Chapter 27: Zeus Blows Up a Library
He was alone for the moment. Nothing but the steady drip of blood making a sound as it rolled down the length of his sword and dropped towards the floor. It evolved from a steady stream clapping onto the stone floor into a slower drip that splashed as it joined the pool already formed underneath it. Riptide shook gently as Percy tried to keep the rage bubbling up in his chest down inside him. Everything felt on fire except his chest, which felt like a cold hand was squeezing his heart, shortening his breath and only further enhancing the frustration bubbling within him.
He had been so close, within mere feet, of Thalia but he hadn't been fast enough. All the extra speed, all the extra strength, it simply wasn't adding up to being enough to do what he needed it to. She was gone, Alice with her, and it didn't matter that he knew where they were, they were thousands of miles outside of his reach.
Riptide steadied, and Percy frowned. He didn't feel any calmer. It was when he saw the bookcases shaking in the distance that he understood why it didn't seem like Riptide was shaking, it was because the floor was shaking with it. He took a deep, raggedy breath, and focused on his breathing. He cast his mind back to a time when everything was at peace, when the freezing oppressiveness of the ice surrounded him, when he was alone.
The ground stopped shaking, and Riptide steadied in his hand.
"Jobs not finished…" He whispered under his breath, glancing around and taking in his surroundings for the first time.
Just in front and behind him were rows of old shelves, stacked with books so old that it looked as though they might crumble under his touch. But next to him was a statue. As he looked up at the chiselled marble of a young man, he couldn't shake the feeling that he recognised him from somewhere. It was when he saw the broken wings at the base of the statue that he realised where he knew him from, this was a statue of Marduk. It was less handsome than the man had been in his dream, but then again trying to recreate that face out of marble seemed all but impossible. Marduk had been one of the most handsome men he had ever laid eyes on, the only real competition coming from his brother Enlil. The statue was grinning, clasping a sword in one hand and an open book in the other.
If the Annunaki cult members had been clustered around the statue, then reason suggested that there was probably a reason for that. He stepped up to it, using Marduk's sword to pull himself up to a level at which he could read the book. There were lines written inside but in a language that he couldn't read, and he was about to let out another groan of frustration when something weird happened. One of the symbols in the first line, as foreign looking as could be for Percy who could read both English, Greek, and to a lesser extent Latin, began to shift. At first Percy thought he was hallucinating, and that grover had sent him on another drug fueled trip, but as the seconds passed it wriggled into a letter that Percy could recognise: H. Percy scanned the rest of the page, and lo and behold before him the entire page began to rearrange itself, morphing from whatever language it had been into English.
"Here lies a message…" Percy began to read aloud, "...to whoever may follow my footsteps. Do not read the first and despair…for the second shall have the final say. Praise be to the King of the Annunaki…and he who spills blood on my burden."
As Percy finished speaking a creaking sound began to emit from the statue, causing him to jump back in awe as he watched the hand clasping the sword begin to spin. As though turning a key, the ancient marble statue twisted in Marduk's hand until coming to rest at a 90 degree angle from where it began. When it fell still a creak below him caught Percy's attention. From the base of the statue a slab of marble had slid out, and inside was a small book, no bigger than a phone.
Percy dropped down to his knee and picked it up, surprised that it didn't crumble under. Maybe being locked away in the slab helped to preserve it. Flipping it open he found there were only two pages, the one on the right was blank, but on the left were some verses he was familiar with.
"To the call each nation rise, send forth your soldiers to their demise. The fallen son shall pave the way, but the forgotten one is he who'll pay. The first family torn at the seams, a new dawn nought but broken dreams. The beast of the east shall spread its wings, and prepare the earth for its king of kings."
Percy felt himself getting angry again. Marduk was supposed to be on his side, and all he had managed to produce for him was the same shitty prophecy he had already heard before. He glared up at the perfect face of the old king of the Annunaki and wished he was here to give answers to the questions that were eating Percy up. He considered taking a swing at the statue out of frustration, but the sound of distant yelling caught his attention before he could. When he heard a girl scream he shoved the book into his back pocket and broke out into a sprint.
Concrete became a blur under his feet as he pushed himself faster than he had before. He had been too slow to escape to Annabeth, too slow to rescue Thalia, he wasn't going to be too slow for this. A sense of burning crept into his legs as he pushed his muscles to move faster and faster, the bookcases blurring to one as he shot towards the source of the scream.
