Disclaimer: Percy Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan, and Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon.
"Thoughts"
"Speaking"
This fanfic is an Alternate Universe (AU)
Explanations will appear as the chapters progress.
Third Person's Point of View
In the abyss of the dungeon, danger lurked around every corner and one wrong step could mean a fall into endless darkness. Percy and Eli were aware of this.
But Eli stood on the edge of the precipice, with the void stretching out before them like a bottomless abyss, the utter darkness not preventing the visibility of the bottom.
"Percy..."
A shiver ran through Eri's spine as a chunk of rock gave way under her back, sending her straight into the abyss, her hands flailing for something to hold on to, but the fall seemed inevitable.
In an act of sheer determination and bravery, Percy lunged forward in hopes of saving Eli.
"Eli" Percy made a big jump and held Eri tightly by the arm preventing her from falling into the void "Hold on tight!, I'll get you up right away
His fingers closed around her firmly, offering an anchor in the midst of the chaos.
With a gasp, Eli clung desperately to Percy's hand, feeling the strength of his grip like an anchor holding her in the midst of the storm. Together, they fought against the force of the abyss...
In a joint effort, Percy and Eli managed to stabilize themselves on the edge of the precipice, their hearts pounding in their throats as they cling to each other. The danger had passed by now, but the sense of vulnerability still hung in the air like a sword over their heads.
Their breaths ragged and their lungs filled with air, Percy and Eli looked at each other with gratitude and relief.
"You know? After all, a half-breed next to me isn't a bad idea" Eli said
"Can you explain to me what the hell that word means?" Percy replied
"I promise I will, once we get out of this damn place."
Percy and Eli stared into the abyss
"This area seems to be fragile," Eli said, "let's go to more stable ground, where the floor won't collapse
"Wait a minute, Eli," Percy grabbed the torch and held it close to the spot where Eli almost lost his life.
"Hmmm... No"
"Very well, let's see if it has a bottom, it may lead us to the exit."
Percy split the torch he was carrying in two, lit the flameless part and threw it into the abyss, he didn't know what would happen with this action, however, if the torch reached the ground and it was still possible to see it it meant that they could go down to explore the area in search of a way out.
BOOM
The torch hit rock bottom quickly
"Wow!" Eli said in astonishment. "It wasn't so deep after all"
"It's about fifteen yards," said Percy, "but going down is a danger
"Do you have a plan?" Eli asked
"I'm afraid that none, if I were a firebender, would go down without a problem using firebending. What about you? You're a firebender, right?
"I never said that," Eli said, shaking his head, "I'm in the same situation"
"Then we'll have to give up the idea of going down this way," said Percy, "we've got to find another route."
But then the labyrinth began to shake slightly and a smell emanated from the abyss.
"What's going on?!" Percy said, he didn't understand what was happening, but the smell coming from the abyss brought back old memories. "Eli, Can you smell that?
"We've got to get out of here, the whole chamber might collapse! We have to find the exit, Percy!" Eli said worriedly
"Do you smell that?"
"Percy, let's take the same path we came from, we have no other option. Let's try to avoid the monster that's hanging around here."
"Eli!" This time Percy called out his companion's name
"What?! I try to think, half-breed"
"Do you smell that?"
"Is that what you're worried about?!" Eli replied as a vein in his forehead was marked with determination
"Just answer!" Percy said
"YES! It smells disgusting, like a pile of burnt corpses are down there.
"Exactly!" Percy said
"And what the hell is that good for us now, half-breed?! Are you an idiot?"
"You don't understand," said Percy. "Slyzards! This dungeon must be full of those damn lizards. Everything fits. Absence of monsters, footprints, smell of burnt flesh. We're in the middle of his lair!"
"What?...
"Slyzard!" This dungeon must be full..."
"I understood that part!" Eli said, covering Percy's mouth, "but... doesn't that mean we're in trouble?"
