Percy came up from the cold water with two strong hands pulling him out, almost yanking his arms out of socket.
He came up breathing wildly and heavily, which he found stupid of himself, but he kept at it because he was seriously out of breath and light headed. His vision was blurry for a few seconds till he focused in onto a very pale face that held a mean expression. Percy then realized that the face wasn't exactly human once he really looked at him and saw through him.
There were two more men behind him and, from the corners of his eyes, two more on each side, holding his up like nothing. Panic rose slightly inside him and his trouble with breath increased. He flinches a little and the guards holding him shake him to stop.
The big guard in front of him steps closer to the son of Poseidon. He looks him up and down, checking his clothing. He even leans in and sniffs him, pulling away with a snarl on his face. Percy looks down at himself, finding his clothes dry.
The leader turns to the two behind him, ordering out commands in a foreign language that Percy doesn't know. It sounded somewhat Greek but it also had a hint of something else he wasn't so sure of.
"W-what?" He stammers. "Where am I? Who are you-" he was cut off but another harsh shook that made his arms throb. The leader kept talking to the other two, ignoring Percy like an annoying child.
Panic and a bit if anger rose inside Percy more. "I said, where am I?" He put force into his tone, but got the same results.
Percy was now frustrated. He should have been cautious with these new stronger looking visitors but he knew this route. They were trying to kill him.
His theory was proven when the leader turned around and brought out his sword. Percy didn't have time to react before the leader cut his cheek. Blood soon ran out and down his face and Percy felt his rage roar. He kicked the leader in the chest, bringing his legs up and putting all of his force into the blast.
Percy soon regretted that. His leg hit the armor and the painful effect shot up his leg like lighting, causing his to gasp in pain. The guards around him laughed with humor at the demigod who was not in pain from his stupid attempt of an attack.
He bites back his squeal as the guards threw him in a wooden cart like vehicle. He sat up as they settle into their own seats, the two that were just holding him now hanging off the sides.
Percy's leg was throbbing and would soon go numb. He glared at the two guard already decided that he hated them. He also took a look at their armor. All five of them were in Ancient World like clothing with long black pants and bronze accent armor on the chest which were covered by sliver grey shirt. Their swords hang off to the side with large shields hanging off their backs.
The chart soon started to move and Percy mumbled threats under his breath, blaming and cursing the gods for every damn thing he could think of. Percy soon notices the sight in front of him. The chart that carried them all was riding on a long wooden bright that served as a passage over a large body of water, possibly a river or ocean. The sight was beautiful really, the sun was slowly raising over the brilliant blue water and the sky was a wide variety of colors-orange, pink, purple, white. The wind blew it the opposite direction of the way they were going, making Percy's hair flap over his face as he sat out look at the sight.
Soon the never ending bright stopped and replaced with rocky dirt and grassy pacts. Rows of houses came into view, along with people in long robes that looked like they came from Ancient Greece. All of them were like the guards-pale white ghost.
The sight before Percy blew his mind. The ghost peasant was living like actual people. They carried homemade baskets that held fresh fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Some walked calmly as the held a few scrolls in their hands, as if they were off to find a nice area to read or to their way to an important meeting. Some were even playing in the streets, running around as if they were playing a game of tag. They even looked like living children. The thought send shivers down Percy's spine.
The houses soon turned into shops, were the road also turned into paved, smooth stones that were the color of ivory. There were more people there now. Most of them were stands at the local shops, talking and buying things. Some were walking and socializing, laughing and smiling. It made Percy head feel lopsided.
Part of Percy felt a little off by the odd sight. Ever since his first visit to the Underworld, he always thought that the dead were incredibly sad souls that seem to never truly understand why they were no longer living, and seemed to leave them in a depressing state that seemed to last forever, like they can never be truly at peace. This was the exact opposite. The spirits were smiling, even laughing like they were still alive, as if they never died in the first place. They even look like they were still human, with the facial feature lighting up brightly, along with their full sounding voices that seemed to fill the air. He felt as if he was back at Camp Half Blood before the war, back when everything was okay again. His heart felt like it was being tug at the thought.
The cart stopped abruptly, making Percy fall back on his backside, his arms failing to catch him. His head hit the old wood and he groan with pain. When his vision cleared, he saw the leader of the guards to his left, standing in a demanding pose as he glared down at the young demigod, as if he was a bug on a priceless rug.
"We are needed for a moment in this shop. We will be right back, and we will be watching." His tone was deadly, which Percy found somewhat ironic. "Don't try anything, vittima."
