Percy's POV 

     I wake up in an eerie room. I'm slouched against the corner of a dark room. I wince as a throb in my skull makes me shudder. I grit my teeth, ignoring the feeling that my brain is dissolving. I but a hand on each of the walls to the side of me and push out and up, helping my into a standing position. I stumble for a second, leaning against the wall for much needed support. I take in deep breaths and close my eyes as another throb forces its way through my skull like a wave of acid.

       I open my eyes once more and examine my surroundings. I'm in a dark room filled with nothing. Not a single item in the dark room. The walls, floor and ceiling are made of a black stone. Maybe obsidian. There is a large iron door on the far end, and I can tell just by looking at it I wouldn't be able to break it down, especially in my state of health. I've never felt this weak before. Barely able to stand, another throb worst than the others almost makes me black out. There is a smaller pounding in my temples, every couple seconds a small wave is sent through, but the temple throbs hurt my eyes.

     I close my eyes tightly and grit my teeth as another throb of pain comes through. They're coming quicker now, more powerful. As another one comes I bite my lip to stop from crying out, which ends with me splitting my lip open. Warm blood dribbles down my chin in a steady stream, gather at the tip, threatening to fall. A small wave of blood rushes out, along with another throb of pain in my skull. My eyes burn from the temple throbs, so I keep them squeezed shut though I let out a short, throaty growl as the pain comes through.

     Without opening my eyes I wipe the blood from my face, smearing it all over the palm of my hand. I took a sharp intake of breath as another throb comes through. It's so painful I put all my body weight on the wall and slowly slide down, sitting back down. I could here blood rushing in my ears as another throb comes through, and I choke back tears as it slowly disappears.

      They are getting stronger, more quick to come, and slightly longer each time. Like a demented test to see how long I'll last. Another throb comes through and I clamp my hand to my mouth, muffling my scream through it. I realize that it is the hand I wiped my blood on and grimace. I don't have time to muffle my scream as another throb comes through, blood rushing in my ears. My vision tints black at the edges then disappears, flashing on and off. Then, as suddenly as it started, it disappeared. All the pain vanishes, leaving my empty scream echoing around the vacant room.

     I stumble up, still weak, but the throbbing is gone. I lean against the wall, breathing heavily. I take a final deep breath, about to push off the wall, before the door swings open. I freeze, not knowing who- or what- to expect. I certainly don't expect what I do see; Thanatos. He looked over at me with his beautiful face. 'Death is Beautiful' I remember someone saying to me once.

      "Hello Perseus." He greets, his tone warm and kind. Not what you would expect of someone who harvests souls. When I give him no answer he steps fully into the room, closing the door behind him.

      He wore a simple pair of ripped blue jeans and a black t-shirt with the skull of a ram, adorned with a crown of bloody thorns on top of it. His skin is pale, his eyes the beautiful blue I remember from Alaska.

      I open my mouth to speak, but I find I cant. I try again and manage a meek sentence. "Am I dead?"

       He gives me a pitying look. "Yes Perseus. Would you like to see your death?" He asked.

      I hesitate, then decide I would like to know how I died. I nodded once, still leaning against the corner wall for support. I see an iris message in front of me and see Artemis chasing my through the woods. I don't notice a large trap set for Festus, long forgotten by the Hephaestus cabin.

      I walk right into it and it closes around me, producing a loud snap, closing me in a cage. I must have hit my head because I fell unconscious in the middle of the giant cage. I watch as Artemis runs up and gasped. Her hands flew to her mouth, but she regains her composure and walks around the cage until she finds she door. She tried to pry it open, but as soon as she touched it some traps in the bottom opened and a metal shield folded out around the cage, not allowing anyone to see inside. Artemis desperately tries to get it open, using both physical and powers to try. No luck. The shield eventually folds in, revealing nothing but scorch marks and a single camp necklace inside the cage. The iris message thing cuts off. I was amazed at how easy my death was. I felt no pain since I was unconscious, and I left peacefully.

