A/N:Again I apologize for the delay. My aunt died and we had to attend the wake and funeral. But hey, here's Chapter 12. Another was that my account was locked by the Admin for a couple of days. Apparently, you can;t post a story under the wrong sub-category. The prologue for Operation: Black Syringe was deleted, and as punishment - I can't think of a better word - I couldn't updater. I was supposed to post this new chapter three days ago.
Hope you like it. Anyway, I hope you guys post reviews every chapter. I'm not getting as many reviews as I used to and it's kind of sad. Can you please review? *puppy dog eyes*
I hope this chapter can make up for making you wait for a couple of days.
CimFan: Cool. But you do know that I won;t answer that, right? *grins evilly*
Potterjay all the Way: That could happen, who knows, but I don't think I would put myself in an incredibly difficult position by doing that, because I wouldn't know what to do with them. And I'm not going to confirm any of your suspicions. As I'm quite fond of saying, JUST WAIT FOR IT. :D
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Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
"There are two sides to everything. You don't know what belongs on front until you check the behind."
- Carol Dazmin
(Remember Me: The Return)
WISE GIRL'S SEAWEED BRAIN 2.0:
DARKNESS ARISING
Chapter 12: BLOOD BROTHERS
PERCY
I went back to where I left Annabeth and grabbed her shoulders. She looked up, smiling, but immediately frowned when she saw my face. "What is it this time?"
"Chiron Iris-messaged me," I told her, keeping my voice as calm as I could. "He said that the Hecate Cabin had placed a locator incantation on Calypso, just so he would always know her whereabouts. Apparently, Chiron trusts her as much as you do."
Annabeth smirked. "That's because he's smart, Seaweed Brain."
I sighed. "Fine, you had a point, but that's not what I have to tell you about," I told her, sitting beside her and leaning closer, lowering my voice. "A few minutes before I went to the comfort room, and about the same time that you and Calypso were gone, the incantation placed on her was severed."
Annabeth frowned. "What do you mean severed?"
"I mean that Calypso is missing," I said. Annabeth didn't show much reaction, which kind of annoyed me, so I went straight to the problem at hand. "And Lester has been missing for the past month."
"What?!" Annabeth exclaimed, standing up and knocking her chair to the floor. Patrons of the restaurant looked at her.
I grabbed her hand and pulled her down. "Yeah," I said. "Chiron said that what he saw as Lester was a hallucination. Who created it, we have no idea. All we know is that whoever wants him is sure to have dark plans. Styx, it's Chaos behind this, no doubt." I shook my head, trying to clear my now jumbled thoughts. "What do they want him for?"
"Jeez, Seaweed Brain, I can't believe you just ask that question!" Annabeth said in disbelief. "Of course Chaos will use his powers to cause destruction."
"What do we do now?"
Annabeth stood up. "First, we visit the scene of the crime." She grabbed her bag.
"Do you even know where Lester lives?" I asked her.
Annabeth nodded grimly. "I had the Stolls dig up some files from the Big House. Chiron likes to keep track of suspected demigods and their addresses." She tapped her temple. "I have his address here." Annabeth took a deep breath, no doubt sensing that something was about to go down tonight. "Get your things; we're going to Bronx."
Lester Fleming was living in a small apartment about ten minutes away from Christopher Columbus High school.
We approached the building cautiously, keeping every single sense on alert for any signs of enemies. But the night was as silent as a stone. That fact should've eased me, but it didn't. Instead it made me more nervous. Calm before the storm? I guess that was what's about to go down tonight.
Annabeth had called Chiron about where we were going. He wasn't a fan of the idea but he must know that we had to find out what happened to Lester. He said that back-up was on the way.
We kept an eye out for any form of traps like pressure sensitive exploding door mats, laser-guided missiles launched from doorknobs or grenade-concealed doorbells but we found none. Can't say I was disappointed. Annabeth and I still approached the apartment carefully, watching each other's backs and protecting one another against any kind of unseen foes or attacks.
