Hey guys, sorry it's been a bit! Life's been stressful and writing the events of this chapter was difficult. I'm sorry the Snowdin section was shorter than anticipated, but I really want to devote more energy and time to the Undyne encounters. Hope you guys had a Happy Halloween!
Chapter 7
Percy looked upon the town with a sense of nostalgia. It reminded him so much of Camp Half Blood, but without the deadly weapons, and with furry creatures, and with snow… Scratch that. It wasn't really like CHB at all, but it sure was beautiful. Holiday lights surrounded the town, cozy little buildings fit snugly between the trees. He sighed as he watched little monster kids run around and play. He could stay here forever. Of course, he couldn't really do that. He had to get home. He followed Sans into a dimly lit pub. His mom would probably flip at the sight of him going into a pub, so he resolved to never tell her about it.
Inside the pub were a lot of dogs that Percy had met on his way to Papyrus's puzzles. He nervously looked at them, but they didn't seem to mind his presence. Several drunk monsters were leaning on tables, but their ears perked up the moment Sans walked in. Everyone cheered, toasting their glasses to the grinning skeleton. Man, that creepy, threatening skeleton has this many friends? Percy thought. Sans was doing finger guns at all the monsters as he walked towards the bar. The bartender was cleaning glasses behind the counter. He was wearing a snazzy suit and glasses, despite being made out of fire. Percy sat down on a stool but was surprised when it made a fart noise.
"sorry. some weirdo likes putting whoopie cushions on the seats," Sans said, his eyes glinting with humor.
Percy was reminded of the Stoll brothers back at camp. He wondered if they would get along with Sans or try to out-prank him. He pulled the whoopie cushion off of his seat and tossed it on the crumb-covered floor. Sans raised a finger, and the bartender came over.
"what do you want to eat, kiddo?" Sans asked.
Percy's stomach had a few suggestions. "A cheeseburger sounds good right now. Could I get some fries on the side?"
"hey, that sounds good. i'll have that too, grillbz'."
The silent bartender nodded, adjusting his glasses. He walked into the kitchen, reappearing a moment later with the food. There was an absurdly large ketchup bottle on one of the plates. He handed it to Sans, who grinned.
"ketchup, my favorite! thanks, Grillby."
A strange humming emerged from the fiery bartender. Percy could have sworn that he said "Pay your tab."
Sans waved the ketchup bottle around in his hand. "say, kiddo, do you want any of this on your fries?"
Percy nodded. "Sure, hand it over."
Sans eagerly tossed the ketchup bottle, ready for the ultimate prank. The foolish youth turned it over, at which point the cap fell off and the ketchup spilled all over his food. Sans started laughing his head off, but abruptly stopped when he saw the human's expression. He had a furious look on his face that was so intense, Sans almost fell over. He had seen his share of anger and threats, but such a reaction to a prank was scarier than all of those moments combined.
"Don't. Ever. Mess. With. My. Food. Again," Percy growled, his tone menacing.
Sans quickly nodded, taking a shallow breath. "geez, kid. you really care about food, don't you?"
Percy maintained eye contact as he slid his ketchup-soiled plate away and stole Sans'. He picked up the burger and bit into it, his anger dissipating as his tastebuds met the juicy patty and melting cheese.
"anyway…" Sans said, desperate to change the topic. "what do you think of my brother?"
Percy swallowed his bite, drumming his fingers on the counter. "He's great! He's very smart with puzzles, although he isn't the greatest chef."
"yeah, my bro gets his cooking lessons from the head of the royal guard, but she mostly focuses on beating the food rather than giving it flavor," Sans informed him.
Percy shrugged. "That's fine. Not everyone is a chef. My brother Tyson once made a treat for my birthday that ended up looking like a frosted brick."
Sans chuckled, swirling one of his fries in ketchup.
"Really, though, Papyrus is great. He's one of the kindest monsters I've ever met," Percy quietly said. "He reminds me a lot of my brother. They both seem intimidating at first, but when you get to know them, you find out that they're just a big sweetheart on the inside."
Sans looked over at Percy, a wary expression on his face. "paps may seem really nice, but it doesn't mean he isn't powerful. you will have to fight him eventually, and when you do, you might find him intimidating once again."
Percy noticed the undertones in Sans' warning. "I made a promise, Sans. I won't hurt your brother."
Sans stared at the bottle of ketchup in his hand. He lifted it up to his teeth and chugged it, emptying the whole thing. Percy shuddered. He doubted that much vinegar would taste good all at once.
