Chapter 21: Building Tension Has to Explode
AN: A while ago someone ( I believe it was Noxlux013) asked me to use the translation of the name Perseus. Luckily I had been planning on it anyway. So here it is!
Annabeth watched everyone get ice cream, Sally's cookies, brownies and a multitude of other deserts. She hadn't gotten up herself but took one of the cookies that Percy offered her.
"Do you think anyone will mind if we rearrange again?"
"No. Why do we need to?" Percy asked her.
"Chew with your mouth closed, Seaweed brain."
Percy gulped. "Sorry Wise girl. Why, though?"
"You haven't told me everything about what happened after I left but I know you got hurt and from the way you looked two weeks after it was bad. I'm just not sure how bad."
"Very," Percy admitted. "Worse than the chimera poison at some points. It lasted longer too. It was like I dipped my whole body in the Phlegethon but worse."
Annabeth stiffened. That was a good way to make her understand it. "I'm asking Jaz and Magnus to move closer. Will too if he wants."
Percy raised an eyebrow. "It's not going to help though."
"No. It won't but it will make me feel better if you don't want me with you then."
Percy stayed silent for a moment before answering. "Fine."
Annabeth got up then and pulled Jaz, Magnus, Will and Nico aside. The son of Hades had insisted on coming with his boyfriend and Annabeth hadn't argued.
"What's up?" Magnus asked her.
"This next part isn't something I saw all of. I just know it will be bad," Annabeth said.
"How bad?" Will asked.
"According to Percy around the same as the chimera poison. He compared it to a dip in an underworld river too."
Nico winced knowing that Percy knew just what that felt like, several times over in several different rivers and some because of him.
"So what can we do?" Jaz asked. "It hasn't helped before."
"No," Annabeth said. "But just in case. I want you and Magnus to sit near Percy."
"What about me?" Will asked.
"I wasn't sure if you wanted to move from Nico but—"
"We'll both move," Nico said. "Percy's my cousin and if I can help I will. And I can imagine a little bit of what it was like."
"Good. He doesn't want me near him. Emotions ran a bit high before and after and I don't think he knows how he'll react. Calypso and Leo are also staying away from him after. Probably Rachel too."
"Oh," Will said. "This is when he…"
"Yeah."
"Probably a good idea," Nico agreed. "Come on Will."
Will followed his boyfriend towards where Percy was sitting again. Magnus wasn't far behind taking his old seat with Carter and Sadie nearby. Jaz joined them not soon after. Nico stole a cookie from Percy's plate and the cousins got in a squabble as Annabeth watched. Percy gave her a double thumbs up with Nico's head under his arm and a cookie held in his mouth and she held back the nervous laugh allowing herself to grin. They'd be fine, she assured herself as she took her seat in between Thalia and Piper. It'd all be fine.
The scene rose again in front of them with them all running through a new tunnel. Then suddenly the spider raced past a tunnel dug from raw earth and wrapped in roots but didn't stop. Grover did. Percy asked him what was going on. He didn't move staring openmouthed in the dark tunnel. Annabeth yelled for him to come one. They had to keep moving. Grover said this was the way. This was it.
"Pan?" Piper asked him.
"You found him?" Magnus asked.
"I can't really say that," Grover said after he'd tried.
Percy asked what way before his eyes widened in realization and he asked if Grover meant to Pan. Grover turned to Tyson and asked if he could smell it. Tyson said it was dirt and a lot of plants.
"So like a tunnel made of dirt then," Leo decided.
"No. Not exactly."
Grover yelled yes saying this was the way. He was sure of it. The spider was disappearing down the stone corridor. Annabeth looked at it nervously and turned to Grover telling him they'd come back on their way back to Hephaestus.
"If it's there now it won't stay for long," Hazel said decisively.
"I know," Annabeth agreed.
Grover protested the tunnel would be gone by then. He said he had to follow it. A door like that wouldn't stay open. Annabeth insisted that they couldn't. They had to go to the forges. Grover looked at her sadly saying he had to. Didn't she understand? Annabeth looked at him desperately but Percy was looking between her and Grover and said they'd split up.
