A/N: Sorry about that last cliffhanger. HAHA-not really! No, but in all honestly, thank you guys so much for sticking with me through this story. This past Sunday was my first week as a member here, so yay! *throws confetti in the air*
Me: Annabeth! Would you do the disclaimer this time, please?
Annabeth: I thought you would ask me. Percy is a Seaweed Brain, after all.
Percy: HEY! I thought you were on my side!
Annabeth: *laughs* I am, Seaweed Brain. RainbowSpark18 doesn't own any of Rick Riordan's characters; but she does own the plot and any OCs she might introduce.
Me: Thanks Annabeth! Enjoy the chapter!
The first sensation Percy felt after waking up was a stinging in his left cheek. Nico had just slapped him. Not that he blamed him. He knew that he had died. He had seen Thanatos, and he only appeared when you died. But he ran away, and by some miracle, he was alive.
He then tuned in to Nico ranting in some language-most likely Italian-he didn't understand. By the frequency they were coming out and how the words sounded, Percy guessed that none of the words he was saying was particularly flattering or nice.
"Nico, would you shut up!" Jason shouted, almost hurling his glasses at the ranting son of Hades. "He's gone, and it's bad enough you just slapped his corpse! I get that you're hurting-we all are-but there has got to be a more reasonable way to deal with grief!"
"J-Jason?" Percy croaked hoarsely. "I-I'm here you idiot."
The son of Jupiter scowled. "This isn't funny. Wait to summon his soul at least. I want him to be in Elysium first."
Percy weakly raised his head off the pillow, grunting in pain as he did so. "Not dead," he mumbled, collapsing back onto his back. His muscles felt like they were on fire, and even that small movement sent unbearable pain coursing through his body. But he made the choice to come back; he'd suck it up.
"What did you do to my son?" Poseidon asked, his face contorting with unbridled rage. "He died saving my brother's bastard,"-Jason flinched, then glared at his uncle-"and I will not let you consecrate his memory!"
Percy wished that the others would notice that he was alive. How did they know he died, though? Was he hooked up to some machine, and he hadn't noticed? He gave a gentle squeeze to Nico's hand-the only other person who knew he was alive.
"Show…them," Percy said hoarsely, slowly thrumming his fingers on Nico's knuckles.
Nico got up from the bed, returning Percy's comforting gesture. He didn't smile, though, and it still looked like he had the world yanked from under his feet, leaving him drowning in misery and despair.
"I get that you want to scream at me," began Nico casually, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "But look. I didn't do anything; Percy's alive."
"Impossible," Apollo said quietly, but it was still loud enough for all the room's occupants to hear. "We all heard and saw the flat line. He's gone, Nico. I'm sorry."
"Gods, get over your petty grief and look at him!" Nico snapped. "He. Is. Alive. Is that so hard to get through your thick skulls?"
"Watch your mouth, boy," Poseidon threatened.
"Or what? You'll kill me?" Nico threw his head back and laughed-a sick, almost psychotic laugh. "Death doesn't scare me, Poseidon. Go ahead, smite me-I dare you."
"Please stop," Percy croaked. "Jason, stop this."
But no one heard him.
His frustration built. Nico was going to get himself killed if he continued with this destructive behavior. Percy wanted to do something, anything, to show the others that his heart was beating-that he was breathing, too-but nothing came to mind other than screaming. And with the way his throat stung, like he had swallowed glass shards-which he knew what that felt like-he knew his voice wouldn't be strong enough for anyone to hear them over their screaming.
That left Percy with three options: Either move enough to get attention, manipulate the water in the air, or uncap Riptide-assuming his father hadn't claimed the sword back.
The last option seemed the easiest to Percy. Moving would cause more pain, and he was too weak to even attempt manipulating any sort of water. Riptide was in his pocket, and his hand was nearby. Sure, the muscles in his arms could scream in agony all they wanted, but he was going to get his family's attention.
Gritting his teeth through the pain, Percy's hand closed around the familiar ballpoint pen in his pocket. Moving his arm out was more excruciating than putting it in, and his nerves flared with pain every bump he made against the bed or his skin.