"i've been meaning to ask you something, kid. have you ever heard of a talking flower?"
Percy's heart skipped a beat. His eyes widened as he stared at his burger, clammy hands gripping the counter. His head was filed with memories of that awful giggle and those creepy facial expressions. Sans tapped him on the head.
"hey, earth to human. you ok?" Sans asked.
Percy took a deep, shuddering breath. "I- I have."
"what was that?" Sans asked.
Percy spoke louder. "I have, Sans."
Sans nodded. "so you've heard all about it. the e-"
"I haven't just heard about him, Sans. I've seen him. I've talked to him. I've fought him," Percy interrupted, his voice shaky.
Sans' eye lights disappeared.
"you say 'him' like this flower is alive," he pointed out.
"Well, I'm pretty sure a psycho murdering flower has to be alive," Percy replied.
If the world was a record, this definitely would be the point where it came to a screeching halt. Sans gripped Percy's shoulders, eyes more serious than they had ever been.
"kid, you better not be messing with me."
"I'm not. When I first fell down here, a flower named Flowey pretended to be my friend, then attempted to kill me. The only reason I survived is because of- "
It hurt too much to finish her name.
Sans let go, slowly lifting a fry to his mouth.
"my brother has mentioned a talking flower before. i thought it was just someone pranking him with an echo flower, but hearing about this makes me worried that he's in danger. you're sure the flower wasn't just getting revenge or anything?" Sans asked.
"I'm sure. I hadn't killed anyone when he attacked. He just got mad that I tried to walk away from him," Percy said.
"let me know if you see this flower again. i'll keep an eye-socket out for both you and my brother," Sans promised.
Percy took another bite of burger, feeling safer than he had before.
"speaking of my brother, it sounds to me like you'll be fighting him soon," Sans casually said.
"I don't want to fight him. Can't you just convince him not to capture me?" Percy asked.
"when my bro makes a goal, he always sees it through. you'd have a better time just allowing yourself to be captured," Sans advised.
"What will happen to me if I'm captured?" Percy asked, dreading the answer.
Sans drummed his fingers on the table, making a hollow tap tap tap noise. "to be honest, it won't be pretty. 'course, Papyrus won't hurt you, but the royal guard captain, Undyne? she's probably going to kill you."
Percy recalled his fight with Toriel. He was pretty sure she had been holding back, but she had still knocked him around a bit. How would he be able to fight someone who was actively trying to destroy him? Then again, he had been holding back too. Compared to his fight with Kronos, this would probably be a walk in the park.
"I'll be alright. I've been through worse," Percy reassured Sans, saving a little bit of reassurance for himself.
Sans looked doubtful, but he shrugged. "ok, kiddo, whatever you say. just don't say i didn't warn you."
With an over-exaggerated sigh, Sans hopped off the chair and walked to the exit.
"hey, would you mind paying the bill? it's about 10000g," Sans requested.
Percy spluttered. "Ten thou-"
Sans chuckled. "just kidding. put it on my tab, Grillbz."
Grillby shook his head, writing the amount down on a notepad. Percy had the feeling this wasn't the first time Sans had done this, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Percy took one last look around the bar, and walked out, wrapping Papyrus's scarf tightly around his neck as a strong breeze hit him. He marched through the snow back towards Sans' and Papyrus's house. He briefly considered going back inside, but if Papyrus was really planning on capturing him, he didn't want to risk it. He passed the festive house and continued along the path, passing a wolf that was throwing ice blocks into a river miles below. As he kept walking down the pine-tree lined road, he noticed his vision was fading. He sighed with relief as he realized it was just the quantity of snow. But then, another thought occurred to him. Was he about to be caught in a blizzard? He considered turning around, but he couldn't see anything behind him either. He reluctantly moved forward, hoping that the next area would come soon. Suddenly, he bumped into a large figure.
"HUMAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT IN THIS COLD?" Papyrus asked. Then, without allowing Percy to answer, he continued. "ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME COMPLICATED FEELINGS. THE JOY OF FINDING SOMEONE ELSE WHO IS GOOD AT PUZZLE. THE EXCITEDNESS OF DISCOVERING ANOTHER PASTA LOVER. THE HAPPINESS OF REALIZING… YOU HAVE FINALLY MADE A FRIEND."
Percy noticed a small choke in Papyrus's voice at that last statement. He felt awful as he realized that he might be Papyrus's only friend, and now he was going to be captured.
"Papyr-" He started to say, but he was abruptly interrupted.