As he burst into a small clearing in the library he found a group of twenty people or so huddled together unconscious at the base of a statue, as Annunaki cult members warded off attacks from the glowing blue avatar that was Carter Kane. Axel and Scarlett were nowhere to be seen, but Amara was on the ground, blood running down the side of her head. When one of the Annunaki went to take a swing at her helpless form he felt the rage build up inside of him like a tsunami.
He saw his body move before he felt it, his hands grabbing the cult member and placing his foot against his chest. Any restraint he might have been holding onto he let go of, and with a sickening snap he felt the arm come loose, a spray of blood following in his wake. The cult member led out a blood curdling scream of pain, dropping to his knees, but Percy decided to be merciful, stepping forward and ending the man's suffering with the swift snap of his neck.
He didn't know what had gotten into him, but he was so sick of being powerless. Another member ran at him, a woman, but he simply grabbed her sword by the blade and ripped it out of her hand. She tried to stagger back but he was already mid swing, and her head made a soft squelch as it fell to the ground. These people were trying to wipe out humanity by bringing back a monster. The next cult member grabbed his throat as blood gurgled from the open wound the sword left when Percy pulled the blade free. Who did they think they were? Why did they have the right to try and ruin his life? By now it was no longer a fight, it was turning into a massacre. They were acting like animals…so Percy was going to treat them like animals.
Some ran, but none of them were faster than him. Some fought, but none were stronger than him. Some begged, but he preferred the silence. One sobbed, so he ended their misery. The others…there were no others. The room was silent again, except for short pants as Percy tried to catch his breath. He fell to his knees, the weapon of whatever poor soul he had just murdered clattering at his feet. He looked back at the scene of his onslaught, but had to turn away as nausea threatened to overtake him. He looked down at his ice blue armour and found it shaded crimson with the blood of the people he had murdered. These people hadn't been monsters exploding into dust, they had been human, maybe demigods even. His breaths, short before, now became frantic. He didn't know what had happened, he didn't know what had come over him. He clutched at his chest as he fought desperately for air. Was he going to die? Was this his punishment for the sin he had just inflicted on these people? Was he a monster?
Suddenly a hand was on his face, and he looked up into the dark eyes of the daughter of Hades.
"Breathe with me Percy," she whispered, "It's okay. Just breathe with me."
He followed her lead, inhaling as she did, exhaling as she did. The panic faded, his breathing returned to normal. He felt something wet run down his face, and realised in an almost out of body experience that they were his tears. He lifted his hand and wiped them away. He felt another hand on his shoulder, and looked up to see Carter's brown eyes staring back at him.
"They were the enemy, Percy. Do not disrespect your enemy by crying at their failure. They chose to fight you. They lost. That feeling…that anger…don't be scared of it. Embrace it…and they'll learn to run instead."
Percy wasn't entirely sure if he had just heard Carter correctly, because it sounded an awful lot like justifying murder. Note to self: Don't hire Carter as his lawyer. But he did have a point, they were the enemy, and they were the ones that had kidnapped Thalia and seemed hellbent on bringing back the most dangerous being ever to walk the Earth. That being said…he didn't like the feeling of not being in control. He had been so fast that he had outpaced the speed his brain could process being rational. He couldn't let that happen again, he didn't like what he had become. Killing them in battle was one thing…slaughtering them was entirely different.
"Are you okay?" Percy asked, looking over at Amara, worried she was going to be staring at him like he was the monster he felt that he was. Instead, when he saw her face her eyes were shining with awe and gratitude. She staggered over to him and enveloped him in a hug, accidently getting herself covered in their enemies blood.
"Thank you for saving my life, Percy," she gasped, clutching him as though if she let go he would disappear, "You really can do anything."
The guilt that had been welling up in his chest subsided as the magician held him, and for a moment losing control to protect her felt justified. She had been about to die, he had done what he had to to save her life.
He hugged her back and as they released one another her face hovered close to his for a moment. When he looked at her, he saw her eyeing his lips nervously. She glanced up at his eyes and blushed, finally pulling away.
"On another note," Carter interrupted, "If you were looking for information on the Annunaki. Their statue is behind you."
