Chapter 20: I Attempt to Shut Down an Asylum
As Percy entered the room the first thing he saw was Piper, curled in the corner on the bed, her face buried in her hands. Her chocolate brown hair was dishevelled, matted and stuck together in clumps awkwardly. She was wearing what could have been mistaken for prison overalls, except instead of the iconic orange of a prison block it was a lifeless grey. The room matched the outfit, empty grey walls that seemed to suck the life out of everyone who stepped foot in it. Other than the bed the only things in the room was a small sink and next to it a toilet. No mirror, no personal belongings, and no window.
The daughter of Aphrodite didn't react as he stepped cautiously into the room, bringing Scarlett with him as she held his hand in a death grip. It was only as he approached the bed that she lifted her head out of her hands and looked at him with eyes all but devoid of light.
She had aged, which one would expect from twenty years, but not well. She was still pretty, beautiful even, but bags hung heavy under her eyes, and frown lines were etched across her face. But what stunned him the most were her eyes. Once a kaleidoscope of colours full of life and excitement, they were now grey and empty. It felt as though she wasn't seeing him, instead looking through him to the grey exterior all around them. Her hands, steady while holding her head, now shook in either fear or anger, but the blank expression on her face gave no indication of which.
"Piper," he murmured, "Piper, are you okay?"
As he spoke her eyes refocused, seeming to take in his face for the first time. Recognition crossed her face, and for a moment there was a glimmer in the depths of her eyes, but that expression soon turned to one of fear.
"NO!" she screamed suddenly, grabbing her pillow from behind her and shielding herself with it, "You can't trick me again! I know he's dead. I watched him die. I know what you're trying and I won't give it. You can't have it!"
The reaction caused Percy to step back, completely unprepared for the reaction. As he did so though he heard Thalia whisper his name from behind him. Before he could turn though he felt something sharp prick the back of his neck, and the sensation of fluid being injected into him caused him to dart further into the room. He spun around to see the nurse, still sporting that unnerving grin, holding a syringe in each hand. Thalia was grasping the door frame, fighting to keep her eyes open as whatever was in the syringe began to work its way into her system. He rubbed the back of his neck in shock, he was supposed to be immune to physical damage, how had she managed to break through his skin?
That was when he felt it. A drowsiness washed over him and threatened to knock him out completely. The flicker of the fluorescent light in the room sent the world spinning, and Percy stumbled towards the bed, each step a battle as whatever was injected into him began to work its way into his system. The world around him swayed and blurred, a distorted canvas of shapes and colours that seemed to taunt his faltering senses. Scarlett's hand slipped out of his as he fell to his knees, his heart racing. He could feel sweat dripping down from his brow as Scarlett let out a scream, and for a moment he could feel himself at the edge of the abyss of unconsciousness, ready to plunge.
But then, through his blurry vision, his eyes met Pipers, and a shock went through his system. He felt a tug in his gut and he stopped the liquid from flowing further into his system, separating the feeling from that of his blood. He hung, suspended for a moment, trapped by the battle he was now waging in his bloodstream. He had only tried to control poison once before, in the depths of Tartarus. He remembered the look of fear Annabeth had given him, his typically calm demeanour twisted into something that bordered on evil. But now he had no choice, he needed to become that monster she feared he would.
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to focus. The rest of the world was drowned out, and as much as he wanted to protect Scarlett and Thalia, he needed to stay awake in order to do that. It felt like threading the world's largest needle through the world's smallest hole. Any break in concentration, any falter in control, and he would slip off the edge and into unconsciousness. As long as he held onto the liquid, and slowly drew it out backwards through his system, he would be okay. He felt his body get thrown against the wall, and in the back of his mind registered the impact against his back. But he didn't have time to worry about that, he needed to fight to stay awake.
The liquid burned, seeming to fight against his control every step of the way, but he persisted. Each breath, each heartbeat, each moment he inched closer to the break in his skin that the syringe had made. What began as a crawl turned into a walk, and a walk turned into a run. The liquid was now coursing through his system in the opposite direction, and with an almighty groan he felt it spurt out of the back of his neck onto the wall. He slumped against the wall, desperate for a moment to recover, but then he remembered where he was.
His eyes shot open, but the scene in front of him was nothing like the one he remembered. The nurse stood in the centre of the room, bearing down on an unconscious Scarlett, but two shadowy figures stood alongside them. Over the nurse was a creature best described as a twisted mockery of femininity, a grotesque fusion of elegance and horror that sent a shiver down his spine. The creature's flesh was ashen, a canvas devoid of life. Her crimson eyes were alight with hunger, surveying everything before her as though it was her next meal. A crown of jagged, obsidian horns sprouted from her skull, the finishing touches of a face that was as beautiful as it was twisted.
