Staying in my Step Mom's Haunted House.

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{Tartarus, Unknown Time}

Odysseus POV

I woke up feeling like I'd been hit by Zeus's master bolt—twice. Something soft was brushing my face, which was weird because the last thing I remembered was... well, let's just say it wasn't anything soft.

I blinked, trying to clear the fog from my eyes. Not exactly the best place to take a nap—my first instinct told me that much. The walls were... shifting. No, not shifting, crawling. As my vision sharpened, I realized the entire room—no, the entire house—was alive with millions of tiny insects, moving in perfect harmony like waves in the ocean.

Great. Just great. Because my day wasn't already weird enough.

But that wasn't even the worst part. Two massive horses were nuzzling my face. Their breath was hot and humid, their noses wet as they nudged me like I was a giant salt lick.

"Ah, you're awake," a silky voice said. "It looks like Shade and Shadow really like you."

At the sound of the voice, the horses made way, revealing a woman seated casually in a chair at the far end of the room. She was watching a black fire slowly crackle, a short book in her hand. I squinted to read the title: "A Hundred Ways to Improve Your House." Somehow, I doubted any of those ways involved covering every surface with insects.

The woman looked familiar, like someone I'd seen in a dream. Her skin was a deep, unnatural purple, shimmering like polished stone. Two vast, inky black wings unfurled lazily from her back. Her dress was even weirder—it wasn't fabric, not really. It flowed and rippled like the night sky, constellations and swirling galaxies blinking in and out of existence along the hem.

Her eyes—gods, her eyes—were two pinpricks of light, like quasar stars burning in the void. If you stared into them too long, you got the sense that you'd never come back. All in all, she was one of, if not the most beautiful and terrifying beings I had ever seen.

Then I saw her. Melinoe. Huddled at the edge of the room, shivering. Her eyes were clenched shut, her black and white skin almost translucent as she pressed herself against the wall of crawling insects. Her usual joyous self had been replaced by outright terror.

I turned to my side, trying to make sense of it all, when I noticed my arm and my fingers. They were purple, just like hers, the woman with the wings. And then she spoke again.

"You'll only have that while in Tartarus, my child," she said, her voice as smooth as silk. It was then I recognized her. I hadn't placed it at first, but now I was sure—this was Nyx, the primordial goddess of night.

I blinked. "That's not too bad." I flexed my fingers, still half-expecting my usual, sun-worn arm to reappear. No such luck. "Nice to see you again, Nyx. So, where exactly am I? "

She stood up, folding her wings behind her as she walked toward me. "You're in my house, dear Ozzy. I do hope you find it... accommodating."

I sat up slowly, every muscle aching, I looked around. The insects continued their endless march along the walls and ceiling, a tapestry of squirming life.

"So this is where Melinoe wanted to go," I muttered. It wasn't a bad plan, after all. The only thing that could confront a primordial was another primordial.

Nyx smiled, a gesture that was both beautiful and chilling. "Yes, that little ghost brought you here all banged up. I was quite distraught when I saw you. Of course, it had to be the work of my savage brother. Men are always so sadistic, aren't they?"

I nodded along, remembering a few myths where Nyx wasn't exactly the most 'loving' primordial either. But I didn't want to anger her or anything, so I kept quiet. Rule number one of dealing with primordial beings: don't point out their hypocrisy.

I jerked my chin toward Melinoe. "Why is she... like that?"

Nyx glanced at the trembling goddess of ghosts, her expression unreadable. "She finds my home... uncomfortable."

Uncomfortable? I stole another quick look at Melinoe's shaking form. Uncomfortable wasn't the word I'd use. Terrified out of her immortal mind seemed more accurate.

Nyx's eyes stared at her in a cold manner. "She was not made for this place. I was quite surprised that she came in here, not that I mind. My house is always open, just that not a lot of people seem to find it inviting."

I turned my head around the house, watching everything crawl around, before saying, "I can't imagine why. Who wouldn't want their walls to be constantly moving?"

She reached out, her cold fingers wrapping around my new purple arm, pulling me to my feet. "You get it. This place has a charm to it. Sad to see most people can't appreciate that."

"Riiiight," I said, trying not to shudder.

Nyx let out a sigh, an ancient, tired sound. She guided me toward a shadowy corridor, the walls teeming with more insects—spiders, ants, beetles—all flowing in different directions. "So, what brings you to my humble abode? Did your father send you to me for some quality mother-son time?"

I didn't know how to respond to that. Would she get mad if I said no? Then I came up with something else. "No, I was just going on a Tartarus Tour led by Melinoe. This was going to be one of our stops, so it's nice that I can check it off my list. You know, see the sights, experience the local culture, maybe pick up a souvenir or two."

She gave a low chuckle, her wings brushing the walls as we walked. "Well, isn't that delightful. Just like a true son, coming to visit your mother all on your own." She nodded her head as if proud of the fact. "How glad I would be if more of my children did that."

"So," I asked, feeling an idea form in my mind. "Do you have any clue how I can leave Tartarus after finishing my tour? Not that I'm not enjoying the... unique decor."

