Son of the Underworld chapter 11
Ncalkins does not own Percy Jackson, ooc, AU, some instances taken from book(s), warning: Dark; not betaed
"Hey, Jackson, wake up."
Percy grunted as the bed he lay on jolted. Percy squinted up at the blurry form of Ares. He blinked. Pain erupted from his stomach as the breath exploded out of him. Percy groaned and turned on his side.
"What was that for?" He coughed out.
"You need to wake up ready for anything," Ares said. "You'll never survive if you don't keep aware of your surroundings."
"I–"
"And don't go relying on those skeletons," Ares stepped out of Percy's line of vision.
The decimated little girl's skeleton lay in pieces on the floor. Percy jumped out of the bed and rushed for the broken pieces of bone.
"How could you?" He said. "She was just a little girl."
"She's dead," Ares said.
"That doesn't mean you can't show her some respect," Percy snapped.
"You're the one who raised her from the dead to fight for you," Ares said.
"I was desperate," Percy said. He collected the shattered pieces.
"What are you doing?" Ares asked.
"The least I can do is give them a funeral," Percy said.
Ares groaned behind him. "This wasn't what I had in mind when I said I wanted to take part in this quest."
"Too bad, this will go faster with your help," Percy said.
"I could just snap my fingers, and be done with it," Ares said.
Percy stared at him over his shoulder. "As long as that doesn't get my butt kicked by monsters or something."
"Whatever gets your butt moving," Ares said.
Percy watched as Ares snapped his fingers. The skull he held lifted out of his hold, and flew out of the room. He followed it down the stairs and outside. The skull and the rest of the girl's bones stopped outside. The statues erupted as bones flew out of them. A large pit appeared, and the bones flung themselves into it. Fresh dirt and grass covered them.
"There. A mass grave," Ares said from behind him. "Now, come on. Let's go get something to eat, or I can summon us some grub."
"Won't that attract the gods' attention?" Percy asked. He glanced at the grave, said a quick prayer for them, and then hurried after Ares.
Ares stopped. "Huh, guess your right. In fact, I might want to go incognito."
"Please keep your underwear on!" Percy covered his eyes and backed away.
"I said incognito, not commando!" Ares snapped. He gave a ragged sigh. "You, know what, never mind. I'm changing my looks, and as far as anyone is concerned, I'm a demigod."
'Like that's going to last long.' Percy rolled his eyes as Ares shrunk down to his size. 'A god going without, not happening.'
By the time Ares finished, he looked like a miniature him.
"Um, maybe you should change your looks or style?" Percy suggested.
"I'm getting to that!" Ares shook himself. "Dang brat."
His hair changed from a crew cut into a Mohawk. His leather jacket turned into a black jean jacket. Pin on buttons littered the shoulders. Percy eyed the buttons. A smiley face with Xes for eyes. A nuclear explosion. On a red button the words Taco Cat blared out in lime green writing.
"Nice," Percy said.
"Tell you what," Ares smiled at Percy. His camouflage shirt wrinkled as he poked Percy in the chest. "Survive this quest, and it's yours."
"Alright."
"Great," Ares said. He rubbed his hands together. "Now, show me what weapons you got."
Percy's stomach shrank. He unbuckled the knife belt, and handed it to Ares.
Ares inspected the worn leather, a frown on his face. He tsked when he pulled out a rusted knife.
"Are you serious? Who gave you this stuff?"
"The campers," Percy said, crossing his eyes. He got the feeling that Ares wanted to say something else rather than 'stuff'. He trained his eyes on Ares steel toed, black, boots.
"Impressive that you made it this far with this trash," Ares said.
"Luck more than anything."
Ares sighed. "If you're going to have a fighting chance, you're going to need some weapons. I'll fix these knives, but this is the last time I'm using my powers."
'Liar,' Percy's eyes twitched. "Okay."
Ares snapped his fingers, and the worn leather turned new. It shined as he handed it back to Percy.
Percy slipped a dagger out. Celestial bronze glowed, rust free.
"Great," Ares clapped Percy on the shoulder. "Now, let's ransack this place for money, so we can get a move on."
