Psst, you! Yeah you! I just wanted to warn you that this is a dangerous place, but don't worry. I don't own PJO. You alright, Hannah? How about you, Derek? Okay, I think we're all good. Please enjoy the first installment of My Personal Hades!
Percy
As I woke, my head lolled to either side. My vision swam in and out of focus. It took a few moments for the pain to register, and when it did, it wrecked my whole body. An emasculating groan slipped out from between my lips, which only created more pain. I then became aware of the position I was in. I was underground, in some sort of basement. The darkness consumed everything, I could barely make out shapes in the shadows. My left hand was shackled to a pole that ran from ground to ceiling, and my right was chained to Thalia's left. I squinted in order to decipher her silhouette from the blackness around her. She lay face down on the concrete floor, unconscious but definitely still breathing. I breathed a sigh of relief, then winced as my ribs cracked. I drew small, rattling breaths, trying to dull the pain.
I tried to clear the haze in my mind long enough to figure out what to do. Maybe I could cut the chains? I thought. So I slid closer to the pole and reached for Riptide. The pain was overwhelming, but I simply gritted my teeth and continued.
When I pulled the lid off I realized two things. One, there was no way I had enough strength to slice the chains. I barely had the strength to keep breathing. And two, I was sincerely beat all to Hades. In the glow of the blade, I examined myself with heightened interest. Various wounds were scattered across my entire body. I took note of a few in particular.
My left ankle was swollen to about twice the size as normal. In what I guessed was a very crude splint, several eating utensils were duct taped to my leg. A large gash on my right side was badly bandaged. A huge bruise was forming on my right leg, and it was oddly boot shaped. All of these were accompanied by dozens of scrapes, cuts, and bruises. With everything I could muster, I held the sword up to search my face. Thankfully, all of my normal facial features were still there. They were joined by a black eye, chipped teeth, and a long cut on my forehead.
And with that, my strength gave out, and the sword fell hard onto the cut.
I howled in pain, and yet, somehow, didn't wake Thalia. Still in complete agony, I capped Riptide and dropped it on the floor. Even in all my misery, I cried, not for me, but for Annabeth. Was she okay? Did someone take her as well? Was she still at camp? Each new sob brought new pain and new worries. Each tear that crashed to floor crushed the hope I would ever find her again. In that moment, I gave up.
Hope you enjoyed! Sorry if it's short, but fear not! My companion should soon give you insight with Annabeth! Is she okay? Is she slowly dying in the darkness as well? Or is she oblivious, happily picking strawberries at camp? Find out next time on- okay this is starting to sound like a bad soap opera. I'm done, I promise.