Disclaimer: Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a book series authored by Rick Riordan and is not in any way owned by me. This story is purely for entertainment directed towards mature readers, written and posted completely for free. Any names of people or places mentioned in this story which might be similar to actual people or places in the real world is either purely coincidental or completely fictional.
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Attempting My Very First Prison Break
"Alright Percy, let's calm down and find a way to fix this." I quietly muttered to myself as I looked at the countless pieces of broken concrete and shattered bricks scattered in front of me.
And despite my best attempts, I was nowhere near close to finding a solution to this latest puzzle. It's not like I had a few sacks of cement and some water lying around that I can use to fix this damn wall. Nor could I think of an adequate explanation to give to my correctional officers when they finally arrive to investigate the huge noise I made. I'm sure the first thing that will come to their minds would be an explosion of sorts caused by one of their child inmates in his attempt to escape. And when they see me, I'm sure they will immediately arrive at the most obvious conclusion and I'll be placed in much deeper hot water than I already am.
It's not like I can just go out and say, 'Hey, sorry about the wall. I was hearing strange voices in my head and I kinda lost my temper for a bit which made me punch it. I totally didn't expect it to break down into a thousand pieces though, my bad.'
Yeah, I can already tell just how well that conversation is gonna go. Just thinking about the potential consequences I'll soon face was enough to drown out whatever feelings of awe and excitement I might have felt upon discovering my latest hidden talent. Which is breaking down walls with my bare fists.
Alright, I always knew I could throw a mean right hook for a boy my age and I admit that I sometimes fantasize about becoming a world boxing champion one day. But I never once thought that I could act as a one-man wrecking crew! I mean, this was every bit as ridiculous as it was truly frigging awesome! And I would be celebrating right now if it weren't for the fact I'll have to pay for all the damage I just caused! Maybe one day I can put this new strength of mine to good use, maybe even make some good money out of it. A lot of money. I mean, like a really huge, crap-ton of cold, hard, precious-
"I strongly advice you begin your escape instead wasting your time on pointless fantasies." A voice suddenly spoke from out of nowhere.
"Whoa! What?! Who said that!?" I shouted out in alarm, totally surprised by that.
"I didn't say anything!" The kid in the other cell said to me. Brown eyes staring at me with a mix of confusion and surprise. But I already know it wasn't him.
I looked around me and scanned every inch of my cell, but there was no one here. I went over to the other cell and checked thoroughly there as well, completely ignoring the other kid still inside who was now looking at me as if I had grown several extra heads and arms. When I saw there was no one else in here as well, I paced back towards my own cell, stepping over the rubble with a deep frown on my face as I tried to think of who or what could be the source of that voice. I turned back towards the other boy.
"Hey, did you hear that?"
"Um… Hear what?" The other boy asked me hesitantly, still looking rather wary of me.
"That voice just now, the one that spoke to me." I clarified for him, frowning as I felt like I was the butt of some stupid practical joke.
"I didn't hear anyone else speak, only you." He said to me in earnest, and try as I might, I could not see any hint that he was pulling my leg. "What did it sound like anyway?"
"It sounded like some stuck-up British chick, all prissy and shit." I said while gritting my teeth, feeling annoyed.
And that voice really did sound like what you would expect from an upper-class British girl who lived in the fancier parts of jolly ole London. It brought about the image of a tea and crumpets kinda gal, who lived her whole life looking down on plebeians like me from atop her fancy white-marbled palace, who usually got away with pretty much anything and everything because she happened to be Daddy's favorite girl.
"Quite the imagination you have. But you are mistaken if you think that I come from any one of the countless nations of Men." The mysterious voice spoke again, and I could almost feel the sheer pride it exuded.
"Are you some kind of alien then?" I scowled, staring dubiously at thin air. "And did you just read my mind just now?"
"Considering how far above I am to mortals, I might as well be." The voice replied and rather derisively at that. I guess she doesn't like being called an alien then.
And I could almost picture out the look of annoyance it, or rather, she was giving me as she continued to explain. "And one cannot read another person's mind as if it were a book nor did I wish to intrude upon your thoughts. But since your mind is too undisciplined and your thoughts are as loud as your speech, they are quite difficult to ignore."
That bit of information actually made my brows rise in surprise, and it also made my scowl worsen. I thought my paranoid schizophrenia was acting up big-time again and I was having another bout of hallucinations. But the fact that I was having an actual conversation with someone whom only I could hear, and she was proving every bit as forthcoming with answers as she was being rather cryptic and bitchy when providing them, proved that this was no hallucination born of my mental disorder but something truly real.
I felt both genuinely intrigued by this latest revelation and deeply unsettled by it. Because on one hand, I was communicating with someone who might be an actual alien or something else that is equally incredible, and the massive science-fiction and high-fantasy nerd inside me thought this was really cool.
But on the other hand, the troubled teen with massive trust issues within me, found the idea of some random chick using some sort of weird space voodoo to communicate with me via thoughts and emotions to be totally not cool. Because if she could communicate to me directly through my mind, then who knows what else she was capable of doing to me while I was unaware.
"You better not be poking your nose into anything you shouldn't while you're in my head." I told her in warning, glaring at thin air which I knew was kind of weird.
A derisive snort sounded in return before she spoke with thinly-veiled contempt. "Believe me, the last thing I want to do is rummage through whatever unpleasantness stored within your filthy mind."