"What? Leaving so soon?" Nyx asked, cocking her head at me. A surge of power unfurled from her, almost bending me to my knees. 'Careful, Ozzy,' I thought. 'Don't tick off the primordial goddess.'

"No, it's not that," I backpedaled quickly. "It's just that the tour was on a tight schedule, and a part of it takes place up there. You know how it is with these package deals."

"Oh," Nyx said, a smile gracing her face once more. "Then there are a few ways to get back. You can go through any of the openings back up, though most of those are always crowded. The Doors of Death also come back every once in a while, but Thanatos doesn't really visit me much. Then there's the worst way, which you just need to ride Acheron back up to the Underworld."

For a second, I was dumbfounded. No wonder there were so many monsters—they had tons of ways of getting back up. Honestly, now I appreciated that there were so few monsters actually in the mortal world.

Then I began to think of which was the best way to get back up. My options were either fighting an army of monsters or going for a long swim in the river of pain. Yep, easy decision on the latter.

Nyx stopped suddenly, which made me almost crash into her. Then she turned left and walked into a room, to which I followed. I could feel something wrong with this room. It stretched farther than it should have, but at the same time, it felt like it was closing in on me.

My instincts were screaming at me to get out, to put as much distance between myself and this place as possible. And yet, another part of me was just as tempted to dive in, to let whatever dark, endless pull this room had consume me.

I swallowed hard. "What... what is this place?"

Nyx stopped and turned to me, her quasar eyes gleaming. "This, my child, is the beginning of everything." She spread her hands, gesturing to the emptiness around us. "And where everything will end, one day."

I stared at the infinite nothingness stretching before me, a pit yawning in the middle of the room, deeper than any chasm I'd ever seen. My pulse quickened. Again, a primordial fear etched deep within screamed out. Typhon, Tartarus, and now this. This had been the worst vacation by a long shot.

Nyx's voice was a soft whisper beside me, like the brush of midnight wind. "This is my mother, your grandmother, Chaos."

I felt my heart stutter in my chest. Chaos—the primordial void. The origin of everything. I instinctively took a step back, but Nyx's hand remained firmly on my arm, keeping me anchored in place.

"Why bring me here?" I asked, my voice hoarse. "Is this some kind of 'meet the family' thing? Because I've got to say, Grandma Chaos isn't much for conversation."

Nyx regarded me with an expression I couldn't quite read—curiosity, perhaps, or maybe pity. "To show you what truly matters, Odysseus. Family. It's the most important thing."

"Family?" I ventured, though I had a feeling that wasn't all of it.

She nodded. "Family. The only thing you will always have, the most important thing in this or any other place. When the world comes to an end, you can only trust in family." Her gaze drifted back to the void, her wings flickering slightly as if in response to some invisible current. "You bicker and fight with my sister's children, it infuriates me. But you are lessers, so I can understand. Here, you can see what truly matters."

I clenched my jaw, staring into the abyss that was Chaos. "What about friends? Peace? Mortals? The world itself?"

Nyx tilted her head, the faintest trace of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "All circumstantial. You'd be surprised at how many times the world was going to end. None of it matters if your family is safe."

I sighed, a part of me wanting to agree with her. It would be so easy to just grab Thalia, Chiron, and the rest of camp, find a small place to settle where we'd never be disturbed. But then memories flashed through my head: a world on fire, death covering most of the earth, the Golden Age come to life.

"I can't agree with that," I said, my voice stronger than I felt. "I won't just stand and do nothing. Even if I have to shoulder everything myself, even if I die trying, I have to try. For something better, for all who have it bad."

Nyx's eyes narrowed, the starlight in them dimming. "And what good will that do, Odysseus? The world will end, whether tomorrow or in a million years. Why exhaust yourself fighting a battle you cannot win?"

I stood straighter, meeting her gaze. "Because it's the right thing to do. Because every moment of peace, every life saved, every bit of good we do—it matters. Maybe we can't save the world forever, but we can make it better while we're here."

Nyx shook her head, I could hear the disappointment in her voice. "So determined to fight the inevitable. But remember, Odysseus, when everything falls apart, when the world crumbles and even the gods fade—family will be all that remains."

I nodded, understanding her point but not agreeing with it. "Then I'll fight to make sure that doesn't happen. And if it does, well... I'll make sure my family includes everyone I can save."

As I stood there, facing down the primordial goddess of night with the void of Chaos at my back, I realized something. This—standing up for what's right, fighting to save everyone, not just my own—this was who I was. Demigod, hero, pain in the gods' collective behinds. And no matter what came next, I'd face it head-on.

Because that's what heroes do. Even if it means arguing with your extremely powerful, insect-loving step mom about the fate of the world.

A/N: I loved writing this chapter, we can finally see Ozzy's actual motivations not him just being strung along with whatever happened at the time, growing at the camp, being taught by Chiron since birth, going on an eight year quest all of it made him who he is now, what every demigod aspires to be in someway, a hero. That is who Ozzy is.