Venom: Lethal Protector

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

They were at the very bottom of the Grand Canyon. They could see people up on the glass observation deck. Percy grabbed Thalia's hand and took her into the Colorado River.

     "Percy, what are you doing?" She asked him as he stepped into the river.

      "We have to get out of here." He paused. "Discreetly." He said after a moment. "Just come with me."

     Thalia decided to trust him and followed him in. He held his hand out to her and she took it. They walked deeper into the river, all the way until the water was at her chin. Percy looked at her. "I need you to take a deep breath and go underwater."

     "What?"

      "Just trust me. Please."

        Thalia hesitated, before taking a deep breath in and plunging her head underwater. She closed her eyes. Water surrounded her. She felt wrong. Every cell screamed for her to run out of the river, to yell screw it and just walk.

      But then the water faded from around her.

      "You can breathe now." Percy said.

      Thalia opened her eyes to a smug looking Percy. She looked around to see that they were in a giant underwater bubble. She was standing on it, so it must've been pretty durable. She looked outside of the bubble to see that they were moving through the river, traveling fast.

      Percy sat down and leaned back on the wall of the bubble. "Relax. It won't pop until we get to our destination."

      "Which is?"

      Percy shrugged. "I'll know when I feel it."

      Thalia decided to sit down as well. She laid on the other side of the bubble, facing him. "So, you're gonna tell me what happened back there?"

      Percy sighed. He was quiet for a moment. It almost looked like he was listening to something. Finally he started. "As you know, I was sentenced to Tartarus. I wasn't there very long before I passed out from exhaustion. When I woke up, Tartarus had captured me. He offered me a deal. He would give me freedom if I won this tournament of his. Little did I know that it was all a ruse. Anyway, I accepted it."

       He went silent, like he was waiting for a response. When he got none, he continued.

      "I had just finished fighting my first fight and I decided to go for a walk. I was resting by the River Phlegethon when I was attacked by a hellhound. During it, something passed to me." He paused. "A symbiote."

      "A what?"

       "It's uh, um-" Percy paused again. He tilted his head to the side, like it was listening. "It's a parasite."

     Suddenly Percy winced. "Fine, geez, I'm sorry. You're not a parasite. Happy now?" He seemed to be talking to himself.

      Thalia was thinking that she was starting to get it. "So it needs you to survive?"

      Percy turned to her. "Yeah. It also needs a certain thing- phenethylamine- to live. Apparently it's only found in the brain... and chocolate."

       Thalia seemed to pale. "Oh." She let out in a small voice.

      Percy noticed this and immediately panicked. "It's not going to eat you. Right?" Percy looked expectant. "That's good." He said. He focused back on Thalia. "Yeah, he's not eating you."

       "That makes me feel so much better. Thanks." Thalia said sarcastically.

     "Besides, he should still be full from Tartarus."