"Hey! My mind isn't filthy!" I cried out in outrage.
"Huh. It's certainly not in proper order either… Is that a soggy tissue?"
Okay… I don't know who this chick is or what she is and I haven't even met her yet, but she's already starting to get on my nerves! Yeah, scrap the whole idea of discovering alien life to be a cool thing. If all aliens were as rude and mean as this chick in my brain is, then I do not want to have anything to do with them. Hell, I bet she was actually really ugly and disgusting to look at, because anything with this kind of attitude must be every bit as shitty on the outside as they were on the inside.
I felt a sudden wave of righteous indignation and hurt. Emotions that, strangely enough, felt foreign. As if it didn't come from me but from someone else. Odd.
"One day I shall make you regret that notion."
She solemnly promised. And I got the feeling she really was gonna make me regret it. Is my horrible luck with girls acting up again?
"Who are you talking to man?" The other kid in the adjacent cell asked, now looking more confused than afraid.
"Not now buddy, I'm on the, uh… air." I said after a moment, nearly saying phone instead.
"How eloquent." She quipped.
"Whatever Princess!" I bit back, frowning at her. Again, this was kinda awkward since I did not have an actual face to frown at, but what else can I do. "Now tell me, why the hell would you want me to break out of prison? You trying to make me an escaped convict or something?"
"Better an escaped convict than a dead one."
Now that took me off-guard and it was a moment before I finally managed to stop my mind from reeling and said rather nervously. "Alright, I know I'm in big trouble for tearing down that wall, but I don't think Officer Cain would want me dead just for-"
"I am not referring to your Officer Cain. And that man cannot protect you from the evil that shall soon arrive."
"Okay…" I began rather nervously with my brows shooting up in surprise, and feeling more than a little creeped out by that unexpected revelation. "What kind of evil are you talking about here?"
I could already tell that she wasn't referring to your average Disney Villain, what with how grave and ominous she sounded. Was it some serial-killer? A terrorist organization? Or maybe ET decided to phone home and brought in a few of his buddies to launch some big alien invasion?
"A Daimon." She replied.
"Daimon? You mean a daemon?" I asked her for clarification, very much in disbelief.
"Yes."
"Like an actual daemon? From Hell or the Underworld?"
I heard her sigh, clearly growing impatient and annoyed, before she said. "Yes and yes."
Okay, worse than ET then. At least aliens are something a bit more tangible and I've watched enough Sci-fi movies growing up to give me an idea on how to deal with them. But Daemons? Like in The Exorcist or the movie Constantine? Damn it, I don't even know how to go about fighting something like that! And although this is kinda embarrassing to admit, but I'm not exactly a big fan of horror movies. Where's Keanu Reeves when you need him.
All jokes aside, I wasn't ready to believe everything this mysterious chick in my head was telling me just yet.
"Okay, let's take it easy now. Daemons can't possibly exist right? They're just stories made up by the Church to scare people into going to mass on Sundays. Same way how the Gods from the Greek Myths are nothing more than children's fairytales."
Laughter, soft yet rather haunting and so full of amusement, sounded from within my mind. And I could almost picture out the knowing smile and the look of contempt she was giving me.
"Everything that you know to be Myths are as real as the very air you breathe, Perseus Jackson." She declared solemnly, almost in warning. And she also knows my real name, little surprise there.
"And know this: even the most innocent of children's fairytales have a certain truth behind them. And the truth is often times stranger and darker than any lie."
I swallowed nervously upon hearing all that, the implications of that statement was enough to send a chill crawling up my spine. Because if what she said was true, then all the weird things I have seen since I was little, all the scary things that has happened to me, they weren't just the products of my imagination or my mental disorder. They were very much real, just as how my encounter with the hellish looking boy who attacked me the other day was also real. Or those spirits of dead people that used to haunt me was also real. Or that scary-looking dog that I once saw back when I was nine years old was also real, a dog that was the size of a rhino and had eyes that glowed like hot coals.
Daemons and monsters are real. And now, more of those things were coming to kill me? I could feel a bead of sweat forming on my forehead despite it being about ten degrees in here. Now that I mentioned it, it was getting oddly cold around here. Too cold for your typical August day in New York actually.
There was a sudden feeling of alarm that I felt going through me. And just like before, it felt strangely foreign, as if it belonged to someone else. And that's when the voice spoke again.
"The Daimon has arrived. I can feel its presence nearby. You must make your escape, now!" The voice said with much urgency. And this time I didn't have the heart to argue.
"Alright, I'll do it. But how am I gonna get out of here exactly? I'm still locked up."
"You already have the strength to make an exit. Why don't you use it." She pointed out as if it was quite obvious. And it was actually.
"Oh right."
I nodded as I looked towards the steel door right in front of me. All of a sudden it didn't look so inhibiting, like it was but a mere annoyance instead of something solid and implacable. Now that I have my newfound power, a power that I honestly still did not know the true nature of, my path to freedom was no longer so distant and unreachable. And if daemons were real and they were hunting me down, then they're in for a big surprise because I won't be easy prey.
My thoughts soon went to the boy in the other cell. No doubt he was listening in on my seemingly one-sided conversation with the female sounding voice in my head and I'm sure he was confused and more than a little frightened by me talking about daemons and stuff. But since I know that one was coming to get me, I had to do something to help this kid out. Keep him from getting hurt. Which means I need to bring him with me.
