The prisoner

Chapter twenty: Death previews and unwanted encounters

Percy entered the big house, sweat began to cover his brow. Annabeth kept pace with him as they entered the attic. As they traversed the expance of the attic Percy couldn't help but smile thinly at the array of spoils gathered.

Some fuzzy pink dice with title 'STOLEN BY GUS, SON OF HERMES 1988'

Another were a pair of bent scimitars 'KAMPE'S SCIMITARS, BATTLE OF THE LABYRINTH, KILLED BY BRIARES AND CHIRON'.

"Briares throwing those boulders." Percy said and Annabeth smiled.

"Harry becoming the Ghost Rider and going all angel of death on those hellhounds and monsters to save the other campers."

"Grover causing panic." They both chorused both grinning slightly together, then Percy locked eyes with Annabeth and he was brought back to a flashback.

"Take your hat and go! I'll be okay." Percy shouted to Annabeth as he split a Telekhine in two. Annabeth nodded and quickly kissed him on the cheek.

"Be careful Seaweed Brain."

"Prophecy...Percy." She replied snapping him out of his flashback. He nodded and turned to the mummy.

"O, Oracle the time is at hand. I ask for the great prophecy." Stated Annabeth and Percy's eyes widened as he saw the mummy reveal a small pouch and a scroll amongst all of the beads that adorned her.

"Sweet Olympus, here all this time." He gasped, Annabeth swiftly steered the son of Poseidon out of the attic and back to the meeting hall. Harry grinned when he saw them.

"You have questions Percy but ask me later. This is your destiny and Olympus future." He said moulding his two blades into two hand clawed gauntlets. Inside the council had dissolved into a shouting contest with Clarisse and Michael Yew arguing over something.

It seemed things were getting heated as Clarisse was about to pull out her second electric spear called 'Maimer' or 'Lamer.'

With that Percy opened the scroll after Clarisse stormed out after leaving her knife embedded in the pingpong table.

"A half-blood of the eldest dogs . . ."

"Er, Percy?" Harry interrupted. "That's gods. Not dogs." Percy looked abashed "Oh, right," He replied.

Percy despised being dyslexic although its one mark of a demigod, but he and everyone else really hated it. Percy thought 'The more nervous I am, the worse my reading gets.'

"A half~blood of the eldest gods . . . shall reach sixteen against all odds . . ."

Percy hesitated, staring at the next lines. A cold feeling started in his fingers as if the paper was freezing. Harry also felt a freezing sensation at the base of his spine.

"And see the world in endless sleep,The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap."

Percy then imagined feeling Riptide heavier in his pocket. 'A cursed blade? Chiron had once told him that Riptide had brought many people sorrow. Was it and could it be possible that his own sword could get me killed? And how could theworld fall into endless sleep, unless that meant death?"

Chiron urged Percy on. "Read the rest." He instructed, Percy gulped his mouth felt like it was full of sand, but he spoke the last two lines. Meanwhile Harry felt the freezing sensation spread across his back heading towards his chest.

"A single choice shall. . . shall end his

to per

pursue

-"

"Preserve," Annabeth said gently. "It means

to save." She clarified seeing Percy's confused expression.

"I know what it means," He grumbled.

"Olympus to preserve or raze."

The room was silent. Finally Connor Stoll said, "Raise is good,isn't it?""Not

Raise.

"Silena said. Her voice was hollow, but everyone was startledto hear her speak at all. "R-a-z-e means

destroy."

"Obliterate," Annabeth said. "Annihilate. Turn to rubble.""Got it." Percy's heart felt like lead. "Thanks."

Suddenly Harry collapsed in pain as Katie dived for him the world froze aside from him and standing their stood Azrael and Sammael. "What can I do for you?" Harry growled bowing to them cutting to the point.

The brother gods of vengeance and justice looked at Harry darkly "We need you to become the rider."

Harry went to lunged his claws outstretched only to find them ripped off his hands and lying behind them. "I fulfilled the deal. I'm no longer your pawn." He growled only to get hollow chuckles in response.

"This time you don't have a choice...Don't worry you'll get your soul back in time. Your job is to destroy Kronos." They said as they sliced him open just above and below his ribcage before extracting a white carbon copy of him and replaced it with a burning skull.

"Do this and we'll let you go free." Sammael said.

"I curse you and your parents the fates...You may have my soul but you can't break my spirit. I will take my soul back one way or another."

Harry awoke face down with everyone standing around him to. After waving everyone off aside from Katie he noticed Percy had gone. 'I'll track him down later.'

"Babe, I've been conscripted into being the bounty hunter again." Harry said stepping into the shadows.

Katie's eyes welled with tears and she wrapped her arms around him. "What can you do about it?"

"Not much...But I will get even."