Percy whirled around, looking up at a face he once again found eerily familiar. Enlil's perfect face looked off into the distance, mirroring his brother with a sword in one hand and a book in the other, even the text was the same as the other statue. The only difference was this time the compartment in the marble had already been opened, and inside it was empty.
"They were already here," Percy sighed, "Whatever was inside they already have possession of."
"Open your mind," Carter chided him, stepping towards Amara to begin tending to her wounds, "Don't think like a Greek…think like an Egyptian."
Percy frowned, "Are you calling me stupid because I'm Greek? Because I'm pretty sure that's racism."
Carter frowned back, "Percy, I am Pharaoh of the Egyptian people, if I'm not allowed to be racist towards non-Egyptians what is the point of being Pharaoh?" Seeing that Percy wasn't laughing at his joke he relented, "Greeks see what they see, that's why the Mist is so powerful in your world. They so rarely look beyond. There is powerful magic here Percy, so powerful it hinders Hades' girl's shadow travelling. Summoning my avatar took twice the energy it normally would. And it's all coming from this statue. Approach the statue again, but this time look for the magic."
Percy was fairly certain that Carter was straight up speaking another language at this point. With all his wishy-washy cryptic language he was pretty certain Carter and Grover would get on like a house on fire. But nonetheless he got to his feet and approached the statue. He looked up at Enlil's face, searching for an easy to see sign saying 'Here is the magic'.
'Look for the magic!' Like what was that even supposed to mean? Bunch of cryptic, old dude, hippie, Disney World, bullshit that meant absolutely nothing when you actually…
Percy's train of thought faded out as he realised Enlil was no longer staring off into the distance, but instead was staring right at him. Made entirely of marble, the statue's eyes were now glowing silver.
"Mine?" it asked suddenly, its marble lips pursing together as the statue looked Percy up and down, "No…but special. Why do you approach me boy?"
Percy opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, glancing over at Carter, but Carter was only looking at him, seemingly completely ignorant of the fact that the statue could now speak. "You speak?" he asked bewildered.
"Of course I speak. Do you know how pathetic my existence would be if I were to exist for thousands of years and NOT be able to speak?" the statue shot back.
"But …don't most statues not speak?"
"Do I strike you as most statues?"
Percy scratched his head in confusion, "I mean I guess not. So you're magical?"
The statue laughed, "I am imbued with the power of the King of the Annunaki, His Majesty Enlil."
"Oh, that's…unfortunate."
The statue turned back with a scowl, "You do not bear love for the King of Kings."
"From what I've heard he's kind of a tool."
The statue growled, pulling its sword free from the concrete and for a moment Percy thought he was about to get his head lopped off. "Then let me educate you boy!" And with that he lowered the point of the blade until it touched Percy's forehead. For a moment he felt the cool touch of the marble sword, but almost as soon as it touched the feeling disappeared, as did the entire world around him.
Instead, it was replaced by a pyramid that had become all too familiar with him, as he stood amongst the marble columns of the palace of the Annunaki. Something was different now though, the sounds of the markets below seemed to roar with more life, as laughter drifted up from below to fill the palace halls. He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Ninlil, beautiful as ever with her long, silky black hair, giggling as she walked with an Annunaki woman he didn't recognise.
"He's so handsome," she whispered hurriedly to her friend, "But his brother is so kind, how am I supposed to choose?"
The friend laughed, her blonde hair falling in curls as it framed her silver eyes and equally gorgeous face, "Listen, I'm all for the 'marry your best friend' schtick the First Men talk about, but he is so hot. Babe, you can't pass up on a body like that. Did you see him at last year's competition?"
Ninlil blushed, "I know, I know. But I don't even know if he likes me, Ishtar. And Enki is always so kind. He brings me gifts and other amazing things. And he always listens."
Ishtar snorted, "Nin, you're the hottest girl I've ever laid my eyes on, of course Enlil is interested in you. He would be dumb as hell not to be. And as for Enki," she shrugged, "Why not both?"
Ninlil gasped, "Ish, you're so naughty. Besides, shouldn't you be worried about trying to get into Marduk's pants?"
Ishtar grinned, "Been there done that. Now some silly little mortal has caught his eye. I've never understood his obsession with them. Especially when you've got the goddess of SEX right here!"
