Isabella, Tartarus survivor

Akhlys

Chapter 12

We followed Bob as he guided us to our next destination. Just when I wanted to ask where we were actually going, Bob stopped. We had entered a clearing, and, not twenty yards away, I saw a woman kneeling. Her body was gruesome- twisted, blemished, broken, and she was so thin she looked like the victim of a famine. She was crying. Everything about her made me body feel empty, yet heavy. I felt like I couldn't breathe properly.

"We're here," Bob announced. "Akhlys can help."

Akhlys. The goddess of misery. My train of thought stopped in it's track. How did I know that? Akhlys lifted her head, and I almost physically wretched. I couldn't help the quiet, mumbled "Abbi pietà della mia anima" that escaped my lips. Her eyes were sunken into her skull,and tears were running from them like water from a tap. Her thin grey hair was matted and her cheeks bled as if she'd been clawing at them.

I noticed that she had Hercules shield. My train of thought stopped again. How on earth did I know that? Percy asked her how she came to have it. Akhlys replied with

"He doesn't need it anymore, does he? It came here when his mortal body was burned. A reminder, I suppose, that no shield is sufficient. In the end, misery overtakes all of you. Even Hercules."

I swallowed, hard. Despite the fact that I'd been down here on my own for 71 years, I'd never felt misery like this. I counted myself lucky. Maybe someone had been watching over me, after all. Protecting me from this. No. I shook the thought from my head. That's not possible. Don't be stupid, Isabella.

Percy leaned over to Bob.

"Bob, we shouldn't have come here." But Bob shook his head firmly, standing his ground.

"Akhlys controls the Death Mist. She can hide you." He informed us.

"Hide them?" Akhlys interrupted. "Why would I do that?" She made a gurgling sound that I assumed was meant to be a laugh.

"They must reach the Doors of Death. To return to the mortal world." Bob said, like it was obvious.

"Impossible! The armies of Tartarus will find you. They will kill you."

I was desperately trying to come up with a plan in my head, of how to persuade her to help us. That was when I heard Annabeth baiting her, insulting her Death Mist. That girl was an unstoppable force when she wanted to be.

"I didn't walk halfway across Tartarus to be told what's impossible by some minor goddess." That was the moment I decided I admired Annabeth. She always seemed to know exactly what to do.

"Minor goddess?" Akhlys shrieked. I decided to go along with Annabeth's plan as the misery goddess launched herself into a rant. I rolled my eyes at her.

"E sono nata da Maria. E allora?" I taunted. I noticed Annabeth look at me with narrowed eyes, and realised I had been talking in Italian. I corrected myself, in English this time.

"And I was born of Maria. So what?" I asked her. Akhlys screamed, and I had to stop myself from flinching. I looked at her right in her hollow eyes. She looked away from me, instead turning to Bob, glaring at him.

"Why did you inflict these annoying children on me? The Death Mist is not for helping! It shrouds mortals in misery as their souls pass into the underworld. It is the very breath of Tartarus, of death, of despair!"

"Awesome," Percy replied. "Could we get three orders to go?"

Akhlys hissed at him, and started offering up poisons, saying they would give us a less painful death than the one we had chosen. Percy interrupted her.

"That's very nice of you," he said, "But I've had enough poison for one trip. Now, can you hide us in your Death Mist, or not?"

"Yeah,"Annabeth agreed, "It'll be fun."

"Fun?" The goddess narrowed her eyes.

"Sure. If we fail, think how great it would be for you, gloating over our spirits when we die in agony. You'll get to say I told you so for eternity."

Akhlys considered this. "I enjoy suffering. Wailing is also good."

"Then it's settled." I said. "Make us invisible."

I watched as Akhlys struggled to get to her feet. She got right up to my face, and my misery increased tenfold.

"It is not so simple. The Death Mist comes at the moment you are closest to your end. Your eyes will be clouded only then. The world will fade."

I struggled to keep my voice steady, but answered her. I'd come too far now to turn back. This was my chance to finally escape Tartarus.

"Okay." I said. "But... we'll be shrouded from the monsters?"

Akhlys nodded, but added an ominous warning. "If you survive the process." She said. "Come, I will show you the way."

"The way to where, exactly?" Annabeth asked, but the goddess was already shuffling away, into the gloom. I took a deep breath, and followed. Annabeth and Percy walked after me. As soon as we started walking, Bob disappeared.

"Hey!" I yelled to Akhlys. "Where's our friend?"

"He cannot take this path. He is not mortal. Come, little fools." She called to us. "Come, experience the Death Mist."

I heard Annabeth exhale, and go to comfort Percy. "Well..." she said, "How bad can it be?"

Percy laughed at that. I could tell they must really love each other, for her to be able to make him laugh in the misery goddess's presence.

"Yeah." I heard him reply. "Next date, though- dinner in New Rome."

That made me crack a smile, and it was at that moment I realised that I'd made my first friends in 71 years. And there was no one that I would rather follow a miserable goddess into the Death Mist with.

A/N- So, I'm not sure, but I might just skip to the meeting with Night next. I've been trying to follow the book and include all events, but I would like to start writing my own part, when Isabella finally gets to Camp Half-Blood. I hope that's ok with you guys.

Also, sorry if I don't update as often as you'd like! School's hectic at the moment and I have a lot of work to do, but I will try to update as regularly as possible. It's a lot of fun writing this, and it's kinda therapeutic. OK, this is a looong author's note, so I'm gonna stop now. See you!