In which people either really really like Percy or they really hate her, there is no in between, and Nyx is fascinated.
Replies:
Thickneck: Nyx was pissed at first, then she was just like, 'Who is this girl?'
DrizzleRain: Thank you! You'll have to wait and see- but remember Rachel will only join them again when Reyna arrives, which means that it won't be until most of the gang is headed to the Doors of Death.
Drizzle: I know right?
Undeath9087: The story helps, and so does Percy's thoughts on night.
It felt strange, telling Night itself her story- but she was surprisingly good at listening- and her eyes watched Percy impassively.
And Percy told her everything- details which she'd never told anyone else- and by the time she was done she felt more exhausted than ever, and there were several long moments of silence before Nyx spoke.
"I have never found Mortals that interesting before. You're weak things- you barely exist before your lives are snuffed out and fade away. But you- you intrigue me."
Percy snorted slightly, shaking her head. "I don't see why. I mean I'm glad I do but I'm not exactly anything special Lady Nyx."
"Your story is a fascinating one- you are young even by mortal standards and yet you've lived a fascinating life. And there are many sides to you. A girl who once allowed her enemies to live because she couldn't bare the thought of being a killer- to a girl who took pleasure in killing."
"Alabaster doesn't really count as a person." Percy remarked, "He had it coming-"
"Oh most certainly. Your punishment for him was well earned- and appropriate I think, truly you have much skill." Nyx's smile wasn't nice. "It fascinates me how you seem to be many things at once. There are more sides to your ilk than I once thought."
"Uh. Thank you. I think." Percy blinked slowly. "But- there's different sides to everyone." she stared at Nyx for a long moment, a thoughtful look on her face, "Like you." it was a shot in the dark- and Percy resisted the urge to giggle at that thought, but- well, it was worth it, or at least Percy
hoped it would be.
"And what do you mean by that?" Nyx looked faintly amused, "You think you have some insight into my nature child?"
"I think so." Percy took a deep breath, mentally bracing herself for the potential backlash before she spoke again. "I don't think Night is bad, or evil or whatever. I think... I think Night is Night. And you're you. We all have dark sides but-" she looked away, "I know that there's times when I've preferred night to daytime. During the day- sometimes I feel like I have to hide the darker parts. The pain, the trauma. At night- there's a freedom that comes with it sometimes. You don't always have to hide in the darkness. And it can be beautiful too- the night sky, full of stars. People think that night is bad but I think they're wrong. And if you're the personification of night then that means that you can't be all bad either."
And Nyx stared at her for so long that Percy was sure that she'd overstepped- that she'd gone too far, that blank expression was terrifying Percy could admit that.
Instead Nyx turned her gaze to look towards her mansion.
"You intrigue me." Nyx said after a long moment, "I think I shall give you your chance girl. I feel no true fondness for my siblings- do what you must do, if you can escape Tartarus and stop Gaea it would be most entertaining for me. It has been... fascinating, talking to you." and Percy blinked slowly.
It took a few moments for the goddesses words to sink in before Percy sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes wide with realisation.
And then darkness swallowed her- and Percy closed her eyes quickly, remembering Nyx's earlier words about how it would be much better for them not to see in her mansion as they ran through it. And when she landed on firm ground the first thing Percy could sense was water- a river or a moat maybe- possibly both, perhaps a foot or two ahead of her- she steadied herself quickly.
The river was maybe twenty foot wide- that would be tricky to say the least, but it could be doable- and she heard voices amongst the roaring current. Thousands of voices cried out—shrieking in agony, pleading for mercy.
"Help!" they groaned. "It was an accident!"
"The pain!" their voices wailed. "Make it stop!"
Percy shuddered slightly. So that was the River Acheron.
And then another voice, "Join us. You are no better than we are-"
And Percy flinched- images flooding her mind- before she snorted and forced them away. "Oh fuck right off." she muttered the words, "No way some stupid river is going to make out that I was the bad guy there. So what if I tortured the dude he had it coming."
Then her attention was drawn by the sound of two sets of feet pounding- two people running in her direction- and Percy turned, wishing she could open her eyes.
"NICO! LEO!"
"PERCY!" the two boys screamed her name in unison, and them;
"Percy!" that was Leo's voice, "Percy where are you-"
"Don't look!" Percy screamed the words, "I'm here don't look and stop running- slow down and follow my voice."
"What- Percy what-s going on why do you want us to slow down?"
"The Acheron!" Percy called, "If you don't stop running you could run straight into it."
"How are you here?" that came from Nico, "How did you get here before us."
"Nyx dropped me off here."
"You- did you befriend the goddess of Night?" Nico's voice was incredulous and Percy forced back a shaky laugh as she quickly moved towards their voices.
"Well I'm not sure that I'd say I befriended her but she seems sort of fascinated by me so I am gonna make the most of that fact thank you very much."
"Hmph." that was Leo's voice, "And she didn't find us fascinating. That's rude." and their footsteps had slowed now. Percy could hear that much- and their voices were getting closer, they were following her voice.