"Hey, buddy! I need you to come… with…" I said to the other kid as I turned towards him. Only for my voice to trail off the moment I saw him.
"Ugh! Ack!"
Loud, choking noises were being made by the kid as he violently convulse, looking almost like he was having a seizure. He was now standing as his whole body shook, wearing a twisted and painful expression on his face while his eyes rolled all the way back into his skull. His skin slowly turned red and veins were bulging underneath it. I half expected for him to suffer a major stroke.
I took one hesitant step forward, really concerned for him. "Whoa, dude. Are you alright? You don't look so good."
The moment I said that last word, he suddenly stopped convulsing and stared right at me. And the expression on his face was one of unrestrained bloodlust and hate. As if I had done something truly wrong to offend him and now he only wanted to tear me apart limb from limb. And to my further dread, I saw how his pupils dilated to absurd degrees until they now looked like two inky pools of darkness.
"RAAAGH!" A bloodcurdling, primal roar erupted from him, far louder than any normal person could make, shortly before he launched himself off of his bed and came charging towards me.
"Hey! Wait-ugh!"
I didn't get to finish as the other kid tackled me with all the force of a professional football player, knocking me down to the ground shortly before he started pummeling me with all the fury and strength of a maddened gorilla. Luckily for me, my fighting instincts which I had honed through plenty of schoolyard brawls and street fights had immediately kicked in before my back even hit the floor. And I was now holding my arms firmly in front of me to block all of the hammering blows he was sending my way.
Yeah, his punches kinda hurt a little, but certainly nothing that would leave a serious mark. I suspected that whatever serious mental condition this kid had which caused him to attack me like a rabid animal has also given him increased strength, and any other person in my position would have been reduced to a bloody and barely recognizable pulp on the hard floor. But unfortunately for him, I am now far from normal myself and I'm sure my body was way more durable than that concrete wall I just tore down.
I maintained my guard for a while longer as I solidly absorbed his blows, waiting for the right moment to strike. And that moment came when I saw him rear back his fist to send one more wild and brutal swing my way, and I unleashed my own punch.
It was a simple straight punch and with not a lot of power behind it. My intention was only to stun him long enough for me to push him off of me, and maybe leave him with a broken and bloody nose in the process. Unfortunately, the strength I now possessed which allowed me to tear down that concrete wall like it was made of thin glass was also at play here.
*Crack!*
A loud wet noise reached my ears as the kid's face shattered under the weight of my punch, blood and small pieces of bone and viscera splattering my face. And the force was enough to knock his head back so hard that I heard his neck snap like a twig. His body immediately went limp and fell uselessly to the side like some kind of puppet with it's strings cut.
"Shit!" I cried out in shock as I quickly scrambled back up to my feet.
I stared at the now dead boy, horrified at what I just did. This was the second time I had been forced to take a life. But unlike with smelly Gabe, this had been completely unintentional and the person I murdered was a teenage boy barely older than I was. Yeah, he wasn't completely innocent. He was also a criminal just like me, and yes he did try to kill me. But none of this did anything to lessen the enormous feeling of guilt that now assailed me.
"Oh no… What have I done…" I muttered, my lips quivering and hands shaking. I felt like I wanted to throw up right now.
"Calm yourself Perseus. You have done nothing wrong." The mysterious person in my head said to me. But her tone was much more comforting this time.
"But… I killed him… I murdered him! And I didn't mean to, but I…" I cried out, still looking at the dead boy, his still warm blood slowly pooling on the floor.
"And by all the Ancient Laws I judge you as innocent, for you are well within your rights to protect yourself. Even my Uncle would agree with my verdict." She explained to me, gently and wisely.
I know I called her Princess earlier as a mild insult because of how she came as prideful and self-absorbed, but just now she really did sound like some kind of higher power. And she judged me as innocent. I still don't know who she is and I don't know what she was talking about when she mentioned something about Ancient Laws and her Uncle. Maybe the guy was a member of the Supreme Court and she was his niece? Who knows. All I know is that she believes my actions were just and I took some comfort in this. I do not want to add more to my already growing list of sins.
"Steel your resolve young warrior. This is not the first life you have taken and it certainly will not be the last, but redemption shall be yours in the very end. This I promise you." She said to me regally, radiating authority and wisdom.
Yeah, I was beginning to suspect she was not just some alien or even some kind of spirit, but something much more. Something greater. I did not fully trust her yet, but her words were enough to banish my doubts and I found myself clinging onto her promise of redemption.
My mind went back to the dead boy in front of me though, still deeply disturbed. " But what happened to him? Why did he suddenly attack me like some violent psycho?"
"It is the work of the Daimon. This dark spirit has used its powers to corrupt this child's very soul, empowering him with unholy strength and unquenchable bloodlust at the cost of his sanity."
"That's just sick!" I spat out, feeling my rage flaring at that knowledge. "Does this mean this fucking daemon can do the same thing to all the other kids inside this prison?"
"I am afraid so." She said forlornly. "Because the children inside this prison are all still young and deeply troubled souls, they are especially vulnerable to the Daimon's insidious influence. And no doubt it will use them all as its slaves and order them to kill you."
Hearing all that just made me sick to my stomach, and filled me with such burning hate. "Then why doesn't this daemon simply come and kill me personally?! Why does it have to use children to do its dirty work huh?!"