He then turned away and headed inside the large, old looking shop that the cart stopped in front of. Percy sighed deeply, angry at the guards and his throbbing head.
"Goddamn asshole." He mumbled under his breath.
"What's that?" Percy jumps out of his skin and looks in front of him, his hand in his pocket, gripping Riptide but not uncapping it.
Hanging off the railing of the cart was a little boy with paler-than-death skin and messy blonde hair. His eyes were a light toned green, but the life inside them seemed to be missing. Everything else about him was alive and surprising well exact for his eyes and skin.
"What?" Percy asked the boy.
"What's a goddamn asshole?" He repeated. Percy felt his face go red from embarrassment.
"Umm... Nothing." He said. "Who are you?"
The boy grinned a smile with a few missing teeth. "I'm Ajax."
"Hi Ajax." Percy forced a smile. "Um...Don't go repeating that either."
"Okay." Ajax nodded. "I won't."
"Ajax!" A girl came into view. She was older with the same hair and eyes, but she had freckles dashed across her cheeks and the base of her nose. Percy assumed they were siblings. She picked the boy up off the railing and balanced him onto her hip. The girl looked about the age of a preteen as the boy was probably a toddler.
"S-sorry, s-sir." The girl stammered. "He's always getting out and exploring."
"It's okay." Percy said. The looked at him wide eyed and blushed bright red before turning away.
Percy was a little stunned by the notion.
"What are you?" A new voice questioned to his side, which turned out to be another little boy with a group if children around him, all of them looking up at him, gawking with curiosity and amazement.
"I'm a... demigod." It came out more like a question then a statement. The kids gasped.
"Oh mine!" A young lady came up to the cart now. "No wonder his so handsome!"
"Um...thanks?" That was defiantly a question. Before he could blink, more and more voices broke out at him with questions of all kinds. More and more people came up to the cart, all of them looking at Percy like he was a priceless artifact. Percy soon stood and backed away from the crowd now forming, making him feel as if he was a stage performing instead of being captured and held hostage in a shitty wagon thing.
"Who is your godly parent, demigod?" One person cried.
"Poseidon." He answered.
"Is that why you have such a glowing glorious aura around you? To represent the sea god's beautiful creation?" A woman asked.
"Umm..." That was extremely odd. Who talked like that anymore?
Just then another woman gasped in total shock. "He's alive!"
That caused the crowd to go wild. Shouts broke the air even more, people were throwing their arms up and reaching for him. He went even more back, to where his back touched the back of the front riding seats.
The idea came to him in a flash, forming faster than he could put to act. He hopped over the seat and settled in with the stirring rope in his hand. He noticed that the horse in front of him were just as pale and ghostly as the people who were now calling for Percy like mad.
"Son of the Sea God, please come back!"
"Sea Prince, please return to us!"
"Demigod Heir! Come and tell us about your glory, young hero!"
"Hey! You!"
At that call, Percy turned to find his new best friend, pointing his sword at him as he stood in front of the shop. Percy stroked the horses and call out the command.
The cart ran off forward, zooming with rapid speed and force. All five guards and some people from the crowd lunged forward. Most missed but not that Percy's best friend. Percy turned to find him screaming threads at him as he barely hung onto the back railing of the cart.
Percy turned back up front and stroked them again, demanding more speed. He turned back to still find the leader hanging on. Percy cussed out loud this time, hoping no little kid heard him that time.
He turned back to the front to find that they were about to crash into a home head on. He cussed again, pulling the stirring rope as hard and he could. "Turn!" He called out to the horses.
They obeyed, making a sharp left turn at the last second. Percy was thrown to the side but manage to stay on. He looked back to find the man hopping over the railing, now in the back section of the cart.
Percy, with one hand on the rope, pulled out Riptide. The guard pulled out his sword and attacked Percy. Percy defended himself as he tried to keep an eye on the road ahead of him. He tugged the ropes harder, trying to get fast enough to throw off the guard's balance, but it didn't affect him much. He was a seriously good swordsman, defiantly giving Percy a hard time since he hadn't practice as much and was pretty rusty.
Percy turned back to the front and saw about a dozen men on horses charging at him. He pulled the toes with all his might, yelling as loud as possible. "HALT!"
He was bent back as he did this, so the guard took advance of this and tried to slice him in half.
Percy dodged to the left, taking the rope with him, which caused the horse to turn left. The horses and cart with into a swirling circle, making the cart drag on the ground, losing the two back wheels in the process.
Percy let go of the ropes to stop the spinning, which didn't make fighting the guard any easier, even with both hands. The next thing Percy known is that he is, somehow, on the ground at sword point with that damn guard leader above him and all his damn guard followers around him.