I felt like a spy about to go on an undercover mission. The reality, however, was much more terrifying than highly trained and professionally skilled killers. I went ahead of Annabeth and opened the door slowly with my foot. I thought I had to kick it open but the thing was ajar. Annabeth and I exchanged worried looks.
All the lights were turned off but the light coming from the setting sun was sufficient to let us see the outlines of everything else inside the house. I, however, still flipped the switch on, bathing the house in white light. I wasn't scared of the dark, but I wasn't so psyched of the idea of having someone murderous jump from the shadows and attack us.
"Go check the kitchen, I'll check the living room," Annabeth commanded.
I nodded and turned left, careful not to make my footsteps heavy.
With Riptide ready on my hand, I tiptoed to where the kitchen was. As I carefully made my inspection, I couldn't help but think that Lester's family had little money. It was apparent with the furniture inside, which looked like they were older than I was.
The dining table was covered in a thin film of dust, which led me into the conclusion that Lester had, indeed, been missing for a month now. I wondered where his parents were, and whether it was his mother or father who was a Greek god or goddess.
Hanging on the wall was a picture showing three people. A man, a woman and a child of about three or four. I knew instantly that the kid was the demigod Lester. I searched for any similarities between him and his mother and father, but couldn't find any. I wanted to narrow down our guessing with who this Lester could be by knowing who his godly parent was, but it appeared that things weren't going to be that easy.
Everything in the kitchen seemed to be in order. There was no sign of forced entry, struggle or battles (this is Officer Jackson reporting). I lowered my sword and was about to call to Annabeth when she beat me to it. "Percy!" I heard her calling.
She sounded scared and I felt the hair on my arms stand on end. "Annabeth!" I yelled as I ran to where the living room was. She wasn't there. "Annabeth, where are you?" I spun around, looking for any signs of her and found none.
"Percy, upstairs!" I heard her yelling again.
I ran and climbed the stairs two at a time, nearly ripping my pants open. I found Annabeth unscathed, thankfully, kneeling beside a skinny teenage boy who was lying unconscious on the floor. Around were wood splinters, some were charred black. The bed was flipped to the side and the farthest wall was cracked.
Annabeth rolled the guy to his back. "Lester," she said when the face came into view. The guy had bronze hair, skin almost as pale as Nico's and soft features. "This is him. This is Lester."
"How did you know?" I asked her, trying to calm down my racing heart. I was still a bit freaked out hearing Annabeth screaming. I forced myself to acknowledge the fact that she was okay.
"Chiron described him to me," Annabeth answered. "Skinny, longish bronze hair, pale skin and attractive face. Yeah, this is him."
I shifted uneasily. "Um, you think he's attractive?"
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Seaweed Brain? You want to do this right now?"
"Sorry," I said, a bit ashamed. "Um, where do you think Calypso is?"
She was still kneeling beside the half-blood, checking for any signs of injury. "That's one of the few things what we need to find out," said Annabeth. "What worries me is seeing Lester here."
"That's a good thing, right? I mean, we won't have to look for him anymore." Annabeth didn't answer, still a bit occupied with inspecting the unconscious half-blood. There was another thing itching at the back of my head, and after debating for some time whether I would make sense if I tell it, I said, "But the thing is Chiron said that Lester is missing and you know Chiron, he doesn't make mistakes with this kind of thing." I looked at Annabeth, she was looking back at me and I could tell she was getting to the same page as I was.
"You're wondering if we could trust Lester," she said.
I nodded. "Don't you think it's a bit weird that Lester is just here lying around? Don't you think that's a bit suspicious?"
"I don't think so," said Annabeth. "Chiron did tell you that the Lester he saw was a hallucination. Who would've done that for him?"
I rolled my eyes. "Gee, I don't know," I answered sarcastically. "Let me see, may be him?" I suggested, pointing to Lester.