      "Why am I here? Why aren't I in line for trials?" I asked, my voice obviously back.

      "Perseus. You are the greatest hero among all combined. More powerful than any of the seven combined, more powerful than some of the gods." He told me slowly, as if taking the time debating on what he should say next.

       The knowledge didn't shock me as much as I thought it would. I knew I was powerful, but not that powerful. I nodded slowly, encouraging him to continue. "And..." He hesitated, looking fearful of my answer, then straightened, regaining his confidence. "And I would like you to help me. Retrieve souls and do missions for me, I mean." He wanted me to help him? Why?

       "Why?" I asked. He looked at me briefly before looking away.

       "You are more than capable, and the worlds population is growing larger, quicker than they can die off. But, more people means more death, and it's difficult to take a soul every few seconds across the globe." He explained, talking faster as he went on. "I could use some help with missions as well."

     I could tell something was off. He wasn't telling me something, I just couldn't figure out what it was. "Thanatos?" I asked. He looked up and stopped the pacing I hadn't realized he'd started. "What's the real reason you want me to help you?"

     He hesitated, as if I would blow up the world if he didn't chose his words carefully. "Perseus. You know why you are so powerful?" He asked. "The other big three's children should be equally as powerful as you. But there not. Do you know why?" He asked, staring me dead in the eye.

       I shook my head no. The others should be as powerful as me. Why weren't they? "Percy." I noted this was the first time he used the shorter version of my name. "You are not truly a son of Poseidon. He adopted you and you obtained his powers to hide who you were the real son of." I felt my dead heart racing. Poseidon wasn't my real dad?

     "P-Poseidon isn't my dad?" I asked.

     "No Percy." He told me gently. "You are a son of... of the Devil."

     "D-D-Devil?" I stammered. He nodded once.

     The Devil. I was a son of the Devil, some evil ruler of hell, not Poseidon, the care free god? "I look like Poseidon though.." I tried to argue my way out of this, to get him to yell 'Just Kidding! Go back to camp! Bye!' or at least 'Just kidding! Go to your trials! Have a nice afterlife! Bye!'

     "Percy, that isn't what you really look like. All the gods made sure that your true self was hidden. They all felt awful about keeping it from you, even Zeus. Non of the titans or giants knew or they wouldn't have attacked, nor monsters. Your true powers began to leak through near the end of your life, mostly in Tartarus." He explained, sounding like if he talked to loud I would shatter, which wasn't far from the truth.

     "Why did the gods hide me?" I asked, my throat raw and scratchy.

     "Chaos herself. She told the gods to hide your true self until you had completed the prophecies. You most likely wont be in anymore, seeing how you're... well. Dead." He told me honestly.

      "Was the poison..?" I asked. He nodded.

     "Controlling the poison and blood was a demonic power you gained." He admitted, looking nervous.

     "So being a son of... of the Devil.. Means I'm a demon?" I asked.

     "I wouldn't say that... I mean... I wouldn't-"

     "Does. It. Mean. I'm. A. Demon." I growled. He gulped, barely noticeable.

     "Yes Percy." He told me. I was a demon. A son of one of the most evil beings in the universe.

     I slid down to the floor, trembling. I don't even know what to think. I'm the son of the devil. They kept it from me until I died. I felt betrayed. I wasn't who everyone thought I was. What would the others think of me if I walked up to them and shouted out 'I'm a son of the Devil!' I imagine there eyes widening in horror and keeping there distance from me for the rest of my life- then I remember I'm dead. I look up at Thanatos. I don't have a life to live anymore. I can't face anyone in Elysium.

     "I'll help you." I told him, standing up. He looked shocked.

     "Wait really?" He asked.

     "Why not? It's not like I have a life to live anymore." I grumbled bitterly.

     "And, Err, there is a second part of the deal." Thanatos added.

     "Why am I not surprised?" I muttered. He ignored me and continued.

