The Lost Hero Redone
Prologos
Pebble looked back on the fallen bridge and the island surrounded by the deep mist.
She never wanted to be there ever again. Everything she saw in that place was vile and horrible.
Her brothers falling apart into sand and dirt.
Her friends screaming.
Her rock heart pounding ready to burst out.
The fear.
The pain.
The demigod.
His green eyes.
He looked weak and small, like all of them do. Her squad though they could take him on. But something was wrong.
Every sword that hit him bounced back, leaving not even a scratch. Nothing they did had any effect on him. He slashed through her fellow soldiers. Closer and closer. And his green-eyes stared right into their souls. Filling them with fear and turning their legs, or other appendages to rubber.
He sliced through armor like it was made of paper. Dracanae exploded. Hellhounds melted to shadow. The demigod slashed and stabbed and whirled, and laughed.
That laugh still echoed in her mind. But it didn't sound like a monster's laugh. There was no mind or sentience behind it. If she had the thinking capacity required, she would compare it to a hyena's laugh. A laugh that's not even really a laugh, just the sound the animal makes when hunting.
And they were that animal's prey.
She tried to stay as far in the back as she could. Far away from the enemy. But he slew a monster after monster, getting closer with each one. Closer and closer.
Arrows flew on Pebble's head. They didn't hurt her, she didn't even feel them making impact. Her eyes where focused on that killing machine marching towards her. Closer and closer.
Image of his sword ripping her brethren in half flashed through her mind as she watched it killing a monster after monster. At some point he'll just drop it and start tearing them apart with his bare hands. She was sure of it.
Where once there were thousand warriors now there was nearly twenty. They should pull back. They had to pull back. They had to run! And Pebble was the first to do it. Their commander was yelling, but she couldn't hear what.
It was the most terrifying run of her life. She felt like she was running through mud, her legs were so weak. Or maybe they just turned into mud from fear. She'll be left behind and he'll be right there, waiting for her. She could feel his eyes on her back.
Finally she saw it. The purple banners billowing in the wind. Her brother's warriors on horses.
He was there himself. Commanding and imposing as ever. Even in this small, pink, fleshy body he still looked regal. Seeing his golden eyes filled her with hope. She can make it. She can survive.
When Pebble reached the bridge she breathed a sigh of relief.
The demigod's army just stood doing nothing. They didn't have to do anything. Their leader was like a battering ram. Only one fighter stayed with him.
Pebble stayed on the back, to avoid being attacked. But the demigod was still pushing forward.
Until he stopped.
Something happened! The demigod was crouching, holding another flesh thing in his arms. Protecting it.
The demigod that just before murdered an army of monsters suddenly looked so small. So young. So scared. The eyes that just a moment ago were filled with predotory bloodlust where now filled with fear and compassion.
And then they filled with rage.
- Get back! No one touches her! - he screamed. If he wanted, he could kill all of them. All except for her brother. And the demigod knew it.
- Bravely fought, Percy Jackson. But it's time to surrender... or the girl dies - he said towering over the demigod.
But that's when Pebble's mind turned off. Suddenly nothing mattered. All Pebble could think about was the girl.
It was bleeding, and looked around with it's grey eyes like a deer shot by a hunter. Helpless and scared.
Something in Pebble's simple mind switched into place.
Grey eyes. Blood.
Grey eyes.
Blood.
Grey eyes.
Blood.
The green eyes and the golden eyes looked at each other with hatred as their owners clashed.
And Pebble didn't even bother to look at them.
Even when the girl was picked up from the battlefield and flew away, all Pebble saw was it's blood.
Even as the bridge started shaking.
Cracking.
Crashing down.
Grey eyes. Blood.
She jumped forward.
Earthy, clumpy hand touched the puddle and the blood soaked into the brown, dirty skin, like water into the ground.
And then the bridge fell. And she feel with it in the the eerie, murky waters of the river below.
Pebble finally swam to the sore. She reeked of the disgusting river and her body was soggy from the water. Her hand was holding an empty bottle. It will have to do.
A muddy finger meet the bottleneck. The dirt and water stayed right where they were, and the bottle filled with the blood. She bottled it up and started walking.
She didn't know where, but something inside her pushed her forward.
She looked back on the fallen bridge and the island surrounded by the deep mist.
She turned around and started walking away, leaving the green-eyed demigod, the golden-eyed king, the girl, her friends, the bridge, the city, the war behind.
And as she walked the laugh echoing in her head stopped. The images of carnage disappeared. Just one thought repeated itself in her mind.
Blood of Olympus...