"Seaweed Brain, do you honestly think that this – this kid is powerful enough to fool Chiron?" she challenged. "No. Someone's doing this. Someone is playing us." Annabeth stood up, pacing. I know her. It was a sure sign that she was trying to put together pieces of a puzzle that don't come together. I could see frustration in her eyes. "What I don't get is why take Lester and let us find him? They would be incredibly stupid to do that." An idea fell into my mind and by the way that Annabeth's eyes widened, I knew that she thought about it. "Unless . . ." she trailed off.
"Unless that's what they want us to do," I finished. "Find him."
We weren't able to discuss it further because just then, Lester arched his back, gasped loudly and opened his eyes.
ANNABETH
I knelt back beside Lester and tried to calm him down. He looked around in bewilderment, asking, "W-what happened? Who are you? Where are my parents? Where's Skye?" He was panting and the look on his intense blue eyes was unnerving.
"Hey," I said softly, touching his arm. He flinched and scooted away. "It's going to be okay. We're going to help you. My name's Annabeth."
Percy raised his right hand. "Percy here."
Lester stared at him. "I-I know you."
I turned back to Lester, frowning. "You do?" I asked him. "How? I looked at Percy, who was knitting his eyebrows. "You know him, Seaweed Brain?" Percy shook his head. I turned my head back to the half-blood, deciding not to question him later, when we were at a safer place. "Who did this? Who kidnapped you, Lester? Why did they let you go?"
I felt Percy sitting next to me. "Annabeth, slow down," he said. "The kid's disoriented. Save the questions for later. We need to get him out of here and take him to Chiron."
At the sound of Chiron's name, Lester suddenly stood up and took a defensive stance. "Chiron!" he said. "You're with Chiron, which means you want to take me." His voice was quivering and I couldn't begin to imagine how terrified he was. "I'm warning you not to. I-I can do things. I will hurt you."
I took a step forward, ignoring Percy's warning. "I know you can," I said, raising my hands in front of me to show him I wasn't armed. "I know how difficult your life is. All of ours are. Things aren't easy for people like us. If you come with us, we can show you how to live with the gifts you have."
I took another step and Lester hissed. "I'm warning you not to," he said.
Before I could reply, Lester snapped his fingers and a circle of black fire suddenly blazed around him, separating him from us. I stared at him in shock. I'd never seen any half-blood do such thing.
"Step back or I'm going to burn you," he said.
I did what he told, still holding my hands up. "I know it's hard to trust us, Lester," I said in a measured voice, circling the ring of fire and looking for any weak spots. "But in order for you to survive, you'll need to. I know what the others did, trying to take you but that's because you're in danger. People like us always are."
"You keep saying people like us," he said. "What does that supposed to mean?"
"Half-bloods," I said. "Demigods. Children of the Greek gods and goddesses."
Lester gave a dark chuckle. "You're insane," he said. "You're definitely – "
He wasn't able to finish because right then, gunshots rang, peppering the walls of Lester's room with holes. Percy tackled me, bringing our weight crashing to the floor. The windows behind us shattered into a thousand pieces. There were multiple shooters, I know this for a fact because the bullets were hitting different spots at the same time, so unless the shooters were a Hundred-Handed One like Briares, then it was obvious.
They must be using high-powered rifles or guns because the bullets pierced even the hardest surface and were fired at a less than a fraction of a second interval. One hit the mirror in front us. A particularly big shard fell and sliced the right sleeve of my shirt, opening a gash on my forearm.
I hissed in pain while Percy stood up. I looked up, wondering what he was up to when he ran forward to the black flames, jumped into it and brought Lester down with him. They went rolling on the floor. I thought the fire would burn their clothes off but they seemed fine, no sign of any scorched skin. At this point, the gunshots had stopped, the shooters no doubt reloading.
Lester was still struggling. "Let go of me!"
"Sorry, can't," said Percy dragging him to where I was. He saw my cut and quickly rummaged on his pocket for a square of ambrosia.
I stopped him. "I'm fine," I said, taking out my handkerchief and wrapping it tightly around the wound. It didn't actually stop the bleeding but slowed it down. I stood up and readied my dagger. "Come on, we can't wait for the back-up team."