Finally, he could take the cap off of Riptide, as it had reached the middle of his torso. Making sure the cap was facing up, he took it off, and the three-foot celestial bronze sword sprang forth in its bronze glory, the blade humming with energy of the sea.
Percy had tuned out the conversation behind him as he grabbed Riptide, but he didn't notice he had gotten used to the constant noise until it stopped all together when his sword shredded through the white, sterile sheets of the bed he was on. Whose idea was it to cover his dead body in sheets? At least no one had put a drachma in his mouth. That would've been disgusting waking up to.
"Holy Hades!" Apollo shouted, crashing into a couple of charts showing all the parts of a merman's and human's body. Paper flew everywhere, and Percy cracked a smile, but even that small movement was painful. He relaxed the muscles in his face.
"So, you weren't lying?" Jason asked nervously. His question was answered when Nico slapped him across the face, his face red with anger for being called a liar.
"Idiota!" Nico cried, slapping a hand to his forehead. "Why in my father's name would I lie about this, Jason?!"
Percy was then smothered by the overwhelming scent of the sea. He barely had enough time to brace himself, his muscles tensing for the inevitable impact, and all the air in his lungs was forced out with one tight hug. He coughed, gasping for breath. He began to panic, remembering the nymphaeum and the muskeg, and he attempted to hold his breath for as long as possible.
"I'm so sorry," Poseidon cried, ignoring the bluish tinge on Percy's face.
"Poseidon, get off of him!" cried Apollo, pulling his uncle off his cousin. As the god of medicine, he could feel Percy about to pass out from lack of oxygen.
Once Poseidon was off of him, Percy inhaled deeply, relishing at the feeling of oxygen back in his lungs. He was breathing shakily, trying to control that wave of panic that he had felt. He was a son of Poseidon, he couldn't drown-or so he thought. Percy remembered the feeling of helplessness he felt with the oily, black, murky water back under the surface of Rome as he tried to find an escape route. Had it not been for Piper's cornucopia and her quick thinking, he and Jason would've been dead.
"Nuh uh," he heard Nico say. "Stop thinking of that memory, Percy, whatever it is."
Percy blinked rapidly, trying to focus on something in the room. His gaze stood frozen at the seashell on the door-something that wasn't moving or able to send him into an episode. He could feel his heartbeat slow down until it was normal again.
"There we go. Keep staring at the door if that keeps you here."
"Thanks," he said weakly.
"What was that?" Jason asked.
"I said thanks. Sorry my voice is so quiet."
"Huh?"
Sighing, Percy meekly rubbed his throat, identifying the source of the problem. It didn't bother him that he couldn't talk-he'd get to postpone answer questions-but it was annoying when he was trying to reassure his family that he was okay.
"Apollo," Poseidon snapped. "Get my son some nectar. That's the least we can do for him."
With some difficulty, Nico and Jason managed to prop Percy up into a sitting position; he was internally screaming the entire time. He had been in close proximity to a god's burst of power before, but nothing like this. This had been a head-first collision between Poseidon's wrath and Jason, and Percy had been a human shield. It hurt. A lot.
Nico held the glass of nectar to his lips, keeping the straw steady as he slurped the drink. He tasted his mom's blue chocolate chip cookies, as if they were freshly baked, and the chocolate was still melting on the inside. Once he had emptied the glass, he felt stronger, but he still wasn't back to fully recovered. His muscles still ached, though not as bad anymore. His throat still stung, but he felt like if he tried to talk now, words would come out loud enough for the others to hear.
"Better," Percy sighed, wincing as his shoulder blades bumped against the headboard of the bed.
"Percy?" Poseidon asked. Said son looked up. "What were you thinking about? Why did Nico tell you to stop thinking of whatever you were thinking?"
Nico, Apollo, and Jason were all glaring daggers at Poseidon, but the god didn't even bristle under their intense gaze.
