Percy Jackson
Percy liked water, usually. However, he still hated when it was pouring rain like it was now. He was standing on the hill next to the Golden Fleece, fully dressed in jeans, a orange camp shirt, a bronze chest plate, and his bronze war helm. Riptide was capped and nestled safely in his right pocket. The sound of thunder roaring overhead was deafening to his ears. He partially wondered what had Zeus so cranky.
He wouldn't have been standing out there in the rain if it weren't for the fact that he had guard duty. He didn't do anything bad, it was just his turn. Luckily, Percy was not dumb and brought a few things that made his life easier. He had a foldable chair, which sat a few feet behind him, along with a party size bag of Skittles.
"Gods, this sucks." Percy groaned. He looked out over the hills but he didn't see a thing through the dark rain. He would've loved doing this job in the afternoon on a windy day but he was stuck doing it on a dark rainy night. He could've sworn tonight was supposed to be a full moon but he didn't even see the moon at all.
Percy reached into the bag of Skittles when he heard a growl. He looked over and saw Peleus looking at him with his head tilted.
"What, you want one?" He asked.
Peleus nodded.
"Fine." Percy said, grabbing a lemon Skittle and tossing it to Peleus who snapped up the chewy candy. He reached into the bag and ate a handful of candy. Only one more hour of watch and he'd be back in cabin three, snoozing away in his warm and comfortable bed.
Boom!
Lightning flashed, revealing two figures down the hill. Thunder rumbled above the clouds. Then Percy heard another sound, a sort of howling roaring noise. He reached into his pocket and drew Riptide, the sword expanding in his hands and casting a bronze glow. Peleus's head shot towards the bottom of the hill, he started to snarl and bear his shark like teeth.
"Help!" A voice called.
Percy knew he didn't imagine that. Someone needed help!
Taking no time at all, he charged down the hill through the pouring rain towards where he heard the voice. The grass was slippery but that didn't stop the son of Poseidon. The closer he got to the voice, the louder the roaring noise from earlier became.
Boom!
Another flash of lightning revealed a figure taller than a basketball player and bigger than a professional wrestler. The familiar horns at the top of the head and fuzzy fur told Percy exactly who this monster was. His very old nemesis, the Minotaur.
But why was it here?
"Help me please!" A panicked voice shouted. It cracked, as if the owner was terrified for their life.
The Minotaur roared but not at the voice but at Percy, who was approaching it with his sword drawn.
Percy didn't back down though, he'd been in this position before. "Hey, beefhead, two losses not enough for you?"
The Minotaur bellowed in rage, striking the ground with its fists before getting into a crouching position. It huffed and puffed, nasty wet snot dripped from its nose onto the grass below. Its horns looked as deadly as Percy remembered.
"Man, you really should just go home." Percy muttered.
The Minotaur charged, running at Percy with its horn ready to impale the demigod. Percy grinned, six years later and these imbecile of a monster still didn't know how to fight. Percy sidestepped as the monster sped past but not before bringing his sword down on the Minotaur's shoulder, a nasty slick wet sound of metal slashing flesh filled the air.
The Minotaur roared in pain, turning at Percy and swiping with desperate rage. Percy ducked and rolled, getting closer and closer to his opponent. Clarisse had taught him a long time ago how to dodge punches, no way he was going to forget her advice now.
The smell of the monster was horrible. It smelled like wet farm animals and garbage. Percy winced at the smell. Air whooshed past his ears as the Minotaur's punches went over his head.
Then Percy saw his opportunity, the Minotaur's stomach was wide open. He rushed to pierce it with Riptide. Instead of feeling his sword slamming into the monster's flesh, Percy felt a large rough hand wrap around his neck and hoist him off the ground. He kicked and punched at the Minotaur's fist with his free hand. He hadn't expected the Minotaur to actually grab him successfully. This went wrong quickly.
The Minotaur's eyes held a cruel shine, as if he was taking pleasure in killing Percy. He could easily snap Percy's neck but he wasn't doing that. Instead, he was slowly squeezing the life out of the poor demigod. Percy felt like his eyes were about to pop out, he couldn't breathe. This was it; he was going to die here. Ironic really, the place where his demigod life overtook his mortal one was the same place he would lose his life.
"Hey!" The voice from earlier yelled. Percy turned to see a rock the size of a football slam right into the Minotaur's face. The monster grunted in surprise and loosened his grip on Percy's neck.
Percy did one last desperate slash at the Minotaur. His sword connected with the large veiny neck and cut through the skin and flesh with ease. The Minotaur tried to let out a roar but was cut short when Riptide separated his head from the rest of his body. The monster's hand around Percy's neck started to turn to dust, dropping the demigod to the wet grass below.