"What can I say, I'm an interesting person-" and she almost sobbed with relief when she felt someone's hands grabbing at her shoulder.
"Percy- please tell me that's you."
"You've got my shoulder." Percy told Nico quickly, reaching out, her hand caught Leo's hair, tangling in his curls for a second before he was raising his own hand and gripping hers.
"Oh thank Zeus." Leo breathed out, "What now. What do we do next? I mean- I- you said about the Acheron."
"We have to try and jump it I guess." Percy managed to grab Nico's hand tightly, "Do you guys trust me?"
"Of course we do." and the lack of hesitation in Nico's voice filled Percy with warmth. And she knew that she would do everything within her power to make sure that she never failed her brothers.
"Duh." Leo added easily, "You're our big sister. Of course we trust you." and Percy squeezed both of their hands, taking a deep breath as she moved slowly, turning so that they were facing towards the Acheron. "When I tell you to jump you jump okay, you put everything you have in it. And you do not let go of my hands."
"Aye aye captain." and Percy could picture the look on Leo's face, the mocking salute he was probably giving- cheeky little shit he was.
"Okay. Okay." Percy forced herself to breath, panic would doom them here. She needed to keep a cool head, needed to believe that they could do this. "We're going to start running on three okay?"
"Got it." Nico's voice was firm and Leo squeezed her hand.
"Whatever you say sis."
"One... two... three!" and then they were moving. Percy kept her grip on her brothers hands- and she was glad that she'd moved towards them when she'd heard them coming- it meant that she had a bit of a run up at least, that would be good, they needed very added help they could get given what they were about to jump.
And Percy could feel the impact each time her feet hit the ground, she was putting more force, more speed into this desperate run than she ever had before, and she was clinging to her brothers hands so tightly that it had to be hurting them- not that Nico or Leo complained as they clung back just as tightly, managing to keep pace with her somehow.
They were speeding towards the banks of the river- and then they reached it and Percy pushed herself up and forward, putting every single bit of her strength into it, pouring her desperation into the leap- into their only chance of survival.
And somehow she felt as if they were in the air for far longer than it could possibly have been- it could only have taken a minute or so at the most but it felt like a lifetime to Percy as she clung on desperately.
Percy could feel the river beneath her, the hateful angry pained spirits trying to lure her in, she could feel it splashing at her ankles with stinging brine.
And then, somehow they landed on solid ground with a thud- and the shock of the landing made Percy stagger forward, her hands slipping free from the hands of Leo and Nico as she tumbled head over heels twice before she came to a halt, eyes snapping open-and she could hear Leo and Nico's voices calling her name and Percy turned her head, her gaze focusing instantly on the two boys, who were scrambling to their feet and rushing towards her.
"Percy!" Leo's voice was panicked, "Are you okay did you get hurt are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Percy managed to wave a hand dismissively as she caught her breath, "Guess I just had more momentum than you two." she pushed herself up so that she was sitting, opening her eyes and grinning weakly when she could finally see her brothers- oh they both still looked dreadful, like corpses but they were grinning weakly at her, and Percy breathed out, a relieved smile on her own lips. "Are you two okay? Not hurt?"
"I think I'm okay." Leo said after a moment, "Or as okay as I can be, I'm starting to get the hang of moving around with this Death Mist stuff too."
"So am I." Nico nodded, "No injuries to report." he was grabbing Percy's arm then, pulling her to her feet, and Percy nodded.
"That's good. That's really good." she bit her lip, "I can't believe we just did that-"
"I can't believe that you convinced Nyx to let us all go." Nico snorted, shaking his head, "Everyone fears Nyx- even Zeus-"
"Yes, she did point that out." Percy tucked a curl that was falling in her face behind her ear. "But I'm not. Nyx is no more pure evil than night itself is. I think she kinda likes me-"
"Of course she does." Leo snickered, "You have that effect, everyone either freaking adores you or they despise you. There is no in between for you."
"Hey it's a useful effect." Percy gave a small smile, "Don't knock it." she looked around slowly, her breath hitching. "Oh."
Because before them stretched a valley big enough to fit the San Francisco Bay. The booming noise that Percy had noticed came from the entire landscape, as if thunder were echoing from beneath the ground. Under poisonous clouds, the rolling terrain glistened purple with dark red and blue scar lines.
"Uh-" Leo's face scrunched up, "Is it just me or are we like- inside of-"
"The heart of Tartarus." Nico was shuddering and Percy quickly wrapped an arm around him protectively, pulling him into her side.
"We're getting close." Percy whispered the words, her gaze focusing on the centre of the valley, which was covered with a fine black fuzz of peppery dots. They were so far away that it took a moment for Percy to realise what she was seeing- an army. Thousands, maybe tens of thousands of monsters, gathered around a central pinpoint of darkness. It was too far to see any details, but Percy knew there was only one possibility.
"Well boys." she tugged Leo into her side with her free hand, "We officially have our destination." she pointed into the distance, trying not to shake at all. "There they are. The Doors of Death."
