Annabeth...how could you, the voice sent a shiver up my spine as we turned to find Percy, eyes black with black smoke oozing form his skin. His shadow looked life-like as it multiplied by four and peeled away from the ground. The pair of us jumped from the rock as Annabeth stepped forward.
"Percy! It's...it's not what it looks like!" She pleaded as I grabbed at her shoulder to hold her back.
"Annabeth, that's not Percy." Suddenly a scream came from the campfire as campers were flung and speakers were knocked over.
You did this. This is your fault for bringing this darkness, the voice was not Percy's as I exposed my scythe, Percy's body cackling and making my hand tremble as the shadows became more solid, each pulling out the bronze sword as Percy did.
"Whoever you are, leave Percy at once!" I commanded as he simply smirked.
I can't leave what's part of me, he remarked as I stepped between him and Annabeth, telling her to go help the rest of the camp as he growled. No! She's mine! You will not have her! The five figures charged me as a swung a wide circle with my scythe. It slid easily through the shadows, Percy being able to back step and avoid it just in time. But in seconds the shadows reformed and they continued to step towards me as I felt an unnatural panic settle in.
As if able to sense my danger, Nemaeus dove out of the forest, grabbing two of the shadows up into his mouth before stepping beside me. Unfortunately, the multiple pieces of shadow simply grew into new figures, adding an extra three to the four that were already there. He lowered his head as I swiftly mounted his back, settling myself just behind his shoulders and gripping his mane as reins. Nemaeus roared, a spit of fire scorching a shadow in front of him, making the creature scream and melt into the ground.
"It's fire...they're weak to fire," I breathed as Percy growled at my discovery. "Annabeth!" I screamed, "Fire!" She looked over her shoulder giving a small nod and narrowly avoiding a swing from a shadow mimic of herself. The battle lasted for what felt like ever, the campers exhausted and wounded. Alecks was over extending his fire abilities but trying his best to keep the shadows at bay. The sun had just started to creep over the trees and I heard some of the shadows start to hiss as Percy stumbled as I got a good hit on his stomach. It was then something occurred to me; it wasn't the fire that was killing them...it was the light. All we had to do was wait for the sun to rise.
I jumped from Nemaeus's back, tackling Percy as the lion distracted the other shadows, and killing them when he could. "Who are you?!" I commanded, pinning his arms down with my knees as I pressed my palm to his face and closed my eyes. My body tumbled backwards, my exhaustion making my arrival in the past less graceful than normal as I rolled back into a tree, grunting. Voices startled me as I jumped up and curled around the tree to watch Annabeth storming from some part of the camp, Percy chasing after her.
"Annabeth! Come on, Annabeth! I didn't mean it..."
"You never do, do you?" She hissed, "But a big hero like you never has to worry about fessing up to his weaknesses. I swear...Kronos was the only thing we ever had in common," she scoffed, storming off and leaving water boy to himself.
"What the hell does she even think she's talking about? Goddamn know it all...she knows there's something brewing...she has to." He grumbled as I surged forward a few weeks in time stumbling into Percy's cabin as he spoke to an older man with thick black hair and sea foam green eyes.
Percy, there's nothing going on to concern yourself with. Relax, enjoy the peace. The image in the fountain disappeared as Percy slammed his hand on the edge, slumping onto his bed.
"Peace my ass. There's got to be something going on!" At that darkness seemed to surge from the back of the cabin and flow along the floor. He crawled up only to watch as a shadowy hand took hold of his throat.
You shall be given your desire for chaos, the dark figure rumbled out as smoke flowed into his mouth and nostrils, his body collapsing onto the bed as I was thrown forward a few days earlier to watch myself climbing up the stairs of the big house and introducing myself. Everything was the same except this time I saw shadowy figure lingering on Percy's shoulder.
I returned to present time gasping for air, coughing up a combination of smoke and sea water that I wasn't expecting as the last of the sun rose above the trees. All of a sudden it was as if the world was well once again, the shadows disappearing into nothing and Percy returning to his natural self, as he lay unconscious on the ground. I rolled onto my back, Nemaeus coming up and giving me a lick on my face as I gave a tired smirk and rubbed his fur, trying to catch my breath.
Annabeth came sliding to my side, looking over the dirt and blood on me. I swatted her hand away, gesturing to Percy as she looked at him, other campers coming to help, slightly unsure about the massive golden lion standing just to the side. "Percy...Percy has been given some sort of...curse," I remarked, slowly sitting up, lifting his chin to exposed dark grey finger marks that quickly disappeared as the light hit his exposed neck. The group gasped and I turned towards Annabeth, unable to say anything else. I didn't know what had happened...I didn't know what to do.
"We have to go see Rachel."
"Who's Rachel?" I asked as Annabeth walked quickly through the recuperating camp, stepping over low burning logs and discarded weapons. I grabbed my conveniently unharmed music player as we passed it.
"She's our Oracle," Annabeth responded quickly over her shoulder as I jogged up to be able to walk next to her, our trip quickly leaving the main camp and diving into the woods. The darkness set me on edge considering what happened over the course of the evening and when Annabeth stopped in front of an extremely ominous looking cave I couldn't help but give her a suspicious look.
"And she lives...here?" Annabeth stepped up and pressed a small doorbell next to a speaker that looked extremely out of place. A bell rang each time she pushed - which was up to seven before I stopped counting.
"Come on, Rach...wake up," she pleaded just as a crackle from the speaker startled the pair of us.
Ugh, who the hell is it? It was a girl, probably no older than us...and certainly not the image I had had for their oracle.
"Rachel, It's Annabeth. We've had some...issues at camp. I need you to get here as quickly as possible." There was a sigh and then another groan as if the girl had checked the time.
This really isn't the best time to talk about Percy, Anna. Are you sure we can't do this later?
"It's not about Percy! Well...it is but not the way you think," she looked at me, begging for some sort of help as I leaned forward.
"Uh...hi. I'm Nakia...the camp was attacked last night by some sort of...spirit and used Percy's body as a vessel." There was a pause, another sigh and some shuffling.
All right, give me five minutes; I'll be right over.
Right over? Where was she? When I glanced into the cave I saw nothing but darkness, having no idea how deep it went. "It's an entrance to the great Labyrinth," Annabeth remarked, sitting down on a nearby rock. "She lives out in the country with her parents but knows this place like the back of her hand and can travel across the country in a manner of minutes." I nodded, seemingly understanding and overall deciding to leave it at 'Greek God magic' for anything I didn't completely follow as I settled myself down next to her. It was then I realized how exhausted I was. We'd been up all day and then been fighting all nightlong and I could feel it as my muscles started to scream at me. Annabeth seemed to be feeling the same as I leaned back against a tree.
"Well...besides the whole fight for our lives part of the evening...I really enjoyed myself." Annabeth rested her head on my shoulder and I found it impossible to keep my eyes open.
"Me too," she sighed.