"Ah... hmmm... I guess we're fucked up HAHAHA" Percy started to laugh quietly while Eli didn't understand why
"Half-breed... Did you go crazy?" Eli said
"What are you talking about?" Percy replied, "It's just that I went into this mess hoping that a friend wouldn't expose himself to danger... and look at us, we're really screwed. Isn't that funny? HAHAHAHA"
Percy was barely catching his breath after the laughter of the event when the sounds of the Slyzards echoed through the nearby corridors, announcing their arrival with brutal grunts and the dull sound of their heavy footsteps. Percy and Eli exchanged alarmed looks, their survival instincts immediately forcing them to hide and without wasting a single second, Percy and Eli dove into a gap between the nearby rocks and crystals.
"I told you so, Eli! Slyzards! I was right," Percy said
"If I congratulate you, half-breed, on your great deduction," Eli replies sarcastically before imperatively saying "now you must find a way out of this alive!"
They both crawled silently, moving carefully so as not to make any noise that might give away their position. With their hearts pounding in their throats, they huddled together in their makeshift hideout, holding their breath as the slyzards drew ever closer. The sound of his footsteps echoed in the air, drawing closer and closer, like the echo of an inevitable fate that was coming.
Eli squeezed Percy's hand tightly, his eyes filled with worry and fear as they waited silently, his heart in his mouth. Percy returned the squeeze with equal intensity, implying that he should remain silent, his senses on high alert as they prepared to face whatever came next.
Finally, the Slyzards passed them, their presence going unnoticed. And a sense of relief flooded their bodies as the sounds of the Slyzards were heard farther and farther away.
For a moment, they stood motionless in their hiding place, letting the tension of the moment slowly dissipate. Then, with a sigh of relief, Percy and Eli dared to leave their makeshift shelter, ready to escape the dungeon, however, this task would not be easy to complete as they realized that multiple Slyzards guarded the path they arrive on.
"What are we going to do?!" Eli asked quietly, "those damn things are all over the place, and there's too many of them."
"I suppose we'll have to fight," Percy replied. "Have you fought these things before?"
"What? Of course not!"
"Alright then use this," Percy handed Eli a package that his friend Haru had given him, it contained multiple slyzards spikes recovered from their past battle, "be careful when handling it, each barb is loaded with skink venom, if you accidentally get stung you will be paralyzed and those damn beasts will eat you"
"Are you serious about facing those things?!" Eli asked incredulously, "There are too many..."
"Twenty-seven to be exact, but look at them, their skin hasn't yet taken on the characteristic color of Slyzards."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that all these damn things are young Slyzards, they have no experience hunting their prey, and their venom doesn't have the potency it needs. Truth be told, it's exceedingly rare to see such a large group of young males together, but I'll worry about that later"
"What are you talking about-?" Eli asked before being interrupted by Percy
"Listen to me carefully, Eli! The moment those things see me, they will move towards me trying to devour me. Take advantage of that moment to run where we came, run as fast as you can until you get out of the dungeon, with a bit of luck you won't find another one on the way and if you do use the poison I gave you"
"You can't be serious Percy!, It's impossible for you to survive fighting so many monsters, this isn't a game!"
Percy stared at Eli for a moment with his gaze fixed on Eli's face, who looked worriedly around, looking for a different way to escape the impending danger. Percy, with an intense gaze, held Eli's gaze, transmitting a message of confidence and determination. Briefly reflecting on the current situation, aware that they must act quickly to survive or else the Slyzards will find them ending all hope of any escape. However, his expression softens into a comforting smile as he speaks the words that convey both courage and confidence.
"I know this isn't a game," Percy replied with a cheerful smile, "it's a competition..."
"Percy!"
With a quick gesture, Percy pulls away from Eli and prepares to face the dangerous skinks. He draws his sword as he runs off.
And with determination in his steps, Percy rushes towards the confrontation with the skinks and with a leap Percy approached the nearest Slyzard, thrusting his sword edge hard into the beast's head and knocking it down immediately.
"ONE LESS!" Percy shouted, trying to get the attention of the remaining skinks. "COME ON, YOU DAMN BEASTS, I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"
His action provides Eli with the opportunity to escape the dungeon in the midst of darkness and danger, which was not wasted.
"Very good... and now how the hell am I going to finish you off?" Percy said, "I really didn't think the plan would work, you know, I was hoping that some of you would notice the smell of a girl or something like that and go after her. But you're stupid monsters!"
Upon hearing a sound behind him, he instantly looked back to see a beast flying overhead, leaping between the cavern's spiky rocks. Its fangs were uncovered, pointed at Percy's throat.