"To break your will, to prey upon your kindness and make you hesitate. To make you suffer before your final end. Some beings are simply sinister to the very core, Perseus. And this Daimon, and so many others like it, see Mankind as nothing more than tools to be used and discarded." She explained, and I could sense that she felt genuinely heartbroken by this fact.
I on the other hand felt like punching down another damned wall!
I knew daemons were evil, it was pretty much a given. But I never thought one would be so evil that it would use children, actual children, as disposable foot soldiers and make them kill me instead of doing it himself. And why? Because this daemon was too much of a goddamn coward? Too much of a pussy to get its hands dirty? Well, this daemon has every reason to be afraid, because as soon as I see it pop out its ugly head, I'm gonna tear it right off!
I made a silent vow that one day I am gonna protect people from daemonic influence, make sure this thing and others like it won't ever be able to prey on innocent people and use them for whatever twisted ends. I don't know how to do that yet and I don't even know if it's actually possible, but I am gonna figure it out. Problems are meant to be solved, and this was one problem I am never gonna stop finding a solution to, even if it takes me my whole life to do it!
I felt another wave of foreign emotions course through me, one of satisfaction I think. Looks like someone approves of my goal.
I soon turned my eyes away from the dead boy and towards my cell door. By this time the alarms have finally sounded, blaring loudly from the speakers, a clear signal that some of the other inmates here in Camp Eisenhorn have finally broken out of their cells. And based on the shouting and screaming I could hear outside, my observation seems to be correct. I suspected that whatever happened to this kid was also happening to others inside this prison. And that must be the reason why none of the other guards came to check up on me, because they were too busy dealing with other problems happening everywhere else.
Which also means I might very well have to fight my way out of Camp Eisenhorn. Hopefully I won't have to kill anyone else to do it. I walked purposely towards the steel door and delivered a hard kick towards it.
*BANG!*
A really loud noise echoed inside my cell as the metal door was ripped off it's hinges and sent flying back before it finally hitting the wall on the opposite side. The steel door, now looking badly warped as if it had been struck by a huge battering ram, screeched as it slowly slid down until it fell to the floor with another loud bang. Yeah, if me breaking down that wall earlier wasn't enough to wake up any of the guards, then that would surely do it.
And yet, there were no guards coming to stop me from escaping. It did not take me long to discover why though. Just down the hallway, one of the isolation cells was wide open. And just outside was an unfortunate-looking prison guard who was sprawled helplessly on the floor as his face was in the process of being brutally caved in by another teenage inmate. The guard was a grown man and was nearly twice my size, but that kid who was a bit smaller and lighter than I am had somehow overpowered him and was now beating him to death, snarling like a wild animal with eyes filled with unconstrained bloodlust and rage.
When he finally noticed my presence, that inmate finally paused his savage beating of the now clearly dead guard and turned his head towards me, darkened eyes now glaring at me with malevolence.
I immediately tensed as I prepared myself for another violent encounter. And that inmate did not disappoint as he started sprinting towards me like a drug addict who had just snorted up several pounds of coke and had an overdose of adrenaline. I didn't move from my spot but braced my legs as I prepared to meet his savage charge, feeling utterly calm.
Just like the other kid earlier, he tackled me like a professional athlete on steroids. But unlike before, I was more prepared this time and I merely grunted when his shoulder slammed hard against my abdomen, my feet skidding back a few inches but I remained in firmly standing. My arms immediately wrapped around him, holding him in place as he began to struggle wildly like some rabid dog, trying his best to get free.
He was snarling and screaming as his arms started flailing at me, sending some rather hard punches against my exposed sides. I was aware of how strong this kid was considering how he was able to overpower and kill that guard. But I felt like he was just lightly tapping me instead, feeling no pain from his attacks whatsoever. Yeah, enhanced durability is truly sweet isn't it?
More mindful of my strength this time, I lifted him up like he weighed nothing at all, then slammed him against the concrete wall with a loud thud. Not hard enough to break nearly every bone in his body, but definitely enough to knock him out and maybe leave him with a concussion. And it seems I succeeded because all his screaming and snarling immediately stopped and he now lay completely motionless on the hard floor. I looked at him for a moment longer, to see if he would get back up again. And he didn't.
"Good to see there's an off-switch for daemonic possession." I said with a smirk, feeling quite proud of myself. "Simply go Captain Caveman on their ass until they're KO!"
Since this daemon is able to control a person by warping their very consciousness and make them act like a murder-hobo on steroids, then the obvious fix is to make that person unconscious via a controlled application of force. Little more than a simple band-aid solution, yeah, but considering my current situation I say it is pretty ingenious.
"I'm surprised you were able to figure it out so soon." She remarked. And then I heard her snicker. "Captain Caveman? I suppose that is an accurate description of you."
"Watch it Princess!" I snarled in warning, definitely annoyed by that.
But the way she started giggling like some schoolgirl showed that she was more amused than afraid, ticking me off even further. Damn it! Why the hell did my mind have to be so exposed to her?! I need to find a way to plug this little breach of privacy in the future.
"Go on Captain Caveman, continue your escape. Time is short." She urged me on, and I could almost picture out the playful grin she was wearing. Damn her!