Percy could feel his airway constrict again. He remembered the slick water covering him from head-to-toe; he remembered thinking that he could breathe before gulping in huge quantities of water, making him think that he was going to drown. He felt the mud and dirt being forced up his nostrils, filling the empty space between his ears and his open mouth as he shouted for help.
His hands began trembling, and even though the motion hurt, he couldn't help it. He wasn't exactly the most emotionally stable as of now, and bringing back these bad memories were not helping.
"Hey, ignore your father's question," Nico said softly but sternly, sitting next to Percy, his eyes intently locked at Percy's. "Calm down, Perce. You're perfectly safe with me right now."
The trembling moved up his arms and his legs. Percy felt his pulse began to soar, but he took measured breaths, trying to listen to Nico. He lost feeling in his fingertips. His teeth were chattering in his mouth, but he wasn't even cold. A sense of dread settled on his chest.
Snap out of it, Percy, he scolded himself. Listen to your cousin. I'm with my dad. Gods, that would be embarrassing if I went into an episode now. Think happy thought. Blue cookies…mmmm. Puppies. Rainbows. BLUE COOKIES!
"Apollo," Nico said in a rushed breath. "You might want to get some morphine or work your healing magic."
"No, no. There's no need for that," Percy said, wincing as he tried to sit up. "I-I'll be fine. Just, give me a few minutes." There was a hint of bashfulness in his voice, showing how uncomfortable he was with so many people-and gods-were looking at him in concern.
Nico motioned towards the door for the three other men-a subtle cue for them to leave. Jason noticed, and pushed Poseidon and Apollo out of the room, ignoring that their heels seemed to be digging into the marble flooring.
Percy relaxed into the bed, content that he was alone-minus Nico's company, of course. He felt someone push his bangs out of his forehead, and he blushed when he realized it was Nico's cold hand doing that.
"Is something wrong?" Nico asked, quickly yanking his hand away from Percy's face, his ears and cheeks burning.
"No," Percy said. He still felt the residual heat in his face. "That felt kind of nice, actually."
Nico's onyx black eyes widened in shock. "R-really? Will would always flinch away, saying my skin was freezing."
"But I'm not Will." Percy pouted. "Annabeth…she'd always scream at me to not touch her hair. I'd always wait for her to fall asleep, though, and I'd suffer the consequences in the morning."
"Whenever the two of us would kiss," Nico began, "he'd glow. Like actually glow with Apollo's inherited photokinesis. I loved feeling his blonde curls between my fingertips."
"I know the feeling." Percy tilted his head up, staring blankly at the ceiling. "I want to see her again-for real. I want to tell her I'm sorry and that I love her. There's so many things I want to say…" His eyes shut, not wanting to bring back the depressing memories. "Gods, I sound like a conceited child. Sorry about that, Nico."
"Don't be," Nico told him. "I know how that feels."
An interminable silence passed over them, and neither boy knew how to react.
Nico's heart was pounding in his chest. Skeletal butterflies danced frantically in his stomach. He remembered this feeling. This was how he felt whenever he was Will. But he had known this feeling for a much longer time. It had begun ever since he met Percy. And now the butterflies were for him again, which worried the son of Hades.
Percy Jackson was the epitome of straightness. There was no possible that the son of Poseidon harbored any sort of feelings for him. Right? Gods, when did Nico's own arguments sound weak to himself?
Sighing, he leaned back into his seat, still messing with Percy's hair. It took him a while to realize that Percy had stopped responding. Worried, he placed a gentle hand on the side of his throat, smiling to himself when he felt his steady pulse. He was most likely sleeping. There was a content smile on Percy's lips, making Nico wonder what he was dreaming about. As long as there was no nightmares, he wasn't concerned.
"You can come in now," Nico called out, his voice pointed in the direction of the door. "He's asleep."
Jason was the only one that came in. He looked haggard. His eyes were still puffy and red from crying; his face was blotchy; his clothes were stained with dried tears. Nico could see how badly this was affecting Jason, and though he wanted to assure his cousin that everything would be alright, he wasn't sure himself. And there's no point in false hope.