"Where are you taking me?" Lester demanded. "You're with the shooters, aren't you? You're with them!"
I turned to him. "Listen, Lester," I said, looking him in the eyes. "If we are, do you think they will shoot with us here, with the risk that they could hit us? No. We aren't with them. We're here trying to save you so be a good boy and come with us quietly or those people out there – who clearly want you – are going to get what they want and then you'd be dead." And in a soft voice, I told him, "We're here to help you, Lester, so let us do what we came here for." I looked at Percy. "Leave him to me and go first." He nodded. His eyes had taken that serious look he only wore when things are dangerous. "Be careful, okay?"
He nodded. "I'll distract them. Draw their fires to me. When they're occupied, take him and run the other way, okay?" He turned to leave but I pulled his hand back and kissed him. "Come back safe, okay? Please."
Percy smiled. "I will." He took a deep breath and ran down the stairs. I heard the door being flung open and Percy's voice yelling, "I'm here!" Then there were gunshots.
I pressed my eyelids tightly together and forced myself to calm down. Percy was there risking his life for us, so I'd better not screw this up. I counted to five in my head and took Lester's hand, surprised that he wasn't fighting, and ran down the stairs.
The house was almost ruined with bullet holes. I heard Lester took in a deep breath behind me but I didn't stop. This was a matter of life and death. Still clinging tightly to Lester's hand, I opened the door and ran to my right as the sound of gunshots was to my left.
Mortals were running around, screaming. I just hoped none of them got hit.
I ducked my head for good measure and told Lester to do the same. I was right. Even with the distraction that Percy was providing, there were too many shooters to be focused solely on him. A bullet ricocheted against the lamppost. The light bulb exploded. I felt Lester falter behind me but I tugged on his hand, forcing him to go on.
I half-expected to be hit by one of the bullets but I wasn't. When I checked, I realized why. There was some sort of invisible force filed surrounding us. One look at Lester's face, which was screwed up in concentration, I knew that it was him doing this. My curiosity about him climbed up another notch.
Who was this half-blood?
When I turned my head back to where we were heading, however, a man steeped in front of us, a taser gun ready. He fired it, aimed straight to my chest, or tried to. Before he could, I lashed out with my right foot and kicked his hand, the one holding the weapon. I felt his fingers break against my foot as he cried out in pain.
I was about to draw my dagger out to stab him when a sudden realization hit me. Monsters don't use taser guns or rifles. That must mean that the shooters were human. Why would they do something like this? Why would they do the enemy's bidding?
That moment of preoccupation, however, was enough for the man to get his bearings. He charged at me, a baton at ready. He swung it but I sidestepped. I stomped on his foot hard and grabbed his injured hand, adding pressure into it. I kneed him on the stomach and he fell on his knees, catching his breath.
Before I could turn to check if Lester was okay, however, a strong pair of arms wrapped around my chest and brought me hard on the ground. Every wisp of air was knocked out of my lungs as we impacted against the cemented road. I heard the man behind me grunt. I used my weight and brought myself down harder on him, stunning my captor. His grip loosened around me momentarily but that was enough for me to wiggle out of his arms.
I stood and looked down on him before punching his jaw, stunning him. My knuckles throbbed as his face was hard but I didn't care. I had to remind myself that he was mortal and was being controlled by someone. He was about to stand up but I brought my knee hard against his right temple, knocking him out. I tried not to feel bad about it. I had to remind myself that what I was doing was for a greater good. I had to get Lester to safety.
At the thought of him, my head snapped upwards and saw him being dragged away by three men. Lester was struggling as they loaded him in a black van. I sprinted to the other side of the street to stop him but a white van skidded to a stop in front of me, nearly using my foot as a hump. I was about to lunge against the open door to attack whoever was inside, sure that they were addition to the ones trying to abduct Lester, when I saw the words printed on its side. Delphi Strawberry Service – the cover name for Camp Half-Blood's transportation.