Not wanting to be the target of further teasing by some disembodied voice with too much sass, I continued my way towards the direction of the prison's main entrance. I passed by all the other cells that remained firmly closed. The screams and roars of the other inmates echoed across the hallway as they savagely banged against their cell doors, trying to get out. Thankfully, none of them were as strong as I was and they remained trapped inside, unable to break down the reinforced steel doors.
I knew this whole detention center like it was on the back of my hand since I've been living here for the past three years now. Camp Eisenhorn's prison complex is one huge building arranged in the shape of a cross. Cell Block C, which is where I am currently at, is where all the isolation cells are located and this is where all the more dangerous and problematic inmates are kept in solitary confinement, including yours truly.
Cell Block A and Cell Block B on the other hand were located in the West Wing and the East Wing respectively. Those had three separate levels all filled with rows upon rows of communal cells and those areas are where all of the less problematic prisoners are kept. But considering how those two kids suddenly became murderously violent and aggressive, I'm pretty sure Cell Blocks A and B will soon turn into complete bloodbaths, so I certainly don't wanna go anywhere near those areas.
The very center of the building also had three separate levels and this is where many of the prison's other facilities could be found. The mess hall, kitchens and provision stores were located at the ground floor level, the second level had the communal bathrooms and gymnasium and in the third level you could find the prison's recreation room and library. And this is the area I was heading to next.
But my destination was the main reception hall and visiting area located in the northern part of the prison complex. This is where I met my sister yesterday when she came to visit and it was in this area that the main entrance leading into and out of the prison complex could be found. I simply needed to reach this area, bust down the doors of the main entrance and from there it will be a straight run across the prison's yard towards the gatehouse separating Camp Eisenhorn from the rest of New York.
A very simple plan and one that shall work, provided nothing stops me along the way.
Not bothering to be subtle anymore, I charged directly at the set of double doors leading into the mess hall. Both doors were nearly ripped off their hinges as they swung wide open with a loud bang, startling the group of prison guards standing in the middle of the mess hall directly in front of me.
"Oh crap!" I cried out as I immediately grounded to complete and sudden halt, my shoes making a rather loud squeal in the process.
The three prison guards were big and burly men, middle-aged and were a full head taller than me. They all wore angry scowls on their faces as they glared at me, no doubt displeased by my escape. Based on the name tags stitched to their blue and gray uniforms, their names were Anderson, Peters and Elders. Despite their obvious size and weight advantage, I was confident that I could easily beat all three of them in a straight fight so I wasn't afraid of them. But I was definitely afraid of the guns they were carrying.
All three men immediately recognized me just as how I was quick to recognize them. After all, whenever I got into fights here in Camp Eisenhorn, these three were always the ones to come and break up my brawls with the other child inmates shortly before escorting me towards one of the isolation cells. And I know for a fact they don't have a very good opinion of me.
"Looks like our resident Troublemaker in Chief finally decided to try his first prison break." Officer Peters remarked, smirking contemptuously at me.
"Arms where I can see them!" Officer Anderson shouted at me, pointing his pistol at my direction. Officer Elders and Officer Peters followed his example.
I immediately complied, holding my hands up and doing my best to appear as non-threatening as possible. I may have acquired superhuman durability and strength, but I wasn't brave enough to see if I could survive a direct hit from a forty-five calibre ACP round. And I'm pretty sure I wasn't fast enough to dodge one either so I wasn't gonna pull any crazy stunts here. Maybe I should have just torn down the prison's walls to get outside instead of taking the usual route.
"Yes, perhaps that might have been the better course." The still mysterious chick in my head deadpanned.
"Maybe you could have pointed that out earlier?" I muttered to her under my breath, feeling quite annoyed by her comment and with my current situation.
"You only have yourself to blame for your lack of foresight and poor planning." She retorted prissily, annoying me even more. I would have said something more but I had to concentrate at more pressing matter at hand.
"Now turn around!" Anderson barked.
I hesitated, my mind still thinking of a way for me to get out of this current bind. I decided to try and bluff my way out of this one, flashing them my best baby-kisser smile and said. "Yeah, before I do that, mind if I visit the kitchen first? I'm feeling kinda hungry right now and I would like to make a sandwich or two. You guys can also join me if you want."
And that wasn't even a lie. I really was feeling hungry right now and I would actually like to grab something to eat before making a break for it.
"I said turn around Jackson!" Anderson ordered once again, louder this time. Elders and Peters each took one threatening step closer as they cocked their guns and turned the safeties off.
Okay, I guess they're not buying that one. But I wasn't gonna give up just yet. Instead of bluffing my way out, maybe I should try the good honest truth.
"Look, we really need to get out of here. A nasty piece-of-shit daemon is currently haunting this prison and we need to leave before it turns you into its little sock-puppets!"
All three of them looked at me in genuine shock and went silent for a good long moment. Before they finally burst out laughing.
"Ha ha! Nice try Jackson, that was a good one!" Elders said, thoroughly amused.
"Maybe we ought to transfer you to a mental institution instead, because you've finally lost it!" Peters remarked.
"Last warning kid. Turn around, now!" Officer Anderson shouted at me again,
Damn it, they won't even believe me! I can't go back into my cell, not with that daemon inside the prison and causing the other prisoners to go apeshit! But these guys won't let me pass either. If I tried to fight them, they'll just shoot me and put me down before I could get close enough to land a hit. And if I try to run, they'll also shoot me before I could get far. It seems Lady Fortuna is too busy partying her tight little ass tonight because my stupid dice is only giving me ones and twos!