"THESE FEELINGS… MUST BE EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE FEELING NOW! I CAN HARDLY IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST BE LIKE TO FEEL THAT WAY. AFTER ALL, I AM VERY GREAT. I DON'T EVER WONDER WHAT HAVING LOTS OF FRIENDS IS LIKE," Papyrus said.
Percy thought he saw Papyrus's shadowy head turn away at that moment. His throat felt choked with emotion. He remembered how his childhood had went. Always being picked last, getting bullied, feeling like no one cared. He wanted to hug Papyrus right then, to make sure he didn't ever have to feel that way.
"Papyrus, I'll be- I mean, would you be willing to be my friend?" Percy asked.
Papyrus eagerly moved his hands, but they slowly dropped to his side. He turned away.
"I WANT TO SO BADLY, BUT… NO, THIS IS ALL WRONG. I CANNOT BE FRIENDS WITH YOU! I AM SUPPOSED TO CAPTURE YOU. THEN, I CAN FULFILL MY LIFELONG DREAM! POWERFUL, POPULAR, AND PRESTIGIOUS! THAT'S PAPYRUS, THE NEWEST MEMBER… OF THE ROYAL GUARD!"
Percy's soul struggled out of him as the world went black. Percy took a fearful step back. He wasn't afraid of the goofy, loving skeleton. He was afraid of himself, and what he might accidentally do to his newfound friend. He didn't want to fight Papyrus, but it didn't look like he had a choice, just as Sans had warned him. He selected Act and was surprised to see the option of Flirt. He decided to pretend like it didn't exist. Papyrus was a good friend, but he didn't feel that way towards him at all, and Annabeth would kill him if she found out that he flirted with someone other than her. So, he looked for other options. There was Check, and Insult. Percy selected Check. Papyrus. Attack 8. Defense 2. Likes to say "Nyeh Heh Heh!"
Percy chuckled at that last statement. That was definitely true.
"NYEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus exclaimed, further proving Percy's point.
He readied himself for Papyrus's attacks. Bones sprouted out of the snowy ground, following him. He simply moved out of the way. For a first attack, it was pretty disappointing, all things considered. Maybe Papyrus was holding back. That didn't sound like him, though, based on Sans' earlier warnings. Maybe Sans overestimated his abilities. He chose Spare. If he could outlast Papyrus, maybe he could win.
Papyrus was holding strangely still. "SO, YOU WON'T FIGHT… FINE THEN! LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN HANDLE MY FABLED 'BLUE ATTACK!'"
Blue bones grew taller and taller. Percy remembered his fight with Doggo and stood perfectly still. The bones passed harmlessly through him, although he could feel a little chill. The attacks stopped coming, but the narration box didn't reappear. Percy looked around, wondering what was happening. Then, his soul lit up blue, just like how it had looked when Papyrus had moved him to the couch earlier. Instead of feeling weightless, however, Percy felt a sudden sense of overwhelming gravity, making him want to sink to his knees. He resisted the urge, as there was a small bone coming right at him. He hopped over it, his jump much shorter than it would normally be.
"YOU'RE BLUE NOW! THAT'S MY ATTACK," Papyrus explained.
You're blue now, the narration box unhelpfully repeated.
Percy felt a strange sense that if his life were accompanied by music, it would have just become super cool and catchy. The attacks of bones were getting harder to dodge, but Percy had completed the lava climbing wall exercise back at camp. If he could handle that, he could handle this.
"DON'T MAKE ME USE MY SPECIAL ATTACK!" Papyrus warned.
If Papyrus had said that thirty minutes ago, Percy probably wouldn't have been too worried. But what with the bones growing out of the ground and seemingly floating in the air, he felt a little flutter of fear in his heart. Rows of bones started forming slopes that Percy had to jump over. Despite the heaviness he felt, Percy did seem to move faster horizontally. As Papyrus monologued about his popularity, Percy quickly jumped between bones that were now increasing and decreasing in height. Zeus's beard, Papyrus is tough, he thought. He suddenly recalled a large crack in the earth, an army of skeletons, and a small boy with sadness in his eyes and raven-black hair. He would have to teach Nico about this when he got back. Assuming Nico was still around Camp Half Blood. The more Percy thought about it, the more he realized that Papyrus would be a perfect friend for Nico. He seemed to be pretty optimistic, and he was a skeleton, which would probably help shake Nico out of his stupor.
"BEHOLD, MY SPECIAL ATTACK!" Papyrus shouted.