"Umph!" Percy grunted as he hit the ground. He gripped Riptide and got up, looking around for the person who had just saved his life.
A sickly-looking boy, around sixteen years old, came walking out of the dark. Blood was dripping out of his mouth and he had a bunch of cuts, scrapes, and bruises. He looked like he'd just crawled out of a car accident. His pale skin reminded Percy of Nico but this guy had golden blonde hair and dark red eyes. Percy had never seen a demigod like this before.
"Help…" He before collapsing.
"Woah!" Percy yelled, running over and kneeling next to him. He lightly slapped the guy's face, "Stay with me, you can't die that easy! You just got here!" He leaned in close and heard a breath. Still alive!
Percy knelt down and hoisted the guy over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and started running as fast as he could up the hill. He noticed that this guy didn't weigh much, he wondered when was the last time this guy ate anything. The wheezing sound that came from his couldn't have been good.
Running past Peleus and the Golden Fleece, Percy started to sprint towards the Big House. Aside from a few lessons of first aid from Will in the Apollo cabin, he really didn't know much about healing. This boy could've had more problems that he would've never checked for. A lot of times, demigods came to camp with their injuries under their clothes or sometimes even with exposure from being on the run from monsters for so long.
"Chiron!" Percy shouted from outside the Big House. He hated to wake the Centaur up at this ungodly hour but Chiron insisted that he be woken up for emergencies and this was definitely a emergency.
A light at the second floor of the Big House lit up, meaning either Mr. D or Chiron had woken up. Just as Percy lumbered up the steps and to the porch of the house, the door opened and Chiron stepped out. He looked exhausted, which only made Percy feel worse about waking him up.
"Perseus, what is—" He spotted the potential camper on Percy's shoulder, "Bring him inside, quick! We don't want him catching hypothermia."
Percy carried the demigod inside. He knew this guy was a demigod for sure, the camp boundaries would've prevented him from coming in, or rather, from him being carried in.
After a few minutes, Percy had settled the passed out demigod into a room while Chiron gathered his medical tools and any other supplies that he might've needed. Now both of them were standing at the bedside, staring down at the sleeping stranger.
"Where did you find him?" Chiron asked.
"The Minotaur was chasing him. I stepped in and helped him out." Percy said, he didn't mention the fact that the Minotaur had nearly killed him. The last thing he needed was for Chiron to worry about him when there was a demigod who desperately needed help.
Chiron reached under the demigod to pull his shirt off. Percy's eyes widened while Chiron recoiled. His chest was scarred, a mix of new and old scars. Percy knew some of those scars were from monsters, he had a few that were very similar. Then there were the telltale signs of cigarette burns, broken glass, and what looked like a mark from a belt or whip that hadn't healed properly.
This demigod must've fought a lot in the mortal world. At least, that's what the burns signified. The broken glass could've been from falls in one of New York's many alleyways. One wrong fall and you could find yourself being sliced up by discarded beer bottles. The whip marks really disturbed Percy. Either they were from a really sick mortal or from a monster, little difference between the two.
"This is the worst I've seen in a while." Chiron said. He shook off his shock and grabbed a stethoscope from the small medical kit next to him and held it to the demigod's chest. His face washed over with relief, "He's breathing fine."
"So he'll make it then." Percy said.
Chiron nodded, "Yes. These scars are mostly healed. Did he tell you his name?"
"No, not at all. He was asking for help and that's it."
Chiron scratched his head, "That's fine. I'm worried about malnourishment or dehydration, that might've been the cause for him passing out."
"Well, he was running from the Minotaur." Percy said.
Chiron nodded, "You're right, he could've also been exhausted. Who knows how far he ran to get here."
Then Percy remembered the red eyes. He had never seen eyes like those before. Unless this guy was wearing contacts, there was no reason his eyes should've been red. "Um, sir?" He said.
"Yes?"
"His eyes were red when I first saw him." Percy said.
"That's natural for those who haven't slept in a while." Chiron said.
"No, I mean his irises were red." He corrected.
The Centaur looked confused, "I'm not familiar with any gods with red eyes. Perhaps a child of Aphrodite but their eyes vary from pink to blue. I've never seen red."
"We'll have to see when he wakes up. Maybe he'll be claimed then." Percy said.
"Stay here and watch him please, I'll be in my room. Wake me if his condition worsens or if he wakes up." Chiron ordered before leaving the room.
Percy pulled a chair up and waited. This guy had a lot to answer for when he woke up.