I shook my head vigorously, trying to shake off the pain that was throbbing angrily above my right eye. Apparently, Magical Communication is a very draining job.
I tried to contact Percy, to try and warn him about Fierra's real objectives, but all I saw was some foggy cloud substance. Steam, maybe. I figured, you know, maybe something went wrong with my magic or... something.
I honestly had no idea how long I'd been locked up. It seemed like weeks, though it was probably only a few days, or maybe even hours. Well, I guess it was hours, because I wasn't even the least bit hungry yet. Or maybe my stomach became numb.
And as if on cue, my stomach rumbled.
Great timing.
I stood up and looked around the dim dungeon, hoping against hope that Fierra provided me with a bit of food to at least keep me alive before Percy kills me. I mean, what good is keeping someone you want to kill if he's just going to die of starvation?
Well, quite obviously, Fierra didn't leave me any food.
What she left was a packet of sunflower seeds.
Oh, joy.
I grabbed the packet angrily and ripped it open, knowing perfectly well that sunflower seeds would not sustain me. Instead of popping any into my mouth, I stared at it moodily.
Then it turned into treacle tart.
Oh, joy!
Wait, did I do that? Or are these magical seeds that turn into your favorite snack? ...Who cares, I've got treacle tart!
Needless to say, I hungrily reached into the expanded packet and scooped some treacle tart into my mouth. It tasted like heaven. Okay, maybe that wasn't such a good idea. What would Moody say if he knew I've been eating the enemy's food?
"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"
Yeah, totally helpful.
So let's weigh out my options. I can try escaping and blow myself up. I can wait patiently for Fierra to get me and for Percy to try to kill me. I can continue eating this dodgy but delicious food. I can sleep and risk being slaughtered while in dreamland. I can telepathically communicate with someone.
Oh, such happy choices, how ever will I decide?
I focused all my energy again, hoping to get to talk to Ellie. I shut my eyes tightly, and felt the familiar warm glow of my energy. Opening my eyes, I saw Ellie's glowing face in front of me, looking slightly scared.
"Harry...?"
"Hey, Ells," I greeted reassuringly. "M'fine. I tried to contact Percy, but all that came up was loads of fog. How are you guys doing?"
"Hungry," she mumbled.
Something then occured to me. I grabbed a bit of treacle tart and handed it to Ellie, who looked a bit confused. The confusion gradually melted into gratitiude as the treacle tart disappeared from my hand and probably appeared with them.
"Thanks," she said, smiling sincerely. "Where'd you get it?"
"I, er, brought it with me," I lied, deciding it was better not to inform her I found a packet of sunflower seeds in my dungeon that turned into my favorite treat.
"Good idea," she nodded approvingly. "Now, Harry, I want you to relax. You probably shouldn't contact Percy just yet, it's too risky. How about a little training?"
"I don't want to blow Percy up, thanks," I replied, smiling.
"Er, good point... What about escaping?"
"And blow myself up? No thank you."
"Ok... then... what about... er..." she thought hard. "Nope. I got nothing."
"Same here," I said with a nonchalant shrug. I stood up, stretched a bit and observed the dungeons. It looked pretty creepy.
"How?" Ellie asked. I looked at her with my eyebrows raised, so she continued. "How are you taking this so lightly? If I were you, I would crumble under the pressure. You're just so... put together."
I didn't answer her. Instead, I looked straight into her eyes, hoping she'd understand... because I didn't.
Truth is, I did crumble. In fact, I was pretty much shattered...but I held the pieces together. I had to, right? I had to. For my friends. For the world. I had to step up and be calm for everybody, or else they'd never have any hope.
Plus, I guess I handle it all better, now that I have firsthand experience with death. More times than I would like, thank you very much. I just hoped that Percy was okay, too.
Percy's POV
I was back in the comfort of my ruby room, basking in the water in the tub. My skin was still bright red from being in close proximity to lava, but the icy cool water soothed the sting.
I was really starting to panic here. I mean, how would you react if you blacked out a lot and end up waking up in your comfy room, with totally no idea what happened?
This time, though, I remembered what happened.
Harry - the damn traitor - left, he tried to avoid the joke known as Percy Jackson (me). Fierra and I dueled. She controlled lava and I controlled water. And then... that voice...