Percy instinctively used his sword to protect himself. Just before the tips of its fangs were about to pierce Percy's flesh, the tip of Percy's sword pierced the beast's neck, piercing it perfectly and killing it instantly.
"Whoa!"
Immediately Percy hurled the creature toward his companions with an exasperated sigh.
"That was closer than I thought. But now that I look at them closely, they're not that big."
Percy looked at the body lying. It was already a lifeless corpse, and though he knew perfectly well that it was a dangerous creature, it did not cause him any fear.
"Who's next?"
The beasts roared and attacked him mercilessly.
—|—|—|—|—|—|—|—
It had been about ten minutes since Eli had left. As Percy had planned, the demonic beasts had gathered around him. In the midst of exceptionally tough combat against a large number of monsters... He had no choice but to run through the huge cavern to save his own life.
"Shit! I believed I could fight all of them at the same time" Percy said his thoughts out loud, but his resistance just didn't hold up as well as he had hoped.
The beasts had tried to eat Percy the whole time, arriving one after another, their numbers soon exceeding anything he could handle. Percy had used his sword to pull about fifteen skinks out of the way, but they kept appearing one after the other as he killed them.
Percy could boast of above-average athletic ability, especially with how young he was, but he worried that his endurance would betray him, and no doubt the beasts chasing him were well aware of that and kept attacking.
"Looks like it's finally time to unleash whatever hidden power within me that I used to beat the others, but what is it and how do I us-Aaarrrggg!"
Percy let out a painful groan as the claws of a beast sank into his right shoulder, stopping his thoughts out loud.
The sharp pain sank deep into his shoulder, causing a sensation as if his arm was going to detach.
"Shit!"
Right after the attack, the cavern was filled with darkness before Percy's eyes and his feet met in the air.
His feet dug into the sky as a floating sensation assailed him, as if his stomach suddenly found itself in his mouth. But the next moment his heels met on a hillside, losing his balance as he slid.
"Did bastards set me up?!"
Even though Percy was able to finish off fifteen of them and manage to dodge all of their attacks, bites, sharp claws, and sudden fireballs. Percy had the idea that they were just brainless beasts, and he had been unable to shake his impression of them as just animals.
As a result, the seemingly viable path he had followed throughout the battle had literally led him to a cliff, the same one on which Percy saved Eli from falling into the void.
"SHIT,I FORGOT THAT WAS THERE!"
Percy's scream made his throat tremble as he slid down at a rather steep angle.
His left side scraped the ground as he used the sword he carried to stab it forcefully into the rock/wall, preventing it from sliding further. When he looked, he was a few meters from the end of the path to the ground.
"If it had been a second slower, I would have surely died," he said, looking at the piece of torch that had almost burned out at the bottom
When he looked up, several Slyzards chasing him howled like dogs and circled the edge of the precipice, staring at him and drooling at the same time. As if they knew perfectly well that they threw themselves at Percy, tthey would not have the same luck as him and would fall off a cliff to their death.
"What do you think you bastards?! COME ON! TRY TO DEVOUR ME IF YOU HAVE THE COURAGE!"
Percy watched as the Slyzards drooled over him over the precipice.
"Did you think I was going to die for something as simple as this? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA."
Percy's laughter could be heard throughout the dungeon and the number beasts only growled.
"HAHAHAHAHA, WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? COWARDS... Huh?!"
Looking down, several skinks stood at the bottom of the precipice, fervently watching Percy hanging from the wall and waiting for his fall, most likely to eat him after falling to the ground, once his bones are broken and immobilized, so the Slyzards would pounce on him without remorse.
"Damn... Was this their plan all along?" said Percy, incredulous at the change in his situation
Percy thought of all possible scenarios in search of one that would allow him to get out of there alive, when he looked over his head, the skinks looked at him spilling drool non-stop, as if inviting him to enter their mouths of his own volition. And below him, a larger number of Slyzards at the bottom of the ravine waiting for his fall.
"PERCY HOLD ON TIHT!"
A huge gust of wind coming from his left side swept away the beasts below him, raising a huge cloud of dust, Percy held on to his sword with all his strength to avoid falling and when looking down he could not distinguish anything.