Crap. While Percy had been thinking about the tiny ball of depression that was Nico di Angelo, he had forgotten about Papyrus's special attack. He braced himself for the worst. Suddenly, a little white dog appeared, holding a bone in his mouth. Normally Percy would have pet a dog as cute as that one, but something about it felt… unusually powerful. It seemed to stare into Percy's soul. Percy got an uncomfortable sense that the dog was judging his presence in this world. He didn't know why. After all, it was just a dog.
"WHAT THE HECK?!" Papyrus shouted. "THAT'S MY SPECIAL ATTACK! HEY, YOU STUPID DOG! GIVE IT BACK!"
Papyrus probably would have continued shouting at the dog, but it slowly backed away, before completely vanishing. Percy had a feeling he would be seeing that dog again. Papyrus sighed, and initiated a less special attack. He referred to it as a "COMPLETELY NORMAL ATTACK", but Percy disagreed after he started spelling out "Cool Dude" in bones. At one point, there was even a bone on a skateboard. Finally, there was a large row of bones Percy wouldn't be able to avoid. He jumped, and braced himself for the inevitable painful impact he would have upon landing, but instead, he felt a panicky feeling as he floated higher and higher. He was almost 12 feet above Papyrus when a giant bone appeared, bigger than the skeleton himself. Percy wondered how Papyrus had the strength to summon a bone that big. He would have to ask him tips about magic when the fight was over. Finally, he fell back to the ground, feeling exhausted. Papyrus huffed and puffed (he did not, however, blow the house down), dropping to his knees.
"WELL, IT'S CLEAR… YOU… CAN'T DEFEAT… ME," Papyrus grunted. "YEAH, I CAN SEE YOU SHAKING IN YOUR SNEAKERS! THEREFORE, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, ELECT TO GRANT YOU PITY! I WILL SPARE YOU, HUMAN!"
"Thanks, Papyrus," Percy panted, pressing the now yellow Spare button.
The blizzard had subsided during their fight. Papyrus sadly turned away from Percy.
"NYOOH HOO HOO," he sadly said. "I COULDN'T EVEN CAPTURE A SINGLE HUMAN."
Percy stood on his tiptoes to reach Papyrus's shoulders. He patted him on his shoulder pad. "It's okay, man. You're really strong!"
Papyrus had been hanging his head in shame, but he perked up at Percy's compliment. "WHY OF COURSE! THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS THE STRONGEST MONSTER THERE IS!"
Percy smiled up at him. "Well, I'm glad we got that sorted out. I should probably head out now."
Papyrus spread his arms, preventing Percy from going any further. "WAIT! DON'T YOU WANT TO HANGOUT?" He asked, sounding desperate.
"I thought you wanted to capture me," Percy said, confused.
"THAT WAS THE ORIGINAL PLAN, YES, BUT NOW THAT I WON'T BE CAPTURING YOU, COULD WE HAVE SOME SORT OF FRIEND HANGOUT?" Papyrus requested.
Percy looked towards the yawning mouth of a cave far ahead, a sense of dread overwhelming him. "Sure," he said, wanting to delay moving away from Snowdin as long as possible.
Papyrus clapped his hands enthusiastically and gestured back towards Snowdin. "COME, HUMAN! I WILL TAKE YOU TO A COOL PLACE THAT I LIKE TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME AT!"
Percy had to speed-walk to keep up with Papyrus. Papyrus quickly passed a building Percy assumed was a library, despite the large sign that very clearly said Librarby. They arrived outside of Grillby's. Percy wasn't really in the mood for more grub, but Papyrus promptly turned the way they had come and ran until they had arrived back at the house.
"MY HOUSE!" He loudly proclaimed.
He kicked the door open, revealing Sans sitting on the couch, snoring louder than a freight train. Percy hadn't looked around much when he had first arrived at the house, but now he took the chance to survey his surroundings. The floor was carpeted with tasteful blue and purple stripes, with a small kitchen that looked like a checkerboard. To his right, there was a table with a large rock covered in sprinkles. There is no way that is what I think it is, Percy thought.
"Is that… a pet rock?" Percy asked.
"YES, THAT IS OUR BELOVED PET ROCK! HOWEVER DID YOU GUESS?" Papyrus confirmed, a look of astonishment on his face.
"Just a hunch," Percy replied.
Normally, finding another pet rock after lying about one would be funny, but not this time. Looking at the rock made his heart hurt, as he remembered the mother he had to leave behind. He cleared his throat and turned away.
