(A/N) Sorry about the cliffhanger and the long update!
Disclaimer: I do not own PJO
Reyna POV
Exodus stared at me indifferently with deep red orbs for eyes, crossing his arms. He looked rather ridiculous in his hipster clothing, but looks didn't hide the demon that was hidden beneath.
"I could kill you right here, right now if you don't answer me." I snarled, slamming my fist down on the table. This only caused the Dragonborn Crawler to chuckle slightly, which made my friends shuffle nervously. As one of the most battle-hardened and merciless Praetors, they had selected me to interrogate Exodus, though we weren't really getting anywhere due to his snarky comments and obnoxious retorts.
"Ah, but you won't." he snickered, tilting his head to the side. A smile broke across his face, revealing pearly white teeth that had once belonged to Percy. His grin was a bit too wide, a bit too cheerful, considering what he had done. "You won't do it because then you're killing Percy." I growled at him and he chuckled once more, knowing exactly how to push all of my buttons at the same exact time.
"I've asked many times before and I will ask you again; how do we separate you from Percy?" I spat and he nonchalantly wiped the saliva off of his cheek, which only infuriated me even more.
"You can't." he replied simply. "That is my only answer: you can't." I threw my hands up in the air and began pacing up and down the room like a caged tiger. I mulled over all the options, and there were very, very few to choose from. The others were watching me pace with wide eyes, back and forth and back and forth in front of the desk, which Exodus was sitting at. A single light hung from the ceiling, casting a dim silvery glow onto everything. Cracks crept along the stony walls, and there were dark stains on the white tile floor that I hoped were just the result of problems with McDonald's ketchup packs.
"I can call my cohorts into action and they can bring the wrist crushers and the rabid badgers." I suggested, my tone holding no hint of humor. Exodus made a sudden movement and shot to his feet, his eyes blazing. Everyone else drew their weapons, and he regarded the, rather thoughtfully. His eyes slid back to me and I could see how they churned with rage, absent of all mercy or compassion.
"You won't do that either!" he hissed, his voice rising. "Because I wear Percy's face. I wear his voice. My screams are his, and they'll haunt you in your nightmares for the rest of your life. Go ahead, take me away. But he'll suffer as well. Can you not get it through your thick head that we are one in the same? You are never going to see Percy again!" Everyone began to bellow and shout at each other at once, leering at Exodus while he yelled back with just as much ferocity.
"Liar!"
"Traitor!"
"Scumbag!"
The jumble of voices rang off of the walls and everyone made wide and sometimes rather rude hand gestures, screaming at the top of their lungs and yelling themselves hoarse just to get their point across. I watched as Exodus stood his ground, his voice rising above them all. Once again his eyes were blazing with an unrequited fury, and it took all my willpower not to take a step back. He was currently arguing with Jason, and everyone else was cheering the son of Jupiter on. Insults were flying back and forth between them, and I wondered if their anger and determination was also fueled by their past competitiveness, which no doubt played a part in this.
"Kelp head!"
"Sparky!"
"YOU'RE A STUPID PARASITE!"
"YOU'RE A PSYCHOPATH THAT BITES HIS OWN FINGERS OFF!"
"MAGGOT!"
"PIRATE!"
"ENOUGH!" I bellowed and the room fell silent. Everyone was breathing hard, their fists clenched and sweat drenching their forehead. I could sense their resentment pulsing off of them in waves of utter loathing and hatred. My heart was pumping in a quick and steady beat; I had always loved the heat of battle due to my heritage, but it wasn't always a good thing. Before I had been able to control it, I had attacked with either word or fists at the slightest provocation, which is one of the reasons I have mastered my poker face.
Exodus however, was just begging to be clobbered. Everything about him made you just want to rearrange his facial features. His infuriating sneer that he always wore, his delight in watching cities crumble and people suffering, his body language in general just tipped you off the edge. The worst part was that I was seeing expressions of pure bitterness and dislike on Percy's face, expressions that didn't seem natural on him, which made it all the more heart-wrenching.
"What do you suppose we do?" Frank asked timidly. He had been alarmed by the outbreak of argument between Nico, Exodus, Leo, Piper, Will (who was usually the peacemaker), and Jason, and had been watching with wide-eyes from the sidelines. I was glad that he was soft hearted; sometimes strict Praetors didn't always make the best ones. It was finest if it was balanced out, good with bad like yin and yang.
"I'm out of ideas!" said Will angrily, the stress of the argument still hanging thick in his voice. He threw his hands up in the air, "I have an idea, let's cut him in half and then they can go their separate ways !" I wasn't appreciating the son of Apollo's unneeded sarcasm at the moment, and I shot him an icy glare. It was so unlike him to be this way, and I wondered what had gotten into him.
