2nd Chance: Book 2 (PJO/HoO FanFic)

23. Is It THAT Deadly?

P E R C Y

My hands balled into tight fists and my teeth clenched,"Excuse me?!" I screeched,"No way! Never in a million years! That's so stupid! There's already poison in my blood! It won't work!"

Chaos cringed, as if expecting me to yell and argue,"Percy-"

"No! Chaos, that's so stupid! I'm already gonna die! What's the point?!"

Chaos winced. He lowered his voice to a whisper,"Don't be like that, Percy..."

I sighed, trying to calm myself,"Chaos. I need to be there. I'm not gonna let them fight while I sit down and watch them. I must fight with them. This is my fight as well! I won't let them fight it for me!"

"I know, Percy. It's not in your blood. I understand. Just...think about it. That ring traps your powers when you use them. It traps your speed, and your tactics. Everything. It will be painfully slow, but it will kill you. Percy, you may not feel as much pain now since you're super powerful, but this...this will cause you to feel so much pain in even the smallest wounds. A paper cut will feel like a sword pierced you." He gave me a minute to process the information,"And if anyone on the opposing side gets a hold of that ring, all hope of winning is lost." Chaos explained,"Please, Percy. It's better if you sit and don't do anything. That way the ring won't be able to trap anything."

I balled my hands and squeezed them tight to try and stop them from shaking. Gods, you're so stupid! You just had to put the ring on. I quickly stuffed my hands in my hoodie. It felt like the fear was squeezing my heart. My stomach churned, causing my to feel nauseous.

Chaos noticed my quiet and unusual attitude. He gave me a look of pity,"Hey..." He said quietly, coming over to wrap an arm around me,"It's ok, Percy. It's not your fault. Once you see the ring, then it will tempt you. Nobody is able to fight it. Only when it's not occupied though. Either way, I need you to trust me. I will find out a cure for this, ok. It's ok to be scared right now. I would be scared too. Don't question its abilities. What the real question is, do you trust me?"

I nodded,"Of course, Chaos," I hesitated,"but I can't do this." I pulled out my hand and looked at the ring. It's white zircon twinkled as if laughing at me. The gold strand around edges made me fidget, as if they were glaring at me. It seems as if any minute they would unravel from the ring and somehow attack me. Everything about this ring looked evil, but I wasn't gonna let it stop me.

I looked at Chaos, and he seemed to already know what I was gonna say,"I have to fight, Chaos."

He nodded, understanding my reasons,"Ok." He placed a hand on my shoulder,"Just. Don't use your powers as much, and be careful, Percy. Please? That's all I'm asking."

I gave him a weak smile,"I can't promise you anything, but I'll try."

...

Let me put it this way. I completely 'forgot' Chaos' warning about not using my powers to much. Can you blame me? I use my powers a lot in desperate situations and then he suddenly expects me to immediately stop. Yeah...no. Sorry. It ain't gonna happen.

Ok, I'll admit that I sorta feel bad. I know Chaos is worried sick about me. It's pretty obvious, but I can't help it. My fingers...eh...slipped? I guess. Anyways, I just feel bad now. You see, after I got back from my meeting with Chaos, Tartarus attack. I jumped into battle instantly. I had used my powers so many times to save myself, and others. I was making my way to Tartarus until Luke and Zoë stopped me.