Reading the Legacy of Asgard

Chapter Seventeen

"And that's it," Alex said, marking the page and closing the book. Holding it up he said. "Who's next?"

"I will." Alex turned and tossed the book towards them. 

"We'll take a break after this chapter for lunch." Zeus announced. Apollo and Hermes cheered as they were starving. The male demigods also cheered as they too were hungry. Artemis and her hunters rolled their eyes at the men along with Grace and Andy. 

"Chapter 17: How Wise Was That?" Clarisse read.

The newest residents of Tartarus made their way deeper into the pit, following the River of Fire as they went. They walked in silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts about many different things, most prominently how impossible the journey to the very heart of Tartarus was going to be. They were supposed to somehow follow this blazing inferno of a river until it met up with the Styx, then cross some great plain within Tartarus to find the Kokytos River, better known as the River of Wailing or Lamentation, and follow it to a Mansion of Night, whatever the Hel that was. After that, they would need to cross the River Acheron, a place reserved as the ultimate punishment for the damned, and end up in the heart of Tartarus itself.

Yes, this sounded like a walk in the park."

"Yes exactly my thoughts." Apollo said, being the idiot that he was. Artemis rolled her eyes at her idiot brother.

"That, I'm pretty sure, was sarcasm." Reyna replied. 

"Are you sure?" he asked and Artemis actually hissed that her brother was a idiot. Apollo pouted at her.

"Yes I was being sarcastic." Reyna said. Apollo nodded before going back to his iPod.

Clarisse continued the story.

"Reyna glanced down at her wrist, the bracelet giving off a soft glow in dark and gloomy light of Tartarus.

"Percy," she said quietly. "Tell me of Asgard and your people. I know you've never met them but surely you know all about them."

Percy didn't look over at her. He kept his eyes ahead of them as he thought about her question, the memories of all the stories and tales his guardians had told him growing up coming back to him.

"It is a lot of tell Reyna but I will tell you what as much as I can." He answered softly. She smiled a bit and nodded for his to continue."

By the looks an their faces, Athena and Annabeth looked super excited to learn about a previously thought faded pantheon. Most chuckled at their faces, none more so then Thalia and Artemis respectively for their sisters/best friend. 

"Since they are so excited to learn," This earned blushes from the wisdom goddess and her daughter. "No one interrupt." Percy said, before gesturing for Clarisse to continued reading.

"In our world, there are nine realms or worlds that exist, the first one, Niflheim, is called the World of Fog. Deep under the ground, that is where Hel's kingdom can be found. It is a place of cold and unforgiving conditions. It is said all living began there and all living end there. Then there is Muspelheim, or the Land of Fire. That is where the Fire Giants make their home. They are the sworn enemy of Asgard and their king, Surt, is said to ride out with his flaming sword at the Ragnarök and turn Asgard into a blazing inferno."

"What is Ragnarök? Reyna interrupted, she heard Percy mention it before but the term was foreign to her.

Percy stopped; his expression darkening before he spoke.