"Do not fret. Next time I see her, I shall put in a good word for you."
I couldn't help but groan when she said that. I really wasn't in the mood for more of her teasing right now. Or was she actually being serious about that? Nevermind!
Feeling desperate, I was just about to take my chances and see just how resistant I was to bullets when I noticed something that really made me curse my fortunes. Officer Peters started convulsing.
"Um…guys, I think you might wanna point your guns at him instead." I said rather nervously to Anderson and Elders as I stared at the now changing Peters, already dreading what was about to happen. The other two guards turned to look at him and they too were now staring at him with growing unease.
"Peters? Are you alright?" Officer Anderson asked, his pistol no longer pointing at me but towards Officer Peters.
But Officer Peters did not respond as he continued to convulse violently and I could see how his face started to slowly turn red with veins bulging underneath his skin. Yeah, he was beginning to turn alright, just like with those other kids earlier. But unlike those kids, Peters had a gun in his hand.
"Guys, you seriously need to take him down before he-!"
Before I could finish, Peters finally went stock still and now wore a truly malevolent expression on his face, his eyes now having turned into inky pools of darkness. Then he turned his eyes towards me and flashed me a sinister grin, revealing a mouth full of sharp and pointed teeth. He then raised his gun and aimed at me again, his finger upon the trigger.
But just before he could squeeze it and end my life, Officer Anderson quickly charged in and grabbed the gun.
*BANG!*
A loud report echoed across the mess hall as Peters instinctively pulled the trigger, his shot hitting harmlessly against solid concrete instead of me. And Officer Anderson kept a firm hold on Peter's gun as he struggled to wrench it off of his hand. Wow, and here I thought Anderson always hated my guts. But here he was trying his best to protect me despite all the trouble I caused him in the past.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?! Have you lost your-ugh!" Anderson was cutoff mid sentence when the corrupted Peters grabbed him by the neck, snarling at him in utter rage.
He then lifted him up a few inches above the ground as if he weighed nothing at all, before he tossed him away like a rag-doll. Officer Anderson slammed against one of the concrete support pillars with a loud thud before finally falling to the ground hard. He did not get back up.
With his gun now free, the daemon-corrupted Officer Peters tried to aim his gun at me again.
*BANG!*
Only for him to stagger backwards when Officer Elders shot him on the shoulder, protecting me just like Officer Anderson did.
"Goddamn it Pete! Put your fucking gun down! Don't make me kill you!" Officer Elders
"RAAARGH!" Officer Peters roared out in reply as he glared hatefully towards Officer Elders, not at all compliant.
The shot had injured his left shoulder, making his left arm hang useless on his side. But his gun was in his right hand and he still had full use of his right arm. And Officer Peters was about to raise his gun at Officer Elders, intent on killing him instead. But I had enough.
I charged straight at him, my newfound strength allowing my legs to propel me forward like a cheetah at full speed. I reached Officer Peters and grabbed a firm hold of him before he could even line up a proper shot at Officer Elders. And with his pistol in my hand, I simply squeezed real hard and I was rewarded with the sound of metal crumbling as I crushed the pistol beneath my grip, rendering it completely useless.
Deprived of his weapon, Peters tried to swat me away like he did with Officer Anderson earlier. But unlike Officer Anderson, I was way stronger than him, and definitely way stronger than the daemon-corrupted Officer Peters because the guy could only struggle uselessly against my hold. I soon launched a well-controlled punch towards the side of his head, not enough to kill him but more than enough knock his lights out and maybe give him a slight concussion.
Officer Peters soon went limp and he fell to the floor. And I was utterly relieved that I managed to stop his attempted murder-spree. With a smile on my face I turned to look at Officer Elders.
"Come on, let's get out of here before…" But I trailed off as I my heart began to sink at what I saw. Officer Elders was now the one convulsing.
"Oh come on!" I hissed out, more annoyed than afraid. Looks like this daemon really intends to corrupt every single soul it can get its filthy claws on and have them kill me, further reinforcing the idea that it was too afraid to take me head on.
Seeing that Elders was still in the midst of turning, I immediately dashed towards him and planted a kick to his exposed core, making him double over in pain. A quick hammer fist to the back of his head ensured that it was lights out for the correctional officer, interrupting the change. With the immediate obstacles now out of the way, I continued my run towards the main reception hall and visiting area.
"Perseus." I heard her speak again. But this time, I could tell she was nervous.
"What is it?" I asked her, barreling through another set of double-doors and finally emerging into the reception hall.
"The Daimon's presence has grown strong. It is close." She said ominously. And I could tell she was feeling quite nervous. And that bit of knowledge made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up straight.
The main entrance was just on the other end of the hall, less than fifty feet away. With my fear mounting now that I know the daemon was getting close to me, I sprinted towards the entrance like Usain Bolt hopped up on a gallon of Red Bull. My spirit started to soar as each step I took brought me closer and closer to freedom.
Very soon I was gonna be out of here. Soon I'll be back home with Andy and Mom again. I'll be back to eating mom's blue-colored waffles and blue-colored pancakes and I'll be drinking her homemade chocolate-chip milkshakes. And Andy will be teasing my butt out as I get milkshake all over my face and I'll be annoying the hell out of her as I fling pieces of blue waffles her way, making mom scold the both of us for playing with our food, but wearing an amused smile on her face.
