Chapter 7: A Search
Hi
Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series.
This chapter is going to be completely about Nico, Percy, Frank, Piper, Annabeth, Hazel. Maybe a bit of Jason. Oh! And I changed my mind about the time period! It's after BoO's storyline and Leo comes back, but Calypso is back at camp, while they are off to save the world from Gaea's second attack.
And just to clear: no Perico or Jaseo.
Nico
Again. They were on the run again. He had lost track of what was chasing him, since there was always something to flee. Frank and Percy were with him, while Piper, Annabeth, and Hazel were in a separate group.
"Frank! Can you fly us out of here?!" Percy seemed desperate to get to safety. He had a much lower stamina than the son of Hades, who said nothing but tried to help Percy keep up.
"Y-Yeah!" Frank concentrated. First he changed into a lion, then he managed a giant eagle. He picked up the two remaining heroes in his talons as he flew higher and higher.
Percy sighed in relief. "Th-Thanks. Whew!"
Just then an arrow buried itself in Frank's left wing, causing him to let out a high-pitched eagle noise. Nico's face darkened. Percy was in panic.
"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!"
"Yo shut up." Nico was trying to concentrate. I can save them. He succeeded. In an instant, he had shadow traveled them all to the ground, Frank in human form now. "Oh gods..." His vision blurred. He hadn't risked this since he had returned alive with Reyna. Even now he had almost slipped into the shadows.
Percy reached out to pat him on the back, but he stared in horror as his hand passed through. "Nico! Dam it!" Nico struggled but he took a physical form.
"Sorry. I haven't risked it since the Giant War."
Percy quite literally punched him in the jaw, turning his head to the left. Nico was in disbelief, and he slowly raised his hand to his face. "Percy?"
"DUDE! You could have died! I thought we agreed no more shadow travel for at least six months! And... sorry. You ok?"
Nico grinned. "Of course I'm ok. Your punches are weak." Percy scowled.
In all the shadow travel drama, they had forgotten about Frank, who still had an arrow in his arm. He was holding the wound and groaning.
"Frank! Here let me take the arrow out!" Percy slowly pulled the arrow out of Frank's bicep, as the taller boy moaned. Nico took out a vial of ambrosian salve.
"Here." He applied it over Frank's bicep, and the wound closed instantaneously.
"Th-Thanks. I owe you one."
"Don't worry about it." They dashed off before more monsters could find them. They checked every mechanic store in town. Nico had looked everywhere, until he sighted a small figure in a dark alley. "Perce!" He whispered loudly, immediately getting the attention of the son of Poseidon.
The three walked into the alley. "L-Leo?" Frank was the one to call out. Frank has a stutter... that's another "con"... three more and I'm interfering with "Frazel"... unicorns are fabulous... what am I even thinking? The son of Hades snapped out of his thoughts. No no I'm not interfering with Frazel. I trust Frank.
When they reached the place they had sighted the shadowy figure, there was nothing there. They had reached the end of the alley. "Leo?"
"Over here..." Leo's voice came as weak and without humor. All three turned simultaneously, but instead of a scrawny boy, they turned to face a huge cyclops. As in huge in comparison to cyclops. He was probably twenty-five feet tall, and his rippling muscles put Frank to shame. Percy reached into his pocket, and Nico reached toward his belt for his sword, but his hand passed through. Damn it! He struggled to take physical form again. He quickly took some ambrosia, so he could stay solid effortlessly again. He drew Ghostwalk and waited.
Percy uncapped Riptide. Frank just aimed an arrow. The cyclops laughed.
"You think those pesky weapons can deal with the likes of me?!" He smashed the ground at his feet where Nico had been standing. Luckily, the demigod's training kicked in just then and he rolled to the right. He stabbed the blade into the cyclops's wrist, bringing a satisfying cry of pain. While Nico held him down, Frank let the arrows loose, five at a time, only taking about two seconds to shoot. Dang... heh Dang Zhang.