"Is it possible for us to speak to Percy?" Piper asked, seeming the most recovered. Her expression was still stony, though, and her multicolored eyes burned with irritation.
"Only if I let him." Exodus retorted and then clamped his hand over his mouth as he watched us exchange brooding looks. His voice thickened with resolve, "But I'm not going to."
"Dios, èl es tenaz." I heard Leo mutter.
"Sì." I snorted in reply. In English I said, "Why not?"
"I'm in control here." he snarled. "I can't have him talking to you guys and possibly taking over."
"This body is not yours to keep." Piper said softly. Her charmspeak made his eyes a little unfocused but he quickly blinked away the bleariness. He snarled at her through bared teeth, his red eyes glittering lividly.
"Of course it is!" he scoffed, his voice taking on an irate undertone. "I have earned it fair and square."
"It is not fair, Exodus. That was Percy's body! I know you're a parasite and this is what you do, but can't you just crawl into a lion or bear or something? They are so much stronger, faster, and more dangerous-" Exodus cut Nico off with an irritated snort.
"But they don't even have half this intelligence, nor do they have the power of being half-god." he replied icily.
"Just, a few minutes?" Will pleaded, all traces of hostility gone. "All we want to do is talk to him."
"No!" Exodus spat. "Stop trying to convince me, it's not going to work!"
"What would Annabeth think?" I asked softly. Exodus paused, his stern expression slacking.
"Annabeth?" his voice wavered, but he quickly covered it up. Steeling his face again he snapped, "I have np relation to Annabeth. She is dead."
"But you still feel it though. You feel Percy's grief, do you not?" I inquired. Exodus' fists were clenched and his eyes were narrowed, but I could see his mental wall crumbling. I could see that he was fighting the emotions, shoving them down, but I only noticed this because I went through with it every single day. Hiding intense emotions was no easy feat, but Exodus was holding out exceptionally well.
"Sleep." Piper whispered and the stress finally caught up to the parasite, who collapsed back onto the chair, his head lolling back. Everyone waited in silence as Piper walked over to him and began whispering things into his ear, no doubt trying to persuade Percy out of the subconscious realm. Will grasped Nico's hand, clasping it reassuringly, causing the black-haired boy flushed a deep shade of crimson, but I saw him squeeze back. That's when I realized that Exodus/Percy's finger was twitching and his eyes were darting around rapidly under his eyelids. Piper continued to charmspeak him, coaxing him out and shoving Exodus aside.
That's when his eyes opened and everyone inhaled sharply. They were green. "Piper?" he asked weakly, with an equally pitiful smile to match. He didn't move from his spot on the chair. "I can only speak to you guys, I'm not strong enough to move. Look at how much you've changed…" His tired sea-green eyes slid to Nico and Will holding hands. "I ship it." They all laughed, and I realized just how much I had heart-wrenchingly missed the old Percy. Jason quickly hustled forward, his blue eye glittering with concern.
"What does he do to you? Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice laced with anxiety. Percy chuckled at this, flashing us a toothy grin.
"Aside from the fact that he's inhabiting my body, he doesn't bother me. It's kinda boring in my subconscious, though." he sighed sadly. "I wish I could see Annabeth again," Everyone opened their mouths to speak, to tell him of the news, but the expression on his face clearly stated that we should keep quiet. "I know, Exodus told me. Now her blood, along with Travis', is on my hands…" His eyes became glassy for a moment, but he blinked the oncoming tears away.
"I know there's no way to separate us, but I have to tell you something. He's planning on reincarnating Dragonborn, the leader of all the Dragonborns. Very stuck-up fellow; names the species of his descendants after himself. Anyway, you have to stop him, but don't concentrate on separating us. I think I have an idea, but I'll gave to handle it on my own."
"What?" We all asked eagerly, willing to do whatever it takes to remove Exodus from Percy's body. The black-haired son of Poseidon stared at us.
"A compromise." he told us. Everyone sucked in a breath. That was not the answer we were hoping for.
"What do you mean 'a compromise'?" Leo asked, his eyes widening. He no longer wore his signature elfish grin, but rather an expression of distress.
"We share the body. One week I'll be in charge, the next week he'll be in charge. It'll go on and off in intervals." Percy explained. An outbreak of commotion began to circle amongst us.
"I'm not hanging around that murderer! That beast!"
"What if he takes over again?"
"What if he kills someone else, surely you can't deal with-"
"Enough!" Percy snarled. "It's the only way, unless you count killing both of us. If I can convince him, then maybe we have a chance." All of us opened our mouths to argue, but at that moment his head lolled back again. This time when he awoke, his eyes were red once more.