"Still can't believe you did that," Thalia muttered. "Not smart."
"We had too."
"I know but—"
"Splitting up isn't really smart," Walt agreed.
"Unless you have magic amulets," Sadie grinned at him. "We split up all the time!"
"Because we have too!" Carter argued.
"The same here," Magnus agreed. "But it's never exactly smart."
"But it's needed," Percy said with such a tone of finality that no one else argued.
Annabeth yelled no. It was way too dangerous. How would they find each other again? And grover couldn't go alone. Tyson put his hand on Grover's shoulder and said he'd go with him. Percy looked between them confused and frantically asking if Tyson was sure.
"I thought you were scared of him," Jason asked confused.
"I was," Grover responded.
"And I thought you were allergic to him," Blitz asked Tyson.
"Goat boy is my friend," Tyson said. "Pan is important to him and the rest of the world. I helped him."
"We made a pretty good team," Grover shrugged. "Still do."
Tyson nodded. Grover had helped him search for Percy until the last time when he'd needed to go himself to go catch up with him by shadow travel on Mrs. O'Leary which Grover didn't do too well.
Tyson nodded saying Goat boy needed help. They would find the god person. Tyson was not like Hephaestus. He trusted his friends. Grover took a deep breath and looked at Percy telling him they'd find each other again. They'd still got the empathy link. He just had too.
"I did the right thing but man, you got into so much trouble without me! I should never leave you and Annabeth alone again!"
"We already have one crazy satyr chaperoning us and that month was more than enough," Percy begged. "Or do you want me to third wheel your time with Juniper."
"That's not what I meant," Grover bleated.
"I know dude. I'm messing with you. But I've missed almost dying with you too."
Percy told him he hoped he was right. Grover looked him right in the eye standing up confidently and saying he knew he was.
"That has to be the most confident I've heard you sound up until then," Thalia said.
"It probably was," Grover shrugged.
"Except about enchiladas and coffee," Percy put in.
"True."
Percy told him to be careful and turned to Tyson who held back a sob and hugged Percy hard. He and Grover disappeared through the tunnel of tree roots and disappeared. Annabeth looked at Percy and said this was bad, splitting up was a really really bad idea. Percy said they'd see them again trying to sound upbeat and confident but failed. He told her to come on. Before the spider got away.
"Just let it," begged Thalia. "Join Grover and Tyson. That's safer."
"There were bad monsters. We had to fight them and almost got hurt."
"I'm sure you guys almost got killed in much worse ways than us," Grover finished for Tyson.
"You never really told us what happened," Annabeth said.
"We were a little busy, weren't we?" Percy asked them.
"If leading a war consists as busy," Grover asked him.
The scene picked up again further down the stone tunnel as the walls glowed and loud roars filled the air. Annabeth and the spider kept going but Percy called for her to wait up. She glanced back at him and asked yeah? He said Hephaestus said something back there… about Athena.
"Is this really the time for this?" Thalia groaned.
"No," Annabeth agreed.
"Probably never really a good time for what he's about to ask," Will laughed.
"I probably shouldn't have asked that. I'm just going to take that route and blame my ADHD," Percy said causing some laughter.
"What are they talking about?" Magnus asked him.
"Something your cousin should probably answer for herself. Or she will in a moment."
Annabeth said she swore never to marry. Like Artemis and Hestia. She was one of the maiden goddesses. Percy blinked and then frowned saying but then- Annabeth interrupted finishing his question asking how come she has demigod children?
Magnus paled and looked at Annabeth. "Please tell me you're not talking about how you were born. I'm guessing it wasn't in the normal way but even if it was I really don't want to hear it."
"Grow up Magnus," Annabeth told him.
"No. You can't talk about this. Not with him too!" Magnus said pointing to Percy. "I don't want to hear it."
"Just let us watch it. It's not like I liked it either," Annabeth muttered towards the end.
Percy nodded and was blushing but the rest of him was pretty red and sweaty anyway from how hot it was. She asked Percy if he knew how Athena was born. Percy said she sprung from the head of Zeus in full battle armor or something like that.
"Not the weirdest birth I've heard about," Alex said after a second.