"But what...?" Percy said, confused
The cloud began to slowly dissipate and in a matter of a few minutes Percy could observe what had happened, the stench of blood completely filled the dungeon, a smell of metal permeated the nose, the walls splattered with blood coming from the enemies, however, something strange happened.
All the monsters had been counted in half without exception, dividing the animal's body into two huge portions, one with its head intact and the other with its hind limbs.
"Percy!" Hurry down because we have to get out of here right now before more arrive"
Quickly and without time, Percy hurried down the cliff, holding on to the rocks and steady his pace as he went along, with one hand he thrust his sword into the depths of the rock and with the other he tried to find the best way.
"Eli?" Percy asked, totally surprised once he got out of his precarious situation "hadn't you fled to the surface long ago?"
"I couldn't leave you alone"
"Are you crazy?" Percy replied, "that way we'll both end up dead. My sacrifice was of no avail...
"Argggg! You're insufferable!, I'm just trying to help you bitter damn and...
Footsteps and roars approached Percy and Eli's location from afar, stopping the two's argument
"I think we'll discuss it later," Percy said
"I agree," Eli replied before the two ran from there
—|—|—|—|—|—|—|—
Their breath was ragged, sweat soaked their bodies, while running with all their might, leaning their body forward to reduce wind resistance, even the slightest. But the sounds of their pursuers' footsteps didn't subside, they sounded beside them, as if they were outwitting Percy and Eli's attempt to escape. The chances of escape were practically nil at this point.
Percy gasped as if he were desperate for oxygen. Percy's mouth was wide open.
"But what a horrible face!" said Eli
It had been a little over fifteen minutes since Eli had met Percy again. Running through the various underground chambers of the dungeon with beasts right behind them, they occasionally released slight fireballs, but these were avoided with minimal effort.
"It seems that our pursuers are infant Slyzards. We may have a small chance to get out of this one alive," Percy said
"And I thought you could fight them!"
"Excuse me?!" Percy replied to Eli's comment, "I fought them before you came. Only their numbers increased drastically I made a strategic retreat"
"Godsss! "We're screwed," Eli said. "Those damn things will follow you to death, we don't have much time before they'll find us again."
At that same moment, Percy heard various creaks and looked back, where he saw a large amount of rocks descending from the sides of the dungeon, crushing several of the beasts, but some of them only suffered several cuts on the sides of their legs, while they climbed the rocks.
Percy immediately recognized the beasts he had previously faced.
"I'm starting to hate dungeons..."
In filing his complaint, Percy checked his numb legs as he prepared to continue the "strategic retreat" as fast as he could. He prayed that the beasts would decide to leave them alone in the face of the deaths and injuries they have suffered.
A moment before Percy and Eli started running at full speed, he managed to notice something strange.
The beasts that slithered down the cliff and along the sides of the dungeon seemed to become agitated. They began to tremble on the rocks, and the instant they reached the ground, they began to flee in all directions.
"Huh? Uh, I'm here...?"
The sight of them scattering like little spiders was a little too strange.
"What's going on here...?" The moment after thinking about it, an explosion at the top of the cliff brought the answer.
"Huh?!"
When he looked up again, the change at the top of the cliff surprised Percy, but he instantly understood.
A human silhouette now stood on the precipice far above them.
She was a girl dressed in military uniform and armor, wearing chains wrapped in flames, as she stared down the slope with eyes full of anger.
The moment Percy's eyes met that murderous look, Percy broke out in a cold sweat as he experienced a bad feeling like no other.
In an instant, the girl jumped off the high cliff to land on the ground far below.
Percy gasped. There he was, deep in the dungeon, surrounded by hungry skinks, face to face with a demonic girl straight out of a horror story and next to him another he barely knew: "Is this a little unfair?" he said to himself.
The pressure emanating from the unknown girl made him hesitate to even blink. He didn't know what would happen if he took his eyes off the threat in front of him for a split second.
"Thank heaven!" Eli exclaimed, "Now we are safe."
"What?" Percy asked, "Do you know that girl?"
"Of course, she's my older sister Aneth"
That same thought brought Percy a forced smile, "What kind of family do you have?" he wondered, but he couldn't bring himself to mention it.
