Hi! Thank you to all of you who favourited and followed this story! ^_^ Thank you again to Quinn Lexington and XXTheBookWormXXfor your reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and have a wonderful day/night wherever you are, my little Trojans and Greeks =)
-Percy's Pov-
"HELLO!" He called out.
He blinked a couple of times as the grey scale of everything came to settle in front of him. It was as though he was zooming madly over a wild forest, weaving and diving in and out of trees.
The world seemed to move by so slowly now. Everything was new and felt different. The tree's bore a new light and life of emerald which seemed to present itself to him as it flashed between a burst of life and a deepening grey. The world was bright and so dark, the flower blossomed and rose out the ground in a spectrum of new colours before frosting over with a storm of grey. The sky tore itself open to let sunshine pour down in spiked kisses before it burned with the down pour of rain and cold frost. What the hell is this place.
Percy looked for any indication of life or settlement as the world blurred by around him.
It only stopped when he came to the edge of a clearing and stared in front of him as the only bit of the world which kept colour; a crystal clear lake.
He slowly looked around. He was stood at the very edge of the water. He frowned at the intense aching which still persisted through him. "Nico? Reyna? Jason?" He called out, looking around for any sign of anyone else. No light made it's way into the everlasting and expanding darkness. The only light seemed to come from the water nearby as the world settled into a contrast of burning grey. His jaw was set tight and so were his shoulder in a tense manner. His eyes watched the glinting surface of the water for any ripples. All he could do was stare at the intense turquoise brilliance of light which drew him closer like a moth to a flame. Not even the heavenly trees around him which burst with fresh and red lustrous alluring food.
But only the water was what drew him.
As he came even closer to the water's edge he began to slowly crouch. He could feel his entire body becoming tense as it wanted to lock in place... but something was controlling him. He knew he just couldn't refuse this alluring presence. It seemed to captivate him whole.
"Good Perseus"
The wind rippled through the area, tackling and moving through Percy. "Go to it."
But when his hand curled around the edge of the water he felt the bitter sting of sharp rocks digging through his alluring, beautiful, Aphrodite graced, sun kissed skin, drawing blood. The harsh stone underline spiked through his entire nails and fingers.
Percy knew already that this beautiful rose which was so full of beautiful light.
It had sharp thorns.
He winced but couldn't move his hands as the blood began to spread through the light of the water... but he wished at that moment, him bleeding was not the strangest thing that was going on, because as he stared at the reflection... it was almost as though he was staring at a complete other version of himself till he watch the eyes turn pitch black. "Hmm.. yes your Prince Perseus." The voice continued knowingly.
He gazed over the face which was the most beautiful thing in creation... at least to him anyway. Deep, dark eyes stared back up at him... as though they had been bathed deeply in shadows and darkness. Everything about the reflection was beautiful! The glistening black hair. The chiselled strong body which looked perfectly sculpted. Everything he had ever idealised about Nico, with the exception of the scowl that rested upon his face. But this was not the boy he loved. This was not the same person! There was no accuracy of the way the soft dark hair moved. The way that the real Nico moved his lip up ever so slightly as he would look at someone. No look of broken loneliness. No look of loving care which the two had shared with every single moment that they had been huddled together. No deep exhaustion lining the circle of his beautiful eyes.
Everything which showed just how strong and amazing Nico was.
How ever the reflection looked up at him with a deep sense of waiting and expectation as though it was waiting for his acknowledgement. "Pe-Perfect?" Percy whispered with caution. He knew he had probably one chance at getting this right, he couldn't mess this up. As his blood spread through the water the reflection nodded as though this was the answer he had been waiting for. He reached out to touch the rippling surface and just before he could touch the cool, beautiful water. Trying to take the hand of his lover which was beneath the surface.
The reflection's face turned up in a dark grin. "Welcome." It smirked.
"What?" Percy stared with wide eyes but as he tried to pull his bleeding hand back, the water itself surged up and wrapped around his arm as it took the shape of a pale hand. The beautiful face of his love becoming increasingly distorted as it writhed, shaking rapidly side to side as though it was a wet dog, shaking water from it's fur.
The black hair of Nico's hair blurred blond as the reflection blurred constantly between the face of two people.
One love of his life who freed him.
And the one who kept him incarcerated.
But still, Annabeth's sneer held the most dominant feature over the two faces.
