Oracion's POV

The boy that we once knew, the monster that is to come. Both becoming one the more time passes, I may have made a brutal mistake by not killing him where he lies when we first met. We make our way towards the centre of the village to bid our farewells. I could do it...right here. I could fix everything...My body reaches towards him, the claws within my skin slowly breaking through my flesh as they extend with an intent to kill. His eyes, the painful colours that make my stomach sink with rage. My breath stills, my heartbeats slowing and my intuition taking over. All to be hushed by a simple quote, 'Please don't harm him...he's trying his best' The memory of her words now spiralling through my consciousness. Her sad smile imitating Atlanta's...a prayer to someone she cares for. "I'm trying my best too..."

"Huh?" Yasmine questions me

"Nothing, keep advancing"

"Okay!" She cheers, luckily dismissing the subject entirely.

-

Athena's POV

The world around me calls to me, the tingling sensation of the air against my skin. The hollowed waters flow with a volume of a voice, speaking to me as if asking for a command. Stepping in from stream I glance around at the environment I now call my home, spotting the man I now call my Husband, his neon green standing out from miles as I feel his locked gaze. His hand raising to me, motioning for me to enter the palace and accompany him, and so I do.

Removing my hand from the stream of water I glance at the opened gates where the souls passed through, a line of them still flowing into their different paths. Some leading into field of grass and false light, unfitting of the underworld's dark hued theme. Others leading to a keep under the palace and the rest of them...a simple door. One that Chris refuses to open to me or even acknowledges as a route, I won't bother it for now...

"Don't go that way!" A boy yells out towards a smaller figure who disappears into Cerberus' chamber that connects not too far from the walls of our home. The hound itself currently residing within, the routes of life maintain themselves for the time being. His panicked form beginning a chase towards her...if I don't stop them then they'll simply cease to make it to an afterlife, or worse from what I've gathered from Anubis' telling's.

'I thought souls couldn't speak?' I signal to Chris

'They cannot'

'Well this one just did, I'll be just a second' I shift in place, the transformation itself feeling instantaneous and anticlimactic as the pain goes unnoticed by new strength. Staring back into the water once more I acknowledge my new self, kicking a rock into it from my sudden turn I gain a sudden strike of confidence. 'I'm not weak, father.' 

-

The stoned flooring sending a few chills into my paws but nothing I'm not used to by now. This isn't the first time a soul has wondered off on its own, but this time feels different somehow. I catch a glimpse of the two figures seemingly playing tag with each other from what it seems.

"Please wait!" He calls out towards her hair flicking through the halls, covered by a sudden turn she made around the corner. 'Where...is she going?'. I increase my pace, now practically slamming my paws against the now carpeted halls as we begin to reach the personal chambers. "Lara please!" He yells out towards her, once again not catching her attention.

Managing to catch up to the boy I unshift, placing my hand on the boy's shoulder and turning him towards me. The clothing that I held within my mouth now covered with drool but it's better than nothing. Dressing while his wide eyes stare at me in horror, "What's wrong?" I ask him to ease his creased face.

"S-S-She didn't mean to!" He pleads while bowing, one done out of fear. Not respect, which I can't fault him for.

"Don't worry about it!" I cheer to him, my tone a significantly higher pitch than normal as I try to talk him down. "Where'd that girl go?" I lean down, patting his head and calming him down.

"I-I don't know...I'm sorry" He whimpers a bit, a spark of life still shining within his eyes unlike the rest.

"Well let's go find her, yeah?" I turn his frame, nudging his back a little and encouraging him to follow. Taking a step forward only to stop in my tracks from a booming voice that resonates from behind us.

"Athena!" Anubis stomps down the hallway, the walls almost responding to his voice as it cracks alongside his walk. The two personalities of the two becoming more and more recognisable to me, identifying them feels as natural as can be.

"Yes?" I rub my temples in annoyance, his constant need for perfection within the underworld slightly putting a strain on my patience each time he speaks.