The girl turned her head to Percy and Eli, staring at them.
The girl's military attire was completely covered in blood splatters. A layer of fresh blood moistens the dried blood beneath her in an eerie two-tone pattern.
Her nails were long and sharp enough as the claws of the Slyzards present. A flaming chain was wrapped around her arms and a pool of blood and bits of skinky flesh surrounded her, creating a worrying and exceptionally perfect combination for a first encounter.
When he looked, he saw many beasts waiting behind the shadow of the rocks and among the shadows they cast, the Slyzards were watching his every move. They would attack him the instant he showed them the slightest opening.
Percy couldn't move, and the skinks couldn't move. The whole situation would depend on the next action of this "Aneth".
"My name is Percy, nice to meet you..."
"PERCY!"
Eli interrupted his words when Aneth launched an attack with the force of a typhoon with her chains.
It was almost a miracle that Percy had managed to bend his body to the left in time. Or perhaps it was fortunate that Percy's legs were a little weak and tired of the competition he was participating in.
But the side of the chain brushed against his right shoulder as he passed. The anguish over his torn flesh sent a signal to his brain.
Biting himself to hold back a pain-filled scream, Percy took a few steps back from his starting position.
"That hurts, you sick fuck!"
Percy covered his right shoulder with his hand before moving from where he was because a moment later, the chain violently hit the place where Percy had just left, leaving a winding path on the ground and a black mark that made it obvious that he was wrapped in fire.
If Percy had been a little slower to dodge, his back would have carried the same mark.
"Sister, stop! Percy isn't our enemy," Eli said, "he doesn't even know what a half-breed is."
"Eli... Have you forgotten that we can't trust a half-breed?" Do you remember what happened the last time you did it?
"But he..."
Percy didn't understand what was going on, and he was certainly tired of hearing the same word, "I still don't know what a half-breed is" he said to himself.
The situation couldn't be worse, surrounded by monsters and a girl who loved burning chains, not to mention that he still hadn't been able to find the scroll he needed.
"Hey, excuse me! My name is Percy and I think I'm the only one in this damn place who doesn't understand things, your pretty sister saved my life a few moments ago and I don't want to be ungrateful, but I think you both have things to talk about so if you don't mind I'll go and you-whoa!
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted again because Aleth began to spin his chain around and in this way began to pulverize the rocks and beasts around him while Percy made a throw out of the trajectory to evade the attack and looked back.
"But how rude you are to interrupt someone like that, psychopath, I saw my family's faces before my eyes!"
As Percy screamed, Aneth leaned forward, holding the end of his chain, and placed a ball of pure iron on it, "You half-bloods won't hurt my family again!"
At that instant Aneth threw the iron ball, but was interrupted by a pair of Slyzards behind them, moments before the sharp teeth of the beasts could penetrate the armor, Aneth jumped, using the momentum to spin and rise above the beasts avoiding their attacks to make them explode both to then use the iron ball.
The beasts that had formed a second wave to attack from behind, but that scene made them stop.
Aneth spun her chain, and with a single horizontal attack from the side of the beasts she was able to break the bellies and skulls of those closest to her. One of the beasts fell next to Aneth, so she hurriedly crushed one of its front legs, once the beast was pinned, she used her other foot to kick it in the head cracking its skull cruelly.
The beasts' attack continued, a second beast jumped on it, but this was not enough, the iron ball crushed the beast's head and a third pounced on it, but Aneth wrapped around the previous end of the chain resulting in the separation of the beast's body and head.
The slaughter continued to make it clear that the beasts could not compare to the destructive power of this girl. However...
"They don't stop appearing, there are more and more" Percy said as he glanced around
Although the skinks saw their brethren being cut, burned, slaughtered, and quartered one after another, they showed no signs of stopping. They bared their fangs, threw fireballs, howled, and brandished their claws against Aneth.
A pile of skink corpses was piling up, but they managed to make small gains, Percy noticed that the armor the girl was wearing was worn and full of fissures and holes, it was reddened not only on the outside, but also a fresh bleeding from the inside.
The battle before his eyes between skinks and a psychopath was extremely intense, and the beasts no longer paying attention to Percy and Eli...
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