Thalia jumped out of the moving vehicle, went into a controlled shoulder roll and came up standing. Her face was grim but she smiled at me. "Hey, there," she greeted.
"What are you doing here, Thalia?" I asked.
"Extraction team," she said simply.
Following her were Nico, Clarisse, Will, Jake and Lou Ellen – the Camp's best fighters. If Chiron let them go out of Camp together, then he must know that rescuing Lester would be a hard task.
A little realization came at me. Percy, Nico and Thalia at one place outside Camp. The three children of the Big Three gods. They must be emitting aura strong enough to attract monsters from the continental U.S.
"Where's the kid?" asked Clarisse.
As an answer, the sound of a vehicle pulling away cut the otherwise peaceful twilight. Peaceful, I thought. My eyes widened. The gunshots had stopped, which could mean two things: either Percy had stopped them or they had captured Percy.
I sprinted to the direction where Percy went, yelling behind my back, "Follow the white van; Lester's in there!"
I didn't make it ten feet away from where I was when the gunshots started again. I ducked and covered my head with my arms, still running to where I last saw Percy. There was a particular shot that rang out against the rest and I realized why. It nearly hit me, passing a few centimeters away from my temple. My ear was ringing as I continued running. I was about to find cover when a body tackled me and we went rolling on the road. I fought against the grip that was trying to hold me down. Then I saw a pair of sea green eyes glaring at me. "What are you doing, Annabeth?!" Percy demanded. "I told you to stay with Lester!"
"They have him, Seaweed Brain," I informed him. "The team from Camp is here," I added.
Percy nodded and looked over to where we assumed the shooters were. We were crouched behind a metal trash can and every single time a bullet hit the other side of it, we were shaken.
"We need to follow whoever took him," Percy said.
"Yes, but the gunshots," I said, looking around. My eyes caught the plumbing that was leading to the houses around. There was a fire hydrant across the street, just where we guessed the shooters were hiding. I could see its reflection in one of the houses' mirror. "Percy," I said, grabbing his arm. He looked at me questioningly and I pointed to where I was looking.
Percy nodded his understanding. He looked at me. "As soon as the water explodes, run, okay? I'll be right behind you." I nodded.
Percy waited for the gunshots to abate and when it did he closed his eyes and concentrated. A second later, there was a deafening blast from across the street and the sound of surprised yelling. I didn't wait. I started running back to where the van was parked. The other demigods must've followed Lester's abductees on foot.
Argus was still inside, his face solemn.
"Follow us," Percy commanded him. I looked at him questioningly but he grabbed my hand. "Come on, there's a faster way to follow them."
Still with our heads bowed down, Percy lead me to the other side of the street, to a parked motorcycle. The key was still in the ignition and there was a helmet on the seat. Whoever owned this was long gone. The whole block was deserted.
Without waiting or Percy's instructions, I jumped into it. Percy swung his legs and mounted the vehicle, tossing me the helmet. I put it on without questions. He kick-started it and then we were off, leaving dust in our wake.
It wasn't the first time Percy and I went into a motorcycle ride. Our first time was during the Titan War. It occurred to me that we only get to do this whenever dangerous things are happening. I silently thought to ask Percy to take me to another one when we weren't chasing some manipulated mortals.
It wasn't hard to track them. The destruction caused by the demigods and the mortals were pretty obvious. There was a jar of Greek fire lying unattended in the middle of the street. For a second, I was tempted to tell Percy to stop but then I saw Jake Mason running towards it. He looked at me and pointed to the direction where we were heading. I nodded at him.
I spotted Will Solace hiding behind an upturned car, shooting arrows in the dark. I would've questioned him except that each time he let an arrow fly, I heard grunts of pain and knew he was doing a good job.
We caught up to the van a few meters ahead. I thought we would lose it, but on closer examination, I saw that one of its tires was blown, slowing it down. And there was a faint blue light surrounding it. I saw Lou Ellen taking cover while muttering incantations non-stop. Nico was in the middle of the street. I watched as he punched the ground with his fist. A crevice snaked its way from his knuckles to where the van was. It momentarily loses its hold and swerved sharply to the right.
