning into ornate columns.

In the fields of punishment he had heard the fierce howling winds that carried the screams of those sentenced to endless suffering. In the Fields of Asphodel there was no wind at all, a sickening stillness that were more likely to drive one mad than any horror in the Fields of Punishment. But with Elysium…a gentle breeze would blow through just when it was needed, carrying the scents of everything wonderful as he wondered if the magic of the Elysian winds was related to the smoke of a sacrificial brazier.

Finally though were the sounds that differed from Field to Field. In Punishment all once could hear were the baleful cries of the damned, the tortured souls that were condemned to endless punishment where they cried, screamed, begged, and cursed for mercy that would never come. In Asphodel there was nothing, no sounds as each spirit drifted along silently, their minds all but empty as they both existed and didn't, a place where even his own voice sounded almost muted and hollow when he spoke. But with Elysium all that could be heard was joyful laughter, songs of merriment and valor, the cheerful yells of people who were happier than anyone else could ever dream of being. "They deserve it." he said softly as he stared at the beautiful white marble buildings that filled the Field and valley, the rolling green hills and even the lake with the small Islands in the center where the buildings seemed to give off an aura of peace that he could feel even from outside the valley.

"What was that Percy?" Phoebe asked in confusion as his sister turned towards him.

"Zoe, Castor, and Katie," he said, never taking his eyes from the sight before them "they deserve to be here. To be in a place where they can actually know peace for eternity, where they won't have to worry about fighting in a war or risking their life in some hunt or battle…where they can truly be free.".