Fire in This Beating Heart
Summary: There's fire inside her beating heart but it only beats for one person: A clean cut story about a girl who, like so many other anti-heros, wants the protagonist dead, but unlike most happens to be half dead, half god. Percy/oc
ANN: Err... been quite a long time since i last uploaded anything (like a year so.. heads up!) but i think i'll finish this story as this is my little Percy one-shot. Its gonna be at least five chapters i think. I can't write a long chapter of ten thou pages. I'm just not good like that. So I'll just write eight chapters of one thou and a few pages. Its all good. I just read the third book after realizing i don't have the first book and i have two copies of the third so... this is somewhere after the third.
Hope you enjoy! Bon appetite.
(I don't really get the need for disclaimers. I mean isn't it kinda in the fine print of "fanfiction" that its not ours?)
Disclaimer: I own Percy Jackson series like I own the moon. I don't. Obviously...
Chapter 1: Blackouts
"Die Percy Jackson!"
Black hair whisked about Percy Jackson's face as he stared into the fiery eyes of his assassin. Flinching, a gold, ruby studded dagger coldly crawled along his throat, barely missing. The assassin had pinned Percy down to the unforgiving earth; the very same earth started to crack all around him. Invisible shadows shackled him to the ground so that he could not move. Leaning forward to his face, the girl's gaze pierced Percy into oblivion as Percy's pulse slowed. All around the assassin, the screams faded away, lulled by Percy's silver swimming oceania eyes, allowing momentary hesitation as the two fondly froze time. They took their time to memorize the color of each other's intense eyes, completely neglecting their surroundings; they recognized each other as kin, as two people who shouldn't be fighting but are, as brothers, as friends, but just for a moment.
But a moment was all Annabeth needed to shoulder tackle the girl off Percy, hurtling her backside, which had numerous arrows protruding from it, into a tree. A definite crack of bone, a ear ringing "krrrrc" of arrows jutting thoroughly through her organs, and a faint moan of vexation echoed through all ears while the lone figure fell to the ground. The shadows that held Percy let go, but his heart fell to his stomach with the disgusting sound. Automatically, the tension in the campers' muscles loosened with relief that the fight was over.
The girl-assassin broke down their shields with a quick fury, so fast it wasn't deemed possible, and with the same speed struck the camp with such power that seemed beyond otherworldly. It was night and it seemed as though the shadows themselves were attacking them. The bonfires flickered chaotically as the earth trembled and the campers fell to their feet with large gashes from the sharp shadows. Bleeding and more scared than they would have liked to admit, the campers fought back to the best of their ability, but the assassin couldn't be touched. In fact, they could barely see her moving from one shadow to the next, and it seemed like her only target was Percy. It was probably something like luck that Annabeth took advantage of the mistake of a hesitation.
The fire crackled ominously. Armor shuffled as the campers cautiously side stepped around the girl, encircling her with strong shields and hostile swords. A particularly young man bravely shuffled to the girl and poked her side. Nothing happened. He then, in a more calm fashion, tapped her shoulder with the duller side of his sword. Nothing happened. So finally after deciding the coast was clear for everybody else, the young man started getting a little too fresh, whooping and jeering at the body. "Guys it's okay now!" he said a little to prematurely. Everything was indeed A-OK for the campers until the ground cracked, causing the young man to loose balance, and that young man's feet were dragged down from under him.
Hitting the ground, his lungs buckled choking on the dry earth as the girl stood up and dragged him along the ground, gaining momentum, then flinging him at his fellow peers like a sick game of Helicopter. Her arms cut through the air diagonally and the campers didn't know what she was doing until shadows solidified and came towards them with intent, sending a wave of shock and horror to the now retreating group of campers. They hid behind trees, heads running with all sorts of battle plans, but none of them involving them winning. The wounded crawled to protection; the girl took no notice of them, an action of pity or contempt or determination to kill one single individual. Meaningfully, she snatched each of the wooden arrows, and rapidly jerked each one of them out with not so much as a wince or delay. Her blood pooled around her darkly. Half of the arrows had been removed.
Damn it all, the girl sighed, I can't even control shadows right now. I must be out of practice.
Annabeth, yet again, saw an opportunity to attack, but the girl was quicker. Just as a shadow was about to spear Annabeth's in the arm, the girl intruder felt a cold, gold dagger against her own throat and a salty sweet flavor whirling behind her. She smiling, raising her hands in a seemingly admitted defeat.
He looked at her, the back of her head, actually. She was almost as tall as him which of course didn't mean much since he was short. A beautiful girl roughly mid-teenage (like him) who seemed to be alive and kicking, fiercely for that matter, with power and meticulousness, and it attracted him in a weird suspiciously kinky way. Briskly, she spun around on her heels, facing Percy at eye level. For a second, she seemed to casually eye the dagger then looked at Percy with a mischievous smile. "Careful now. Wouldn't want to hurt you would we?" she whispered. She made a small tsk sound before ducking, grabbing the dagger, tripping him, and had the dagger coming down his throat… Back to square one?
Only this time Clarisse was there to prevent that continuous cycle. With her superior strength, she smacked the dagger out of the assailant's hand.
"Remember on thing: Not for you but for this camp." Clarisse spat at Percy as she stood between the intruder and Percy who scrambled up while digging in his pocked for his sword, Riptide, which inconveniently could not be found.
The intruder spoke in a musky, dark language, probably very ancient greek-ish and most likely a curse. Around her, the air crackled severely and darkened several shades. Her very body demanded fear and respect and death. Everybody felt the temperature drop like gravity and immediately did feel scared and the thought of surrender fleeted through their minds.
