The Unknown Allegiance

| Chapter 5 || The Fights |

Chapter Five

The Fights

*Third Person Point of View*

Halfway down the hallway, which was just as grown over with moss and lichen as the cell, a hood was thrown over Percy's head. It didn't really do much, as it was far too dark for him to see anything of value anyway, but he wasn't complaining. It was better than putting Thalia in danger. As long as he knew that she was safe, he'd go along with anything they'd make him do.

"In here," a gruff voice commanded. It was scratchy and deep and so very obviously a cyclops. Percy had learned how to recognize what type of monster it was based on the voice, even though it had seemed quite useless during his training.

Percy felt himself being thrown forwards into nothingness, and his heart leaped in his throat right before he hit a metal mesh fence. The mesh rattled as he collided with it, the noise ringing in his ears as he slid to the ground. The flesh of his face and his hands squished unpleasantly into the empty spaces, only held back by the thin crisscrossing bars.

"Hope you're ready, kid," the same voice said as the hood was pulled off.

Percy's eyes immediately snapped shut. Everything was too bright. He groaned. Stadium lights were pelting down on him, blinding him of anything. A little voice in the back of his mind prayed for the hood back, if only to shield him from the light. It must've been hours since he'd been exposed to any light in general, and now, all at once, it was too much.

Struggling to stand, Percy staggered around, trying to regain his balance. As soon as the ground stopped spinning under his feet, he brought himself to full height and peeked his eyes open just a sliver.

The stadium lights glared at him.

A burning sensation exploded in his face, burning him alive. He grit his teeth, slowly opening his eyes wider and wider. His pupils were contracting more and more. His ADHD briefly wondered if they got so small they'd disappear entirely, but he quickly pushed the thought aside.

Finally, his surroundings were revealed to him. A large arena - the stands filled with monsters. It reminded him of a place he'd been in before. In the Labyrinth with his friends.

To his left and his right, sandstone walls rose from the ground, supporting the ceiling over his head. He was still hidden out of sight to the stands, but he knew that it wouldn't last long. Eventually, they'd force him out there. He dreaded to think what for.

Beneath his feet, dust rose in small clouds before settling back down on the hard earth. The metal mesh all around him was old and rusted but still stood, trapping him. A pair of monster guards stood behind him, guarding the entrance. The only other way out was ahead of him. A single door in the gate, locked. Thick chains wound around the bars. Two more guards stood on the opposite side of it, out on the arena floor. They seemed to be waiting. For what, Percy didn't know. He had a feeling that he didn't want to know.

"Our next fight is a real treat!" a loud voice announced. He sounded far too enthusiastic; it was sickening.

Percy looked up to see a cyclops sitting in a large section of the arena. An area where, in normal occasions, the Emperor would sit. Percy grumbled. It was just like Antaeus. What was with monsters and their underground fight clubs?

"First up, we have our champion! King of the Fights and holder of the Undefeated Streak! He is the Majesty of all Mongrels! The King of all Hellhounds! Kóliro!"

Percy's eyes shot up to the other end of the arena, seeing a massive beast, standing over fifty feet tall. The large metal gate fell away, allowing it to step out into the arena, each footstep shaking the earth. Its shadow hung over the dirt floor like a bad omen, like misfortune personified. Deep huffs blew out through its nose as it glared down at him, red eyes bloodthirsty and gleaming with spite.

The crowd was thrown into an uproar. Cheers, screeches, hisses, stomping, clapping. Once they settled, the announcer continued.

"And the challenger! You've all heard his name! You all hate his guts! The legendary Guardian of Artemis! Perseus Jackson!"

The smaller door in the metal mesh slid aside, and someone pushed Percy forwards into the light of the stadium for all the spectators to see. Behind him, the gate slammed shut, preventing all chance of escape.

The crowd screamed again, this time with anger. Items of all sorts were thrown down at him including rotten fruit, trash, and even a disembodied limb or two. Percy's eyebrow raised at the last one.

"Let the fight begin!" the announcer called.

Percy's eyes widened. He stared up at the massive beast in front of him. It growled, chest heaving and muscles rippling. Percy was an ant, and it was the boot lowering to squish him. 'Fight? Oh, Hades' underwear...'

***

Word Count: 843

Average Words Per Chapter: 1431

Word Total: 7156

Posted: Saturday, January 7th, 2017

Edited and Re-Posted: Monday, February 14th, 2017

~CSP2708~

*Dylan_Walts*