It was inconceivable. It was not going to happen. Never. Not while I still had strength.
'I won't let her go!'
But it was happening. Her hand slipping even as they fell through the earth and into Tartarus and oh my gods I can't loss her again. And her hand slipped from mine.
Desperately, I twisted and turned, trying to grab her hand even as she did the same. It was no use; the wind and darkness the pit that no one has ever escaped was pushing us apart. I felt like a lead ball had dropped into my stomach; I was going to lose her again. No. 'No Nonononnononono.'
Quickly as I could, I called upon the water that was always with me and never far from mind and ….and non came as I felt an empty blackness start fill me. I may not be smart but I instantly knew what had happened. Tartarus was cutting me off from the water that was in my blood. Taking my birth right and filling me up with...with the darkness that made up its form!
I quickly cut myself off from my power granted to me from my dad but still felt Tartarus inside of me; infecting me, perverting me, changing him, controlling him.
And then Percy felt something inside him stir. Something familiar. And it was fighting back ageist Tartarus. 'It weren't control him' it said. 'It wasn't going to control the son of the sea-god. It wasn't going to control Perseus Jackson!' and it fought and pushed out the blackness of Tartarus.
"I beg of you…"
What? Was the sea literally speaking to me…? No wonder the sea cannot be controlled, it has a mind of its own.
"My servant who lives somewhere in the universe!"
Huh? A servant? What in Hades is the sea talking about? And why am I worrying about that; Annabeth needs me!
"Oh sacred, beautiful and strong familiar spirit!"
It's not important. Focus on here and now. "Annabeth!"
"I desire and here I plead from my heart!"
I don't care. "Percy!" she screams; and points down. I look down as flash of green light goes off. I close my eyes and quickly force them open to face whatever the light was. It was glowing circle of the same color with a five point star; like the ones we were taught in elementary school.
"Answer to my guidance!"
I drew my pen/sword from my pocket and got ready to uncap it as I hit the glowing circle.
Par for the course of my life, I landed face first on the grown. I wasn't expecting that to happen. Thankfully my nose didn't break. I lift my head off the grown while not letting my body leave it; I was in an unknown situation and I wasn't going to provoke …whatever is around me hidden by all the dust.
I use the dust to my advantage by standing up and then crouching so that I can quickly doge if needed. I debated whether nor not to uncap my sword but decide not to, the element of surprise may be what saves my life, it has before.
Slowly, all so slowly, the dust clears. And standing before me was …a small little girl; age eleven or twelve if I were to judge. She had strange pinkish hair that I guess to be dyed. She was wearing a white blouse with a short skirt. To top it off she wore a cape; an honest to the gods cape, fastened by the same symbol that had brought me here. There was a look of shock on her face.
There were others all around us. All were wearing the same type of clothes with the exception of the boys, who wore pants instead of a skirt. One of them; a red-head with, ah, with breasts that were bigger than average, spoke in a superior tone. Sadly that's all I know of what she said, for I didn't understand a word of it.
The girl, who's had stared at me in shock, snaps something back then turns to the only adult to say something. He shakes his head no and then says something, sounding regretful. Strangely, he was holding a staff. And from looking at it I decided that it wasn't made for hitting people with.
The girl, who I decided to think of as pinky, starts to say something but was cut off by the balding man. She turns around; her face scrunched up in a look of displeasure…but rescinded to do…whatever it is she was told to.
I was admittedly wary.
Pinky starts saying something and starts waving a…wand? Yes, an honest to the god's wand. I would have laughed, if it wasn't for the fact that I had some bad experiences with magic.
Instead, I uncapped Anaklusmos and as a pen turn into a sword, swung it at the wand. Normally, I word of aimed for her, but I had no idea if she was full human or not. And if she was, Anaklusmos weren't cut her. It was better not give that fact about my sword away just yet.
My sword cut through the wand like a hot knife through butter, I was about to place the tip of my sword on her coaler bone and demand an answers when a blast of fire came straight at me.
I quickly jumped back, I had been burned before and it wasn't pretty. Thankfully it take a lot of heat to get passed the protections that being a son of Poseidon grants. I wasn't even singed. The blast didn't even hit pinky; which was impressive considering how close she was to me.
The man barked some kind of order at me. I had no idea what he said, but I didn't like that he thought he can order me around. I quickly glance behind be, checking that it was clear to retreat to if I needed. It was… Good.
In that glance though, the balding man sent another blast of fire at high speeds. That time I was lightly burnt, though my blood protected me ageist anything high a small first degree burn. Sadly my shirt didn't make it. I quickly stripped it off.
The man who sent the fire looked with shock, as the flames that should have taken me out of the fight turned out to be barely an annoyance. I had a second to feel smug about that before I had to dodge an ice spear from the left.
Looking over, I see another small girl standing next to…Holy Poseidon, next to a dragon. That did not look good. How in earth did I miss that?
The girl gave her staff a small wave and more ice spikes came at me. Quickly touching my wrist watch, I turned it into a shield, which blocked them. And then I was dodging another blast of fire.
After that I ducked out of the way of the ice spike that was going for my head, spun around on my heel, and ran, capping Anaklusmos as I went and holding my shield up as I went, blocking more ice and fire.
I quickly neared the forests and was almost home free when a metal man came out of the ground and thrusting with a spear, at a non lethal but crippling area. I barely manage to get my shield around to deflect it to the right and then I was hopping over it and kicking off its head as I ran into the forest and safety.