Thalia and Clarisse were on either side of it, waiting for a chance to jump in and grab Lester.
But they didn't get the chance.
None of us did. The van exploded, its explosion sending wave shocks around it, shattering windows and blowing up doors. It rolled a couple of times before skidding into a stop. The roof had been blasted off. I wondered who did it.
And the answer came out of the van itself. Lester. He was limping, a bloody gash on the right side of his forehead. He was clutching his right arm, trying to stop a bleeding wound. I could feel my shock being reflected in Percy's eyes through the rearview mirror of the motorcycle. Percy stopped the vehicle a few feet away from the destruction. "How did you do that?" he asked Lester.
He wasn't able to answer. A loud screech was heard right above us and a huge shadow plummeted and grabbed Lester. We were too slow for it. Before we could move, the thing already had Lester on its claws, high up in the air. It circled us, as if taunting us for our failure.
What shocked me the most was I recognized the animal that took Lester.
It was the Aetos Kaukasios, more commonly known as the Caucasian Eagle.
Long ago, Zeus sent the Caucasian Eagle to feed on the ever-regenerating liver of the Titan Prometheus after he was chained on top of Mount Kaukasos as a punishment for stealing fire from the gods.
Experience taught me that once you have what you are tasked to retrieve, you have to get out immediately. But the Eagle didn't. It kept circling us, as if waiting for its master.
"That's the Caucasian Eagle," Thalia said.
"What?" asked Clarisse. "Isn't that your Dad's? Why is it against us?"
"No time to ask questions," Percy said, jumping off the motorcycle and running to the nearest building. I wasn't able to follow him because we were, once again, assaulted by gunshots.
I grabbed Thalia's arm and dragged her to an open coffee shop. There were no patrons around. "Where the hell did Kelp Head go?" Thalia asked, ducking under a table. Bullets shattered the shop's windows, showering us with sharp shards.
Outside, I heard Clarisse grunting and then the sound of someone screaming in pain. The gunshots stop after that. Thalia and I waited for it to resume when Clarisse peeked inside, "Safe to go out now, princesses."
Thalia and I stood up and went back outside. Will, Jake and Lou Ellen had caught up to us.
"Where's Percy?" asked Will.
My answer was cut when a metal chair fell from the twelfth floor, breaking the window. I knew Percy was behind it because that was about the height of the eagle. I thought he was aiming for the Eagle. If he was, then he failed miserably. It barely came within twelve feet of the bird.
But apparently, that wasn't what's happening. I made out Percy's silhouette from up above. He was looking down. The Eagle met his eyes. As if understanding that it was against the son of Poseidon, the animal turned and flew away.
Percy didn't hesitate. He jumped out of the window.
LESTER
Everything was happening in a breakneck pace. First I woke up to two complete strangers looking down at me. One was a beautiful blonde with intimidating gray eyes, while the other was a black-haired guy with green eyes. I took a second look when I saw him. He said his name was Percy. I didn't know why but I felt like I knew him. A voice at the back of my head said that I did and that was associated with a bad memory.
"I-I know you," I blurted out before I could stop myself.
I could see at the look on their faces that it was next to impossible for me to know them, but I was almost a hundred percent sure that I did. I just couldn't remember how I did.
I had no idea how I created that circle of black fire. All I knew was that I had to keep them away from me, especially after Annabeth said that they were with Chiron. She kept on mentioning things like people like us and demigods. I'd read enough Greek mythology-related books to know that demigods are children of the gods.
I wanted to call her crazy but didn't get the chance. The gunshots started. Then Percy tackled me, saving me from being hit by one. I was terrified but I still tried to fight against them. Then Annabeth commanded Percy to go first and he mentioned something about drawing their fires to him. I immediately understood that he was risking himself for us. I got more confused. Chiron wanted to take me. If they were with him, why were they helping me?
After that, things that followed were nothing but a blur. Next thing I knew, I was inside a van, being gagged and tied. One of the four masked men inside with me said, "Just sit tight. This will be over soon."