He wanted to let out a scream as the water itself seemed to sink into his bones as it burnt viciously. How could water burn?! Especially him! He had always loved the water! He was a descendant of the priests of Poseidon! (Had he not known what other heritage he truly possessed), how could water betray him like this! "STOP IT!" He tried pulling back quickly but the water had him in a vice lock. He couldn't move! He was desperate to try and pull back. But the darkness around him was becoming solid as it became towering walls. "There's no escape. Sit back and enjoy the show." The two faces bellowed with laughter.
He stopped at that and the figure grinned deeper as it got a greater chance and pulled him into the water.
It felt as though the whole world in front of him began to drain away till nothing was left but a swirling mess off emotions and rolling darkness.
What was this? Was this still him? Where was up? Where was down? Was he still in the real world or was this some strange dream?
He should have considered it lucky if it had been a dream.
The first bit of colour came back to him when he saw a fast approaching tide of crimson, which began to lunge at him. Rolling over itself in a growing tsunami of relentlessness dominance. "Oh please... you think a bit of water can stop me?" He slowly raised his hand and smirked confidently, though fear exploded throughout the entire of his body, his poker face of trying to hide his nerves was working as the tide neared. He was the descendant of water. He was the last subject of Poseidon's lost city. "Good Perseus. State your dominance. Stand by your choice."
He focused his full intent onto it to divert it. This had to be a dream. It couldn't really be anything else. This had to be just something going on in his mind.
That meant he had control.
"You think you can stop me?!" He trembled as a feeling exploded through his gut. His hands shaking as they felt the heavy weight of what was in front of him.
The tide got closer.
You can do this Perseus. A voice whispered in the back of his mind.
He paused for a moment, his hair flying about wildly as the force of a storm came behind the tide of blood and hit him square in the face. I know you can do it my love.
"Mom." He whispered and looked around the darkness for any sign of light which would be her. Her face. Her body... no.
He raised both palms and exerted his will out onto the red tide.
Still nothing happened. Only a voice in his head whispered: "Run."
"Damn it!"
He turned at the last second and legged it before he could be washed into that raging mess of crimson. It coursed away into rapids and swirled violently behind him as though it could think of nothing else but to make him part of it. Run Perseus. After all. You brought this on yourself. Your decision.
In what felt like split seconds he saw the hands reaching out from the crimson tide, trying to grab hold of him. "What the Hades?!" He barked as he kept sprinting through the expanding darkness.
The darkness constantly peeled away, leaving him to fall against the hammock of the ship where he and Nico had slept. Changing to the cliffs where the guards had found him. Cornering him back to Annabeth's palace, then ripping back into the endless blackness in a constant and taunting lure. Each time he repeated through the cycle, never having stopped, he found the tide was getting closer. His exhaustion getting thicker. This is your punishment Boy. You dishonoured the name of my daughter and her mission of accomplishment in Sparta. You will pay child. The voice growled in a snarl.
But the thing about water or blood: You can't outrun it forever.
Just as he pounded back through the darkness, sweat beading his brow as his hair was plastered down to his brow. His body slowing down further and further. No longer was there the comforting voice of his mother. No longer was there that confident voice he had heard back in the clearing. Only that cold laughter of a new voice. The strange gloating voice of the woman as finally he stumbled.
Giving the dream the chance it wanted to have.
And Athena the gloating satisfaction she craved.
One hand of the tide got lucky and wrapped around his ankle.
The moment it touched the exposed skin,he felt pain barrel through his entire body. It was like having boiling water tipped over you all at once. Every nerve in his body was ignited indescribably. His agonised scream filling the air as the tide splashed over his head and filled his mouth.
That's when he realised. It wasn't water.
It was blood.
The sickening metallic taste filled his mouth as he could feel his body beginning to flail and writhe in agony as he lost control.
It drilled into his neck as he couldn't do anything but let it continue wrapping around him and cocoon me. He couldn't even scream.
Having even the most basic expression of agony taken away from him. He wanted it to stop. He wanted it to end and never return.
It seemed to stretch on for what felt like hours. Days. Months. But in reality it was nothing more than a few seconds.
You dare bring shame to a child of mine. The voice of the secret goddess bellowed coldly. Your very life is an anger to me. Only the affections of my daughter kept you alive. Now you have severed that tie... and I will make sure you pay.
The ball off blood which he was sealed in, swirled violently, swirling him violently. All air was choked out of his lungs as everything became completely and utterly uncomprehending to Percy. Why wasn't this nightmare falling apart! This would be the point where he would wake up! Please! Someone! Save ME! He screamed loudly in his head.
