Hello, there. Don't hate me please. I had exams. Which are over now. I wont lie, it did take me time to get myself to write again, but, well, here i am. This chapter is small. Its Annabeth's POV. Nothing extraordinary. I will try to wrap it up real quick with less bullshit. Hope you all will stick around! Xx
ANNABETH:
The black satin tendrils of darkness approached Annabeth, as if to embrace her.
"Don't you dare", she spat, pulling out her drakon bone sword, "I will cut you to pieces"
She only heard hissing as she and Piper walked stiffly to the deck.
"Fire boy got it wrong", a voice hissed, no many voices hissed together.
They seemed to be coming from the the thick black cloud of smoke that had gathered at the centre of the deck. It smelled sulphurous and reminded Annabeth of Tartarus.
"Not a daughter but a granddaughter of Nyx", the voices said, in their default hiss.
"Well don't expect me to be too impressed. I'm not too fond of your family tree.", Lep replied dryly.
"But I think we can all agree that you haven't showed great manners by invading our ship like that", Piper said dryly.
Annabeth spotted Hazel and Frank tied to the bottom of the foremast. They were tied with the black tendrils and were bleeding from various cuts.
One tendril wrapped itself around Annabeth's ankle and a warm feeling crept over her leg. When the tendril pulled away, thick blood flowed from her ankle and pooled around her feet.
Her leg felt week, as if it was incapable of supporting her weight and she would collapse.
"Invading your ship?", the voices hissed and the black cloud flew at Piper, stopping only inches away from her.
But unluckily it engulfed Annabeth's arm which promptly started to blister.
She gritted her teeth and slowly stepped a little away, careful not to touch any of the black tendrils that floated around. She didn't want to make sudden movement and cut herself with them again, only to lose her strength.
"Your friendss", the cloud continued, hissing the last word, "invaded our home. This blonde girl and the other dark haired boy. Our mother sent us to bring you both to justice"
"Well, you ain't gonna find him here", Annabeth sneered and she was glad that Percy wasn't here. She could take care of this alone.
You do have friends, you know, all these other people on this ship?, her brain told her.
Think, Annabeth, think. How do you beat something you know nothing about?
First step, you determine what it is.
"Who are you?", Annabeth asked. She had no need to fake her curiosity.
Hazel muttered something unintelligible but all the heads turned to her.
Including the smoggy monster who didn't really have a head.
"You're Neicus", Hazel told the monster, this time loudly.
The monster gurgled but Annabeth couldn't tell if it was pleased at being recognised or just excited to kill them all.
Them.
The monster would finish them all, not just Annabeth. It was her and Percy's fault that Neicus was here and it would kill them all if she didn't do something about it.
Neicus. Neicus. Neicus.
What had she heard about it?
"I haven't heard about you", Annabeth told the monster honestly.
Neicus snarled and Annabeth noticed, once again, that it sounded like there was more than one voice coming from the monster's body. The body wasn't proportionate or differentiated.
More black tendrils appeared, sharp as blades and wrapped around the exposed skin of Annabeth's arms and legs.
A scream escaped her lips and all thoughts of being brave and being a hero went out of her head. All she could feel was the pain that was spreading though her limbs rushing towards her heart.
Memories rushed to her. The worst of them.
Running away from home, wandering into the lair of the Cyclops with Luke and Thalia, losing Thalia when they were kids, getting stuck in the underworld on their first quest, Percy turning into a guinea pig on Circe's island, bearing the weight if the sky, thinking that she lost Percy while he was at Calypso's island, killing Luke, losing Percy to Hera's plan and wandering to Arachne's lair.
"Calm down, child", the voices hissed inside her head, or so it seemed, "I'm only feeding on what you have inside of you. We are the Neikea, daughters of Eris, to the Greeks. I would like you to remember my name when you die."
Neikea. How could she have forgotten?
Daughter of Eris, they were the demons of feuds, quarrels and grievances. They were feeding on her pain, they weren't causing her any.
Only if she could keep that in mind.
She forced her eyes to open, only to find that she was floating two feet above the deck, held by the tendrils of darkness.
Blood dropped to the deck from her limbs where the ribbons had cut her.
She caught Frank's bewildered gaze and stared at him, hoping he'd understand. Frank gulped and Annabeth took that to be a good sign.
She turned to find Leo tangling upside down, but not bleeding.
She locked her eyes on his and hoped he could read instructions this way.
