It's been a while since I entered Percy Mode: parry, stab, roll, cut, dodge, stab again. I fought and fought, not paying atttention to anything else. I was struggling for my life, but I didn't care. It was frightening how I could be so calm in a situation like this. I liked fighting, and that was even scarier.
My thoughts went blank as I pierced through the ranks. Every monster that dared to stop me were slashed down. The ones who were Riptide's range found arrows sprouted on their bodies. Monster dust scattered everywhere. We were unstoppable.
Contrary to popular belief, me and Zoë make a pretty good team.
"Percy, above!"
A flock of bird-lion hybrids, "gryphons", as Zoë had called them, were heading for the minivan. Even a skilled archer wouldn't be able to fire several arrows at once. With that much, Zoë wouldn't be able to shoot them all.
I retreated back to the boundary line as fast as I could. Without wasting a second, I dove into the water-filled trench. I summoned all the power I could muster to launch myself in a pillar of water 50-feet upward. I prayed to every god I could think of along the way.
Once I've reached the peak, I thrust Riptide towards the sky.
Here goes nothing.
I felt a tugging sensation in my gut, and the weather responded to my will. The clouds above me descended. The rain vapor around me were absorbed. Taking the shape of a funnel, the ground and the heavens connected. I had conjured a watersprout.
It only lasted a minute, but it was more than enough. Since the water below came from the trench, I couldn't move forward. Instead, they moved towards me. The monsters below were too close and got swallowed by the vortex . The gryphons, along with the storm spirits, were totally annihilated in the air. By the time it was over, monter dust rained everywhere. Only a quarter of their army remained.
Nothing says 'defeat' like the obliteration of half your manpower in sixty seconds. Only about twenty monsters were left, all of them discouraged. Well, all except for one.
"Splendid, Percy Jackson." Perses, who had been observing the battle until now, swung his blade around."I will enjoy killing you,"
I rolled my eyes, "Tell me something new."
He charged at me. His sword was almost as huge as I am, but he carried it like it weighed nothing. Lava dripped and fell on his body multiple times. It doesn't affect him. He didn't even flinch. He swung his sword in a deadly arc. I dodged. I tried to counterattack, but it was parried effortlessly. Our swords clashed simultaneously. Whenever an opening presents itself, an arrow or two would find its way in Perses's body. That helped slow him down a little. The lava on his blade burned me multiple times. I was able to endure it thanks to my heat resistance as a son of Poseidon, but that doesn't mean I don't feel the pain. The rain had already ended. My strength is waning. That little stunt I pulled earlier had drained my energy. We'd have to finish this soon, or else...
Unfortunately, I was too late. Perses had found an opportunity to strike, and it was too quick for me to react. He performed a disarming technique I haven't seen before. In a matter of seconds, Riptide fell off my hand. Perses kicked me hard in the stomach, sending me flying past the trench and skidding a few meters across the muddy ground. Every muscle in my body hurt so much, I almost passed out in pain. I opened my eyes to find Zoë kneeling over me. Her expression was blank, but her eyes regarded me with concern. As if she was genuinely worried about me. For a moment, I thought she actually looked pretty cute.
I tried to say I'm alright, but breathing alone sends immense pain in my chest.
"Don't speak," Zoë said, "your lungs are most likely stabbed by a broken rib." That sounds pretty bad, I thought. Instead of talking, I just pointed a finger at the nearest hospital. Zoë looked like she understood what I meant. She put my arm around her shoulder and dragged me to the trench. Fortunately, it hadn't dried up yet. The pain made me forget that I was still clinging to Zoë, so we both fell when I hauled myself to the water. Strange. I could feel my injuries healing, but I still can't breathe.
Then I realized Zoë had been strangling me.
"Stop... please... I'm sorry..." I struggled for about half a minute, until Zoë finally let go.
It took another 30 seconds for Zoë to accept my apologies. (1 'sorry' per second, in a total of 30) Usually it would take longer, but we're sort of going to be killed shortly, so she just gave me a look that said 'I'll get you for this later'.
I looked up the sky. The gray clouds are still pretty thick, but you could catch a glimpse of the sun every now and then. An idea hit me as soon as the first direct ray of sunlight reached my eyes. I relayed my plan to Zoë, who was pretty reluctant about it at first.
"Your strategy is too vague," she said, "and dangerous."
"Trust me, it'll work."
"No."
But in the end, she agreed.
I heard the sound of footsteps. It was still pretty far, but Perses would reach us soon enough. Zoë and I climbed out of the trench, on different sides.
"Time for round two," I said.
I looked up the sky again. We'd still need a few more minutes to improve our chances of winning. I decided to chat with him a little to buy some time.
"Who sent you?"
"Right off the bat, huh?" Perses said, "Sorry kid, but I'm not stupid enough to answer that."
"Then, answer this one: Who's this 'Brother' of yours?"
That question caught Perses off-guard. "How did you..?"
"Sorry man, but I'm not stupid enough to answer that."
"Very funny," Perses said, "now let me hurry up and kill you."
Oops.
The idea of buying time backfired. Perses walked hurriedly towards me, dragging his sword across the ground. The lava on it had already disappeared, which was a good thing. You see, Annabeth had told me before that a god's symbol of power reflects his current state. Looks like it's the same for beings like our friend Perses here.
Zoë and I exchanged glances, and a silent agreement passed between us. I looked around for monsters, only to find that there were none left. Zoë had killed them all, and she did that while supporting me at the same time. Man-hating issues aside, this girl kicks some serious booty.
The weight on my pocket tells me that Riptide had already returned. I took it out, still in its pen form, and concealed it in my hand. I whispered a quick prayer to Apollo, who probably knew about this right from the start. I walked towards Perses seemingly empty-handed, and got the reaction I expected.
"I don't blame you." Perses bragged, "Even the most valiant warriors who have fought me lost their will to fight."
"I wonder about that," I said. When he came close enough, I shouted.
"Now!" I suddenly uncapped Riptide. Then, as if on cue, the clouds above me forcibly parted and a ray of sunlight directed to my sword which reflection hit Perses right in the eyes, blinding him for a split second. Zoë heard the signal and fired three arrows at once. I swung Riptide on an arc and he deflected it with his sword. The silver arrows sprouted on his chest, and his grip weakened, causing the sword to fly out of his hands. I used the opportunity and stabbed Riptide in his stomach. Perses howled in pain, but I wasn't done yet. I thrust my left hand towards the sky, and my package came - a golden arrow exclusively from the sun god. Turns out it wasn't just an arrow. I pulled Riptide back and placed the arrow in its stead. As soon as I did, the arrow let out a deafening roar like an electric guitar and exploded. Perses flew back a good twenty feet. If I recall correctly, Michael Yew had some in the Titan War. It's not that powerful, but if you get hit in point blank, it will surely hurt. How I was able to summon it, I had no idea.
Perses got back on his feet. I thought I didn't beat him down enough until I saw it - a huge gaping hole where his stomach previously had been. It was probably pretty painful, but Perses didn't run, cry or call for his momma. Instead, he just stood there, golden ichor dripping from all over his body. I could tell he wanted to say something, but not a word came out of his mouth. He simply went to pick up his sword and disappeared in a golden flash.
My blessing, Apollo's voice replayed in my mind. You'll need it, kid.
Guess I did, Apollo, I thought gratefully. Guess I did.