"You've heard of weirder? I mean even the demon days thing isn't that weird," Sadie said.
"Don't know what that is but we've met a god with nine biological mothers, my mother is Sam's father and also the mother of an eight legged horse, giant sea monster among other things," Alex said.
"Once again norse mythology is probably one of the weirder things here," Nico said. "I mean seriously. You guys are dead! How are you here?"
"You're supposed to be the death expert," Jason told him.
"Not as much as the guy next to me with the Egyptian god of death possessing him."
Walt raised a eyebrow at Nico's reply but didn't say anything.
Annabeth replied exactly. Athena wasn't born in the normal way. She was literally born from thoughts. So were her children. When Athena fell in love with mortal men it was all intellectual like she loved Odysseus in the old stories. A meeting of the minds. She'd tell you that's the purest kind of love.
"That's actually sweet," Jaz smiled.
"And explains a lot about Annabeth," Piper grinned teasingly.
"Shut up."
"I'm scared to ask what she's talking about," Grover said.
"Nothing bad," Piper promised. "Just Annabeth doesn't think with emotions. Ever."
"It also explains why she and prissy took so long to get together," Clarisse grumbled. "Silen- she complained about it all the time."
Percy said so her dad and Athena then stopped and blushed saying so Annabeth wasn't then stopped again fidgeting uncomfortably.
"Really don't need to think about Uncle Fredrick like that," Magnus grimaced.
"He's my dad!" Annabeth shoved him. "And it didn't happen anyway."
Annabeth said she was a brain child. Literally. Children of Athena were sprung from the divine thoughts of their mother and the mortal ingenuity of our their father. They were supposed to be a gift, a blessing from Athena to the men she favors.
"Sounds kind of like my mother," Blitz muttered. "Jewlery instead. And it's not a meeting of the minds."
More faces were pulled around the room and Hearth shoved Blitz a little as Alex cackled madly.
Percy muttered but— then Annabeth interrupted saying the spider was getting away. Did he really want her to explain the exact details of how he was born? Percy hesitated for a moment but said no that was okay. She smirked and said she thought not and ran ahead as Percy watched her in wonder and confusion for a moment then ran to catch up.
Percy blushed madly again as Annabeth smirked at him again. He blushed again and ducked down and didn't look at her squirming uncomfortably.
As they ran the roaring got louder. Soon they came out in a cavern the size of a football stadium. The spider curled into a ball and Percy and Annabeth exchanged glances. There was no floor in front of them, just bubbling lava hundreds of feet below. They stood on a rock ridge that circled the sides of the cavern. A network of metal bridges spanned from side to side. At the center was a huge platform with all sorts of machines, cauldrons, forges and a large anvil the size of a house. Dark shapes moved around it, some type of creature to far to see. Annabeth picked up the metal spider and put it in her pocket and said she could check it out. He should wait there. Percy said to hold it but Annabeth put on her Yankees cap and turned invisible.
"Don't split up again!" Thalia yelled.
"I never split up with Annabeth if I don't have too and most the time it's not by choice," Percy told her then winced. "Sorry."
"You're just across the room," she told him. "It's okay. And Thalia's right. I'm never leaving you alone again on a quest."
"This just makes me feel better and better about what's going to happen next," Leo muttered. "I mean he must have been pretty hurt to end up on Ogygyia."
"Worse than you," Calypso agreed.
Percy looked back at the Labyrinth tunnel then around carefully. Finally he got up creeping around the outer rim of the lava lake looking for a better angle.
"Next time just stay put," Annabeth begged.
"I will," he agreed.
"And you don't leave the most ADHD person here besides Leo alone!" Nico scolded Annabeth.
"I deserved that."
"I didn't," Percy said to Annabeth.
"Yes, you did," agreed Nico, Thalia and Annabeth.
"That's scary," Frank shivered.
He was sweaty and hot and blinking the smoke out of his eyes. He moved along the ridge till he found he was blocked by a cart on metal wheels. He lifted up the tarp and found it half full of scrap metal. Then voices emerged ahead and Percy quickly squeezed himself under the cart. One of the voices asked if they should bring it in. Another voice responded saying yes. The movie was just about done. Percy curled in further pulling the tarp over himself and gripped riptide as the cart lurched forward.
