Son of the Rivers (Wattys 2015 Entry)

Prologue

Prologue

Think of pain.
Deep, physical, agonizing pain.
Unbearable pain.
Pain that kills.
That is the Styx.

Now think of sorrow.
Heart-wrenching, mental pain of a loss.
Nothing shows on the outside but inside you feel nothing.
Pain that triggers the thought of suicide.
That is the Acheron.

Now think of crying.
Loosing control of your emotions
Feeling useless.
Powerless.
Sorrow that can last a lifetime.
That is the Cocytus.

Now think of fire.
Deadly and beautiful, it seeks to destroy everything it touches.
Everything fears fire.
Fire kills.
But fire can also heal.
Fire can burn away physical and mental pains.
That is the Phlegethon.

Finally, think of oblivion.
The absence of anything.
Pure and utter nothing.
Nothing to remember.
Nothing to exist for.
That is the Lethe.

These are the five rivers of the underworld. Five nymphs that are the daughters of Hydros, the Primordial god of water and Nyx, the Primordial goddess of night.
These nymphs are extremely powerful, but remain peaceful, loyal to the Gods and Goddesses of Olympus, only the Lady Styx ever releasing her fury when a sacred oath on her river is broken.

And each sister wanted a child.

But how does a personification of a sacred river have a child if every single soul, immortal or not, fears them.

That's easy.

They don't.

For eons, the five sisters each wished for a child but were unable to have one.

Each sister never knew what the others wanted, for a simple reason.

They haven't seen each other for centuries. As they were too powerful, they could never go beyond their own river.

It was their curse.

Their curse for just simply existing. The Fates had created an ancient law to prevent them from meeting because it would alter fate. And you cannot deny the Fates.

And it was because of their curse that made each nymph crave a child, someone to spend eternity with.
Someone to love, someone to cherish, someone that would stay.

Millenniums would pass and they would still keep dreaming this impossible dream, unaware that their sisters did as well.

Until one day, something changed fate. Something chose to deny fate.

Unless fate willed for this to happen.

But none the less, it happened, opening a whole new range of opportunities for the Ladies of the Rivers.

This "catalyst" has managed to prove the impossible a hundred times over, but eventually the world caught up with him.
He once had the world at his fingertips, he was respected, he was honored, he was feared by mortals and immortals alike.

But he always had the worst luck.
The luck that would eventually ruin his life.

You know who I am talking about.

Everyone does.

And yet, why does life always seem to hate him.

His name was respected.
His name was feared.

Just his name alone would scatter his enemies.
His very presence would frighten them to death.

Because if he was angry, nothing would survive.

How could one person change so much?
How could one person even attempt to alter fate?

That's simple.

His name is Perseus Jackson.