Leo rolled his eyes and his face contorted. It took Annabeth a minute to realize that he was smiling.
"Go!", Annabeth shouted but it came out feebley. With a pop, Frank disappeared. There was a flame and Leo was plummeting towards the deck.
Annabeth's heart leaped to her throat. Leo would hit the deck head first and-
Right before Leo hit the floor, he rolled over and landed with his arms outstretched, supporting his body.
Annabeth had barely breathed our her sigh of relief when she heard a sharp cry and a saw something fly towards her.
It was Piper.
Like a canon, Piper shot at Annabeth and slashed at the black tendrils with Katoptris.
They both fell to the floor and Annabeth's shoulder throbbed.
All hell had broken lose.
Piper offered her a hand and pulled her to her feet.
"we don't have time", she told her and shoved her to the left and proceeded to cut another black temdril that had been creeping up on them.
Hazel had broken free of her bonds but she was bleeding. Her mouth was set in a hard line as she continued to cut the tendrils approaching her.
But for the tendrils they cut off, more sprouted. It was impossible to beat them.
Annabeth realized Neikea was hissing insistently. But the demons didn't seem in any kind of discomfort or anything.
She couldn't find her Drakon bone sword and was about to run and search for it when Piper grabbed yet hand. "No", she told her.
"No?", Annabeth repeated, "What do you mean no?" She didn't know what Piper was saying but whatever she was trying to tell her was useless because there was no point if she couldn't.
"We cannot beat Neikea like this", Piper growled as a tendril wrapped itself around her thigh.
Annabeth swiftly grabbed Katoptris and freed Piper.
"As I was saying", Piper panted, "We need to call upon somebody"
Annabeth understood what she was hinting at. But it was a very dangerous, not to mention crazy thing to do.
Was this situation any less crazy?
Should they really resort to this?
"NO, I CAN'T SET MY SHIP ON FIRE!", Leo was yelling at the tendrils, trying to aim his fire so he wouldn't burn the Argo down. Frank had reappeared but he looked like he didn't know what to do.
"But who?", Annabeth asked as Piper shoved Annabeth here and there, trying to keep the tendrils at bay.
"I think you know", she said through gritted teeth. "But do it fast, I can't hold them off anymore"
Annabeth closed her eyes. She needed somebody who would be willing to beat Neikea. Somebody capable of beating the demons; somebody who could possibly have something against them.
Philotes.
But why would the spirit of friendship and affection show up?
Well, hey there, Philotes, Annabeth started. It was like praying to her mother. I would really like to save my friends here. If that's not a show of friendship and affection, I don't know what is. I really need you. It would be nice if you showed up.
No response.
The fighting continued. The demigods were visibly tiring.
She needed to do something to catch the deity's attention.
She remembered Percy sending Medusa's head to on their first quest ever. It was crazy and loud.
An idea popped in her head.
Before she could reconsider, she grabbed Piper by the waist and kissed her, full on the lips.
She smelled of vanilla and strawberries.
Annabeth had obviously taken a leave of her senses.
Piper stood stayed unmoving, obviously shocked. Then she slowly reciprocated till they felt white smoke rising around them.
"Annabeth Chase.", a voice sang. It seemed to come from the white smoke which was slowly taking the form of a woman. "You're an interesting person"
Annabeth stepped back from Piper and looked at the woman, "My Lady Philotes", she bowed.
The black tendrils were starting to burn off wherever the white fog touched it.
"I'm an older deity, you know?", Philotes continued, "But there's still more of the Neikea"
"There needn't be", Annabeth told her firmly.
"Everything has a cost, child", Philotes told her. "This one higher than most. It takes a lot to get rid of grief and quarrels"
"A price I'm willing to pay, I assure you", Annabeth told her, her jaw set.
"You're young", Philotes told her.
"That has nothing to do with this!", Annabeth exclaimed irritatedly.
"I will give you the advantage of choosing later", Philotes said, "But make the right choice, child"
And with that the white smoke spread out and with a heinous shriek, the Neikea were gone.
A feeling of peace and sound settled over the ship. It was like the Neikea had never appeared.
Except the state of the demigods.
Hazel stood bloodied, supported by Frank and Leo was sprawled on the deck, his clothes burnt in places. Piper was kneeling at his side.
Philotes was gone too and with her had left a part of Annabeth. She felt lightheaded, naked without it.
All she had to do was figure out what the part was.