With a loud roar of thunder above him, the blood erupted apart as he fell harshly to the ground in a raining storm. The heavy tide pouring over his head heavily as he heaved for any breath. His white tunic now as stained as his skin. His cloak was plastered down to his body. His sobs broke out and escaped as he could no longer take this beating. How could a nightmare do this to him? T-Thank you. He thought in the back of his mind as he felt something swish past him momentarily. The familiar scent of a sea breeze.
Poseidon?
Percy was thankful for barely the few seconds before he reached out to find some grip on the ground and his fingers curled around the warm and oozing feeling of something which very much so resembled the feeling of a leg.
Lifting his gaze slowly, he felt a scream build in his chest, but break as the fear would not allow it to come out.
In front of him was an endless desert which resembled a dead meadow. The grass had died away to leave endless cracks along the rocky and uneven terrain. The colour was painted crimson with the hundreds of thousands, if not millions of bodies of leaking dead Greeks and Trojans.
Decapitated, destroyed, obliterated, ripped to pieces.
the booming voice of the woman returned with much more force."You will have to live with this boy." The voice gloated with an underline smugness. It passed around him as Percy's body convulsed at the sight of the blood drained sky and obliterated ruins of walls around him. The field of dead bodies were endless onto the horizon. Tainting the sea. "This is all down to you."
Finally he turned his gaze up as the figure began to weave itself out of the air. A long and perfect white silk dress dragging over the lining of dead bodies as peach porcelain skin formed and a strong grip, curled like a vice around his chin. Forcing him to gaze up into the grey eyed face and ear to ear grinning grey gaze of the most horrific dark woman he had seen. She was beautiful, he guessed, but by the gods on Olympus she was the most cold one that he had ever seen. Even among the depicted legends and stories around the many cities of Greece... this woman seemed to be the most cold. "You started something that will now cost the lives of many. It will mean many women and men will be left widows. Many children... those who survive at least. Will be left Orphans. Without siblings. Alone. All because of you and your lover." Her hair fell in a curled curtain down the side of her face as she gave a smile which would bewitch most men... at least those who fell for women at least.
Then he did the thing which he really shouldn't have...
He spat in her face.
The goddess flinched back and sneered darkly. Wiping her fae and eye as her grip moved to his neck. "I may not be able to kill you yet. But do not enjoy yourself for much longer. Perseus of Sparta." The way she spoke sent cold shivers down Percy's spine. "Because this war will be a quick one. That I promise you!"
But as she began to lift the boy off his ground by the grip on his neck.
The blood around them began to churn violently slowly turning turquoise. "I best do this quick. You are no Trojan. You do not belong in Troy. I will make sure you remember that!"
With that she vanished and Percy fell to the ground. Writhing in agony as he gripped onto his wrist.
Percy! A voice echoed around him.
All he could do was keep writhing on the ground.
PERCY!
-End of dream-
"PERCY!"
Jason lunged forward as he watched the boy fell from the bed where he had been levitating from, barely a few seconds before. All water in the room having lifted with his body as the boy screamed and writhed. Clutching his own neck then moving to holding his wrist. His ink hair moving through the air as though he was submerged completely beneath the waves of the sea. "Percy!"
Jason lunged forward through the air with unnatural agility and sprung to the side of the bed, catching the boy as he came crashing back down and fell into his embrace as both sank onto the collage marble floor. The sun kissed boy convulsed, his eyes held tightly shut as he just seemed to be doing as hard as he could to stop himself from screaming.
Jason just pulled him close as possible to his chest, just like when he had been young and guarding Prince Nico, the prince had often woken up with nightmares of some dark world. That's all Jason had ever been able to get out of him. However he had often learnt a way to often calm him. A song he had heard when he was a toddler. When he had through the many cities of Greece with chains on his wrist. All that long time ago before his sister had on one cold night, sang him to sleep. His dark haired older sister who he presumed was dead now.
She had sung him to sleep as she cried... before she had smuggled him onto a merchant's ship which had been bound for Troy.
From there, Nico had found Jason on the street after some other boys had mugged him. He had taken him back to the palace and hidden him in his chambers, till his mother had found out and from there she had offered him a room. But Jason found himself unable to do anything less than just find some way to repay back the life debt of eternal servitude. He would protect Nico through every moment of his life. He would make sure the Prince would always be happy and safe. He would make sure that absolutely no harm would ever come to him.
He would give his life to save Nico.
And if Nico was now in love with Percy? Devoted heart and soul to him? Then that meant that Jason would protect him as well.