"This just keeps getting better and better," Magnus said in a very obviously sarcastic and falsely cheery voice.
"Especially if that movie is anything like the Camp Half-Blood orientation film," Annabeth said.
"What? That's one of the best films I've ever made! It's a piece of art that should have won multiple awards," Apollo squawked.
"Dad," Will said gently. "I'm sorry but it's the worst thing ever made. It's permanently scarring."
Then Percy and Nico exchanged devilish grins. And started singing together. "It lets the demigods in! It shuts the monsters out! It keeps the half bloods safe, but turns mortals all about! It's misty, and it's magic, and it makes me want to shout—"
"No!" Everyone from Camp Half Blood but Leo yelled as they snapped out of the trance of disgust the song seemed to put them in.
Apollo clapped his hands and finished the song. "The border is all about."
"No. No one ever sings or talks about that monstrosity again. That's why we started that guide!" Annabeth yelled.
"I thought you'd all seen it," Nico said. "Especially when we've been watching this. The way Grover talked made it seem like every camper saw the film."
"No because most of them knew what was happening before they arrived. You were ten. I'm pretty sure that must have scarred you more than any of the other things you've seen!" Will said.
"It wasn't that bad, was it?" Apollo asked. All the Greeks looked at him incredulously and he cringed.
A gruff voice complained the cart weighed a ton. The other one said it was celestial bronze. What did they expect? Percy gripped hard to the cart as they turned a corner. All they could see was the tarp and hear the voices and wheels turning.
"Where are they taking you?" Zia asked curiously. "If you get much closer to the magma the heat should not be easy to stand for long."
"It was a smaller room. You'll see for what in a second. You can tell—"
"Because the sound of the wheels doesn't echo as much against the tunnels," Thalia finished for him. She turned to Percy surprised. "You knew that?"
"I guess," Percy shrugged.
There were lots of voices between growls and seal barks talking and what was obviously a narrator as well as the spin of an old projector. One voice said to just set the cart in the back. The voice continued telling the younglings to watch the film. There would be time for questions after. Everything quieted down. The narrator's voice talked about how changes would happen in a monster's body as young sea demons matured. Their fangs grew longer and they had desires to eat human beings. These changes were perfectly normal and happens to all monsters.
"No," groaned Sadie. "Hearing this thing once is always enough."
"Hearing what?" Carter asked her.
"I envy you for once," Sadie told him.
"And all of those who didn't have to go through school health classes," agreed Rachel.
"What is the film talking about?" Hazel asked.
"No! Don't tell her!" Frank and Nico yelled. Hazel rolled her eyes. She wasn't that innocent and naïve and they both knew it.
"It's the thing every student dreads," shivered Percy. "The health class puberty and talk."
Hazel gulped happy for once she hadn't attended modern school. So did all the others who had never went to school or had left it before they were showed something similar.
"Please tell me you didn't see the whole thing," Grover begged. "I was in middle school for several years. I don't need to see this again."
"Didn't see it," Percy said and everyone sighed in relief. "I heard it all though."
Everyone groaned.
Exited snarling filled the room. The voice from before told the to be quiet. Percy looked pale and kept turned away from where lights flickering which must have been the screen was. Then the voice stopped and the flickering did too and the voice asked the younglings the proper name of their kind.
Percy interrupted it to cheer. "Yes! It skipped it! All of the acne, growth spurts and flipper hygiene!"
"Flipper hygiene?" asked Reyna slightly amused.
"It's an issue," Percy defended. "According to the film which is burned into my mind."
"And we didn't have to hear it. Thank the gods," Thalia said and then thought for a second. "And the fates."
One of the voices barked sea demons and the teacher's voice said no asking if anyone else wanted to answer. Another voice growled it was Telekhines!
"Telekhines?" Frank asked. "Like at the aquarium."
"Nowhere near as docile though," Percy said then grinned. "Did I use the word right Annabeth?"
"Yes," she smiled at him.
He fist pumped glad their SAT studying was paying off.