"Get out of the way daughter of Ares. You are not who I want," she said softly, revealing a mellow, annoyed voice that sounded like black, like a chilling nothingness to Percy.
"Over my dead body," Clarisse crouched into battle position, sword and shield in hand, with her pride temporarily wounded and thus, a killing intent. Percy stood the same minus the insane, murderous intent. However, the intruder disregarded Clarrise (to Percy's slight amusement); she was too preoccupied yanking out the rest of the arrows, sometimes two or three at a time. A ripping sound like a butcher's jacket zipper caught on a piece of steak made Clarisse almost want to cover her ears and shudder in disgust. Finally her attention was returned to the dimly lit campers. What a sigh, she mentally tsk'ed observing the wounded and the grimy floor and faces of the heroes.
Kicking away some misplaced debris, "Killing is against my vows" the intruder stated simply.
Percy scoffed quietly, "Yeah right. What about me?"
"You, Percy Jackson, are different," she uttered darkly.
"No worries freako. You won't get a chance to break that vow of yours," Clarisse called out, punching the girl, "Leave this place or die a premature death." The girl clumsily stumbled backwards over some debris; she stood with her back to the bonfire, feeling its heat. Hm.
When she backed into the bonfire, becoming engulfed in flames, Percy stood motionless, in shock.
See Percy, you go and meet a beautiful girl and she goes and kills herself. Percy shook his head. Too bad he had to have his thoughts interrupted by the ominous crackling of the growing fire with a scary, scary lady hovering in the middle of it. Everybody backed away cautiously in horror. The fire abruptly diminished then exploded into a round house kick of flying meteors. Fire, beautifully unpredictable, rained everywhere and anywhere: from ground up, from sky down, left, right, sideways, backways, in circles… Soon all the heroes scurried to the woods and ducked under trees, bushes, and rocks, praying to the gods, their mommy's and papa's.
Ha. Look at the demigods pray in fear. Really, what are they teaching you in this camp if not how to fight? The girl chuckled. Still some of them are not all that bad. She looked at Annabeth and Clarrisse. The fire licked her skin, healing her. It's a good thing that fire is easier to control than shadows are. Or else, I would be royally screwed, and I'd totally fail at this whole killing Percy thing.
The lone figure with the tips of her long black hair stood straight up as if in an uncomfortably high Mohawk, bursting with flames. She controlled the ribbons of flaming… well fire with a simple nick of her head or a complicated patterned flutter of her fingers.
Water. Percy thought running towards the creek. If I could only get to water. The girl swiftly rushed behind him foreseeing his actions, but tackled him right into the creek, which in retrospect may not have been the best thing to do. Also she was doused in water. Sighing, she opened her hands to mother her flames to life, but what flames did turn up were weak and blue so she frowned. Percy closed his eyes to gather strength. She closed her eyes to coax more power into her fires. Godsdammit. If I didn't waste all that energy making my cool entrance, I would use shadows and this would all be over in a snap. I am out of practice... Come on! I am not so weak to be defeated by Poseidon's son. I need to make him pay. Damn this. Damn him. Damn it all to Hades! In a burst of energy, fire encircled the girl, lifting her out of the lake. At the same time, water gathered around Percy.
People gathered behind the battle looking at the duel with excitement, horror, shock, or a combination of all three. Grover and Annabeth linked arms, worriedly.
"He'll be alright, right?" Annabeth worriedly asked.
"He's the son of Poseidon, one of the great three. There is a very good chance he'll be alright." Grover reasoned aloud. A fact.
"What is she's the child of one of the three?" Annabeth whispered.
"Well. She isn't, " Grover said, "Fire is Apollo or Helios or..." his voice was overpowered by the intense silence between the opponents in front of him.
Annabeth swallowed hoping Grover was right, but deep down she understood the superiority this girl radiated. "Shadows, however..."
Funny. The battle between fire and water seems so cliché, so very corny, the girl mused; nonetheless, Percy was in front of her possibly ready to kill her and vice versa. She shuddered: she would have preferred to avenge her sister some other way... but he brought this on himself. Well, it's not as if I can just say "Psyche!" at this point anyways, she thought subconsciously. The air remained motionless as the listless fighters caught each other's stare and held that stare like a life-or-death staring contest or worse as if they didn't have eyelids at all.
Blinking, they charged, their fire and water meeting each other with a hissing, smokey sound. Neither side was buckling. Although one would ordinarily think that water would easily douse fire, but for every ounce of water Percy had, the girl produced three ounces of fire, creating the balance which was far too preoccupying for Percy and everybody else enough to not being able to notice the thin thread-like flame around, circling him. It wasn't until the wall of fire shot five stories high, blocking the water flow from the creek to him that Percy started panicking.
Slowly his water was evaporating, condensing overhead.
When his water ran out, Percy took out his lethal pen which was ultimately in his back pocket, but not before the girl pounced him and then punched him with her killer left hook. Percy blacked out.
Damn, this is what you get you liar. Fucking liar. She beat him punch after punch in the middle of the dry lake.
Unfortunately for her, Annabeth was fast, so when the girl heard a hungry battle cry, Aria turned her head away from Percy, to the cry, to... a pain on the back of her head. Her last thoughts were as following: Fucking shit. Beat up by Athena's kid. How the great have fallen...
Finally, the clouds overhead (from the lake evaporating) collapsed, and rain began to fall.
ANN: Title is from "The Blackout" by Get Scared who are very, very good. Check them out!