Percy POV
"I have to say that you are an incredibly stupid kid," the man barked.
I fought against the ropes that were restraining me against the wooden chair. Everyone else had gone back to Sector 3, but they ushered me into an empty prison room. White walls surrounded me, and only one apparent door led into the room.
Elysium was a large facility with many sectors.
"Don't bother fighting the restraints. There's no escape," he expressed before laughing menacingly.
Even a few security guards chuckled behind their dark masks.
I stared at the man in front of me with blank emotion. He was in his early to mid-thirties with red-brown hair and cold, brown eyes. He was a big and tough man. Since he was an Elysium leader, he was wearing all white and no mask (contrasting with the security).
Suddenly, the metal doors opened behind him. The security guards immediately straightened as the man and woman from our first day entered the room.
They held an aura of power, but not of respect. I really hated them, especially the woman, who was the clear person in charge.
"Father, isn't this boy such an imbecile? I have no idea why he would purposefully lose the race in phase 3," the younger man chuckled.
The main boss laughed along with his 'son.' Of course, they were related. Cruelty must've been genetic, I thought.
"Quiet, Ares," the woman snapped. Then, her calm composure returned as she faced me. "The whole purpose of Elysium is to comprehend human behavior. The exceptions are of particular interest."
Her blazing eyes narrowed on me.
"Yes, the exceptions are very interesting indeed. Ares, you may leave us. Thank you for initiating phase 3," the woman affirmed.
The man looked angry, but he complied without argument. I could tell that everyone here respected and listened to this woman. She was the boss.
"Zeus, honey, will you also leave the room? I would like to speak alone with this boy. Based on experience, a personal conversation works best," the woman said firmly.
"I trust your judgment, Hera." Zeus, the boss of this establishment, nodded in approval. A few security guards joined him as they left the room.
A dozen guards remained in the room, forming a circle around me and Hera.
Hera stepped forward and stopped in front of me. It forced me to look up at her, and I hated it. I didn't want her to feel as though she was above me. I had no such respect for Elysium.
"This place is horrible. A person died in front of our eyes. How do you sleep at night?" I spat with rising anger.
"I sleep quite well. Thank you for asking," Hera expressed slyly. "I've been doing this for years, and my sleep only improved."
My mind raced at the prospect that this wasn't a new experiment. This has happened before to other people. They've done this horrible game to individuals for who knows how long.
Only a sick person like her would be satisfied by hosting a program like this. I glared at her to demonstrate my distaste.
Hera frowned as she leaned forward. Her face was only a few inches away from mine. Her red-brown eyes narrowed as they locked onto mine. They were evil.
Suddenly, I head-butted her in the face.
I heard the splitting crack as my head made contact with her cheek. She screamed in shock as she staggered backward.
The action was immediate. The security guards shot forward and raised their guns. All of them organizationally pointed their weapons at my head. However, I simply smiled at Hera in satisfaction.
"Stop, don't fire," Hera ordered.
She stood straighter and calmer as she commanded the guards to retreat. The anger on her face was practically tangible. Her hand rubbed her bruised right cheek.
"Perseus Jackson. You should know that Elysium could easily end your life. However, our sponsors value the experimental phases," Hera said firmly.
"However, I can't wait for phase 5," her voice was dangerous.
She had a personal vendetta against me now. Whatever phase 5 was, it was going to be bad for me. Hera would make sure of that.
"In the meantime, have fun starving," she boomed.
A security guard walked into the room as Hera walked out. I was still satisfied that I got a hit on her. She completely deserved it.
The new security guard was different because she was female. I could tell based on her physique and long black hair. She rushed towards me and grabbed my right arm. Her other hand was holding a metal contraption.
"What are you doing?" I asked abruptly.
"This cuff will ensure that you have no food. It will detect any positive dietary change in your blood, and it won't be removed for five days," the guard explained.
I was surprised that she answered me. Honestly, the guards didn't talk much let alone help or explain things to us.
I looked at the woman's face. It was masked, so I could only see her obsidian black eyes. Her gaze locked onto mine as she applied the metal cuff onto my right forearm. I winced as the sharp needled pierced into my skin underneath.
"Please don't try eating anything," the guard whispered. "This will blast you with excruciating pain via an electric shock if you eat."
My eyes widened as I stared at her. She was helping me.
The female guard massaged the four-inch metal cuff deeper against my right arm. It didn't hurt much though. The technology was complex.
"Furthermore, tell Annabeth that we lost all the others."
"What?" I whispered in shock.
Not only was she providing me with information but she also knew Annabeth. It made no sense at all. I looked at the cuff on my arm before gazing at her again. I wanted answers. However, the guard had already retracted.
"The subject is ready for transport," she commanded.
That was enough for the other guards to come forward and inject my neck with a green serum. They carried my unconscious body back to Sector 3.
My last thoughts were: What the hell was going on? Who is this female guard? And, who is Annabeth?
...
I woke up the next day in my bunk bed. Jason was shaking me to get me up, probably because he was concerned about my health.
"What's going on?" I asked as I sat up urgently.
"Woah, Percy, I'm so sorry. Nothing's wrong. I was just concerned about you. You've been asleep ever since the guards dropped you here," Jason explained.
I groaned as I rubbed my eyes. I forgot about the metal cuff that made my arm a lot heavier. The smooth metal also made my arm stiff and painful.
"Yeah, I'm just super tired from yesterday. How long was I out?" I asked.
"At least, 15 hours. They dropped you off last night, and it's noon now. Bro, what is that thing on your arm?" he asked with concern.
I sighed as I jumped out of bed. Everyone was in the room talking and hanging out. Everyone's attention turned towards me as I walked towards the bathroom.
