House of Hades: Percy Alone.

Chapter 9

Percy decided the monsters wouldn't kill him. Neither would the poisonous atmosphere, nor the treacherous landscape with jagged cliffs, rocks and overhangs. No, it would be the overwhelming amount of weird that was going on.

First he fell into a river that told him to die. then he had got swept into a burning river that somehow healed his wounds. then he was almost slaughtered by a monster that he had killed some 4 years ago. and now? he was being lead deeper into Tartarus by the silver haired titan that he had mind wiped a few summers ago.

Sure. Why not? dying of the weird seemed almost preferable, all alternatives considered

the demigod followed the titan through the jagged landscape, towards what looked like a storm front of pure darkness. They stopped, Percy took that chance to gulp down some more delicious firewater. It kept him going, and he hated it. His throat felt like sandpaper, having being forced to gargle mythical acid. what he would to to get out of here. Any way he could.

"Don't stop for too long." Bob glanced behind Percy, peering into the dark mist. Percy looked too, but he couldn't see anything. 

"Whose they?" He asked. "who did you say was following us?"

"The fallen ones," stated Bob "Monsters, titans, giants."

Percy's eyes widened. How many monsters had he slain over the years? they were all here, coming to get a second shot, And this time he was in their territory. 

"come now." Bob pulled Percy to his feet. "there will be a place to rest, not here. I will take you there." They resumed their journey.

He stared at the back of Bob's head as they crept towards the darkness. His blue janitor overalls were ripped between the shoulder-blades, like something had tried to rake a claw into his back. cleaning rags stuck out of his pocket. A bottle of cleaning fluid sloshed about at his waist, hung to a thick leather belt. 

Percy recalled dumping the Lethe onto Bob, way back then with Nico and Thalia, (children of the big three trio, not that anyone cares). After his memory was wiped, Percy couldn't bring himself to kill him, so they left Him at the steps of Hades' palace. Persephone promised he would be taken care of. Apparently what that meant was turning him into the cleaning service, sweeping after their messes. 

Staring at Bob's back, maybe Percy didn't feel as sorry as he should. If he wanted to, Bob could probably crush Percy in seconds, and Percy would be to drained to do anything about it. Following Bob into the darkness probably wasn't the brightest idea Percy had ever had. Unfortunately, it seemed like the only plausible option

The mismatched duo picked through the jagged landscape, red lightning flashing across the bloodshot clouds. Percy felt like his feet were weighed to the ground. Gravity was increasing on him with each step he took. He could barely see, but he was sure that this whole terrain was just a progressive downward slope. 

Percy had heard various descriptions of Tartarus, most of which came from Annabeth. That it was an impenetrable fortress. That it was a bottomless pit. It was an endless void. One story described Tartarus as the inverse of the sky, a hollowed out pit of rock. Percy thought that was pretty accurate. Like the sky, the pit was made of multiple layers, each deadlier than the last

and even that wasn't the full truth. 

They passed by a blister in the ground - a writhing translucent bubble the size of a minivan. Curled inside was the half formed body of a drakon. Bob wielded his spear, Thrusting it into the swelling without a second thought. it burst into a geyser of yellow slime, and the drakon dissolved into steam. Bob Kept walking 

Monsters are the Zits of Tartarus.

Percy shuddered. He had been pushing the thought out of his mind, but he couldn't escape it now. He was sure they were walking through a living thing. the whole landscape, pit, dome, whatever, was just a manifestation of the body of Tartarus, the god of the pit. the same way the whole earth was just a vessel for Gaea. 

if that god noticed him walking across, like fleas on a dog...

Percy almost expected the pit to smite him then and there, with the way his luck went. But it didn't. The glowing menace of the whole landscape scarred him, more than he was willing to admit. but it hadn't decided to kill him yet, perhaps out of spite, perhaps out of a lack of attention

All the same. Gods never seem to care that much about demigods anyways. 

"here." Bob interrupted Percy's train of thought.

they stood at the tip of what looked like a crater, a circular depression in the ground. A ring of marble columns, and in the center, a dark stone altar. 

"What is this?" Asked Percy

"Hermes Shrine"

"a shrine? in the pit?"

Bob let out a light chuckle. "Yes, it fell down here eons ago. Maybe from Olympus, maybe the mortal world" He shrugged. "Anyways, Monsters steer clear from here. Mostly"

Percy stared at Bob. sure, he had shown him to a rest stop. but it was a memory. who knows where Bob learned that. and he remembered that...

"Come," Bob glanced at Percy, and beckoned him "Food and rest are here"

Percy glanced at Bob's features. An ancient face, but with the blank expression of a child. perhaps just a side effect of a blank mind. Still, somehow Bob remembered this place. To some extent, He had recollections of Tartarus. This place was supposed to heal titans like him, maybe it was healing his mind too. Maybe he would remember that he was actually Iapetus, and remember how much he hated demigods like Percy. How long until Bob devolved into another monster that Percy had to kill? 

Percy followed him to the Altar

Thanks to all of you who leave comments, and votes. they get sent to my phone and they give me a surge of desire to write this. Especially ali_cinnamon. Your comment made me finish this chapter 1 and a half years after I started it.