Multiple tortured cries meet my ears before I could see who they belonged to, each one enveloping over the other in a song of sorrow and pain. I cringed as my nerve ends began to fray as the cries got louder and more drawn out. Unable to hear more I covered my ears at the horrific sounds, all my instincts were screaming at me to turn the other way, to run back and find safety. I forced myself to shove those instincts deep down burying them under the desperate need to save my mother. Urging my feet to put one foot in front of the other I slowly walked up the hill, bracing myself for what I knew lay ahead.

The sword I was carrying had been wedged through the small handle at the top of my backpack. It had been the only place it could rest so that I could have my hands free but the sharp end was precariously close to slicing through the back of my leg. It was a risk I was willing to take if it meant blocking out those sounds.

When the peak of the hill neared, a wave of warm heat washed over my face and body, sweat immediately perspired across my forehead then dampened the back of my shirt and armpits. Sucking in one last breath with my hands over my ears I took that last step onto the peak. Orange and red blazed ahead as fire encompassed the land before me in a large arching half circle on the far end. Directly below me, however, was the sole reason why they named this place The Field of Punishment. Bodies, as solid as me stood in rows upon rows standing on blocked slates, each receiving their own punishment.

A woman not too far below me was being force-fed rotting meat by a harpy. She was tied up to a chair and mouth propped open with those gum shields dentists used as meat infested with maggots was shoved down her throat. I looked away in horror and my stomach roiled in disgust. Seeing all this was enough to swear not to commit any bad deeds in my lifetime, not that I planned on doing anything that would put me here. Never again. Never again did I want to set so much as a toe in this wretched place.

Unwilling to see any more horrors, I only scanned the area looking for some sort of portal or HQ, my eyes not lingering on anything that didn't resemble what I needed. I stalked along the edge of the peak as it circled part of the field, hoping that I would see anything that could lead me to a portal.

I was about to rethink my strategy when I spotted a thin building sitting on a platform to the far left of the fields. It was more like a makeshift shack that someone propped up in a rush and threw some doggy temporary stairs up to the platform, but everything in me had me screaming that that was where I needed to go. Without Isabella, at my side, I had too much time to think about my next move. She wasn't here to do the quick thinking and fast actions. I sincerely hoped that she was ok and alive but knowing her, she'd have something up her sleeve.

Shaking all thoughts of Isabella out of my mind I half ran and half walked along the edge of the hill, not daring to get any closer to the fields earlier than I had to. It would be dangerous to be caught out now, so close to a punishing block and all. The air was now thick of moisture, making it hard to breathe, like a little too much liquid was going straight to my lungs.

When I was as close as I could get to the shack building on the hill, I paused behind a boulder. Assessing the possibility of me darting behind the building without being seen by any one of the harpies at their stations. I waited a moment, my body locking in a crouched position as if telling me now was not the right time to run. The shabby grey door of the shack opened and a small chubby male walked out, he was no bigger than a five-year-old. He stood by the door looking out onto the field, his face serene as if he relished the sounds of those terrible screams. His skin was scaley, not like a fish but like a crocodile, with all those rigid edges and no sign of smoothness. He shut the door behind him and climbed down a set of metal stairs, waddling all the way down.

"You need to put more enthusiasm into it!" his voice carried over the noise as he shouted to the nearest being.

I didn't dare look at what he was referring to, I just kept my eyes on that grey door and the man.

The small chubby man finally moved and strode in between the blocks, presumably to monitor the severity of the punishments being delivered. My heart hammered hard in my chest, pumping blood and adrenaline through me, unlocking my joints. I darted to the building, keeping low and as small as possible. I could only hope everyone else was too engrossed in the surrounding chaos that I could easily slip through.

I sighed in relief as I made it to the back of the building, I didn't waste time as I ran around it to the front climbing the stairs three at a time until I reached the door. All while holding the sword aloft as to not let it clang against the metal. I latched on the grey door, pulling it open as I stepped inside the building. I shut the door, and let the fluorescent light and air-con fan over me in the small dingy room.

The navy blue-tiled room looked as thrown together as the outside did. The floor was still that grey slab of concrete of an unfinished outhouse. Much like Thanato's office, the room had computers and draws and files but that's where the resemblance need, paper and files were strewn all over the place. It had clearly been a while since the place had a good scrub down, but I was certain that was the last of the god's worries under the circumstances.

