Indigo Eyes

Chapter 114

Cressida ran to her bedside table where she grabbed two vials full of gold liquid and stuffed them into her sneakers. "Let's go."

And Nico took her hand as they melted into the shadows.

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True to his word, Nico had busted Percy out of his father's dungeon and with the help of Mrs O'Leary, they made it to the river, where he crumpled into a heap on the black sand. Percy fed him some of the ambrosia that he always kept on him, especially when he was around Cressida.

"Your powers drain you too much," Percy noted.

He nodded sleepily. "With great power ... comes great need to take a nap. Wake me up later."

"Whoa, zombie dude." Percy caught him before he could pass out again. "We're at the river. You need to tell me what to do."

"My father will be coming soon," he said. "Hopefully, backup will be here sooner, but we should hurry."

"Back up?" Percy questioned but Nico didn't answer as he stared at the black river.

The River Styx's current swirled with strange objects – broken toys, ripped-up college diplomas, wilted homecoming corsages – all the dreams people had thrown away as they'd passed from life into death.

"So...I just jump in?" Percy asked after a time.

"You have to prepare yourself first," Nico said, "or the river will destroy you. It will burn away your body and soul."

"Sounds fun," he muttered.

"This is no joke," Nico warned. "There is only one way to stay anchored to your mortal life. You have to ..."

Nico trailed off as a Greek warrior appeared behind Percy. Achilles.

The hero had warned Luke away from this and Luke had disregarded the warning. And now here he was giving Percy the same warning. And just like Luke, Percy couldn't turn back either. If he had any hope of saving everything and everyone he loved - at defeating Kronos, he had to do this.

He'd also warned him that if Percy lost sight of what kept him mortal, the Styx would burn him to ashes and he could cease to exist, for no man could be completely invulnerable.

But, like the idiot he was, after the ominous warning, Percy said, "I don't suppose you could tell me Luke's mortal point?"

Achilles scowled. "'Prepare yourself, foolish boy. Whether you survive this or not, you have sealed your doom!"

With that happy thought, he vanished.

"Percy," Nico said, "maybe he's right."

"This was your idea!"

"I know, but now that we're here –"

"Just wait on the shore. If anything happens to me ... Well, maybe Hades will get his wish, and you'll be the child of the prophecy after all."

Nico didn't look happy about that, but he didn't say anything. And Percy took a deep breath as he concentrated on the small of his back - a tiny point just opposite his belly button. As he pictured a bungee cord connecting him to the world from the small of his back, and he stepped into the river.

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Imagine jumping into a pit of boiling acid. Now multiply that pain times fifty. You still won't be close to understanding what it felt like to swim in the Styx. Percy had planned to be all dramatic and walk in slow and courageous like a real hero but as soon as the water touched his legs, his muscles turned to jelly and he fell face-first into the current.