The cyclops found thirty masterfully-shot arrows in his chest. Sadly, the cyclops's rage caused him to swat Nico to one side. Percy yelped. "Nico!" Nico got up and jumped with amazing agility onto the back of his enemy. He held onto the skin as he stabbed multiple times.
A huge body fell to the ground, and ichor spilled all around the body of the dissolving cyclops. Nico jumped off before the body hit the ground. He rolled as he hit the ground and ended up beside Frank as he got to his feet.
Frank grinned. "Nice, Di Angelo." Nico grinned.
"You're not a bad shot either. Percy? You alright?" Percy was standing in the corner of the alley.
He seemed as if he had been zoned out, and he had just snapped out of it. "Huh? S-Sorry... I'm so sorry you guys! I... I don't know what happened to me... you had to fight alone. I'm so sorry. I... guess I was off guard." Nico groaned.
"Perce it's not your fault. We all have those days." Nico put a hand on Percy's shoulder. "Don't worry."
"Thanks... thanks man." He put the cap back on the blade, turning it back into a pen.
They fled the alleyway before the cyclops could reform. Sure the doors of death were closed, but once you actually fight with reforming monsters, you never—never—stick around too long.
They stopped sprinting three blocks away. "Man that was kinda scary." Frank didn't talk much, but when he spoke, he spoke the truth. It was scary.
"Oh really? What could possibly give you that crazy idea?" Nico's sarcasm was biting, but it was obvious that he didn't mean it. Percy was leading them now, as they walked, still panting from the run. Percy didn't stop when Nico did, so the shorter boy had to reach out and grab his arm. "Percy." His voice was barely above a whisper. "Don't move."
In a moment, they were surrounded. The spirits seemed like ghosts. Percy's eyes were wide, and it was obvious that he wanted to make a break for it (they all did), but they all knew that would be the death of them. Percy obviously knew what was good for him, since he obeyed Nico's command.
"Do as I say. Please." Both demigods nodded in submission.
Percy
The arai moved in. Frank was the only one who hadn't faced them before. Both Nico and Percy had been through Tartarus. "Tell us children... has your life been miserable? Have you thought of the pain you have caused others?" Percy immediately remembered. Calypso. Reyna. Hylla. Circe. Geryon. Zoe. Bianca. Nico. Of course he had thought about it. More than that, it was the only thing he thought of for quite some time. Thankfully Nico has forgiven me. I still haven't talked to Calypso...
Nico was the first to speak. "Leave us." Percy truly admired the guy's courage. After all, he did owe Nico his life... from the Titan war... the Giant war... and the fight with the Anemoi Thuellai... probably several more times. "I command all the arai to return to Tartarus." His words held tremendous power. Percy remembered the weak boy he had found years ago. He was gone. Nico was a man—correction, boy—of power.
"You think you can control us boy—"
"Leave." His words made the ground shake. Literally. Several skeletal arms shot out of cracks in the ground and dragged the arai down into the Underworld, as they wailed in anger. "Ok you can move now."
Percy exhaled. He felt his chest heaving from the relief. "You saved us again. Wow."
"Meh. It's what I do."
Frank raised an eyebrow. "Hazel told me about your thing with skeletons but... I never believed it until now." Nico flashed him a grin, which probably scared the son of Mars shitless.
"Did she tell you I can also kill you just by turning you into a ghost? Or send you to the Fields of Punishment and let my father and Orcus deal with you." Frank opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Again. Percy couldn't help chuckling as he watched Nico intimidate his sister's boyfriend.
Seeing Frank's state, Nico obviously felt mercy for the tough guy. "I'm kidding. I can but I'd never do it to any of you." Frank's breaths came easier. "I did it in front of Reyna... and accidentally scared her with trauma from her past."
Percy nearly choked. "You scared Reyna? That's intense."
"I know... she made me promise to never do it in front of her again."
"I can imagine. Anyway we better keep moving before they come back and try to suck us dry." His face reddened as soon as the last words left his mouth. Oh gods... I probably just called in so many dirty jokes...
