Hello everybody! It's finally time for my weekly update, so I hope you all enjoy this most recent chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians/ Heroes of Olympus
Percy's POV
Wow. This plan was not thought through well enough, Percy grimly thought to himself as he leapt of the cliff, gripping his girlfriend's hand tightly.
The original plan had been to escape Midas by jumping off the edge of the cliff and hopefully landing on a slope of some kind. Percy hadn't really taken the time to consider what would happen if there wasn't a slope to aid him. He didn't consider the river of lava that would incinerate them on contact or the sharp, jagged rocks that lined the bottom of the ravine with the capability to impale both demigods.
At the moment, Percy and Annabeth were both sailing through the air, arching down in the exact direction of a giant, particularly pointy spike. Impalement imminent, Percy narrated in his mind. Approaching contact point in 10…9…
Oh my gods; what was he doing? Was he seriously giving up already? No, Percy wouldn't let his death be that easy. If he was going to die, it would be while fighting, not while fleeing.
ADHD kicking in, Percy came up with his backup plan. Mid-fall, Percy reached his free hand into his pocket and brought out Anaklusmos, clicking it into sword form.
"Percy…" Annabeth warned, panic rising in her voice as the couple dropped closer and closer to the sharp point below.
"Just hold on," was Percy's only response, and he positioned Riptide in a way so that he was holding it upside down and it'd be easy to stab downwards. The son of Poseidon's green eyes narrowed in focus and determination; it was only moments before they were right above the point.
"Percy!" Annabeth yelled urgently, beginning to flail in an attempt to avoid the spear of a rock.
Quick as a cheetah, Percy jabbed his bronze sword down onto the side of the sharp rock seconds before they made contact, using the force to propel his girlfriend and himself away from the danger. They were jerked to the side, steering clear of the point but still close enough to- roughly- slide down the side.
The demigod duo rolled haphazardly to a stop at the bottom, taking a moment to catch their breath and regain their wits.
"That was…a bit of a risky plan, don't you think?" Annabeth panted, flipping off her back and onto her stomach in order to look at Percy.
Percy was still on his back, though he had a guilty little smile on his scraped up face. "We cut it pretty close, didn't we?" he said with a small chuckle.
Annabeth lightly punched Percy's arm- though Annabeth's "soft punch" still hurt- and rolled her eyes. "You are such a Seaweed Brain sometimes."
"Yeah, I get that a lot," Percy smiled sarcastically.
By now they were both sitting up, seated right next to each other and gazing out at the lava that slowly swam by them in a river of danger. The heat was floating of the molten river in such intense and compact waves that each blast felt like Percy and Annabeth had just shoved their head's inide a furnace. However, the heat didn't mask the surprising beauty of the orange and red stream coming from the Earth's core.
The top layer of the river was a crimson color that crinkled and cracked as the bright golden liquid below cooked the part of itself that made contact with the cooler air above. Its pace was slow but, in a way, calming and seducing. The slug-paced river inched along in a gooey, rolling fashion, never ceasing in its eerie glow of orange and red.
Percy and Annabeth sat around five feet from the river's banks, basking in the heat and enjoying each other's presence.
"I honestly have no idea what I'd do without you," Percy suddenly said, wrapping his arm around Annabeth and pulling her closer. "In truth, I would've died a hundred times over if you hadn't been there for me."
"Isn't that the truth," Annabeth laughed, her head tilting back a little as she did so. Percy couldn't help but smile; seeing her so happy like that filled him with a joy he'd never known before. He'd do anything for her. Now that he was no longer sick from the Lake, thanks to her, he had vowed to himself that he'd stay alive and protect her. Uselessness was a horrible state, in Percy's opinion. It was torture for him, and having to watch others struggle over you creates such a burden; Percy wanted to be the one saving them, not vice versa.
"Percy…if we don't make it-"
"We will," Percy interjected.
"Fine, we will. Hypothetically speaking, if we don't make it out of here…I want you to know just how much you mean to me. Seriously." Annabeth turned her head to look in Percy's eyes, and he noticed how her gray irises were reflecting the orange shine from the lava. "If you had died from the Lake's waters, I don't know what I would've done. I probably wouldn't even make it to the Doors."
"Right back at you," Percy smiled, and he leaned in for a kiss. They stayed like that for a while, having their possible last date. After the scare with the Lake, both half bloods realized just how easily they could lose each other at any given moment. They were each other's lifelines; one could not live without the other. And they both knew it.
It was there, resting by the lava, that the two demigods fell asleep for the first time in Tartarus, both content in each other's company.
When Percy woke in what he assumed was the next morning- he couldn't really tell time in Tartarus- he leaned over to shake Annabeth awake. "We should get going," he informed her. They were lucky to have not been eaten or killed in their sleep, and he wasn't going to push their luck in waiting around any longer.
"You're right," Annabeth yawned, stretching her arms up over her head. Percy, already standing up and pulling her up as well, said, "For all we know, Hazel, Frank, Nico, and everybody are already at the Doors."
