Chapter 17:

Lambs to the (s)Laughter

Percy's mind felt like a swirling lake. Thoughts flowing around, adrift and without purpose.

There was so much to think about, yet so little point to addressing it.

One particular thought stood out to Percy. Humans can adapt and grow used to anything.

At some point, the novelty of walking next to an ancient monster wore off.

The first day was really tense. He didn't dare to look at her during the day, for fear of triggering the monster into a mindless rage. No matter how senseless that thought was, he couldn't shake off the feeling Kampê would turn on him at any moment.

A part of his demigod brain was hardwired to fear Kampê.

But after the dawn of the second day, and the continued silence, Percy's fear started to subside..

He still understood who he was traveling with. But the constant terror had started to numb him, mentally and physically. At some point, he couldn't keep being terrified.

Being on edge the entire day just took too much space inside his already cramped mind.

It was on the third day of traveling the godforsaken land that he dared to ask the question that he had been wondering for the past few days.

"So," Percy said. His voice sounded raspy and almost alien to himself. As if he heard a stranger talk.

The giant creature next to him tensed up upon hearing him. He could see the snakes on her legs stiffen, the tail that normally swung back and forth froze.

Percy looked at the destination.

The land hadn't started to look any better.

Sometimes Percy imagined this wasteland was like Tartarus. Underneath the mist he was secretly walking on a decomposing god. A deity that had been killed by Olympus when they declared war. And they were the parasites that had been living off its flesh and skin. But now the host was dead and soon, they'd follow.

Percy shook his head.

Maybe he'd spent too much time alone here.

At this point Percy couldn't even recall how much time he'd spent in this wasteland. At some point the passage of time lost its meaning. All that existed was the raging sun in the sky and the stinging frost the night brought.

Sometimes he doubted there was an exit to this endless dessert. Maybe it was like the Labyrinth, an endless magical torture house. Designed to keep him in a perpetual state between dead and alive.

Maybe the world outside the red stained sand had ended already and the Gods just forgot this place.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"Where do you want to go?" Kampê answered, and she continued to march forward. Following the same endless road as if she was going somewhere.

Percy shrugged. "I honestly don't know."

Kampê smirked. Her huge dragonic body slightly shook the earth with every step.

"Then it doesn't matter what direction we are going." Kampê spoke.

Percy thought over it. "We can't just go in any direction. That will surely lead to a dead trap."

"Opposed to any other direction into the unknown we take?" Kampê argued.

Percy tried to come up with a response but he couldn't find any.

Like a friend of old, the silence returned.

Kampê handed Percy another chunk of meat. Without thinking about it, the demigod took it and began to consume it, holding it with both his hands and ripping off the flesh with his teeth.

As the juices slipped down his throat and quenched his thirst and his growling hunger he felt re-energized. As if life had been drained out of the flesh and back into his soul.

Before he knew it he tossed the bone into the campfire Kampê had set up where it snapped into two.

The big lurking monster didn't eat anything. Instead she opted to quietly watched Percy eat.

Kampê rested her dragonic body next to the fire, in the very same way a dog would. Or what would be someone's twisted perception of a dog.

"So, what's going through your mind?" Percy asked. He watched the fire. Seeing the flames consume the bones he tossed. "I mean, what are your thoughts on this entire situation?"

Kampê pondered the question for a second. "You look like you went through Tartarus," she responded. "And we both know you did that already, but somehow you look worse now."

Percy let out a dry chuckle. "I suppose having the entire world out to kill me does that to a man."

The demigod dared to let his eyes wander over the jailer. Before he had actively avoided looking at her directly. Either focusing on her face or just the general shape.

There was something horrible about her body that triggered every instinct in his brain to flee. But he had grown numb and it was time he faced the monster that had been feeding him.

The reptilian dragon skin had a green-ish color. The scales still retained their shine but they were dusty, sand cluttered between the gaps and dulled the color. Her tail was in a similar state but he noticed that there were deep scars running alongside the length of it, showing patches of festering black flesh underneath.

Her legs were covered with vipers. At the moment most of them appeared to be sleeping or inactive, though some of them still kept their eyes on him, returning the stare with equal curiosity.

Around her middle where the skin melted from scales into pink-flesh animal heads popped out. Percy saw a goat, a wolf head, and a tiger opening its jaw. None stayed around for long.

Around her torso was another big gaping scare, stretching from her shoulder to her breast. The wound didn't appear to be festering but it was concerning nonetheless. A big mark across her chest, deforming the already crippled monstrosity.

But Kampê's wings were the most damaged. They could have been called beautiful, but the membrane between the bones and muscles had been torn open on her left side. Making it look like a ragged sail, unable to sail or help in any capacity.

Percy looked at Kampê. "Well, you look like you escaped Tartarus as well."

Their eyes fixated on eachother. An unspoken challenge.

Then Kampê started laughing. It was a sound Percy never expected to hear. But there it was. A high pitched laughter, a sickening combination between a sob, a laugh and the loss of all sanity. And Percy couldn't help but to laugh along with her. There was something contagious about the laugh.

It wasn't really funny. The world was an endless nightmare. A horror show. But the pair laughed nonetheless.

The sky thundered and boomed in the distance. A storm of green lighting struck a city too far away for them to care. Somewhere on the horizon a mountain range started to crawl away, looking for prey and causing tremors nearby. But it was all too far to matter. Instead it only served as a backbone to the laughing duo.

Finally, when the laughter died down and Percy stopped to gasp for air Kampê spoke up. " I guess it's been a while since you laughed?"

"It's been a while since anyone laughed," Percy corrected Kampê, after he managed to keep his laughter in check enough to speak.

Kampê shrugged. "Maybe, I saw someone sneeze his own brains out. I suppose that was quite humorous."