Percy rolled his eyes and groaned, but did as Ares said. He pushed away the part of him that whispered that what they were doing was wrong. That this would disappoint his mom.
'It's not stealing,' Percy told himself. 'Medusa is dead, besides these were probably taken from her victims.'
They left with a couple hundred dollars. The silent and still street opened up before them. Ares turned to Percy with a big smile.
"Alright, where too?"
"Um," Percy pulled out the map and studied it. All the red lines made his head spin. He glanced down the road, and pointed toward the bend the bus had disappeared around.
"That way."
"Alright," Ares said as he hefted the duffle bag that held Medusa's head. "Let's go."
Percy had imagined that traveling with other demigods would be a pain. The air would be filled with snide comments, whines to stop, and complaints. Traveling with Ares was like that, but different. He made snide comments about everything from the sun to Percy's hair. ("Pretty Boy, making it too hot." "You could do with a crew cut, your hair's a distraction.") When Percy needed a break, Ares whined about stopping. ("You can't be serious, we just stopped!" "That was three hours ago! I need a break!") He complained about how boring the quest was so far. ("Where's the monsters? I thought demigod lives were fraught with peril and action?")
Besides that, Ares pushed Percy to his limits. He didn't want to stop until Percy couldn't see in front of his face. When they did, finally, stop Percy dropped to the ground and fell asleep.
#
"Wake up, Jackson, daylights burning."
Percy groaned and forced himself up. His arms and legs weighed him down, causing him to take longer than usual to get up. "I had a weird dream last night."
"Yeah, weird how?" Ares asked as he cracked his neck.
"I stood on the edge of a pit," Percy said. "And a voice told me to help it rise, to–"
Percy noticed that Ares froze. He swallowed. He shouldn't say it.
"Go on," Ares said.
Percy hesitated. "To strike a blow to the gods."
Ares shouldered the bag. "It was just a dream, don't worry about it."
Percy stared after him before he scrambled to follow.
'Ares is hiding something,' Percy thought. His stomach twisted. 'What is it about my dream that freaked him out so much?'
They got on a train. Percy spent most of his time watching the world pass. He sat up when he saw a pack of centaurs running beside the train. One that appeared to be about five waved at Percy. Percy waved back.
"Ah, the Party Ponies," Ares said.
"The Party what?" Percy asked.
"Party Ponies," Ares repeated as he sat back with a smirk. "The best centaurs to party with or go to war with, take your pick."
Percy decided not to answer. He kept quiet for a few minutes, before Ares slapped his knee.
"Hey," Ares said. "How's Clarisse?"
"She's fine," Percy said. "Tried to stick my head down a toilet."
Ares chuckled. "Yeah, she was always a prankster. I remember I looked in on her when she was a little kid. Some punk had picked on her, so she tripped him and shoved his face into the sand box. They have been best friends ever since."
'That doesn't sound like a prank.' Percy crossed his arms.
"You checked up on her?" He asked.
"Of course," Ares said. "All the gods check up on their kids. Some of us even interact with them."
"I thought you weren't suppose to," Percy said.
"Like I told you," Ares gave a droll stare from over his sunglasses. "Gods have trouble following rules. Hades, you're living proof of that."
"Because Hades broke the vow to not have any more children," Percy said, listlessly. "Now I'm here to be the punching bag of everyone and everything."
Ares snorted. "Stop it with the pity party. You think you're the only one everyone hates? My parents hated me from the day I was born, no one likes war."
"They hated you?"
Ares slumped in his chair. He took a knife from his boot and picked at his fingernails. Percy glanced at the other occupants, but none of them seemed to notice.
"Yeah," Ares twirled his knife like a baton. It surprised Percy that he didn't cut himself on the jagged edge. "People hate what they don't understand. War is a way of life. It's never going to die out. So I'm never going to die."
Percy disagreed, but kept silent. He had to believe that someday people would no longer need to kill one another for glory, objects, or land. The train screeched to a halt.
"That's our cue," Ares said. "We're out of money."