Ninlil elbowed her jokingly, "Maybe you're falling off."
Ishtar elbowed her back, "Shut up. Now come on, let's go bother Nintu."
The two girls disappeared down a hallway, their giggles fading as they got further and further away from him. The Ninlil/Enki/Enlil love triangle wasn't new to him, but he was certainly getting the feeling that the vision he was seeing now had happened long before the other visions. More footsteps caught his attention, and this time he recognised both the faces when they emerged.
Marduk's dark hair fell across his silver eyes, while Enlil's blonde hair was cut shorter, revealing more of a face that put even the marble bust to shame. Unlike the girls though, their conversation was not a lighthearted one.
"You are putting me in a terrible situation," Enlil growled, "I was not born to bear the responsibility of kingship, and a petty crush is no excuse to abandon your post."
"I am not abandoning my post, brother. I have simply found a higher calling."
"A higher calling than being king?"
"Love is the highest calling of all," Marduk told him.
Enlil scoffed, "She is a mortal girl, she will be dead in the blink of an eye. You wish to waste years of expansion, of development, of leadership and growth, to sit idly by a primitive fire and raise a family of which you will outlive all of them?"
Marduk stopped and turned on Enlil, his eyes flashing, "I do. And it is my right!"
"You have no rights," Enlil hissed, "You have duties. Duties that you promised our father and grandfather you would fulfil."
"And now I am passing them on to the one person I know capable of carrying my burden. The strongest being I've ever met face to face."
Enlil's face hardened, "Strength does not make a king…patience, diplomacy, tact, those are the things that make a king."
"Then you will learn them," Marduk sighed.
"Why learn what you already possess!" Enlil yelled, "Don't do this to me brother. Don't place the weight of the crown on my head when it is neither fit nor ready to bear its weight. I am a boy!"
"You are a man!" Marduk yelled back, getting in Enlil's face as his eyes began to glow, "You are fearless in the face of any opposition and yet to cower from this? You will change the game. You will be a king to be remembered!"
"And what happens if I break?" Enlil roared, his voice bordering on a scream as his eyes began to glow to match his brothers, "What happens if my gift becomes a curse?"
Marduk's eyes softened, and he took a step back. He put his hand against Enlil's chest and sighed, "How can it become a curse, brother? You were chosen. Above me…above Enki…because our grandfather saw in you the possibilities to bring forth a glorious new age. You do not march alone into the future brother, I march with you. But it is time that you took your rightful place as king."
Tears began to roll down Enlil's face, but it did nothing to take away from its beauty, "They love you. They all love you. You are a hero to man and god alike. You are the king they deserve. You were chosen to be king."
"And I took that burden," Marduk replied, his voice now barely above a whisper, "And when we lost our home, I led us to our new one. But I can feel in my bones, brother, I was never destined for kingship. Another of the blood of Abzu is destined to rule the Annunaki. Enki is not brave enough, and I am not strong enough. Only you, Enlil, as the last of Abzu's bloodline, can lead us towards our destiny."
Enlil's lip quivered. "You were always strong enough to me," He whispered.
Marduk stepped forward, enveloping his brother tightly in a hug. "My greatest honour…" he told Enlil, "...will be watching you flourish into the king you are destined to become. Feared by your enemies, beloved by your friends. I will be standing at the front of the crowds that praise your name and scream to the heavens 'Long live the king, long live Enlil!'"
Enlil returned the embrace, clutching his brother so tight as though if he were to loosen his grip Marduk would vanish, "I will make you proud brother. I will make sure all know the glory of the Annunaki!"
Marduk pulled away, and looked at his brother with a beaming smile, "I cannot wait. But first, we must find you a Queen."
Enlil frowned, "You never had a queen!"
"Because I was always destined to love a mortal woman…and a mortal woman could never be queen."
"What about Ishtar?" Enlil asked with a smirk.
"She and I have a…complicated relationship. She would have made me a happy man, but as my queen it never would have worked.
Enlil blushed, "Oh…I had kind of meant…for me…"
Now it was Marduk's turn to blush, "I mean…she is a very nice girl…she's very beautiful…she-"
Enlil held up his hand, cutting his brother off, "I've heard enough, thanks. I would say Nintu but…we hate each other."