Across from her though, standing over the crouched form of Scarlett, was a figure Percy recognised. Belial, in all his demonic glory, was snarling at the larger female figure. He was hunched over Scarlett, a clear message to the female demon that to get to Scarlett she was going to have to go through him first. The nurse stepped towards them menacingly, but Belial swiped at her, forcing her back.
Percy felt a shiver run down his spine, and the familiar flood of rage filled his senses. He was on top of the nurse before she had time to react, hitting her square in the face with as much force as he could muster, determined to wipe that stupid grin off her face. She was thrown out of the room like a ragdoll, the female demon seeming to vanish like vapour as his fist connected, and hit the corridor wall with a satisfying squelch. She fell to the floor, and for a moment Percy thought he could breathe a sigh of relief, but almost as soon as the thought crossed his mind she began to stand once more. Her face, crushed and deformed from where his fist had connected, began to twist gruesomely. Skin, blood and bone began to rearrange themselves on her face until her face was the same as it had been, the grin still intact. The eyes were different now though, now they were the same bloody crimson that the demons had been.
"Succubi Demonica," Belial growled, in a voice that sounded like nails on a chalkboard.
Percy glanced at him, "You talk?"
Belial glowered at him, "Mistress is in danger. We must protect her. We fight together."
Percy wasn't about to argue with a demon offering his help, so instead he fished Riptide out of his pocket and uncapped it, feeling the comfortable weight of the blade expand in his hand. "How do we kill it?"
"The Blood of Christ," the demon hissed, stepping away from Scarlett and towards the door.
"Fresh out of that. What's Plan B?"
Belial turned back and grinned at him, revealing a row of razor-sharp fangs, "We eat the heart of who she has possessed, but only when they are one."
Percy wasn't sure he liked how excited Belial was at the prospect of munching on the nurses heart, but he figured he wasn't in a position to argue after he had just had McDonalds, "When they are one?"
The demon turned back to the door and pointed at the nurse, now stalking towards them menacingly, "When they are one."
Percy looked back at the nurse's eyes, glowing with the same fire and fury as the demons had, and understood what he meant, "Fine, but you're eating it."
"We will enjoy it," he snarled, and together the two of them leapt at the nurse. Percy swung Riptide while Belial dove at her with outstretched claws. The nurse was faster than they anticipated though, and weaved between the two of them. She grabbed Percy's wrist, and a burning sensation shot up his arm. He couldn't stop the scream that ripped out from his throat. He kicked out and sent the nurse towards Belial while he staggered backwards and clutched his wrist. A handprint had been burnt into his skin and once again he was reminded that for some reason his ice armour wasn't working.
He glanced up and saw Belial taking a swipe at the nurse's head only for her to duck with ease and grab him by the head, slamming him into the corridor wall. Belial was scary looking, but he didn't seem very good at fighting. The nurse turned back towards him, and marched towards him grinning. He had developed a nasty habit of underestimating his opponents since he had gotten out of the ice, that was ending right now. He took a deep breath and readied Riptide, waiting until she was in range before he whirled towards her. He danced around her, swinging the celestial bronze blade with enough force to keep her at bay, but with enough control not to leave any openings. She bobbed and weaved, seemingly unfazed by his attacks, but he wasn't trying to hit her, he was trying to move her.
As they danced around one another, the only distance between them the length of Riptide, Percy manoeuvred them back into the room, towards the toilet and sink. Step by step, inch by inch, Percy pushed her further and further towards his ultimate goal. Then Percy overstepped, swung Riptide a little too heavily, stepped just a little too close, and the nurse struck. She launched herself towards him, hands going straight for the face, and Percy was completely exposed. Except he wasn't.
Percy had overstepped on purpose, allowing Riptide to fall just far enough to shatter the sink pipes, and from it a torrent of water shot out. He allowed Riptide to slip from his grip and met the nurse's lunge head on, grabbing her wrists as water exploded up around them. A tug in his gut and the water followed his will, spreading across the nurse's body as he pushed her up against the wall. And then, with a shiver down the back of his spine, the water froze, first around her wrists, and then rapidly across her body. For the first time since exiting the elevator, the grin disappeared from the nurse's face, and her expression contorted into one of anger. She let out a bloodthirsty scream and then threw her head back. Black smoke ripped its way out through her throat and then shot across the room and out of the door, disappearing down the corridor. The nurse slumped against the wall unconscious, only held up by the ice prison Percy had encased her in.