"Rolling hills and sun lit sky." He began to sing in a soft voice as he cradled Percy close. Not noticing the way his clothes were stained and still dripping with blood. "Apollo smiles as he rides by. Poseidon rises his trident high." He hardly noticed how a soft breeze and flow of winds began to flow through the open room at the summit of the palace where Nico's and Percy's chambers resided. The breeze caressed around Percy's heated face. Jason moved his hand comfortingly across the boy's back and sat him up gently as Percy's writhing began to soften.
The water in the room spilled back into it's areas: the goblets, the pool, the baths. Jason would have to deal with the reasoning of that later. But right now he watched how an burning emblem blazed on Percy's wrist. "We all smile as Zeus rushes by. Demeter and Persephone dance in the field. We all pray the day does not yield. Artemis awakens for her new hunt. So now is time to rest, and ease my little cub." He kept singing it back and over softly as he watched how Percy finally began to ease slightly. The boy's eyes beginning to flutter open softly as he looked around with confusion. "Oh no you don't. Not just yet anyway." Jason smiled softly and let his softly tanned hand brush over Percy's forehead, dabbing droplets of water before holding a small goblet of water to the smaller boy's mouth. "Soft and small sips." He instructed strictly and watched the colour come back to Percy's pale face rather instantly... very much rather quickly, he observed.
When he was finally satisfied with the fact that Percy had calmed down enough, and he looked far more settled than he had in his frenzy, but a few minutes before. He gently sat the other boy up, making sure to keep his strong hands on the boy's shoulders to steady him, but putting down a light pressure in a warning that he shouldn't stand up just yet. "Uh... where am I?" Percy wondered for a moment as his large sea green eyes took in the sight of the exceedingly large room around him.
It was uncanny just how much it resembled his own chambers back in Sparta. Either Annabeth had known about the Prince's quarters ahead of time. Or there was just a coincidence by the fates. The only major difference was the size of the room, and the large marble sculptures which were decorated around it.
"You're in the Palace. Before you reached the entrance, you fell off your steed and passed out from dehydration. Prince Nico nearly got into a fight with me and Reyna, about carrying you back to the room and making sure you was okay... but it seems, that there is a situation which required the Prince immediately." Jason turned his sky blue eyes away as the sun glistened over him.
Allowing Percy for the first time to get a full and clear sight at the boy.
Jason was very much what Percy had seen with the Spartans... in his body at least. He was well toned and massaged his skin in oil. It was a soft and very light tanned colour, probably from the amount of hours that he spent outside under the sun training. He wore only one piece of clothing which was a drape of white linen which held the golden emblem and insignia of Troy. It fell around his body, exposing his strong toned muscle arms. It stopped just short about halfway down to his knees. Other than that and a few strong braces of his armour on his wrists, he resided himself into some sandals. He was blonde... not blond like Annabeth. His hair was a soft gold. His eye were like the sky on the clearest of summer days. He certainly was handsome... but Percy's heart only resided for Nico.
him though, however. Unlike the Spartans, he seemed to have a well balance stance to himself as he gently kept dabbing cold water over Percy's head. Keeping the boy cool as he could. He was in the perfect situation to take Percy. Many of the Spartans would have, if they had been in Jason's situation. He was in the most brilliant positions, and yet, he was showing him kindness. His eyes seemed like that of the guards who used to look after Percy and his mother when he was young... actually, in a way they seemed to resemble Percy's mother. They seemed so full of kindness. Deep and true.
Percy had learnt quite quickly in Sparta to distinguish the difference between those with true kindness and those without. Mainly because in Sparta, many lacked the truth of honour, and were nothing more than trained and vicious horny dogs.
Jason however... his eyes, they were so distinguished. His body language so set and protective. It made Percy feel a bit more comfortable and relaxed against the situation he was in.
Something drew Percy's eyes though.
Jason drew his hand to the small scar on his upper lip as he watched Percy's gaze shift over him. Internally he was rather amused, but he knew what came next. "How did you get that scar." Percy wondered.
"A story for later." He smiled, watching how Percy pouted. Yeah. Jason could see how Nico had fallen for this boy. He was pretty adorable. But just as Nico was loyal to Percy. Jason would always find himself loyal eternally to Reyna. "Now, are you feeling okay?"
"How long was I out for?" Percy avoided the question, not much to Jason observation as he rose a questioning eyebrow.
"Don't make me call Reyna up here." He grinned, watching how Percy's eyes widened. "Because she probably is a lot more to the point than me."
"Meanie." Percy stuck his tongue out.
