I know I'm working on Found You - but I had this drifting around in my head for so long, I just wanted to get it out there. But don't worry, I'll finish both of them, I promise. Please review!
I don't own Percy Jackson: the rights are to Rick Riordan- this is just for fun, no moneys for me.
They were surrounded. It had been less than a week than the battle at the mouth of Tartarus. There had been monsters around every corner and the eight demigods were run ragged. Everyone was filthy, exhausted, and on their last nerve. Currently, a nasty hydra was on their tale, spitting poison and fire in their direction.
Percy was trying his best to keep his friends alive by distracting the thing, shouting "Hey ugly! Over here you butt-head!" He yelled, waving his arms like a maniac while Jason shot lightning from above, Leo threw fire, and Frank raked his lion claws across its back. Piper shot ham from the Cornucopia, missing 89% of the time.
"Fall back! I repeat, fall back!" He shouted, seeing nothing but death in the future if they continued on like this. Annabeth sent him a surprised look, but dragged Hazel and Piper in the direction of Argo II, Nico on their heels.
They were at a good pace until out of nowhere, a girl came running at the hydra, weaving and dodging the poison with the boneless grace of a demigod. She disappeared behind one of its twisting heads, and the monster let out a tortured screech, falling dead on the ground. As it fell, one of it's claws swiped at her, sending her into the dust. Her head made a loud crack against a rock as she fell. She didn't move after that.
"Come on, Percy. Let's go!" Annabeth shouted, yanking on his sleeve. But he couldn't just leave her there, she had just saved them.
"Blackjack!" He yelled into the sky.
"Yeah, boss?" The midnight pegasus whinnied.
"Could you grab her and bring her with us?" He asked, voice pleading.
"Sure thing boss." Without a second glance, Percy sprinted towards his friends, putting as much distance between the monster-infested woods and himself as possible.
As he was running, he couldn't help but look up to where Blackjack soared above, the girl's collar clamped firmly in his teeth. He couldn't see her face, but she still remained unmoving.
When they finally reached Argo II, the pegasus was waiting, the girl at his feet. Percy was blown away at how beautiful she was.
Thick, long, dark hair fell in gentle, but also wild strands around a porcelain heart-shaped face; alabaster skin a stark contrast to her dark hair. She had arching eyebrows and pale peach lips that looked smooth and soft. She looked to be about 19 years old, but her hands were dainty, her nails painted a steel gray; she looked like a china doll, face smooth and flawless. Her chest rose and fell gently as she slept. He was enchanted immediately.
Several things happened at once. Blackjack snorted, taking a step back from the sleeping beauty. That was their only warning until she spang to her feet in a low defensive crouch, a black sword he hadn't noticed before drawn and pointing in their direction.
She wore a pair of dark navy form-fitting jeans that disappeared into knee-high black boots laced all the way to the top. A purple tanktop peeked out from a gray, black, and white plaid flannel shirt underneath a tight black leather jacket. But what struck Percy the most were her eyes.
The most stunning and surprising shade of violet, swirled with starry specks of silver and gray. He'd never seen such eyes… They glowed with a determination and ferocity he could identify with… but they were jaded. She had seen too much - done too much, and it reflected off those dazzling eyes. Not only that, but they dared anyone to comment on how she looked or what she did. Just to make a point, she jutted her chin out at them, no hint of fear shining in those violet orbs.
"Who are you?" She demanded, sword at his throat. The cold metal burned his skin, black as a nightmare and truly frightening; he recognized the metal instantly: Stygian iron. Fear crawled it's way up his throat as his worst nightmares reeled past his eyelids on a projector screen. Just when he thought he'd lose it, she pulled the sword back, giving him a second to calm himself.
Before he could answer, her gaze slid down his form, earning her a smirk from Percy, then flicked to the others gathered around, their weapons drawn, faces' tense. Her pale lips quirked into a smile before the sword vanished. Instead, she put her hands on her hips, cocking them to the side. It was incredibly sexy. Percy's mouth was suddenly dry.
"It's Perseus Jackson and the golden bunch. Didn't expect to ever bump into you lot." her gaze returned to Percy. "Thought you'd be taller." She gave him a sultry smirk before Jason approached, eyes steely.
"How do you know us?" He demanded, sword still at the ready.
She didn't look frightened in the least. "Easy does it, Sparky. I'm no threat. You're all the underworld talks about now-a-days. I'd have to be deaf not to hear stories..." Her voice trailed off as she studied them calculatingly.
"Now, don't tell me." She turned to Piper, her finger tapping her chin. "Piper McLean: daddy's little girl. Daughter of Aphrodite with a very convincing voice. Although stunning, is completely useless in battle. Tell me, pretty-girl, have you mentioned to Sparkles here what the rite of passage is for Aphrodite children?" Without waiting for an answer, she moved on.
"Beauty Queen is currently dating Jason Grace, the Percy-wanna-be. Not good enough for anyone, are you? Even piper knows that Percy could easily best you in battle. Hell, we've already seen how it would end. No offence or anything, but Thalia carries the Zeus' kid look way better than you." Jason fumed, lightning flickered off his body, crackling dangerously. But she moved past him without a care in the world
"And let's not forget Leo Valdez, the flaming son of Hephaestus, or Ugly Butt as I call him. The awkward seventh wheel. You cracked that damn cookie open and now misfortune follows you wherever you go. Was it worth it? Your granddaddy had a major hard-on for my cousin, Miss Hazel Levesque, the walking corpse with cursed gems following her around. How does it feel to be back among the living? To know that if anyone here tried to pick up your lovely jewels, they'd die a horrible, painful death?"