Percy staggered back and then collapsed onto the floor, finally allowing himself a moment to gather his thoughts and take a breath. After a few seconds passed he looked up and began to readjust himself to his surroundings. Scarlett was unconscious next to him, and so he placed his hand against her head and closed his eyes. He felt himself traverse through her blood stream, gaining a sense of familiarity in order to detect any anomalies. It took longer than it had with his own body, but before long he was able to find and dissect the liquid. It was more spread throughout her system, and took longer to collect, but once he had he began to slowly pull it out. The second time was easier than the first though, and before long he had gotten the last remnants out of her system.
When he opened his eyes he realised that Belial had joined them, and was watching him closely. He stood and clogged the sink before allowing the liquid to pool in it, figuring they might be able to figure out exactly what it was.
"We thank you," Belial said, turning his attention back to the unconscious form of Scarlett, "We did not protect her well."
"The demon got away," Percy responded, glancing at the nurse, "What happened after she injected me?"
"The other nurse came, they took the Hunter. Then the Succubi came for the Mistress and she screamed for help. You did not answer so we did."
It was only then that Percy realised that Thalia was gone. He stood and sprinted out into the hallway, but it was as empty as it had been when they entered. He ran back into the room and picked up Riptide, turning to head back out into the corridor but Belial stopped him.
"You cannot leave," he warned.
"They've got Thalia, I've got asses to kick!"
"If you leave they will come for the Mistress. We are not strong enough to stop the Succubi."
"Aren't you supposed to be all-powerful Biblical demons? Why can't you protect her?"
Belial growled, "We are not the beings we once were, being bound to a mortal makes us weak. Succubi are not plagued by such weaknesses, they gain their strength through satiating their appetites."
"What are you talking about?" Percy groaned, getting frustrated with the fact that the demon wasn't letting him out of the room.
"We are bound to Mistress, our life and power is bound and limited by her. The Succubi feed, and the more they feed the stronger they grow."
"Feed on what?"
Belial didn't answer, he just pointed at Piper. Percy turned to the daughter of Aphrodite and saw that she was still staring at them in fear, a silent witness to what had just happened.
"They feed on the mind," Belial finally said, "And once they have had their fill they leave behind a carcass they can freely possess."
The slumped figure of the nurse was a testament to the truth of the demon's words, and Percy sighed. He grabbed the door and closed it, locking it with the key that was in his pocket. Belial sat by Scarlett and watched him closely as he made his way over to the bed, and sat down next to Piper.
"Piper," he whispered once more, "It's me, Percy."
She shook her head, clutching her pillow to her chest, "Percy is dead. I watched him die."
Now it was Percy's turn to shake his head, "You watched the tomb collapse around me, but you didn't watch me die. I came back."
She started sobbing, tears rolling down her face as she stared at him, "This is your best one," she whispered, "I really believe you, but I know you're lying to me."
Percy frowned, "Whose lying to you Piper?"
The words turned into a sob in her throat and it took her a moment to compose herself, "The nurses, they keep showing me things, trying to lower my guard. They want to get into my mind, but I won't let them. I won't let you in, it doesn't matter what you show me."
An involuntary shudder went through Percy's body as he realised what Piper had been going through. He turned to Belial, "Is this how they feed?"
Belial nodded, "They lower your guard, they show you lies, then it's a feeding frenzy."
Percy thought of Thalia, and realised that his cousin was in way more danger than he had initially believed. He turned back to Piper, and his voice gained an added layer of desperation, "I can't make you believe you, but I need you to. If you don't help me they are going to do to Thalia what they are trying to do to you. You need to tell me everything you know about this place."
Her hands holding the pillow were now shaking intensely, but she didn't break eye contact with him. Her face was stained red from tears, and Percy's heart broke at how defeated his old friend looked.
"Piper," he asked cautiously, "How did you know they were showing you lies?"
She shook her head gently, and then lowered her gaze, staring at anywhere but him. "Police brought me here. The nurses told me that they were going to help me get better, but then they showed me my family," she sobbed, "They showed me my family visiting me, but I knew it was a lie…I'd already watched my family die."
It was only then that Percy was reminded of what was in the newspaper, the headline that had read: Family Murdered in Break-In.
"What happened to them?" he whispered, reaching out to try and hold her hand. He thought she would pull away, but to his surprise she grasped it gently.
"Men came," she murmured, her sobs slowing as her face hardened, "They said they needed me. That my powers were required in the service of Enlil,"
Percy's heart skipped a beat at the mention of the King of the Annunaki, but he didn't say anything as she continued.
