Confused by Storm

Chapter 24 - Soul-Fishing

The Stygian Swamp was an eerie place.

Percy watched his footing, following after Iapetus and Hyperion as they carefully leapt from one dry patch to the next.

There was a thick layer of white mist clinging to the ground, finger-like tendrils clinging to Percy's clothes and trailing behind him. He could only just see Hyperion, his body glowing with fire, a few yards in front of him.

The older Titan reached out and stopped Percy a second before he would have fallen into the River rushing by his feet. "This way," Hyperion said as he started upstream.

"There's a place to cross the River," Iapetus called over his shoulder through the fog.

Percy huffed, swatting some of the fog before him away. "How much further?"

"Not far," Iapetus promised.

Percy stared as a streak of white shot by his feet in the black torrent of River water. "Was that a soul?"

"Yes," Iapetus said. "Not Kronos though."

Percy sped up. While he wasn't an Underworld or Tartarus expert like Iapetus, he knew the basics of the Rivers. He knew that the most sinister of souls were supposedly suffering in the Phlegathon, and in the Cocytus was where murderers were punished. The Styx was also considered as a punishment river, but immortals would burn up if they entered that particular river, so Kronos wouldn't be there. Either Phlegathon or Cocytus then.

The three Titans stopped at some stepping stones across a River. Percy stared at them. "This is where we cross?"

"Yes," Iapetus sighed. "But that's the Styx."

Percy straightened before starting forwards.

Iapetus grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "What are you doing?" He exclaimed, a second before the Styx crashed down over the stepping stones in a particularly violent motion that would have swept Percy off the stones and into the River surging past.

"Shit," Percy gasped. "Thanks."

"Idiot," Hyperion muttered.

"How do we get across?" Percy asked as he watched another wave wash over the stones.

"We time it well," Iapetus said dryly. "Each wave takes approximately thirty seconds to wash over the stones."

Percy nodded. "But don't slip."

"Don't slip," Hyperion agreed. "That would be bad."

"Bad," Percy echoed as he watched the Styx. "Yeah, thanks."

"Don't rush into this," Iapetus warned. Percy, being Percy, ignored him and leapt for the stepping stones as soon as the next wave rushed past. He slipped halfway, but caught himself before he toppled into the River. Percy leapt the last few stones in one.

Iapetus and Hyperion were soon next to him. Iapetus just shook his head at Percy before moving on.

The point at which Iapetus stopped was between the Phlegathon and Cocytus, a place where the two Rivers merged into one. The mist was even thicker there, almost enough that it was its own entity that twisted and swirled around the three Titans.

"Here," Iapetus said quietly.

Percy could hear the wailing coming from the Cocytus, but forced himself to shrug it off. "What do we do?"

Iapetus produced a line of celestial bronze, a hook, and some ambrosia. "The ambrosia's bait," he explained grimly. "Here," he said, handing the line to Percy. "When you feel something latch on, it's going to be Kronos. Nothing else in here will be drawn to ambrosia."