Percy followed Ares off of the train. He stared up at the giant, metal, shopping bag handle.
"The St. Louis Arch," Percy said. "My mom always wanted to see it."
He heard Ares suck his teeth. "Here."
Percy gawked down at the object Ares had shoved into his side. A disposable camera.
"What happened to 'no more powers'?" Percy asked.
"Shut up, Brat," Ares said. Sunlight bounced off of the buttons on his jacket. "Besides, I didn't use my powers. I stole it off of some guy."
'That's not any better,' Percy thought as he took the camera. He held it up and took a picture of the arch. He took a picture of the Arch. He lowered the camera rubbing the smooth sides.
"Well, I guess we better–What are you doing?"
"Going on the Arch," Ares said as he walked toward the monument. "You can't get a picture of the outside and not get one of the inside."
Percy couldn't believe his ears. The guy that complained about stopping for bathroom breaks wanted to go sightseeing?
'What is he up to?' Percy narrowed his eyes. Despite his misgivings, he followed Ares to the St. Louis Arch.
#
Percy pressed his side against the cool metal of the elevator wall. The small window showed metal beams and bars passing by. A female voice droned on about the history of the Arch. Ares sat beside him, smirking.
"What are you smirking about?" Percy asked.
"Nothing," Ares said. "Things are about to get interesting, though."
Percy shivered. If something interested Ares, that would mean bad news for him. He turned his attention to the small family sitting near them. The little boy bounced in his seat, the mom and dad played on their phones. Across from Percy sat a heavy set woman. Her blond hair had black roots, and it puffed out around her head like a lion's mane. She had dark tinted glasses. Percy studied her black, snake skin, boots.
"I like your boots," Percy said.
"Thank you, Dear," the woman said.
Ares coughed out a laugh as the elevator reached its destination. He shoved his way out of the elevator and ran to the glass windows.
Percy grumbled as he rubbed his arm.
"What a rude boy," the lady grumbled.
"You don't know the half of it," Percy said.
He stepped back, and allowed the lady and the family through first. He edged his way out of the elevator and peeked around. He peered out of a window. He gulped. His head spun. He couldn't breath. He stumbled away from the window and fell to the ground.
"What's with you?" Ares asked.
"I just found out I have a fear of heights," Percy gasped. His heart pounded. He needed to get back to ground level.
Ares snorted. "You're going to have to get over that."
"How?" Percy asked. He'd do anything to stop this painful panic from paralyzing him ever again.
"By facing it," Ares glared down at Percy. "Stop being such a wuss, and get some pictures for your mom."
Percy stared up at Ares with wide eyes. He couldn't be serious.
"Come on, Mamma's Boy," Ares said. "You don't have much time."
Percy stood on shaky legs. He inched his way over to a window. His hands trembled as he lifted the camera. He snapped some pictures of the horizon.
"Alright, I got some pictures," Percy said. "Let's go."
He turned to leave when Ares shoved him onto one of the glass floor panels. Percy yelped and froze. He shook all over as he stared down. The black lines told where the roads laid. The cars were mere specks. The buildings looked like toys. Ares's laughter seemed far away instead of right next to him. The little boy with the family appeared in the corner of Percy's eye. He proceeded to jump up and down on the glass panel.
"Stop!" Percy screamed. His hair stood on end as electricity ran through his veins. He vaulted off of the glass, and ran halfway across the open floor.
The kid laughed until his mom yelled at him.
"I'm so sorry," the mom told Percy. She had a tight hold on the boy's hand.
"It's, it's fine," Percy stammered as his hands shook.
"Are you okay?" The mom asked. She peered into Percy's eyes.
Percy took a breath. "Yeah"–he wiped his hands on his jeans–"Yeah. I'm fine."
The mom gave him a skeptical look before she nodded and walked away.
Percy glared at Ares as he walked over laughing.
"I hate you," Percy said.
"That was hilarious," Ares said as he wiped the tears from his eyes.
Percy turned red and straightened. He opened his mouth to rip into Ares when a ding came from the overhead speakers.
"The Arch will now be closing. Please make your way to the elevators," a cool female voice said.