The windows were heavily tinted but I could tell we were going against the speed limit. Then something behind us went whoosh and the van spun, almost losing control. After that, we went slower. I could tell that the guys who had me were well-trained and skilled.
A cell phone rang. The man beside the driver answered it. "Yes, we have him." H paused and the other person spoke. I strained my ear to hear what was being said but I couldn't make out a single word. The man laughed. "I know you're going to use him in a sacrifice."
A chill ran down my spine. They're going to sacrifice me? For what? What kind of sick people were they? I closed my eyes and fought against the tears, thinking, I'll make it out. I'll make it out.
Then everything around me seemed to erupt all at once. I was thrown against one of the man as our vehicle flipped a couple of times. The world seemed to tilt from its axis, throwing everything out of their respective places. My forehead hit something hard and sharp. I wasn't able to feel the pain because before I could, there was another sting on my right forearm. It felt like an eternity before the out of control rolling of the vehicle stopped.
I groaned, sitting up. Cold air was blowing from above. I looked up and saw that the roof had been completely destroyed. I checked my surroundings and almost threw up at the sight. Around me were dead bodies of the four men, their necks broken.
Did I do this? I thought to myself.
I didn't take much time thinking. I had watched enough movies to know that there's a good chance that the van will blow. I went out, trying to stop the blood from flowing from the wound on my arm. My vision was tinted with red and I was limping.
Before me, I saw Clarisse, Thalia and Percy and Annabeth riding a motorcycle. From afar, I could see Nico, the blonde, Will, the small girl, Lou Ellen, and a buff guy I didn't recognize, heading to where the rest were. I wasn't so psyched seeing Clarisse again, but seeing Annabeth made me calm down a little. I don't know but there was something about her I couldn't help but trust.
I was on my way to meet her and Percy when something grabbed me on both arms and darted upwards. When I looked down, I saw that I was hanging a hundred feet from the ground. I gazed upwards and saw that the thing holding me was a gigantic eagle. I looked down again and almost called Annabeth for help but the height gave me nausea and I had to close my eyelids tightly.
Please let this nightmare be over, I thought as I felt the eagle's claws digging deeper into my arms. I swallowed the scream trying to escape my throat as I felt the eagle turn. Now it was going to take me somewhere and feed on me .I heard the sound of glass breaking but didn't pay any attention to it. I was too tired to think about it. I was too tired to wonder how an eagle that size existed.
I heard its wings flapping above me and we began moving. Then I felt a rather heavy weight pulling me down. I opened my eyes and looked down. It was Percy, holding tightly to my ankles for dear life. I heard Annabeth screaming below us as she and the others jumped in a white van.
"Hold on tight!" Percy yelled.
My blood was raining down on his face. One drop caught him in the eye, breaking his handhold on my ankles. He started slipping. We were moving at the speed of a drag racing car. If Percy fell, he would be dead. He had saved me this night; I couldn't let that happen to him. Without thinking, I balled my fist and punched the eagle's chest. It squawked and opened one of its feet, but not enough to let my left arm go. I pulled it out of its grip, ignoring the thing's sharp claws slicing my skin and flesh.
Percy was barely hanging on my ankles. One more second and he would fall. Luckily, the rope that the men used to tie me up was still wrapped around my left wrist. I let the other end fall, gripping the other tightly.
Percy's handhold faltered and he fell but I threw the rope at him, yelling, "Hold!" He understood and grabbed the other end of the rope. For a second, I thought he had missed but then I saw him hanging onto it. His weight, however, was too much for my fourteen year-old body. There was an audible snap as I felt my left shoulder being dislocated. Immediately, the left side of my body grew numb. I would've welcomed it, but the pain was brought back when the rope dug into the skin of my palm. I gritted my teeth as I was showered by my own blood.
A volley of arrows was sent our way. The eagle dove to the right. My hand was slick with blood and I almost slipped. I held on tighter. I could swear I felt the rope grind against the bones in my hand. One of the arrows hit me on the upper left thigh. I gritted my teeth to block out the pain.