Marduk shook his head, "You are meant to be with Ninlil brother, I can feel it. She is destined to be a queen, you can see it in every fibre of her being."
Enlil looked at him bewildered, "But she is in love with Enki!"
"We all make sacrifices," Marduk told him, his eyes darkening, "Ninlil will make the perfect queen, and she will forget her crush on Enki in the arms of you as her beloved."
Enlil's lip quivered again, "But what of Enki? What of our brother? You would have me break his heart?"
Marduk's face hardened, "He will do what his king tells him. And he will accept his place. That is why he is not fit to be king, and it is why he will not have Ninlil as his queen."
Marduk turned and began to head out of the corridor, leaving a stunned Enlil standing in his wake. Just before he exited the room, Enlil called out to him, "And what if her heart forever belongs to Enki? What will I do then?"
Marduk didn't even glance back at his brother, calling out behind him, "Then it will be your burden to bear…heavy is the head that wears the crown."
The pyramid seemed to warp away from Percy as soon as it had begun, and all of a sudden Percy found himself back on the cold concrete, staring up at the marble bust of Enlil as it stared off into the distance. He sat for a moment, catching his breath and collecting his thoughts before he realised everyone in the room was staring at him.
"What?" He asked, looking over at Carter.
The Pharaoh just shrugged, "You seemed to be in a trance for a moment, and then you fell to the ground. I'm guessing you found the magic?"
Percy wiped a bead of sweat off of his forehead, "More like it found me."
"Well speaking of finding things," A voice interrupted, and Percy turned to see that Axel had rejoined the group, Percy's shield in his hand, "I can't find Jett, Alice, or Thalia anywhere."
"Thalia and Alice are in Antarctica," Percy sighed, "I wasn't fast enough to save them."
Axel's face fell, but he did his best to hide his disappointment, "And no Jett?"
Percy shook his head.
Axel hung his head, "Do we think he's dead?"
Scarlett moved over to the son of Ares and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "When we get back to camp, I'll ask my father."
Axel glanced down at her smiling up at him, and his face softened. "Thank you, Scarlett," he murmured.
"So," Carter interrupted, looking at Percy, "What did you see?"
Percy scratched at the five o'clock shadow that was beginning to break out across his jaw, "An answer to question one. But a lot more questions in its wake."
Axel perked up, "Marduk and Enlil?" he asked.
Percy nodded, "I know how Enlil became king, but…I don't understand."
Carter frowned, "Don't understand what?"
"He seemed like he would make a great king. Even when Marduk put him in a situation to wrong another, he fought it. He tried to do the right thing."
"And?" Carter pressed.
"And I don't understand how that person committed genocide."
Axel looked at the statue and rubbed his chin, "Maybe it was propaganda?"
Percy looked back at the statue. Maybe it was propaganda…but the problem was it aligned with everything he had learned about Enlil and the Annunaki so far. Everything apart from the warning Chronos had given. That creeping suspicion that the primordial of Time was not to be trusted caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up.
"So," Scarlett muttered, "What's the plan?"
Axel groaned, "Can everyone please stop stealing my line?"
Carter stepped forward, "We need to get these hostages out of here. There are still rebels and fighters on the floors above us. Any chance of an easy shadow travel?" he asked, looking at Scarlett, but the look on the daughter of Hades' face when she surveyed the number of people killed that idea before it could get off the ground.
"The rope then," Amara stated, "The daughter of Hades shadow travels someone strong enough to pull all of us up attached to the rope, and then we fend off any potential attacks to protect these people. Can you manage that?"
Scarlett, despite her face being plastered with sweat, nodded enthusiastically.
"Take me," Axel said, stepping forward, "I'm strong as hell, and Percy will be a lot more useful than me protecting the hostages. Just give the rope a big tug when you're ready."
Carter nodded his approval and so Scarlett grabbed Axel's hand, pulling him towards the corner of the room until they disappeared into the shadows. "Okay," the Pharaoh muttered, "Now let's get these guys attached to the rope."
Tying all of the hostages to the rope was harder work than Percy had expected, but with three sets of hands they made steady progress. A few of the hostages came as they did so, hugging Carter as they did so and thanking the gods that he was there. Unfortunately they were still too groggy to be much help, but at least they were less of a deadweight when it came to attaching them to the rope.