The instructor said very good and asked why they were here. Several voices cheered it was for revenge. The voice said yes but why. Someone said it was because Zeus was evil. He cast them into Tartarus because they used magic.
"Zeus doesn't punish without reason. His punishments can be harsh but they are never without cause," Calypso said.
"Cal," Leo looked at her hesistantly. She smiled weakly at him and he knew she was fine.
"She's right. The telekhines used their magic for dark things. They served evil with it," Apollo informed everyone.
The instructor agreed saying even after they made all the gods weapons like Poseidon's trident and the titans greatest weapons Zeus cast them away. He relied on the Cyclopes instead. That is why they were taking over the forges of Hephaestus. And soon they'd control their ancestors forges the undersea furnaces.
Tyson frowned but didn't say anything.
Percy clutched riptide and his face turned stormy but he didn't move as the teachers voice continued. The teachers voice asked the younglings who it was they served. The younglings shouted Kronos. And the teacher continued prompting them asking when they grew up to be big telekhines would they make weapons for the titan army? The telekhines cheered yes. The teacher said excellent. Then she continued they'd brought in scraps for them to practice with to see how ingenious they were.
"Not good," Chris said.
"Next time just wait for Annabeth," Thalia advised.
"He's here, isn't he?" asked Walt.
Percy frowned. He almost wasn't.
Percy gripped Riptide ready to uncap it as voices and movement neared the cart. The tarp was thrown back and Percy jumped up as Riptide sprang open and found himself facing the telekhines, creatures with black dog faces and the bodies of sea lions with flippers half flipper, half foot and human hands with sharp claws. One snarled there was a demigod. Another yelled for them to eat it. But Percy slashed an arc and a whole row of monsters evaporated. He yelled for them to back off. The instructor, six feet tall, snarled at Percy who stared him down.
"Has anyone told you how scary you are?" Jaz asked.
"What?" Percy said looking around confused. "I mean… I guess sometimes but here?"
"No. She's right," Piper agreed.
"Percy's one of those few people who looks like a cinnamon roll and could actually kill you but then looks like he could actually kill you and is a cinnamon roll and then there's the times he looks like he could kill you and will actually kill you," Thalia said.
"What are you talking about?" Jason asked.
"It's a meme," Alex said. "A very accurate one."
"I'll explain later," Thalia said.
"To be more accurate he's also a sinnamon roll," Rachel said.
There was a hum of agreement for those who knew what she was talking about and looked at Percy interestedly.
"Okay," Percy muttered. "Now I'm the one that's scared."
Percy got up and theatrically announced there was a new lesson for the class. Most monsters would vaporize with a celestial bronze sword. This change was perfectly normal and it would happen to them right now if they didn't BACK OFF. All the monsters backed up.
Everyone leaned back too.
"Yeah. Dude, that's seriously scary," Jason decided.
"It wouldn't have lasted for long."
"You've gotten scarier," Nico told him. "Now it would."
Percy didn't seem to know if he was happy with that or not.
Percy looked around at the twenty or so monster assembled and jumped out of the cart yelling class dismissed running for the exit.
Everyone burst out laughing.
"Epic."
"More than that. It's legendary."
Percy grinned and took a bow. He was still sweating though and red faced like he was hotter than he'd ever been in his life or had he had been since he stood inside that volcano.
The monsters charged after him barking and growling. They couldn't run very fast with the stubby legs and flippers but they did pretty well. But Percy managed to shut the door at the end of the tunnel leading to the main cavern. He slammed it shut and turned the wheel handle locking it. Seconds later things were banging on it. Percy looked around frantically.
"Where were you?" Hazel asked Annabeth.
"Trying to get a look around. Obviously our recon mission was blown."
"Sorry!" Percy winced.
"You literally yelled seconds later."
"I know. I'm an idiot."
"Yes. You are."
Percy spotted the platform in the center of the volcano and ran towards it. He looked around again and yelled Annabeth's name. Her voice shushed him and he was pulled down by her behind a bronze cauldron, still invisible as she asked if he wanted her to get them killed.
Percy and Annabeth both stiffened.
"And I thought you couldn't make it any worse," Magnus told Percy sarcastically not noticing the glances he was exchanging with his cousin.