"Why. Is this one. So far from the rest?" His eyes shake a little

"Chris, why are you even allowing him out? We both know we've got everything under control" I ignore the rampant persona, turning back once more to encourage the boy to walk forward.

A notable change in pitch signals the change between the two as Chris softly apologises, "He knows, he's just scared."

"Scared? What the hell could he be scared of?" I partially laugh to myself, stopping once his worried look doesn't falter. "There...isn't anything to be scared of, right?" I ask him for confirmation.

"Nothing that he won't tell me at least, so for now let's focus on these two I guess" He awkwardly scratches his back, jogging up to walk beside me as we turn to the double doors with the letters carved over it, "K.E.R.O.B.E.R.O.S" Which I'm told was Cerberus' lost name through the translations of time within the texts of the overworld. Overworld...funny that the memory of it doesn't even feel like my home anymore.

"You saw her come through here?" I place a hand on his shoulder, feeling him nod as enough confirmation for me. Going ahead of him and placing a hand on the heavy door I force one side open, Chris copying my motion and doing the other one.

"So, care to inform us what this room is?" I look towards him, hoping for some sort of wisdom of the underworld that I still heavily lack.

"Um...he's silent at the moment. Maybe we should check in at a different time...?" He shrugs, subtly raising his eyebrows at me in worry as we enter the room. The ceiling reflecting us from the top of it, the reflective surface that we walk on rippling like water with each step we take.

"Lara! The boy calls out, running from my reach and speeding towards the curled up figure.

"Hey come back!" My voice cracks a little, feeling the air become heavy with each passing second we spend in here.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry" The figure cries in his arms, tucking her head away within his small chest.

"What were you doing!?" He strokes her hair, a glimmer in his eye showing his tearful look

"I thought...I saw him" She sobs out, gradually calming herself down

"Who?"

"The boy with the faint aura...I don't remember his name" She stands up, keeping her eyes to the ground

"I'm sorry to break the moment, but you two can't stay here" I try to sympathise with them, not wanting to break their remaining time together. Speaking out I catch her attention, a glimmer in her eyes much like the boy

"You know him, don't you!?" She exclaims, running up to me and wrapping her arms around me

"Wha-" I stutter, losing some of my balance from her forcing a sudden weight on me

"Help him! Please!" She chants with tears beginning to form in her eyes again

"I don't understand who you're talking about, I'm sorry"

"He looks like this!" She holds her hand to the floor, a new ripple forming and circling around her body. A column of water swallowing her body and replacing the human form with one of a wolf. Although she could sense that I still didn't understand.

"Stare" She walks up to me, making eye contact with me and flashing images through my head. My consciousness fading out as I examine the images, barely hearing Chris' voice in the background.

"Athena we should hurry" He calls with a worried tone

"Just give me a second" I close my eyes, focusing harder on the images. Four wolves...Yasmine's rose fur playing around with 2 others. Staring up I see a boy playing with fire, igniting his hand with a flick of his thumb but wincing after. The scene jumping to an old man...a nauseating feeling as the blurriness of smoke begins to envelope me from the chimneys of houses. I tilt my head with a final glance...Yasmine's figure walking away with 3 others. "The shorter one..." A weak voice comments, making my eyes focus on him. An intimidating spiral of white now circling the boy, a figure of a wolf like face being formed within it...staring back at me.

Recognising the figure with only one possible answer, she knew Percy. "Wait if you're..." I start, only to be cut off by a thudding within the seemingly empty room. My vision turning back to normal, the two souls appearing panicked as they stand together beside me.

"We shouldn't be in this place with them!" Chris tries to leave only to have the heavy doors behind him shut. Another heavy thud sounding out followed by a ripple originating from the centre of the room.

"He'll kill them!" He shouts at me while punching the door. Our silence growing more and more as we wait, my own heartbeat increasing with each rhythmic ripple.