"I like to think of it more as caring." Jason chuckled heartedly, ruffling Percy's inky hair, then pulling back his hand as he watched how a thick coat of crimson hung to it. "Excuse me... but is this-"
"Not mine." Percy whispered, pulling his knees close to his chest. His eyes darted to a nearby pool of water, reprehensibly watching it as he remembered the features of the dream. The way that the tide of blood had followed him and caused him complete agony.
"Come on." Jason quickly lifted the boy up in his arms, giving Percy no time to object as he carried him over to the shallow pool of water and sat the boy down into it's cold and caressing feel.
Not without Percy for a second, trying to flee his arms in a frantic panic. "Easy." Jason cooed gently as he soothed his hand on the boy's back. "The water will help."
And it did.
The moment Percy sat into the water, he let a soft sigh escape out of him as he sank back and propped himself up so his head lounged back into the cold turquoise of it. "Told you." Jason smiled gently as he watched the way Percy just laid back and bathed into the cool of it. "Now, why don't we get those... dirty clothes off you." He quickly turned his back as he placed a pile of clothes next to the edge of the bath and moved away to a distance and part of the room which would make Percy feel more secure about changing.
"T-Thanks." The smaller boy's voice came back to him.
"No problem. Now. Here's the facts. You've been asleep for three days."
Percy suddenly shot up a little at that. "Three days?!" He said under his breath, staring out the distance of the room and across the various kingdom bellow him. He had a perfect sight from here. The room gave a whole circle sight of the world around him. The distance sea and beach directly in front of him, with the descending roads into the kingdom. It was a nice sight... calming mostly. Though Percy found he couldn't describe why. "Yes. The Prince was the second one to have to be calmed down about you passing out."
"Second?" Percy rose an eyebrow.
"It seems your horse has taken a shine to you. It was quite furious about letting anyone other than you close to care for you... I thought Prince Nico was going to have fire come out of his eyes." Jason joked.
Percy pried the clothes off his skin as the blood had started to dry out. It hurt slightly as it clung so tightly to him from the blood, but he managed eventually to get it off.
He hardly noticed that with each passing minute in the water he seemed to glow with radiance and life instead of the pale, exhausted dehydration he had but a few seconds before. He stood shakily and pulled on the clothing Jason had passed him. It resembled Jason's down to a tee almost. Linen cloth, moving from a single clip on his shoulder, down across half his torso and halfway down to his knees. A pair of sandals which were lined with a few pieces of cloth to make it easier on his feet for walking. But the only main difference between the tunic which Jason had given him? Percy's tunic was a deep sea blue colour with trimmings of turquoise. The emerald clip had an engraving emblem of Troy.
That brought a smile to Percy's face.
"Thanks Jason." He said quietly, moving across the room towards him, pausing suddenly as something caught his eyes on the length and inside of his right forearm. "What the-" He frowned as he looked at the length of a black detailed and pointed trident symbol had seared itself into his arm. At first he tried wiping it away, going back to the water to scrub it till the skin turned red and Jason's hand clamped around his wrist. But it became quite apparent, that it was certainly most permanent and there to stay. "It seems there is someone who is very much so not with you and certainly looking to go against you." Jason frowned for a moment before turning his gaze up to Percy, his eyes having lingered on the trident. "This stays between us." Jason said quietly, loosening his right brace enough that Percy caught a small sight of a thunderbolt brand. It was certainly enough like his but the way Jason looked, it certainly didn't encourage him that it was anything good. "We keep this as our small little secret." He beamed. His eyes glistening with hope and what looked like him being relieved. "Finally. I never thought I'd meet another."
"Another what." Percy frowned himself as Jason placed two golden length bands along the length of Percy's arms, evening them out to make it look more natural.
"Well. Another De-"
BOOM
Both instantly froze and Percy flinched back in surprise at the sudden noise as it echoed loudly and banged through his ears. "By the gods! What in the Hades was-"
BOOM
Jason had paled and turned his eyes towards the horizon. Taking a strong stance in front of Percy as he gazed at the small dotted sea in the very furthest of his sight. His eyes narrowing for more focus as he noted the way it was growing more full by the second.
BOOM
"WHAT IS THAT NOISE!" Percy bellowed.
His hands however fell limp at his side as he finally saw what Jason was staring at.
The sky rumbled in the far distance as the blond glared defiantly across the expanse of the ocean. His hand gripping onto Percy's wrist trying to give quiet comfort to the now pale and panicking boy. The war bell. Jason thought staring as the ships were coming closer and closer in the horizon. They're here.