Percy swore out loud for the third time that day. The fourth was when they grabbed him back the arm and pointed the sword to his back, saying that he was now going to walk to the plaza.
Well, at least he knew where he was going now. He tried asking why but that just got him a cut on his face. The stinging on his cheek wasn't really that bad through, at least, not as bad as all the people who were obsessing over him like a cute puppy dog. The villagers weren't as bad as they were earlier but they were still looking at him in great amazement. He found it annoying, a bit nice at first, but now it was annoying.
The punishment walk was never ending. Percy walked as the dozen guards on horses gather around him in a form of a square. The leader was the one who held the sword at his back, pushing the point to his spine every now and then.
After what felt like days later, Percy could finally see the castle from a distance. It was huge, and ungodly pretty. The thought finally hit him then, when they were passing the golden marigolds and ruby red roses garden that decorated the front entrees.
"Does your ruler or whatever want me for something?" Percy asked the guard behind him. He turned his head to find him evilly smirking, but he remains silent.
They arrived at the big, black metal gates that were accented with fine, curvy lines of bronze. At the very top, there was a black skull with emerald green eyes. It gave Percy the shivers.
The surrounding guards soon departed around him, and went onto other places, leaving him with the original five. In a flash, Percy found himself in a very still and tough stance with one sword blade across the neck, one on point with his heart, and one on the center if his spine.
"What the actual fuck?" Percy cried out with a raise brow.
"Silence, fool!" The leader ordered. "We will now lead you to the king."
"The King? Is that your ruler person thing?" Percy asked.
"Yes. He's the one who ordered us to search the water and bring you to him once we found you." The leader glared down at the demigod again. His eyes were like the others, dark and hollow, but he was looking at him like he was trying to solve a complex math problem he couldn't wrap his mind around fully. Percy tired not to gulp from the intimidating scowl.
"Come along." He finally ordered. The group followed him as he leads the way into the castle. Percy took very small steps behind him due to the fact he had swords all pointing at him. If he stepped to big the blade at his next dug in too deep into his neck for his own confront. If he was going to slowly for the guards, who probably thought he was delaying his meeting with the so called 'King', they would harshly poke him with the sword, right onto his spine to where he flinched in panicky pain. They didn't cause blood, but it was still enough to worry Percy.
The part he didn't like most about his wonderful stroll was the fact that he was supposedly going to see their king, who probably wanted him to either go on a quest for him or wanted him to die for whatever reason. Either way, Percy was not excited about this at all.
At least the view was nice. The hallway the group went through was very pretty, in a kind of dark gothic sort way. The walls were dark with matching columns, all of them illuminating in the low light that was provided by the giant, majestic glass chandelier that hovered over the very first open room that came upon during the walk. There were ghost servants there in a variety of colored robes serving what seemed to be priest. Percy found that was slightly odd but walked on. Not that he really had a choice or anything...
They kept walking, Percy using his side vision to observe the place. He noticed the painting of different looking men that hung on the walls in golden frames. All of them were somewhat the same, most of them had the same coloring of the eyes or the shape of their mouth or the angle of their chins. All of them were in royal black armor with different material designs. All the kings' expressions radiated power and ruthlessness, as if they were about to exile Percy for just breathing. Beside the painting were small plaques that stated the ruler's name and the time period they were in charge of the kingdom. The thing was, Percy couldn't read it. It was written in a forgiven language that he had never seen before. It looked slightly similar to Greek lettering, and maybe a bit of English, but it still seemed completely exotic and different then Percy had ever seen before.
He didn't get much of a chance to study it, since the guard behind his won't allow it. So, he decided just the ask. "So, who are all these dudes?"
He never received an answer. The leader just kept briskly walking, ignoring the boy. The guards around him didn't bother to answer him.
After what seemed like forever, Percy saw a new light up ahead, at the end of the hallway. They came into it soon afterwards. Percy's eyes first landed on the large plaque on the wall with more of the mystery writing enrage on it. Percy realized it was the throne room when he saw the throne that almost blew his mind. Not because it was glorious or amazing or anything like that. No, because it was just like the Hades'. A tall black cushion throne with human bones scattered at the bottom, the same thing that the chair was basically made of. It hit Percy then of why he thought he had been to the castle before. He turned back towards everything he just walked through behind him, looking over the guard.
"It's just like the Underworld..." Percy mumbled to himself in shock.
"Look forward!" The leader demanded in a hard, loud tone. Percy obeyed and slowly turned forwards.
