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River Acheron   Acheron (god)    

River Acheron is the fifth river of the Underworld. It is called the River of Pain as it is the ultimate punishment for many souls of the damned, especially murderers. This is the point where the daemon, a divinity or supernatural being of a nature between gods and humans, Charon, ferries the souls of the dead to the Underworld.

Description[]

The Acheron is described as being about twenty feet across, with a roaring current that has thousands of voices crying out, shrieking in agony and pleading for mercy. The Acheron also has a malevolent and mesmerizing effect on whoever comes too close to it, blaming them for egregious sins they never committed and showing them their worst memories, trying to convince them to jump into the river. However, not all of the souls are guilty of terrible crimes against others, some are guilty of terrible crimes against themselves, harming themselves through destructive emotions and convincing themselves that they don't deserve a place in the world.

It, like all of the Underworld Rivers, has access points outside of Underworld. Specifically, it exists around the House of Hades.

As revealed in The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure, the river only affects a being if they let it. If they feel that they are not worthy of punishment and do not despair, then the Acheron has no effect on them. However, it has incredibly painful effects on Nyx who only knows pain and thus cannot cross it.

By sailing the Acheron back up to the top of the Underworld in Gorgyra's Canoe, Nico, Will, Bob and Small Bob are able to escape from Tartarus. This is possible because, according to Gorgyra, the Acheron's course is not one-directional and, like life, it flows in a circle. From the Underworld, Bob is somehow able to sail into Long Island Sound using his knowledge of the Underworld as a Titan.

According to Gorgyra, the god Acheron lost his physical form and sense of self over the centuries to the point that she's not sure if there's a difference between the river and the god anymore.

The Heroes of Olympus[]

The House of Hades[]

Percy Jackson

Percy, who was near the Acheron.

After escaping Nyx and her children through the Mansion of Night, Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase reach the banks of Acheron. They hear the river's malevolent mesmerizing voices, and Annabeth's mind is "flooded" with images of all of the monsters that she had ever killed. Later on, Annabeth sees Zoë NightshadeBianca di AngeloSilena Beauregard, and, most painful of all, Luke Castellan, along with his blood on her dagger. The Acheron claims that she could have prevented their deaths, and that Luke's blood is entirely on her hands, making Annabeth the actual murderer. She begins to fear that Luke's voice is among the those in the Acheron, punished for his crimes against Olympus. The river tries to force her to jump in and "share his punishment", and Annabeth nearly does, though Percy intervenes just in time. Just as Nyx's fearsome children are catching up to them, Percy grabs Annabeth and leaps over the Acheron, and manages to escape Night's territory. Afterwards, they both continue their journey into the Heart of Tartarus, the location of the Doors of Death.   

The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure[]

Throughout their quest, Nico di Angelo and Will Solace sail the Acheron in Gorgyra's Canoe, first using it to get into Tartarus in the first place with Nico creating a half-pipe out of the dead to break their fall into Tartarus.

After rescuing Bob, the two demigods, the Titan and Small Bob escape on the Acheron which no longer has any effect Nico and Will as they don't believe themselves worthy of punishment nor do they despair. However, as Nyx only knows pain, the Acheron repels the primordial goddess, allowing them to escape. Nemesis blesses the four with as much luck as she can and instructs them and Nico's cacodemons to sail the Acheron back to the top of the Underworld in order to escape from Tartarus. While the demigods rest, Bob sails the boat up the river back into the Underworld and then out into Long Island Sound.

Underworld
Underworld: DOA Recording Studios | Doors of Death | Door of Orpheus | Elysium | Erebos | Fields of Asphodel | Fields of Punishment | Hades' Palace | Isles of the Blest | Judgment Pavilion | Persephone's Garden
Rivers: Cocytus | Phlegethon | Styx | Lethe | Acheron
Tartarus: Mansion of Night | Hermes' Shrine | Chaos | Regeneration Pod
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