𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐋 𝐃𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑, percy jackson

CHAPTER 82! the bad thoughts in her head only got louder and louder

"oh, certainly there is.." akhlys coughed. "even tartarus had to rise from somewhere. this is the edge of the earliest darkness, which was my mother. below lies the realm of chaos, my father. here, you are closer to nothingness than any mortal has ever been. can you not feel it?"

percy knew what she meant.

the void seemed to be pulling at him, leaching the breath from his lungs and the oxygen from his blood.

cherry took percy's hand, hoping he'd warm up.

"we can't stay here," percy said.

"no, indeed!" akhlys said. "don't you feel the death mist? even now, you pass between. look!"

white smoke gathered around percy's feet.

as it coiled up his legs, he realized the smoke wasn't surrounding him. it was coming from him. his whole body was dissolving. he held up his hands and found they were fuzzy and indistinct. he couldn't even tell how many fingers he had. hopefully still
ten.

annabeth looked dead.

cherry touched her face, as if scanning every feature with her hands.

she was still perfect.

percy's blood moved like sap in his veins.

percy studied his arms.

all he saw were blobs of white mist, but he guessed that to them, he looked like a corpse. he took a few steps, though it was difficult. his body felt insubstantial, like he was made of helium and cotton candy.

"i've looked better," he decided. "i can't move very well. but i'm all right."

akhlys clucked. "oh, you're definitely not all right."

percy frowned. "but we'll pass unseen now? we can get to the doors of death?"

"well, perhaps you could," the goddess said, "if you lived that long, which you won't."

akhlys spread her gnarled fingers. more plants bloomed along the edge of the pit. hemlock, nightshade, and oleander spreading toward percy's feet like a deadly carpet.

"the death mist is not simply a disguise, you see. it is a state of being. i could not bring you this gift unless death followed. true death."

"it's a trap," annabeth said.

"i see that now." cherry nodded.

the goddess cackled. "didn't you expect me to betray you?"

"yes," annabeth and percy said together.

"not really." cherry frowned.

"well, then, it was hardly a trap! more of an inevitability. misery is inevitable. pain is-" akhlys began.

"yeah, yeah," percy growled. "let's get to the fighting."

he drew riptide, but the blade was made of smoke.

when he slashed at akhlys, the sword just floated across her like a gentle breeze.

the goddess's ruined mouth split into a grin. "did i forget to mention? you are only mist now, a shadow before death. perhaps if you had time, you could learn to control your new form. but you do not have time. since you cannot touch me, i fear any fight with misery will be quite one-sided."

her fingernails grew into talons.

her jaw unhinged, and her yellow teeth elongated into fangs.

akhlys lunged at percy, and for a split second he thought: well, hey, i'm just smoke. she can 't touch me, right?