Frank put a hand on his mouth, and the sounds coming from his mouth were quite comical. Even Nico had a grin.
Percy blushed more. "N-No! I didn't mean... ugh you guys are the worst." Nico grinned.
"So... you're boning immortal spirits now? Perce your standards are falling!"
Frank started laughing even harder, once the son of Hades said that part. Percy's face had an expression that made all the jokes worth it. "N-Nico!"
Nico smirked more. "Yeeeees?" Percy scowled. "Ok ok I get it." He seemed satisfied at that.
"Good." His face became slightly less pink.
Frank broke the silence. "I see some gryphons circling. Let's go."
"We better."
"Hold up. I think I can..." The son of Mars transformed into a large pegasus—larger than average, but not as large as Lord Pegasus.
Nico raised an eyebrow. "Dang..." He climbed on with little difficulty, and offered a hand to Percy. "C'mon."
Percy took his hand and pulled himself up behind Nico. "Ok ready Frank." Frank neighed and flew up with strong wings. Percy had to hold Nico's waist to keep himself from plummeting to his death. Nico understood, and didn't fight his grip.
"You ok Perce?" The son of death sounded worried.
"Y-Yeah I'm fine. It's just... Zeus's realm and all. Aren't you scared?" It was a legitimate question. They were both children of the big three, and their parents didn't get along with Zeus.
"Remember? Jason made him promise not to hurt any demigod unless they were malicious... so... you shouldn't be scared, I should but I'm not."
"Nico you're not malicious."
"I was. I kept Camp Jupiter secret. I didn't tell you who you were when you forgot. I've done so many things... I was aware, but meeting the Arai in Tartarus just magnified it."
Percy hugged Nico. Well more like he tightened his arms around his waist. "Nico don't. You did what you had to. The Arai mess with our heads. They reminded me of Calypso and... Bi... anca."
There was silence for a while after that, but Nico broke it. "Percy we talked about this. None of it is your fault. So don't."
Frank whinnied in protest of being left out of all the drama. Nico chuckled. It was weird seeing the formerly dark boy being so... happy... and communicative. But hey. I'm not complaining! In fact, it was the opposite. Seeing Nico like this made Percy happy.
He hardly noticed when they landed, and Nico dismounted in front of him. Percy slowly slid off, and Frank turned back into a human.
"They must have been here. It's the last place in this city. If they were taken somewhere else... Hades help them. And Poseidon. And Ares I guess. And every other gods. Or any helpful Titans like Iapetus or Giants like Damesys."
Percy's heart filled with guilt when Nico said Iapetus's name. "Nico... about Bob. Thanks. If you hadn't told him to help us, we would have died down there. You saved my hide again." Nico patted him on the back.
"Yeah true. I do that a lot." He smirked. He did that a lot.
The trio walked into the store, and Percy walked up to the counter. "Um have you seen a tall blond superman-ish dude and a skinny other guy?"
"Huh?" He was so confused it was funny. But then Percy noticed his ears. They were pointed. The demigod backed away from the counter and grabbed Frank by the wrist.
"It's a trap. Run." Before they knew it, they were surrounded. By gryphons, chimerae, dracaenae, dragons, even a drakon, gemini, manticores, and a few minotaurs.
Their leader seemed to be one of the minotaurs, bigger and buffer than the other two. "It is a trap young demigod. You are our second catch in two consecutive days. Lucky us!" Jason and Leo!
He targeted Frank first, and tackled the boy to the ground. He tried wrestling the minotaur but there was too much power. Then, he moved to Nico, who had dematerialized. Not a bad idea. The minotaur couldn't hit him, so he moved on to Percy. Like earlier Percy wasn't feeling particularly brave or strong. Just one punch made him crumple to the ground. He heard his name right before he passed out.
Hi thanks for reading, please review!
This is one of Gaea's bases, hence the monsters. And the next chapter will be a mix of the storylines. Percy isn't exactly weak he's just out of it.
