Falling Through Portals

Hunted

Chapter 84

Percy raised his hands warily. His eyes darted from Lorem's form to Annabeth.

"You know," she said, "I never thought you would get this far, let alone get that crazed guard to give you the stone."

"Get this far?" Percy asked, the evening air warm and inviting despite their circumstance.

"All of the worlds you have traveled to in order to find this place,"

"Well, you don't know how right you are," Percy chuckled.

"Too bad this is your last stop," she said.

Before she could get into her evil-villain monologue and kill Militum, who was looking very pale, Percy cleared his throat.

"So, how did you make this place look like my home?" Percy asked, lowing his hands to hook them in his pockets casually.

"This is a parallel universe to your home world," she explained, "A very bad one if I might admit."

"Yea, I totally agree, the food is really bad," he looked her over, "So you are not the Annabeth of this world?"

"In this universe the Annabeth is not included, choosing her form allowed me to more closely match this universe to other parallel universes like it," she said.

"How clever!" Percy complemented, "Very well executed."

"Thank you," she said with a smile, "good to see someone appreciating my handiwork."

"No problem," Percy shrugged, "The Company here must be tough. A bunch of air heads."

Annabeth snorted, "I know! They-"

She was cut off by a push of energy by Militum. All kindness left her face and her blonde-makeup covered form melted away to reveal a hooded figure with obsidian hands. She gripped his neck with both hands and stared down at Militum's face. Percy could have sworn he heard Militum whimper.

"Your betrayal has been remembered, Feeder," the girl hooded figure hissed at him

Percy looked at Lorem and bit his lip. While they were talking he knelt quietly and placed the stone between Lorem's fingers. He stood again before the hooded figure looked back at him.

". . . Keep the universe . . . alive," Militum spit out.

"You do not care about the universe, you care about the power you could be sucking out of the universe. I am not sure I see the difference between the universe dying and your kind being alive. I should kill you right now."

Militum stared defiantly back at her. Percy clinched his fist to keep him from drawing attention to himself. An idea occurred to him and he began pulling the water from the ocean towards them.

"No," the hooded figure said, "I think I will strip you of the power the master gave you and then I can deliver you to him as a play thing."

Percy had to look away. Militum began thrashing with the last amounts of energy he had, but it seemed futile. He watched in horror as silver drops of blood began coming out of Militum's skin.

When she finally let him go, Militum collapsed in a puddle of his own silvery blood on the sand, shaking.

"Sorry about that Percy," she said, looking back at him, "deserters are such a nuisances."

"Yea," Percy said, trying to sound confidant, "I totally understand."

"Good, Now I hope you have enjoyed your time here, because this is where we are leaving you."