Ares led the way to the elevator. The family piled in along with some other tourist. Only one more seat remained. Percy glanced from the lady with the lion's mane to Ares.
"I'll wait for the next one," the lady said.
Her smile reminded Percy of a hunter. He shivered. Something seemed off about this.
He turned to Ares. One of them would have to stay.
"Here," Ares shoved the duffle bag with Medusa's head in it. "You're going to need this."
He stepped into the elevator, and gave Percy a two finger salute. "Don't die, Jackson. You're entertaining."
Percy furrowed his eyebrows as the elevator doors closed.
'Ares finds me entertaining? I'm not sure how to feel about that,' Percy thought. 'What does he mean by 'don't die'?
A few minutes passed before the lady with the lion's mane cracked her neck. "Finally."
Percy turned to her, clutching the bag. "Madam?"
A strange hissing sound came from her. Percy's stomach dropped as she removed her glasses. Silted goat eyes stared back at him.
"I don't suppose you're a satyr?" Percy asked. 'Please be a satyr.'
"No, dear,"–the woman grew in size as her face split in two. "Chimera."
One side of her face developed a horn. The flat side of it that had broken off of the other part of her face, bubbled. It grew to mirror its other side. Her mouth elongated into a snout. A goat head glared down at Percy; its sharp teeth dripped saliva. The saliva burned through the Arch floor.
'That's not right.' Percy scrambled back.
A growl caught his attention. He turned to look at the other head. A lion snarled at him. Its golden mane glowed in the light.
'So not right,' Percy gaped at the Chimera's body. A lion's body with goat hooves.
A giant snake head with black scales lunged at him. It snapped giant fangs at him. Percy jumped back into the shadows.
"I hate your shoes!" Percy shouted.
The lion's head growled. It hacked and coughed like it had a hairball. Embers shot toward Percy. Percy dodged out of the way and landed, hard, on the duffle bag. Goat hooves trampled the metal floor. One hoof broke through the glass floor. The goat bellowed. Bits of saliva flew and hit the wall. The saliva melted through it. Blue sky peeked through the holes.
'I hate glass floors,' Percy thought as he scrambled up. He threw a dagger at the lion's eye.
The lion roared, letting loose a column of flame. Percy dunked down. Melted metal dripped down from above him. Percy yelped at a droplet landed on his arm. He rubbed his arm with the bag's strap. His red arm burned. Small blisters formed where the droplet had landed.
Percy didn't have time to check his wound. Acidic saliva splattered near him. Percy's head snapped up. The goat's head lowered toward him, as the lion's head thrashed spewing flames. Percy shouldered the bag and charged the goat's head. Teeth as long as a man's forearm and as sharp as daggers snapped at Percy. Percy's shirt ripped. His back burned as the acid ate away at the fabric. Percy tore his shirt off and threw it to the floor.
'Please don't let my back dissolve like a powdered drink,' Percy thought. He dropped the bag, and wrestled with the zipper to get it open.
'Come on, come on,' Percy thought as he yanked zipper around.
The lion roared as it let loose more flames. The goat's head bellowed, spewing out acid. The snake's head lowered itself and hissed at Percy through the lion's legs. Percy snapped his head up and gaped at the snake as he zipped the bag open.
He tore open the bag, and grasped the limp snakes of Medusa's hair. He doubled over and screamed as fangs the length of swords tore through his legs. The snake shook its head, tearing Percy's leg to pieces. The snake backed away, swallowing a piece of Percy's calf. Hot tears fell from Percy's eyes as he jerked Medusa's head out of the bag. The snake went in for another bite, but froze as Percy shoved Medusa's face into its face.
Percy watched through watery eyes as the snake's scales turned to stone. Percy sobbed as he slid his hand down his leg. The snake head had bitten off his calf, mangling his leg. His veins blackened as the snake's venom spread. He coughed. Blood from his lungs splattered over the duffle bag. He concentrated on the shadows. They wrapped him up in a tight hug, and dispensed him on the other end of the Arch. He didn't even have the energy to shadow travel to safety. No ambrosia, no nectar, no way out.