"ARE YOU ALRIGHT, HUMAN FRIEND?" Papyrus asked, concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just got something in my eye," Percy lied.
Papyrus didn't look convinced. Percy was impressed by how observant he was. He decided to distract himself by looking around the house a bit. He found several odd things, such as a sock covered in sticky notes, a painting of a single bone, an incredibly tall sink, and a book that contained endless books inside. Once he had explored the entirety of the bottom floor, he walked up the stairs. There were two rooms. One was covered in caution tape and stop signs, with a note that said no one was allowed in but Papyrus. The other room was a much neater door, but there was some kind of rainbow light glowing underneath it, as if there was some kind of skeleton rave going on inside. He tried to open it, but it was locked.
"WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE MY ROOM, HUMAN?" Papyrus eagerly asked.
"I thought no one was allowed in other than you," Percy said, smiling to himself.
"WELL, IT WOULD BE RUDE OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS TO NOT INVITE HIS GUESTS ON A TOUR OF HIS ROOM. AFTER ALL, HOW ELSE WILL THEY UNDERSTAND MY GREATNESS!" Papyrus said.
Percy followed Papyrus into the room, bracing himself for a room full of traps and pasta, but he was surprised to find a neat room full of odd knick-knacks. A race-car bed sat next to a table of figurines. A bookshelf full of books ranging from looking like they belonged in a college library, to small picture books. All in all, it was a very strange room. Percy stood awkwardly in the middle, not sure what to do. Papyrus cleared his throat.
"IF YOU'VE FINISHED LOOKING AROUND, WOULD YOU LIKE TO START THE HANG-OUT?"
"Sure," Percy said.
He was surprised to find his soul being pulled out, as if it would be a fight, but instead, Papyrus just stood there, looking confused.
"I'VE ACTUALLY NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE…" Papyrus admitted. "BUT DON'T WORRY! YOU CAN'T SPELL 'PREPARED' WITHOUT SEVERAL LETTERS FROM MY NAME!"
He held out a book for Percy to see. The title said, A Guide to Hanging Out with your Best Bunch of Benefactory Buddies!
"HMMM," he said, reading the book suspiciously. "THE FIRST STEP SEEMS TO BE MISSING. NO MATTER! LET US MOVE ONTO THE NEXT STEP! STEP TWO: ASK THEM IF THEY WANT TO HANGOUT! AHEM."
Papyrus confidently placed one hand on his hip. "HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL HANGOUT WITH YOU!"
Percy stifled a chuckle. Papyrus was so assertive that it was almost funny at times.
"STEP THREE: WEAR CLO-" Papyrus began.
"hey, bro?" Sans asked, entering the room without knocking.
"THIS BETTER BE IMPORTANT, BROTHER! I AM CURRENTLY IN THE MIDDLE OF A HANGOUT WITH THE HUMAN!" Papyrus shouted.
Sans winced. "yeah, sorry about that, but we got a little situation here. did you tell Undyne about the human, and how strong he was?"
"YES," Papyrus nodded.
"You what?!" Percy asked, taking a step back. He felt betrayed.
"YOU MUST UNDERSTAND HUMAN, AS A FUTURE ROYAL GUARDSMAN, IT IS MY DUTY TO INFORM UNDYNE OF NEW DEVELOPMENTS CONCERNING HUMANS!" Papyrus explained.
"Ok, man, but you couldn't have at least waited until I had left?" Percy asked.
Papyrus hung his head in shame. "I AM SORRY, HUMAN FRIEND!"
Sans sighed. "whatever the case may be, Undyne's on her way right now, and she's got a bone to pick with the human."
Papyrus shrieked. "NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR PUNS, SANS! HUMAN! YOU MUST ESCAPE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! HEAD TO WATERFALL THROUGH THAT CAVE YOU WERE OMINOUSLY STARING AT AFTER OUR FIGHT!"
Percy nodded. He understood when he could waste time, and when he couldn't. He handed Papyrus's scarf back and walked towards the window. Sliding it open, he leaped out into the frosty air, landing in a large snow-pile. Based on the name of the place Papyrus had told him to go, he would probably be strongest there.
"BE SAFE, HUMAN FRIEND! I WILL TRY TO NEGOTIATE WITH UNDYNE!" Papyrus called, waving goodbye.
"don't die, kid," Sans simply said, grinning.
"Thanks for everything!" Percy called.
And so, with a final glimpse of the friendly town behind him, Percy was swallowed by the darkness.