I love Bob, but he is understandably angry- but hey, he's still helping at least right?! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter- and also, as much faith as Nico and Leo have in Percy, they know that Alabaster is her big weakness so they don't actually think automatically 'Yeah, she must have finally kicked his ass.' Also Percy very much as the mindset that 'I'm completely broken at this stage, I don't give a shit what happens to me I just want the people I love to be safe.'
Replies:
Undeath9087: Percy did kinda break- I mean she snapped and tortured someone- even if he did deserve every second of it. And she doesn't feel guilty at all which is gonna mess her up- and what she had to do to stay safe also will- like, the fact that she didn't fight him off when he'd kiss her and stuff- she needed to do it to manipulate him but still, that's gotta have a huge effect.
Guest: I mean, he's kinda braindead so he can't do any spells.
Drizzle: I mean- you could say she broke- she snapped so much that she took pleasure in torturing him. And yeah, it was tragic- and remember Leo is dating Bob's other granddaughter. Which I mean, even more tragic am I right?
MKDemiGodzilla-Warrior: Finding out he's dead is one thing, finding out that Percy tortured him is another lol.
Percy swallowed hard as she met the Titans gaze- and she knew how bad she undoubtedly looked- she wasn't opening her left eye- no point, she still couldn't see out of it even if her vision was starting to return to normal in the other eye.
And she took just a moment to stare at the Titan- he looked so familiar, and yet different at the same time- partly because of the clothes- he was in a janitors uniform with- was that a broom- that was kind of surreal, but there was something about that look in his eyes that made Percy falter.
"Curse ladies said Bob already cursed. Said Percy Jackson took Bob's memories."
And oh no. No that was not good. Percy did not need to fight a Titan right now. She'd be squashed like a bug in seconds. But- somehow Percy knew that lying, trying to get around it wouldn't help.
"Yeah. I did." She said slowly, "In my defence you were trying to kill me, Nico, Bianca and Thalia at the time. Or- you were going to kill them and hand me over to your dick of a brother."
"Before Bob- who was I?"
"Iapetus." Percy answered. "You were Iapetus."
"You did not visit. Nico says you died."
"I did." Percy nodded, "I did die. Painfully actually." she swallowed hard, "I- I heard from someone that you've been with Nico and Leo-"
"Yes. Nico and Leo are..." Bob paused, "I do not know who I am. But they are friends. I think."
"They are." Percy said quickly, forcing herself to stay calm, "They're good B- whatever you want to be called now. Listen- you can hate me if you want to. I don't care right now all I care about is Nico and Leo."
"They are behind. Following. Nico found bracelet- was upset. Told Bob to run. Curse ladies attacked me- said you stole my memories."
"You- you-" Percy's heart sunk, "They're in the trees with the-" she pushed away from the wall, trying to break into a run, to sprint back towards the trees- except her ankle was broken- Percy almost screamed in pain as it gave out beneath her and she fell forward again, but this time she didn't hit the ground, Bob caught her before she could, sweeping her up with one arm and lifting her, almost holding her like a baby, holding his broom with his other hand.
"Careful." Bob's voice was slightly sharp. "Bob will not heal you. You lied to Bob. But... Nico and Leo are nice. Let me have M&M's. Want me to help you. I do not think Iapetus or Bob likes breaking promises. So Bob will help."
And Percy felt the tension leave her all at once, relief flooding through her- and suddenly she could feel tears pouring down her cheeks as she let out a sob.
"Thank you Bob." Her words were whispered, "Thank you." and the kitten moved from her arms to Bob's shoulder- that was odd, but Bob didn't seem surprised.
"Small Bob likes you. That helps." Bob decided before he paused it, "Nico and Leo told Bob that a bad person had you."
"He did." Percy didn't bother to lie."
"Did the bad one hurt you?" his gaze shifted to the cave, "Is the bad one in the cave?"
"He's not the one who did this to me. That was the curses." Percy admitted, "And you don't have to worry about him anymore Bob."
There was a beat of silence and then, "Is the bad one dead?"
"He's not a problem anymore." even if he wasn't dead he was almost certainly brain dead, and that was close enough in Percy's opinion- besides, he'd die there, there was no chance he could survive the beating she'd given him. And- again-he she'd deprived him of oxygen for long enough that even if by some miracle he survived he wouldn't be able to do anything.
And it was funny, how that thought lifted a weight from her shoulders, and Bob's silver orbs shone with a look that was almost understanding.
"The bad one. Alabaster. He hurt Percy before. Even if not this time?"
"He did." Percy nodded slowly, "He hurt me lots."
"Then Bob will leave him if Percy wants. The bad one can die here."
"Just get me to Nico and Leo." Percy's voice was tight. "Please Bob. I want to see my brothers again." and now that that tension had left, now that she was at least somewhat safe again Percy could feel the darkness closing in- she'd been very badly injured, the adrenaline from hearing her name being called, from finally being able to get away from Alabaster- the rush she'd gotten from finally making pay for the years of trauma and abuse.
And this time she let it, she let the darkness take her as she rested her head on Bob's shoulder.
When she woke she would see her brothers again.
The last thing she saw her before she blacked out completely was a wall of shadows blasting out from the forest of the arai- and several of the winged hags being thrown out with it.
…
Nico was terrified.