"They threatened my family. I tried to save them but…" Her voice faltered and she buried her face in the pillow, the sobs returning and racking her body,
Percy didn't say anything, he just squeezed her hand, but inside he was struggling to contain the rage that was building up in his chest. He had thought that his struggle against Enlil and the Annunaki was limited to just him, the thought that his friends were getting caught up in it as well turned his blood cold. He stood up and headed towards the broken pipe, pulling a stream of water out and spreading it across his body, waiting until it surrounded him to freeze it solid. Now decked in his ice armour he turned to face Belial.
"You're going to lock the door after me."
"You can't leave, you need to protect the Mistress!"
"No," he replied coldly, "You'll protect her and Piper."
"This is reckless and stupid!"
He looked at Belial, and the demon seemed taken aback by the fury behind the demigod's eyes. "I am going to find who is responsible for this. I will find Thalia, and then I will come back and I will get us out. And if I have to kill everyone here to get us out, then I will do my best not to take too much pleasure in it."
Belial had seen a lot over the course of the millenia he had lived, things that the mortal mind wouldn't be able to comprehend. But as he stared at the son of Poseidon standing before him, he realised he had never seen someone like him, a man who radiated fear just as a demon would. The man in front of him seemed barely human. He didn't respond, he just nodded his head in acknowledgement, and took the key off of Percy when he offered it.
Percy turned and took one last look at the room. Scarlett, still yet to stir from her unconsciousness, and Piper, looking at him with a mixture of fear and confusion. "I'll get us out of here…I promise." And with that, he turned and headed towards the elevator, with Belial sealing the door behind him.
His first order of business was to cause as much chaos as he possibly could, and to do that he needed help. He retraced the steps they had taken from the elevator and came to a stop in front of the door that the figure had warned them from. He tried the handle, but it didn't budge, so he resorted to putting his fist through it. The door crumpled under the force of his punch, and he realised that locking the door would have done little to protect his friends while he was gone. Regardless, he needed to get Thalia back.
He stepped into the room and was greeted by the same lifeless walls and decor as Pipers room. When he found whoever was in charge of the whole operation, the first order of business was going to be getting them to replace their interior designer. It was occupied by an older man and he was in the same position as Piper, curled up in the corner of the room on the bed. He glanced up as Percy entered, revealing fresh cuts running down his face but eyes bright with life.
"You're not one of them," the man said frowning, "I don't recognise you from my memories."
"So that's what they make their visions from," Percy replied, more a statement than a question. "Did they do that to you?" he asked, pointing to the man's face.
The man's face contorted into a grin, "They didn't appreciate me screaming. They can be quite violent when we don't give them what they want."
"You seem to know a lot about them."
"I've been here a long time."
Percy raised an eyebrow in surprise, "And your mind is still intact?"
He chuckled, "Of course not, but a broken mind is the most dangerous. I like to fight with them. Give as good as I get y'know? They don't like that. But I learnt a lot about them from it."
"I'm here to kill them." Percy said definitely.
The man's chuckle morphed into a giggle, "I like you, you're funny."
"Does it look like I'm laughing?"
The man's giggle died out and he squinted at Percy, examining him. "Look you beat the hell out of that door, but how are you gonna kill a demon kid? Hell, how are you gonna kill a whole hive of them?"
"The Blood of Christ," Percy replied nonchalantly, "Now do you wanna help or would you rather stay in these rather attractive accommodations?"
The man shrugged, "I've been here long enough. Best get my death over with." And with that he hopped off the bed and followed Percy out of the room and into the corridor. "Names Rich by the way."
"Percy. Now what do you know about this place?"
"Well based on what I saw in their minds, they use this place to feed. People are brought here for a variety of psychological reasons, their mental fortitude weaker than average. Then they make us see visions, break our minds down one step at a time, and then either dispose of the bodies or use them."
Percy frowned, "How can you know all that?"
Rich grinned, contorting the cuts on his face, "I was a magician in my youth, even served in the battle against Apophis. I learnt all about how to use my mind as a weapon, but when you play with fire, you get burnt. I had a few mental breakdowns, and so some friends down the road in Brooklyn decided to put me here to help. I don't think they realised what this place was."
"If they did then they're some shit friends."
"Amen to that brother. Once I was here they started trying to break into my mind, but they didn't realise what I was capable of. I turned the tables and started breaking into theirs," he shuddered, "The mind of a demon is a dark place."
"What else did you find?"
"Not a lot, they kicked me out quickly and have been careful around me ever since. But they kept worrying about someone on the top floor. Seemed very protective."
Percy rubbed his chin thoughtfully, remembering the window on the top floor of the building. If the demons were trying to protect whatever was in there, then he was going to make it his mission to break in and ruin their day. "Okay, I've got a plan."
