This is chapter 2 of my Percabeth Tangled!au. Thank you so much the-butterflyhouse for betaing this, I literally couldn't have written it without your help.
Percy felt like he'd been running for days. He could hear the hooves of the Palace Horses against the forest floor echoing behind him; they were definitely getting closer. He was starting to slow down as well, his muscles aching from fatigue, and he'd probably collapse as soon as he stopped running. Nonetheless, he had to keep running. It was all he could do unless he wanted to risk being hanged for his crimes. This was the last obstacle; if he could just find a safe place to lay low then he could take the crown to the black market and sell it, hopefully for enough money to pay off his mum's medical bills. The perfect plan. Almost.
The only problem was that there was nothing but trees. Everywhere he looked was the same. He could be running in circles for all he knew. But his exhaustion was starting to take its toll and he really needed to stop.
He could hear the Palace Guards yelling now and Percy heard their leader -Clarisse- above them all, shouting encouragement to her soldiers.
"Don't give up, he's tiring! He'll have to stop soon!"
Percy rolled his eyes. Clarisse had hated him since he accidentally spilt his drink on her in school. She never forgave him, making it her ambition to make his life miserable. There was no way she'd give up after this long.
But he was just so tired…
Keeping running was the hardest thing he'd ever done. But somehow he managed it. Ignoring that his muscles were burning was actually easier than he thought. Maybe it was the adrenaline. Percy quickly took a look behind him to check that the guards were still far away. They were. It encouraged him to go faster, but then, as he turned his head to face forwards again, he noticed his mistake.
Just in front of his feet was a tree root growing out of the ground, he might have been able to avoid it had he been paying attention. But the next thing he knew he was facedown in the dirt. He could feel a sharp pain in his leg, but ignored it for now. He needed to go.
He could hear the guards getting closer by the second. They were going to close in on him soon, so he scrambled up and carried on running. There was no way he could outrun them for long, especially not now he'd lost nearly all of his head start. The only way to lose them at this point was to hide.
His breaths were coming out in raspy gasps, and his heart was beating at an unimaginable speed. He had to get out of this, his mother's life was at stake. His own was as well, but that wasn't as important to Percy at the moment. His mother had always been there for him even when his dad died. He loved her so much and he was going to repay the favour. She was the most important person in his life. He was not losing his mum.
A few metres in front of him was a low-lying branch. It was going to slow him down.
He was about half a metre from the branch, and he realised he actually had less room than he thought to get under it. He still ducked and rolled as fast as he could. The branch just missed him, so he managed to get under it fine. He quickly stood up, using the momentum of his roll to help. His knees were a little grazed and his clothes had torn a bit, but overall he managed it. Percy sighed with relief. He ran forward for about thirty seconds, then he turned to check his positioning and saw the horses jump over the branch.
He turned the corner on the path he was following. Out of nowhere the path split into two -with one going forward and one turning right- so he chose right, hoping the guards would think that he had just carried on straight. Once round the corner, he saw a large rock, covered in ivy and moss, perfect for hiding behind. He pulled apart the vines like curtains and went through the gap, only to find a huge space behind them.
A cave, he thought, perfect.
He would just wait in here for a day or two until the guards guessed that he wasn't in the area anymore. He stood facing the vines for a few minutes, making sure he couldn't be seen. When he was positive the cave camouflaged him, he turned around to see where he had ended up. Then he saw that it wasn't a cave at all.
It was actually an archway of sorts, opening into a vast clearing surrounded by large cliffs, which must have been as tall as the trees at least. It was beautiful. With a shimmering crystal clear stream trickling through it and bright plants he'd never seen before in his life. Even his mother had probably never heard of them. They looked almost enchanted with a sort of glow around them. The area looked completely magical. He'd stumbled across something really extraordinary.
That wasn't even the weirdest thing. Right in the middle of the clearing was the largest tower Percy had ever seen. It was just below the height of the cliffs, so you wouldn't see it from outside the glade, and it looked a bit weathered down with a lot of ivy weaving up the off-white bricks. There was a single window at the top, but with no clear way to get up there, he'd have to scale the tower. Which was a shame because Percy had never been that good at climbing. He'd have to try. After all, he was desperate.
How hard could it be? And maybe someone lived there who'd be willing to help him. So, with that thought in mind, he started to climb.
It was a slow and arduous process. It drained him of every ounce of energy he had with each movement. He used two hunting knives to act as handles to help but it still wasn't easy. Particularly since his muscles were already aching and the sharp pain that stung his leg. But after around an hour he eventually got to the opening.
Percy sighed with relief and hauled himself in, using the narrow window ledge as leverage. When he fell into the room he swayed precariously, almost not being able to stand straight. He should really take a nap. And look at his leg.
But then he got distracted. Looking around the tower's interior, his eyes widened in surprise to see that it actually looked lived in, despite looking deserted from outside. There was still furniture in there, much fancier than what Percy had in his hut yet not extravagant. Then there was a set of winding stairs at the opposite end of the room which seemed to lead to another chamber. A bedroom perhaps? It was really cosy and warm, plus the detailed artwork covering the walls added to the ambience. He walked closer to one which looked like a Palace and found himself staring at the drawing. It was incredible. The person who designed it was seriously talented. It mesmerised him and he found himself reaching out to touch it, just to make sure it wasn't his imagination.
He was so transfixed that he didn't hear the footsteps behind him until it was too late. He felt a sharp blade go in front of his neck, from the hands of someone behind him. He felt a person's body heat pressing against him. His heart rate increased and his mouth went dry, but he tried his best not to panic. They must have sneaked up on him. He internally cursed himself for dropping his guard. Then the person spoke with a harsh voice.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
