Captain Jackson

Chapter Nineteen

The next vision was the one I was dreading. The one I always saw in the end. It started.

"Percy get out of here now. Run, run and don't look back. I'll hold them off", Luke whispered quickly grabbing for his sword and a dagger that he always seemed to have.

"No... no! Luke, I can help you! You taught me how! Remember! I-I can use a sword now... please. I can help" I rambled tears streaming down my face. Even then I knew what would happen. I had seen it before.

"No Percy I need you to run. Okay, bud. And take this. Don't lose it. It belongs to my little sis. If you see her I want you to give it to her Alright?" Luke asked, while shoving the knife into my chest, and pushing my out the back door.

"No Luke! No, you have to give it to Annabeth! You- you're not going to die" I was lying to myself, but I still held onto that false hope, even if I knew... I knew.

"Alright, bud. I promise I'll give it to her", the door was shaking now from the meaning the man in black was doing, " But just in case you hold onto it".

I nodded before turning around and running. Everything was a blur from the tears in my eyes. From what I knew was going to happen next. Suddenly I tripped over a tree root. Instead of getting up I sat against the tree and waited. By the time I got up the moon was halfway in the sky. I headed back to the house, where I stayed with Luke for two years. For a lifetime.

Once I got to the house the sun was just rising. I pushed open the wooden door, knowing what I would find, but wishing I was wrong. I looked around the kitchen and saw red. Everywhere red inhabited. I looked down on the ground and saw Luke, but it wasn't Luke. this man had the same blonde hair and blue eyes, but the eyes were dead and didn't hold that spark in them. This man had a scar on his face, but he didn't have any fingers or toes. This man was all that was left of my friend, of my brother.

"Ercy? Percy!" I jolted awake to see Ace standing in front of me looking worried. Then I noticed tears were streaming down my face.

"Percy? Are you alright?" Ace asked concerned like he always was. He reminded me of Luke in a way.

I cleared my throat,"Yeah I'm fine", my voice came out way smaller than I wanted it to. I looked around the room to notice that nothing had been moved in my sleep, only that Mrs. O'leary was no longer in the room. Probably on deck getting some fresh air, with Nico. I noticed how they seemed to have bonded the day just before Artemis attacked.

"Percy... do you want to go back to sleep? You only have to take one more dose of medication and then you should be ready to get back on your feet, after a bite or two of ambrosia. And I know what this medication does to you but, you have two or you won't be able to get out there, in the world so don't even think about giving me lip" Ace rambled. I just nodded before taking the disgusting juice and glumping it, hurting my throat in the process.

My eyes grew heavy, faster than the last time, and before I knew it, I was once again trapped in a drugged slumber.

"Why are you still standing there! I told you to go get me my rum!"

"Y-yes, sir! S-sorry sir!". A boy with dark brown curls squeaked before clopping out the mostly white room.

A few moments he came back with a glass bottle, but before he could deliver the drink, he tripped over his hooves and landed on his stomach, while at the same time the bottle shattered.

"You stupid goat! Look what you have done!" The large man with yellow teeth and a large bear belly bellowed before rising to his feet and grabbing a whip.

"No. S-sir I- I'm s-sorry! I'll cle-clean it up! Jus-t pl-lease don't hurt me!" The satyr bleated trying to scoot back.

The man raised his hand. And in a blink of the eye little me was standing in front of my only friend at the time. The whip fell, slashing at my back, leaving a long red streak, already spilling blood.

"Oh? So you want some too Perseus?" Gabe taunted with his unwashed body leaning closer to my face.

I masked my emotions before he could notice my fear, " No, but I'll take his punishment instead".

"No P-Percy You do-n't have to!" Grover pleaded, his face still showing fear.

"Well I would take you up on the offer, but I don't know how to patch people up" I tried to joke.

"Enough talking! Courtyard now!" Gabe yelled, spit flying, before yanking my arm up to lift me to my feet. Pain flared down my back, but I still stood and slowly walked to the front courtyard, ignoring Grover, and the many faces that had turned my way on our little parade.

"Shirt off" The monster demanded. I did as told before stepping into the middle of the fastly forming circle of kids and people like Gabe who enjoyed watching the pain of others.

"Thirty strokes is your punishment and you're to count all of them or we start over", He cheered.

The whip fell. Pain sliced through my back, but I bit my lip to keep from screaming out. There was a pause before he mumbled something about starting over.

Again the whip fell, but harder this time. I could almost feel the vibrations go down into the bone. I said nothing. Again and again, over and over the whip kept coming, until I was on my knees, my leg no longer able to hold my body.

The next stroke had me seeing stars, and I lost the hold on my lip. I screamed out. I vaguely saw Grover in front of me crying. I vaguely felt myself being lifted up and moved into a room for my wounds to be healed, but not entirely, so I could feel the pain just enough, every time I moved.

One hundred and forty-two strokes. That was my first time being wiped in that house. And for the next two years, it got worse. Salt was added to the slashes, the whip soon turned into an iron-tipped whip. My back was soon riddled with scars. My face and body riddled with bruises, but never once did I complain, because I knew if I didn't take these punishments, the other kids would. This was only the beginning of a life full of torment. No one would ever believe the pain a ten-year-old would go through.

~~

"Percy we can't! We won't make it!"

"Grover I know we can. I have planned this for four months, I can get everyone out! If we leave at dawn through the window right next to the servant's stairwell we could easily make our way past the guard. Then In the gardens, we hide behind the strawberry bushes for two minutes, then move out next to the wall and climb it. Then we are free. I already got everyone in on it. Well everyone that won't rat us out and has not been corrupted by Gabe." I insisted, not looking at him, but looking at the bit of floor I was scrubbing.

"Fine! But what about Gabe. What are you going to do about him?" Grover hissed.

"Once everyone is free I'm going to circle back and kill him, at the same time I'm going to find what he had stolen from me" I murmured, thinking about the bronze dagger, I had promised to keep safe and give to someone two years, one month and a day ago.

"Fine, but you have to promise to stay safe! Or for the love of Pan, I will find you and I will kill you myself, even if I have to resurrect you" He threatened, before returning to scrubbing the already spotless floor.

~~

(A/N) Here is another chapter! I feel so proud of myself! I wrote like three chapters in the past week! Just um... don't expect this tp happen next month... Wait its February isn't it? Totally forgot! Hah well, heres to another lonely Valentines day, and best of luck to all of you out there! Anyway, hope you liked it and all that jazz! Till next time!! XD

P.S I love getting comments... just saying... I'll be going now