"Let's hope so," Annabeth sighed. "I could use some sunshine in this dark pit of endless obstacles. And food." Percy stomach rumbled at the thought of having something to eat. He hadn't eaten since...well, since his last date with Annabeth up in Rome. That seemed like forever ago.
"Since you mentioned obstacles," Percy started, "didn't Midas say something about an über dangerous monster down here?"
"Where isn't there an über dangerous monster?"
"True enough."
Percy and Annabeth were now looking around the large ravine in which they were situated. The walls were too steep to climb, and behind them was just the cliff they'd leapt off of. Midas was nowhere to be seen at the top. All along the bottom of the gorge were hundreds of jagged rocks and random hills, ranging from the size of a terrier to the size of an entire school.
"I guess our only option is to go forward," Annabeth commented, half talking to herself. Percy bowed down, waving his arm in the direction they planned to go.
"Shall we?"
Annabeth pretended to curtsy before replying, "Yes, we shall."
Laughing, they continued down the baking rocks lining the lava river, climbing over the big ones not without difficulty.
Percy was approaching the next big hill when he noticed how the lava reflected off this particular rock in a way that made its surface look like a glowing mass of golden fur.
With Annabeth right behind him, he put his right hand on the rock, searching for a handhold to help him up and over it.
Immediately, Percy jumped back while exclaiming, "Holy Poseidon!" The rock that resembled fur was actually fur.
The giant mound of monster lying before the two half bloods shifted at Percy's touch, seemingly waking up from a nap. An oversized paw slid out from underneath the body, followed by three more becoming visible as the monster lifted itself up.
The thing was enormous. As Percy slowly brought his gaze upwards in an examination of the beast, he first noticed the pitch-black claws scraping the rocky ground as they flexed in an anticipation of their next kill. Moving farther up, he saw the shining golden legs bound with incredibly large muscles. Next was the long flank of the monster's body, rippling in anger, and then its tail swinging wildly behind it. Finally the monster brought up its mane-covered head to let out a thundering roar.
"Oh my gods," Annabeth gasped. "It's the-"
"Nemean Lion," Percy finished for her. The daughter of Athena gave her boyfriend a questioning look. Even Percy himself knew he wasn't the smartest when it came to recognizing mythological entities, but this monster…this one he'd met before.
"And you know this how?" Annabeth asked him.
"I fought him at the Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. on my way to rescue you from Luke and Atlas," he replied casually with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "Defeated him with a bag of space food. Unfortunately, there's none of that here. Unless, of course, it's a form of punishment for the demons down into Tartarus…"
Annabeth sighed with a roll of her eyes. "I doubt it." Suddenly, the lion before them happened to look where he'd heard voices and spotted them, growling with menace. I'll bet he recognizes me, Percy thought. It'd be hard to forget your killer and the last person you ever saw.
Percy twirled Riptide expertly in one hand while taunting the lion. "Come back for more, big guy?"
"Actually, it appears that you've come back for more," a mysterious voice echoed from behind the Nemean Lion.
"Oh no," Percy moaned in recognition of the speaker. The lion had by now turned to face the two demigods head on, and from behind him sauntered over an overweight woman holding a vicious-looking Chihuahua.
The lady was sporting a horrible denim ensemble, including a hat and too-tight dress. Her teeth were as sharp as the rocks that surrounded them, and her dark, snake-like eyes were as small and evil as her dog's. Her forked tongue waved in between her disgusting teeth.
"Long time no see, Echidna," Percy spat. The last time he'd seen this particular monster had been on his very first quest, when he was 12 years old.
"Echidna…" Annabeth muttered, deep in thought. Then, with a short gasp, she exclaimed, "You met her on the St. Louis Arch, right?"
"Yep."
"How'd you defeat her?"
That's when Percy was hit with a scary revelation. He hadn't killed her- he'd jumped out of the monuement in an attempt to survive. Techniacally, Echidna had won that battle. How she'd ended up in Tartarus was beyond Percy's knowledge; probably another demigod had slayed her.
"I-I didn't," Percy stammered to his girlfriend. Both Annabeth and her boyfriend were now silent.
Echidna let out a raspy laugh. "That's right. The wimpy little demigod had to jump down into the river below so his wittle Daddy could save him." The woman paused before continuing with a knowing grin, "He couldn't even protect himself, much less the family he'd been with in the viewing room."
Percy felt a pang of guilt. He'd forgotten about them for the time being, but now the memory surfaced like a great white shark. He'd left an innocent family to possibly die. In fact, if his memory wasn't failing him, the mother of the family had been taken into the hospital because of it. Percy's face grew red with shame and embarrassment. He hated not being able to save others, and when he'd cowardly jumped off the Arch, he'd sacrificed three or four lives just to save his own. What kind of demigod was he? He was no hero. He-
"Percy." Annabeth had put her hand on his shoulder, and he turned to look at her. He hadn't even noticed that his eyes had been filling with tears at the memory. "She's using your fatal flaw against you. There's nothing you could've down to save the family, and they all survived anyways, right?" Percy nodded but said nothing. "Don't let her words get to you. Stay strong." She was right. His personal loyalty was getting the best of him. With those words of encouragement, Percy wiped his eyes free of tears and positioned himself into a battle stance.