Rich saluted playfully, "Aye, aye captain. Gimme the orders."
"We're breaking everyone out, and then you're going to try and break out on the bottom floor. While you do that I'm going to keep them distracted by going for whatever they are keeping safe on the top floor."
Rich frowned, "I admire your courage kid, but these are demons. They crawled out of the depths of hell and won't hesitate to kill you. Who are you to them?"
Percy met his eyes, and he could see in their reflection that his eyes were glowing, "Worse, now come on."
The two got to work systemically breaking open all of the rooms on the fourth floor and freeing the inhabitants. Some were in better shape than others, but some appeared too broken or scared to join them. A few, like Piper, refused to believe they were real, and so stayed in their rooms. Seeing how broken they looked, sunken and defeated, a ball of rage built up in his chest. Percy wasn't comfortable leaving them behind, but figured that if he was able to kill the demons then they would be safe. In total there were twenty five rooms on the floor, and of that twelve joined them. There weren't as many as Percy had hoped for, and they weren't the most formidable bunch, but Percy needed to split the demon's focus. As much as he was going to take the heat off of them, they were going to take the heat off of him.
Thalia had had the keycard, and since she was no longer there it meant they were going to have to take the stairs. It took a while to find, since they were on the opposite side of the floor to the elevators, but once they did they were surprised to find that the door to them was unlocked and unguarded. The others began to file down the stairs and Rich turned to face Percy.
"Good luck kid. If we somehow make it out of this, I owe you my life."
He offered out a hand and Percy gladly took it. Then he turned and joined the other patients-turned-prisoners as they headed down to the lower flaws. Percy sighed and looked up, bracing himself for what he might find in the floors above. While he had been breaking everyone out he had expected to be interrupted by one of the demons, but none had shown up. He didn't know whether they were scared to fight him, or if they were laying a trap, but he was done underestimating his opponents, so he assumed the latter. Decked in his armour he felt a little safer, especially since his impenetrable skin had been very penetrable when the nurse had attacked him. He anxiously toyed with Riptide for a moment before ascending the steps in front of him. He passed the door to the fifth floor but ignored it, his focus was on whatever they were protecting on the sixth floor.
Whereas there had been lights to guide him on his ascent on the fourth and fifth floor, the stairwell as he reached the sixth floor was unusually dark, with the bulb flickering weakly. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he approached the door, but he took a deep breath in order to calm himself and focus. Whatever was waiting for him on the other side of the door would be ready for him, so he had to be ready for anything. Sending a quick mental prayer to his father he turned the rusty doorknob and pushed the door open.
The air around him seemed to grow heavier as he entered, and despite being immune to most temperature fluctuations he could tell the room was colder than either the lower floor or the stairwell. It was much smaller than the fourth floor had been, and moonlight filtered through a solitary, grimy window, casting eerie shadows that danced across the cracked and peeling wallpaper. With a creak that resonated throughout the room the door swung open, revealing a pitch-black expanse beyond. Percy's heart skipped a beat, his breath catching in his throat. The air inside felt stagnant and damp, a palpable mustiness that spoke of years of neglect. An acrid odour hung in the atmosphere, a combination of rot and decay that made his stomach churn.
Pushing away the feeling of dread crawling up his spine, Percy stepped over the threshold. The wooden floorboards beneath his feet, replacing the polished vinyl of the lower floors, groaned under his weight. As he moved further into the attic, his footsteps reverberated in the stillness, each one a haunting announcement of his presence to anyone further inside. The space seemed to stretch and warp, the walls receding into obscurity, creating an illusion of endlessness. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched, unseen eyes boring into his very soul.
A far cry from the modern and pristine broken furniture, tattered curtains, and cracked mirrors that reflected a distorted image of his surroundings back at himself. His heart pounded in his chest, the sound reverberating in his ears like a funeral drum. In a distant corner, he caught a glimpse of something that made his blood run cold. A tattered rocking chair swayed gently, its occupant a little girl, younger than Scarlett. She stared at him from across the room, bearing the same grin and glowing red eyes that the nurse had been.
Every fibre of his being screamed at him to run, to leave this place with its demons, its lifeless patients, and its creepy little girls. But the thought of Thalia kept his feet rooted in place, and so, with feet that felt like they were full of lead, he began to approach the girl cautiously. The sound of the chair's back-and-forth movement generated a macabre lullaby that grinded on his ears, but he pushed down the urge to run. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was not alone, that unseen, malevolent entities lurked just beyond his vision in the darkness..
"Stop," the girl said, the soft and gentle voice at odds with her surroundings, "We know why you're here, but it is rude to enter one's room uninvited."