'I'm going to die.' Percy sobbed as he pressed his back against the metal wall.
The Chimera turned. Its stone, snake headed, tail dragged, screeching, against the metal. Percy panted. The goat hooves boomed as they hit metal. The lion let loose a torrent of flames, breaking glass and melting the roof of the Arch. The goat's head glared at Percy. It bellowed splattering the wall and floor with acid.
'I want to go home,' Percy thought. He gasped and tried to swallow his sobs.
The wall next to him sizzled and melted. A hole big enough for him to fall through formed. Percy inched his way toward it, forgetting Medusa's head and the duffle bag. He ignored the acid burning his chest as he stared down at the city. All of it. Everyone. The gods would destroy everything when they go to war, and all because he failed.
'At least I won't be alone for long,' Percy thought. 'I might even get to visit mom in Elysium.'
His mom's face flashed in his mind. He slipped out of the hole and into the open air. He stared up at the sky as flames exploded out of the Arch. Smoke roared, screams echoed, and all Percy could do was whisper:
"I'm sorry."
His vision turned black as his body smacked into the water.
#
"Wake up, demigod."
'What?' Percy groaned as he opened his eyes. He blinked and his eyes widened. 'This is so not the Underworld.'
Dirty water surrounded him. A brown bag floated by. A fish sprinted past. The sun glowed green. Percy got up, kicking up scum and dirt. A webbed hand with green scales grabbed his arm and held him in place. He twisted toward the owner of the hand.
"Mom?" Percy said. "Wait, how am I alive? How am I breathing? Talking?"
"You are lucky that Poseidon favors you because you seek to clear his name," the sea nymph said. "If he had not, you would be dead. He healed you, and protected you from a watery grave."
"He protected me?" Percy said.
"Yes," the nymph said. Her seaweed hair floated around her scaled head. She held out her hand. A milky glow seeped out between her fingers. "This is a gift to you from Poseidon. Use it wisely."
Percy held out his hand and accepted the gift. The milky ball glowed in his hand. It's soft shell conformed to the shape of his palm like a soap bubble.
"What is this?" Percy asked.
"A pearl of the sea," the sea nymph said. "What belongs to the sea, will return to the sea. Smash this pearl underneath your feet, and you will be transported to the sea. Poseidon will help you get to land safely. You only have one, and you can only use it once, so be careful of when you use it."
"Okay," Percy said. He put the pearl in his pocket. "It, uh, it won't break in my pocket will it?"
"No," the sea nymph said. "It takes force and weight to break that pearl."
The nymph tilted her head to the side. She blinked her black eyes. "You look like a son of Poseidon, but you're not."
"Thanks?" Percy said.
"I must go," The nymph said. "The water here is too foul for me to survive."
She dissolved into sea foam, and washed away. Percy flailed as water enter his nose and mouth. He swam for the surface and broke through, sputtering. He swam for the shore where Ares waited.
Ares laughed as he helped drag Percy onto land. "That had to be the best thing I've ever seen! I'm sad I missed the main action, but all the explosions were a riot!"
Percy coughed in response. He groaned and turned his head. A little boy stared at him wide eyed. He tugged on his mom's hand.
"Mommy, mommy, that boy was swimming in the water with no shirt and ripped pants!"
"That's nice, dear," the mom said her eyes glued to the Arch.
Percy stared up at the Arch with wide eyes. It had turned into a giant metal chimney with the way smoke came out of it. His stomach sank.
'I did this,' Percy thought. 'I ruined this place, and caused people to panic. I wasn't strong enough.'
He clenched his fist. Ares's whistle interrupted his self loathing.
"You got one awesome scar," Ares said. "Be proud of that."
Percy looked down at his leg. The chunk the snake head had taken out of him had healed into a blazing white scar.
"You're going to tell me what happened, right?" Ares held out a hand for Percy to take.
Percy took Ares's hand, letting Ares pull him up. "I will later. Let's get somewhere not swarming with police."
As he ran away from the scene, he heard Ares whoop behind him.
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