"Get ready to enter Tartarus for the second time, Echidna."
"That'll only happen if you can get to me." Echidna set her Chihuahua on the ground, and immediately it began to transform into its real self- a Chimera. It's pointy little head changed into a bloody lion's one, while its body morphed into that of a goat. Its tail grew into a long snake, snapping at the air angrily. The Chimera was half the size of the Nemean Lion, but nonetheless pretty big.
"Attack!" Echidna ordered her two minions, her eyes flashing with a maniacal madness.
Both the Nemean Lion and the Chimera leapt forward, claws extended to rip Percy and Annabeth to shreds.
"Split up!" Annabeth called as she and Percy dove opposite ways to avoid the attack.
Percy rolled to his right and jumped to his feet in one swift motion, sword at the ready. Echidna's Chimera turned and growled at him, foaming at the mouth like a rabid animal. Percy's eyes swept his surroundings, looking for something to help him defeat the monster. All he saw were giant rock spikes, a steeply sloping cliff behind him, and a fresh lava flow out aways in front of him. He could make this work.
Turning on his heels, Percy whipped around and sprinted towards up the side of the curving wall of the ravine. Predictably, the Chimera followed him. The son of Poseidon easily sprinted up the slope, and when the wall flattened out into a vertical position, he kicked off and flipped in the air. He was planning to come down straight onto the Chimera's back and strike it with his sword. Mid-flip, Percy glanced downward and prepared to stab the beast. Of course, the Chimera's rhinestone collar took that inopportune moment to reflect the glow of the lava, glaring right into Percy's eyes.
"Ah!" he yelped, instinctively covering his eyes with his hands. When he moved his hands to see again, Percy realized he only had time to tuck and roll; he'd missed his chance at the Chimera and overshot the jump. He hit the ground as smoothly as you could while doing a wall-supported back flip, and he skidded to a halt behind the Chimera and about 10 feet from the lava river.
He had a moment to sneak a peek at Annabeth, who was presently on the opposite side of the lava river, riding the back of the Nemean Lion like a cowgirl and trying to find a spot to stab the beast.
Percy had just been cupping has hands around his mouth to yell out, "Go for the mouth!" when a loud BOOM shot through the air. Percy, Annabeth, Echidna, and the two lions turned to look at the far end of the ravine off where the lava blended in with the horizon.
"What the Hades was that?" Percy asked no one in particular.
"Something's going on at the Doors of Death," Echidna supplied, seemingly just as confused as the demigods.
"It must be them!" Annabeth yelled to Percy from across the ravine, referring to their friends on the Argo II.
"No duh!" Percy yelled back, a huge grin spreading across his face. If they'd been able to hear the suspicious attack on the Doors all the way in the ravine, that meant that they must be close! However, since the Doors weren't even in sight yet, that signaled to them that it'd still take days to get there. Unless they had a ride…
"Annabeth!" Percy hurriedly called out. "Don't kill the lion!"
"What?" she asked incredulously, gripping its iron fur in order to refrain from being thrown off its back.
"Don't kill it yet! Just trust me!" Then, Percy turned back to face his own oppenent. "Sorry to cut this battle short, but I've got an appointment to keep at the Doors of Death, and I'm not one who likes to be late."
Percy let loose a loud battle cry and charged the Chimera, sword hefted up above his head to strike down the beast from his childhood. The hybrid monster looked startled at the demigod's sudden burst of courage, and it had no time to react before Percy launched Riptide into its goat-like chest. The Chimera roared in pain as it stumbled away from Percy, dissolving into a gray dust that clung to the rocks like bugs to sap.
"One down, two to go."
...and I leave you all with a battle cliffhanger! Oddly, this chapter felt really short to me, even though it's over 2,800 words. I would've made it a bit longer, but I have to get my next Ordoa's Arena chapter out as well. That story is 3 updates behind this one, and I'm sure those readers would like to see an update by now. Nevertheless, I will still update both stories each and every weekend.
Drumroll, please!
It's thank-you time:
Thank you to lunanightshade123 and WarLord of Poseidon for the story and author favorites as well as all the follows!
Hibye: I'm so glad you love this story as much as you do, and, again, thank you for your frequent reviews! Also, if I haven't updated by Sunday night THEN I will have not updated that weekend, so there's no need to worry about getting an update beforehand ;) .
WarLord of Poseidon: Thank you for your review, follow, and favorite! I'm so happy that you like my story and I do plan on continuing it for a while, so please continue to read!
Reviews, follows, and favorites are always appreciated!
-8DemigodRunner8
PS: If anyone was wondering why Medea and Phineas turned to dust even though they weren't monsters, it's because once someone is sent to Tartarus, they are sorted as a monster and forever will be one. Percy and Annabeth are not monsters because they weren't sentenced to life in Tartarus, they simply fell in.