PERCY
How do these people get anything done? They take forever to decide simple details, like when to do something. Gods, even An-she didn't plan this much!
I'm sitting on the arm of one of the chairs, fiddling with Riptide. Finally, I interject into the conversation.
"Okay, you guys are annoying and plan way too much. The plan is, we're going to the Neverseen hideout next week. If there are monsters, leave those to me. I think that Sophie can find people with their minds, so you do that to Keefe. If there are people, bring me and Grady so we can freeze them or whatever. We bring Keefe home. The end."
They all gape at me. I guess they are not used to someone making up a plan on the spot.
Dex stutters. "How-what-how did you plan that so fast?"
I sigh. "You guys really aren't used to fast planners, are you?"
They all shake their heads.
Gods, these elves. "Well, it's getting late. I'm gonna get some sleep, probably outside. See y'all tomorrow!"
I vapor travel away.
DEX
Perseus Jackson is insane. He just made a battle plan in the span of five minutes, and it's actually a good one, too.
We all just stare at the spot that Percy used to be standing in. Then we turn to each other. Mr. Forkle sighs. "I actually don't see anything wrong with the plan young Perseus came up with. So, we might as well carry it out."
We nod and light leap home to get some sleep.
TIME SKIP
When I light leap back to Sophie's house the next morning, I see her pacing across the field in front of Calla's tree. A scream pierces the air. Sophie winces.
She turns towards me. "He's been screaming the entire night. What could he have been through to have such horrible nightmares all the time? And we can't even wake him up, because of the whole glowing eyes problem."
I ignore the flutter in my stomach at the sight of her. "He'll be fine. It's just a nightmare."
Percy screams again. We walk over to his body, which is huddled underneath the Panakes. He is shaking and crying, occasionally calling out names like, "Annabeth!" and "Hazel!"
Slowly, the rest of our friends trickle into Havenfield. They all watch Percy with pity in their eyes. At about 9:00, he begins to stir. "Hey, guys," he chokes out, "You've been creepily watching me sleep?"
I avert my eyes, not wanting to see his rumpled clothes and tear stained cheeks. I can tell he's trying to be cheerful, trying to keep up the facade of being perfectly fine. I've seen it on each of my friends at least once, most of all with Keefe.
They are both trying to stay happy, cheerful, sane. But you can tell. If you really look in the cracks, you can see them crumbling slowly.
TIME SKIP
We are in Sophie's bedroom, for some reason, and Percy asks, "How are we going to know who is Neverseen and who isn't?"
Sophie answers, "Well, the Neverseen wear black cloaks with white eyes on the sleeves."
Percy's eyes darken until they are almost black. "White eyes?" His voice is menacing, quiet and deadly.
"Y-yes."
"How bad would you feel if I killed some of them?"
What? Who is this boy who can make you feel threatened with his eyes alone, and who will kill people like it's nothing?
I gulp. "Ah, Percy? Elves don't really do killing. We have sensitive minds. If we're guilty, our minds will break and we'll go into a state of… I don't know really. But it's bad."
He rolls his eyes and mutters about, "wimpy elves," and "How can you fight a fricking war if you don't kill anyone?" and "Yeah, killing is awful, but going insane?" and "The gods really didn't put much thought into this one."
I'm a bit surprised at the last one. Percy didn't strike me as a very religious person.
"Can I kill, like, two of them?"
I can tell Sophie wants information. So can Fitz. But Fitz doesn't want Percy mad at Sophie, so he asks, "Why do you want to kill the Neverseen so much?"
Percy's eyes are stormy and swirling with power. "I have a score to settle."
I shudder. Percy is scary, and I never want to get on his bad side.
SOPHIE
We're leaving tonight. I actually have a good feeling about this plan. We've never done one so fast before, but it's good, and Mr. Forkle approved it. Percy is powerful, and he can take care of the Neverseen, along with Grady. We've agreed that if he finds Vespera, he can kill her. He smiled way too happily when we agreed.
So now we're all under Calla's tree, waiting for Grady. He decided that he's not going until he trains Percy at least a little bit, so we've been watching them in the field with all the swizzlespice.
Percy has been progressing quickly, learning how to control himself for at least a little bit with someone's hand on his back. When he controls someone on purpose, he can do it so stealthily that no one knows unless the person controlled says something. Finally, Grady nods, and they come over to the Panakes.
Percy looks exhausted, which does not bode well for our battle. The plan is basically to leave the monsters to Percy, and if Percy's too tired to fight, that is not a good thing. Percy croaks Linh, "Water, please." Linh nods, and pulls some water from the air. Percy grabs control of it and splashes it over himself. Immediately, he perks up, color returning to his cheeks, and he looks ready to go.
Mr. Forkle clears his throat, and we all turn towards him. "I located their hideout a couple of days ago, and I created a temporary leaping crystal."
Percy blanches. "Any chance you got a picture of it as well?"
"No."
He sighs. "Fine."
Mr. Forkle holds up the blue crystal to the light, and we all step into the beam it casts onto the floor. When we finish, we are in front of a massive cave. As soon as I take a step towards it, a ringing noise sounds through the cave, effectively vanishing any chance of a sneak attack. "Oops."
Once the gong like sound stops ringing, an army of the strangest animals I've ever seen appears. There are women with one leg that looks like a donkey's and the other made of metal. There are giant men with one eye. The is a half man half bull. And so many others, I'm not sure how Percy thinks he's going to beat them all.
Then I look over at him, and I see the gleam in his eye, as if he can't wait to go into battle. He whispers in Greek the names of the monster to me. "Empousae, cyclopes, and the Minotaur." He laughs in delight. Is he crazy? "I haven't had a good battle in a long, long time."
Yep, he's crazy. Who laughs before a battle? An empousa steps forward on the soon to be battlefield. "Persssseusss Jackssson. We haven't fought you in awhile, Son of Pose-"
A knife slices through the air, cutting through the monster's tongue, stopping it from speaking. Percy's hand is still extended from the throw. "Not. One. Word. About my unusual parentage." He glares at the empousa, who shrinks back.
He relaxes. "Hello, everybody. Haven't seen you all in forever. Didn't expect you to reform for another couple of centuries, but hey, my luck has never been great." He flicks his hands, and suddenly, there are glowing bronze knives in between his knuckles. "Let's play."
He charges in the middle of the monster army and begins to slaughter every monster in his path. We all watch, amazed and horrified, as he decimates the army with almost no effort. He gets scratches here and there, but he just continues to plow through the monsters.
Some of the monsters begin to try to attack us, but as soon as they set foot towards us, Percy's glowing knives slice through them. They don't even get close.
Eventually, a hurricane forms around Percy, making him even more deadly. The monsters don't even get close to his blade, just get sucked up by the water and wind and disintegrate into dust. In the end, the only monster left in the entrance to the cave is the Minotaur.
He smiles, a cold, cruel, feral sneer. "Hey, Beef Boy. Long time, no see!"
The Minotaur snarls, then charges at Percy. Suddenly, it stops. Percy's eyes are glowing, the sadistic grin never leaving his face. He clenches his hand, and the Minotaur bellows in pain.
Percy cackles, and I shudder. What is happening? This isn't the kind, compassionate, sarcastic boy I've come to like over the past week. This… this is as much a monster as what used to be standing in the mouth of the cave.