Please let it happen! Please let me see them again!
*Boom!*
An ominous sound resounded across the hall like the tolling of a bell a huge bronze bell. And with it came the sudden and inexplicable disappearance of my exit, taking all of my hopes of freedom and reunion with my family with it.
"FUCK!"
I roared out as I quickly grounded to a halt, glaring at the newly formed wall in front of me where the entrance to the building once stood, my mind struggling to comprehend just how in the world did this happened, and dread slowly crept back up to grip my heart.
I looked around me and my feelings dread and shock mounted further at what I saw all the windows used to be now there was only smooth and solid walls. All the windows had disappeared just like the main entrance. The only way out of the visiting area was a door that lead into the Warden's Office and the door that lead back into the mess hall. And something tells me that it wasn't just the visiting area that now had a lack of openings, but the entire prison itself has been completely closed-off. This was seriously not good.
"Talk to me Princess! What the hell just happened?!" I cried out to my still invisible companion, desperate for some proper answers right now.
"I'm afraid the Daimon has used its foul magics to warp reality within this facility, trapping you inside." She informed me, sounding rather fearful herself.
Hearing that caused my anger to rise within my heart, like a flame that served to banish the dark tendrils of dread that was trying to coil around it, filling me with an intense feeling of defiance.
"So this fucking thing decided to wall me in huh?" I said aloud as I glared at the offending wall where the entrance used to be.
Though this new obstacle was completely unexpected, I wasn't daunted by it. I saw it as a new challenge, a challenge to test my new strength against. My earlier destruction of my cell wall had simply been an accident. But this time I was going to absolutely and deliberately tear this other one down! And so I clenched my right fist tight and reared it back in preparation, the muscles in my arms and chest tensing as I focused as much power behind my attack as I could. After a moment, delivered my strike.
*CRASH*!
Just like before, a huge crashing noise sounded but noticeably louder and I felt the air ripple around me from the force of my blow and the ground shook with the impact. A huge crater easily double my size formed upon the spot where my fist landed, with a huge messy spiderweb of cracks forming all around it.
I soon pulled my fist back, wincing as my hand ached from the sheer force of the blow I delivered, and I could even see a bit of skin peeled off from by knuckles. But I wasn't seriously hurt, which was honestly nothing short of amazing. I must have struck that wall with a force comparable to that of an eighteen-wheeler truck crashing into it at seventy-miles per hour. It should have gone down. But it didn't.
I glared at the offending wall in front of me with growing frustration. It was certainly heavily damaged yes, but it was still standing. I guess it was a lot tougher than I thought. But I figured that if the first punch wouldn't do it, then maybe the next one would. And I'll keep punching until it finally goes down. I reared back my left fist this time and began to focus as much power behind it just like with the other one, intent on delivering another monstrous haymaker at this damned wall. But then I noticed something that made my brows shot up and caused an uncomfortable weight to settle in my gut.
The wall was beginning to repair itself.
I kid you not, the frigging thing was actually slowly but surely repairing all the damage I just caused it! The cracks all around it was receding right before my very eyes and the sizable crater I left on it was disappearing.
"What?! No!" I cried out in panic shortly before I launched my next punch at it, outrage and desperation lending further fuel behind my next blow.
*CRASH!*
The air rippled around me once more and the ground shook from the sheer force of my punch. An even bigger crater formed upon the surface of this seemingly impossibly thick and sturdy wall with an even messier web of cracks surrounding it. I pulled my hand back with a painful grimace, feeling nearly every bone in my left arm aching with my hand now bleeding lightly, my skin having cracked open, though I was secretly thankful that I hadn't actually broken anything.
But that was cold and bitter comfort since the wall in front of me remained standing. And to my further disappointment, the damage I caused was once again receding as it slowly repaired itself.
"Why?… Why the hell won't this damned thing go down?" I asked to no one in particular as I now stared sadly at the unyielding barrier before me, feeling defeated.
"It would appear the Daimon responsible for this is a powerful one, and its magic equally so." She said to me, calmly analyzing the problem in front of me. "I'm afraid you are simply too weak to break through its spell."
My shoulders immediately slumped and my expression became downcast. Hearing her carefully worded assessment brought a massive wave of disappointment coursing through me. Too weak? Even after everything I just did? And here I thought I finally had the power to brute force my way out of any problem. But fickle Fate decided to throw a curve-ball my way and left me staring stupidly. I spent a moment in silence as I quietly assessed my current predicament.
I'm clearly not strong enough to bust my way out of this, the British-sounding chick in my head already pointed that out. And just like she said, the Daemon responsible for trapping me here was clearly quite strong. Which meant I simply needed the help of something, or someone, much stronger.
"Hey, Princess! You're somewhere outside right?" I looked up at thin air as a smile now formed on my face, my attention fully set on my other mysterious companion.
Just like before, I felt some foreign sensations going through me that I know were not my own, and it was one of genuine surprise.
"I am currently outside your prison, yes." She said to me.
"Then maybe you can help me out here." I said to her, giving her my best baby-kisser smile. "Something tells me you're way more powerful than this punk-ass Daemon. You can bust me out of here yourself!"
There was another brief period of silence as she hesitated. There was another small rush of foreign emotions coursing through me. And this time it was one of regret and… was that shame? Is she ashamed about something right now?