He had one arm wrapped around Leo, supporting his brother. And he was scared, so scared. Following Bob had seemed like a good idea to begin with, Nico and Leo had both wanted to get to Percy as fast as they could- especially knowing that that son of a bitch had her- they'd both wanted to kill him- except Bob really was a lot faster than them- and soon enough they'd been surrounded by the trees on their own- except they weren't on their own.
The monsters reminded Nico of the furies except those monsters actually listened to him.
The arai did not. And they'd tried to fend off the attackers- Leo had engulfed one of them in flames- which Nico was willing to admit was impressive- except the arai had unleashed a curse on Leo- and wouldn't you know it, apparently Leo could be burned if it was from a curse- and most of the monsters Leo killed he'd killed with fire, so it really shouldn't be surprising that that was the curse that had been unleashed on Nico's big brother.
But it meant that Leo was badly hurt- burns covering his left side, stopping on his neck just below his chin, thankfully- and he was alive- just- just hurt, letting out pained whimpers as Nico held him up.
"Fuck- fuck is this what being burned feels like?" Leo's voice was strained and in pain and Nico tightened his grip when Leo stumbled slightly.
And gods but there were still too many of them- he'd stopped using his sword- Nico wasn't stupid, killing the monsters would not end well for him, but that left him struggling to fend off the monsters without killing them- he was drawing shadows from the trees around them- at least there were a lot of those- though it was different than using shadows in the world above- or even just in the normal Underworld. These shadows fought him at every second- and then one of the arai got too close, Nico cried out in pain as it slashed at his back before a shadow leapt up between himself and the monster, pushing it back without killing it- but the pain from his back was searing and horrible and it make it hard to hold up Leo- and Nico could see the moment it happened, the moment the arai all decided to sweep in at once- and he did the only thing he could.
He screamed, pouring all of his desperation into the last act, and the shadows burst out from his feet, swirling around him, blasting the monsters backwards, not killing them but sending them flying through the trees away from him and Leo- and Nico's legs gave out- he and Leo fell to the ground, Leo screaming from the pain of the sudden movement, but- a minute passed, then two, then three- and the monsters weren't coming back.
Nico almost sobbed in relief as he realised that somehow he'd expelled them all, probably not for that long but hopefully it would be long enough.
"Y-you are so cool." Leo's voice was quiet, strained, and Nico shifted his grip on his brother, sliding the back off his shoulders and pulling out their supply of ambrosia.
"Eat this- shit eat this Leo you're hurt-"
"Fucking never knew how much being burned could hurt." Leo accepted the ambrosia, popping it into his mouth, "Fuck- what did you even do."
"I- I don't really know." Nico muttered the words, "I summoned shadows- or something." it had felt like an extension of himself somehow. It hadn't felt like using shadows usually did. He felt tired and drained, as if he'd used his own shadow, extended it, used it as a weapon to force them back.
Whatever it was it had worked, and Nico exhaled slowly as Leo shifted against him- and he could see that the burns were slowly starting to age almost- going from fresh to looking like they were days old.
"D-do you think Bob'll find her?" Leo managed the words, "Do you think he'll find Percy?"
"Hope so." Nico muttered the words, "We- we can't stay here for long- we need to keep mov-"
"NICO! LEO!" and that was Bob's voice. Nico could have cried from the relief as he forced himself to his feet on weak shaky legs.
"BOB! BOB! This way!"
And before long Bob was emerging from between the trees, and Nico let out a frantic sob when she saw the figure in Bob's arms.
Percy looked smaller than usual- and she was covered with blood- too much blood Nico was sure.
"Oh gods-" Leo was surging forward, clearly the sight of their sister had given him a burst of strength. "Heal her! Please!"
"Bob will not heal Percy." Bob's voice was firm, there was a steely glint in those silver eyes that made Nico nervous.
"Why not?"
"Because Percy lied to Bob. Percy was not Bob's friend-" and Nico tensed up- Bob was starting to remember, just as he'd feared but- why was he carrying Percy then?
"Then why are you- what are you doing?"
"Bob promised to help, so Bob will help you. But Bob will not heal Percy." he paused, "And Nico will tell Bob what happened when Iapetus tried to kill him-"
"Uh oh." Leo muttered the words, "But uh- you- you're still going to help us right? Like you said?"
"Yes. No breaking promises." Bob shifted his grip on Percy-and Nico winced when he saw slash marks on her arm. Gods but what had happened to her? Was- they looked like they were from the arai maybe.
"And what about Alabaster?" Leo asked suddenly, fire bursting around his fists. "Did you see him?"
"Percy said Alabaster not a problem anymore." there was something in Bobs eyes. "Not all the blood smells like Percy-" and Nico glanced at Leo- who looked startled.
Had their sister finally been able to defend herself? Had she fought him off? Gods was he actually dead? That seemed like it would be too good to be true- especially in Percy's condition but- maybe he'd been injured and she'd managed to escape. In that case he'd probably been left for dead and good riddance to him.
"Right." Leo nodded, a grim look on his face, "That's good. No more Alabaster..." he trailed off when Bob's head snapped to the side and his expression went distant- and Nico paled when he heard a voice bellow;
"I SMELL HER! BEWARE DAUGHTER OF POSEIDON. I COME FOR YOU."
"Polybotes." Bob's expression was worried "He hates Poseidon and his children he is very close now. But do not worry. Bob knows a place. We can hide there for a little time. And Bob's friend will help Percy. Bob will not."
"Okay- okay." and Nico knew begging Bob to heal her might not help. Bob was hurt, that was understandable.
At least he wasn't killing them.