With the last of the twenty hostages tied up, Carter made his way to the front of the rope, while Percy and Amara took the bottom. Percy tried to take the bottom spot from Amara, but she declined, saying that some of her and Carter's defensive spells required her to be the person at the bottom. With the line set up Carter gave a tug, and slowly but surely they began their ascent towards the top of the library.
Interestingly, whatever spell Carter and Amara were using was working, as none of the rebels or the cult members paid them any mind as they slowly rose mere feet from where they were standing.
"What is happening?" Percy whispered, glancing down at Amara.
She grinned up at him, "An invisibility spell. A simple spell but quite unbreakable, as long as Carter and I keep focus."
Percy nodded, "I'll leave you to it."
It wasn't long before the enormous domed ceiling came into view, and as the figures of Ra and Horus spread out above them the yells of palace forces clashing with the rebels filled Percy's ears. They had only made it down a couple of floors, which validated Percy's earlier thoughts that fighting their way down level by level would have taken too long. Then the rope came to a sudden stop. Percy looked up with concern, but it quickly became clear that it was due to the struggles with getting the unconscious hostages over the railing and to safety. Progress became slower after that, but they were still rising towards the safety of the railing.
With an almighty crash the enormous domed glass ceiling shattered into pieces, showering shards of glass down on top of them and causing the artificial light from outside to filter into the library. Percy's eyes darted towards the source of the noise, and in the midst of the shower of coloured glass he saw a figure hovering in the air, sword in hand.
"JETT!" he heard a voice, likely Axel's, scream above him.
As Percy narrowed his eyes and peered at the figure in the sky, he realised that Axel was right, it was Jett. The son of Zeus appeared different though, strands of lightning flickered across his body, and his eyes glowed a harsh electric blue.
"PEOPLE OF EGYPT!" He bellowed out, his voice carrying throughout the library and likely beyond into outside as well, "OLYMPUS SENT US TO YOU WITH A MESSAGE OF PEACE, AND YOU RESPONDED WITH AN ACT OF WAR!"
Percy's stomach churned as Jett screams rang out. Yes, he had technically been captured by the Egyptians back at the Twenty-First Nome, but he had kind of deserved it. Still, his only experience had been being sold to the Annunaki cult. How he had escaped, and why he was now making a massive scene, Percy wasn't entirely sure.
"IN THE NAME OF MY FATHER, LORD ZEUS, KING OF OLYMPUS AND RULER OF THE SKIES, I HEREBY DECLARE WAR ON THE PEOPLE OF EGYPT!"
Thunderclouds seemed to appear from thin air above him, and as he raised his sword an enormous bolt of lighting connected with the tip, sending sparks flying hundreds of feet through the air. The sword, now glowing with a yellow light, was aimed down towards the library by Jett, and with an almighty yell an arc of lighting erupted downwards, shooting down the centre of the library, just scraping past Percy, and crashing into the library below. The force of the impact caused the library to shake, and Percy had to tighten his grip on the rope as it swung wildly back and forth. A blast of heat hit him from below, and a glance down revealed a mounting inferno building up from the depths of the library. The heat of the lightning must have connected with flammable parts of the library below, because the blaze was roaring up the floors, consuming everything in its path. The problem wasn't just the main bolt of lighting though, as some sparks had fired off from the main bolt, and one had struck what appeared to be a jar of oil. With a bang the jar exploded and released a new torrent of flames, this time shooting out towards the centre of the library. Percy had to duck to avoid getting a faceful of fire, but the flames ripped through the thin rope above him and with a sudden snap Percy found himself in free fall.
Amara let out a scream below him, but Percy's instincts took over. He rolled through the air and kicked off from one of the walls with force, sending him flying into Amara and causing both of them to crash into one of the lower floors. They rolled for a moment before coming to a stop, both of them panting with Amara lying on top of Percy's prone figure. She lifted her head up gently, and Percy found himself face to face with her brown eyes. There was an awkward silence for a moment, and then suddenly her lips were against his.
Percy wasn't proud to admit that it wasn't his best work. It felt sloppy and rushed, but there was a sense of desperation behind it that drove the passion. Her hands were on his face, and his were tangled in her hair. He felt her bite his lip and he gasped in response.
But as soon as it had begun it was over, and they lay still for a second, their foreheads resting against one another as they both fought to catch their breath.