"They. Should not. Be here" A deep voice resonates from the centre but nothing appearing. The two figures now running behind me while I scan the environment...still nothing.

"Let me. Have them." He speaks again. Alarming me but nonetheless I stand my ground, looking around once more and noticing something moving within the reflective ceiling. His gargantuan form very clearly within the space as it approaches us, although not appearing directly to us.

"Cerberus!" I stare at myself within the reflected ceiling, taking a deep breath and walking forward alone.

"And you are Athena, or am I wrong to assume that?" His foot stomps, opening up a black and blue flamed hole within the water. A paw reaching within and expanding until his whole frame creeps up from the floor, the reflected image of him on the ceiling now gone from sight.

"You will not be harming these children"

"Rules are rules...they lost their way" He ignores me, tilting his head down and opening his mouth. The surrounding air being drawn in and replaced with a cold chill.

"Not again!" The boy runs in front of me to meet one of Cerberus' heads, punching the tooth of his opened maw.

"Is that it...?" He closes his mouth, an audible inhale through his nose as he tilts his heads back to laugh at the boy's attempt of protecting his sister. The deep pitch of his laughs suddenly silencing to the clamp of his mouth, kneeling down to devour the boy as he flinches and falls behind me.

"You're not. Going to harm them." I step between his tilted opened mouth, my hair being pushed back from the force of his head stopping it's advances. "Rules are rules? I'm changing them, you are not harming these two" He moves away to stare at me, his blue flamed eyes lacking any pupils and hiding the truth of what he's truly staring at.

"And...you're going to stop me?" He mockingly comments, the snake tail behind him swirling with curiosity.

"If I have to" My body remaining firm as the remaining two side heads tilt down, all staring with the same intense gaze.

A pause in the room that feels like a weight of the sky being forced onto me. Cerberus' posture changing and backing away to his full height again. "If that is your wish, Queen." His toothy smile turns to walk away. Laying down and settling his heads on his paws, the silver plated snake tail however still staring at me with acknowledgement.

Opening my mouth and holding my stomach with deathly feeling, gasping for breath. I wasn't breathing that entire time, unbeknownst to my own body.

"Thank you" They say in unison. Running up to me and hugging my legs.

"Fi-" I go to speak, a crashing weight being forced onto me again. Causing me to fall to the ground, "He was going to kill you. You know that right?" Chris' chest vibrates through my own.

His body shaking on top of me...he was scared for me. "I know" Sighing and feeling my emotions drained from me. Lifting his head to meet eyes with me our green eyes meeting and the tension feeling as natural as the sun rising...I kiss him. The breath taking electricity flowing between our lips  while they intertwine each other, unbreaking for nothing...or so I'd like to say.

"Percy-" She calls for my attention, unknowing my name. Making me shoot up with fear and run towards her, Chris' betrayed face now gawking at me. I blow a kiss to him and laugh a little at his childishness, leaning down to the girl and staring at her again.

"What about Percy?"

"I saw his trail...through the palace. I-he's...not the same. I can feel something crawling inside his aura. The sounds of rumbling...he's in pain." She tears up once again, leaning into the boy's arms and embracing him.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of him. But for now, you two can't be here. I'm sorry but you can't keep going on like this" I kneel down to them, hugging the both and admittingly crying a little. I stand up, reaching both my hands out to guide them as they slide their hands in to follow me.

Looking back at Chris to meet his eyes again, 'We can't...can we?'.

With a sorrowed look he replies to me, 'I'm sorry, we can't'. He tenses his fist in annoyance but I can't expect the world to bend to me...all I can do is see them off.

-

A zone of grass and heated light beaming through the dark stoned wall of the underworld. A blank space fitting of someone who deserves a new start. "Thank you" They resound again. Slowly letting go of my grasp and walking forward together into the encompassing light. A tear from my eye dropping in guilt and if I'm being honest...anger.

"We're going to Percy" Reaching to grab Chris' hand and practically throwing one leg in front of the other. "We're protecting the ones that we can".