I swear, it was Harry's voice. But... he left... and he thought I was a joke. How... It isn't possible.
So yeah, I turned to look at the caller. My vision was slightly obscured by steam, but I saw a hazy green light disappearing. Next thing I knew, fire was all around me and I blacked out.
Sighing, I sank lower into the cold water.
"You shouldn't let your guard down like that."
"Yeah, I know."
"Then why did you?"
"Look, let it slide, okay?"
I was irritated. Fierra kept badgering me about how easily she defeated me earlier. Well, I couldn't tell her I was seeing hazy green lights calling out to me in Harry's voice, could I?
She pursed her lips and stood up from the dinner table, looking intently at me.
"This is no joke, Percy," she said sternly. "This is serious."
"Why?" I demanded, standing up. "I'm through with all this, okay? I want to live like any other kid! I want to be normal, just for once! Just to rest a bit! Is that too much to ask?"
I turned my back on her and stormed out angrily. All this pressure and fighting... It's driving me crazy. Something's wrong, I just feel it. And everyday, I feel like... like something's building up in me. And I grow more irate everyday.
Something was wrong.
I felt it deep inside of me. A monster, raging to come out. Fighting for freedom. And little by little, I was surrendering to it.
It was small things. Lashing out at Deveraux, punching walls, blaming dad, mom, Delian, Harry...Days came and went. And every time, I heard the monster roar.
"Do it," Fierra hissed. It was a cold, cruel, seductive whisper.
I was holding an ice knife, inches away from a "creation". Fierra makes these images of prisoners, and forces me to kill them. Even if they weren't real, it seemed wrong.
"Do. It."
A command. Did she think she could order me around?
"Now."
That was it. I spun around to her, still clutching the knife.
"You aren't the boss of me, Fierra," I said through gritted teeth. "There's always someone bossing me around. Dad, Chiron, Annabeth, Delian. It sickens me. I. Am. Not. A. Puppet."
I expected her to get mad and defend herself. Instead, she smiled. What the Hades?
"Getting more aggressive, Perce," she said, obviously impressed. "Good. But you've got to kill that creation now."
I was fuming, but I spun and jabbed the creation, straight through the heart. It burst into clouds of smoke. A wave of guilt ovewhelmed me... I dropped to my knees, letting the ice knife roll.
"Happy?" I asked Fierra. I was barely audible.
"Yes. Very."
Suddenly, the guilt was gone. Instead, I was engulfed in triumph. Greed. Pride.
Bloodlust.
Suddenly, killing wasn't so bad anymore. I wanted to get my hands dirty. I wanted to rip. To tear. To destroy.
To murder.
And the guy I want to throttle is Harry Potter. The mood is still so raw with him. He'd deserve it. Now if only I could find him...
"Fierra," I mumbled, getting to my feet. "I'm leaving."
"What?" She was surprised. "Why?"
"To find Harry Potter."
"Ugh." Exasperation. "We've been through this, Perce. He ditched you."
"I want to kill him."
Silence. I turned to look at her, my eyes burning in determination. Her eyes were burning, too... In glee.
"Well, then," she declared, "Follow me. The time has come, Percy Jackson."
Harry's POV
Treacle tart. Yes, it is delicious. No, it is not fulfilling. In fact, I feel like I'm losing my energy rather than gaining.
Maybe I shouldn't have eaten the enemy's food. Or given it to Ellie, in that case. And suddenly, a gruff voice echoed in my head:
"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"
Bloody. Hell.
I sat on the cold stone floor of the dungeon, massaging my temples. If I contact Ellie to see how she's doing after I've given them the energy-sucking food, I might lose all my energy. But they should be doing better than I am. I've been stuffing my face, after all.
Sleep. Maybe that's all I need. A good, long rest. I lay my back on the icy floor and closed my eyes, and sleep enveloped me instantly.
Unfortunately, consciousness enveloped me instantly, too.
Footsteps. Two pairs of feet. Judging by the mixed weight of the footfalls, it's one girl and one boy. Oh Merlin no...
The door to the dungeon room creaked open, and I heard the very last voice I wanted to hear.
"Ready yourself, Percy."