We Are Cursed (A Percy Jackson AU) || BOOK 2

Chapter 24 || Percy

Percy didn't like standing in one place for too long. Being in Tartarus was no exception. ADHD didn't help with that, as he couldn't sit still no matter how hard he tried. He'd always end up squirming around, making the leaves rustle. The nerves of him wondering if Annabeth was safe or not was getting to him and he hated every second of it. 

After his fight with the empousai and the Phix monsters, he had been resting for a few hours, knowing that more monsters would be there in an instant. His blood was running down the stones he was currently crouched behind, watering them like a painted mural. Percy was cold and he was hot, his burns from acid burning like lava. 

After his hallucinations with Bianca, Beckendorf, and Annabeth, he was sure everything was a hallucination, so he pinched himself every few seconds to make sure he didn't screw up. Rustling was somewhere out there and he knew something bad was about to come. Restraining a bitter chuckle, he almost gave up.

It wasn't like he had the strength to fight anyways.

"Perseus Jackson..." a hiss sounded. "Perseus, I can smell you!"

Well, there went his hope of staying safe. He'd have to fight either way. He had his sword out in an instant, stretching his senses to try and figure out where the monster was. Hissing was heard as silent, slithery steps crunched on the floors of Tartarus. Dracnae. He stepped out of his hiding spot and stabbed through her, preparing himself for the wave of pain to rack through his body. 

When it did, he stood his ground. Passing out in the middle of hell wasn't a smart option and he was already used to the pain. Only the gods knew what these monsters would do to him if they found him or if he had no act of defense... Actually, the gods probably didn't know what they'd do, considering one of their agents was down in the pit of hell and they hadn't sent help yet.

"Perseus Jackson!" a cackle was right next to him and Percy cursed at himself for spacing out.

The monster was practically nose-to-nose with him, its beady eyes glaring into his sea-green ones.

"Uh... hey..." Percy said like an idiot.

Without thinking, he stabbed it through the forehead, feeling a searing pain appear in his forehead as he did so. Blood ran down his nose and dripped onto the floor. Droplets got into his eyes, tainting his vision red as he blinked the dark spots out of his eyes, trying to keep his consciousness in his body.

Putting a hand over his forehead, he could feel the crimson leaking between his fingers as he looked around, blinking to clear his blurry vision. A groan escaped his lips as he raced away. He had to wake up, or at least get out of Tartarus. There was only one way to do so. He had to find the Doors of Death.

He ran. A trail of blood dripped behind him as he raced forward on the dirty floors, the ground coarse under his sneakers. There was only one issue. He didn't know how to get to the Doors of Death. Knees buckling, dirt dusted across his face, blood sticking to him like paint, Percy hobbled through the forests in search for a mountain.

Only from there could he try and spot the doors, even if his vision wasn't the most reliable at the moment. He didn't notice the rocky base of the mountain until he hit it. Idiot. Looking up, the peak of the mountain was a daunting sight, and monsters were bound to be gazing off the cliffs and jagged edges.

The goal of Tartarus was clear.

Everyone wanted to get out.

Everyone who stayed died.

Everyone failed at getting out if they were demigods.

Everyone died if they were demigods.

Everyone lived if they were monsters.

"What would Annabeth do?" Percy whispered to himself as he steadied himself on the mountain.

Annabeth... He wanted to hold her close to him more than anything. He'd just gotten her back and now he had lost her because of a curse. The curse that kept him with her. The curse that took him from her.

A blessing and a curse mixed together to form... surprise, a curse!

Percy wedged his fingers in the cracks through the rocks of the mountain. He didn't care if he was crushing his fingers and scraping them to a bloody mess. His arms barely had the strength to keep him upright. What would happen if he didn't have the pressure of the mountain holding him up? He'd fall.

Hoisting himself upwards, he could see the vast lands of Tartarus unfolding before him. The various roads and rivers that laid before him like tendrils of hopelessness.

"The River Phlegethon..." he breathed as he stared at the fiery river.

"The River Phlegethon heals people, Percy," Annabeth said, twirling her golden curls around her finger.

"But it's made of fire," Percy replied, confused.

"Healing fire," Annabeth shot back. "Just read it in the book!"

Percy looked up at his fingers, still wedged between the cracks. He was already too high up and if he went back down, there was no guarantee he could make it to the river on his own. It was one or the other. He continued to scale the mountain. Lifting himself up onto a cliff, he gasped in effort and looked out over the void of Tartarus.

Trees littered the area, black as if they were burnt. The rivers coiled forwards and several giants were seen stomping through the pit. Percy followed the figure of Polybotes, seeing the way he was journeying. His sea-green eyes caught sight of a little dot that reminded him of what Times Square looked like from a plane.

He frowned, trying to remember everything. The River Phlegethon was a place he had to visit. Tracing the path with his eyes, he said the directions in his head.

North, south, left, right, forward, turn, forward, turn, back, turn...

He was getting out of here.

"Oh, I don't think you are."