"The others?" Nico asked, his eyebrows scrunching together in confusion.
"They're gods," Jason said, taking a seat next to Nico. "They left almost as soon as you sent us out. I'm not surprised that Poseidon left, but I thought Apollo would stay until he knew Percy was alright. I guess not."
"At least we're here."
Jason snorted. "I'm no doctor, Nico. Don't know about you, but other than putting on bandages and handing people ambrosia, I can't heal anyone."
"And you think I can? Son of death, Jason. Healing isn't exactly my forte." He then frowned, dropping his gaze onto his knees. "Will was the best healer I knew."
"Yeah, I know. He was the best." Jason sighed, interlocking his hands behind his neck as he leaned the chair back on its two hind legs. He stood like that for a while before carefully setting the front legs down. "Nico," he began. "I know there's something you're not telling me."
"Oh? Like what?"
"Don't kill me for saying this, but I have a feeling that you're moving on from Will. You have a crush on someone, but I don't know on whom."
Nico's face went red with blush instead of blowing up on Jason. He still frowned. "I-I'm scared to say that I'm moving on, though. He just died a couple weeks ago; it would be so disrespectful to date someone now."
"Ask him yourself, Ghost King. And I never said anything about you getting together with someone. I just thought you had a crush." He shrugged. "And with your answer, I'm pretty sure I'm right."
Nico grabbed a fistful of hair, almost yanking out a huge portion of the black locks. "I told myself I wouldn't feel this way. Not again."
"Again? Did you like-?" Realization set in for Jason, and Nico watched in horror as the son of Jupiter stared at the sleeping son of Poseidon. "Oh, oh." Now Jason blushed. "Man, I'm sorry for bringing this up at all. I know how much Eros' forced confession bothered you."
"It's not your fault. Plus, you were the first to find out the truth. Fitting you're also the first now."
"Does he know?"
"No," said Nico. "And I plan on keeping it that way for a while."
Jason smiled timidly. "I hope you find happiness, Nico, even if it's not with you-know-who. Maybe the Fates will grant us some luck for a change."
Nico found himself staring at Percy's face. He tore his gaze away, forcing himself to look Jason in the eye. "I hope so, too."
Percy couldn't see anything farther than five feet in front of him. There seemed to be this column of light surrounding him, but every time he touched the edge, it would shimmer, showing that he was trapped. He looked up, but that's where the light came from, blinding him for a few seconds. His feet were wet, water covering up to his ankles. At least he wasn't restrained.
From the darkness emerged a figure besides his encasing, grinning at Percy sadistically. A mix of gold and silver clashed in her irises, evenly spread throughout. Her smile was almost as blinding as the light streaming in from what Percy assumed to be a roof. She was dressed in an elegant purple dress that had occasional gemstones embroidered in, almost making her look like the nighttime sky. Her skin was a milky white that exuded a white luminescence. But what stood out the most was the wicked blade sheathed at her side.
"Ah, the Hero of Olympus," the woman crooned, tapping the silver and gold blade against the tube he was in. "Already cracked, so close to breaking."
Percy fought to keep a whimper at the back of his throat. He refused to show the lady how truly terrified he was. He settled on giving her an indifferent glare.
"And why does that matter?" he asked, shoving his hands into his pockets, avoiding showing her his clenched fists.
"It matters, my sweet, because that'll make you so much easier to use."
"I'm not anyone's plaything!"
"Oh, sweetie, you're delusional. You've been a plaything for Olympus so many times, and you still haven't realized it." She shot Percy her dazzling smile that reeked of years of practice. "Luke, Silena, Chris, Ethan, they all had the right idea turning their backs on your deadbeat parents. I've got my own problems with them, too."
"Then you're a demigod," Percy said. "Maybe one of Kronos' spies."
The lady laughed, and it sounded of pure madness. Percy clutched his ears. No way was he going to lose his sanity to this obviously insane person.
"I am so much more than a measly demigod," she spat.
"Gee, thanks."
