The Nature of a Demigod

Ah, Hell

[Y/N's POV]

Charon put a key into the elevator panel and we began to descend. I immediately felt lightheaded. I guess my heritage and being around death don't exactly mix.

"What happens to the spirits waiting in the lobby?" Annabeth asked.

"Nothing," Charon said.

"For how long?"

"Forever, or until I'm feeling generous."

"Oh," she said. "That's... fair."

Charon raised an eyebrow. "Whoever said death was fair, young miss? Wait until it's your turn. You'll die soon enough, where you're going."

"We'll leave here alive." I said.

"Ha. That's a good one."

We jolted forward. Everything started spinning, and I felt like my stomach was going to erupt. I bent over and wrapped an arm around it and put a hand over my mouth.

"That junk food is coming back up."

Just as quickly as the spinning had started, it had vanished. My stomach pain disappeared, and my body settled. I opened my eyes and looked at Charon's black robes in front of me. His eyes were giving off the energy of death and darkness. I could see his skin flashing between transparent and opaque.

I saw his skull.

He saw me looking, and said, "Well?"

"That looks... cool."

His face shifted in surprise before contorting into a smile. "Thanks little man. That swordfish hasn't messed up your sense of fashion I see." He cackled, throwing his head back.

It felt calming to look into his eyes. Or lack thereof. I wasn't sure why. It felt... relieving.

Grover said, "I think I'm getting seasick."

Percy held his stomach, blinking rapidly. Annabeth was trying her hardest to keep breathing.

We were suddenly in a boat. The elevator from before had vanished. Charon was poling us across a dark river, with whirlpools, skulls, dead animals, and a bunch of other weird worn down objects. I looked down at the river. It felt inviting. This place felt good.

Not at all what I was thinking it would be. I tried to take my thoughts off of the feelings, and instead looked around at the objects in there. Dolls, old flowers, pieces of paper, photo albums and the like.

"The River Styx," Annabeth murmured. "It's so..."

"Polluted," Charon said. "For thousands of years, you humans have been throwing in everything as you come across. Hopes, dreams, wishes that never came true. Irresponsible waste management, if you ask me."

Mist curled off the filthy water. Above us, almost lost in the gloom, was a magnificent ceiling of stalactites. Ahead, the far shore glimmered with greenish light, the color of poison.

I felt a shiver run up my back. It was cold, but at the same time not. Everyone around me was dead, and I didn't care. Annabeth grabbed onto my hand. That was warm. I smiled. Her face flushed but she didn't let go.

I looked around the boat. Grover was twitching and Percy was muttering.

The shore of Hades neared. Dark rocks sat by the edge. Not far from the other side, past the volcanic dust that made up the shore, was a gigantic wall. It was tall, and made of stone. I couldn't see either end of it. I tried to imagine how long it was but it wasn't very deep into my thought process until my brain started hurting.