craving |PERCY JACKSON| [book 1] UNDER EDITING

IX

PERCY WAS ABOUT TO JOIN the celebration when Annabeth's voice, right next to him in the creek, said, "Not bad, hero." He looked, but she wasn't there. "Where the heck did you learn to fight like that?" she asked. The air shimmered, and she materialized, holding a Yankees baseball cap as if she'd just taken it off her head.

Percy felt myself getting angry. He wasn't even fazed by the fact that she'd just been invisible. "You fucking set me up," He growled, "You put me here because you knew Clarisse would come after me, while you sent Luke around the flank. You had it all figured out."

Annabeth shrugged. "I told you. Athena always, always has a plan."

"A plan to get me pulverized."

"I came as fast as I could. I was about to jump in, but..." She shrugged. "You didn't need help."

Selena came up behind Annabeth and looked at Percy's wounded arm, "How did you do that?" She asked,

"A fucking sword cut," Percy answered angrily, "What do you think?"

Selena shook her head, "No. It was a sword cut. Look at it."

The blood was gone. Where the huge cut had been, there was a long white scratch, and even that was fading. As they watched, it turned into a small scar and disappeared. "I-I don't get it," Percy stuttered,

Annabeth was thinking hard. She looked down at his feet, then at Clarisse's broken spear, and said, "Step out of the water, Percy."

"What-"

"Just do it." She huffed,

He walked out of the creek and immediately felt bone tired. His arms started to go numb again. His adrenaline rush left him. Percy almost fell over, but Selena steadied him.

"Oh, fuck," Annabeth cursed. "This is not good. I didn't want... I assumed it would be Zeus..."

"Told you." Selena smiled at Annabeth, "Water is his element."

Before Percy could ask what she meant, he heard that canine growl again, but much closer than before. A howl ripped through the forest.

The campers' cheering died instantly. Chiron shouted something in Ancient Greek, "Stand ready! My bow!"

Selena drew her dagger and stood in front of Percy. There on the rocks just above us was a black hound the size of a rhino, with lava-red eyes and fangs like daggers. It was looking straight at Percy.

Nobody moved except Annabeth, who yelled, "Percy, run!"

The hound leaped over Selena, an enormous shadow with teeth, and just as it hit Percy, as he stumbled backward and felt its razor-sharp claws ripping through his armor, there was a cascade of thwacking sounds, like forty pieces of paper being ripped one after the other. From the hound's neck sprouted a cluster of arrows. The monster fell dead at his feet.

By some miracle, Percy was still alive. He didn't want to look underneath the ruins of his shredded armor. His chest felt warm and wet, and Percy knew he was badly cut. Another second and the monster would've turned him into a hundred pounds of delicatessen meat.

Chiron trotted up next to the three, a bow in his hand, his face grim.

"Holy shit!" Selena gasped, "That's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't... They're not supposed to ..."

"Someone summoned it," Chiron said. "Someone inside the camp."

Luke came over, the banner in his hand forgotten, his moment of glory gone. Clarisse yelled, "It's all Percy's fault! Percy summoned it!"

"Be quiet, child," Chiron told her.

Everyone watched the body of the hellhound melt into shadow, soaking into the ground until it disappeared. Selena turned to Percy, who was bleeding heavily, "You're wounded," Selena commented, "Quick, Percy, get in the water."

"I'm okay," Percy assured,

"No, you're not," She stated before looking at Chiron, "Chiron, watch this. "

He was too tired to argue. Selena helped him step back into the creek, while the whole camp gathering around them. Instantly, Percy felt better. He could feel the cuts on his chest closing up. Some of the campers gasped. "Look, I-I don't know why," Percy started, trying to apologize. "I'm sorry..."

He turned towards Selena and noticed that she wasn't watching his wounds heal. She was staring at something about his head. He looked around and noticed all the campers were doing the same,

By the time he looked up, the sign was already fading, but Percy could still make out the hologram of green light, spinning and gleaming. 

A three-tipped spear; a trident.

"This isn't good." Annabeth muttered, sheathing her dagger.

"Your father," Selena smiled at him, despite the crack in her heart, "He's claimed you, Percy."

"It is determined," Chiron announced.

All around them, campers started kneeling, even the Ares cabin, though they didn't look happy about it. "My father?" Percy asked, completely bewildered.

"Poseidon," said Chiron. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God. "