"Obviously Prissy doesn't know the meaning of stealth missions," Clarisse snorted.
Percy didn't answer. Sadie frowned and waved a hand in front of his face. "Hello, you in there?"
"What?" Percy asked finally looking away from Annabeth. He could guess what she was thinking as it was probably the same thing he was. This had been their first kiss, his first kiss and he was pretty sure hers too. It was something private, something theirs, even more than all of the things everyone else had already seen.
"Clarisse just dissed you and you didn't say anything," Grover told him.
"Spaced out."
No one seemed to believe that but they didn't say anything. Percy said one more glance to Annabeth and she seemed to understand the apology he was trying to give her. She nodded at him with a sad smile and he sighed in relief. His girlfriend was amazing.
Percy felt around and found Annabeth's yankee cap pulling it off. Her hair and face were covered in ash. She brushed her hair back and asked Percy what his problem was. He told her frantically they were going to have company. The scene seemed to skip again and started as Percy finished explaining how he'd been seen. Her eyes widened and she said that's what they were, telekhines. She should've known. And they're making, here she trailed off and then decided to tell Percy to just look. Both of them looked over the cauldron at the four full grown sea demons, eight feet tall, with glistening skin as they hammered a long piece of metal.
"Not good," Leo said with a strained voice.
"Two different metals still," Blitz said. "Different shape though. That's—"
"It was," Percy finished for him.
One of the forgers said the blade was almost complete. It needed another cooling in blood to fuse the metals. The second agreed saying it'd be sharper than before.
"Cooling in blood. Definitely not something evil," Alex said.
Percy asked what it was. Annabeth said they kept talking about fusing metals. She wondered— Percy interrupted her there saying they had been talking about the titan's greatest weapon. And they had said they made his father's trident. Annabeth explained the telekhines betrayed the gods. They practiced dark magic, she didn't know exactly what but Zeus banished them to Tartarus. Percy's face changed with realization as he said they were with Kronos down there. She nodded saying they had to get out. Again they were interrupted as the door finally opened and the young telekhines came pouring out stumbling over each other trying to find him.
"Stop talking and get going," Sam urged.
"We finished speaking," Percy told her.
"But you weren't moving."
"I wasn't," Percy agreed after a moment.
Percy told Annabeth to put her cap back on urging her to get out. Annabeth shrieked what, then said no. She wasn't leaving him. Percy said he had a plan. He'd distract them. She could use the metal spider to get back to Hephaestus and she could tell him what was going on.
"You never had a plan," she said to him.
"No," Percy admitted. "But you needed to get out of there."
"I'm never leaving you again. You hear me seaweed brain?"
"Fine with me."
Annabeth said he'd be killed. Percy said he'd be fine. Besides they had no choice. Annabeth glared at him and then she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him forward. Then she kissed him.
The whole room was silent for a second then they exploded into cheers, wolf whistles and clapping. Percy blushed and stared at Annabeth stupidly as she smirked at him. He looked just as confused as he had then and completely astounded.
"Finally!"
"It took you so long!"
"Are you kidding?" Clarisse yelled lastly and louder than everyone. "The whole camp was waiting for years and you kissed before that all and you still weren't together."
"There were some issues after," Annabeth reminded her.
"Silena would have freaked, after she killed you for not telling her," Clarisse whispered sadly. Chris rubbed her on the back comfortingly.
"Still, your first kiss!" Jaz squealed. Rachel looked between the couple for a moment. So she hadn't been Percy's first kiss. That right had always belonged to Annabeth.
"Yeah," Percy grinned stupidly. "Yeah."
"You broke him," accused Reyna with a raised eyebrow.
Annabeth sat back with a grin and crossed arms. "He'll be fine."
She pulled away and told him to be careful calling him seaweed brain fondly before putting on her hat and vanishing. Percy just stared in shock for a moment until one of the sea demons pointed at him and yelled there and they all charged at him.
"You kissed him and just left!" Sadie yelled.
"Not really a choice."
"That's how it usually works, isn't it?" Walt agreed with Annabeth.
"Shut up, you," Sadie grumbled at him knowing Walt and Anubis spoke as one there.