He tried not to panic too much at the 'we', and instead decided to comfort himself in doing what he did best: talk himself into trouble.
"Yeah I'm afraid I'm gonna have to shut this whole operation down. You're violating at least twelve city ordinances in here and I'm pretty sure I saw your receptionist take a shit on the Geneva Convention documents downstairs."
The little girl tilted her head in confusion, but the grin remained intact, "You are making jokes? Is it because you sense inevitability in your defeat?"
Percy shrugged, "Lowkey yeah, been dealing with that feeling a lot recently. But certainly not to some demon scrubs like you. If I'm gonna lose I'm gonna lose trying to kick the ass of the King of Kings."
The girl's eyes widened in excitement, her red eyes glowing brighter, "You hate the son of God as well?"
Percy clapped his hands together, "See that's exactly what I said. I knew that guy on the train was just a stupid Enlil ass kisser. But no I meant the other one. Does the name Enlil ring any bells?"
The girl's eyes darkened. She stared off into the darkness intently for a moment, before turning back to Percy, "My daughters tell me that they know of Enlil. They saw his worshippers in the mind of your friend."
Percy snapped his fingers, "Speaking of which, I'm gonna need you to let her go. She's overstayed her welcome a little. I've also taken the liberty of setting a few other people free who I think weren't settling in super well here. It's not you, it's them, I would hate for you to take it personally."
The girl threw her head back and let out a cackle that definitely didn't belong to a child. She lowered her head and met his eyes as her laugh died, "I like you, you're funny. I will take great pleasure in making your mind mine."
"Ah," Percy replied cautiously, "I'm gonna go ahead and stop you right there. I'm afraid I'm going to have to kindly reject that offer. Already had the primordial of time poking around in there, so it's not really open for visitors right now."
"You will accept," she warned, "Or we will make you accept."
"Oh yeah," he shot back, "You and what army?"
As if on cue, A figure emerged from the shadows, and as they stepped into the moonlight he couldn't help but feel his heart drop. Thalia, with the same grin and glowing red eyes as the girl, now stood between him and the chair.
"Let her go," he warned, "Let her go or I swear to whatever god you believe in I will rip you apart."
"My daughter wants to play with her new toy, so I will allow her to break your body, and then I will break your mind. I thought we got lucky with a daughter of Aphrodite, but a daughter of Zeus?" she cackled once more, "I will just have to settle for a son of Poseidon."
Percy considered giving a witty retort about how with his dashing good looks no one was settling by taking him, but his mind was preoccupied with other matters. He couldn't hurt Thalia, that much was clear, but he needed to incapacitate her to give him enough time to kick the little girl's ass. He couldn't incapacitate her without water, and the only water he had was in the form of his ice armour. But if he removed the ice armour then he would be vulnerable since apparently these demons didn't seem to care all that much about his impenetrable skin. A dark thought crossed his mind that he could try and control Thalia's blood to immobilise her, but he squashed that thought almost as soon as it sprung up. He wasn't ready to be that much of a monster yet.
He was knocked out of his stupor by Thalia lunging at him, lightning sparking around her hands. He rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack and threw a punch at her stomach, enough to wind but not enough to injure. It knocked her back, but didn't faze her in the slightest, and she bore down on him still bearing that insidious grin. Throwing caution to the wind he felt a tug in his gut and willed the ice to melt around him, throwing the water like a punch towards Thalia. She was thrown against the wall, and before she could react he felt the familiar shiver down his spine and froze it solid, locking Thalia in an ice prison against the wall.
He turned back to the girl, who had been watching the entire exchange with little more than a raised eyebrow. "You just beat a daughter of Zeus without breaking a sweat. Perhaps I underestimated you."
"Tell me how to free her, or I'll eat your heart."
The girl's face hardened, the grin far more menacing that it had been before, "Who told you that?"
"Google, now free her. This is your final warning."
The girl stepped out of the chair for the first time and the screeching lullaby that the rocking chair had been making came to an end. She stretched, seeming to crack every bone and joint in her body, before lifting her face to the ceiling and opening her mouth. White smoke, similar to the kind that had exited the nurses mouth, crawled out and hung for a moment in the air. As it exited the girl she collapsed onto the floor in a heap, and before Percy could react it shot towards him and went straight down his throat.
He staggered back, clawing at his neck, but it was too late. He could feel the smoke pooling throughout his body, and as it did his vision started to go fuzzy. He tried to fight it the same way he had the injection, but this time there was no liquid drug for him to isolate. He let out a frustrated yell, but his body was beginning to go numb. First it was feeling in his fingers, but then it slowly began to spread throughout his body, creeping up to his chest and head. In the depths of his mind, a suffocating darkness began to envelop him, dragging him into an abyss.