I ran to the nearest computer, my hand landing on the mouse and shimmied it on the mouse pad hoping the monitor would turn on. To my delight, the screen lit up and went straight to the desktop.

"These guys really don't care," I muttered to myself as I looked for any control system.

It hit me then, Isabella had mentioned that the minor gods would be guarding the entrance to the portal. Blocking it to be more specific but I hadn't seen them or any sort of portal. I froze as a chilling thought entered my mind.

"Impossible."

I ran back to the door, opening it ajar, my eyes seeking out that small chubby man. I watch as he smiled and laughed as he passed each of those punishing blocks. How he leaned in to get a sniff or cupped his ear closer to the screams of the tortured.

Fear filled my body as I rushed back to the computer, searching for anything that would open a portal but there was none. I leaned back, scanning the room for anything that would help, I almost let out a cry of frustration when my hand landed on a red box on the wall. What I'd originally dismissed as a fire alarm.

"No," I murmured, but as I walked closer written as clear as day on the box were the words 'FoP Portal Swtich'.

I didn't think, my hands acted on their own accord, flipping that glass pannel over and flipping the lever the other way. There was a loud bang and a flash of light that rumbled through my core. I ran out of the building, stopping on the platform as I saw a large gaping hole about three times my height and width in the world. It wasn't the same as the one I'd stepped through. I couldn't see what was on the other side, just a whirlpool of blue and white.

"Hey!"

My head snapped towards the voice, the short chubby man was glaring at me, pure anger raging on his face. The portal wasn't left unguarded, just, unattended the moment the chubby man walked away. From my guesses, he was the personification of Pain in the flesh.

He waddled towards me, clearly unable to move fast. Good.

I ran back inside the building and shut the door behind me. I grabbed anything that would block the god's way coming in, chairs, boxes computers. I piled them all up.

"Thanatos, where are you?" I murmured as I rushed to build my only defence.

When I was satisfied, I made my way to the middle of that building and pulled the sword still attached to my backpack pointing it towards the door. My hands shook, but my arms held out the sword, ready for what was to come.

The door clanged and the pile I'd put in front of it shifted. My breathing hitched, then stopped when the door clanged again.

"Where are you?" I almost cried out, he didn't mention how I'd get his attention once the portal was open.

Clang!

The door busted open and the pile I'd made was sent scattering across the floor, in the door frame Pain was grinning at me.

"How nice of you to visit." He rasped before sniffing the air, "Ah a demi-god."

I shifted so that my weight was balanced in the middle.

"Not much of a talker ey," he said as he took a step in, "See what you did out there?"

He turned to look outside, his hands resting on his hips like he was assessing a big mess he'd have to clean up. In a way, I guess he was, and I was in the way.

"I bet you knew that you weren't meant to touch that switch." He turned back to look at me and his eyes turned a vivid green. "I bet I know who sent you."

"You look like a clever man sir." I said weakly, "I bet you know a lot about what goes on around here."

Pain's mouth twitched up in a smile, "You're a good one. Not like these other demigods traipsing around the underworld making demands."

"No sir, not me." I quickly agreed and hoped that I was buying myself some time, my sword still staying true.

Pain inhaled deeply for a long moment, a very unnaturally long moment before he exhaled again.

"A son of Zeus," he said sadly, "What a shame if you'd been someone else's son maybe I'd sweep this under the rug and let you go."

"Oh I'm not part of all this," I said quickly, "I'm just here to do my job, I haven't even met Zeus. We're not close at all!"

Pain smiled as if he already knew that but he didn't care, "Enough chit chat boy and flip that switch back over."

I tiled my head towards the red lever but didn't dare take my eyes off of Pain for a second.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," I said between clenched teeth.

Pain tutted, "What a pity. I guess I'm going to have to come there myself."

His body grew, his limbs stretching and bulking up until he was the size of a six-foot body builder. His clothes now stretched out and torn at the seams. I readjusted my grip on the sword, tensing as Pain charged towards me. In two quick strides, he was upon me and my arms swung the sword towards his midsection and cut through thin air. He'd stepped out of the way, quicker than he'd let on to be and slammed a fist into my temple that sent me sprawling to the ground.

Pain throbbed against my head and the man smiled just like he had when those people were tortured.

"Get up, boy."