Again, she didn't wait for an answer. "Frank Zhang, the chinese canadian clutz. Your life hangs in the balance, sustained by one tiny stick. How much is left, by the way, an inch? You don't trust yourself enough to carry it, so you gave it to the one person you knew you could count on," she whispered as she lithely made her way to Hazel, her eyes remaining on frank the entire time. "but what if something happened to her? you'd lose everything in one, fell, swoop." At her last words, black fire danced between her fingertips, dangerously close to hazels heart, where Frank's life stick lived. Frank rushed forward, but she had already moved on, bored with him.
"Nico de Angelo, another cousin of mine. The baby of the bunch. Don't fit in anywhere do you? You're not from this time, but everyone's moved on so your stuck in a world you don't understand. You're detached and alone, the only thing you had was your sister, but she's dead and you have a secret." Nico's eyes widened. She moved in for the kill, her voice a soft whisper that carried in the soft breeze. "A secret so deep and dark, it's slowly eating you alive. You hate yourself for it, but you can't help yourself. What would they say if they knew?" Nico was shaking all over, his eyes downcast. Without a backwards glance, she turned again. Percy's hands clenched- why was she doing this to them? She didn't notice the look he gave her: understanding. But Percy did; his eyes narrowed slightly. What did that mean?
"Annabeth Chase: the brain of this little rag-tag team. How does it feel to have no real talent at all? Jason can fly, Nico can summon skeletons, Leo can set himself on fire, Percy can breathe underwater and command it, Piper can control anyone with her voice, Hazel can make and destroy passageways underground, Frank can turn into any animal he wants, and you... can draw maps and build columns." She whispered condescendingly. "I'm sure you're very helpful in a pinch." Annabeth flinched away, stung.
Finally, she turned to Percy. "Percy Jackson, the golden boy. I've heard so very much about you. Saved the world when you were only twelve, defeated Kronos at age 16, and now you're on our way to end Gaia. But tell me, how does it feel to be lesser than the villain of your main story?" Confused, he looked away. "All your life you've only been interested in one person and one person only. You've gone to hell and back to save her. Damn, you held up the SKY for her, but still you're not the best. You lost to a dead child of Hermes who betrayed and killed thousands of demigods. You really should give up, because even if you do get together, even though it seems perfect, you'll always be number two in her eyes." Anger flared through him, he looked up, ready to strike her down until he saw her eyes.
When he had been teased when he was younger, his attacker's eyes had always glowed with glee at his torment, but not her. Her eyes were empty, as empty as they were in the beginning of her little speech of humiliation and cruelty. She didn't seem to care about them, or anything. "So ya, I've learned a few tidbits about you guys." She whispered, her dead eyes still locked on his.
Jason marched over, murder in his eyes and reached out to grab her. in a neat roll, she ended up behind him, returning to her defensive crouch. "Rule number one: don't you ever, EVER touch me."
Annabeth snorted, trying to regain her dignity."Germaphobe, much?" she muttered.
The girls head snapped in her direction, violet eyes fierce. "It's for your own good, so keep your big mouth shut, Brains." After a beat, she relaxed again, regarding them with her dead eyes. "I probably should go. I've never been good at playing well with others. But sometimes what everyone needs is a nice dose of cold, cruel... honesty." And with that, she melted into shadow and was gone.
"Well... she's a bitch." Annabeth grumbled. Everyone mumbled their ascent; a dark mood settled over the crew that even Leo couldn't brighten up. Frank was rubbing Hazel's back- she was still in shock after almost being burned alive, his face tense. Nico gave her a worried glance, but walked off towards the bow once she waved him off.
Following his instinct, Percy shadowed him. "What do you want from me, Percy?" Nico asked quietly, tiredly.
Percy scuffed his shoes against the ground. "When- when that girl talked to you" Nico tensed "you didn't seem as upset as the rest of us. You… you actually looked like you understood her."
When Nico turned to face him, something shown in his eyes. Relief? But it was gone before Percy could identify it. "Basic defensive tactic: hurt everyone around you so no one can get close. She didn't enjoy it, she was just keeping us at a distance." Percy wondered how Nico knew this 'tactic.'
"But why? Why would she say those things- how did she know those things?" He ran his fingers through his unruly black hair, worry eating at his insides. 'You really should give up, because even if you do get together, even though it seems perfect, you'll always be number two...'
Nico shrugged. "Maybe she knows something about the quest that we don't, something that she would want to keep close to her chest. It's anyone's guess why. But it's obvious that she means us no harm. You can see it in her eyes." He looked away.
"Another Hades kid, huh? You have more siblings than any Big Three kid. Lucky you." Percy winced internally at his awful attempt to lighten the mood.
"Yeah" Nico whispered. "Lucky me."
Alright, chapter one complete. What do you guys think of my OC? I love her to bits- well, except when she's being a bitch. I need some advice though: Percy/OC pairing, or no?