Percy couldn't help but to chuckle at that.

"So, you know why I look like shit." Percy ultimately tried to get the conversation back on track. "But what happened to you?"

Kampê grimaced, showing a pair of sharp fangs. "I suppose you wouldn't know this."

"Know what?"

"The gods," Kampê spoke, looking up at the sky, as if the Olympians might be listening from above. "They offered us a choice. Fight for their cause and be allowed to roam the world, or die."

"They did what?"

"Tartarus." Kampê repeated. "They unleashed everything onto the mortal world." She curled her lips. "Monsters from the depths, ancient beings long forgotten and spirits that haunted the Gods back in the day. They were all released." She put a finger on her lips, "I think it was Hades who did it."

A sickening pit in Percy's stomach began to churn. A disgusted wave of nausea flooded his astrophagus and threatened to spill out the freshly chewed meat back to the earth it came from.

"...I-I."

Percy tried to formulate a sentence but the bleach that was biting away at his stomach made it difficult to talk. Just the idea sickened him.

The monsters down there. They were something no human should ever see.

"It seems like they turned the surface into the new Tartarus." Kampê mused. "How appropriate."

"But why?"

"To kill you humans faster." Kampê frowned, as if that was a weird question. "There were around 7 billion people last time I checked. Even if the world becomes a meat grinder, it takes time to process all of it."

Percy swallowed his vomit back. He felt the sour liquid and flesh slide down back, creating an icy feeling in his chest.

"You say the Gods offered the monsters in the pit a choice," Percy said. "Fight for their cause or die."

Kampê nodded abseminedly. "Sounds like a deal too good to be true right? Total freedom, being able to eat whenever and whoever you want. Kill and slaughter everything in your path until you're satisfied." She let out a longing sigh. "A deal too good to be true."

"You didn't take it?"

Kampê spread out her wings, showing him the devastation that was done to her body.

"Why?"

Kampê paused. A wolf head shizzled out of her waist and let out a sad howl. Absent-mindedly, Kampê petted it. "A good question. Maybe it was a sense of honor. I always opposed the Olympians and I'll be damned if I ever bow down to their wishes."

She tapped the wolf head playfully, scratching it behind the ears. "Maybe I refused because the gods are insane. After all, without humans and demigods we monsters will run out of purpose very quickly."

"Purpose?"

"The world was in balance. The physical world and the Divine world compliment each other, the forces of nature fight for dominance and we monsters prey on the weak. The world is neither ugly nor beautiful," she hissed. "But now, the gods upset this balance. They tipped the scales too much and now the world plunges into chaos. It won't be long before everything ends." Kampê caught Percy's petrified look.

"Regardless. It doesn't matter if I help the Olympians or not. Their plan will ruin all of us regardless. So, I might as well carve my own path and enjoy my freedom while it lasts."

"They didn't take that so well," Percy noticed. Kampê hissed.

"The others they sent after me were a joke. Herakles on the other hand…"

"Were you headed somewhere? Before Herakles attacked you? Or were you just looking for a peaceful life."

Kampê scoffed. "I was going towards Boston. The gods still are fighting for dominance over there. Thought it would be a good place to find my final fight."

She pointed at her wings. "But these mutilated wings won't take me far I fear."

"I see."

"And what was your plan?" Kampê asked. "I'd thought you would be headed for Olympus to fight the Olympians yourself, try to find a Demigod way to die while fighting before the world ends."

Percy let out a laugh. "I tried, trust me I went to the city by myself." He twisted the ballpoint pen in his hand. "But when I saw the city hanging in the sky overhead I just couldn' help but to run and hide."

"Smart choice," Kampê remarked. "The Olympians are not holding back this time."

Percy let out a curse in ancient Greek. Kampê laughed.
"So, what's your plan now?" Kampê asked, there was a mockery in her voice, but she was clearly genuinely interested.

"I am on a quest." He declared. "I want to find out why the gods decided to wipe out humanity." He clutched the pen in his hand. "I promised, I have to figure out what's going on. So I can put an end to this nightmare."

Kampê started laughing again. A staggered and breathless laughter, pure and unrestrained relief. She clutched her own stomach while tears came from her snake-like eyes. All the while, Percy couldn't do anything but watch as Kampê was losing her mind in front of him.

The ground shook, the vipers excitedly shuddered and the animal heads roared and howled.

"...Ha…ha…ha…ha." Kampê shuddered. Her laugh faded. She straightened her upper body and wiped away a few tears. "You truly believe this world can be saved?"

"Yes." Percy whispered. Somewhereheknewhecouldstillsolveeverything.

"Fine." Kampê said. "That sounds like something I want to see before I fade."

"What do you mean?"

"You're looking for the cure to this world wide disease. Personally I no longer care but I am very interested in seeing you try, and fail. It beats traveling this barren wasted land."

Kampê grinned, showing a gaping hole full of pointed teeth. The animal heads started to howl.

Around Percy, the world kept spinning.

And this time, a chorus of laughter played along.

A/N I updated. You have Finale to thank for this update. This is not what I meant with wanting reviews :-/

Anyway, here's a bit more of a comedic chapter. Did I do it right? I'm not good with comedy but I think this chapter is hilarious.

I do like them tho…

Alice Fairchild:

It is kind of horrifying to read this and know that even in canon, if the Gods collectively decided to destroy humanity, there wouldn't be much our so called heroes could do about it.

First time I've read a fic where Kampe of all characters gets character development. Love to read about it though.

Anyways, thanks for the update and looking forward to the next one!

A: Yes, the Gods are crazy powerful, or were in early PJO days. Later they were nerfed but if they put their mind to it, they could pull some nasty stuff.