Percy flinched as she glared at him. His heart was beating so fast he felt it hammering in his ribcage. His hand closed around Riptide, but being in this encasing wasn't going to do much in the way of him stabbing her.
"I bore some of the finest children in existence. My twins were worshipped by all! But because of one mortal woman…" The lady clenched her hands into fists. Her purple dressed shimmered red with anger. As she composed herself, the dress settled on a purple color again. "Because of one mortal woman, I was banished! Cast out by my family, though I did nothing wrong! The king…he's the absolute worst."
"Well, how does my being here help things?" Percy asked, leaning on the glass tube.
She smiled again. "You, Perseus Jackson, you are the key to my salvation. With you, I'll have the power to topple that cursed king from his oh-so-high-and-mighty throne. He will pay for his crimes!"
"And you, lady, are insane. There's no way you can get me to overthrow some king."
"Watch me, Perseus. Watch me."
She lifted a hand, and she disappeared in a twinkle of gold and silver sparks, taking the light with her, trapping Percy in complete and utter darkness.
Then came the water.
The bottom of the tube already had water, but now it was pumping in by the gallons, rushing up his body. Percy banged on the side of the tube, not in fear, but more as a source of light, as it emitted an eerie green glow every time he touched it.
The water reached his waist, seeping into his pants. For some reason, this water wouldn't let him stay dry, and he felt the cold of the wetness stinging his exposed skin. He slammed a palm onto the side of the tube again, and it glowed green. The water had raised high enough that he could make out the color-black.
Oh, Hades! he thought to himself, pushing his hands and feet onto the glass in an attempt to climb up. His feet slipped on the wet sides, and he fell from the sides, his feet landing in a jarring motion onto the floor.
He could feel the water on his neck now, and panic started setting in. Percy tried using the amount of water he had to swim upwards, but there still wasn't enough space. He looked up, trying to find where the light had previously come from. He reached a hand up as far as he could and almost cried out in horror when there was a sheet of glass fully closing him in.
His heart was doing cartwheels and back tucks in his chest as the gravity of the situation set in. Water didn't stop coming in, but dirt was added to the mix, making the water even darker than it already was. The mud seemed to climb up the sides of the glass, stopping at the level where Percy's wrists were before they cemented, trapping him to the side. He struggled in his earthen bonds, trying to break free, but the dirt chaffed away at his skin. The exact same thing had happened to his ankles, as they too were tied down.
Percy still managed to move his hands, though, and hit the sides once more. The light revealed that there was only millimeters of air left in his container. He strained against his bonds as much as he could, gulping in the last of the air, as the water rushed over his head, completely sealing the tank.
He released bubbles of carbon dioxide in measured breaths, but that wasn't going to solve the problem when he finally ran out of air. Once there was no more oxygen in his body, and his lungs were aching, he gasped a desperate breath in, terrified to feel the water rush down his throat and nose. Percy screamed, spluttering as he tried to get the water out of his lungs, but it was too late. All his attempts slowed as his head lolled to the side, unconsciousness on the brink.
Watch me, Perseus. Watch me.
Then the world went black.
Percy sat up, heavily gasping for air. He stuck his hands out all around him, relieved that there was no glass keeping him in a cage. Sweat trickled down his forehead, and he pushed his wet bangs out of his face. It had just been a dream-no, a nightmare. But whoever this woman was still wanted him to help her.
The thing was, Percy had no clue in the slightest as to the identity of the woman. Parts of her personality and appearance seemed eerily familiar to some people he knew. He couldn't grasp the memory, though, much to his frustration. He'd have to do some research later.
"Percy?" Jason asked groggily, his voice thick with sleep. "Are you okay?"
"Yup, never better," he said hurriedly, placing a hand against his chest, his racing heart hammering behind his sternum.
Jason sat up in his bed, wiping the sleep from his eyes. "I know that voice. Perce, you can tell me anything, even if you had a nightmare."
Percy sighed internally. Seriously, Jason had taken the "mother" role in the friend group, much to his dismay. "Like you said, it's just a nightmare. I'll be fine."