"Sorry," she breathed huskily, "You just keep saving my life."
Percy blushed, but smiled at her warmly, "I don't know why you're saying sorry."
Amara blushed, before pushing off of his chest and getting to her feet. She held out her hand and Percy took it gratefully, rising to his feet alongside her. Both their faces were read, and as Percy opened his mouth to say something the floor began to shake. It was then that Percy realised that the heat was not just from the situation, it was boiling.
The flames had continued their ascent and were now reaching the floor they found themselves on. Without wasting a moment Peryc grabbed Amaras hand and began to sprint towards the staircase, now in a race against time with the blazing inferno. Smoke clouded his vision and yellow flames filled the corners of his vision, but he pressed on. He heard Amara coughing behind him, but he knew he couldn't slow down. If they stopped they were going to die. A couple of rebels were trying to escape ahead of them, but when they saw Percy and Amara behind them they turned to fight. Percy wasted no time sending them flying with a couple well-placed kicks though. They made it up a floor, and only had a couple to go, but now the fire had reached the floor they were on, and all around them the library was beginning to collapse.
As the next set of stairs appeared ahead of them a loud snap sounded next to them, and all of a sudden a bookcase fell towards them. Percy yanked Amara forward, but he wasn't fast enough. The wooden structure hit her square in the chest and sent her flying toward the railing, ripping her hand from his grip. Under the combined force of Amara and the bookcase the railing snapped, sending the Egyptian off into freefall and hurtling towards the awaiting flames below.
Percy felt a scream rip itself out of his throat, and he lunged towards the edge, preparing to jump after her, but before he could dive forward a strong hand yanked him back. He turned to see the hooded figure holding his arm, and he swung his free hand at them, trying to break free.
"Perseus stop!" The figure, a woman, yelled, "She is dead. There is nothing you can do for her."
"I won't let her die!" Percy screamed, desperately trying to pull himself towards the edge, "Let me go, let me save her!"
"Perseus!" The woman screamed, grabbing her hood and pulling it down to reveal long auburn hair and familiar silver eyes, but the face they belonged to were older than normal, "Don't throw your life away. We need to save Thalia."
Percy looked at the goddess of the moon, and in his eyes she could see the tinge of desperation that threatened to take over, "I have to save her. I have to at least try."
Artemis grabbed him with her other hand and pulled him forcefully into an embrace, dragging him away from the edge, "You can't save everyone Perseus, but there are people you can save, and they need you."
Tears brimmed in the corner of his eyes, and it took all of his willpower not to begin sobbing into the chest of the Huntress. "Why do they keep dying Artemis…why does everyone keep dying around me?"
Artemis pulled away and held his face as tears began to roll down his cheeks, "Because the life you lead is one destined for greatness. And greatness requires bearing burdens far in excess of what normal men can bear. Now come Perseus, and live!"
As if on cue the ceiling above then began to collapse, and so Artemis grabbed Percy by the hand and began sprinting towards the entrance. Without Amara they were much faster, and as Percy tried to keep up with the goddess their surroundings became a blur around him. Smoke filled his lungs and the heat felt as though it was searing his skin, but soon the intricate entrance doors loomed before them, and they burst out of the smoke and into the open air of the outside.
Artemis pulled him away from the doors as his legs began to buckle underneath him. Tears rolled down his face as the goddess sat him down at a safe distance from the library that was now completely engulfed in flames. He felt a hand on his shoulder and found Carter staring down at him.
"Amara?" He asked, his voice shaking.
Percy closed his eyes and looked away, unable to face his friend. He heard Carter sit next to him, and felt him put his arm around his shoulder, holding him close. He opened his eyes and saw the Pharaoh of Egypt, with tears rolling down his face as well, watching as the library of the First Nome burned before them.
Author's Note: Happy New Year all and I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of 2024. Like I said I was excited to write this, but I am really excited to write the next chapter. I have a few more days of break and so I will work on getting that chapter out so expect it before next week. After that updates may be less frequent as the spring semester rears its ugly head once more.
As always review if you like it, review if you hate it, review if you have questions, review if you want answers. Feed the cookie clicker machine that is my writing. Every review, no matter how short, is motivation to get the next chapter out as quickly as possible.
Hope all of your 2024s started off well, and I'll see you with the next chapter!