     "I have to teach you how to use your demon powers. And..." He hesitated. "Do you want to keep your looks or get your old ones back?"

     "Old one." I responded immediately. I don't want any reminder of my past life, I only want three people to remain in my memory.

      Nico for always being there for me. Thalia because she helped me get through tough times. Annabeth to motivate me to be better.

      He waved his hand and I felt my appearance change. His jaw literally dropped. "What?" I asked. My voice was a tiny bit deeper, but not much, still my voice.

     He didn't respond, instead continued to stare at me. Was there something wrong? I waved my hand in front of his face and he shook his head, clearing his throat. "What?" I repeated.

     "You- not in a gay way- are REALLY hot." He told me. Me? I didn't know how to respond.

     "Uh... thanks?" I said nervously. He laughed and the tension in the air loosened.

     "Here." He waved his hand again and a mirror appeared. Then MY jaw dropped.

     I had pale skin and dark hair, so dark it looked more like a gap in the universe. my hair was messy, messier than the other me's hair. I had deep, red eyes with black specks, but I could also see some green if I looked carefully. I wore clothes that seemed more.. me, as if I also had a false clothing style when I was the other Percy. I had a black T-shirt with a loose leather jacket with chains round the shoulder pads. I had ripped black jeans with white threads hanging down. I wore black high-top converse shoes, beat up and dirty. How if I had never wore them before, I don't know.

       I realized my jaw was still hanging open and closed it while still marveling t my appearance. I noticed I had some chains hanging down from my jean pockets as well. I liked this much better than my other outfits when I was alive. "Wow." Was all I could say.

     There was a flash and I shielded my eyes. Oh gods I hope it's not who I think it is. I uncovered my eyes and let out a silent sigh of relief. It wasn't him, just Hades.

      "Do you by any chance know where Percy is?" Hades asked Thanatos frantically.

      Thanatos raised an eyebrow as him, crossing his arms. "Oh. Right. Well, Nico called his ghost and he's not coming so he freaked out. Is he here?" Hades asked, still not noticing me.

      Thanatos looked over at me. "You want your old appearance for this?" He asked. Hades looked over and jumped a foot in the air, his eyes wide with shock.

      "That's Percy?!" He yelped.

      "Hey. And my other, please." I asked. He nodded and I felt myself change back into the fake me.

       "Holy..." Hades was staring at me wide eyed.

       "Problem?" I asked, knowing what it was already.

       "Why did you look... so.... Good!?" He yelped.

       "I honestly don't know." I admitted.

        "Anyway, go see Nico." Hades told me.

         I felt myself compress and then shoot upwards like a bullet. I closed my eyes until I felt air, not ground squeezing all around me. I hesitantly opened my eyes and saw the entire Olympians counsel, demigods and hunters. "Err, Hi." I greeted, waving my hand nervously as I looked around at everyone, my gaze lingering on Poseidon for a bit longer.

      I felt someone squeeze me really strongly from behind. Nico. He was the only ones who could touch ghosts, besides Hades. "Hey Neeks, can you, you know, let me breath?" I asked in a strained voice.

       "You don't need to breath. You're dead." He growled into the back of my shoulder.

       "I'm sorry." I muttered.

       "For leaving me behind? Yeah. You should be." Nico growled. That seems to be all he does.

       "So much for that." I grumbled, earning some sad smiles from the crowd.

       "Nico, can you, like give Percy a chance to talk?" Artemis asked, her voice swollen with emotion.

      Nico let go but stuck by my side. I ruffled his hair and he scowled at me. "I hate you." He grumbled.

      "Artemis, unable to tell us what happened before bursting into tears, wasn't able to tell us how you died. Can you?" Zeus asked, though he also sounded depressed.

      "Err, yeah. So I was running in the woods at night-" I was immediately cut off.

      "Why?" Thalia asked.

       "Err...." I shuffled my feet, not looking at anyone in the eye. Nico spoke up.