His cousin frowned, straightening his glasses on a nearby desk. "If you say so. Wake me up if you need me. Oh, and be careful; Nico's sleeping next to you. Night." Jason's head hit the pillow again, and he thought he heard snoring escaping his mouth.
Smiling, Percy looked down and on his left hand side, Nico was curled up like a baby, clinging onto his torso like a koala bear. He stifled a laugh, wincing when Nico's elbow banged against the massive bandage he had gotten earlier. Percy decided it was his turn to return the favor; he began stroking Nico's hair away from his face.
Much to his surprise, the Italian boy smiled in his sleep.
For some reason an urge to sing him to sleep crossed over Percy, and he gave in, remembering how singing to Annabeth would keep her nightmares away.
"Just waking up in the morning
And to be well,
Quite honest with ya,
I ain't really sleep well
Ya ever feel like your train of thought's been derailed?
That's when you press on - Lee nails
Half the population's just waitin' to see me fail
Yeah right, you're better off trying to freeze hell
Some of us do it for the females
And others do it for the retail
"But I do it for the kids, life threw the towel in on
Every time you fall it's only making your chin strong
And I'll be in your corner like Mick, baby, 'til the end
Or when you hear a song from that big lady
"Until the referee rings the bell
Until both your eyes start to swell
Until the crowd goes home
What we gonna do ya'll?
"Give 'em hell, turn their heads
Gonna live life 'til we're dead.
Give me scars, give me pain
Then they'll say to me, say to me, say to me
There goes the fighter, there goes the fighter
Here comes the fighter
That's what they'll say to me, say to me, say to me,
This one's a fighter
"And if I can last thirty rounds
There's no reason you should ever have your head down
Six foot five, two hundred and twenty pounds
Hailing from rock bottom, loserville, nothing town
"Text book version of a kid going nowhere fast
And now I'm yelling, "Kiss my ass"
It's gonna take a couple right hooks, a few left jabs
For you to recognize you really ain't got it bad
"Until the referee rings the bell
Until both your eyes start to swell
Until the crowd goes home
What we gonna do ya'll?
"Give 'em hell, turn their heads
Gonna live life 'til we're dead.
Give me scars, give me pain
Then they'll say to me, say to me, say to me
There goes the fighter, there goes the fighter
Here comes the fighter
That's what they'll say to me, say to me, say to me,
This one's a fighter
"Everybody put yo hands up
What we gonna do (hey!) [x4] y'all?
What we gonna do (hey!) [x3] y'all?
"If you fall pick yourself up off the floor (get up)
And when your bones can't take no more (c'mon)
Just remember what you're here for
Cuz I know Imma damn sure
"Give 'em hell, turn their heads
Gonna live life 'til we're dead.
Give me scars, give me pain
Then they'll say to me, say to me, say to me
There goes the fighter, there goes the fighter
Here comes the fighter
That's what they'll say to me, say to me, say to me,
This one's a fighter
"'Til the referee rings the bell
'Til both ya eyes start to swell
'Til the crowd goes home,
What we gonna do kid?"
"Percy?" Nico asked.
"Yeah."
"Shut up. Human pillows don't talk."
Percy broke off laughing, much to Nico's obvious annoyance as he poked Percy on the side until he stopped. Once the son of Hades was sleeping again, Percy focused on the ceiling, counting the fish that passed through the glass tube until he fell asleep again, his arm wrapped around Nico's shoulders.
A/N: I don't own those lyrics; Gym Class Heroes does. This song is called The Fighter, and is one of my favorite songs. This is more of a filler, but your first view of the antagonist came. And regarding next week, yeah, I won't be able to update again until after I return. Don't fret just yet, I don't leave until Saturday, so you guys should get a few more chapters before I go. Don't forget to let me know what you think by reviewing! Love it? Hate it? I honestly don't know what most of you guys think (considering I have over 500 views and only 10 reviews). See you guys next chapter!~RainbowSpark18