"And they still weren't together," Grover added with a groan. "A whole more year of migraines."
Percy ran for the middle of the platform and the four sea demons working on the blade dropped it. It was six feet long and curved.
"No," Jason said with wide eyes. "They couldn't."
"It is," Thalia told him.
"And it happened in our territory too," Reyna growled. "Closer to my sister! Why didn't we know?"
"Hephaestus didn't even know," Annabeth reminded her. "But that's the least important thing now."
Percy stared at it for a second but the full grown telekhines each covered one of the four exits off the platform.
"Surrounded and more coming. When will your usual luck with escaping kick in?" Carter asked.
"Not soon enough," Percy answered. He was sweating still and obviously hot and his muscles were tense. He seemed wary and on edge as the feeling from the past grew stronger.
The tallest snarled asking what they had here? A son of Poseidon? Another growled yes, they could smell the sea in his blood. Percy looked around frantically raising riptide. The third demon dared him to strike one them down, the rest would tear him to shreds. His father had betrayed them. He took their gift and said nothing as they were thrown into tartarus. They would see him sliced to pieces along with all the other Olympians. Percy looked around frantically. The young telekhines were on the platform now snarling and looking at what the older ones were doing with interest.
"I'm sorry," Percy said suddenly in a pleading voice looking at Annabeth.
"What's wrong?" Walt asked.
"This is it. I'm so sorry. I needed you to get out."
"I got out just fine thanks to you. And I'm fine," she said soothingly but looked at him achingly having trouble just sitting down and not coming over to him. "You're alive Percy. You lived. And so did I because of you."
"I'm sorry," he mumbled again.
Percy's hand went to his pocket and he winced but he drew it away when the tallest telekhine said they should see how strong Percy was. They should see how long it took to make him burn.
Percy winced again as his leg flared with the cold feeling of the Stygian ice whistle against the heat of the volcano.
"The whistle," Nico asked him. "You had the whistle. Why didn't you call Mrs. O'Leary?"
"Can't trust Quintus," Percy said.
"What does it mean though," asked Frank nervously. "Make you burn?"
Percy stiffened. Annabeth looked at Magnus, Will then Jaz. "Help him."
Sadie, Carter and Alex moved back letting the healers move closer as Percy sat tensely. Everyone watched wide eyed not happy where this was going.
"G-ds Percy," muttered Nico still by his cousins side. "How did you get out of this?"
The telekhine that just spoke scooped lave out of the furnace. His fingers were on fire but the Telekhine didn't seem bothered. The other Telekhines did the same as the first one threw the glop of lava at Percy setting his pants afire. Two more splattered on his chest. Percy's close were burning off and he stared in scared fascination.
"You're not burning," Zia asked. "How are you not burning?"
"Leo's the only one who can do that," Piper said wide eyed. "How are you alive? That was burning lava?"
Jaz put her hand to Percy's forehead as he stayed frozen. "He's getting hotter. He'll be burning up soon. I'm not sure how he isn't now."
"There's no hieroglyphs or runes protecting him like they did for us in the duat, right?" Carter asked Sadie.
"Couldn't be."
One of the telekhines said that his father's nature protected him. It made him hard to burn but not impossible. Not impossible.
"How much endurance is that?" Magnus said in awe. He'd been able to survive it alive too, and even now as the son of Frey all temperatures were more moderate to him. But lava thrown on your skin was no joke and it was how he died. He focused ready to help any moment.
More lava was thrown at Percy. He screamed as his hair burned as did his clothes. Most of his shirt and pants were gone. He crumbled to the floor as the telekhine children cheered excitedly.
Several people were turning away. Percy was screaming and twitching. Will started to chant as Magnus started to glow putting his hand on Percy's chest trying to soothe his pain. Jaz ruffled through her bag and started to chant as well but Percy's screams got worse and louder. Annabeth was held back by Thalia and Piper as Percy kept screaming.
"How is he alive?" Leo muttered looking at Calypso. He wasn't sure how much of that he could even survive.
"I do not know. He was close to dead when I found him but I would not have realized this is what happened," she replied watching with a scared fascination.
