Fight to the Surface (Sea Prince Trilogy #2)

Chapter Twenty-Five

They kept falling and falling for what felt like eternity. For all they knew it could've been. Not only were they immortal, but time flowed differently in Tartarus.

From above, Loki was beginning to see the ground.

And while he was still far away, Percy was much much closer.

The moment he hit the ground he would be flattened.

So in a moment of panic Loki shot his hands out, concentrating not letting Percy go splat and less on how. A beam of ice flew out of Loki's hands, weaving and colliding to create a very rickety slide of hard, cold ice. Percy landed, back first onto the the slope of the slide roughly, jarring his body. Thankfully is was sloped and not flat.

Percy tumbled and rolled like a rag-doll down the slide until finally he sagged to the glassy ground.

Not long after, Loki too hit the slide. Sadly, the god could not slow his descent and landed directly on top of the demigod, full speed.

Loki panicked, rolling off the demigod, wincing as he did so. He didn't flatten Percy did he!?

Thankfully, Percy was still Percy... for most the part. Scrapes and bruises littered his skin already, each one dripping golden ichor- a sign of his immortality. He was pale despite the humid air and was breathing heavily.

Loki cautiously picked up the demigod. Perhaps he should be concerned with how light Percy was, but right now the son of Poseidon seemed impossibly heavy in the poisonous realm.

"A place to heal. A place to heal." Loki muttered as he decided carrying Percy over his shoulder was the better was to go. He'd heard of something in Tartarus that could heal injuries.

"Fire..." Percy groaned.

"What?"

"F-fire... river..." Percy mumbled again and then passed out completely, becoming heavier. His brain was too out of it to conjure the name of the actual river.

And thus that was how Loki found himself searching for this 'Fire River' as Percy so accurately described. Loki just hoped that the river was made of actually fire, since that was what he was looking for. Loki didn't want to drink from any old river. He'd heard there were some nasty things that could happen.

Loki couldn't keep track of time. Who knew how long had passed. Who knew how long Loki had been dragging Percy around Tartarus, searching for a place safe enough to rest and heal the both of them.

But that's the thing about Tartarus.

It isn't safe.

It never was and never will be.

The entire was was designed to kill. To cause suffering and melancholy. To leech you of your hope and health, your dreams and future. Slowly, but surely, the Pit was chipping away at Loki's aura. He could feel it becoming dimmer and dimmer, and with it, he became weaker and weaker. The breaks he took were more frequent.

After another forever of walking Loki stopped to test against a burnt, rotting tree. The acidic air burned his lungs, stinging his eyes and the glass and humidity cut into his skin.

Panting and sweating like nobody's business, Loki set down his currently useless demigod free-loader. Percy rested limply against Loki, doing nothing to ease the uncomfortable heat. He looked miserable, Tartarus was not doing Percy any beauty favours either.

For reasons unknown to him, Loki's eyes began to shut. His vision dimmed and he passed out.

Later, when he awoke, he found them surrounded by creatures he'd been hoping would never find them.

Monsters.

They were surrounded.

~~~~

Well that was fun. However, I don't think my friends want to be seen in public with me anymore. In the movie (Hotel Transylvania 3) the Macarena Song started playing I started singing and dancing along in my seat 😂

And I've come back to write another chapter or two before getting on with my mixcraft project due on Tuesday (shit shit fuck fuck shit shit fuck) only to be harassed by my sister and her friend. No I do not like the creepy thigh-tall dolls and I do not want a fake cup of tea and banana. And no, I bought these lollies myself, you cannot have any more. Begone!

Peace,

BTSWD
Borntosingwithdrama