II

PERCY

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in these stories except the plotlines and those characters I have introduced myself.

There are some places you don't mind visiting twice. Others, you may even look forward to! Just one visit is sufficient for some places though. Tartarus was in a league of its own. It was a place that shouldn't even be 'visited' once, and anyone should give it a wide berth.

Obviously, Percy Jackson decided to go for an encore trip.

He shut his eyes as he fell, pulled along by Leo's fire whip. The pain around his ankle was unbearable, but the pain of being separated from Annabeth again after so short a reunion was worse. He hoped she'd be alright, and not break down like she had when he'd supposedly died. His dad had told him about her reaction.

Percy pulled out Riptide and tried to slash at the fire whip. It was a tricky job, given that he was falling with no stability, but the blade of his sword cut through the whip and the pain disappeared.

Percy reached down in his pocket and pulled out a tiny sphere of pressurised water. He crushed it and willed the water to heal his ankle. He could make out a red glow further down, falling like him. Leo. Percy angled himself downwards, and zoomed down the pit. Leo saw him coming. He fired off a fireball, which Percy easily deflected off his sword. Percy stretched his sword arm, and the blade entered Leo's injured shoulder, where Frank had shot him.

Leo howled in agony and anger, and Percy felt a twinge of pity for his old friend. But he realised that, until there was a way to take off the chip without killing Leo, he could show no compassion. Leo punched Percy off, taking advantage of his temporary indecision. Percy spiralled downwards, his head reeling from the blow. Leo pulled Riptide out of his shoulder and flung it down towards Percy.

Percy twisted in midair to avoid the sword, but the flat side of the blade collided with his chest; winding him. He grunted in pain and managed to catch the sword. Leo sent fireball after fireball roaring down towards Percy, all of which he managed to deflect or dodge.

After what felt like hours, Percy sensed water underneath him. He reached out his hand and felt a tug. That meant it wasn't the Styx, as he couldn't control that. Though he was getting closer; Percy began to analyse the water; a trick his father had only recently taught him. Satisfied it wasn't the Lethe, that left only Acheron and Cocytus.

Percy roared as he lifted the water up, forming a slide to the shore. He hit the surface of the water, going under. A cacophony of wailing hit his ears that made him want to just curl up and die. He steeled his nerves and forced the water to deposit him on the nearest shore. Flashbacks of when he'd first landed here hit him. How he'd landed in the same river, with the wailing; and how Annabeth had been there to help him.

"ANNABETH!" he shouted, a mixture of emotions coursing through his veins. Love. Anger. Fear. Longing.

Percy grunted as the river threw him out onto the shore, his palms being cut on the glass and the noxious fumes of Tartarus choking him. He heard a loud splash and a hiss behind him as a flaming Leo hit the water. Percy groaned; Leo hadn't surfaced. Taking a running start, Percy jumped into the water.

So you have come again, the voices said. We shall not let you go this time. Why resist, demigod? Why, when all life is pathetic; and all the difference you will make in the world is be one more mouth to feed?

"Shut up," Percy growled. The voices stopped speaking to him but the background wailing continued. A dark form appeared in front of Percy, steam rising from it. Leo. Percy grabbed him, wincing slightly as the heat touched him. He began swimming back to the shore.

Note to self. Never take a swim in the Cocytus. The river seemed to oppose Percy as he swam back. The voices had stopped speaking but the incessant wailing was getting to Percy. Percy roared in anger and began using the water to propel him to the shore. It kept on resisting him, but he managed to control it.

Percy threw Leo onto the shore when he reached it. Leo was huddled over, whimpering and clutching his ears. His clothes were soaking wet, steaming from the contact with fire and water. He was shuddering, and made no move towards Percy. Percy walked over to him warily, Riptide extended. He knelt down next to Leo, who turned to look at him with fear-filled eyes. "Leo?" Percy asked. Leo said nothing, instead holding his head in his hands again. Percy looked at his neck and saw that the chip was still attached. Which meant...

Before Percy could react, Leo swung his arm at him, hitting him in the head. Percy cried out in pain as he fell to the ground, dropping Riptide. Leo jumped up and then savagely kicked Percy in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain. Percy roared and extended his hand, causing the Cocytus to erupt and punch Leo backwards. Leo screamed as he was thrown away. Commanding the Cocytus had drained Percy's strength, and he got to his feet shakily. He saw Leo struggling up, and trying to summon a flame. He snarled in frustration when he couldn't and began running towards Percy. Percy began running towards him, and jumped at the last second. Unfortunately, Leo did the same, and the two collided mid-air.

Note to self. Scrawny Latinos hurt more than expected. Percy cried out in pain as the force of Leo's jump propelled the two of them backwards. He hissed as shards of glass cut his shirt and his back.

Leo got up off Percy and savagely began punching him, raining down blow upon blow on him. Percy roared and kicked Leo off. Leo landed on the ground and Percy leapt on him, punching him repeatedly. It had become an all-out brawl.

Percy ran down the side of the hillock, trying to stop himself from falling and impaling himself on glass. Behind him, Leo appeared at the top of the hillock and threw a fireball at Percy. Great, that was back. Percy deflected it off Riptide and continued running. He could hear Leo's footsteps behind him.

Tartarus did everything it could to stop him. The noxious air made breathing difficult as Percy ran. The gravelly ground made running difficult. Percy swore loudly as another fireball exploded next to him. Raising his arms to shield himself from the heat; he kept running.

Then he saw it. What he was looking for. A slight red hue up ahead, after another bend. Then he smelt it, the smoky, fiery smell. Then he heard it, the sound of embers burning and water flowing. Then he felt it, the searing heat.

Or maybe that was the fireball that hit him in the back.

Percy screamed in pain and collapsed to the ground, holding his seared back. He gasped as the pain set in, but forced himself up. Leo was nearly here. He kept on running, his steps uneven as he tried to suppress the pain. Leo was gaining on him.

Then he rounded the bend and saw it. The Phlegethon. Leo rounded the bend too but ran straight into Percy's fist. He fell to the ground, half-conscious. Percy grabbed him by the collar and began to pull him over to the riverside. Leo put up no resistance. Streaks of his blood trailed after his legs as Percy dragged him over the glass. "Sorry, man," Percy winced. He didn't want to unnecessarily hurt Leo, but his back hurt too much for him to pick Leo up.

When they got to the riverside, Percy dropped Leo and stood up. The heat of the Phlegethon was searing, and Percy had to fight the urge to just run away. What he had to do next would hurt both him and Leo. But that was his fatal flaw. Loyalty to friends.

He bent down and grabbed Leo again. "I'm sorry, man," he muttered again and then dragged him over to the river. Leo's eyes widened slightly, but he was still too dazed from the punch to react otherwise. Leo's back hit the fire and began steaming immediately. He forced himself to pull the rest of Leo into the fire, holding only his hand so that Leo wouldn't be pulled away by the current. Percy winced loudly in pain as the fire swirled around his hand. Leo started thrashing, the fire bubbling over where he was. Percy forced himself to wait despite the excruciating pain before pulling Leo out.

His entire body was steaming, the acrid smoke causing Percy's eyes to water. Percy placed two fingers on Leo's wrist. There was a pulse – a strong pulse. Percy turned him over, looking at his neck. The Celestial Bronze chip had melted off, leaving an angry welt where it had been.

Percy sat there for 10 minutes, waiting for Leo to regain consciousness. He finally stirred, and Percy grabbed his sword just in case. Leo pushed himself off the ground, groaning. Percy helped him up, nearly buckling under Leo's weight.

Leo turned to look at him, his teary eyes widening in recognition.

"Percy?"