"The King isn't here." The leader stated as he walked towards him.
"Clearly." Percy sassed back. In a second he had a sword tip under his chin.
"Do not test me, demigod." The leader threatens. Percy remained quiet as he removed the sword but not moving it far.
"Perhaps it would be easier for you to confess your sins now. Saves the King's time of dealing with you." The leader glared at him more. "So, speak now."
"I didn't do anything." Percy stated with force in his voice.
"Lair!" The leader shove the sword tip back under his chin. "The King always kills those who he requests us to bring from the water. All of those who have been from the living world on the
King's demands never made it back."
"I haven't done anything." He stated again. "I don't even know who your king is."
"Lair!"
"I'm not lying, you fucking asshole!"
That cause the butt of the sword to make connect with his head. Percy went down with a painful groan, his vision blurring. The swords pointing all around him return and the one under his chin held his head up as he stayed on his knees.
His vision cleared enough to see the leader from his side. Percy was glaring at him and he was glaring back. He was about to day something till the sound of opening doors cut him off. Percy turned back to the front, facing upwards to the bone throne, and watched carefully into the dark to see if anything happens. He couldn't see the doors, he could only hear them and the squeaky noise that over power the almost empty room. Soon the squealing noise stopped and soon were followed by knocking footsteps that sounded as if they were covered by boots. The noise came louder as the feet soon approached the steps leading up the throne.
Percy's vision was cleared by then, but the sight before him seemed to be unreal to where he questions if his was just imaging it. Or better yet, him.
The young man in front of him was about as tall as he was himself, with long limbs with firm, sinewy muscles. His skin was as white snow, almost as white as the ghost's, but it was obviously clear that he was alive with his beaming radiance of sovereignty. It vibrated more of his power, along with his graciousness, whenever he moved in the slightest bit. He even looked paler in his ebony clothing, with tall black leather boots and black riding pants tucked into them, and then his black, long sleeve shirt to complete the uniform. He wore a thin, bronze, twine like armor that clung to the sides of his legs, strapped from the top of his boots up to his waist belt that held his swords. His hair was a slovenly manner, like it always was, but his face had matured. In the pass years, his jaw line has become wider and squarer. His cheeks became fuller, only a bit hallow now, which brought out his high and strong cheek bones. His svelte lips were the color of the rose outside, making his eyes look as dark and as brown as the underworld soil. He had transformed into a completely different looking being then the last encounter Percy had had with him, but he could still have recognized him straight away, like it was still the ten-year-old he first met, or the hero he fought beside in the Giant War.
For a long moment, they just stared back at each other. Percy could tell the absolute shock in his eyes, and he knew he probably reflected the notion back to him. Percy couldn't find any words to say for a moment. He was just...surprised to see him. And even more surprised to find his to change so dramatically.
Is this where he been for all these years? Is this why we couldn't get to him in any way?... Then how could I last night?
The memories of last night flew through his mind, recalling every single detail. He knew he tried to IM him, reaching out desperately to his last sting of hope and sanity, but he never really expected to get a reply. He was somewhat happy he did.
"Percy." Nico whispered, breaking the silence in the room dramatically.
"Nico." Percy breathed. All the swords around him pressed onto his body even more.
"What do you want us to do with him, My Lord?" The leader asked.
Nico blinked a few times before turning to him, like he just realized that the guards were actually there. "W-what?"
"How do you want us to kill him and why?"
"What?!" Nico flinched, like his own cry surprised him. "No. No, don't kill him."
"But My Lord, he is a criminal."
"No. No, he's not." Nico stated with his voice now firm. "He's my guest. My honored guest... He's..." He turned back to Percy. "He's my friend."
Percy breathed again as he felt the sword point slowly move away from his body and the guards moved away from him, letting his have some space and have the capability to breath for the first time.
Nico turned back to the leader. "Bradshaw," he addressed the guard. "Take him to his own private room. Dress him and feed him if he is hungry. He'll join me later tonight for dinner. Just me and him."
"Yes, My Lord." Bradshaw bowed.
The guards were starting to help him up when he spoke. "Wait!" Percy didn't know why he was having a hard time talking to him. "I-I have so much to ask. So much-"
"I'll answer then at dinner, Percy." Nico actually smiled at him, a small smile, but a smile overall.
"I'll answer everything. I promise."
The son of Hades turned his back before Percy could speak again. The boy walked back into the dark to where he couldn't be seen again. That's when the guards turned him back towards the hallway behind him and lead him away.
Percy knew Nico would keep his promise. He always did.