Percy's fists clenched as he kept screaming. His eyes closed tighter.
"What's happening?" asked Jaz looking at her spell monitor on Percy's stomach. "That's not heat or the feeling of it."
"No. That's him using his power. He talks about it being in the gut of his stomach," Nico told her.
"The sea," Percy muttered in between his screams. "Inside me. Can't hurt anyone. The sea. Naiad."
The three healers exchanged confused glances. Nico's eyes widened and he put a hand on Will's shoulder. "This is it."
Will's eyes narrowed in determination.
He grimaced and tensed twitching harder as he screamed the loudest yet. Suddenly the lava shot up around him, hitting water that was appearing out of nowhere creating steam. Burning rock and the metal of the volcano were washed away by the stream of lava shooting up into the air. Percy flew out of the volcano into the clouds with smoke, fire and more water streamed from him as he fell towards the earth again. He landed in the water which rose up to catch his fall.
Percy screamed getting louder jerking like a person having a stroke until he passed out. Magnus, Will and Jaz were still working but Apollo shook his head. "It won't help. Just let him rest."
The scene behind them had collapsed. Everyone was looking between where it was and where Percy lay passed out now. Several of them were crying and almost everyone looked to be in shock. Annabeth was in tears leaning on Thalia who rubbed her back looking at Percy with a steely glance. All the healers had finally stopped, Will the last one too. He turned to Nico. "How?"
"I don't know."
"That power. The exhaustion was like yours. It should have killed him."
"He landed in the water though. That probably helped him," Jaz told him as she looked through her bag from the duat for some potions and draughts. She handed one to Will. "Make him drink that."
Percy groaned and sat up as soon as the potion touched his lips and pushed it away. "I'm fine."
"Percy there's no way anyone is fine after what just happened," Carter told him. "The power you released… you should be dead."
Percy winced. "I should have died."
"Yeah. Between that and the lava," Grover almost yelled.
"Now what I meant," Percy shook his head. "I hate the power I have. The first time I started to realize was when I fought with Thalia."
"That wasn't bad though. We both went insane," Thalia told him. "I struck you with lightning."
"I lifted a river," Percy frowned. "But then when the naiad told me the water was inside me, it woke something up within me. I almost let the power go at the stables and poisoned the river. I did let it go inside the forge. How many lives did I destroy? How many died? People were killed, displaced and put through so much. I should have died but I let myself go and I don't think it even killed those telekhines."
"Percy…" Nico told him wide eyed. "Don't…"
"No," Apollo said. "He's right. That's the thing about demigods. You have power. Especially children of the big three. From what I've seen you've experienced that Nico. You almost died from it several times."
Nico didn't argue. Will scoffed. "That's an understatement."
Apollo continued, now looking at Percy. "It's also part of the reason the gods were so scared of you. The big three made the oath for a reason. Their kids are powerful. But Percy's a whole different class. This was the first time we saw that. And it scared us."
Everyone stared at Percy who wasn't meeting anyone's eyes but looking down. Annabeth looked at Apollo. "Explain."
"Percy did things no demigod has. We were scared. And we had reason. Do you know what the name Perseus means?"
Annabeth's eyes widened. She didn't say anything though but next to her Piper did. "Destroyer."
Percy's eyes widened. "What? I don't mean too, I didn't want too…"
"Still, names say a lot about who you are and what you do," Apollo told him.
"My mom called me Perseus because he was the only hero who had a happy ending. She wants me to have one too. If that's ever has been a possibility."
"Percy," Annabeth said softly.
"Has it?" He asked her then looked up at the ceiling. "Is that why we're here? To show everyone what a monster I am? What a threat?"
"Percy, don't," Nico told him. He was too late though. Percy was already weakly getting up, first sitting up shakily then wobbling onto his legs and walking out of the room. No one moved except Annabeth who begged him to wait but Percy was gone.
Thalia frowned. "I know it's a bit early for lunch but I think we should all take a break."
AN: Yes, Percy does guess where he's going on that cart in the book by sound. And yes, the song from the orientation film is real too. Doesn't belong to me but to RR. Read camp half-blood confidential!