       "We caught Annabeth cheating on him. He ran off into the woods." He glared at Annabeth and all eyes turned to her. Her eyes filled with tears and she looked down, looking ashamed.

        "Anyway." I cleared my throat. "I was running through the woods, crossing over the Hunter's camp. After Artemis called me I ran faster and ignorantly, not wanting to talk to anyone. Unfortunately, that caused me to stumble into an old Festus trap. I fell unconscious as the cage surrounded me. Artemis touched the cage, trying to get it open, but the metal shield thing came on. Artemis tried to pry it off to try to help me, but by the time the shield had slid open I was gone." I explained.

     "How do you know if you were unconscious?" Some random camper asked.

     "I was shown an iris message thing of how I died, whatever that's called." I said with a shrug.

     "Death reader." A voice said, then Thanatos appeared next to me.

     "Did you..?" Poseidon asked, looking between us.

      "Yes, I did. He agreed." Thanatos agreed. All the gods looked at me nervously, some with ashamed looks.

       "Sorry we lied Percy." Poseidon muttered, looking down.

       I didn't know how to respond to this. "It's.... It's okay. A bit.. shocked. But I'm fine." I told him with a small smile. He looked up, repeating my smile.

     "Am I the only one confused?" Nico asked.

     "Nope." A bunch of people yelled.

     "You wouldn't know. It's all part of my messed up life- Err, Afterlife." I corrected, putting a hand on his head.

      He hugged me tightly so suddenly it jumped me, but I hugged him back. "It's okay Neeks." I whispered. He nodded into my chest.

    "Well, Percy has to go now. There is a limit Nico." Thanatos told him.

     "Fine. But when I die I'm going to beat you up." Nico grumbled.

     I chuckled. "Fine by me." I squeezed him one last time before shooting back down into the ground.

     I stumbled as I hit the ground to the room I was in before, along with Thanatos. "So. First, can you change me back?" I asked.

      "You can do that yourself. Just imagine yourself and your outfit." He told me. I nodded and concentrated, then felt my form change. I looked in the mirror Thanatos had left behind and found the hotter me.

       "Cool. Now... what do I do now?" I asked.

       "We train." He said with an evil smile than chilled me to the bones.

      "Creepy man, just creepy." I shuddered and he laughed.

      There was a blinding light and I shut my eyes. Once I opened them I marveled at the giant underground Arena. The ceiling was almost to high up to see, carved into the stone. It was about the size of a football field, rounded at the edges, making it an oval shape. The ground was dirt and there were stone chairs all around it, like bleachers. There were two iron gates at each end, about ten feet tall. The walls around the arena were made of worn stone bricks, torches lining them to provide light. I noticed Thanatos was sitting in a VIP booth-thing while I was in the center of the arena. I looked up and noticed a giant TV showing me, like the kiss cam thing at football games.

     "Percy. Your goal is to travel to the other end of the arena using Nightmare Travel. It is like shadow travel but you use your fears, converting them into your power." He told me through some undetectable speakers.

       I furrowed my brows. "Like mist travel, but with Nightmares?" I asked.

       "Yeah." He replied.

       I concentrated like I do when I'm mist traveling, but focused on my fears I've had. I felt a pulling sensation in my stomach and the world went black for a second before the world came back into view. I looked around and realized I was on the other side of the arena. "Good job, First try as well. I think this is going to be easier than I thought." Thanatos told me.

       I smiled, then realized how tired I was. I was shaking slightly and leaned against the stone wall, catching my breath. This was going to be fun.

      Authors Note

     Just letting you know some facts so the story doesn't confuse you later

-All the demigods have partial immortality.

-Thanatos got permission from Hades before keeping Percy, as well as all the gods for him to work for him, though they don't know if he accepted

-None of the gods know what Percy really looks like except Hades

-Percy had partial immortality before he died and can't die since he's already dead.

      Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry for killing Percy!