It felt like falling, his consciousness plummeting into an infinite void, as if gravity itself had betrayed him. The world around him dissolved into an indistinct blur of colours, smearing together like wet paint, and he could hardly discern where reality ended and the abyss began. It felt distinctly different than the drug had, he wasn't losing consciousness, he was losing control. His limbs were heavy and unresponsive, as if they were encased in cement. Panic surged within him, but he couldn't cry out, his voice now stolen and an invisible vice had clamped down on his throat.
He strained against the invisible restraints, but the only scream he could manage was one trapped within the hollow caverns of my mind. A sense of detachment settled over him, as though he were observing this nightmare from a distance, a captive audience to his own helplessness. In the distance, a pinpoint of light flickered, a distant glimmer amidst the consuming darkness. As he focused on it he realised it was a hole into the world he had just been present in. He reached out to it, but it was too far for his hands to reach, and terror shot through him as he realised he was viewing the world through his eyes, but from the recesses of his mind.
Then the picture changed. His eyes, no longer under his control, turned and focused on Thalia in her ice prison. He saw his body reach out an arm, trying out different hand gestures and movements. He was confused at what was happening, until with a sinking feeling he realised that he was possessed, and that he had been banished to the depths of his mind while the demon took control of the steering wheel. He didn't understand, how had he been beaten so easily when even mortals had been able to fight them off for so long? He was supposed to be strong, and yet he had been reduced to a mere vassal for a stronger being. He tried to let out another scream, but all it did was echo within the recesses of his prison.
He turned back to the live streamed footage from his eyes and felt his heart sink as the demon finally figured out how to manipulate his powers. The ice prison melted and Thalia fell to the ground.
"Come daughter," he heard himself say, "Let us collect our dinner. It seems to be on the run."
As they headed towards the stairwalk the demon looked into the mirror, and Percy could see his own face staring back at him. Except instead of ice blue the eyes were red, and he was grinning.
Scarlett groaned as she opened her eyes. The fluorescent lighting was harsh, and she was very uncomfortable. The voices of the dead children whined for her attention but it wasn't hard to ignore them. A shadow blocked the light, and as her eyes focused she saw Belial's face staring down at her.
"We have a problem," he sighed.
Another voice echoed in the back of her head, "Of course we have a problem, we let this moron out. You should have trusted me to do it."
"Let you out," another voice argued, "Remember Calais?"
"Joan had it coming," the voice hissed, "She was strong but god was she annoying."
"Shut up," Scarlett said, sitting up, "What's the problem?"
Belial grimaced, "The daughter of Zeus was kidnapped. The son of Poseidon has abandoned us. There is also the issue of the daughter of Aphrodite."
Scarlett looked over at the bed to see that the girl, Piper she was pretty sure was her name, was staring at her in fear.
"Why does she look so scared?"
"Haha, she's crying."
"I'll give her something to cry about."
"Can you guys stop talking for like five minutes?" Scarlett groaned, "We're trying not to die."
"We? You speak French now?"
"You copied that from Poseidon's kid."
"Yeah, not very original Asmodeus."
"Nothing he ever does is original."
"Oh that's rich coming from you Satan. You're just a B-list Lucifer."
"Why are you riding Lucifer's cock so hard, Asmodeus?"
"He's got a bigger one than you, Beelzebub."
"SILENCE!" A voice thundered, louder than the rest, "Allow her to think you babbling morons!"
The voices went quiet, and Scarlett let out a sigh of relief, "Thanks Luci,"
She rose uneasily to her feet, using Belial for support. "What's the plan, Mistress?" he asked her as she surveyed their surroundings.
"Where did Percy go?"
"To kill the Succubi,"
"What are the Succubi?"
Lucifer's voice spoke up from her mind, "Demons that feed on the minds of the living. They can possess the body's of those whose minds they break. The nurses and receptionist are victims of possession."
"So that's why she didn't like it when I mentioned the fire," Scarlett mused, "Because she helped cause it."
"Exactly," Lucifer affirmed, "You didn't warn Percy Jackson about some of the children still being alive."
"I didn't have time," she sighed, "The doors opened before I had the chance."
"So she's alive?" Belial asked, pointing at the slumped figure of the nurse against the wall.
"Physically, yes. Her consciousness is likely broken beyond repair though."
"Anyway we can fix it?" she asked.
"The mind is not my speciality. You would have to ask Abaddon."
"Where is he?"
"Sleeping," Asmodeus said with a groan, "He's always sleeping."
"Lazy bastard." Beelzebulb snorted.
"Amen to that, haha."