"Though it pleases me that you think so highly of me, I am afraid I cannot help you."
"What?! Why not?!" I all but shouted, hugely disappointed by that, and feeling somewhat betrayed.
There was another wave of shame but stronger this time and it was mixed with bitterness."My Father will not allow me to leave our house. I have… displeased him quite recently. That is all I shall say on the matter."
What? Was she actually being serious right now? I could hardly believe what I was hearing! "Really? I'm suffering a serious case of Daemonic infestation here and you're telling me you can't help me out because Daddy dearest grounded you?!"
"Imprisonment more like. And know that the reason for it is far more dire than you might think." She said, sounding quite defensive. And I could almost picture out the look of annoyance on her undoubtedly blushing face. And despite my current situation, I simply could not resist.
"Oh, I'm sure it is. Let me guess. You snuck a boy into your room and Papa walked in just in time to see you mounted on his dick." I said purely in jest, grinning impudently.
There was a loud gasp on the other end of my mental link with her, and I could just imagine the scandalized expression she was no doubt wearing right now. Ha! Direct hit!
"How dare you cast doubt upon my honor you vulgar, impudent peasant?! I ought to put a curse on you for wagging that insufferable tongue of yours!" She said with such righteous indignation, but I wasn't the least bit perturbed.
"How about you come over here and bust me out of prison, and I'll let you do anything you want with me completely free of charge. I can even show you just how well I can wag my tongue Princess." I retorted, wearing a teasing smile.
I know, it's mean of me to be saying these things to her and I shouldn't be picking on her, especially during a time like this. But come on, I'm massively pissed off, I'm hungry, I haven't had any sleep yet, I got a frigging Daemon out to kill me and he is causing everyone in this prison to go completely nuts and I cannot escape his stupid magical prison. So I can hardly be blamed for wanting to find an outlet for my frustrations and this girl I was talking to just so happened to be the most tempting target.
And I'm not at all worried about her cursing comment. Why, was she some sort of witch or something? She gonna throw a love spell on me? Make me go apeshit just like what that Daemon did to those people? Well, she can certainly try but I'm pretty sure I'm too strong for any kind of mind-fucking on her part. And who's to say I won't be doing some actual fucking with her if she ever tried to mess with my monkey brain.
"Your audacity is truly astounding! Consider yourself most fortunate that you are-" She interrupted her line of speech. And through our shared mental link, I could feel her dread mounting.
"Perseus… Behind you." She fearfully said, her voice quivering.
I swallowed, feeling myself grow really nervous. A cold chill slowly creeping up my spine as I finally felt the presence of something truly dark and truly sinister. The temperature all around the hall suddenly dropped by several degrees and I could actually see my breath in front of me. The lights were now flickering and there was a strange humming in the air.
Gathering my courage I slowly turned around to see who or what was standing behind me. And my eyes went wide when I finally beheld the being standing just ten feet from me.
"Good to see you again… Anathema."
The horror in front of me said with a grin, greeting me like a long lost friend. Shortly before it lunged at me, and I was soon forced to fight for my very life.
)-(
Author's Notes:
Welcome to the latest chapter of Percy Jackson - Anathema. Lots more action here compare to the last one as we see Percy exercising his newly acquired physical abilities. And he's got a brand new companion. Kudos to the ones who can correctly guess who she is. I left plenty of hints and clues all over this chapter as to her identity and origins so I hope you can figure it out.
I hope you all enjoy my introduction of Daimons and daemons in this story. The Ancient Greeks were a firm believer in spirits and they believed that human emotions, conditions and certain concepts and ideas have an actual spirit or minor deity that personifies them. The best examples are Phobos and Deimos, who personify Fear and Panic. Or Nike and Eris, who personify Victory and Chaos. And these are just a few of the huge list of spirits or minor deities. And I don't think we got to see enough of them in Rick Riordan's books, they were only lightly touched upon if I remember correctly.
Well, they'll be getting some good representation here in my story and I hope I'll be able to do a good enough job depicting them here. Let me know all your thoughts about this in the review box down below. And if you've enjoyed this humble story of mind, please click follow and favorite. It really helps.
Review Replies:
atilla 25: Thanks for reviewing. This story is mainly set in Percy Jackson and it's not an actual crossover, although I will be drawing quite a few ideas from Warhammer 40K. So yeah, sadly there won't be any Imperium of Man, Ork, Tyranids, Necrons or Tau in this fic. After all, this is set on modern day earth and not in Holy Terra in the year 42,000. But with that said, Elves are definitely present in the world of Percy Jackson and Chaos and daemons also exist there, although in a slightly different form than what is depicted in 40K. Maybe Percy will eventually team up with an Elf who might or might not be Eldar related. Who knows.
meryfcuckery: Big sister waifu will have a lot of screentime dedicated to her later. Look forward to it. :D
Wreck Hell: Glad you're enjoying my story. I admit, I was kinda hesitant when I first started writing this. This is definitely completely new territory I'm treading here. Hope you'll enjoy this lates chapter. And know that I plan on covering the entire series of Percy Jackson and The Olympians, from Lightning Thief all the way to the Last Olympian. Hopefully I'll succeed.
David Wright2: Allow me to feed your obsession then with this latest chapter. Enjoy.
evilstatistic19: Thanks a lot man. Here's the latest one. I hope it proves as enjoyable as the last one.