"Lester, look out!" I heard Percy yell below me. I turned my head and saw that a few feet away from us was the side of a building. We were swinging from left and right and we would collide into it.
My brain seemed to work overtime as my eyes roamed the surroundings. My eyes fell into a billboard advertising under wears for girls. I concentrated into it and thought of it falling, bracing itself against that small gap between the two buildings. Whatever mysterious ability I had didn't fail me. The metals holding it in place snapped and fall off, smashing a car below. The billboard swung and fell to the side but it was too long for the small space, which was what exactly I needed. It created an inclined plane, its end hanging at least twenty feet off the ground.
I looked down. "Percy!" I yelled at him, nodding my head to my right. He looked at it and nodded at me.
We were a foot away from it when I let go of the rope and Percy fell. Using my free hand, I pried the eagle's claws open. It screeched but let me go.
Time slowed down as I fell. I just hoped that didn't miscalculate and end up scattering my brain and internal organs on the pavement. I closed my eyes as wind screamed in my ears. I felt like the skin on my face was peeling off. My backside hit something and I went sliding downwards.
I opened my eyes as I felt the back of my legs having burns. Percy grabbed my right arm to stop me from falling on the edge. I would've been thankful except that he was holding onto my wound. I yelled in pain and Percy yelled with me. I realized he was holding me with his wounded hand, the one he used to hold onto the rope.
When our blood touched, however, something weird happened. All my wounds closed, the arrow dislodged itself from my thigh. I saw the angry red wound on Percy's face closing before my eyes. As if part of one being, we both looked down on our respective hands and the deep cuts that were sickening to look at healed, the skin knitting itself back together.
Percy looked at me in confusion. "How - ?"
Below us, I heard the sound of the van pulling into the narrow alley. A door opened and Annabeth climbed out. "Percy!" she yelled. "Lester!"
Percy shifted – which was a total mistake. That movement tilted the billboard and we fell the remaining height. We hit the top of the van and we both rolled down to the road, him on top of me.
"Get off," I said in a weak voice.
"Sorry, dude," he said, standing up. Annabeth was on him in no time, hugging him.
"How are you?" she asked, patting him to check for any injuries. She looked confused when she didn't find any. "You don't have any wounds."
Percy nodded and looked at me. I thought he was going to tell them what happened but he stayed quiet. Even when I didn't know what was going on, I could tell that what happened could be suspicious, dangerous even.
Nico looked at me. "I don't understand how you were able to do everything you just did tonight," he said. "Who in Hade's name are you?"
I wasn't able to answer because when I was about to open my mouth to, I passed out.
When I came back to consciousness again, we were pulling into what looked like a hill with a pine tree on top of it. "What - ?" I asked no one in particular.
Annabeth looked at me. "Glad to see your eyes," she said. I didn't know why that made me blush. "Come on, we need to go." She opened the door and Percy followed her, with me tailing them.
I stepped out of the vehicle and followed them, my head bowed down. I walked into someone and nearly fell back sprawling on the ground. I looked up and saw that everyone had stopped. "What's going on?" I asked as I stepped aside to get a good look of what they were looking at.
Lying on the foot of the hill was a girl with dark hair. Her clothes were familiar. In fact everything about her was familiar. My heart thumped as I ran to her and turned her on her back. And I was right it was her.
"Oh, no," I whispered.
I felt them approach me. "Wait, you know her?" Clarisse asked.
"Yeah," I answered, touching her face. "She's my friend.
"I didn't know Skylar lives in Bronx," said Percy.
I looked at him. "You know her?"
Annabeth nodded. "Yes," she said, placing her hand on my shoulder. "Lester, meet Skylar Gray, daughter of Hecate, the goddess of magic."
How was that? Did you like it? Okay, I'm nervous, especially after the revelation in the end. Let me know what you think through reviews. :D
[Next - Chapter 13: A PLACE FOR MY HEAD]
