Stranger Danger

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<edited on: 13 Jul 2021>

  Percy's POV

The next day was eventful, to put it lightly.

The morning started as usual, with me falling from my bed with a loud Thud.

Just how completely regular people wake up daily.

I quickly cleaned myself up and decided to take a shower. A feeling of safety filled me as the water hit my skin.

After a few minutes, I got out of the bathroom, willed myself dry and made way to the cabin door. Little did I know that turning the knob of the door would be the last normal thing to happen to me for a long time.

I opened the door to find the camp in a dull mood. Still, it was better than the previous night. The expressions of the campers varied from tired to depressed.

After breakfast, I helped organise funeral shrouds for the fallen demigods. It pained me every time I saw the corpse of someone I knew.

Later that afternoon, I decided to take a stroll down that forest to clear my mind. I walked for a few minutes deep in thought when I realised I didn't know where I was. I was pretty sure I had never been to this part of the forest before.

But then I felt the sudden urge to walk to my left. There was something in there that was calling to me. I uncapped Riptide instinctively and adjusted the backpack that I had brought with me, which I always carry when I go to the forest in case of emergencies.

I kept walking in the direction where I got the feeling the most. I walked for a minute or two before I came across a clearing. I was not prepared for what I saw.

Lying on the ground unconscious, with a deep gash from his left shoulder to his lower left abdomen, was the most beautiful person I ever saw. His shirt was torn to rags, and he had numerous scratches and wounds.

Not to sound weird, but he was simply gorgeous. His blood was a bright red, but unlike human blood, the man's blood had a faint glow. Even I could tell that it was immersed with power. The most eye-catching part was, wherever the blood touched the ground, plants of all varieties grew.

His blood was like the world's best fertiliser.

I didn't sense any aura, which was weird considering that he had to be some celestial being. But that soon changes as I took a step forward and passed through some sort of barrier, the air shimmering in waves.

Only then did I feel the man's aura. The sheer volume of it was enough to push me back a few steps. But I held my ground.

None of the Olympians, hell, not even Gaea, could come close to this power. It dwarfed all of them. Yet, I didn't feel the urge to run away or bow down. The aura was strange, calming, comforting even.

I figured that the barrier was placed to prevent drawing attention from some unwanted beings *cough* Zeus *cough*.

I felt drawn to the man, a weird feeling of recognition passing through me. Suddenly, I remembered about the man's injury.

I quickly knelt next to him and opened my backpack. I searched for a square of ambrosia but hesitated when I was about to give it to him.

'Can he even eat ambrosia and nectar?' I wondered. But by now, I was sure that he wasn't mortal in any possible way.

I shoved some of the ambrosia in his mouth, and what happened next surprised me even more.

The ambrosia upon coming in contact with his lips started to glow yellow. Startled, I accidentally dropped it on his neck, only for it to shine brighter and be 'absorbed' into the man's body.    

It wasn't eaten, not chewed, but rather 'absorbed'.

Overcoming my shock, I 'fed' him more ambrosia and nectar and watched as it kept being absorbed after glowing brightly. I then took a cloth and added some water from my bottle, and cleaned the wound. I then placed my bag under the man's head in an attempt to make him comfortable.

I then took out a small box the size of my fist from the bag, a gift from the Hephaestus cabin. I placed the box on the ground and pressed the button on its top. Then, I stood back and watched as it expanded into a tent as tall as me. Just looking at the tent brought back memories of Leo.

I decided not to dwell on it and quickly cleared my head, pulling the man inside.

Let me tell you, I may be a demigod, but DAM, that man was heavy.

I then opened a compartment in the tent and pulled out a pillow, placing it under him and covering him with a blanket.

Once done, I stepped out and stood guard outside the tent on the off chance that a monster decided to attack, letting my mind wander about what the fork was going on.

  After only a few minutes, I heard noises inside the tent. I heard a deep voice say from within say:

          "Where, in my Dad's name, am I?"

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