"You have to tell us what happened, Percy," Luke ordered.
I rubbed my eyes as I ignored his commanding tone. There was a nice way to ask things and a rude way as well. Besides, I wanted to freshen up a little.
"Yeah, I'll explain everything. I need to freshen up first," I said to everyone.
My gaze lingered on Annabeth who was nodding. I had so many questions about her. I wanted to trust and be on her side, but she was the biggest question mark here. Thalia met me in the locker room while I was grabbing my toiletries.
Thalia was sadly looking at the metal cuff on my arm.
"Percy, I, I'm so grateful that I met you here. You were willing to lose the race and face the consequences for the health of my baby," she whispered. Tears were streaming down her face as she spoke.
"Everything's okay. We're both fine," I expressed.
"Thank you," she whispered. "My baby is really lucky to have an uncle like yourself."
Thalia rushed forward and hugged me. Her pregnant belly jutted into my abdomen, and it became an awkward hug. Regardless, it was nice. While I wasn't related to Thalia, she appreciated me enough to make me her family.
"I'm honored, Thalia, and Luna doesn't deserve to be punished for us getting stuck in this hellhole. It's okay," I expressed earnestly.
"Okay, I'll let you freshen up now. Everyone's curious to hear what happened when they took you away," Thalia said.
I nodded as I walked into the bathroom. The metal cuff was stuck on my arm, so I went in with it. It wasn't the safest to take an electric device into the shower, but I had no other option.
I sighed in relief as the hot water washed over me. My tense muscles relaxed as the water and steam cleansed my body. It felt good to be alone for a while. It was one of the longest showers of my life, and I appreciated the time to relax my sore mind and body.
...
"Bro, you actually head-butted the boss lady. Good for you," Leo exclaimed while laughing. I chuckled as I accepted his high five.
"Their names are Hera, Zeus, and Ares. Peculiar family," Will commented.
"Percy, did it hurt when they put that on you?" Rachel asked.
I gazed at the redhead. She was genuinely concerned about me, and we connected more during the last phase. There was more to her than a rich, sorority girl persona.
"It wasn't that bad. Honestly, my arm is aching more now because of the added weight. The guard that put it on me was surprisingly gentle," I said cautiously.
I didn't tell them about the female security guard or about Annabeth. I told them everything that I knew besides information about Annabeth.
The afternoon continued without much activity. Everyone separated into their respective groups to do their own things. Some went to hang out and inspect the other rooms in Sector 3. I spent some time with Jason, Piper, and Thalia in the dorm room before leaving to find Annabeth. I had to talk to Wise Girl in private.
I walked through Sector 3 until settling in the pool room.
Annabeth was sitting at the edge of the pool. She had rolled up her pants to dangle her feet into the water. Fortunately, she was alone.
I kicked off my shoes and rolled up my pants as well. Then, I went forward and sat next to her. She looked at me before smiling. The water was warm today.
Honestly, it looked like she was trying not to laugh.
"What so funny?" I asked as I nudged her waist. Finally, she started chuckling as she reached forward and messed up my hair.
"Hey, hey, stop," I exclaimed as I fixed my hair. "Why are you laughing at me?"
"After we swam through that river yesterday. You had a huge chunk of seaweed in your hair that I didn't tell you about," Annabeth teased.
"Wait, Wise Girl, how long did I have a plant on my head?" I asked in disbelief.
"For almost a half-hour, Seaweed Brain. It was in your hair until the black dog found us in the woods," Annabeth said.
"I don't like that nickname," I pouted.
"Well, you should get used to it cause it's not going anywhere," she chuckled as she gently splashed me with water from the pool.
Gods, Annabeth was in a good mood right now. She seemed content. I just didn't have the heart to break the nice atmosphere with a serious conversation.
I reached forward and tucked a blonde strand of hair behind her ear. She froze as her eyes found mine. My gaze flitted down to her lips before looking up again. However, Annabeth hesitantly pulled away from my touch.
"Um, how are you feeling? Are you hungry?" she asked softly.
I sighed as I lowered my right arm. The metal weight was a constant reminder that Elysium controlled everything.
"Surprisingly, I'm not hungry, but it's also only been a few hours since I woke up. I don't really know what to expect," I said.
"You were very impressive yesterday, Seaweed Brain. You caught everyone's attention, including the leaders of Elysium," Annabeth expressed. "Not sure if that's good or bad, though."
"Who are you, Wise Girl?" I asked suddenly.
Annabeth paused as she watched the water ripple. I was moving feet, which as creating gentle waves in the pool. She didn't respond to my questions. I sighed in exhaustion.
"A female guard with black eyes and dark hair told me to tell you that all the others were lost," I expressed quietly.
Annabeth nodded silently. "I'm not surprised."
"Wise Girl, what the hell is going on?" I asked firmly. My voice had risen now in frustration because I hated that she was keeping secrets from me.
Annabeth shook her head before flatly saying, "We barely know each other. I don't need to tell you everything, Seaweed Brain."
I simply stared at her in shock. I certainly wasn't expecting that. While she was speaking the complete truth, I couldn't process it. The truth that we weren't close hurt a lot.
I stood up quickly and started walking away. I had almost made it to the door when it slammed shut with a loud BANG.
I froze as the lights flickered. The TV on the wall flashed with color before a one-hour timer flashed on the screen. The speaker system buzzed obnoxiously with static.
"Commence Phase 4," a robotic voice announced.
The timer started as I ran towards the door. I shook the handles to realize that the electric door was locked. The electric keypad was red at the moment.
We needed a code to escape.
I turned around to meet Annabeth's gaze. I didn't particularly want to be with her right now, but we had to work together. We had to escape.
...