"Praise the lord, hehe."
Lucifer growled, "What did I say about you morons talking?"
"Aww come on boss, that was funny."
"Yeah get it cuz we're demons."
"If you fools cause us to spend another century wandering the earth because you were too busy cracking jokes instead of helping Scarlett find a way out of her, I will make sure that your souls are bound to a donkey."
The two went silent, and Scarlett walked over to the nurse, putting her fingers against the slumped girl's temple. She closed her eyes and reached into her mind, willing Abaddon to wake up from his slumber. She felt him stir, but he didn't speak, he never did. She felt him reach out into the nurse's mind through her and worked silently for a moment. Scarlett felt him sever the connection and then Lucifer spoke up.
"Shattered, there can be no recovery."
"How long do you think she was possessed for?"
"Long enough that putting her out of her misery would be the right thing to do."
Scarlett grimaced. She might be the daughter of the god of the underworld, but she had no desire to send someone there in cold blood. She turned back to Piper, and saw her shivering, clutching the pillow.
"Belial," she said, an idea forming in her head, "Hold her down."
Belial didn't need to be told twice, covering the length of the room in a single stride and pushing Piper against the wall. The daughter of Aphrodite struggled, screaming, but Scarlett was already upon her, placing her fingers to her temple and willing Abaddon forward. He reached out into her mind and began to work silently for a minute or so. Piper's eyes, darting around in fear between Scarlett and Belial, steadied, and the fog around them cleared.
As Abaddon retreated back into Scarletts mind Piper finally spoke, "You're real?"
Scarlett nodded, "We came to rescue you."
"So Percy…is alive? That was real?" Scarlett nodded, and tears began brimming in the corner of Piper's eyes as Belial released his hold on her. "I spent my whole life…not a day went by that I didn't think about him. I blamed myself for his death. But he's okay. Thank the gods." She shook her head, focusing back on what was happening around them, "How did you guys know I was here?"
"Apollo gave us a newspaper about the murder of your family, it seemed you were causing quite a few doctors to go mad."
Piper shook her head defiantly, "I never met any doctors, only the nurses."
"Seems the Succubi were using her as a cover to feed on more powerful minds." Lucifer mused.
"The stronger the mind, the greater the meal." Beelzebub agreed.
"Where's Percy?" Piper asked.
"He went to go fight the Succubi. They have Thalia."
Piper took a deep breath before standing up, "Well then let's go, no use sitting around here. Let's fight with him."
"We like this one," Belial growled, "She has fight in her."
Piper eyes the demon warily, "Whose this? A good Succubi?"
Scarlett shook her head, "No, this is Belial, he's a demon under my command." She stuck out a hand, "I'm Scarlett, daughter of Hades."
Piper tentatively took the hand, "So like Nico and Hazel?"
"No idea who Hazel is," Scarlett answered with a shrug, "But yeah Nico visits me at camp sometimes."
"As much as I'm enjoying this little reunion," Lucifer chirped, "Time is of the essence."
"Right," Scarlett said, "Let's go."
Belial unlocked the door and the three hurried out into the corridor, passing a number of doors that had been ripped off the hinges or smashed open.
"Did the Succubi do that?" Piper asked.
"Not sure," Scarlett responded, "But if I had to guess my money is on Percy."
Piper chuckled, "If that's true, then he hasn't changed at all."
They checked the elevator but quickly realised they needed a key. Belial pulled one from out of his pocket and handed it to Scarlett.
"How did you get this?"
"The nurse had one on her."
"Good thinking."
"Well done Belial," Lucifer praised, "Your combat thinking is improving."
The demon blushed, well as much as an eight-foot tall demon could blush. They checked the buttons and saw that they were labelled 1-5.
"Where do you think they went?" Piper wondered.
"I don't know," Scarlett sighed, "But I know someone who does. They scare me though."
Piper put her hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry about that, I'll help handle the Succubi. I'm stronger than I look."
Scarlett took another look at the tired and dishevelled middle aged daughter of Aphrodite, but noticed that there was a fire in her eyes that hadn't been there before. Whereas before they were grey, now they shined like a kaleidoscope.
"Okay," Scarlett agreed, "I trust you."
And with that she tapped the first floor, ready for a reunion with the receptionist.
Author's note: Hey guys, first time I ventured outside of Percy's POV since Chapter 2, but kind of needed it considering the situation. I hope you enjoyed getting a taste of some of the demons, it was fun to write.
Had a bit of a writers block this weekend and struggled with the direction of this arc but got some inspiration from a movie. Try and guess which movie I drew the inspiration from for Percy's possession.
As always review review review, and I will get the next chapter out when I can!